While the market was correcting, several landmark events occurred in the crypto world that will set the development vector for the coming weeks. Key news from the morning of July 13 — from institutional adoption in Asia to religious debates about the nature of digital assets.
Market at the start: slight correction of leaders
Bitcoin (BTC) started the day with a decline. As of 07:35 Moscow time, the asset is trading around $62,687, which is approximately 4,805,875 rubles. Over the past 24 hours, the minimum was recorded at $62,616, and the maximum at $64,340. Ethereum (ETH) is also showing a downward trend, hovering around $1,780 (approximately 136,463 rubles).
In the top 10 by market cap, TRON shows the best performance over the day and week (+0.15% and +0.45%, respectively). The outsider was Hyperliquid, losing 2.18% over the day and 8.14% over the week. In the extended top 100, DeXe demonstrates explosive growth: +23.99% over the day and +94.88% over the week. The largest losses among the hundred largest assets were recorded for Pi — minus 10.15% over 24 hours and 22.10% over seven days.
Japan: Lawson launches stablecoin payments
One of the largest convenience store chains in Japan — Lawson — is launching a pilot project to accept stablecoins. Starting in August, at the chain's store in Tokyo's Takanawa Gateway City complex, it will be possible to pay with the yen-stablecoin JPYC. This is part of an experiment involving telecommunications giant KDDI and crypto wallet operator HashPort. Let me remind you, Lawson has nearly 14,700 locations nationwide, second only to Seven-Eleven and FamilyMart. This is a serious step toward the mass adoption of digital currencies in retail trade.
Thailand: Bank of Thailand tightens oversight of stablecoins
The Central Bank of Thailand, together with the local Securities and Exchange Commission, announced increased control over stablecoin operations, especially USDT. Particular attention will be paid to large transactions, cash settlements, and currency exchange. The head of the regulator, Vitai Ratanakorn, emphasized that these are not one-time measures, but a comprehensive strategy to combat the "gray" economy and money laundering. The goal is to cut off funding channels for illegal schemes, including fraudulent call centers.
Pakistan: seeking compromise between crypto and religion
The head of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), Bilal bin Saqib, called for continued dialogue on the status of digital assets in Islamic law. The occasion was a meeting with influential theologian Mufti Taqi Usmani, who supported a religious ruling (fatwa) against purchases using cryptocurrency. According to Usmani and five other scholars from an authoritative madrasa in Karachi, digital tokens, including stablecoins like USDT, are not recognized property under Sharia interpretation. Saqib did not dispute the fatwa but proposed to continue discussing the differences between different categories of assets. Given that 96.35% of Pakistan's population is Muslim, this dialogue is crucial for the future of cryptocurrencies in the country.
Expert comment: The divergent trends — from Japanese retail to Pakistani theologians — show that the crypto industry is entering a phase of maturity where not only technology but also local cultural and religious norms play a decisive role. Investors should closely monitor regulatory signals from Asia, as this region is currently setting the tone in matters of legalization and adoption.