Learning the friendly way

Welcome to Tap’s weekly crypto market recap. 

Here are the biggest stories from last week (8 - 14 July).

💥 Bitcoin breaks new ATH

Bitcoin officially hit above $122,000 marking its first record since May and pushing total 2025 gains to around +20% YTD. The rally was driven by heavy inflows into U.S. spot ETFs, over $218m into BTC and $211m into ETH in a single day, while nearly all top 100 coins turned green.

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📌 Trump Media files for “Crypto Blue‑Chip ETF”

Trump Media & Technology Group has submitted an S‑1 to the SEC for a new “Crypto Blue Chip ETF” focused primarily on BTC (70%), ETH (15%), SOL (8%), XRP (5%), and CRO (2%), marking its third crypto ETF push this year. 

A major political/media player launching a multi-asset crypto fund signals growing mainstream and institutional acceptance, and sparks fresh conflict-of-interest questions. We’ll keep you updated.

Read more.

🌍 Pakistan launches CBDC pilot & virtual‑asset regulation

The State Bank of Pakistan has initiated a pilot for a central bank digital currency and is finalising virtual-asset laws, with Binance CEO CZ advising government efforts. With inflation at just 3.2% and rising foreign reserves (~$14.5b), Pakistan is embracing fintech ahead of emerging-market peers like India.

Read more.

🛫 Emirates Airline to accept crypto payments

Dubai’s Emirates signed a preliminary partnership with Crypto.com to enable crypto payments starting in 2026, deepening the Gulf’s commitment to crypto-friendly infrastructure.

*Not to take away from the adoption excitement, but you can book Emirates flights with your Tap card, using whichever crypto you like. 

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Read more..

🏛️ U.S. declares next week “Crypto Week”

House Republicans have designated 14-18 July as “Crypto Week,” aiming for votes on GENIUS (stablecoin oversight), CLARITY (jurisdiction clarity), and Anti‑CBDC bills. The idea is that these bills could reshape how U.S. defines crypto regulation and limit federal CBDC initiatives under Trump-aligned priorities.

Read more. 

Stay tuned for next week’s instalment, delivered on Monday mornings.

You may have heard of bear and bull markets; both referring to economic conditions within a market. Think about how a bull attacks, lifting you up with its horns. 

A bull  market or bullish market describes a condition within a financial market where the prices are rising or are expected to rise. The term "bull market" is most often used to refer to a financial market but refers as well to any asset that is tradable such as bonds, real estate, commodities, and currencies. Bull markets indicate investor confidence, optimism, and expectations that strong results will continue for an extended period of time.

There are two ways to What is a Bull Market?

A bull market refers to a financial market condition in which the prices of securities or assets are rising or expected to rise over an extended period. In a bull market, investors are optimistic about the future prospects of the market and are willing to buy securities, pushing prices higher.
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Bull markets are often associated with economic growth, strong corporate earnings, and low unemployment rates. In these conditions, investors are confident that businesses will continue to perform well and that the overall economy will continue to expand, leading to higher stock prices.
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Recognizing a Bull Market

To recognize a bull market, investors need to look for a sustained period of rising prices across the market or a specific asset class. This period can last anywhere from a few months to several years.
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Another way to recognize a bull market is through technical analysis. Technical analysts look at charts and other market indicators to identify patterns that signal a market trend. In a bull market, technical analysts may look for higher highs and higher lows in price movements over time.
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Impact of a Bull Market

A bull market can have a significant impact on the economy, businesses, and investors. When the stock market is performing well, businesses may have easier access to capital and credit, which can lead to increased investment and growth.
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A bull market can also lead to increased consumer confidence, as investors feel more optimistic about the economy and their financial futures. This can lead to higher consumer spending, which can, in turn, fuel economic growth.
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On the other hand, a prolonged bull market can lead to a market bubble, where prices become overinflated and unsustainable. This can lead to a market correction, where prices drop significantly, and investors may suffer losses.
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In conclusion

Bull markets can have a significant impact on the economy, businesses, and investors. Recognizing a bull market and understanding its impact can help investors make more informed investment decisions. However, it's essential to remain vigilant and avoid investing solely based on market trends, as market bubbles can lead to significant losses.

approach a bull market: selling stock for high profits or holding in hopes of rising prices in the future. Alternatively, you can also buy more assets, but most would not recommend buying on a high.

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In market terminology, a bull market is a period of generally rising prices and investor optimism. The term "bull market" comes from the market that rises steadily and consistently like a healthy bull. A bear market is the opposite: It refers to a condition when prices are falling and investors are pessimistic about future market value. Historical market cycles are well defined and provide a good understanding of market trends.

It's all about cycles

The market cycle helps investors to know whether they should invest or hold back their crypto coins. To avoid making wrong market choices, investors should know market cycles so they can decide whether the crypto market is on the rise or not.

The market cycle helps people to know when the market is already booming and ready to take a plunge. This helps traders to decide which crypto coin to buy at its lowest value, hold it until market bull cycle and then sell it to make a very good profit.

The Bull Market:

A Bull market is a long run of increasing prices and investor optimism where buyers outnumber sellers. As the market bull cycle goes on, more investors will see the market as their opportunity to buy low and sell high. The result is a market cycle that is not as steep as it had previously been.

The Bear Market:

A Bear market is the opposite of a Bull market where prices are falling and investors have low expectations for future market values. The market cycles are frequently broken up into bull markets and bear markets. This market cycle happens when market prices fall and investors sell their coins, this causes market prices to drop even more until the trend reverses.

The case of the Dead/flat market

A Dead market is a term used to describe a period of time where there is not much movement in either direction but it is not a market downturn by any means. This market cycle can occur after prolonged market cycles such as bull (rising trend market) and bear (falling trend market).

The market is not a straight line, it goes up and down so even though the market has gone on for a considerable time without any market fluctuation, market volatility will eventually return.

The market can be dead for a long time but it could cause worry within investors so they should know where market cycles stand.

Since market cycles are consistent it is better to be ready for market volatility, this will help you make informed market decisions when market cycles return.

In conclusion: the market cycle is a repeating market trend that describes market fluctuations over time. When market prices increase, it is called a bull market; when prices fall, it's called a bear market. Knowledge of market cycles is an important asset for investors in the crypto market as the knowledge of swings, downturns and upturns can help make better-informed decisions with investing in cryptocurrencies.

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Το PAX Gold αποτελεί μια καινοτόμα επένδυση που γεφυρώνει τον κόσμο των ψηφιακών νομισμάτων με την αγορά χρυσού. Πρόκειται για ένα crypto token που αξιοποιεί την τεχνολογία blockchain, χωρίς να συνοδεύεται από την υψηλή μεταβλητότητα που χαρακτηρίζει πολλά άλλα κρυπτονομίσματα. Το token προσφέρει έναν απλό και πιο προσιτό τρόπο για να επενδύσει κανείς σε φυσικό χρυσό.

Τι είναι το PAXG;

Κάθε PAXG token αντιστοιχεί σε μία ουγγιά καθαρού χρυσού (London Good Delivery bar). Η τιμή του ακολουθεί την τρέχουσα αγορά χρυσού, καθιστώντας το μια πιο σταθερή crypto επιλογή. Το PAXG εκδίδεται από την Paxos Trust Company, και το σύνολο της κυκλοφορίας του υποστηρίζεται από φυσικές ράβδους χρυσού, αποθηκευμένες σε ασφαλή θησαυροφυλάκια.

Η Paxos διενεργεί και δημοσιεύει μηνιαίους ελέγχους για να επιβεβαιώνει ότι ο αριθμός των tokens αντιστοιχεί σε ίση ποσότητα χρυσού. Η λειτουργία της ρυθμίζεται από την Επιτροπή Χρηματοπιστωτικών Υπηρεσιών της Νέας Υόρκης (NYDFS).

Οι κάτοχοι μπορούν να εξαργυρώσουν τα tokens τους είτε για φυσικές ράβδους χρυσού είτε για μικρότερες ποσότητες μέσω πιστοποιημένων εμπόρων ανά τον κόσμο. Χάρη στο ERC-20 πρότυπο, το PAXG μπορεί να διακινηθεί εύκολα όπως κάθε άλλο Ethereum token.

Ποιος δημιούργησε το PAX Gold;

Η Paxos Trust Company ιδρύθηκε το 2012 από τον Charles Cascarilla και τον Rich Teo με στόχο τη δημιουργία ασφαλών, διαφανών και προσβάσιμων λύσεων μεταφοράς αξίας. Το 2019, λάνσαρε το PAX Gold ως έναν τρόπο να ενσωματωθεί ο χρυσός στον κόσμο των crypto.

Η Paxos έχει συγκεντρώσει πάνω από $500 εκατομμύρια σε επενδυτικά κεφάλαια και συνεργάζεται με θεσμικούς επενδυτές όπως η PayPal Ventures και η Oak HC/FT.

Πώς λειτουργεί το PAX Gold;

Το PAXG βασίζεται στο Ethereum, επιτρέποντας την εύκολη ενσωμάτωση του σε DeFi apps και ανταλλακτήρια. Η δημιουργία και καταστροφή tokens συνεπάγεται μικρή χρέωση 0,02%, ενώ ισχύουν και τα τυπικά gas fees.

Κάθε token αντιστοιχεί σε μια συγκεκριμένη ράβδο χρυσού με μοναδικό σειριακό αριθμό, τον οποίο μπορείτε να εντοπίσετε μέσω του εργαλείου lookup της Paxos. Οι συναλλαγές παρακολουθούνται για λόγους ασφαλείας, ενώ ο κώδικας του smart contract υποβάλλεται σε τακτικούς ελέγχους.

Τι είναι το token PAXG;

Το PAXG προσφέρει τα πλεονεκτήματα της κατοχής χρυσού χωρίς τα παραδοσιακά μειονεκτήματα: αποθήκευση, μεταφορά, ασφάλεια. Το token μπορεί να αγοραστεί και να διακινηθεί ψηφιακά, παρέχοντας πρόσβαση στην αξία του χρυσού από οπουδήποτε.

Η αξία του token καθορίζεται από την αγορά χρυσού και υποστηρίζεται πλήρως από αποθέματα φυσικού χρυσού, με τακτικούς ελέγχους για απόλυτη διαφάνεια.

Πώς να αγοράσω το PAX Gold token;

Αν θέλετε να επενδύσετε σε χρυσό χωρίς να αγχώνεστε για τη φυσική κατοχή, το PAXG είναι μια εναλλακτική που αξίζει να εξετάσετε.

Μέσα από την εφαρμογή Tap, μπορείτε να αγοράσετε, να πουλήσετε και να αποθηκεύσετε με ασφάλεια PAX Gold tokens. Αρκεί να κατεβάσετε την εφαρμογή, να δημιουργήσετε λογαριασμό και να ολοκληρώσετε την επαλήθευση. Έπειτα, αποκτάτε πρόσβαση σε ασφαλή wallets και αγορές κρυπτονομισμάτων, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του PAXG.

Η εφαρμογή Tap υποστηρίζει και πληρωμές, επιτρέποντας στους χρήστες να ξοδεύουν τα crypto ή τα fiat τους με τον Tap λογαριασμό ή την κάρτα, γρήγορα και απλά.

It's 2025 and you've decided to get involved in the crypto industry and find out what the fuss is all about. You've made a smart choice, and we're pleased to welcome you. In this step-by-step guide, we'll be showing you a simple overview of how to complete the following:

• Create an account
• Deposit funds
• Buy Bitcoin, Ethereum or any other cryptocurrency
• Sell a cryptocurrency
• Withdrawal funds

Investing in digital currencies can feel daunting at first, but once you've made your first purchase, transaction, or sale, you'll see that using cryptocurrencies is simpler than expected. Be sure to keep an eye on market prices, as volatility in the crypto industry can go through waves, and educate yourself on the coins that you wish to purchase. Whether you're a trader/investor in the UK, EU, EEA, or USA, everyone can gain access to the crypto markets through the Tap mobile app.

In this article, we're going to show you the ropes, guide you through the process and explain step-by-step how to gain the skills to successfully operate in the crypto space and increase your investment portfolio. No previous trading experience is necessary (stocks or crypto).

Step 1: create an account

The first and most important decision to make before buying cryptocurrencies is determining where to buy them from. With plenty of options available on the market and plenty more news stories about them, it's imperative that you select a trustworthy and reliable source.

The Tap mobile app ticks these boxes and proves so by being licensed and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. The platform has over 300,000 registered users, at the time of writing, operates in 28 countries across the globe, and has been nominated multiple times for PAY360 Awards (previously the Emerging Payments Awards). 

To create an account on Tap, simply follow these steps:

• Download the Tap mobile app from either the Apple or Google Play store.
• Create an account by filling in the relevant information. If you make a mistake, simply go back and alter it before moving to the next step.
• Once the account is set up you will be asked to complete the KYC / identity verification process. Simply follow the onscreen prompts and submit the required information. 
• You will receive an email confirmation once your account is all set up. 

Step 2: deposit funds

In order to buy cryptocurrency through the Tap app, you will need to deposit funds. This can be done in both crypto and fiat currencies, however, we will focus on the fiat deposits today. 

• Select the Cash option in the top horizontal menu.
• Select the fiat currency you would like to deposit, your options are US dollars, Pound Sterling, or Euros. 
• We're selecting GBP, then select one of the options: deposit or debit card top-up. 
• Fill in the relevant information and perform the transaction. 
• Once the funds have cleared they will appear in the relevant Cash wallet. 

Step 3: Buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any other cryptocurrency

Now for the exciting part! It's time to buy digital currency. For the sake of this tutorial, we're going to show you how to buy Bitcoin, however, the process is consistent across all cryptocurrencies. 

• In the top horizontal menu, select Cryptocurrencies.
• Choose the cryptocurrency you would like to purchase. 
• Once in the crypto wallet, select the blue Buy button. 
• You'll be given the option to decide how to pay, simply scroll to the bottom and select Pound Sterling (or the crypto or fiat currency that you deposited).
• Enter the amount that you would like to purchase.
• Select the Execute Trade button.
• Once the transaction is completed, the funds will appear in your Bitcoin wallet. 

Step 4: Sell A Cryptocurrency

Now that you're familiar with how to buy crypto, it's high time you learned how to sell. 

• To sell Bitcoin (or any other cryptocurrency), go to the relevant wallet in the Crypto section.
• Select the blue Sell button. 
• From here you can decide whether you'd like to sell the cryptocurrency for another cryptocurrency or for a fiat currency. In this example, we'll sell BTC for GBP. 
• Select the Pound Sterling option and enter the amount of BTC you'd like to sell.
• Proceed with the Execute Trade button.
• The funds will then be available in your Cash GBP wallet.

Step 5: Withdrawal Funds

Completing the final process in this step-by-step guide, we're going to explain how to withdraw funds. You have several options here as the Tap app allows users to withdraw funds directly into their bank account, instantly send funds to other Tap users, or withdraw cryptocurrencies.

• In the top horizontal menu, select Cash.
• Choose the Withdraw button, located underneath your balance. 
• Select the option most preferable to you: Instant, to a Tap user; bank transfer; Crypto withdrawal. 
• Follow the relevant instructions and select Execute Trade once complete. 

Tap into a brighter future with crypto

On top of the simple and easy-to-use app, Tap also offers highly secure wallet solutions that are integrated into your account from the get-go. With Tap, you can securely store and manage a wide range of cryptocurrencies from one convenient location, and even more easily spend them using the Tap card.

Bitcoin 101

Here are several frequently asked questions regarding Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency to come into existence.

The way money moves is changing fast: digital currencies have evolved from investment assets to practical tools for daily transactions. With big names like Microsoft, AT&T, and Starbucks now accepting crypto payments, mainstream acceptance is officially on the rise.

Why businesses are making the switch

Financial efficiency

Traditional payment systems often have drawbacks: high fees, processing delays, and complicated international transfers. Cryptocurrency helps solve these issues by offering:

• Near-instant settlement times
• Minimal transaction fees, especially for cross-border payments
• No currency conversion costs
• Reduced operational overhead

Enhanced security architecture

The underlying blockchain technology provides businesses with unprecedented security benefits:

• Immutable transaction records
• Distributed verification systems
• Protection against unauthorised reversals
• Reduced risk of payment fraud

Market expansion opportunities

By accepting cryptocurrency, businesses can:

• Tap into the growing crypto-native consumer base
• Reach underbanked populations globally
• Operate in international markets without traditional banking constraints
• Appeal to privacy-conscious customers

Implementation guide: accepting crypto payments

Step 1: Choose your integration method

• Direct wallet-to-wallet transfers
• Payment processor integration
• Hybrid solutions with automatic conversion to fiat

Step 2: Set up your infrastructure

• Create business cryptocurrency wallets
• Implement QR code generation systems
• Establish transaction verification protocols
• Train staff on handling crypto payments

Step 3: Customer experience design

• Clear payment instructions at checkout
• Multiple cryptocurrency options
• Transparent fee structure
• Real-time exchange rate display

With Tap’s Business Accounts we will assign a dedicated account manager to you who will run you through each of these steps making the transition incredibly smooth. 

Strategic advantages

Risk management

• Protection against chargebacks
• Reduced exposure to payment fraud
• Built-in transaction verification
• Immutable payment records

Operational benefits

• Automated payment processing
• Reduced administrative overhead
• Simplified international transactions
• Real-time settlement

Financial planning

• Potential tax advantages (varies by jurisdiction)
• Inflation hedge through crypto assets
• Reduced payment processing costs
• New revenue stream opportunities

Customer transaction process

1. Selection: Customer chooses cryptocurrency payment option
2. Verification: System generates unique payment address or QR code
3. Transfer: Customer initiates payment from their digital wallet
4. Confirmation: Transaction is verified on the blockchain
5. Completion: Payment is settled and order is processed

Future-proofing your business

The adoption of cryptocurrency payments isn't just about staying current - it's about preparing for a future where digital currencies play an increasingly important role in global commerce. Businesses that integrate these payment systems now gain:

• First-mover advantage in their market
• Experience with blockchain technology
• Enhanced appeal to tech-savvy customers
• Operational flexibility for future expansion

Privacy and transparency balance

One of cryptocurrency's unique features is its ability to provide both privacy and transparency simultaneously:

• Transactions are publicly recorded but pseudonymous
• Customer personal data isn't required for processing
• Audit trails are automatically maintained
• Regulatory compliance is simplified through built-in tracking

Looking ahead

The crypto revolution isn't just changing how we think about money – it's transforming how businesses operate. Forward-thinking companies integrating digital currencies are doing more than just adding another payment option; they're positioning themselves at the cutting edge of a new financial era.

Think of cryptocurrency adoption like the early days of e-commerce. What seemed optional in the late '90s quickly became essential for survival. We're seeing similar patterns with digital currencies, where early adopters are gaining valuable experience and competitive advantages while others play catch-up.

The real power of crypto payments extends far beyond transactions. They're unlocking new business models, breaking down international barriers, and offering unprecedented financial flexibility. For businesses eyeing global expansion or looking to reduce transaction costs, crypto isn't just an alternative – it's becoming a strategic imperative.

The decision to accept cryptocurrency payments should be based on your business's specific needs and goals. But let's be practical: timing matters. Your business's unique circumstances – market position, customer base, technical capabilities – should guide your implementation strategy. While the question of adoption is shifting from "if" to "when," rushing in without proper preparation could do more harm than good.

Smart implementation means integrating crypto alongside your existing payment infrastructure. Think of it as expanding your payment ecosystem rather than replacing it. Your customers should have choices, whether they're crypto enthusiasts or prefer traditional payment methods to ensure maximum customer accessibility and business flexibility.

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