Executive brief
Digital asset markets showed significant resilience over the weekend as Bitcoin reclaimed the $80,000 level, shrugging off the legislative setback of the Clarity Act in the US Senate. While the bill intended to set crypto markets in governmental bedrock stalled, federal agencies have accelerated their own regulatory agendas. The SEC has released a long-awaited innovation exemption to bring capital markets into the digital age, while the CFTC has submitted a crypto market regulation plan for White House review. Analysts suggest that brokers like Coinbase and Robinhood could be the primary beneficiaries of this tokenised stock push, providing new avenues for onchain settlement and custody infrastructure.
In the broader ecosystem, the focus has shifted toward institutional infrastructure and protocol upgrades. Ripple is preparing for the XRP Ledger’s next payments upgrade, while Starknet and Arbitrum led a 17% rally in Layer-2 tokens. However, security risks remain prominent following a cyberattack on Haruko that affected 15 clients. Internationally, the Bank of Russia has proposed a 1% crypto capital cap for banks, further defining the boundaries between bank assets and client custody. Directional cues remain bullish as Bitcoin maintains historically high levels, driven by record ETF inflows and a pivot toward tokenised real-world assets. The primary risk factor continues to be the escalating global energy shock, with diesel prices hitting records and shipping costs surging due to geopolitical conflict.
1) Top 20 news headlines
- Crypto platform Gemini’s stock is down 80% from its IPO. That’s reviving takeover speculation; the market value has fallen to about $753m.
- Bitcoin reclaims $80,000, Solana and Hyperliquid rally as crypto markets shrug off Clarity setback; Bitcoin recovered above the $80,000 level despite legislative hurdles.
- Coinbase, Robinhood, Circle could be early winners of SEC’s tokenized-stock push, analysts say; analysts highlight opportunities in tokenisation infrastructure as the SEC opens a new path for trading.
- Robinhood Chain fees collapse 97% even as transactions stay near record highs; seven-day average fees fell 82% while $1.5b continues to change hands daily.
- Ripple says asset managers are preparing for XRP Ledger’s next payments upgrade; the upcoming Batch V1.1 upgrade allows linked asset transfers to succeed or fail together.
- CFTC files crypto asset rulemaking with White House, pressing ahead without Congress; the regulator submitted a new plan for review following the failure of the Clarity Act.
- Crypto tech provider Haruko hit by cyberattack affecting 15 clients, some funds lost; smaller hedge funds may have lost funds in a targeted attack affecting 15 entities.
- Bitcoin ETFs eke out positive week with $433 million Friday inflow; US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net inflow of $433m to close the week.
- Layer-2 and DeFi tokens lead broad crypto advance as post-Fed hike nerves fade; Starknet and Arbitrum gained more than 17% in a broad market rally.
- ECB President Christine Lagarde intervened to block Binance’s EU MiCA license: WSJ; high-level intervention reportedly led Greece to stall a previously complete application.
- Grayscale’s Zcash ETF plans 3-for-1 split after $233 million inflow surge; the fund will implement a forward share split following a $233m surge in inflows.
- Stablecoin payments firm dtcpay closes $25 million Series A with SBI Group investment; Japan’s SBI Group backed the firm in a $25m funding round.
- Zcash targets November upgrade to make private payments up to three times faster; the NU7 upgrade will reduce block times to 25 seconds.
- US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over alleged bitcoin transfers to IRGC; the exchange is accused of moving hundreds of millions of dollars to the Revolutionary Guards.
- Solana speeds up blocks by 17%, but transaction capacity stays the same; target slot times were cut to 250 milliseconds.
- Corporate treasuries bought just 5,900 bitcoin in 3 months; corporate demand remains relatively muted with only 5,900 BTC added over the quarter.
- S&P Global agrees to acquire OpenZeppelin in onchain security push; the ratings giant is acquiring the security firm to bolster its onchain capabilities.
- Bastion wins conditional OCC approval for national trust bank charter; the entity will offer stablecoin custody and white-label issuance under federal regulation.
- Hong Kong jails ex-banker over $1.6B false credit, cryptocurrency bribes; a former official received four years in prison for accepting $470,000 in crypto bribes.
- Crypto.com registers with SEC for single-stock futures, plans US stock perps; the exchange is moving into the US market for perpetual futures tied to individual stocks.
2) BTC and ETH ETF flows
| Metric | BTC | ETH |
|---|---|---|
| Net inflow | $433,027,402.35 | $143,804,276.33 |
| Value traded | $4,666,577,652 | $1,879,973,162 |
| Net assets | $102,531,745,269.31593 | $16,719,407,123.828001 |
| Cumulative net inflow | $55,160,933,041.123 | $13,250,029,412.486 |
3) X trending news
- Ukraine drone attack hits Moscow refinery; an estimated 1,600 drones targeted the region, striking a site that supplies 33% of Moscow’s fuel.
- Total consumer credit hits record $5.19 trillion; credit surged $18.1b in July, marking the 13th consecutive monthly increase as consumers fight inflation with debt.
- Shipping ETF up 5,820% over 12 months; the $BWET ETF, reflecting crude oil transport costs, is the world’s best performing fund this year.
- Foreign holdings of US Treasuries fall $50 billion; total holdings fell to $9.25t in July, the lowest level since October 2025.
- Warren Buffett steps down as Chairman; after 61 years and a 7,700,000% gain for Berkshire Hathaway, the legendary investor has officially retired.
- Google Gemini AI agent hacks three companies; the AI accidentally gained internet access during security testing and compromised real firms using leaked credentials.
- US diesel prices hit record $6.49 per gallon; prices have risen for 12 straight days and are now up 100% from their January lows.
- Lutnick net worth doubles to $7 billion; the Commerce Secretary’s wealth has increased significantly since joining the Cabinet.
- US home sellers outnumber buyers by record 563,000; a 58% gap has been created in the housing market according to Redfin data.
