Early morning coffee is also known to interfere with your natural morning cortisol production and stress your adrenal glands if consumed in excess. Cortisol continues to diminish after peaking at 8:30 a.m. but increases again around noon. As a result, the hours of 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. may be the best for getting the most out of your caffeine/coffee usage. Although cortisol levels decline in the afternoon, it’s definitely not the greatest time to get another cup of coffee because it may disrupt your sleep later in the day. Hemp Oil might help you get the most out of your coffee. Both caffeine and stress can raise cortisol levels. Caffeine in excess can cause unfavorable health consequences linked with persistently increased cortisol levels (as in chronic stress). Small to moderate doses of caffeine, on the other hand, might improve your mood and give you a boost.
Japan’s upcoming election of the House of Councillors (the Upper House) represents a critical inflection point for crypto tax policy, with potential ramifications extending far beyond domestic markets. The political dynamics surrounding this electoral contest could fundamentally reshape Japan’s regulatory landscape for digital assets.
Meanwhile, opposition momentum against the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition threatens established cryptocurrency taxation frameworks, creating unprecedented opportunities for comprehensive reform. Market participants are closely monitoring political developments as taxation policy emerges as a defining campaign issue with substantial Bitcoin market implications.
What You Should Know
Once among the world’s largest crypto markets, Japan’s dominance diminished following major hacking scandals like the Mt. Gox and Coincheck cases.
Still, Japan’s crypto market holds enormous potential as its size of personal financial assets is estimated at ¥2,000 trillion, equivalent to $13.5 trillion. However, high tax rates and complex loss calculations on crypto assets create significant investment barriers.
The July 20th election could fundamentally reshape Japan’s national governance structure, representing a pivotal moment for cryptocurrency policy.
As a result, opposition parties are gaining momentum while the ruling coalition struggles with tax reforms. The Japanese crypto industry closely watches potential changes to crypto tax classification. In particular, opposition parties advocate for separate taxation systems replacing the current miscellaneous income rules.
Election Outcome Forecast
The ruling LDP-Komeito coalition faces potential majority loss in the Upper House. Major outlet Yomiuri Shimbun projects historically low seat counts for both parties.
The House of Councillors contains 248 members serving six-year terms. Half the chamber gets elected every three years in staggered elections. This election covers 75 constituency seats plus 50 proportional representation positions.
The ruling coalition holds 66 seats among those up for election. This time, coalition parties need 50+ new seats to maintain overall majority control.
Ruling Coalition Seat Projections
Data from Japan’s three major national newspapers
Yomiuri Shimbun
31-52
seats projected
Asahi Shimbun
33-51
seats projected
Nikkei
~50
seats projected
Critical Threshold
Ruling coalition needs 50+ seats to maintain Upper House majority. Current projections suggest this target remains challenging across all major outlets.
Recent polling suggests maximum coalition gains barely exceed 50 seats, optimistically. LDP projections range from 24-40 seats across major newspaper forecasts. Komeito faces potential historic lows with 6-13 projected seats maximum.
Opposition Victory Implications
Under the current system, crypto tax reaches 55% maximum rate under the miscellaneous income classification. The opposition Democratic Party for the People proposes a 20% separate tax system.
Victory could accelerate comprehensive crypto tax reform nationwide. Proposed changes include token-to-token transaction tax elimination and loss carryover provisions.
Lower barriers might trigger domestic investment capital re-influx into Bitcoin markets. Furthermore, institutional participation could increase through ETF approvals and regulatory clarity.
Ruling Coalition Continuity
The ruling coalition’s victory would likely limit tax reform to incremental changes. Historically, the Ministry of Finance, the coalition’s long-time ally, resists broad-based tax reduction measures.
Consequently, Bitcoin investment demand would remain constrained under existing high-tax frameworks.
The broader crypto market has dropped over 5% this week, but the Real World Asset (RWA) sector is showing signs of resilience. While most altcoins struggle, the RWA market cap remains relatively stable at around $49.8 billion, indicating steady interest despite broader market weakness.
Amid this backdrop, a few RWA tokens have not only held their ground but also posted solid gains, attracting both whale activity and on-chain attention. We’ve picked three standout RWA tokens that are showing strong momentum as August approaches. Read on to learn which coins are gaining traction, what’s driving their rally, and why they should be on your radar.
Maple Finance (SYRUP)
Maple Finance is a DeFi lending protocol that lets trusted firms borrow crypto without collateral. It’s built for real-world use, and interest is rising as more institutional players tap into on-chain credit.
SYRUP, Maple’s RWA token, is flashing strength. It’s up 31% over the past week and 25% in just 24 hours. The move is backed by strong on-chain action. Whale holdings have surged 26.25% in a day, now totaling 11.98 million SYRUP.
Smart money wallets are also up 22.57% in the same period. Exchange balances fell by 16%, suggesting lower selling pressure.
Maple Finance, as the top RWA altcoin for August: Nansen
From a technical view, SYRUP has broken past a key Fibonacci resistance at $0.57, which marks the 0.5 Fib extension level. It’s now trading near $0.60, with the next key resistance at $0.65 (previous swing high). If that breaks, the full extension could push the price toward $0.7407.
Note that this RWA token managed to break through multiple resistance levels with a single rising candle, but the sellers quickly pushed the prices down.
If price breaks back below $0.55 and exchange balances reverse, the upside case weakens. But for now, bulls seem in control.
For token TA and market updates: Want more token insights like this? Sign up for Editor Harsh Notariya’s Daily Crypto Newsletter here.
Zebec Network (ZBCN)
Zebec Network is a Solana-based real-world asset (RWA) payments platform focused on programmable cash flows. It allows users and institutions to stream payments in real-time, making it useful for payroll and subscriptions. Its use case is gaining attention as RWA protocols grow in demand.
ZBCN, the RWA token, has jumped 44.3% over the past week and is up 11.5% in the last 24 hours. This surge comes alongside a steady uptick in whale and smart money interest, making it one of the strongest altcoin performers during the broader market dip.
From Nansen’s dashboard, whale holdings have risen 1.52% over the past 7 days to 487.98 million ZBCN, while smart money holdings are up 7.84% to 50.51 million. These inflows suggest quiet accumulation by deep-pocketed investors. Public figure wallets also rose 4.61%. Meanwhile, exchange balances have dropped slightly to 21.14 billion, which hints at reduced sell pressure.
The price has broken past the downtrend resistance and has flipped the $0.0038 into a strong support zone. It now sits around the $0.0042 level. If it clears the $0.00478 Fibonacci resistance next, a move toward $0.0055 or even $0.0063 could follow.
However, if it fails to hold $0.0038, a short-term correction toward $0.0023 may be possible.
OriginTrail (TRAC)
OriginTrail is a Web3 data and AI project focused on supply chain transparency and real-world asset integration. It helps verify and track physical items on-chain, from pharmaceuticals to luxury goods. With RWA demand rising, OriginTrail is gaining attention.
TRAC price is up 2.1% today, bucking the broader market’s weakness. In the last 7 days, whale holdings are up 323%, signaling rising big-player interest. Nansen data shows top 100 holders increased their stash by 2.03%, while exchange balances dropped 4.24%, suggesting less selling pressure ahead.
Even though the exact token numbers aren’t high, whale interest cannot be undermined.
On the price chart, TRAC recently broke above the $0.48 resistance and is now hovering around $0.50. If it clears $0.53 (a level rejected earlier), the Fibonacci extension chart points to upside targets at $0.69 (the 1.618 Fib extension).
If the price falls below $0.48, the rally may pause and test the support at $0.44 or even $0.41. But with whales stacking and exchange supply dropping, the bullish momentum looks intact, and TRAC may have more upside as RWA narratives heat up.
Kraken, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange, has uncovered a sophisticated infiltration attempt by a North Korean hacker posing as a job candidate.
The security and recruitment teams advanced the candidate through the hiring process. The aim was to study their strategies and gather crucial insights.
How a North Korean Hacker Tried to Infiltrate Kraken
Kraken detailed the incident in a recent blog post on May 1. The hacker applied for an engineering role at the exchange, initially appearing as a legitimate candidate, allegedly named Steven Smith. However, several red flags emerged during the hiring process.
“What started as a routine hiring process for an engineering role quickly turned into an intelligence gathering operation, as our teams carefully advanced the candidate through our hiring process to learn more about their tactics at every stage of the process,” Kraken noted.
Moreover, the Open-Source Intelligence gathering (OSINT) investigation uncovered the candidate’s involvement in a network of fake identities.
“This meant that our team had uncovered a hacking operation where one individual had established multiple identities to apply for roles in the crypto space and beyond. Several of the names had previously been hired by multiple companies, as our team identified work-related email addresses linked to them. One identity in this network was also a known foreign agent on the sanctions list,” the blog read.
Additionally, technical inconsistencies in their setup, like using remote, colocated Mac desktops accessed via a VPN and altered IDs, pointed to an infiltration attempt. This information confirmed that the candidate was likely a state-sponsored hacker.
In a final interview with the candidate, Kraken’s Chief Security Officer, Nick Percoco, and some team members confirmed the company’s suspicions. The candidate’s failure to verify their location or answer questions about their city and citizenship revealed them as an impostor.
“Their job is to start employment to steal intellectual property, steal money from those companies, take home a paycheck, and do it in a widespread way,” Percoco told CBS about the hackers.
FinCEN Proposes Ban on Huione Group Over North Korean Ties
Meanwhile, in another development, the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has proposed banning Cambodia-based Huione Group from the US financial system. The department identified Huione as a key facilitator for North Korean hacker groups, including those involved in cyber heists and “pig butchering” cryptocurrency scams.
“Huione Group has established itself as the marketplace of choice for malicious cyber actors like the DPRK and criminal syndicates, who have stolen billions of dollars from everyday Americans,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said.
FinCEN accused the group of laundering over $4 billion in illicit funds between August 2021 and January 2025. According to the department, Huione’s network, including Huione Pay, Huione Crypto, and Haowang Guarantee, is a preferred marketplace for cryptocurrency criminals, offering services such as payment processing and an illicit online marketplace.
“Today’s proposed action will sever Huione Group’s access to correspondent banking, degrading these groups’ ability to launder their ill-gotten gains. Treasury remains committed to disrupting any attempt by malicious cyber actors to secure revenue from or for their criminal schemes,” Bessent added.
These incidents highlighted a pattern of North Korean cyberattacks on the cryptocurrency sector. In 2024, hackers stole over $659 million from crypto firms.
According to a joint statement from the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, North Korean hackers targeted the industry using tactics like social engineering and malware (e.g., TraderTraitor, AppleJeus). Additionally, North Korean IT workers were identified as insider threats to private sector companies.
In fact, recently, on-chain investigator ZachXBT uncovered significant North Korean involvement in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, with some of them relying on nearly 100% of their monthly volume/fees from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Critical Threshold
