FIFA’s World Cup 2026 gets a VAR upgrade and a crypto makeover with Kraken, Avalanche, and Algorand

AI fake videos, viral hoaxes and real racism are colliding at the FIFA World Cup. From a fake AI-generated Ronald Koeman rant and false claims targeting Algerian fans to the racist abuse of Kylian Mbappé and FIFA investigations, misinformation is spreading alongside genuine discrimination. Vedika Bahl fact-checks the biggest World Cup racism claims, exposes the fake ones, and separates viral AI deception from real incidents of racist abuse on and off the pitch.

The post Hyundai Card Tests Stablecoin Global Payments. appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Hyundai Card completed a $20,000 USDT transfer between US and Mexico subsidiaries in seven minutes. The pilot used Avalanche, Tether, and Axiym to test faster blockchain-based corporate payments. Hyundai Card plans Europe trials with Visa and Circle for local currency stablecoin transfers. Hyundai Card has completed a stablecoin-based cross-border payment test between Hyundai Motor subsidiaries in the United States and Mexico, marking a major step toward blockchain-powered corporate settlements. The payment company tested real intercompany transfers using stablecoins, aiming to improve international payment efficiency while exploring new financial infrastructure for global operations. Hyundai Card Completes Stablecoin Transfer Between Hyundai Units Hyundai Card, the payments division of Hyundai Motor Group, said Thursday it has completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) involving stablecoin transfers b

The post XRP Price as SWIFT Taps Ripple-Affiliated Banks For Tokenized Cross-Border Payments appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. XRP price is up by 1.6% today, July 9, to trade at $1.09 at the time of writing. These gains come as SWIFT announces that it will be working with 17 banks, some of which are affiliated with Ripple, for a pilot phase for its blockchain-based ledger. SWIFT Partners With Banks For Tokenized Cross-Border Payments SWIFT has announced that it will be working with 17 banks to check whether its blockchain can be used to facilitate payments made between countries. Some of the banks named in this project, like Standard Chartered and UBS, use Ripple to custody crypto assets or to enable payments across countries using the XRP Ledger. This initiative comes after Ripple Treasury joined the SWIFT Certified Partner Program in April 2026. However, an analyst on X notes that Ripple’s partnership with SWIFT might not be bullish for the price of XRP because SWIFT will not use

The post Alfa-Bank Crypto Plans Gain Russia’s Approval. appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Alfa-Bank plans crypto custody services as Russia builds a regulated digital asset framework. The bank is testing crypto trading while developing blockchain investment products for users. Russian banks are preparing digital asset infrastructure ahead of upcoming regulations. Russia’s largest private bank, Alfa-Bank, is preparing to expand into regulated crypto services as Russia develops new digital asset rules, with custody and blockchain-based investment products among its planned offerings. Alfa-Bank Prepares Regulated Crypto Infrastructure Alfa-Bank is moving closer to offering cryptocurrency services after confirming plans to build digital asset infrastructure. The bank intends to become a regulated digital asset custodian while supporting clients and businesses under Russia’s upcoming crypto framework. The financial institution plans to create a digital depository and cryptocurrency conve

The post Imagine USA’s World Cup Legacy Had These MLB Greats Played Soccer appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. SEATTLE: Seattle Sounders FC co-owner and Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. during an attempt to break the Guinness world record for largest soccer lesson at Pier 62 on June 15, 2025. (Photo by Soobum Im – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) FIFA via Getty Images Team USA’s World Cup is over early. Again. For nearly 100 years, the Americans have been also-rans at best and ne’er-do-wells most of the time. But what would be the nation’s legacy on the world’s greatest sports stage if MLB stars had grown up on a soccer pitch instead of a baseball diamond? It is reasonable to assume that Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Mike Trout, Jackie Robinson and Rickey Henderson would be as revered as Pele, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Franz Beckenbauer or Diego Maradona. BOLTON, ENGLAND: Scoring star of the Brazil team Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, commonly known as Pele, takes a turn in goal during a W

The barring of English referees from Argentina matches highlights how historical conflicts can influence sports governance and neutrality policies. The post Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor barred from Argentina matches at World Cup 2026 appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The post SWIFT Tests Blockchain as XRP Ledger Gains Focus appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. SWIFT tests blockchain ledger with 17 banks as XRP Ledger’s 14-year settlement record returns to market focus. SWIFT has announced a blockchain-based ledger for tokenized cross-border payments. Seventeen banks are preparing to test tokenized deposits through the pilot. The ledger was built in nine months and is now ready for bank testing. It aims to support 24/7 payments through SWIFT’s secure messaging network. The launch has drawn attention from XRP Ledger supporters and wider crypto market analysts. XRPL has been settling transactions since 2012, giving it a longer public operating record. The debate now centers on pilots, production systems, and institutional payment rails. Banks linked to Ripple activity are also listed among SWIFT’s pilot participants. SWIFT Brings Tokenized Deposits Into Testing SWIFT said its new ledger will support tokenized cross-border payments between banks.  The

The post Ethereum Foundation Turns AI Loose on ETH Network to Find Bugs Before Hackers Do appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. In brief Ethereum Foundation researchers are using AI agents to red-team critical network infrastructure. The agents helped uncover a peer-to-peer software vulnerability that was later disclosed. AI-assisted audits have already surfaced bugs in blockchain projects, including Zcash. The Ethereum Foundation is using swarms of AI agents to attack Ethereum—before someone else does. In a blog post on Thursday, Ethereum Foundation researchers on the Protocol Security team said they have deployed a series of AI agents against the software Ethereum relies on, hunting for vulnerabilities in cryptographic systems, protocol code, and smart contracts. “We’ve been running coordinated AI agents against the kinds of systems the network depends on, like systems software, cryptographic code, and contracts that have to be right,” the researchers wrote. “The agents found real bug