On September 6, the open interest of altcoins surpassed that of bitcoin. This is a first since December 2024. Such a shift confirms the rise of leverage on Zcash, XRP, and Solana. However, this is not enough to announce an altseason.
In brief The open interest of altcoins surpasses that of bitcoin for the first time since December 2024. Bitcoin still represents nearly 37% of the open interest of perpetual contracts. Zcash, XRP, and Solana concentrate a notable share of the leverage increase. ZEC reaches nearly 2.4 billion dollars in open interest after a strong price surge. The rise in leverage increases the risk of chain liquidations on altcoins. Leverage shifts towards altcoins Now, perpetual contracts on altcoins represented a higher value than contracts on bitcoin. The open interest of BTC was close to 23.9 billion dollars, or 37% of the total observed.
Indeed, open interest determines the value of derivative contracts that remain open. It increases when new positions emerge and decreases if traders close their contracts and face liquidations. Unlike volume, it does not count exclusively the transactions executed during a period.
Four elements are necessary for interpreting this shift :
Altcoins surpass bitcoin for the first time since December 2024 ; Bitcoin retains about 37% of the open interest of perpetual contracts ; Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and Zcash concentrate a significant part of the rest ; An increase in the indicator counts both long and short positions. The bullish scope of the signal is limited by this last point. Thus, altcoins’ open interest reveals that traders are taking more risks on these cryptos. It does not allow to know whether the majority anticipates a rebound or a drop.
Its value expressed in dollars can also evolve mechanically when asset prices increase. It is therefore necessary to compare its progression with prices, funding rates, and spot market volume.
Zcash concentrates part of the speculation The most spectacular case is represented by Zcash. At the beginning of this September, ZEC’s open interest approached a record close to 2.4 billion dollars, according to reported data. Meanwhile, the crypto rose 134% in one month to temporarily exceed 1000 dollars.
Such progression caught many short sellers off guard. Nearly 34 million dollars of short positions were liquidated during the crossing of the 1000 dollar level on September 4.
Many positions remain heavily exposed. On Hyperliquid, a short position opened by trader Garrett Jin around 444 dollars revealed an unrealized loss of 25.7 million dollars. Another seller risked liquidation when ZEC approached 1317 dollars.
XRP and Solana also contribute to the increase in altcoins’ open interest. However, available statistics do not allow to truly attribute each asset’s contribution to the general surpassing of bitcoin.
The movements can be amplified by such concentration. A quick rebound forces sellers to repurchase their positions, supporting prices. Conversely, a drop can cause chain liquidations among buyers.
The market has not yet entered altseason However, it should be noted that the 2024 precedent invites caution. At the conclusion of the last surpassing of bitcoin by altcoins, many mid-cap cryptos suffered major corrections. This succession does not prove that the open interest shift systematically triggers a drop.
The altcoin market, however, holds lower liquidity. A significant liquidation can therefore weigh more on their price than on bitcoin’s, especially if order books cannot absorb forced sales.
Other indicators do not yet attest to a global altseason. The Altcoin Season Index was at 43 at the end of August, while Blockchain Center sets the confirmation threshold at 75. Moreover, global interest in the term “altcoin” was only around 26 out of 100 on Google Trends.
Bitcoin also maintained a dominance close to 59.2% of the crypto market. Also, altcoins outside the top 10 had admittedly gained more than 10% since the beginning of September, with a valuation above 200 billion dollars. However, this growth remained concentrated on a limited number of cryptos.
Liquidations, funding rates, and spot volumes will now determine the movement’s solidity. A rise supported exclusively by leverage would remain vulnerable to a brutal correction.
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Luc Jose A.
Diplômé de Sciences Po Toulouse et titulaire d'une certification consultant blockchain délivrée par Alyra, j'ai rejoint l'aventure Cointribune en 2019. Convaincu du potentiel de la blockchain pour transformer de nombreux secteurs de l'économie, j'ai pris l'engagement de sensibiliser et d'informer le grand public sur cet écosystème en constante évolution. Mon objectif est de permettre à chacun de mieux comprendre la blockchain et de saisir les opportunités qu'elle offre. Je m'efforce chaque jour de fournir une analyse objective de l'actualité, de décrypter les tendances du marché, de relayer les dernières innovations technologiques et de mettre en perspective les enjeux économiques et sociétaux de cette révolution en marche.
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The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
Bitcoin fell back to around $78,300 on September 8 after surpassing $82,000 last week. Ethereum trades near $2,480, XRP around $1.39, and Solana loses about 2% on the day. The decline affects the entire market, but it does not yet resemble capitulation: crypto capitalization falls by about 0.4%. Oil near $100, high bond yields, and the return of expectations for U.S. rate hikes explain much of the movement.
In brief Bitcoin fell below $79,000 after a recent peak above $82,000. Markets now price about a 58% chance of a Fed rate hike in September. Liquidations reach $165 million, including nearly $115 million on long positions. Bitcoin falls below $79,000 and drags altcoins down The movement started after another failure of bitcoin below $80,000. BTC had reached about $82,164 last week, its highest level in three months, before losing nearly 5% from that peak. We had already noted bitcoin’s difficulty in holding the $82,000 level after its late August rebound.
Altcoins follow suit. Ethereum loses about 1% around $2,480, XRP declines about 1.5%, and Solana approaches -2%. The variations remain contained for several large caps, although some more volatile cryptos retreat further.
So two things must be distinguished. The market is clearly falling, but today’s figures do not yet describe a crash comparable to the big liquidation sessions seen earlier this year.
Total capitalization is measured around $2,690 billion, down 0.43%. Its CMC20 index loses 0.53%. The Fear and Greed Index remains at 72, still in the “greed” zone. Not really a panicked market. Rather a market quickly shedding risk after several weeks of rebound.
Strong employment figures bring the Fed back to the center of the market The first problem comes from the United States.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Friday 162,000 job creations in August, with an unchanged unemployment rate at 4.1%. The figure far exceeds the monthly average of only 31,000 jobs recorded over the previous twelve months.
These data change the reading of monetary policy. A stronger labor market provides more room for the Federal Reserve to maintain high rates or even raise them further if inflation persists. Contracts followed by CME FedWatch now give about a 58.4% probability of a 25 basis points hike in September.
A few days earlier, the market was still hesitating around 50%. For bitcoin, the mechanism is quite direct. Higher rates make bonds and money market placements more rewarding. Assets without intrinsic yield, and more generally risky assets, become relatively less attractive.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to about 4.80%, near its highest levels since 2023. This movement affects not only crypto: futures for the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq were also trending down on Tuesday. Bitcoin is therefore not falling alone.
Oil near $100 revives the inflation problem The second factor is in the Middle East. Brent now trades around $99 per barrel after a new rise in regional tensions. Reuters reports attacks against Saudi energy facilities and growing concerns about supply.
The crypto market watches oil for a simple reason: energy directly fuels inflation. Oil sustainably near $100 can raise transportation, production, and many goods costs. This complicates the Fed’s task a few days before new U.S. price statistics.
PPI is expected Thursday, then CPI Friday. The FOMC meeting will then take place September 15-16, with the monetary decision scheduled for the 16th. The Fed’s official calendar confirms this schedule.
Another tension comes into the equation: the Japanese yen has appreciated about 4% in one week as expectations for Bank of Japan rate hikes grow. This movement can accelerate the unwinding of yen-funded positions, the famous carry trades. When leveraged, low-cost financed positions are reduced, the pressure can quickly spread to stocks, then crypto.
$165 million liquidated, mostly among buyers Derivatives then accelerate the movement. About $165.44 million in liquidations, including $114.75 million on long positions. Meanwhile, open interest rises 4.37% to reach $423.07 billion. Derivative volumes exceed $610 billion.
This is a combination to watch. When traders increase their leveraged exposure while bitcoin declines, some price levels automatically trigger the closing of long positions. These forced sales can then amplify a decline that began for macroeconomic reasons.
This phenomenon works both ways. Four days earlier, the market rebound caused over $400 million in liquidations of short positions when Bitcoin surpassed $81,000. The market has thus experienced two opposing movements in a few sessions. First, shorts suffered. Now, longs.
Bitcoin ETFs show that institutional investors are not fleeing One detail prevents telling this decline as a general capital withdrawal. U.S. Bitcoin ETFs continue to receive funds. On September 3, spot funds recorded $730.8 million in net inflows. The next day, they attracted another $174.6 million. Farside data notably show $454 million for BlackRock’s IBIT on September 3.
We recently noted the best series of the year for Bitcoin ETFs, with about $3.8 billion collected over three weeks.
This is an important counterpoint. The current decline thus does not seem to come from a massive withdrawal of institutional investors from ETFs. It rather looks like a reaction of liquid markets to rates, oil, and short-term repositioning.
Even on Friday, September 4, when inflows slowed significantly compared to the previous day, they remained positive at $174.6 million. Institutional demand has not disappeared. It just does not suffice, for now, to offset all the macro pressures.
The CLARITY Act adds uncertainty, without being the main cause The CLARITY Act is added among the caution factors. The Senate must attempt a cloture vote on September 15. It will require 60 votes to move to full debate.
Adoption chances have significantly deteriorated on prediction markets in recent months. We detailed the difficulties of the CLARITY Act before the September 15 vote, as several disagreements remain in the Senate.
It is nevertheless important not to blame the entire decline on it. The most directly visible elements this Tuesday are macroeconomic: oil around $99, 10-year U.S. yields near 4.8%, rising rate expectations, and parallel falls in stock futures. The CLARITY Act adds crypto-specific uncertainty but seems more to amplify caution than to have triggered the movement alone.
Bitcoin now faces a busy week The next few days will quickly bring answers. The market will watch the 10-year Treasury auction, the PPI on Thursday, then especially the CPI on Friday. Higher-than-expected inflation could further strengthen rate hike expectations before the September 16 meeting.
For Bitcoin, the $77,000 zone is now closely monitored. This level corresponds to the lower part of the recent consolidation after the rebound from $60,000.
The context remains very different from a generalized capitulation: Bitcoin ETFs remain in net inflows, the Fear and Greed index stays high, and several major cryptos still retain part of their weekly gains. The current decline mainly results from a fairly classic mix: higher yields, expensive oil, a more uncertain Fed, and significant leverage in derivatives markets. This time, macro has taken control.
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Fascinated by Bitcoin since 2017, Evariste has continuously researched the subject. While his initial interest was in trading, he now actively seeks to understand all advances centered on cryptocurrencies. As an editor, he strives to consistently deliver high-quality work that reflects the state of the sector as a whole.
The attacker associated with the third wave of Coldcard wallet thefts has begun moving more bitcoin, routing earlier transfers through THORChain to Ethereum and sending newer movements into CoinJoin rounds. Galaxy Research described the activity in a Sept. 7 on-chain update and said the exploiter had created 293 two-of-two multisignature vaults for victims’ coins.
The update documents wallet behavior, not the attacker’s identity or intent. Moving funds through cross-chain infrastructure and collaborative Bitcoin transactions can complicate tracing, but it does not by itself prove that the proceeds have been successfully laundered.
Wave 3 funds start leaving their vaults Galaxy said the first movements in this wave occurred on Sept. 2, when coins were sent through THORChain and arrived on Ethereum. The research firm then observed subsequent transfers entering CoinJoin rounds. Its public post did not provide a final amount moved or say that every vault had been emptied.
A CoinJoin combines inputs and outputs from multiple participants in one Bitcoin transaction. That construction makes straightforward transaction-graph analysis more difficult because an observer cannot simply assume that each input maps to a specific output. Investigators can still use timing, amounts and later spending behavior, but confidence in attribution can fall.
The latest movement follows the larger Coldcard incident Galaxy previously connected the third wave to hundreds of attacker-created vaults. Earlier reporting on the Coldcard exploit and affected bitcoin described a broader theft involving compromised wallet generation. The newest transfers change the case from largely stationary holdings to an active tracing problem.
THORChain and CoinJoin play different roles in that path. THORChain enables swaps across native assets, while CoinJoin operates within Bitcoin by combining transactions. Neither tool is inherently malicious; the relevance here comes from their observed use by addresses Galaxy associates with the exploiter.
Wallet remediation remains separate from fund tracing Following stolen funds does not repair a compromised seed. Users affected by weak wallet generation must create a fresh seed with corrected software or trusted hardware and transfer remaining assets. Simply installing new firmware cannot make an already exposed recovery phrase secret again.
Galaxy’s update gives investigators a new sequence to monitor, but recovery is not guaranteed. Any definitive claim about attribution, the amount mixed or the destination of swapped assets will require additional on-chain evidence and, potentially, information from services that receive the funds.
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Blockchain analyst specializing in the regulatory impact of government policies on the crypto industry. Known for his thorough research and clear, engaging writing, Emmanuel provides insightful analysis on the latest trends, market shifts, and emerging crypto innovations. His work aims to educate and inform both novice and experienced readers, offering expert perspectives on the fast-evolving world of digital assets. With a passion for staying ahead of the curve, Ogwu is a trusted voice in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space.
The operator behind the so-called Wave 3 cluster of Coldcard hardware-wallet thefts has begun systematically cashing out stolen bitcoin after weeks of inactivity, according to a Monday update from Galaxy Research.
Galaxy’s on-chain team says the actor created 293 separate 2-of-2 multisignature vaults, one for each victim grouping, rather than funneling coins into a shared collector as earlier waves did.
Those vaults held about 208 bitcoin after the late-July and early-August sweeps.
Starting September 2, the operator began spending the largest holdings first.
By September 7 it had emptied ranks 1 through 11, moving 97.09 bitcoin from 12 vaults.
The next ten unspent vaults still contain 30.81 bitcoin; vaults ranked 61 through 293 hold another 33.77 bitcoin combined.
Two hundred eighty-two vaults remain untouched with 116.98 bitcoin.
The first large exit, on September 2, sent 20.50 bitcoin across THORChain into two Ethereum addresses that were later emptied.
Subsequent spends on September 5 and 6 routed coins into CoinJoin mixing rounds after brief hops through Taproot addresses.
Galaxy calculates that the Wave 3 operator has now moved roughly 45 percent of the coins taken in that cluster, sending them either to Ethereum via THORChain or into CoinJoin denominations.
The Coldcard Wave 3 operator has been methodically moving the largest thefts in order by size rank. They have spent ranks 1–11 in order; the next ten unmoved vaults hold 30.81 BTC. Ranks 61–293 hold 33.77 BTC between them. pic.twitter.com/iV09c1JwaL
— Galaxy Research (@glxyresearch) September 7, 2026
The same spending also revealed a previously unlisted 58-address cluster that used an identical 2-of-2 script and was co-spent into a hop that funded a CoinJoin.
Galaxy currently labels the cluster “cause = open” but considers it likely another Coldcard victim set.
If confirmed, Wave 3 would expand to 294 vaults and Galaxy’s published high-confidence total for the entire exploit would rise to about 1,806 bitcoin.
Across the wider investigation, Galaxy estimates that about 82 percent of coins it attributes to the Coldcard vulnerability still sit in original attacker-controlled addresses, while about 18 percent have been moved in patterns consistent with laundering.
The 45 percent figure applies only to the Wave 3 vaults now being spent.
The thefts stem from a firmware defect introduced in March 2021 that weakened seed generation on certain Coldcard models, allowing offline reconstruction of private keys for single-signature addresses created after that date.
Coinkite published an advisory and fixed firmware; existing weak seeds cannot be repaired and must be replaced.
Galaxy has documented multiple distinct waves and footprints and has said it cannot confirm whether they belong to one actor or several.
Researchers continue to work with victims so they can file reports with authorities and have shared suspected attacker addresses with investigators and industry partners. Additional victims are still coming forward, but Galaxy has not identified confirmed new attacker activity after August 6 except for these later movements of already-stolen coins.
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HashKey Cloud said on Sept. 7 that it had joined Stacks as a launch partner for self-custodial Bitcoin staking.
Summary
HashKey Cloud joined Stacks as a Genesis Bond participant and an sBTC signer operator officially. The institutional Genesis Bond is scheduled to launch around September 10, according to Stacks developers. Bonded Bitcoin remains timelocked on Bitcoin while participants pair it with locked STX tokens separately. HashKey Cloud says its staking infrastructure spans more than 40 different blockchain networks globally today. sBTC signers coordinate Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals using a threshold-based approval system collectively onchain today. The agreement gives the infrastructure provider two roles: participating in the inaugural Genesis Bond and joining the signer network securing sBTC.
HashKey Cloud operates under HashKey Holding Limited. Stacks founder Muneeb Ali presented the collaboration during the HashKey Cloud and Cactus Custody “Yield on Trust” event in Hong Kong.
The company says its node and staking infrastructure covers more than 40 blockchain networks. Stacks reported that HashKey Cloud manages about HK$29 billion in staked assets. These figures come from the companies and were not independently audited for the partnership announcement.
HashKey Cloud will participate in the first Genesis Bond HashKey Cloud will join the first institutional cohort using Stacks’ new Protocol Bond system. Stacks said in an official announcement that the Genesis Bond was expected to begin around Sept. 10.
The launch date remains an estimate. Stacks has not announced an exact activation time, final capacity or participant allocations. Technical or operational conditions could also alter the schedule.
The first cohort includes institutional participants such as digital asset manager 21Shares and UTXO Management, a subsidiary of Bitcoin treasury company Nakamoto Inc. The Genesis Bond is intended to demonstrate how institutions can earn BTC-denominated rewards without transferring their Bitcoin to a centralized custodian.
Bitcoin committed to the product remains visible on its base blockchain. The arrangement should allow observers to inspect the relevant timelock transactions without relying exclusively on reports from Stacks or participating institutions.
The phrase “Bitcoin staking” requires context. Bitcoin uses proof-of-work and does not support staking through its native consensus system. The Genesis Bond does not change Bitcoin’s consensus rules.
Stacks instead uses Proof of Transfer, commonly called PoX. Stacks miners commit BTC while competing to produce blocks. The protocol distributes part of that Bitcoin to qualifying participants as rewards.
Bitcoin remains under the holder’s keys Stacks’ PoX-5 design introduces a Protocol Bond that connects two separate commitments. The participant timelocks BTC on Bitcoin’s base layer and locks a corresponding amount of STX on Stacks.
According to the project’s technical documentation, a bond lasts 12 Stacks reward cycles, or approximately six months. The Bitcoin remains in a wallet controlled by the holder’s keys rather than moving to a centralized custodian or wrapped asset.
The participant must also lock STX through a signer-manager contract. The two positions are cryptographically associated and operate together for the bond term.
PoX-5 permits only one active staking position for each Stacks principal. A participant cannot use the same principal for an STX-only position and a Protocol Bond simultaneously. The protocol also prevents one principal from holding two concurrent bonds.
The documentation allows early withdrawal. However, participants leaving before the scheduled end of a term forfeit their remaining rewards for that cycle. Recovering the BTC principal still requires the holder’s signature.
Rewards initially accrue as sBTC. A participant may request native BTC by supplying a Bitcoin payout address, provided the selected signer manager supports base-layer withdrawals.
Native BTC settlement is not available under every configuration. If the withdrawal cannot be processed within the participant’s maximum transaction-fee setting, the payment falls back to sBTC.
As crypto.news reported, Stacks is targeting an annualized Bitcoin yield near 3% during the initial phase. The rate is a protocol target, not a guaranteed return. Actual rewards may vary with miner commitments, available capacity and network conditions.
HashKey Cloud will help secure sBTC transfers HashKey Cloud will also operate as a signer for sBTC, the Bitcoin-backed asset used within the Stacks ecosystem. Stacks previously confirmed that HashKey Cloud, Ankr and The Tie had joined the signer set.
sBTC is designed to represent BTC on Stacks at a one-to-one ratio. Users can deploy it within Stacks applications while the underlying Bitcoin remains governed by the network’s signer system.
Signers collectively authorize deposits and withdrawals between Bitcoin and Stacks. No individual signer can independently move the BTC backing sBTC.
Stacks said the system maintained a 70% approval threshold throughout the latest signer rotation. Operations such as withdrawals require approval representing at least 70% of participating signer weight.
Adding HashKey Cloud brings an Asia-based infrastructure provider into the signer group. Stacks described the expansion as improving institutional access and distributing operating responsibility across additional companies and regions.
Those benefits remain Stacks’ assessment. A larger signer set does not remove every technical or governance risk associated with sBTC.
Users still depend on enough signers remaining available and following the protocol correctly. Software failures, signer outages or coordination problems could delay deposits and withdrawals. Smart-contract faults could also affect services built around sBTC.
Self-custody reduces exposure to a single custodian, but it does not eliminate risks arising from Stacks contracts, wallet software, signer managers or the sBTC system.
Genesis Bond access will remain limited initially Stacks plans to introduce Protocol Bonds in stages. Initial Genesis Bond access focuses on institutions and professional market participants rather than unrestricted retail participation.
The project’s staking guidance says bond capacity will be allocated to approved partners during the bootstrap phase. Some capacity may become available through selected pooling providers.
Wallet compatibility is another requirement. Leather and Xverse support PoX-5 functions, while Ledger users need Stacks application version 0.26.15 or later for transactions carrying the new spending conditions.
Participants must also consider the prepare phase at the end of each reward cycle. During the final 100 Bitcoin blocks, the protocol rejects new staking transactions, position updates and withdrawal requests.
HashKey Cloud has not disclosed how much BTC or STX it plans to commit. The company also has not published participation fees, customer eligibility requirements or a list of supported jurisdictions.
Its announcement cautioned that Bitcoin staking services may be unavailable in some regions because of local laws. HashKey Cloud did not guarantee any investment return.
The Genesis Bond’s expected launch is the next event to watch. Confirmation of the activation time, committed Bitcoin, participating institutions and available capacity would provide the first measurable evidence of demand for the product.
Xverse launched Bitcoin staking through sBTC on Stacks on Sept. 7, making the feature available in version 2.9 of its self-custodial wallet. In its official launch announcement, Xverse said users can put existing bitcoin to work and receive additional bitcoin through the fee-efficient sBTC representation on Stacks.
The product does not lock native BTC directly on the Bitcoin base layer. Xverse’s technical overview says participants use sBTC, which is backed one-for-one by bitcoin held through the Stacks signer system, and pair it with STX. That structure introduces different risks from simply holding BTC in a wallet.
Staking pairs sBTC with a smaller STX position A position combines sBTC with STX worth roughly 5% of the deposited sBTC, according to Xverse. The STX is neither a fee nor collateral; it establishes eligibility and links the position to a Stacks identity. The bitcoin-denominated rewards accrue to the sBTC side rather than the STX balance.
Xverse said users can obtain an STX shortfall inside the staking flow. Each participant receives one position per bond and may add sBTC or STX before the bond begins. Once it is active, the position remains fixed unless the user withdraws the sBTC or waits for maturity.
Rewards target about 3% but can vary The protocol targets an annual percentage yield of roughly 3%, with distributions arriving in sBTC about once every two weeks. The realized return depends on the bitcoin committed by Stacks miners and the amount deposited alongside it, so the target is not a guaranteed rate.
Each bond runs for six months. Before registration, users can withdraw both assets. After a bond starts, sBTC can be removed early, but the paired STX remains locked until maturity. Xverse also warns that the staking contracts are new and that sBTC depends on its signer set and continued peg to bitcoin.
The launch opens retail access to the Genesis Bond Xverse’s rollout gives wallet users pooled access to the Stacks Genesis Bond without meeting a large standalone minimum. BlockchainReporter previously reported that 21Shares joined the same Bitcoin staking program as an institutional participant. The two developments involve different access channels: 21Shares supplied capital to the bond, while Xverse now offers a wallet interface for individual positions.
The Genesis Bond is scheduled to begin near Bitcoin block 966,350, which Xverse estimated around Sept. 10 in Stacks reward cycle 143. The precise timing remains block-dependent. Later bonds are expected to open roughly monthly, but available capacity and deposit windows may close before a scheduled start.
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Jide Idowu is a skilled freelance writer with expertise in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and digital finance. Known for his ability to break down complex topics into clear, engaging content, Jide crafts articles, blog posts, and analyses that resonate with both beginners and seasoned professionals. His work spans a wide range of subjects, from emerging crypto trends to in-depth explorations of blockchain innovations. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for educating readers, Jide is a reliable voice in the rapidly evolving world of digital assets.
Bitcoin has become one of the world’s largest pools of digital capital, yet only a small fraction participates in onchain financial activity.
Summary
Stacks plans to use self-custodial Bitcoin Staking as an entry point for BTC holders, targeting roughly 3% annualized rewards paid in Bitcoin. Its roadmap moves from attracting Bitcoin capital to scaling network infrastructure and expanding into lending, trading, perpetual markets and programmable BTC. StackingDAO, Bitflow, Zest Protocol and Hermetica are developing liquid staking, trading, credit and yield products that could give staked and Bitcoin-linked capital more uses across the ecosystem. Other crypto ecosystems built large economies around staking, lending and decentralized trading. Bitcoin, by comparison, still lacks a universally accepted home where holders can put BTC to work without taking on custody, bridge or foreign-chain risks.
That is the problem Bitcoin-native finance is trying to solve.
The term describes a financial system built around Bitcoin as the productive asset, with services such as staking, lending, borrowing and trading anchored to Bitcoin rather than requiring holders to move their wealth into another blockchain economy. Stacks is pursuing that model through a 2026 roadmap built around three connected stages: attract Bitcoin capital with self-custodial yield, scale the infrastructure needed to support greater activity, then expand the financial applications available to that capital.
The official roadmap is currently presented as a 2026 plan rather than a formal roadmap extending through 2030. Its direction, however, describes a longer-term effort to build lending, trading, programmable capital and other financial services around Bitcoin. The central question for the coming years is whether Stacks can turn that roadmap into the ecosystem where BTC holders move from passive ownership to active financial use.
Bitcoin Staking could become the entry point for idle BTC Many Bitcoin projects have tried to make BTC productive, but each approach introduces different trade-offs.
Core already offers self-custodial Bitcoin staking using Bitcoin’s CheckLockTimeVerify timelocks, but rewards are paid in CORE. Babylon also keeps staked BTC native to Bitcoin, but its security model includes slashing, meaning delegated BTC can face penalties if protocol security conditions are violated.
Stacks is proposing a different combination. Under its Bitcoin Staking design, participants create a protocol bond by locking BTC on Bitcoin Layer 1 and pairing it with STX worth approximately 5% of the BTC position. The BTC remains under the participant’s keys, while the paired STX secures access to staking capacity. The current target yield is approximately 3% annualized and paid in Bitcoin.
The source of that yield is Proof of Transfer, or PoX, the consensus mechanism Stacks has operated since January 2021. Stacks miners commit BTC as they compete to produce blocks and receive STX rewards. The BTC committed by miners then flows to eligible participants. Stacks says the mechanism has distributed more than 4,200 BTC since launch.
That gives the planned product an economic structure different from staking systems funded entirely through new token issuance. The reward pool comes from BTC spent by miners as part of Stacks block production rather than from creating a new reward token or lending participants’ Bitcoin to borrowers.
The product is not yet established at scale. As of July 16, 2026, PoX-5 was operating on a private testnet with integration partners testing bonding, reward distribution and exits ahead of a public testnet and potential mainnet activation. Mainnet still depends on the Stacks governance process and successful testing.
That distinction matters. Bitcoin Staking could become the top of the Stacks capital funnel, but the thesis remains dependent on execution.
The roadmap moves from capital to infrastructure and finance Attracting BTC is only the first step. A Bitcoin-native financial system also needs enough performance, liquidity and application depth to give holders reasons to keep using their capital after earning an initial yield.
The Stacks roadmap organizes that process into three phases. Bitcoin Staking anchors capital. Infrastructure improvements prepare the network for greater DeFi and automated activity. The final phase expands Bitcoin-native finance across lending, trading and programmable capital. The workstreams are progressing concurrently rather than waiting for each previous phase to finish.
On performance, Stacks core developers are targeting a 100-fold improvement in throughput through efforts including Clarity Wasm. The roadmap also calls for continued core improvements and optimization of the sBTC bridge. Stacks has separately set a goal of supporting up to 10,000 active AI agents as programmable financial activity grows.
The longer-term financial layer includes self-custodial Bitcoin lending, trading, perpetual markets and programmable BTC that software agents can use. The roadmap also explores allowing sBTC to pay transaction fees, which could reduce the need for users or automated agents to acquire a separate gas asset before interacting with applications.
For institutions and large Bitcoin holders, that combination matters because yield alone may not justify moving substantial capital into a new financial environment.
StackingDAO, Bitflow, Zest and Hermetica build the next layer The wider Stacks ecosystem is already assembling several of the financial primitives needed to move BTC beyond a single staking product.
StackingDAO provides the liquid staking layer. It currently operates liquid Stacking products for STX and has outlined plans for a Bitcoin liquid staking token as Bitcoin Staking develops. A BTC liquid staking token, or BTC LST, would represent an underlying yield-producing Bitcoin position while remaining usable elsewhere in DeFi.
The role is comparable in structure to the function liquid staking tokens serve in Ethereum’s DeFi economy. Without a liquid representation, staked capital remains harder to use elsewhere. With one, the same economic position can potentially provide liquidity, serve as collateral or participate in additional financial strategies.
Bitflow supplies another necessary piece: markets where Bitcoin-linked assets can trade and find liquidity.
The protocol operates a decentralized exchange and aggregator on Stacks and has introduced HODLMM, a concentrated-liquidity engine designed for more capital-efficient markets. A future BTC LST would need liquid trading venues to maintain an effective market and provide holders with practical entry and exit routes.
Zest Protocol adds credit markets. Its existing Stacks market allows users to lend Bitcoin-linked assets and borrow against collateral, while its planned Bitcoin Collateral Vaults aim to let users borrow stablecoins against BTC without moving their Bitcoin off Layer 1. Zest says those vaults are scheduled to launch in 2026 and are designed around self-custodial Bitcoin collateral rather than a conventional wrapped-BTC structure.
Hermetica provides yield products and a Bitcoin-linked monetary layer through hBTC and USDh. The hBTC vault deploys BTC exposure into onchain strategies including lending, staking and basis strategies, with realized profits accounted for in Bitcoin terms. Hermetica describes the product as redeemable for native BTC, while its current documentation shows that withdrawals remain subject to protocol cooldowns and Bitcoin settlement times.
Its USDh product provides a Bitcoin-backed synthetic dollar that can serve as a stable asset within the same financial environment. Hermetica’s hBTC documentation describes a strategy that can use BTC-linked collateral in lending markets and deploy borrowed stablecoins into additional yield opportunities, connecting Bitcoin collateral, credit and stable liquidity within one system.
Together, these protocols illustrate what comes after Bitcoin Staking.
From Bitcoin yield to a Bitcoin-native financial economy Ethereum and Solana showed how staking can become more than a standalone yield product. Once users begin earning on an asset, demand can develop for liquid staking, collateral markets, decentralized exchanges and structured strategies that make the staked capital more useful.
Stacks is attempting to build a similar progression around Bitcoin without simply copying another chain’s security and custody model.
Its strategy starts with a product designed to keep BTC on Bitcoin L1 while generating BTC-denominated rewards. The roadmap then connects that capital to faster infrastructure and an ecosystem spanning liquid staking, trading, credit and yield products.
Bitcoin-native finance will not be defined by one staking product. It will be defined by whether Bitcoin can function as productive capital across staking, lending, liquidity and programmable applications without forcing holders to abandon the properties that made them choose Bitcoin in the first place.
Stacks is building toward that outcome. Bitcoin Staking is intended to open the door. The ecosystem developing behind it will determine how far the capital travels once it enters.
FAQ How is Stacks Bitcoin Staking different from other self-custodial options? Stacks’ proposed design combines three features: rewards denominated in BTC, no protocol-level slashing of Bitcoin principal and an early exit mechanism that returns BTC while forfeiting remaining rewards. Core also offers self-custodial staking but pays rewards in CORE, while Babylon’s security model includes BTC slashing. Stacks Bitcoin Staking remains in testing and has not yet established a mainnet operating record.
What is Bitcoin-native finance? Bitcoin-native finance is a financial ecosystem where Bitcoin serves as the productive asset across activities such as staking, lending, borrowing, trading and structured strategies, with infrastructure anchored to Bitcoin rather than requiring holders to move entirely into another blockchain economy.
How does Bitcoin Staking on Stacks work? The current design requires participants to lock BTC on Bitcoin L1 and pair it with STX worth approximately 5% of the BTC position. The two assets form a protocol bond. BTC committed by Stacks miners through Proof of Transfer funds Bitcoin-denominated rewards, with a current target of approximately 3% annualized yield during the planned bootstrap phase.
What is a Bitcoin liquid staking token? A Bitcoin liquid staking token represents an underlying staked or yield-producing BTC position while remaining transferable and potentially usable in DeFi. It can allow holders to maintain exposure to staking rewards while using the liquid token for trading, liquidity or collateral. StackingDAO has outlined plans to develop a BTC LST as Bitcoin Staking on Stacks develops.
Veteran investor Cathie Wood described Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) as both a risk-off and risk-on asset on Friday, while remaining bullish on its long-term prospects.
Bitcoin-Gold Ratio to Increase?During Ark Invest’s “In The Know” episode, Wood shared her perspective on Bitcoin’s promising trajectory.
She drew attention to a low correlation between Bitcoin and gold, suggesting a potential “breakthrough” for the cryptocurrency relative to the precious metal.
“The correlation between Bitcoin and gold is very low by historical standards, and so to see Bitcoin starting to break out relative to gold is very reassuring from our point of view,” Wood said.
Wood has frequently posited that gold prices tend to rally ahead of Bitcoin’s bull markets, citing the 2020–21 and 2024–25 cycles as examples.
Wood, a known Bitcoin bull, emphasized the cryptocurrency’s role as a “technological revolution”, a new global monetary system and a first-of-its-kind asset class.
“We think it has miles to go because of those three revolutions,” she added
That said, Wood believed the “technology revolution” bit would put many companies “in harm’s way,” generating counterparty risk.
“This idea of where the counterparty risk in the economy: that might accrue to the benefit of both Bitcoin and gold,” the Ark Invest founder said. “We think Bitcoin is both a risk-off and a risk-on asset.”
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Wood’s Bullish ThesisWood has positioned Bitcoin as a “wealth insurance policy” that AI-driven growth investments cannot provide. She maintains her $730,000 base case Bitcoin target for 2030.
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She’s also described Bitcoin as a "critical public financial infrastructure" and demanded that those securing it have access to the "most powerful AI models" available.
Notably, Bitcoin has outperformed gold over the past month, though its year-to-date losses have been steeper.
Cryptocurrency30-Day Gains +/-YTD Gains +/-Bitcoin+21.69%-9.95%Spot Gold
+1.82%-1.95%Read Next
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Bitcoin (BTC) is once again trading like gold as investors hedge against potential inflation, according to new analysis from the digital asset management firm CoinShares.
James Butterfill, CoinShares’ head of research, notes that dueling speeches from Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh and Fed governor Christopher Waller left different impressions about the possibility of a September rate hike.
“Kevin Warsh’s comments on Friday were read as hawkish, with a clear emphasis on inflation rather than the weakening employment picture, and markets moved towards pricing roughly a two-thirds probability of a September rate hike. Waller subsequently pushed back against that interpretation, arguing that recent inflation data show encouraging signs of disinflation and indicating that, provided August inflation confirms the trend, he would favour keeping rates unchanged in September. His comments helped ease Treasury yields and supported Bitcoin’s move above US$80k.
We think the market’s pricing of a September hike still looks too aggressive, particularly given softer labour data and the divergence now emerging within the Fed over how much weight to place on inflation versus employment.”
The CME FedWatch Tool, which generates probabilities using the 30-day Fed Funds futures prices, currently estimates a 60.4% chance that the Fed will hike the federal funds target rate by 25 basis points at next week’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.
Butterfill says two factors could drive Bitcoin higher amid the monetary policy uncertainty.
“For Bitcoin to move convincingly through US$80k, we think one of two things needs to happen: a resolution of the Iran conflict that lowers inflation and rate expectations, or a further deterioration in confidence in US sovereign debt that accelerates demand for non-sovereign stores of value. Until one arrives, range trading remains the more likely outcome.
Two dates carry most of the information from here. The August inflation print will tell us whether Waller’s disinflation case holds, and the September meeting will show whether the Fed’s internal split resolves towards inflation or employment. Everything else is noise around those two.”
When the CEO of a Bitcoin treasury company finally speaks up about governance concerns, you’d expect the stock to stabilize. Metaplanet’s shares had a different idea, falling roughly 7.5% to close at 271 yen on September 7, the trading session after CEO Simon Gerovich posted his response to shareholder criticism.
The Tokyo-listed firm, which adopted a Bitcoin-centric treasury strategy in 2024, is facing pointed questions about an executive stock option pool that ballooned nearly sevenfold. Gerovich’s attempt to reassure investors appears to have had the opposite effect.
The option pool problem At the center of the controversy is Metaplanet’s Series 10 executive option pool. Originally sized at approximately 46 million shares, the pool swelled to 319.46 million shares thanks to a floating allocation formula tied to the company’s fully diluted share count.
On August 18, the company moved to cap the pool at 319.46 million shares, freezing it at its already-expanded size. A five-year lock-up was also instituted, meaning those options can’t be touched until August 17, 2031.
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Just ten days after the cap was announced, Gerovich exercised 92,000 units on August 28, converting them into 64,032,000 common shares. That brought his total holdings to 79,587,500 shares.
Gerovich’s response and the MMXX question On September 6, Gerovich took to X to address the growing chorus of shareholder discontent. He acknowledged that the company needed to communicate more effectively on governance matters and outlined plans for future remuneration policy transparency.
He also clarified his relationship with MMXX Ventures Limited, a firm established in 2022 that holds approximately 42,474,750 shares of Metaplanet, representing about 3.26% of the company. Gerovich stated that while he has an association with MMXX Ventures, he does not hold any operational role there.
The broader Bitcoin treasury dilemma Metaplanet’s governance turbulence isn’t happening in a vacuum. The company is one of several publicly traded firms that have tied their corporate identity to Bitcoin holdings, following the playbook popularized by MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor. The basic pitch: hold Bitcoin on the balance sheet, use equity markets to fund purchases, and let the company’s stock serve as a leveraged proxy for Bitcoin exposure.
Repeated equity issuances to fund Bitcoin purchases dilute existing shareholders. Executive option pools that expand automatically with each issuance compound that dilution.
The floating mechanism that allowed the Series 10 pool to expand from 46 million to 319.46 million shares was embedded in the option structure since 2023. That it was only capped in August 2026, after it had already grown nearly seven times over, raises fair questions about whether the board’s oversight kept pace with the strategy’s execution.
Capping the pool and imposing a five-year lock-up are concrete steps. But they also crystallize a new reality: 319.46 million shares are now earmarked for executive compensation, locked until 2031.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
TLDR: Privacy sector up 213% since Bitcoin’s October high while every other sector remains lower. ZEC surged 2,496%, jumping from rank 82 to rank 7 among all cryptocurrencies by market cap. Privacy sector market cap grew from $7.1B to $33.6B, nearly matching Tron’s valuation today. Excluding ZEC, the privacy basket still gained 85% yearly, showing broad sector-wide strength. The privacy sector has become the only major cryptocurrency category trading above its level from Bitcoin’s October 2025 high, according to data from Glassnode.
The privacy sector has climbed 213% since that peak, while every other segment of the market remains below its previous mark.
Zcash (ZEC) has driven much of this move, gaining 2,496% and climbing from the 82nd largest cryptocurrency to the seventh. The sector’s total market capitalization has grown from $7.1 billion to $33.6 billion over the past year.
Privacy Sector Outpaces Broader Market Decline Bitcoin currently trades 36% below its October 2025 high, 335 days after that peak was recorded. The median asset among the top 200 cryptocurrencies sits 58% below its level on that day. Against this backdrop, the privacy sector stands out as the single category that has moved higher rather than lower.
Glassnode highlighted this divergence in a recent post on social media platform X. The firm wrote that privacy is “the trade of the year,” noting that every other sector remains below its high, ranging from DeFi at negative 27% to gaming at negative 74%.
The past 30 days brought gains across all ten sectors tracked by Glassnode, and the privacy sector led that short-term rally as well, rising 90% in that window.
This recent strength has not altered the yearly picture, since the privacy sector remains the lone category above its prior peak.
The sector’s expansion from $7.1 billion to $33.6 billion places it near the market capitalization of Tron. Close to half of that growth occurred within the past month alone, reflecting how quickly capital has moved into privacy-focused tokens.
Growth Extends Beyond Zcash Zcash accounts for the largest share of the sector’s gains, rising from rank 82 to rank 7 by market capitalization. At 62% of the sector’s total value, ZEC also dominates the privacy index numerically. Monero (XMR) has doubled in value beneath it over the same period.
Glassnode noted that the rally is not confined to a single asset. All eight privacy coins with at least one year of trading history have posted gains. Across the broader top 200 list, only one in eight assets can say the same.
Excluding ZEC from the calculation, the cap-weighted privacy basket is still up 85% over the past year. It has also gained 56% since the October Bitcoin high. Over the past 90 days, Dash, Monero, and Horizen each outran Bitcoin’s performance.
Among the 25 largest cryptocurrencies overall, only four trade above their October 6 price: ZEC, Hyperliquid (HYPE), XMR, and Wormhole (WBT).
Two of those four belong to the privacy sector. HYPE’s gains are described as a standalone case, since DeFi as a category sits at negative 46% for the year without it.
Meanwhile, 91.5% of the top 200 assets have risen over the past 30 days, marking the broadest monthly advance in that dataset’s history.
According to official announcements, Bithumb, South Korea's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, will list Cluster Protocol (CP).
2 minutes ago
No.1 account on the FOMO Daily Ranking once suffered a loss of $2.695 million, and turned a profit by holding a heavy position in STONK.
Data shows that Point Farm Capital, the top-ranked account on the FOMO platform’s daily leaderboard, currently holds approximately $9.8248 million in assets, with a paper gain of around $713,900 over the past 24 hours. Notably, its path to this paper gain was not smooth: records indicate the account once posted a paper loss of $2.695 million within the 24-hour window, but eventually turned a profit thanks to a sharp rally in STONK, pushing it to the top of the daily leaderboard. According to GMGN data, STONK has just hit an all-time high market cap of $190 million, with a 24-hour price increase of 50% and a 24-hour trading volume of $69.5 million. Data shows that STONK is the token generating the largest unrealized profit in Point Farm Capital’s portfolio, with a holding value of roughly $7.1898 million, cumulative unrealized profit of about $6.7478 million, and a return of approximately 1357.59%. The account’s average entry cost is around $1.3 million, while STONK’s current market cap stands at $176 million.
2 minutes ago
Driven by expectations of a rate hike by the Bank of Japan, the Japanese yen rose to a six-month high against the US dollar.
Boosted by expectations of faster interest rate hikes from the Bank of Japan and potential capital inflows into Japanese assets, the yen has extended its recent rally against the U.S. dollar. During Tuesday’s Asian trading session, the yen rose to a six-month high against the U.S. dollar, surpassing levels hit in late July when the U.S. and Japan intervened jointly in the foreign exchange market to curb the yen’s weakness. After Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato stated Japan will continue coordinating with the U.S. to ensure market stability, investors remain alert to the possibility of further intervention. Kato said at a Tuesday press conference: “We will maintain close communication with the U.S. Treasury and strive to preserve order in the foreign exchange market. Since the joint currency intervention with the U.S., our policy stance has not changed at all.” Christopher Wong, foreign exchange strategist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) Research Department, noted: “The market has now almost fully priced in a 25-basis-point interest rate hike at next week’s Bank of Japan meeting. Remarks from economic advisor Sanae Takaichi have also driven a shift in rate expectations, with her projecting further tightening after a September rate hike.” (Source: Jin10)
2 minutes ago
H100 rental rates surge 22% in a month, Jensen Huang: GPUs are revenue-generating assets
Beating AI Express (from Dongcha) – NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang shared data from compute power marketplace Ornn. Ornn noted that the H100, a training GPU released years ago, has seen its rental price surge by 22% over the past month, reaching a new high of $3.28 per unit per hour. Huang used this to emphasize that NVIDIA’s compute power can be continuously rented out for profit, serving as a revenue-generating asset. Ornn’s H100 Index is calculated based on actual rental transaction prices. Its daily settlement price on September 7 stood at $3.17 per hour, and Ornn’s latest displayed price has since climbed to $3.28. This data directly supports the "compute power durability" logic that Huang has repeatedly highlighted recently. NVIDIA also stated in its latest earnings call that GPUs can be redeployed across different clients and workloads.
2 minutes ago
Upbit will list Cluster Protocol (CP)
According to official announcements, Upbit will list Cluster Protocol (CP), supporting trading pairs against KRW, BTC, and USDT.
2 minutes ago
News of CP’s listing on Upbit drove the cryptocurrency CP to surge more than 50% in a short period.
According to market data, driven by CP’s listing on Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, the token saw a short-term surge of over 50% and is now trading at $0.0256.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Bitcoin’s (BTC) short-term holder (STH) whales have reached a record level of unrealized profit, raising concerns that increased profit-taking could put pressure on the market during its current consolidation phase.
Short-term holder whales hit highest unrealized profit levels on recordShort-term holder whale unrealized profit reached $9.07 billion on September 4, marking the highest level recorded in the metric’s history dating back to 2016, according to CryptoQuant contributor IT Tech on Monday.
Although the figure fell to $7.51 billion on Saturday as Bitcoin’s price moved slightly lower, it remains among the five highest ever recorded, with all five occurring over the past two weeks.
“Unrealized profit at that scale is exposure. A cohort sitting on a record paper gain can turn into sellers the moment price wobbles,” the report stated.
IT Tech noted that short-term holder whales have historically been quick to take profits when opportunities emerge. As a result, the record level of unrealized gains could become a source of selling pressure if Bitcoin pulls back further.
“The cost basis structure argues the floor under this rally is real, but the unrealized gain sitting on top of it argues that the same floor is now being tested by its own success,” IT Tech added.
Bitcoin long-term holder on-chain activity surgesWhile whale profitability points to a potential source of downside pressure, separate on-chain data shows that long-term Bitcoin holders have also become more active during the recent consolidation.
CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost stated that activity among Bitcoin holders who have held for more than five years has increased, as the 90-day moving average of spent transaction outputs (STXOs) from this group climbed to 1,500 BTC.
According to Darkfost, the increase indicates that this group of long-term holders has been moving more Bitcoin over the past three months. The rise is notable compared with May, when these long-term holders were spending an average of roughly half that amount through their UTXOs.
“This consolidation period seems to have introduced some doubt across nearly every type of investor,” Darkfost noted.
However, the contributor cautioned against interpreting the increase in spent UTXOs as evidence that OG holders are necessarily selling.
“These movements certainly weren’t all sales. It’s possible that some of these investors moved their BTC to secure it,” Darkfost stated.
Darkfost also highlighted the recent Coldcard episode as one possible reason investors moved their holdings to more secure storage.
Bitcoin is trading at $79,300, down 1.2% in the past 24 hours at the time of writing.
Bitcoin remained steady near $79,000 as strong exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows continued to provide support, with traders closely monitoring the key resistance area at $80,000.
Bitcoin price trades above key averagesAt last check, Bitcoin was trading at $78,788.45, reflecting a 1.93% dip compared to the previous trading day. Despite this short-term weakness, the price remains well above major exponential moving averages (EMAs), signaling ongoing buying activity.
TradingView data show Bitcoin consistently trading above the 20-day, 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day EMAs. As of the latest reading, the 20-day EMA is at $76,715.73, the 50-day EMA at $72,047.78, the 100-day EMA at $70,254.03, and the 200-day EMA at $72,739.62.
Near-term resistance sits at $80,000, while bulls are likely to focus on the $82,500 level if Bitcoin breaks above that threshold. The ongoing bullish structure points to continued upward momentum as long as these moving averages hold as support.
The 14-day relative strength index (RSI) for Bitcoin stands at 61.50, comfortably below the overbought zone. While the RSI has cooled from recent highs, it remains above 50, indicating positive momentum despite the period of consolidation.
ETF inflows provide demand supportPlatform Lookonchain reported net inflows of 2,038 BTC into Bitcoin ETFs in the last 24 hours, representing an influx of $161.83 million. Over the past seven days, net inflows reached 11,093 BTC, or approximately $880.76 million.
With Bitcoin trading just below $80,000, these substantial ETF inflows have helped absorb selling and reinforce price stability near critical resistance levels.
SoSoValue, a leading analytics provider, recorded Bitcoin spot ETF flows of $174.60 million on September 4. Total net assets reached $101.25 billion, with cumulative net flows now standing at $55.62 billion.
Both Lookonchain and SoSoValue reflect robust and consistent demand for Bitcoin ETFs, even as the cryptocurrency approaches a major technical barrier.
Mini dictionary: SoSoValue, a data analytics platform focused on ETFs and crypto markets, reports on institutional inflows and market metrics for major cryptocurrencies worldwide.
Date/PeriodETF Net Inflows (BTC)ETF Net Inflows (USD)Aggregate ETF Assets (USD)24h2,038$161.83M–7 days11,093$880.76M–Sept 4–$174.60M$101.25BCumulative––$55.62B (net flows)Derivatives activity and technical outlookAccording to CoinGlass, open interest in Bitcoin derivatives sits around $53 billion, supported by recent surges in trading volume. This increase suggests high levels of speculative positioning and points to elevated market activity across futures and options.
Traders are watching the $80,000 price level as essential for confirming further upside. Immediate support sits near the 20-day EMA of $76,715, while a fall below this could open the door for a retest of the $72,739 region.
Despite some short-term drawdown, Bitcoin’s overall technical structure remains positive, buoyed by ongoing ETF demand and solid institutional interest. However, volatility could rise if price action breaks key technical levels.
Bitcoin continues to attract ETF inflows and remains above its primary moving averages, setting $80,000 as the main resistance zone and $76,715 as the nearest support.
According to official announcements, Bithumb, South Korea's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, will list Cluster Protocol (CP).
2 minutes ago
No.1 account on the FOMO Daily Ranking once suffered a loss of $2.695 million, and turned a profit by holding a heavy position in STONK.
Data shows that Point Farm Capital, the top-ranked account on the FOMO platform’s daily leaderboard, currently holds approximately $9.8248 million in assets, with a paper gain of around $713,900 over the past 24 hours. Notably, its path to this paper gain was not smooth: records indicate the account once posted a paper loss of $2.695 million within the 24-hour window, but eventually turned a profit thanks to a sharp rally in STONK, pushing it to the top of the daily leaderboard. According to GMGN data, STONK has just hit an all-time high market cap of $190 million, with a 24-hour price increase of 50% and a 24-hour trading volume of $69.5 million. Data shows that STONK is the token generating the largest unrealized profit in Point Farm Capital’s portfolio, with a holding value of roughly $7.1898 million, cumulative unrealized profit of about $6.7478 million, and a return of approximately 1357.59%. The account’s average entry cost is around $1.3 million, while STONK’s current market cap stands at $176 million.
2 minutes ago
Driven by expectations of a rate hike by the Bank of Japan, the Japanese yen rose to a six-month high against the US dollar.
Boosted by expectations of faster interest rate hikes from the Bank of Japan and potential capital inflows into Japanese assets, the yen has extended its recent rally against the U.S. dollar. During Tuesday’s Asian trading session, the yen rose to a six-month high against the U.S. dollar, surpassing levels hit in late July when the U.S. and Japan intervened jointly in the foreign exchange market to curb the yen’s weakness. After Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato stated Japan will continue coordinating with the U.S. to ensure market stability, investors remain alert to the possibility of further intervention. Kato said at a Tuesday press conference: “We will maintain close communication with the U.S. Treasury and strive to preserve order in the foreign exchange market. Since the joint currency intervention with the U.S., our policy stance has not changed at all.” Christopher Wong, foreign exchange strategist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) Research Department, noted: “The market has now almost fully priced in a 25-basis-point interest rate hike at next week’s Bank of Japan meeting. Remarks from economic advisor Sanae Takaichi have also driven a shift in rate expectations, with her projecting further tightening after a September rate hike.” (Source: Jin10)
2 minutes ago
H100 rental rates surge 22% in a month, Jensen Huang: GPUs are revenue-generating assets
Beating AI Express (from Dongcha) – NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang shared data from compute power marketplace Ornn. Ornn noted that the H100, a training GPU released years ago, has seen its rental price surge by 22% over the past month, reaching a new high of $3.28 per unit per hour. Huang used this to emphasize that NVIDIA’s compute power can be continuously rented out for profit, serving as a revenue-generating asset. Ornn’s H100 Index is calculated based on actual rental transaction prices. Its daily settlement price on September 7 stood at $3.17 per hour, and Ornn’s latest displayed price has since climbed to $3.28. This data directly supports the "compute power durability" logic that Huang has repeatedly highlighted recently. NVIDIA also stated in its latest earnings call that GPUs can be redeployed across different clients and workloads.
2 minutes ago
Upbit will list Cluster Protocol (CP)
According to official announcements, Upbit will list Cluster Protocol (CP), supporting trading pairs against KRW, BTC, and USDT.
2 minutes ago
News of CP’s listing on Upbit drove the cryptocurrency CP to surge more than 50% in a short period.
According to market data, driven by CP’s listing on Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, the token saw a short-term surge of over 50% and is now trading at $0.0256.
An attacker who withdrew roughly 4,000 BTC, worth about $320 million at the time, from Blockstream's Liquid Network federation wallet on September 6 has returned 3,400 BTC of it after the company patched the underlying bug, according to Blockstream's official status page. The attacker kept 598.5 BTC, worth about $47 million at current prices, or roughly 15% of the total.
Following the recent incident affecting the Liquid Network and the movement of funds, Blockstream, as Liquid’s technical provider, and the Liquid Federation have been working diligently to resolve the ongoing situation and ensure the return of assets.
Updated software has been…
— Blockstream (@Blockstream) September 8, 2026 The withdrawal went through SideSwap's Peg-out Authorization Key, one of several keys federation members hold to move funds off the sidechain. Blockstream said on its status page that the key itself "was not compromised, nor were any others," meaning the attacker did not steal a private key but instead exploited a flaw in how Liquid's federation validated peg-out requests, letting 11 of the required signatures push through a transaction that should have needed stronger checks. Other assets on Liquid, including USDT, DePix and various real-world-asset tokens, were unaffected.
Blockstream disabled its public bridge nodes within hours, pausing the sidechain and prompting exchanges to suspend LBTC deposits and withdrawals while federation members investigated. The attacker communicated through OP_RETURN messages embedded in Bitcoin transactions, first writing "we are whitehats. contact us on chain," according to on-chain messages reported by The Block. In one exchange, the attacker offered to send back "most" of the funds on condition that Blockstream fix the bug and patch every node first. Blockstream agreed, replying: "Please fix the bug first. The chain is under risk at latest commit right now. Make sure every node is patched. Then we will transfer the money back safely after confirming the fix."
On September 7 at 09:19:46 UTC, Blockstream posted a PGP-signed message confirming its bridge nodes were patched and it was "safe to return the funds." The attacker sent back 3,400 BTC shortly after.
The root cause traces to a validation bug in Elements, the open-source Bitcoin fork Blockstream maintains and that underpins Liquid's sidechain software, according to reporting from Protos. A commit posted to the Elements repository on September 1, five days before the incident, addressed a case where "a dynafed header with a mismatched height could be accepted," though Blockstream has not confirmed this specific commit was the vulnerability exploited. Reporting on the incident has also noted that Liquid's functionary codebase, the software federation members run to process peg-ins and peg-outs, had not been updated in more than two years before the exploit.
Blockstream has not said when it expects to fully restore normal Liquid Network operations, and the 598.5 BTC retained by the attacker remains unaccounted for beyond speculation, reported by CryptoTimes, that it may function as an informal bounty.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
According to TradingBeats monitoring, the largest whale on Hyperliquid tracked earlier—an address starting with 0xf517—has adjusted its previously set BTC dip-buying plan. On September 2, the address placed three tiers of buy orders totaling approximately $76.88 million at $71,111 to $75,777, with a plan to purchase $76 million worth of BTC; above that, it had set a $70 million-level take-profit grid. However, BTC rallied immediately afterward, leaving none of the three buy orders filled, and all were canceled on September 4. Now, the whale has significantly shifted its entry point higher: it currently holds only one concentrated buy order for 956.85 BTC at $77,888, worth approximately $74.527 million. Compared to its previous highest entry price of $75,777, this is an increase of roughly $2,111, or 2.8%; at current BTC prices, a pullback of just around 1.4% would trigger the order. During the period of missing out on position expansion, the whale also partially realized gains from its original positions. It has taken a total profit of 28.05 BTC, generating approximately $64,000 in profit, and its current holdings have dropped to 78.31 BTC, a reduction of about 26.4%. However, its original upper take-profit plan remains unchanged: there is still a roughly $6.96 million "position-reduction only" sell order at $88,888, and 163 regular sell orders worth approximately $70.32 million between $84,509 and $108,720. Earlier report: A BTC whale pre-placed a $158 million large order to prepare for "bull market conditions", projecting BTC to rally all the way to $100,000.
Bitcoin held near the $80,000 level on Monday having briefly surpassed the threshold a day ago. Amid the strong resilience, investors turned their attention to the U.S. Treasury’s debt buyback operations which could provide fuel for financial markets.
Bitcoin, Crypto Market Could Turn Bullish Amid Treasury Buybacks As of writing, Bitcoin was trading around $79,800 while the overall crypto market remained solid after rallying in August. The traders are now focusing on macro-economic updates, such as the rising oil price, the climbing Treasury yields and the growing buyback program by the Treasury. In addition, the upcoming U.S. CPI and PPI inflation data is under radar.
“With oil prices and Treasury yields rising amid geopolitical tensions, macro conditions remain a key risk for digital assets. For now, markets appear to be digesting August’s strong gains rather than entering a broad-based risk-off phase,” remarked Riya Sehgal, Research Analyst at Delta Exchange, according to MoneyControl.
The U.S. Treasury’s most recent quarterly schedule specifies liquidity support buybacks through early November with a combined maximum purchase of approximately $22.75 billion for various operations.
It includes the Treasury’s securities from the short-term bills market to long-dated bonds, and several of the operations are for up to $4 billion, following recently, when the Treasury doubled the size of some long-end operations to boost liquidity. The buyback schedule includes:
September 9, 2026: Cash Management Buyback (1M–2Y Nominal Coupons), up to $12.5 billion September 10, 2026: Liquidity Support (10Y–20Y Nominal Coupons), up to $2 billion September 15, 2026: Liquidity Support (10Y–30Y TIPS), up to $500 million September 17, 2026: Liquidity Support (7Y–10Y Nominal Coupons), up to $4 billion September 24, 2026: Liquidity Support (20Y–30Y Nominal Coupons), up to $2 billion September 29, 2026: Liquidity Support (1Y–10Y TIPS), up to $750 million Treasury buybacks, however, do not entail printing new money as does quantitative easing. Instead, the government buys more old bonds that are not as liquid from the market, thus giving back the money to the investors and enhancing the trading conditions in the Treasury market. The liquidity injection boosts risk assets, generating a lot of interest from crypto market participants.
XRP Joins the Bullish Narrative The positive liquidity conditions also boost the mood of the key altcoins, including XRP. An analyst on X wrote, “XRP looks amazing. The $2.30 level could come sooner than expected. Multiple formations and technical setups are perfectly pointing toward the same target.”
XRP price chart analysis. Source: X The chart above illustrates that XRP is breaking out of a long-term downward trendline that it had been trading within for many months. The token had rebounded from a support area around $0.99, find its way above the $1.45 mark and is currently trying to make that $1.45 area its next level of support.
The analyst anticipates a short term consolidation period followed by a breakout with the chart indicating the $2.33 level, which is approximately a 54% advance from current levels.
Institutional Demand Remains Strong In the midst of the market’s volatility, Bitcoin is still gaining institutional backing. Despite Friday’s $201.9 million outflow, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs had $924.48 million in net inflows for the latest completed week. Over the same timeframe, spot Ethereum ETFs saw a whopping $824.42 million flow.
“Historically, strong August gains have often been followed by September pullbacks. However, Strategy’s purchase of 4,603 BTC worth $370 million has provided support,” stated Prateek Gupta, Head of Business at Mudrex.
Bitcoin is struggling to maintain its August gains after being rejected from the $81,000 mark, which has put renewed short-term pressure on the market. After briefly clearing $80,400, Bitcoin pulled back and now trades near $79,100, marking a daily decline of about 1.5 percent. Nevertheless, the overall structure remains favorable, with Bitcoin still positioned well above its critical moving averages.
Key support and resistance levelsThe cryptocurrency experienced a rapid climb from approximately $63,000 to $80,000 and has since remained above its pivotal 200-day moving average, currently at $72,700. Meanwhile, the 20-day moving average has advanced to about $75,450, providing additional support during the ongoing consolidation.
However, resistance between $81,000 and $82,000 has grown increasingly significant. Multiple attempts to break through this range have stalled, with buyers unable to sustain momentum near the recent highs. The relative strength index (RSI) has also decreased from overbought levels to around 63, indicating fading momentum compared to the initial rally. If Bitcoin secures a close above $82,000, momentum could return and push the price toward the $85,000 level.
On the downside, the first notable support zone lies between $77,000 and $78,000. Should Bitcoin fall below this area, a move towards the 20-day moving average around $75,500 becomes possible.
Uniswap defies gravity with strong momentumUniswap’s UNI token is displaying far greater momentum, surging from around $3.20 in mid-August to trade near $7. This has resulted in the token more than doubling its value in less than a month, even reaching $7.50 in recent trading. Technical analysis points to a bullish outlook, although the rapidly rising price also increases the risk of a short-term correction.
UNI’s 20-day moving average stands at $5.20, while its longer-term averages are clustered around $4.10 to $4.34. The significant gap above these averages highlights the strength of the current breakout. At the same time, the RSI remains deep in overbought territory at roughly 78, with a recent red daily candle suggesting the first signs of profit-taking rather than a full reversal.
Uniswap must reclaim the $7.30 to $7.50 zone to continue its upward trajectory, potentially targeting $8 as the next resistance. If momentum fades, initial support lies between $6.20 and $6.40, followed by the 20-day moving average near $5.20.
XRP’s momentum faces a key testXRP’s August breakout is under scrutiny as selling pressure reappears around $1.40. Despite falling more than 2 percent during the session, XRP has managed to remain above its key long-term level at $1.39.
The 200-day moving average, now at $1.35, has repeatedly provided support since the initial surge. While XRP briefly dipped below this mark in recent trading, buyers managed to bring prices back above it. As long as daily closes hold above $1.35, the structure of the August breakout remains intact.
The short-term outlook, however, is less convincing. XRP has struggled to push past $1.45 to $1.50 after its move toward $1.70, leading to a series of lower local highs. The RSI has dropped to about 58, indicating a substantial easing of momentum.
A move above $1.45 would shift focus back to $1.50–$1.55, with a potential path to $1.70 if that range is broken. If XRP falls below $1.35, downside risk increases toward the 20-day moving average at approximately $1.32, and the next support sits near $1.23.
Ethereum holds gains, consolidation continuesEthereum has remained relatively stable since its explosive August rally, consolidating around $2,500 and trading at $2,484. Unlike XRP, Ethereum has held on to its gains, without suffering a meaningful pullback. Its chart shows a clear consolidation pattern between $2,400 and $2,550.
Resistance continues near the upper end of this range, while buyers have consistently stepped in at lower levels. Ethereum is trading comfortably above its major moving averages, with the 200-day average at about $2,182 and the 20-day average rising to $2,335. Intermediate averages sit at $2,093 to $2,115.
The RSI, having retreated from an overbought condition, stands at 63. This cooling in momentum, absent a sharp price drop, has helped Ethereum release excess buying pressure through sideways trading. A daily close above $2,550–$2,560 would signal renewed bullish momentum and could open the way toward $2,600 and $2,650.
The overall trend for Ethereum remains positive as long as it stays above $2,400, with further downside possibly limited by the rising 20-day moving average near $2,335.
As investors monitor these critical technical signals across major cryptocurrencies, notable industry shifts are emerging away from entrenched financial intermediaries. While traders closely watch for moves above key resistances like $2,550 in Ethereum, Wall Street is undergoing a major transition into Web3. Investors are now able to use platforms such as 1stepSwap to directly hold tokenized shares of leading US companies, as well as gold and silver, in their crypto wallets. By tokenizing real-world assets and ensuring optimal pricing automatically, these solutions are increasingly bypassing traditional middlemen entirely.
Leading cryptocurrencies fell on Monday as geopolitics and elevated oil prices trimmed risk-on appetite.
Cryptocurrency24-Hour Gains +/-Price (Recorded at 9:26 p.m. EDT)Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC)-0.57%$79,397.43
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH)
-0.14%$2,503.39XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) -0.14%$1.40Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) -1.10%$104.27Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) +1.66%$0.09144Long Liquidations SpikeBitcoin bulls awaited a breakout above $80,000, even as trading volume surged 12% over the last 24 hours.
Ethereum also recorded a spike in trading activity as the second-largest cryptocurrency challenged the resistance at $2,530. Dogecoin was the outlier, gaining 1.66% over the previous day.
Over $175 million was liquidated from the cryptocurrency market in the last 24 hours, predominantly wiping out leveraged long positions, according to Coinglass data.
Bitcoin’s open interest marginally fell over the last 24 hours. Smart money sentiment, which refers to the collective outlook and capital allocation of institutional investors, meanwhile, was “extremely bullish.” Retail and whale derivatives traders on Binance stayed net long.
Top Gainers (24 Hours)
Cryptocurrency (Market Cap>$100 M)Gains +/-Price (Recorded at 9:26 p.m. EDT)Artificial Inu (AI) +41.74% $0.2839Worldcoin (WLD) +21.29% $0.4986BUILDon (B) +19.91% $0.1952The global cryptocurrency market capitalization contracted by 0.15% over the last 24 hours to $2.71 trillion.
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Dow Futures PlungeStock futures traded mixed Monday evening. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures dropped 328 points, or 0.61%, as of 9:25 p.m. EDT. Futures tied to the S&P 500 slid 0.12%. Nasdaq 100 Futures stood out, gaining 0.24%.
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Geopolitical tensions kept investors on edge as U.S. Central Command said it struck three Iranian tankers during the weekend after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two Navy ships. West Texas Intermediate Crude is up 1.11% to $92.50 per barrel.
The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq were closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday. Regular trading will resume on Tuesday.
Will BTC Test Lows Again?Michaël van de Poppe, a widely followed cryptocurrency analyst and trader, views the $72,000–$74,000 zone as a key test for Bitcoin
“If Bitcoin somehow comes back down to $72,000-74,000 and doesn’t quickly bounce from there, we’re not in a bull market,” the analyst added.
On-chain analytics firm CryptoQuant noted that Bitcoin’s short-term holder whale unrealized profit has hit a record high
“A cohort sitting on a record paper gain can turn into sellers the moment price wobbles, and STH whales are historically the fastest to take profit when it’s available,” CryptoQuant stated.
Tether isn’t just printing digital dollars anymore. CEO Paolo Ardoino has laid out a vision that positions the stablecoin giant as something closer to a sovereign wealth fund, one that distributes dollars globally while quietly amassing enormous reserves of Bitcoin and physical gold.
Tether has been buying between 1 and 2 tons of gold every single week. Let that accumulate over months, and you get approximately 140 tons of gold valued at roughly $23-24B.
Ardoino has indicated the company targets gold at approximately 10-15% of its investment portfolio. The purchases are funded not by minting more USDT, but by profits from Tether’s core operations. Tether earned an estimated $10-13.7B across 2024 and 2025, with expectations for 2026 running even higher. When your stablecoin has $186B in market circulation and you’re earning yield on the reserves backing it, the cash flow becomes almost absurdly large.
The company has also reportedly been hiring ex-HSBC traders and expanding into gold trading operations.
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Tether has been allocating up to 15% of its realized operating profits to Bitcoin since May 2023, building a position that now sits somewhere in the range of 83,000 to 100,000 BTC. At current prices, that Bitcoin treasury is worth north of $8B. Ardoino has described Bitcoin as a “digital inflation hedge” and, in more colorful terms, a crucial defense against what he called an “apocalyptic future.”
The Bitcoin allocation targets roughly 10% of the overall investment portfolio, mirroring the gold strategy. Together, these two hard-asset positions represent about 20-25% of Tether’s total reserves, with US Treasuries and cash equivalents making up the bulk of the company’s backing.
With approximately $186B in circulation, Tether’s stablecoin dwarfs every competitor and serves as the de facto digital dollar for emerging markets worldwide. In parts of Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, USDT functions as a savings vehicle and payments rail in ways that traditional banking simply doesn’t reach.
Tether earns yield on the Treasury bonds and other instruments backing USDT, while users get the dollar exposure they want. USDT holders don’t earn interest, making the spread between what Tether earns on reserves and what it pays out the core business model.
The company has also launched Tether Gold (XAUT), a tokenized gold product that has been gaining traction. If Tether’s physical gold holdings continue to grow at the current pace, XAUT could allow the company to monetize its gold reserves twice: once through appreciation and once through tokenization fees.
Tether’s Bitcoin purchases represent a steady, programmatic source of buying pressure. A company allocating 15% of multi-billion-dollar annual profits to BTC on an ongoing basis creates a persistent bid in the market. Hiring traders from major banks and building physical commodity positions gives Tether credibility with institutional players who might otherwise dismiss a stablecoin company as a purely crypto phenomenon.
A company holding $186B in stablecoin liabilities, 140 tons of gold, and nearly 100,000 Bitcoin has become systemically relevant. Any shock to Tether’s operations, whether regulatory, operational, or reputational, would now send ripples through multiple asset classes simultaneously.
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Zcash (ZEC) has pushed the privacy sector to become the strongest-performing segment of the crypto market since Bitcoin's (BTC) October peak.
Privacy tokens gain 213% as Bitcoin trades 36% below all-time high levelsThe privacy sector has gained 213% since the October 6 crypto market peak last year, outperforming Bitcoin and other top crypto sectors which remain below ATH levels. DeFi is down 27%, while Gaming fell the most, down 74%, according to a Glassnode report on Monday.
The gap has persisted despite a broad-based recovery over the past month. All 10 sectors recorded gains over the last 30 days, with privacy again leading the market with a 90% surge.
"A month of broad gains has not changed the split: privacy above the high, everything else below it," Glassnode stated.
ZEC surges over $1000 as privacy market cap nears $34 billionThe privacy sector has also expanded in market size, with privacy-based tokens in the top 200 climbing from $7.1 billion a year ago to $33.6 billion, putting them roughly on par with Tron (TRX). Almost half of that increase occurred over the past 30 days, highlighting the intensity of the recent rotation into privacy assets.
ZEC has driven much of the expansion, climbing from 82nd place by market capitalization to seventh. Monero (XMR), the second-largest privacy asset, has also doubled over the same period.
“ZEC's +2,496% dominates the picture, and at 62% of the sector's capitalization it dominates the index as well,” the report noted.
Excluding ZEC, the cap-weighted privacy basket has gained 85% over the past year and 56% since Bitcoin's October high. Over the past 90 days, Dash (DASH), Monero and Horizen (ZEN) have each outperformed Bitcoin.
The concentration of gains becomes clearer when looking across the broader crypto market.
Only four of the 25 largest assets currently trade above their October 6 levels, including ZEC, Hyperliquid (HYPE), XMR and WhiteBIT Coin (WBT). Notably, two of these four assets are privacy cryptocurrencies.
HYPE represents a notable exception. Without the token, the DeFi sector would be down 46% over the year.
“HYPE is a single-name story: DeFi is -46% on the year without it. Every major, from ETH to DOGE, remains below the high,” the report added.
Meanwhile, recent gains have been much broader. Glassnode highlighted that 91.5% of the top 200 crypto posted positive returns over the past 30 days, marking the broadest monthly advance in the dataset's history.
"The past month's bounce is broad. The year's return belongs to one sector," the firm noted.
ZEC is trading at $1,169, down 1.8% in the past 24 hours at the time of writing.
Cover image via depositphotos.com Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
Another rejection from the $81,000 region puts short-term pressure on the market, making it difficult for Bitcoin to maintain its August breakout. After briefly rising above $80,400, Bitcoin is currently trading close to $79,100, down about 1.5 percent on the daily candle. The larger framework is still favorable.
Bitcoin snapsAfter moving quickly from about $63,000 to $80,000, Bitcoin is still trading well above its major moving averages. The 200-day average is currently close to $72,700, while the 20-day moving average has increased to about $75,450. Both offer strong support below the current consolidation.
BTC/USDT Chart by TradingViewBut the resistance range of $81,000 to $82,000 is becoming more and more significant. Bitcoin has made multiple attempts to rise above $80,000, but buyers have consistently been unable to maintain momentum near the most recent highs.
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Additionally, the RSI has dropped from overbought levels to roughly 63, indicating that the initial breakout momentum is waning. A close above $82,000 would restore momentum and possibly pave the way for $85,000.
On the downside, the first support area is still $77,000 to $78,000. Bitcoin could move toward the 20-day average of about $75,500 if there is a breakdown there.
Is Uniswap ready to recover?With UNI trading at about $7 following an incredible surge from roughly $3.20 in mid-August, Uniswap is exhibiting significantly stronger momentum. In less than a month, the token has more than doubled, and it recently hit about $7.50. Although it is becoming more stretched, the technical structure is very bullish.
UNI/USDT Chart by TradingViewWhile the other major averages are still grouped around $4.10–$4.34, UNI is trading at $5.20, well above its 20-day moving average. This separation demonstrates the strength of the breakout and also raises the likelihood of a brief correction.
Right now, the RSI is well inside overbought territory, hovering around 78. Rather than a confirmed reversal, the most recent red daily candle following the move toward $7.50 might be the first indication of profit-taking.
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UNI must recover $7.30–$7.50 in order to proceed. $8 could then become the focus of a breakout. In the event that momentum wanes, the first significant support zone is between $6.20 and $6.40, which is followed by the rising 20-day moving average close to $5.20.
XRP's breakout is closeThe sustainability of XRP's August breakout is being tested as selling pressure resumes at about $1.40. Although the asset has dropped more than 2% during the session, it is still above the most significant long-term technical level on the chart at $1.39.
Since the initial surge, the 200-day moving average, which is currently at $1.35, has served as support multiple times. During recent intraday trading, XRP briefly dropped below this level, but buyers swiftly pushed it back up.
XRP/USDT Chart by TradingViewThe August breakout structure is still in place as long as $1.35 holds on daily closes. The more immediate picture is not as compelling. After the initial surge toward $1.70, XRP has frequently failed around $1.45–$1.50, resulting in lower local highs. Additionally, the RSI has dropped to about 58, indicating a significant slowdown in momentum.
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A rebound above $1.45 would refocus attention on $1.50–$1.55. The path toward $1.70 could be reopened if that zone is broken. On the other hand, losing $1.35 would expose the rising 20-day moving average at about $1.32.
The next significant support level is around $1.23 below that. XRP's overall structure remains optimistic for the time being, but the $1.35 support is becoming increasingly crucial.
Ethereum is a slugfestFollowing its massive August breakout, Ethereum is still consolidating around $2,500; it is currently trading at $2,484. In contrast to XRP, Ethereum has sustained the majority of its early gains without experiencing a notable decline. A distinct consolidation range appears on the chart between roughly $2,400 and $2,550.
While attempts above $2,500–$2,550 continue to face resistance, buyers have frequently stepped in around the lower boundary. Ethereum remains comfortably above all of its major moving averages.
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While the 200-day moving average is at about $2,182, the 20-day average has risen to about $2,335. The overall trend is clearly positive, with the intermediate averages sitting lower at roughly $2,093–$2,115. After cooling from overbought territory, the RSI is currently close to 63.
This slowdown in momentum without a significant drop in price is a positive sign, as ETH has successfully used sideways trading to release some of its overheated conditions. A daily close above $2,550–$2,560 would be the next significant bullish confirmation. Such a breakout might expose $2,600 and then $2,650.
On the downside, a break below $2,400 would weaken the current consolidation and raise the likelihood of a correction toward the $2,335 20-day moving average.
Bitcoin displayed renewed bullish signs as buyers attempted to overcome a major resistance area, while technical indicators pointed to short-term price consolidation. Despite ongoing uncertainty from long-term holders, continued interest from institutional investors has lent confidence to the market, potentially preparing the ground for further gains in the leading cryptocurrency.
BTC holds steady amid resistance challengesBitcoin is currently trading at $79,105.78, with a 24-hour trading volume of $23.45 billion and a market capitalization of $1.58 trillion. Over the past day, its price has shown little change, stabilizing near a key resistance range as market participants navigate the next potential move.
Crypto Patel, a well-known analyst, described Bitcoin’s higher-timeframe structure as still bearish since reaching its $126,000 all-time high. Lower highs and lower lows continue to define the broader price trend. However, the substantial recovery from the $57,800 region indicates a possible shift, as buyers begin to contest control previously held by sellers.
Bitcoin is now testing the critical $79,000 to $83,000 resistance zone, often referred to as a bearish order block. If the daily close is confirmed above $83,000 and this level is retested successfully, bullish momentum could strengthen further. Under such conditions, upside targets may extend towards $89,000 to $91,000, and even reach $97,000 to $100,000 in a decisive breakout.
If Bitcoin fails to overcome resistance and faces rejection, the bearish price structure would persist, potentially exposing the cryptocurrency to decline towards $65,000 and, in a deeper pullback, to $50,000. The $83,000 threshold is widely seen as the critical pivot for Bitcoin’s near-term direction.
LevelPotential DirectionTarget RangeAbove $83,000Bullish$89,000 – $100,000Below $83,000Bearish$65,000 – $50,000Technical signals and long-term holder behaviorAnalysis from TradingView indicated that Bitcoin recently broke out sharply after a period of consolidation near $63,000, briefly surging past the upper Bollinger Band to highs around $85,000. It continues to trade just above the 20-day simple moving average at $77,969, maintaining a structurally bullish trend despite short-term corrections.
Technical momentum indicators signal a possible cool-down. The MACD has produced a bearish cross, with a reading where the value at 3,081 sits below the signal line at 3,340, accompanied by a histogram at -259. Despite the decreased momentum, the price remains supported above key moving averages.
Bitcoin’s price, while above important moving averages, is entering a consolidation phase, as shown by indicators such as the MACD and Bollinger Bands, suggesting short-term caution before any new trend emerges.
CryptoQuant, a market intelligence platform, observed that Bitcoin’s prolonged consolidation is testing the resolve of veteran investors, often referred to as “OGs,” who have historically weathered multiple market cycles. Some signs now indicate that this group may be re-evaluating their positions, though there is not yet a clear move towards broad selling.
Analysts observed that increased transfers of dormant coins to exchanges could introduce additional selling pressure. Conversely, movement into private wallets may reflect simple portfolio adjustments rather than preparation for sales.
Wu Blockchain, a cryptocurrency data provider, reported that Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded $987 million in net inflows between August 31 and September 4, marking the third consecutive week of positive flows for Bitcoin ETFs.
Ethereum spot ETFs attracted $218 million in inflows over the same period, registering their third straight week of gains. Solana spot ETFs extended their positive streak to ten weeks, bringing in $6.18 million this week. In comparison, XRP spot ETFs saw $18.96 million in inflows, while HYPE ETFs reported net inflows of $12.27 million.
The continuation of net inflows across multiple cryptocurrency ETFs highlights sustained interest among institutional and retail investors, contributing to broader optimism in the digital asset market.
The deciding factor for the next phase in Bitcoin’s price movement appears to be a successful breach and retest of the $83,000 resistance. Should bulls manage this, the path higher could accelerate; failure may result in renewed selling towards lower support levels.
Japan spent nearly $100 billion in August trying to strengthen the yen. Even after that intervention, the currency failed to reach 154 against the dollar.
Then traders pushed it there themselves. USD/JPY fell from 160.39 on Wednesday to 154.50 by Monday, meaning the yen strengthened 3.7% in three sessions without another confirmed rescue from Tokyo.
Now, why does this matter for the crypto market? Because a similar yen surge in August 2024 forced investors to unwind cheap yen-funded trades and dump risk assets, including Bitcoin.
USD/JPY and Bitcoin Price Performances. Source: TradingViewBitcoin Just Passed the Yen TestThe danger was always the speed of the move. BeInCrypto flagged the risk on September 1, when the yen was still near 159.75 per dollar.
In August 2024, a similar rush out of yen-funded trades forced investors to dump risk assets. Bitcoin and Ethereum fell as much as 20%.
This time, Bitcoin held above $79,000. That makes Monday’s move a useful stress test for a trade that hurt crypto badly last year. It also comes as Japan reveals how much the first intervention cost — and why another rescue may be harder to repeat.
This time, Bitcoin remains above $79,000, close to its highest level since May. That makes the current move an important break from the 2024 playbook.
Japan May Have Less Firepower LeftThe Ministry of Finance also revealed where the first intervention money came from.
Japan’s foreign reserves fell $94.6 billion in August to $995 billion. Foreign securities alone dropped $87.8 billion, suggesting Tokyo sold short-dated US Treasuries to fund the defense.
That creates a political problem.
“Japan still has room to intervene given the amount of securities it holds, but given comments from Bessent, selling US Treasuries to fund further intervention could end up attracting pressure from the US,” Japan Research Institute economist Akira Nishimura said.
That leaves the Bank of Japan carrying more of the burden.
Markets now price around 75 basis points of cumulative rate hikes by April 2027, according to HSBC. A quarter-point increase next week would take rates to 1.25%, extending the tightening path BeInCrypto highlighted after July’s inflation data.
BOJ board member Hajime Takata has already pushed for faster action, urging policymakers to move “nimbly” against rising inflation.
Japan PM Takaichi’s reflationist aide projects Bank of Japan rate hike in September – ST
The Bank of Japan is likely to raise interest rates in September and keep hiking at a pace of once every quarter until January 2027, Takuji Aida, an economic adviser to Prime Minister Sanae…
— MacroGuru (@macroguru9) September 7, 2026
The remaining question is how fast the yen keeps rising. Bitcoin has survived the first shock. A more violent move would be the real test.
Hunter Biden is turning his laptop into a crypto token called LAPTOP, set to launch Wednesday on Base, a blockchain built by Coinbase.
The Wall Street Journal reported the plan, which takes aim at President Donald Trump. Nearly a third of the coins go to the founders, Hunter Biden among them.
HUNTER BIDEN TO LAUNCH $LAPTOP MEME COIN, SOURCES SAY — WSJ
HUNTER BIDEN'S $LAPTOP MEME COIN TO LAUNCH SEPT. 9 ON COINBASE-AFFILIATED BLOCKCHAIN, SOURCES SAY — WSJ
HUNTER BIDEN, FOUNDERS OF $LAPTOP TO HOLD 30% OF 1B TOKENS ISSUED, SOURCES SAY — WSJ
ANOTHER $LAPTOP ALLOTMENT…
— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) September 7, 2026
Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens
Why the Coin Is Called LAPTOPThe laptop is real, and a court has said so. Hunter Biden left it at a repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2018. Its contents spread online before the 2020 election and fed years of attacks on his overseas business deals.
In 2024, federal prosecutors used the same machine against him. An FBI agent testified that the serial number matched Apple’s records. His lawyers argued the data was altered. The judge admitted it anyway.
Hunter’s laptop was real.
Big Tech buried it anyway.
Hunter abandoned the laptop at a Delaware shop in 2019 (before 2020 presidential elections).
FBI seized and authenticated it that December.
They said nothing.
Oct 14, 2020: NY Post publishes the emails.
Twitter (before… https://t.co/IjIwDfGJhn pic.twitter.com/4Q59vGvBOj
— JK Song / 송종근 (@jongkeun) September 1, 2026
The coin arrives late, seeing as Joe Biden left office in January 2025, and the Trump family got there first. BeInCrypto reported that Barron Trump’s crypto fortune reached about $150 million by late 2025.
Biden has been warming to crypto in public. In recent posts on X he called decentralized digital currencies the inevitable future. He also weighed into the fight between World Liberty Financial, the Trump family venture, and the entrepreneur Justin Sun.
The Trump family’s business, World Liberty Financial, is corruption at a scale we’ve never seen.
World Liberty is currently being sued by Justin Sun, a major crypto founder, for:
1.Seizing his $75 million $WLFI investment.
2.Secretly adding controls allowing it to unilaterally…
— Hunter Biden (@HunterBiden) August 20, 2026
The launch lands inside a weeks-long media run. Biden, 56, has been on podcasts, news shows and his own Substack, at times beside right-wing hosts.
Who Actually Gets the CoinsThe 20% aimed at TRUMP losers is not only for them. It goes out in two batches, the Journal reported:
Wallets of people who lost money on TRUMP get a share.
Subscribers to Biden’s Substack and a mailing list curated by his friend Andrew Callaghan, a video journalist.
That makes the airdrop a payout to his own audience as much as a rescue for Trump’s buyers.
The final 20% is broader than charity too. It also covers liquidity for exchange partners and market makers. Some goes to the foundation behind the token, which pays its legal and accounting bills.
The 30% Burn Is a Long ShotSupply is 1 billion tokens. Founders hold 30%, locked for six months and fully vested in two years. Two blocks of 20% cover the airdrops and the token’s own costs.
The burn is the pitch, as up to 30% of supply can be destroyed, but only if 30 set events land the right way. Three of the named ones are hard.
One is a Democratic win in 2028.
Another is a new record for Bitcoin (BTC), which trades near $78,780 against a peak of $126,080 set last October. That is a 60% climb from here.
The third is steeper than it sounds. LAPTOP has to beat TRUMP on fully diluted value, and TRUMP’s sits near $2.26 billion.
TRUMP Price Performance. Source: BeInCryptoLAPTOP would need roughly 3.7 times TRUMP’s current market value, or about $2.26 a coin.
TRUMP is the warning, seeing as it trades near $2.26, about 97% below its January 2025 peak of $73.43. The Journal put its top market value at close to $15 billion, against roughly $617 million now.
BeInCrypto found every Trump-endorsed token now trades roughly 60% below its pre-endorsement price.
The Rule That Would Not Cover HimTrump’s crypto income is on the record. His latest financial disclosures showed $1.4 billion from his meme coin and crypto deals last year, the Journal reported.
Congress has tried to draw a line. The Clarity Act would set one rulebook for digital assets. It has stalled partly over wording that would stop officials and their families from profiting from crypto.
That wording would not reach Hunter Biden. His father left office in January 2025.
No contract address is public yet, and scammers have run this play before. In February 2025, a hacked World Liberty Financial account pushed a fake BARRON meme coin.
It kept trading even after the scam was exposed. Until Hunter Biden or his team posts an address, treat every LAPTOP you see as fake.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
In This Article Bitcoin ETF News: From an Altcoin Surge to a BTC USD ReboundThe Macro Backdrop Cuts Both WaysBitcoin Ahead, Altcoins Flat: The Flow-vs-Price SplitBitcoin ETF News: Altcoin ETFs are Showing Signs of Deceleration, Not Retreat In Bitcoin ETF news today, US-listed BTC ETFs pulled in $986.9M in net inflows for the week ending September 4, a +6.7% increase from the prior week, according to CoinGlass data.
Over the same five trading days, inflows into Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and Hyperliquid ETF products fell between 73% and 96%. The divergence matters because it reverses the script from the week before, when altcoin funds posted triple-digit percentage gains.
US spot $BTC ETFs just printed their biggest inflow day since January.
On September 3, the funds pulled in roughly $731 million.
BlackRock’s IBIT accounted for $454 million of that.
And then the buying kept coming.
$3.8 billion flowed into spot Bitcoin ETFs over the last… pic.twitter.com/aGSb7bpUeW
— The Wolf Of All Streets (@scottmelker) September 6, 2026
Here is the tension this article works through: Bitcoin ETF demand is climbing again just as overall market participation is cooling, and neither trend has been tested yet by the macro data still on the calendar.
Bitcoin itself gained +2.58% over the five-day stretch, opening Friday at its highest level since May 12. Whether that combination of price strength and inflow strength survives next week’s inflation print is an open question, not a settled one.
Bitcoin ETF News: From an Altcoin Surge to a BTC USD Rebound
(SOURCE: SoSoValue.com)
The prior week told the opposite story. For the week ending August 28, Bitcoin ETFs took in $924.5M, roughly half of the $1.92 billion collected the week before that, according to SoSoValue.
Altcoin ETFs, meanwhile, were having their moment: Solana products jumped 443% to $153.9M, XRP funds rose 178% to $110.5 million, and Hyperliquid funds reached $56.9M.
That momentum evaporated within five trading days. Solana ETFs pulled in just $6.2M, XRP funds took in $19M, and Hyperliquid funds collected $12.3M.
Crucially, SoSoValue’s data shows none of the five product groups slipped into negative territory. That distinction matters: this is a story about slower buying, not investors pulling capital back out of altcoin ETFs.
The Macro Backdrop Cuts Both Ways Trading activity declined overall, despite rising Bitcoin ETF inflows. Bitcoin fund turnover fell to $14.5Bn from nearly $19 billion, while Ethereum ETF turnover dropped to $4.1Bn, indicating that conviction is consolidating in fewer trades.
Mixed macro signals emerged during the week. Bitcoin reached its highest price since May 12 after dovish comments from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller.
However, a strong August employment report showing 162,000 payrolls, well above the 53,000 forecast, prompted traders to increase bets on a potential Fed rate hike, contradicting the earlier dovish tone.
Farside Investors reported that US spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $986.7M in inflows, with BlackRock’s IBIT leading the inflows. The consistent totals from different trackers lend credibility to the headlines, despite some fund-level figures remaining unconfirmed.
Earn $50 and Enter $300K Prize Draw on EdgeX
Bitcoin Ahead, Altcoins Flat: The Flow-vs-Price Split
(SOURCE: CoinGlass)
In other Bitcoin ETF news, spot prices remained tight across all five assets despite the divergence in flows, which is notable in itself. BTC gained +2.58% over the five days to September 4.
Ethereum rose +1%, XRP added +3%, and Hyperliquid gained +5.7%. Solana trailed the group with a +0.2% move, and its fund assets slipped to $1.41Bn from $1.43Bn over the same stretch.
Notice the asymmetry: Hyperliquid posted the strongest five-day price gain of the group at +5.7%, yet its ETF inflows fell to $12.3M from $56.9M in the prior week.
Price performance and fund-flow momentum decoupled almost entirely across all altcoin categories, suggesting traders are taking profits or simply pausing new allocations rather than a coordinated rotation out of these assets.
Bitcoin ETF News: Altcoin ETFs are Showing Signs of Deceleration, Not Retreat All four altcoin product groups experienced a sharp reversal from the previous week’s gains. Solana’s 443% surge decreased to $6.2M in fresh inflows, while XRP’s 178% jump fell to $19M, and Hyperliquid’s growth from $56.9M shrank to $12.3M.
Despite this, SoSoValue’s data indicates that all tracked groups, including Bitcoin, remained net positive for the week. This slowdown coincides with a broader decline in trading activity rather than a mass exit from altcoins, distinguishing it from a liquidation event.
For context, a recent stretch of daily gains in Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs shows how quickly inflow trends can shift. Additionally, Ethereum’s slower momentum is linked to new investment products, such as 21Shares’ staking ETP, which provide alternative exposure to ETH.
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French Bitcoin treasury company Capital B has acquired 376 Bitcoin (BTC) for 25.3 million euros ($29.5 million), bringing its total holdings to 3,521 BTC.
The purchase was funded after Capital B completed roughly 30.1 million euros ($35 million) in capital raises, including a private placement backed by investors Adam Back and TOBAM, according to a Monday announcement.
The company bought the Bitcoin at an average price of 67,182 euros apiece, with Swissquote Bank Europe executing the purchase and Taurus providing custody.
Capital B has spent a total of 309.4 million euros acquiring its Bitcoin treasury, at an average cost of 87,878 euros per BTC. The purchase moved the company to 25th among publicly traded companies by Bitcoin holdings, according to BitcoinTreasuries.net.
The latest acquisition was Capital B’s largest since September 2025, when it purchased 551 BTC for 54.7 million euros. The company also holds 61 BTC for operational purposes, which it keeps separate from its treasury reserve and excludes from its Bitcoin-related performance metrics.
Top BTC treasury firms continue accumulatingWhile companies including K Wave Media and Sequans Communications have moved to unwind their Bitcoin treasuries, others are continuing to accumulate.
Japan-based Metaplanet acquired 2,823 BTC during the second quarter for about $222 million, bringing its holdings to 43,000 BTC. The company paid an average of roughly $78,850 per Bitcoin during the quarter and now ranks as the third-largest publicly traded corporate Bitcoin holder, behind Michael Saylor’s Strategy and Twenty One Capital, according to BitcoinTreasuries.net.
In August, Sweden-based H100 Group more than tripled its Bitcoin holdings after acquiring Norwegian companies holding 2,455 BTC. The all-share deal lifted H100’s treasury to 3,506 BTC, making it Europe’s second-largest publicly traded corporate Bitcoin holder at the time. Capital B’s latest purchase puts it 15 BTC ahead of H100, though both remain behind Germany’s Bitcoin Group SE with 3,605 BTC.
Strategy, the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder, also resumed buying in August after a two-month pause, acquiring 4,603 BTC for $370 million. The purchase brought its holdings to 845,050 BTC, acquired for a combined $63.3 billion.
Top 30 Bitcoin treasury companies. Source: BitcoinTreasuries.NET
Magazine: ‘White hats’ take 4000 BTC from Liquid, ETFs see best inflows of 2026: Hodler’s Digest
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
French Bitcoin treasury company Capital B has acquired 376 Bitcoin (BTC) for 25.3 million euros ($29.5 million), bringing its total holdings to 3,521 BTC.
The purchase was funded after Capital B completed roughly 30.1 million euros ($35 million) in capital raises, including a private placement backed by investors Adam Back and TOBAM, according to a Monday announcement.
The company bought the Bitcoin at an average price of 67,182 euros apiece, with Swissquote Bank Europe executing the purchase and Taurus providing custody.
Capital B has spent a total of 309.4 million euros acquiring its Bitcoin treasury, at an average cost of 87,878 euros per BTC. The purchase moved the company to 25th among publicly traded companies by Bitcoin holdings, according to BitcoinTreasuries.net.
The latest acquisition was Capital B’s largest since September 2025, when it purchased 551 BTC for 54.7 million euros. The company also holds 61 BTC for operational purposes, which it keeps separate from its treasury reserve and excludes from its Bitcoin-related performance metrics.
Top BTC treasury firms continue accumulatingWhile companies including K Wave Media and Sequans Communications have moved to unwind their Bitcoin treasuries, others are continuing to accumulate.
Japan-based Metaplanet acquired 2,823 BTC during the second quarter for about $222 million, bringing its holdings to 43,000 BTC. The company paid an average of roughly $78,850 per Bitcoin during the quarter and now ranks as the third-largest publicly traded corporate Bitcoin holder, behind Michael Saylor’s Strategy and Twenty One Capital, according to BitcoinTreasuries.net.
In August, Sweden-based H100 Group more than tripled its Bitcoin holdings after acquiring Norwegian companies holding 2,455 BTC. The all-share deal lifted H100’s treasury to 3,506 BTC, making it Europe’s second-largest publicly traded corporate Bitcoin holder at the time. Capital B’s latest purchase puts it 15 BTC ahead of H100, though both remain behind Germany’s Bitcoin Group SE with 3,605 BTC.
Strategy, the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder, also resumed buying in August after a two-month pause, acquiring 4,603 BTC for $370 million. The purchase brought its holdings to 845,050 BTC, acquired for a combined $63.3 billion.
Top 30 Bitcoin treasury companies. Source: BitcoinTreasuries.NET
Magazine: ‘White hats’ take 4000 BTC from Liquid, ETFs see best inflows of 2026: Hodler’s Digest
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Bitcoin (BTC) is correcting below $79,000 on Monday, mirroring the broader cryptocurrency market’s lethargic, bearish-shifting outlook. The Crypto King was rejected near $81,500 last Thursday, suggesting investor exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Gold (XAU/USD) remains pressed against the near-term $4,400 support, as focus shifts to the upcoming United States (US) Consumer Price Index (CPI) data on Friday. Investors are currently pricing in 60% odds that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will adopt a stricter monetary policy, raising interest rates in the 3.75%-4.00% range.
US-Iran exchange strikes, weighing on Bitcoin and GoldOver the weekend, the US military struck three Iran-linked oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, reportedly disabling two and destroying the third. In retaliation, Iran targeted three US-affiliated vessels and three additional oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran also announced plans to declare a restricted zone near the strait and to unveil a new shipping route with Oman in the coming days. The exclusion zone will be used to stop shipping vessels attempting to transit through the strait without Iranian permission.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude Oil has risen above $90.00 on Monday, suggesting renewed tensions between the two nations could continue to intensify price pressures.
WTI Oil price chartTechnical analysis: Bitcoin slips despite bullish outlookBitcoin trades at $78,704, maintaining a constructive bullish bias as price stays well above the 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), suggesting a firmly supported medium-term uptrend despite the latest pullback from recent highs.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 61 stays in positive territory, hinting that buyers still retain control even as momentum cools from overbought extremes, while the negative drift in the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) line below its signal and toward the zero line warns of easing upside pressure in the near term.
BTC/USDT daily chartInitial support lies near $72,708, where the 200-day EMA converges with the broader trend floor, followed by the 50-day EMA around $72,044, which reinforces a deeper but still corrective setback within the broader bullish structure.
A more pronounced decline would expose the 100-day EMA at $70,255 as the next key cushion, where dip-buying interest could re-emerge if sentiment remains broadly constructive. As long as price holds above this EMA stack, the path of least resistance is likely to remain to the upside, with any fresh highs above current levels needed to re-energize the bullish leg.
Gold technical outlook: XAU presses against key supportGold trades at $4,412 and holds above the 50-day, 100-day and 200-day EMAs, which cluster between roughly $4,318 and $4,368 and suggest the broader uptrend remains supported despite the recent pullback.
The RSI at about 51 is neutral to slightly positive, while the MACD sits in negative territory with its recent downturn hinting that bullish momentum is still fragile.
XAU/USDT daily chartInitial resistance lies at the next psychological level at $4,500, followed by the downward resistance trendline, with its latest break reference near $4,528. A sustained move above this barrier would reopen the way toward higher highs. On the downside, immediate support is seen at the 100-day EMA around $4,368, followed by the 50-day EMA near $4,349 and then the 200-day EMA at about $4,318, where buyers would be expected to defend the prevailing bullish structure.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Bitcoin, altcoins, stablecoins FAQs Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a virtual currency designed to serve as money. This form of payment cannot be controlled by any one person, group, or entity, which eliminates the need for third-party participation during financial transactions.
Altcoins are any cryptocurrency apart from Bitcoin, but some also regard Ethereum as a non-altcoin because it is from these two cryptocurrencies that forking happens. If this is true, then Litecoin is the first altcoin, forked from the Bitcoin protocol and, therefore, an “improved” version of it.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to have a stable price, with their value backed by a reserve of the asset it represents. To achieve this, the value of any one stablecoin is pegged to a commodity or financial instrument, such as the US Dollar (USD), with its supply regulated by an algorithm or demand. The main goal of stablecoins is to provide an on/off-ramp for investors willing to trade and invest in cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins also allow investors to store value since cryptocurrencies, in general, are subject to volatility.
Bitcoin dominance is the ratio of Bitcoin's market capitalization to the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies combined. It provides a clear picture of Bitcoin’s interest among investors. A high BTC dominance typically happens before and during a bull run, in which investors resort to investing in relatively stable and high market capitalization cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. A drop in BTC dominance usually means that investors are moving their capital and/or profits to altcoins in a quest for higher returns, which usually triggers an explosion of altcoin rallies.
Capital B SA has completed a €25.3 million capital increase and used the proceeds to buy 376 Bitcoin, adding another European name to the corporate BTC treasury trend.
The company acquired the Bitcoin at an average price of €67,287 per coin, bringing its total treasury reserve to more than 1,800 BTC. That puts Capital B firmly into the category of public-market companies using Bitcoin as a central balance-sheet asset.
It is not MicroStrategy. It is not Metaplanet. And it should not be confused with either.
But the strategy is familiar: raise capital, buy Bitcoin, and make BTC a core part of the company’s identity.
For more details, visit the official Actusnews platform.
TL;DR Capital B SA raised €25.3 million. The company used the proceeds to acquire 376 BTC. Its corporate treasury now holds more than 1,800 BTC. Europe Gets Another Bitcoin Treasury Story The corporate Bitcoin treasury trade has spread well beyond the United States.
Companies in different markets have begun using BTC as a reserve asset, a capital-markets strategy, or a way to reposition themselves around digital assets. Capital B’s latest purchase shows that the model still has traction in Europe.
The numbers are clear.
A €25.3 million raise funded a 376 BTC acquisition at an average price of €67,287. That gives investors a concrete way to measure the company’s Bitcoin exposure rather than relying on vague treasury language.
Why The Purchase Matters Corporate Bitcoin purchases matter because they turn BTC into a balance-sheet strategy.
For some companies, Bitcoin is a reserve asset. For others, it is a market identity. In both cases, the strategy changes how investors value the company.
A business holding more than 1,800 BTC is no longer assessed only on its operating performance. Its equity may also trade partly as a Bitcoin proxy.
That can attract investors during bullish markets.
It can also add pressure when Bitcoin falls.
Capital Raises And Bitcoin Buying Go Together The funding route matters.
Capital B did not only disclose a Bitcoin purchase. It completed a capital increase and then deployed proceeds into BTC. That makes the transaction part of a capital markets strategy, not just a treasury reallocation from spare cash.
Investors will watch whether this model continues.
If companies can raise capital and buy Bitcoin at terms shareholders accept, treasury balances can grow quickly. But dilution, market conditions, and BTC price all affect whether the strategy remains attractive.
Do Not Flatten Every Treasury Company Into One Story It is tempting to compare every corporate Bitcoin buyer with the biggest names in the sector.
That can be useful, but it can also be lazy. Capital B has its own jurisdiction, shareholder base, reporting obligations, financing structure, and treasury size. It should be treated on its own terms.
The common thread is Bitcoin.
The differences are in execution.
That is where investors need to pay attention.
The Market Signal Capital B’s purchase is another sign that corporate Bitcoin accumulation remains active.
A 376 BTC purchase may not be huge compared with the largest treasury holders, but it is meaningful for a European company building a Bitcoin reserve. The total balance above 1,800 BTC gives the strategy weight.
The next question is whether Capital B continues raising and buying.
For now, the company has added fresh BTC to its balance sheet and given the European market another corporate treasury data point to track.
This article draws on Capital B SA’s September 7 regulatory release relating to its capital increase and Bitcoin acquisition.
This article was written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.
Key Highlights Bitcoin has surged approximately 30% from its recent bottom, now approaching the critical $82,800 resistance threshold Coinbase achieved an unprecedented 10.3% market share of worldwide cryptocurrency trading activity during Q2 Circle’s USDC stablecoin circulation expanded to $73.3 billion, representing a 19% annual increase Robinhood delivered exceptional Q2 performance with $1.31 billion in revenue, marking a 32% year-over-year jump Circle is set to unveil its Arc blockchain mainnet to the public on September 16 The cryptocurrency sector has demonstrated renewed momentum as September begins. Bitcoin’s value has climbed roughly 30% from its recent trough, with prices now advancing toward the $80,000 threshold. A key resistance barrier exists near $82,800, and Bitcoin’s ability to penetrate this level could determine the market’s trajectory in coming weeks.
Simultaneously, robust employment figures from the United States and climbing energy costs have elevated market expectations for a potential Federal Reserve interest rate adjustment during its September 15-16 policy meeting. An imminent inflation data release may serve as a pivotal catalyst for both Bitcoin valuations and cryptocurrency-related equities.
Three companies deserve particular attention in this market landscape: Coinbase, Circle, and Robinhood.
Coinbase Coinbase maintains its position as America’s dominant cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and continues to represent a primary investment vehicle for those seeking direct cryptocurrency market participation.
Coinbase Global, Inc., COIN
During the second quarter, the platform secured an all-time high of 10.3% of worldwide cryptocurrency trading volume. This represented growth from the 9.1% captured in Q1 and extended the company’s market share expansion streak to three consecutive quarters.
Additionally, Coinbase recorded its 14th consecutive quarter delivering positive adjusted EBITDA results.
The company’s revenue profile has evolved beyond heavy Bitcoin dependence. Approximately 88% of net revenue now originates from activities unrelated to Bitcoin spot transactions. Revenue from subscriptions and services climbed to $555 million throughout Q2.
Stablecoin engagement continues accelerating. The average USDC balance maintained across Coinbase’s suite of products reached a record $20 billion during the reporting period.
Should Bitcoin successfully breach the $82,800 resistance level, increased trading activity could provide Coinbase with additional momentum through the remainder of the year.
Circle Circle pursues a distinct business model. Rather than operating a trading platform, the organization issues USDC, ranking among the world’s premier dollar-pegged stablecoins.
USDC circulation achieved $73.3 billion during Q2, representing a 19% increase versus the corresponding quarter in the previous year. On-chain transaction volume exploded 151% to reach $14.8 trillion.
Circle generated $701 million in combined revenue and reserve income throughout the quarter. Adjusted EBITDA expanded 8% to $143 million.
A significant company-specific milestone approaches. Circle intends to activate the public mainnet of its Arc blockchain on September 16. Arc focuses on stablecoin payment infrastructure, programmable financial applications, and tokenized real-world asset management. Over 100 institutional participants and ecosystem developers have already committed involvement.
Circle’s primary challenges include intensifying competition within the stablecoin sector and vulnerability to interest rate fluctuations, given that reserve income constitutes a substantial component of the company’s revenue generation.
Robinhood Robinhood presents the most varied business model among these three companies. Its platform encompasses equity trading, options contracts, prediction markets, and cryptocurrency services within a unified ecosystem.
The platform achieved all-time record revenue of $1.31 billion during Q2, representing a 32% annual increase. Diluted earnings per share surged 48% to reach $0.62. Net customer deposits hit an unprecedented $21.7 billion while Robinhood Gold membership expanded 39% to 4.8 million subscribers.
Cryptocurrency revenue actually declined 38% to $100 million during the quarter. However, overall revenue still reached record levels due to exceptional performance across alternative business segments.
Equity trading volume increased 85% and event-contract trading volume multiplied more than ten times. This diversification means Robinhood’s success doesn’t require a cryptocurrency market rally, although such conditions would certainly provide additional benefits.
Near-term prospects for all three stocks remain closely tied to Bitcoin’s performance. A decisive breakthrough above $82,800, coupled with favorable inflation data, could drive cryptocurrency-related stocks higher throughout late September.
Liquid Network has recovered most of the Bitcoin drained during a weekend exploit. Onchain data shows that the self-claimed white-hat hacker on Monday returned 3,400 BTC worth about $268 million to the Liquid Federation wallet.
Approximately 600 BTC, equivalent to 15% of the total withdrawn, is still held by the party. It is unclear whether the remaining Bitcoin was kept as a bounty, as no agreement has been made public.
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The recovery came after the hacker pledged to return most of the funds once Blockstream patched the underlying software bug. In messages to Blockstream, the hacker requested that every node be patched before sending Bitcoin back.
Blockstream later said its bridge nodes had been patched and were safe for the funds to be returned.
The attack, which was disclosed on Sept. 6, did not involve stolen private keys, according to Liquid, and SideSwap said its own systems were not breached.
Instead, the vulnerability appears to have originated in Elements, the Bitcoin Core fork used by Liquid, where a range-proof verification cache bug apparently enabled the creation of L-BTC without the Bitcoin normally required to back it. Those unbacked tokens were then used to obtain real BTC from Liquid’s reserves through the normal peg-out process.
Liquid has yet to resume operations as its operators work toward a safe restart. L-BTC deposits and withdrawals remain halted, while other Liquid-issued assets and Bitcoin’s underlying network continue to operate without disruption.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Crypto fund flows are becoming increasingly sensitive to changes in the US interest-rate outlook, with CoinShares arguing that Federal Reserve policy remains a key barrier to Bitcoin (BTC) breaking above $80,000 despite continued investor demand for crypto.
In his latest market update, CoinShares head of research James Butterfil argued that “Bitcoin is trading like gold again, but the Fed still sets the ceiling” at around $80,000.
That sensitivity was evident after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s speech at Jackson Hole. Warsh said progress on inflation had been modest and that price pressures were not easing quickly enough to give the central bank’s policy makers the confidence inflation was returning to its 2% target. Roughly $100 million exited digital asset investment products immediately after the speech, as markets sharply increased the probability of a September rate hike.
Flows reversed over the following week, reaching $1 billion by Sept. 4. The turnaround coincided with comments from Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who pointed to recent signs of “disinflation” and said he was inclined to keep rates steady in September if upcoming inflation data showed further progress.
“Investors are not exiting the asset class,” Butterfill wrote. “They are trading the rate path.”
As of Monday, Fed Funds futures prices implied a roughly 60% chance of a rate hike following next week’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, according to CME Group.
Markets are now pricing in a 25 basis-point rate hike on Sept. 16. Source: CME Group
The movements suggest that Bitcoin and broader digital asset markets remain highly sensitive to shifts in liquidity and monetary policy. Easier financial conditions have historically supported crypto and other risk assets.
Treasury buybacks add to liquidity backdropCoinShares’ assessment comes against the backdrop of a strong rebound in Bitcoin and the broader digital asset market last month, when the US Treasury announced plans to double certain long-dated bond buybacks from $2 billion to $4 billion per operation. Bitcoin climbed from the low $60,000s to above $80,000 during the month.
The expanded buyback program is expected to run from Sept. 9 through Nov. 4.
“Around the Treasury announcement we also saw equity sell-offs and shifts across the yield curve, layered on top of the ongoing noise from the Iran war — oil and equities swinging depending on whether or not people are feeling optimistic about diplomacy on any given day,” wrote 21shares co-founder Ophelia Snyder in her Substack newsletter last week.
“Taken together, these factors suggest to me that the current Bitcoin rally may have less to do with crypto-specific catalysts and more to do with growing interest in de-risking exposure to the US specifically,” she added.
The move reinforced the market’s focus on liquidity conditions and prompted Standard Chartered to forecast that Bitcoin could reach $100,000 before the end of the year.
This article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph's Editorial Policy and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or recommendations. All investments and trades carry risk; readers are encouraged to conduct independent research.
The oldest trick in the con artist’s handbook, updated for the crypto age: call someone pretending to be from a trusted institution, create enough panic, and walk away with their life savings. In this case, the life savings happened to be more than 4,100 Bitcoin, worth over $240 million at the time of the theft.
Malone Lam, a 22-year-old Singaporean national, is scheduled to appear in a U.S. federal court on September 9, 2026, to enter a guilty plea linked to one of the largest Bitcoin thefts ever prosecuted on American soil.
How the scheme worked Lam and his associates allegedly impersonated representatives from both Google and the Gemini crypto exchange, contacting a wealthy investor based in Washington, D.C.
The goal was straightforward, even if the execution was elaborate: convince the target that his accounts were compromised, then talk him into handing over security codes and access credentials. Once inside, the group transferred his Bitcoin holdings out of his control entirely.
The theft occurred in August 2024, though the broader criminal operation had been running since approximately October 2023. By the time authorities dismantled it, the group had been linked to thefts totaling more than $263 million across multiple incidents stretching through March 2025.
The FBI arrested Lam in September 2024 at a mansion in Miami, a detail that says everything about how the stolen funds were being spent. Prosecutors allege the group converted Bitcoin into cash and then burned through it: dozens of sports cars, private jets, and a single nightclub visit in Los Angeles that reportedly ran to over $569,000.
A landmark prosecution This case carries legal significance that extends well beyond the dollar amount. It marks the first time a Bitcoin-related prosecution has been brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO, a statute historically associated with organized crime syndicates rather than crypto theft rings.
Eighteen people have been indicted in connection with the scheme. Ten have already pleaded guilty ahead of Lam’s scheduled hearing, suggesting prosecutors have built a durable case from the inside out. Lam himself faces a minimum sentencing guideline of 14 years in prison if the plea proceeds as expected.
The operation also had a physical dimension that investigators found notable. The group reportedly conducted home burglaries specifically to steal hardware wallets, the small USB-like devices that store crypto private keys offline.
What this means for crypto security Exchanges invest heavily in technical infrastructure, multi-factor authentication, and blockchain-level security. None of that matters if an attacker can simply call your customer and impersonate your support team.
Gemini’s brand was used as a prop in this scheme, though the exchange itself was not compromised at the infrastructure level.
For individual holders of significant crypto assets, the case reinforces several uncomfortable realities. Legitimate exchanges and platforms do not initiate unsolicited calls asking for security codes. Any unexpected contact claiming to be from a financial institution or exchange, requesting credentials or urgent account action, should be treated as a red flag regardless of how official it sounds.
Ten guilty pleas already secured, a lead defendant scheduled to follow, and a case that federal prosecutors are framing as organized crime rather than opportunistic fraud.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
They pulled off one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts in U.S. history, duping a stranger out of bitcoin worth over $240 million. They tried to hide their digital fingerprints, carrying out a sophisticated scheme to launder the proceeds.
And then the party started.
The scammers — a network of young men in their late teens or early 20s — celebrated the August 2024 heist by embarking on a wild spending spree. They purchased fleets of sports cars, flew on private jets, hired security guards and rented mansions in Miami and the Hamptons. An alleged ringleader, 22-year-old Malone Lam, spent over $569,000 in one evening at a Los Angeles night club.
Their bender lasted a month before FBI agents arrested Lam on charges that he organized a “social engineering” attack on the Washington, D.C., resident. Lam, an eighth-grade dropout from Singapore, has a plea agreement hearing set for Tuesday. His conviction would be a capstone for the government’s investigation.
The charges against Lam and 17 others are an extreme example of an increasingly common form of cybercrime. Complaints of cryptocurrency investment fraud to the FBI rose by nearly 50% in 2025, while Republican President Donald Trump’s administration largely abandoned a regulatory crackdown on the volatile industry.
Last year, the Justice Department disbanded a unit dedicated to prosecuting crypto-related crimes. Meanwhile, crypto companies that complained of unfair treatment during Democratic President Joe Biden’s presidency are enjoying the government’s hands-off approach under Trump, who took in roughly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses in 2025.
Cybersecurity researcher Allison Nixon, who has spent years tracking The Com, an underground subculture of young hackers united by the “insane amount of money” that crypto fraud can generate, advocates for more law enforcement resources to go after them.
“If we don’t seriously ramp up the resources to take these people down and do it faster, then it’s going to spread more and more,” she said.
Scammers nabbed millions though ‘social engineering’ heist A man identified as “Victim 7” in court filings was at home in Washington on Aug. 18, 2024, when his phone rang. The first caller identified himself as a Google representative inquiring about attempts to breach his account. A second, claiming to be from the Gemini crypto exchange, warned the man of a malware attack affecting his crypto wallet.
The callers manipulated the man into giving them access to his Google Drive and revealing security codes that allowed Lam to siphon off over 4,100 bitcoin, according to prosecutors. They said Lam and his friends on the calls — Veer Chetal and Jeandiel Serrano — targeted the man because he was a wealthy, longtime crypto investor.
A private recording captured the moment when the friends realized how much money they just stole, according to a video posted by a well-known private investigator of cryptocurrency crimes who goes by ZachXBT.
“Oh, my God! Bro, bro, I’m going to spaz out!” a voice on the video said.
Once they swiped the man’s savings, they used money laundering specialists to wash it through multiple exchange platforms and convert virtual currency into government-issued cash.
It wasn’t the first social engineering scam for the friends, who met in online gaming forums. They had teamed up on other multimillion-dollar thefts since late 2023 using a similar playbook, according to prosecutors.
This time, however, one of them made a costly mistake: Serrano failed to conceal his IP address when he created an account on a cryptocurrency exchange to hold nearly $30 million in stolen crypto, according to prosecutors. Investigators linked the IP address to a home in Encino, California, that Serrano was renting for $47,500 a month.
Lavish spending quickly drew attention Serrano was vacationing in the Maldives when investigators identified him as a suspect. Lam was in Los Angeles, where he and friends spent $4 million at nightclubs in one month, authorities say. Chetal gifted a Lamborghini to his parents and hid a duffel bag filled with $500,000 in cash in their laundry machine.
Word of their windfall quickly spread in crypto scammers’ circles. A week after the big score, Chetal’s parents were driving in Danbury, Connecticut, when several masked men cut them off, forced them out of their new car, beat Chetal’s father with a baseball bat, shoved the couple into a van and bound their hands.
The captors, from Miami, had intended to use Chetal’s parents as leverage for extorting him into giving up his share of the stolen crypto. But the ransom plot fell apart when witnesses notified police, who apprehended the carjackers.
The FBI showed up to search Chetal’s apartment in Brunswick, New Jersey, on Sept. 9, 2024, and found $37 million in stolen crypto in his possession. He agreed to cooperate with their investigation.
Lam was attracting attention, too, for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a night at clubs and tossing handbags worth tens of thousands of dollars to women in the crowds. He also used stolen cryptocurrency to buy a $2 million watch and over 30 cars, including custom Porsches, Lamborghinis and Ferraris, according to the FBI.
“This luxury lifestyle, of which so many young men and women could only dream, was just built on a foundation of fraud,” a prosecutor, William Hart, said during a recent sentencing hearing for a money laundering co-defendant.
‘Ferris Bueller gone bad’ Serrano was wearing a $500,000 watch when FBI agents arrested him at Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 18, 2024. He initially professed his innocence but soon admitted to having roughly $20 million of the D.C. man’s stolen crypto, prosecutors said.
Lam was arrested at one of his Miami mansions on the same day as Serrano. An off-duty law enforcement officer had tipped off Lam that authorities were on their way to arrest him, the indictment says.
“We always talked about what it would be like if I were to go down, but never thought it would be this crazy,” Lam told associates from jail on a recorded call, according to his indictment.
The judge for Lam’s initial court appearance in Miami sounded astonished by a prosecutor’s summary of his lavish spending.
“I could only think of Ferris Bueller gone bad,” U.S. Magistrate Alicia Valle said, referring to the school-skipping protagonist of the 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
Lam’s capture didn’t stop the splurging. Ferro, who pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge last year, used stolen funds to cover Lam’s legal expenses.
Judgment Days Eighteen defendants have been charged. Lam would be the 11th to plead guilty. At Lam’s first court appearance, a prosecutor estimated that his sentencing guidelines would recommend a prison term of at least 14 years upon conviction.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who presides over Lam’s case, already has sentenced three of his co-conspirators. She sentenced two money launderers to prison terms of approximately six years.
Chetal pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in November 2024 and awaits sentencing. Serrano’s charges remain pending.
Tucker Desmond, who pleaded guilty to destroying evidence of other plotters’ crimes, was sentenced to probation. Desmond apologized at his sentencing hearing in March, saying he “got obsessed with the image of success rather than actually becoming a hard-working individual myself.”
Ferro declined to address the court during his sentencing hearing in May. His attorney, Kevin Wilson, described the co-defendants as mischievous “young kids,” but the judge didn’t accept that as an excuse.
“Being young only goes so far,” Kollar-Kotelly said.
Well-known trader Killa: Altcoins may have already bottomed out ahead of schedule, making now a good time to accumulate positions.
Renowned crypto trader Killa said in a recent post that while he dislikes the vast majority of altcoins and even believes 99.9% of projects will eventually go to zero, selective participation is worth it as long as there are profit opportunities in the market. He noted that historically, one of the favorable periods to allocate to altcoins is when Bitcoin starts forming a bottom and begins a gradual rally. Killa pointed out that during the last cycle, when Bitcoin rallied from $16,000 to $74,000, many altcoins saw gains of 300% to 500%. However, after Bitcoin began significantly outperforming the market and its market dominance rose further, many altcoins started to plunge sharply. He believes that if his assessment is correct and Bitcoin has now formed a cyclical bottom, many altcoins may have also completed bottoming at low levels, meaning there is significant upside potential for selectively allocating to quality assets ahead of the actual bull market expansion phase. Killa revealed that he previously bought SOL at $76, and the position is now up roughly 50% from entry. His previously disclosed entry price for HYPE spot and long positions was $51.55, with subsequent gains of around 70%. He also recently shared a swing long position in ASTER, and expects this position to deliver upside of at least 50% to 100%. “Altcoins may have already bottomed out in advance, while the real rally has not yet started. Now is the time for selective allocation,” he said. He added that different altcoins will likely rally in rotation going forward, and he will continue holding his previously disclosed positions in SOL, ASTER, and HYPE, while looking for more worthy assets to allocate to.
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Insight: Beating AI News Flash — OpenAI Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki warned that artificial intelligence is advancing too rapidly, growing increasingly difficult for humans to understand and control, stating that "extreme caution is needed now." He noted that AI models can already operate computers, collaborate with humans and other AIs, and conduct research, and that in the near future, they may achieve "recursive self-improvement" without human intervention. Pachocki expressed concern that no one is prepared for the consequences of the continuous rapid advancement of machine intelligence. Developers can align AI more closely with human interests, or slow down future research and development (R&D) if necessary. He anticipates and hopes that "voluntary slowdowns" in R&D by AI labs will become the norm before the industry establishes common safety standards. OpenAI has currently adopted a limited rollout approach for GPT-6 Astra due to its advanced cybersecurity capabilities.
Hunter Biden’s upcoming Meme coin project, set to launch on September 9, has released detailed tokenomics for its LAPTOP token on its official website. The LAPTOP token has a total supply of 1 billion units, with 35% (350 million tokens) unlocked at the Token Generation Event (TGE), and full unlocking will take 36 months. The token allocations are as follows: 30% to founders, 30% to prediction markets, 10% to initial airdrops, 10% to future airdrops, 10% to liquidity, 5% to the foundation treasury, and 5% to charity. Notably, the handling of the 30% total allocation will be determined by the settlement results of 30 Polymarket prediction markets covering political, crypto, and cultural categories. If a market settles to YES, the corresponding tokens will be burned directly; if settled to NO, they will be donated to charity.
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The "white hat hacker" who attacked the Liquid network and stole approximately 4,000 BTC has returned around 3,400 BTC to the Liquid Federation, with roughly 600 BTC still outstanding. The repayment stems from earlier on-chain communication, where the address claiming to be the white hat hacker stated it would return the stolen Bitcoin once Blockstream patched the vulnerability. The incident remains under active development. Notably, during prior discussions with Blockstream, the Liquid white hat hacker pledged to return "most" of the 4,000 BTC, not the full amount; the unreturned funds are likely intended as a bounty.
In brief Malone Lam, 22, is due in federal court in Washington on Tuesday for a plea agreement hearing. Prosecutors say callers posing as Google and Gemini staff talked a Washington investor out of more than 4,100 BTC. The same indictment describes a racketeering group that also burgled homes to steal hardware wallets. Malone Lam, the 22-year-old Singaporean whom prosecutors identify as an organizer of the crew that took $245 million in Bitcoin from a single investor, is due in federal court in Washington on Tuesday for a plea agreement hearing.
A man named in court filings only as Victim-7 was at home in Washington when callers claiming to be from Google and Gemini warned him his accounts were under attack. They talked him into installing remote desktop software and surrendering his security codes, then moved more than $245 million in Bitcoin out of his wallets.
The indictment charges 18 people as a racketeering group it calls the Social Engineering Enterprise, with roles running from database hackers to callers to money launderers. It grew out of friendships formed in online gaming and worked from stolen crypto databases to pick targets. When a victim kept coins on a hardware wallet, prosecutors say, members flew to the house and broke in.
Rivals came for the familyWord of the score spread, and the crew became targets themselves. A week later, co-defendant Veer Chetal's parents were driving in Danbury, Connecticut, when a car rammed their Lamborghini and men pulled up in a van, beat the couple and tied them up, meaning to extort Chetal for his share. Eyewitnesses called police, and an off-duty FBI agent happened to be driving past.
The money itself went into Monero through exchanges that ask for no identification, then through peel chains, prosecutors say. Cash came back in bulk, some of it shipped across the country inside stuffed toys. Lam spent $4 million at Los Angeles nightclubs in a month and bought more than 30 cars, titling them to a shell company called Crypto Administration LLC.
Myriad: Bitcoin next price move? Click to make your prediction.Members relayed messages to and from Lam in a Miami jail, funded his defense with fraud proceeds, and were still attempting social engineering attacks from Dubai in early 2025, discussing them in coded language about "playing tournaments," according to the indictment.
Ten of the 18 have so far pleaded guilty. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who rejected one lawyer's description of the group as mischievous young kids, has sentenced three. "Being young only goes so far," she said.
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