Daily digests
Bitcoin Holds $79,000 as ETF Inflows and Solana ETF Hit $1B AUM
The week that was, in one read.
40 stories
Bitcoin closed the week at $79,000 after a 23% rise in the first seven days, a gain that matched the week‑long rally of XRP and outpaced most other tokens. The price dip coincided with the first net outflow from spot Bitcoin ETFs, with ARK 21Shares shedding $201.9 million on August 28, ending a nine‑day inflow streak. Meanwhile, Ethereum‑based funds posted a fresh 10‑day inflow streak, adding $226 million in a single day and bringing the cumulative inflows over nine sessions to $1.4 billion. The contrast between the two markets illustrates the continued preference for Bitcoin‑linked products among retail investors.
Ethereum’s rise in institutional demand is mirrored by the launch milestones of Solana‑centric products. The Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (ticker BSOL) crossed the $1 billion AUM threshold on Friday, less than a year after its debut. Solana’s network activity also surged, with transaction volume hitting a record 4.2 billion and the token rallying 40%. Validators approved a proposal to double Solana’s disinflation rate from 15% to 30%, tightening future supply while maintaining the long‑term target. These developments have attracted both retail and institutional interest, as evidenced by GalaxyOne’s new retail crypto‑backed credit lines and Charles Schwab’s expansion of crypto trading to Solana, Avalanche, and Chainlink.
Security incidents and regulatory responses added volatility to the week. A $1.1 million hack on a neobank’s AVICI token triggered a 49% drop from its 24‑hour high, forcing the issuer to trim losses. In other news, Ripple announced preparations for quantum‑resistant signatures on the XRP Ledger, following breakthroughs that reduced the effort to break a leading post‑quantum candidate by 67 million times. Bitcoin and Ethereum also released migration plans to address the impending quantum threat. These events underscored the ongoing need for robust security frameworks in the rapidly evolving crypto landscape.
Capital flows into crypto firms remained strong. Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings, valued at $2.8 billion above cost, highlighted the company’s reliance on capital markets for servicing its $1.76 billion annual obligations, rather than Bitcoin’s price alone. Circle and other crypto‑focused stocks benefited from the market’s rebound, as Bitcoin’s $80,000 surge lifted broader crypto equities. The week also saw significant options activity, with $6.4 billion in Bitcoin options set to expire, a portion of which could influence short‑term price dynamics. Overall, the week’s headline events reflected a market balancing institutional inflows, regulatory adjustments, and technological advancements.
All crypto news
Strategy’s Bitcoin Is $2.8 Billion in Profit—Is Saylor Teeing Up a Buy?
A Bitcoin rally to around $79,000 lifted the company's 840,447 BTC roughly $2.8 billion above its cost basis, as Saylor's "We're Back" post fueled speculation that Strategy may resume buying.
Kalshi becomes exclusive prediction market partner of US Open: report
As part of the agreement, rival prediction market platforms are reportedly barred from advertising at the tournament and on its ESPN broadcasts.
Bitcoin ETFs Snap Nine-Day Inflow Streak as Ethereum Funds Extend Their Run
Spot Bitcoin ETFs shed $201.9 million on Aug. 28, ending a nine-day inflow run, even as Ethereum funds extended a 10-day streak with fresh cash.
From Hawala to Swift: Inside the 1,000-year battle to move money safely
Finance has spent centuries decoupling wealth from physical transport, but constantly erasing friction creates vectors for increasingly high-tech exploits.
Michael Saylor hints at first bitcoin purchase in two months as bitcoin nears $79,000
Bitcoin rebounds from Friday’s low as Strategy’s valuation expands and bitcoin dominance climbs above 60%.
Chainalysis accuses ICE of unfairly steering $95 million blockchain contract to TRM Labs
The lawsuit asks a federal court to block the $95 million TRM contract and require ICE to conduct a full and open competition.
Saylor signals Strategy is ‘Back’ to Bitcoin buying
Michael Saylor’s “We’re Back” post hints Strategy may resume Bitcoin buying after a two-month pause to strengthen its balance sheet.
Crypto.com-linked Cronos network halts after Tectonic exploit estimated at $75 million
Li says the attacker manipulated the price of Tectonic's illiquid TONIC token before borrowing against the inflated collateral, a Mango Markets-style hack.
Crypto market makers are cashing in on bitcoin's rally - without betting on direction
As bitcoin surges back above $80,000, sophisticated trading firms are quietly collecting yield rather than making directional bet.
After Their AI Models Hacked Real Companies, AI Labs Call for Stronger Cyber Defenses
More than 100 AI, security, finance, and technology organizations want governments and industry to prepare for attacks powered by increasingly capable models.
Real Trump Coins denies launching GOLD token, blames ‘bad actors’
Trump-linked Real Trump Coins said it never authorized GOLD or any digital token as questions persisted over its X account, associated domains and the concentrated token supply.
Russia’s Sber eyes USDT loans, questions digital ruble demand
Russia’s largest bank, Sber, plans to accept USDT and Ether alongside Bitcoin as loan collateral as the country introduces regulated crypto trading under a new law.
A $1.1 million crypto card hack crashed a neobank's token 49%
The exploit caused the neobank's AVICI token to drop 49% from a 24-hour high, hitting a record low before paring some of the losses.
Layer 1 blockchain Fogo halts mainnet after attacker receives 400 million FOGO tokens, 10% of circulating supply
The affected tokens make up about 4% of FOGO's genesis supply and were worth about $3 million at the time of the incident.
Polish Olympic Committee president detained in Zondacrypto bribery probe
Polish Olympic Committee President Radosław Piesiewicz was detained as part of an investigation into digital asset platform ZondaCrypto.
Stellar tokenized RWA market more than quadruples to nearly $4B
Stellar’s real-world asset market has expanded rapidly this year as institutional adoption and tokenization activity grow across the network.
Cosmos Labs says it wrongly cleared the bug behind a $5.7 million six-chain hack
MANTRA Chain, which lost $3.6 million, claimed the patch was only released 20 hours before the attack began and did not identify the flaw it fixed.
Polygon discloses security flaws fixed in recent hard forks
The vulnerabilities posed denial-of-service and validator resource risks but were patched before Polygon publicly disclosed them.
BitGo buys NYDIG’s institutional trading business, expanding derivatives offering
With the transaction, around 30 NYDIG employees have joined BitGo, along with their institutional trading relationships.
XRP treasury firm Evernorth says SEC registration now effective, clearing way for Nasdaq listing
The S-4 registration statement is for Evernorth's merger with SPAC firm Armada, through which it seeks a Nasdaq listing.
Dunamu and Visa partner on stablecoin, AI business; Open Standard’s OUSD under consideration
Dunamu specifically said that the partnership will explore potential usage of Open USD in future collaborations.
Capital B raises $24.5M for its Bitcoin treasury amid market uncertainty with BlockStream’s Adam Back chipping in
The French Bitcoin treasury firm’s private placement drew support from Adam Back and TOBAM, with warrant exercises potentially unlocking another $158 million.
The next trillion-dollar currency may not be a stablecoin — it might not even have a name yet
AI agents are coming. They will need to pay each other. Crypto executives agree on the problem but disagree sharply on the solution, and one thinks the answer has not been invented yet.
Swift’s $1.5 quadrillion network faces a blockchain test
Crypto executives say new blockchain payment infrastructure could make Swift obsolete. Bankers say its 11,500-institution network gives it the power to absorb the technology instead.
Ditching 'digital gold': BPI study suggests everyday Americans prefer control and micro-investing
A new survey suggests some of bitcoin's most familiar sales pitches of changing the world may be poorly suited to a majority of prospective buyers.
Bitcoin's Oldest Coins Are Waking Up in 2026 at a Pace Rarely Seen
Galaxy Research shows coins untouched for 10-plus years moving at an unusual pace in 2026, with six ancient wallets shifting $40 million in a single 10-day stretch this month.
Tokenized stock transfer volume jumps 415% in 30 days to $29.5B
Tokenized equities saw a sharp rise in onchain activity as active addresses and holders more than doubled over the past month.
Bernie Sanders Vows Legislation to 'Stop Flock and AI Mass Surveillance'
The Vermont senator warned that the surveillance company's 120,000-plus AI cameras are pushing the US toward a "surveillance state," adding a prominent voice to a growing bipartisan backlash.
Bitcoin is outperforming stocks and correlating with gold just when it matters most
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California Senate passes bill to ban memecoin issuance by public officials
The bill seeks to prohibit the listing of memecoins issued by federal public officials to California residents, citing conflicts of interest and “pay-to-play arrangements.”
Morning Minute: Solana Jumps with Network Inflation Set to Drop
Two majors proposals are set to pass, its leading DATs are back, and Schwab is offering SOL to its clients—quite the setup for Solana.
SBI buys 20% stake in Indonesia's Ajaib for $270 million to expand yen stablecoin in Southeast Asia
The Japanese financial giant is acquiring a 20% stake in the Indonesian online brokerage to build a cross-border, blockchain-based settlement network.
Ethena looks beyond crypto to squeeze yield from booming equity perpetuals
The issuer of the $4 billion USDe token said it expects real-world asset perpetuals to eclipse crypto derivatives in its backing within 12 to 24 months.
IREN’s $25 billion-$30 billion AI buildout may have ‘spooked’ investors, Bernstein says
IREN has $4 billion in contracted cloud ARR for 2026 capacity and has secured over $20M in annual revenue per IT megawatt on recent deals.
Trump-promoted brand touts GOLD before token collapse
Real Trump Coins promoted GOLD before deleting related X posts, while team-linked wallets sold 224.5 million tokens as its market value fell about 99%.
Tokenized assets are busier than the data shows
When you strip out what was never mobile, correct for who's holding what and why, add back what works off-contract, the utilization of tokenized assets looks close to 20%, argues Katana’s Matthew Fisher.
BitGo Buys NYDIG's Institutional Trading Arm to Beef Up Derivatives and Financing
The roughly $42.5 million cash-and-stock deal adds derivatives, structured products and capital-markets capabilities, while letting NYDIG focus on its power and data-center business.
Former White House teleprompter operator ordered to pay $172,000 for Kalshi trades on mention markets
The fine marks the CFTC's second insider trading case against a federal employee trading event contracts and its second related settlement in four weeks.
The Clarity Act slipped to September. Banks are building anyway
But every month without settled rules quietly rewards the walled garden, writes Matter Labs’ Vassilis Tziokas.
Polish Olympic chief charged in Zondacrypto probe, justice minister says
Polish Olympic Committee president Radosław Piesiewicz faces charges as prosecutors investigate his ties to collapsed cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto.