Illinois Approves a 0.2% Tax on Every Crypto Trade, With Felony Penalties

Bitcoin OTC Desk Balances Hit Record Lows After a 400,000 BTC Drain

Bitcoin OTC desk balances have fallen to record lows, with about 400,000 BTC drained since 2022, even as spot prices slide and ETF outflows extend. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bitcoin-otc-desk-balances-record-low-400k-drain-june-2026/

Strategy Builds Its Cash Reserve to $1.4B as STRC Costs Bite

Strategy added $300M to its USD reserve for a third straight week, lifting it to $1.4B, while buying just 520 BTC. The goal: defend its stumbling STRC preferred. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/strategy-cash-reserve-1-4b-strc-stumble-june-2026/

Bank of Korea Expands Project Hangang to Nine Banks for Government Payments

Bank of Korea's Project Hangang deposit-token pilot now spans nine banks and is testing bank-issued tokens for live government subsidy payments. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bank-of-korea-project-hangang-phase2-nine-banks-june-2026/

MoneyGram Becomes a Solana Validator in a Multi-Chain Stablecoin Bet

MoneyGram is now a Solana validator and is running its own MGUSD stablecoin across Stellar and Tempo, betting global remittances move onto stablecoin rails. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/moneygram-solana-validator-mgusd-stablecoin-june-2026/

Baillie Gifford Launches a Tokenized Corporate Bond Fund On-Chain

Baillie Gifford, a 118-year-old Scottish asset manager, has launched BAGEY, a UK-regulated tokenized corporate bond fund paying about 7%, with BNY on infra. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/baillie-gifford-bagey-tokenized-bond-fund-june-2026/