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The first major exam has left Binance on the ropes

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It is no secret that Binance has become one of the names in the crypto world. For many users, talking about buying, selling or storing cryptocurrencies is talking about Binance, a platform that the company itself presents as the largest crypto exchange in the world. Precisely for this reason, the fact that its regulatory future in Europe is now in question is not just another administrative detail: it is proof of how far the European Union wants to go when it says it wants to put order in this market. The signal came in the form of a letter published by Binance on June 16. In it, the company does not announce a departure from Europe nor confirm that it has lost its authorization, but it does recognize that its path towards the license Mica It still doesn’t close. Binance assures that “we will provide a new update before June 30, 2026” and promises more details about “next steps and available options.” That’s where the real issue begins: not in what Binance categorically states, but in what it avoids closing. MiCA, acronym for Markets in Crypto-Assets, is the regulation with which the European Union wants to provide a common framework for a large part of the crypto market. Until now, many companies have operated relying on national registries or transitional regimes, with relevant differences between countries. The new rule changes that logic: crypto service providers need a specific authorization, or a valid route under MiCA if they are already regulated financial entities, to operate under the European umbrella. Simply put, Europe wants to move from a fragmented map to a shared rule for who can provide these services and under what conditions. MiCA, Greece and the underlying consequence The design of MiCA has a fundamental consequence: the license is born in one country, but can be deployed throughout Europe. The provider must have an entity with its registered office in an EU Member State, apply to the regulator of its home Member State and, if approved, activate the passport mechanism to provide services in other countries. This is what changes the scale of the case. We are not just talking about a national supervisor reviewing a specific file, but also that his decision may end up affecting users, competitors and regulators throughout the Union. Greece appears in this story because Binance channeled its request there. In its letter, the company says it submitted a complete application and worked for months with the Hellenic Capital Market Commission, the Greek regulator. He also maintains that, according to his understanding, the HCMC completed its review and considered that the application met the requirements of MiCA. Binance’s tone is not that of a company that wants to file a withdrawal, but neither is that of a company that can already show a closed authorization. In the letter, it maintains that it “remains committed to Europe and its European users,” and adds that it will continue to operate in accordance with applicable law. At the same time, it recognizes that its priority is to “minimize disruption and keep users informed.” This combination explains the ambiguity of the message: Binance tries to convey continuity, but leaves room for changes that it has not yet specified. Reuters put on the table the most delicate reading of the file. According to the agency, which cited two people familiar with the matter, Binance’s application to the HCMC was expected to be rejected, which would leave the platform without MiCA authorization that it needs to continue providing services in the EU under the new framework. Of course, Binance does not formulate it that way in its letter and the Greek regulator has not publicly confirmed that outcome. That is why it is advisable to keep the two layers separate: the official version of the company and the information attributed by Reuters. This is where ESMA, the European Securities and Markets Authority, comes in. It is not the one who directly grants the MiCA license, a task that corresponds to the competent national regulator, but it does have a relevant role in supervisory convergence and in the coherent application of European standards. The concern is not abstract: ESMA has already indicated in 2025 problems in the authorization and early supervision of a crypto provider in Malta, detecting material issues that were not fully resolved and risk areas that had not been adequately assessed. While Binance tries to close its European footprint, some competitors have already begun to turn MiCA into a commercial argument. Kraken posted a communication in which it recalls that on July 1 it narrows the margin for platforms that do not have a MiCA license and encourages users to switch to “one of the oldest licensed exchanges in Europe.” Revolut has also played that card: in a message in X stated that it is authorized under MiCA and asked those investing in crypto to move to a “trusted partner.” Regulatory uncertainty has already become a battle to attract users. Images | Binance In Xataka | They were promised a bitcoin paradise and zero taxes for 120,000 euros. Today there is only one desert island on the verge of disappearing

TSMC is on the ropes and its biggest problem is not competition: it is water

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CC Wei, the president and CEO of TSMC, has just participated in the inauguration of the Pingtung technology park, southern Taiwan. The ceremony was held under very intense rain, and the head of the largest chip manufacturing company of the planet has celebrated it publicly: “Last month I was still wondering: what should we do with the water? Should we start using tankers?” Wei has compelling reasons to be concerned about water. In Taiwan it is a very scarce resource, and it is also essential for its semiconductor factories. The integrated circuit production industry faces five major shortages: water, energy, labor, land and talent. And water is probably the most precious resource of all and the most difficult challenge to overcome. Lai Ching-te, the president of Taiwan, has communicated CC Wei the Government’s plans to connect the island’s reservoirs together in a clear attempt to alleviate this problem. The water we are familiar with, such as that which comes from the tap, spring water, and even bottled mineral water, is full of impurities. It contains bacteria, dissolved gases, mineral salts and microscopic particles in suspension. This is not a problem for most of the everyday applications for which we usually use it, but this water is not suitable for making chips. Even the smallest impurity invisible to the human eye is pure poison when involved in the production of cutting-edge semiconductors, such as 2nm integrated circuits which are currently being manufactured by TSMC, Intel and Samsung. Droughts are the biggest threat to TSMC The integrated circuit manufacturing process requires cleaning silicon wafers dozens of times. Every time a geometric pattern is transferred to wafers using lithography, they need to be cleaned. Also after pouring chemical reagents and photoresist fluids on them. However, the water used to remove any residue that may have deposited on the wafer cannot have the slightest impurity. It must be absolutely pure. In fact, the industry standard calls for water with an electrical resistivity of 18.2 megaohms per centimeter, which is the theoretical limit of water purity at room temperature. The problem is that producing ultrapure water is not easy. And it is not because it is necessary to subject it to reverse osmosis in multiple stages and ion exchange treatments. It is also necessary to degas it under vacuum, eliminate any microorganisms that it can contain with ultraviolet light and filter it using membranes expressly designed to capture the slightest impurity. In this article we do not need to delve into these processes, but there is something that we cannot ignore: this treatment consumes energy and requires the use of a large amount of chemicals. Furthermore, a significant part of the water that is processed is not transformed into ultrapure water, so it cannot be used. In 2021 Taiwan faced the most aggressive drought in recent decades In 2021 Taiwan faced the most aggressive drought in recent decades. The reservoirs that supply the north of the island, which is the region where most of the integrated circuit manufacturing plants are located, reached a critical level. This scenario forced the Government to suspend agricultural irrigation in order to protect industrial supply. Even so, TSMC had to resort to tanker trucks to transport water from other areas of the island. This crisis passed, but it exposed a structural vulnerability of an industry that is deeply sensitive to extreme climate phenomena and for which water is as valuable as silicon or some rare earth elements. At the moment TSMC reuses 85% of water that it consumes in its processes, but its plants require so much water daily that the 15% that cannot be reused continues to be a very large amount. Paradoxically, some of the most important chip factories in the US reside in Arizona, which is the second driest state in the country only behind Nevada. Both Intel and TSMC have state-of-the-art plants in this region, and Samsung manages several state-of-the-art factories in Texas, another state where water is not exactly plentiful. Besides, Intel has several very important plants in Israelagain a country for which water is a scarce resource, and, therefore, of great strategic value. The choice of these locations responds to geostrategic and geopolitical factors, and not to planning that prioritizes sustainability. In addition, there is another unappealable reality that further complicates this panorama: the most advanced integrated circuit manufacturing nodes. consume more ultrapure water than mature nodes. A 3nm chip from TSMC goes through more than 1,000 individual stages, and many of them require washing with ultrapure water As transistors become smaller and chips become more sophisticated, the number of stages required for their production process is higher, making it necessary to clean the wafers with ultrapure water more times. A 3nm semiconductor from TSMC goes through more than 1,000 individual stages, many of which require washing with ultrapure water. 2nm chips are even more demanding, and those that will arrive in the future will surely multiply water consumption. The problem faced by TSMC, Intel, Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, GlobalFoundries and other semiconductor manufacturers is daunting. These companies are developing solutions, but at the moment they are not enough. TSMC, Samsung and Intel have very advanced water recycling and reuse programs. In addition, these companies are developing dry cleaning systems for wafers using reactive plasmas instead of water for use in some steps. And they are even looking for new materials for the ultrapure water distribution pipes with the purpose of minimizing losses in the circulation system. The problem is that these solutions do not eliminate the deep dependence that chip factories have on water. The definitive solution has not yet arrived. And it is urgent. It is very urgent. Image | TSMC More information | Reuters In Xataka | ChatGPT blocking mode: what it is, what it is for, who can use it and how to activate it In Xataka | AI is replacing one of the most hated jobs in the world: the tailcoat collector

A homemade drone has just exceeded 700 km/h. And with this he has put the official record on the ropes

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When we think of a drone, we normally imagine a device that takes off vertically, remains suspended in the air and allows us to record impossible shots quite easily. He Blackbird It’s not about that. Its objective is much more extreme: fly as fast as possible. In this race, stability in flight matters less than efficiency at high speed, and so a change in the propellers has given it a surprising boost. The official record remains in the hands of Luke Bell and Mike Bell. According to Guinness World Recordsreached an average speed of 408.60 mph, equivalent to 657.59 km/h, on December 11, 2025, with the Peregreen V4 in Cape Town. It was not their first time: Guinness points out that father and son had already achieved this same record in 2024, with 480 km/h, and in June 2025, with 580 km/h. With that bar on the table, the Blackbird attempt has a very specific reading: it does not replace the official record, but it puts it under pressure. Ben Biggs and Aidan’s drone reached 453 mph, approximately 730 km/hduring a test pass. That fact is the most striking, although it is also the one that needs the most context. For now, what we have is an unofficial demonstration with a huge figure and the question if it can be repeated under verified conditions. A record-breaking race played on the propellers Here is the nuance that separates a spectacular figure from a truly comparable measurement. On the 730 km/h pass there was a tailwind of 54.7 km/h, so the estimated airspeed was reduced to 674 km/h. On the upwind pass, the drone reached about 640 km/h. The average of the two was close to 684 km/h, and that is why that data weighs more than the maximum peak when we try to understand how far the project really went. The key is how those new propellers behave when the drone stops flying like a conventional quadcopter and starts moving like a controlled projectile. The carbon fiber blades have a high pitch angle and that allows them to be more efficient at high speed because they are more parallel to the air that the drone passes through. It is not a free advantage: on takeoff and at low speed they push worse, so the motors have to demand more from the battery in that initial phase. The other important detail is in the serrated leading edge of the blades. As they explain, this shape generates small vortices on the surface of the propeller and helps the air not to move laterally along the blade, but rather to come out backwards to push the drone. It also helps to stabilize the boundary layer, that film of air attached to the surface that influences drag. In practice, it allows working with steeper angles without the propeller losing efficiency and behaving more like a piece that removes air than one that generates thrust. The flip side of pushing a quadcopter to the limit is that problems can also arise. Blackbird lost connection at about 633 km/h, due to a combination of antenna geometry, Doppler effect and signal overload. In the second, the drone ended up damaged after a hard landing, when the batteries ran out a few meters from the ground. The official record remains that of the Peregreen V4, but the Blackbird has made it clear where the next attempt may be. The question, now, is obvious: will they call Guinness World Records to try to certify it? Images | Drone Pro Hub In Xataka | The US vetoed the largest Chinese drone manufacturer. Now 8,000 American pilots have a serious problem

Chile has one of the most valuable skies on Earth. Renewables are putting it on the ropes

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Chile has a diamond of 105,000 km². The Atacama Desert is one of the most important in the world due to its extreme aridity. That is why it is key to study the adaptability of fauna and flora to very harsh conditions of drought and salinity, but it is also a gem for space observation and renewable energies. But there are mixtures that do not work, and Atacama is the example of how one of the best natural laboratories for the energy transition and one of the best places to look at the universe They don’t combine well. Spoiler: the astronomers have won. For now. The Atacama battery. It is not the first time that two disciplines collide in the Atacama Desert. Due to its conditions, this desert has become in the country’s renewable battery. Not only solar energy projects are triumphing, but also wind turbine parks. And as important as this: one of its salt flats hides one of the most important lithium reserves in the world. This is vital to build batteries for the energy transition of cars, for example, but the price is being too high: we are destroying biodiversity. In parallel to this battle, another has been fought: that of a huge renewable energy project to create green hydrogen that came into conflict with one of the most important observatories in the world: the Paranal Observatory of the European Astral Observatory. The threat of INNA. The American AES Corporation, together with the Chilean subsidiary AES Andes, was preparing the construction of a photovoltaic park of more than 3,000 hectares, wind turbines and refining facilities to produce green hydrogen and ammonia. He green hydrogen It is one of the pending energy accounts and it is positive, but there was a problem: it would be only 10 kilometers from the observatory. Astronomers shouted in the sky pointing that the microvibrations of the installation, the dust and, above all, the light pollution would disturb the daily work in facilities that are located in a privileged location, precisely because they are in the middle of nowhere. This facility is of global importance because it houses the Very Large Telescope (one of the most powerful in the world) and will have both the Extremely Large Telescope such as the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory. The thing about telescope names is one thing. Scientists working at the observatory They agreed to sign an open letter in which they pointed out that the construction of the facilities would seriously endanger the missions that were carried out there, describing the program as “an imminent threat” to humanity’s ability to investigate the cosmos. Victory. After months of fighting, the astronomers won. It was at the beginning of this year when AES Andes advertisement that he would abandon the project, noting that he would focus on other facilities, but mentioning that INNA was “fully compatible with the activities of the region.” It was no longer a fight just for the Paranal Observatory due because there are about 30 astronomical sites in the area, many of them internationaland its importance is what it is because, apart from zero light pollution, it is estimated that there are more than 300 nights each year without rain or clouds that interfere with scientific work. Yes, but. The problem is that one thing is the interests of astronomers and researchers of the universe and another is the priority of energy companies… and even of the country itself. Researchers point out that there is increasing pressure to convert the Atacama Desert into that aforementioned ‘stack’ of Chile, and INNA has not been the only threat that the observatories have experienced. In 1955, a major solar station operated by the Smithsonian Institution of the United States was forced to close due to mining expansion in the area. Unda-Sanzana, director of the Astronomy Center at the University of Antofagasta, points out that “we have had 70 years to learn from history and avoid repeating those same mistakes,” lamenting how close they have come to reliving the situation. And the problem is that things they haven’t changed too much. This victory has been suffered, but astronomers point out that Chilean sky preservation laws remain lax and outdated, so this should be remedied instead of fighting each battle individually. Image | G. Hüdepohl/ESO In Xataka | The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on the planet. And right there a bunch of “crazies” are trying to get water out of the fog.

The international wine market was already broken, but a single idea has put it against the ropes: 200% tariffs

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13%. That is the magical figure because, given the uncertainty of what will happen to the tariffs, that is what the “main consumer country in the world“For Spanish wine. In 2024, to get an idea, they were sent 97 million liters valued at almost 400 million of euros. That’s why The announcement of a 200% tariff and the letter of the United States wine alliance (USWTA) recommending “Sorted to US companies that They suspend all the shipments of wine, liquors and beer from the EU “has fallen like a jug of cold water in a sector that was already very scrambled. And that has not even been a big surprise. In December 2024, after Trump’s choice, Exports fired 23%. And, during these months, many Spanish wineries have been protecting preventively anticipating the sending of reserves to American soil. What has surprised has been the entity of the coup: no one expected a 200% tariff and, although was suspended, As I pointed out Jose Luis Lapuente, general director of the Denomination of Origin of Rioja, “much more harmful than tariffs itself is uncertainty, not knowing.” That is precisely what is behind the USWTA letter: despite its efforts so that tariffs do not apply to goods that are already in transit, the US government has refused to give a clear answer what it will happen. If companies do not suspend shipments, they could meet huge losses overnight. “Deep concern” Last Thursday, the Brussels Regions Committee hosted an emergency meeting of the intergroup of wine to ask the commission to “take out the wine from the tariff war.” And, a priori, it seems that the pressures have had an effect because the union left out of his countermeasures to wine, sparkling and the American bourbon. In this context, it is not only to avoid more reprisals from the White House and prevent European wine sales from collapseing in the US, it is about Protect huge investments that the sector (and union) have done in the North American market during the last decade. “The tariffs announced by the US are totally unjustified in the particular case of the wine if we consider that currently the tariff difference between the rates that apply the EU and the US is minimal,” reasoned the general director of the Spanish Federation of Wine, José Luis Benítez. However, we have already seen in recent days that the Trump administration strategy is difficult to understand. In fact, it is a measure that does not convince anyone … “This will be great for wine and champagne businesses in the United States,” Trump wrote when he threatened with the 200%tariff. However, not all American producers They agree. Because, although it is true that the price increases can ‘rekindle’ the interest in the broths of the country, we talk about a fragile sector, overloaded and very touched by the fires and droughts of the main producing area, California. Not only that. As John Williams explained at CNNfounder of Frog’s Leap, a winery in the Californian Valley of Napa, US wineries are just a very small part of the commercial chain. If tariffs harm distributors, the problem will be rapidly generalized. In the end, “we all depend on the same distributors. The health of these companies is important for wineries around the world,” said. … and that can become counterproductive. Because, the American tariff system has peculiarities that can end up running the market completely. The clearest example is that “the US customs and border service. offers reimbursements of certain rights, taxes and fees paid for imported items, provided that the company exports similar articles. ” That is, the big distribution platforms can end up flooding the most expensive European products market as a strategy to compensate for the price of tariffs. Although, in reality, the background problem is another. That world wine is going through a very bad time. In September 2023, Luigi Moio, president of the International Wine Organization, climbed into a gallery in the heart of La Rioja and said “Vineyard’s start was something inevitable.” And it’s not just La Rioja, of course. In France (which can serve us as proxy of what happens in the international sector), already It has been assumed That 100,000 hectares of vineyards will have to be started – in fact, they have launched a plan to start about 30,000. It is the only way that the sector finds for a devilish situation: that the sector does not stop growing, but These floods “They are not enough to cover production costs and farmers’ needs.” And in that context, tariffs arrive. Are we facing a? Image | Chuttersnap | Mika Baumeister Xataka | We already knew that Spanish wine was on its way to collapse. What we didn’t know was that drought was going to accelerate it so much

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