Top cryptocurrency news on July 8: Major stories on Bitcoin, exchanges and crypto-linked cards

Cryptocurrency prices continued to be a mix of red and green on July 8. The global cryptocurrency market cap is $1.42 trillion, a 1.83 percent decrease over the last day, while the total crypto market volume over the last 24 hours is $76.92 billion, which makes a 0.71 increase. Read more here.

More than $1 billion worth of cryptocurrency was spent by consumers globally on goods and services via crypto-linked cards in the first six months of 2021,  says payments company Visa. Read more here.

India's largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, WazirX, reported a 60 percent slump in trading activities in June in comparison to May, a report in The Economic Times said. Similarly, CoinDCX and CoinSwitch Kuber also experienced a decline in addition to the reduction in user signups.

New York-based auction house Sotheby has announced that it will accept payment in Bitcoin or Ether for its upcoming sale of 101.38-carat pear-shaped flawless diamond. The rare pear-shaped diamond that is expected to fetch up to $15 million (roughly Rs. 111.17 crores) can be bought at auction on July 9.