R&F Properties (2777) has issued a profit warning, projecting a net loss for the first half of 2026 in the range of RMB 5.0 billion to RMB 5.5 billion.

That guidance compares with a RMB 4.082 billion net loss recorded for the same period in 2025, according to Ming Pao.

The company cited the ongoing weakness of the Chinese property market, noting that the downturn has reduced gross profit from its property development activity, contributing to the larger anticipated loss.

Sunac China Holdings Ltd. (SEHK: 1918) said it will acquire 100% of Ejin Management for RMB 123 million, with payment to be made through the issue of about 260 million new shares.

The deal comes as Sunac resumes acquisitions after years focused on completing home delivery obligations and debt restructuring.

The transaction is part of a strategic shift toward asset management and asset operation, aimed at aligning with industry changes and policy direction.

According to Ming Pao, Ejin Management would be owned 65% by Wang Peng, 25% indirectly held by major shareholder Sun Hongbin, and 10% by other independent individuals.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's advantage over conservative challenger Flávio Bolsonaro has narrowed as the official campaigning for Brazil's October election gets underway, according to Bloomberg.

A new poll indicates the gap between the two candidates is tightening as the race opens.

Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain robust as the conflict persists.

Bloomberg reports continued flows from the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, with barrels moving toward global markets despite the extended war.

Bitcoin is ending August with notable momentum, having risen roughly 23% for the month and on pace for what would be its best August since 2017. August has historically been a weaker period for BTC, making this rally a meaningful deviation from the norm as traders prepare for a busy week ahead.

The defining event for the week is the Jackson Hole symposium, where Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is slated to deliver the keynote. Historically, such speeches can indicate shifts in policy stance, and the message this year could influence traders’ expectations for the dollar and yields. A dovish tone would tend to keep the dollar soft and yields lower, supporting the rally, while a hawkish surprise could prompt profit-taking and a reassessment of risk assets.

Market observers describe the week as a convergence of central-bank messaging and geopolitical risk, with ongoing US-Iran tensions and the broader Ukraine conflict serving as backdrop to the macro narrative.

On the data side, July core PCE is due on Wednesday. The consensus is for a +0.2% change month-over-month and a steady +3.3% year-over-year, unchanged from the prior reading. Core PCE remains the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, and its reading ahead of Warsh’s remarks will help shape the framing of any policy signal rather than acting as a standalone trigger. A 3.3% year-over-year rate that does not ease could give Warsh room to emphasize policy optionality rather than moving toward a more hawkish stance.

An upside print above +0.3% MoM would be more disruptive, potentially reviving concerns about persistent inflation at a moment when Bitcoin is extended and position sizing is more vulnerable to profit-taking.

The rest of the macro calendar is crowded. Tuesday brings the ADP employment change, the CB Consumer Confidence index for August, and money-supply data. Australia releases July inflation and the RBA's trimmed-mean CPI later on Tuesday. Wednesday pairs core PCE with the second estimate of Q2 GDP, which is expected to show a downward revision, while South Korea’s rate decision follows in the evening. Thursday features initial jobless claims, and Friday brings the final Michigan sentiment reading for August and a fresh read on inflation expectations, with a notable payrolls revision due in the annual non-farm payrolls data release.

Crypto-focused developments include two joint SEC-CFTC requests touching derivatives product definitions and alternative compliance, along with swap data reporting. The coordination signals regulatory groundwork for future digital-asset derivatives rules and will influence how traders and exchanges classify products going forward. Separately, BNB Smart Chain will activate its Pasteur hard fork on Monday evening.

Earnings season highlights include IREN, which is expected to post a per-share loss on Thursday after hours. IREN has positioned itself at the intersection of crypto mining and AI infrastructure, with large-scale contracts spanning major tech players. Hyperliquid Strategies is also due on Thursday before the market opens. The stock has shown momentum lately, driven by sentiment around regulatory oversight and growth in the sector.

From a seasonal perspective, Bitcoin’s 23% rise this month stands out against a median August decline of about 7%. September has historically been weaker on average, complicating the outlook as the market enters a potential re-pricing phase. Some analysts note that the rally’s resilience appears to be driven more by spot activity than by leveraged futures, which reduces unwind risk as the calendar turns toward a traditionally soft period. The coming week’s events will test whether this dynamic can hold through Warsh’s speech, the core PCE print, and the broader geopolitical backdrop.

World Liberty Financial, described as a crypto project backed by the Trump family, has received preliminary conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to pursue a national trust bank charter. The proposed entity would operate as World Liberty Trust Company, per ChainCatcher.

If the OCC grants final approval, the company would be able to issue and redeem the USD1 stablecoin, oversee its reserve assets, and offer digital asset custody services.

The move comes as U.S. bank charter approvals have accelerated, with OCC data showing 22 bank charter applications approved in the first 19 months of President Trump’s second term, more than in the prior five years combined, a period that included fintech and digital asset-related filings.

World Liberty Trust Company would not function as a traditional commercial bank and would not be permitted to accept FDIC-insured deposits or issue conventional loans.

Robinhood chief executive Vlad Tenev spoke in a video interview on The Iced Coffee Hour, reiterating that he still uses Robinhood for trading and has previously engaged in cryptocurrency trading.

He expressed a positive view of cryptocurrencies and noted that he no longer participates on Reddit, a platform he used in the early days of using Robinhood.

Odaily reports that Tenev described his investment portfolio as diversified and said he is bullish on Bitcoin over the long term, while stopping short of predicting that Bitcoin will reach $1 million.

Alibaba Group announced a new HK$80 billion share placement plan.

Chairman Tsai Chongxin and CEO Wu Yongming acquired a total of around HK$120 million in Alibaba shares, per the latest filings with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Analysts and market observers framed the trades as a signal of confidence in Alibaba's artificial intelligence strategy.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tehran will determine the fate of the detained Iranian pilot in Qatar. He also said Iran is pressing for the immediate release of four Kuwaiti citizens detained in connection with the case.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao joined the Bali Clubhouse AMA remotely during Coinfest Asia 2026 on Aug. 20–21, with Kite AI sponsoring the event and its team taking part in ground-level sessions alongside CZ's appearance.

On market cycles, Zhao aligned with traditionalists, saying the four-year pattern remains strong. He acknowledged uncertainty about the next catalyst, noting he could not have predicted DeFi even in 2020, and he pointed to his past misses on NFTs, memecoins, and tokenized real-world assets as a reason not to declare RWAs as the next cycle engine. Tokenized RWAs have grown to roughly $29–33 billion, with tokenized Treasuries exceeding $13 billion, yet large assets show minimal weekly activity and only about a tenth of RWA value is used in DeFi.

On AI and payments, he argued that AI will eventually handle payments as traditional rails impose human checks that software can bypass. He noted that machine-native payment protocols have already processed tens of millions of transactions in 2026. Regarding AI trading bots, he rejected the idea of additional platform safeguards, saying the tools will be used by everyone. He also observed that post-regulatory-freeze innovation is accelerating, but current price signals do not yet reflect that momentum.

In discussing Indonesia, CZ highlighted a demand-supply imbalance: strong local demand but limited off-chain tokenization of assets such as gold, oil, rare minerals, and even government bonds. He cited Indonesia's roughly 15 million users and seventh-place ranking in global adoption. He also framed Tether's Treasury backing as an indirect form of tokenized government bonds and suggested broad international access to sovereign debt would be attractive to countries seeking a large investor base.

On retail strategy, Zhao offered no price targets or token picks. He recommended not liquidating major assets to chase timing, advising 1–10% of monthly income be allocated to top assets, accepting cycle volatility. His closing practice emphasized daily learning: 30–60 minutes of focused study with questions developed three to five levels deep.