Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Retail participation will return during the next crypto bull market yet institutional influence has become a structural feature of digital asset markets, according to a Wintermute Research report.

Institutional Investment At Record 72% LevelsIn a report published on July 30, Wintermute analysts highlighted that Institutional investors are increasingly dictating crypto market structure.

They account for a record 72% of spot over the counter (OTC) trading flow during the first half of 2026, compared to 61% in the second half of 2025.

The reported noted that institutional activity is becoming concentrated in a relatively small group of cryptocurrencies.

"As crypto works through a bear market, with retail largely absent and preoccupied with equities, the structure underneath is easier to see," Wintermute wrote. "The asset class is maturing, whatever recent price action suggests."

Over the past month, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) gained 11% but failed to reclaim the key $70,000 level.

In contrast, Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) outperformed with a 22% rally, signaling stronger momentum.

Tokenization Continues To ExpandWintermute also highlighted continued growth in tokenized real-world assets.

During the first six months of 2026, the value of tokenized assets increased nearly 50% to $31 billion.

Institutional adoption remains focused on tokenized U.S. Treasuries, money market funds and private credit, while retail investors continue to dominate activity in tokenized equities.

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BlackRock’s institutional clients dumped $60 million worth of the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) this week while simultaneously scooping up over $20 million in the iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA).

The data, surfaced by Arkham Intelligence, paints a picture of deliberate repositioning rather than panic selling.

The numbers behind the rotation IBIT currently holds somewhere between $47 billion and $55 billion in assets under management, making it one of the largest Bitcoin ETFs on the planet. A $60 million outflow against that backdrop is roughly 0.1% of the fund.

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That capital didn’t vanish into cash or rotate into bonds. At least $20 million of it landed in ETHA, BlackRock’s spot Ethereum ETF. The net effect is still negative for crypto ETFs overall, with roughly $40 million more leaving than arriving.

Performance divergence tells a story IBIT, which launched in January 2024, has delivered returns exceeding 35% since inception.

ETHA has had a rougher ride. The Ethereum-focused fund began trading in mid-2024 and has declined approximately 48% from its launch price. It doesn’t offer staking yields, which means holders miss out on one of Ethereum’s key value propositions.

What this means for investors BlackRock’s client base isn’t retail traders chasing momentum on social media. These are pension funds, endowments, family offices, and sovereign wealth vehicles.

That said, there are risks to reading too much into a single week’s data. One sovereign wealth fund trimming a position could account for the entire $60 million outflow. Without granular client-level data, it’s impossible to know whether this reflects broad consensus or a handful of concentrated decisions.

For Ethereum specifically, sustained institutional buying through regulated ETF products could provide meaningful price support at a time when the asset has struggled. But one week of $20 million in buying is a data point, not a trend.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

The best altcoin to buy in 2026 may depend on whether investors want established infrastructure or earlier platform exposure. Ethereum attracts corporate accumulation, BNB benefits from a large active ecosystem of Binance, and ASTER offers a perps platform.

MemeToro sits at the highest-risk end through an open-source AI memecoin launch platform now being developed with Coinsult.

ETH Gives Buyers Institutional Scale And Supply Pressure The base ETH price prediction places Ethereum between approximately $1,900 and $2,100 during 2026. Bullish models extend toward $2,500, while institutional targets range from $3,175 to $7,500.

ETH traded near $1,873 to $1,932 during July, with resistance between $2,000 and $2,200. Support sits around $1,527 to $1,700.

Corporate accumulation strengthens the supply argument. BitMine reportedly controls about 5.7 million ETH, while SharpLink recently acquired 39,196 ETH.

For conservative buyers, ETH may be the best altcoin to buy in 2026 because it offers deep liquidity and established use. Its size, however, makes explosive percentage growth harder.

ASTER Offers Greater Upside With Conflicting Forecasts The ASTER price prediction varies sharply between sources. ASTER traded around $0.627, with support near $0.620 and resistance at $0.640.

One model expects a 2026 range of $0.59 to $0.82. More bullish forecasts place ASTER between $1 and $3.50, while a conservative euro-based projection remains below $1.

This disagreement makes ASTER harder to value. A break above immediate resistance could improve the outlook, but ecosystem growth and token burns must support any longer-term move.

ASTER may appeal to investors seeking the best altcoin to buy in 2026 at a smaller price than ETH or BNB.

BNB Gives Users A Large Working Ecosystem The BNB price prediction has a base near $580, with 2026 estimates ranging from $474 to $840.20. BNB traded around $570.33 in late July, with resistance near $574 and support between $560 and $568.

BNB Chain processes more than 31 million daily transactions and holds over $14 billion in stablecoin liquidity. Its roadmap targets higher throughput, faster confirmation, and a next-generation Layer 1.

This existing activity makes BNB another best altcoin to buy in 2026 candidate. Its value is linked to exchange activity, token burns, DeFi, payments, and BNB Chain applications.

MemeToro Presale Crypto Offers The Earliest Entry MemeToro is building an hourly AI agent that will create complete memecoin concepts from news, markets, and social sentiment.

Its public development advantages include:

Open-source architecture Public launch manifests Fixed-rate token funding Programmatic wallet limits Automatic liquidity creation Coinsult-led development Contracts are not yet implemented or audited. Buyers can follow the repository as MemeToro develops the AI pipeline, BNB testnet contracts, ERC-8004 integration, and security review.

MemeToro may be the best altcoin to buy in 2026 for buyers prioritizing pre-launch potential, but it carries far more execution risk than ETH, ASTER, or BNB.

Final Words The ETH offers institutional stability. The ASTER offers a wider speculative range, while the BNB is supported by existing network demand.

MemeToro becomes the best altcoin to buy in 2026 only if its public architecture develops into secure contracts and active launches.

The final choice depends on risk. ETH and BNB provide established utility, ASTER provides smaller-cap exposure, and MemeToro offers the earliest entry with the greatest uncertainty.

More Information on MemeToro ($MT) Presale Here:

Website: https://memetoro.com/

X: https://x.com/memetoro_mt

Telegram: https://t.me/memetoro_mt

Follow our Telegram and Twitter account now for exclusive news, analytics and on-chain data!

Morgan Stanley has expanded beyond Bitcoin by launching Ethereum and Solana trusts, giving traditional investors access to three major digital assets. At the other end of the market, MemeToro has started public development with Coinsult.

Investors searching for the best presale crypto can now compare an early BNB Chain platform with increasingly mature institutional crypto products.

Morgan Stanley Gives Investors Regulated ETH And SOL Access Morgan Stanley Investment Management launched the Ethereum Trust and Solana Trust on July 28. Both exchange-traded products charge an expense ratio of 0.14%.

MSSE tracks the CoinDesk Ether Benchmark 4PM New York Settlement Rate, while MSOL follows the equivalent Solana benchmark.

The products intend to stake part of their ETH and SOL holdings. Staking rewards will pass through to the trusts, giving investors potential income alongside price exposure.

Morgan Stanley’s existing Bitcoin Trust held more than $381 million in assets through July 16. The expanded suite now covers Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana under one product range.

This institutional progress changes how buyers evaluate the best presale crypto. Early projects must offer something unavailable through regulated large-cap products.

Staking Returns Come With Specific Risks Morgan Stanley’s new products are not FDIC insured and can lose substantial value. Their staking strategies introduce slashing, validator, and liquidity-buffer risks.

The trusts provide convenience but do not give investors direct control over the underlying assets. They also carry annual expenses that direct holders may avoid.

ETH and SOL offer established networks, public liquidity, and significant institutional acceptance. Their scale can make extreme percentage gains more difficult than those available to smaller tokens.

The best presale crypto opportunity therefore appeals to buyers willing to accept more development risk in exchange for entering before public-market valuation.

MemeToro’s Public Repository Shows Development Has Started MemeToro has entered its Foundation and Architecture phase with Coinsult leading development.

The project has published its architecture, launch-manifest specification, example manifest, roadmap, security policy, and contribution guide through an MIT-licensed GitHub repository.

Its practical development benefits include:

Publicly visible progress Community issue submissions Standardized launch manifests ERC-8004 integration plans Security design before deployment Independent review before mainnet Contracts are not implemented or audited yet. This clear status gives best presale crypto buyers a more accurate view of current progress.

The Hourly AI Agent Creates A Distinct Use Case MemeToro’s planned agent will analyze news, market movements, and social sentiment continuously. It will produce a complete memecoin concept every hour, including the name, ticker, reasoning, and launch manifest.

The fair-launch protocol will accept fixed-rate funding in BNB, stablecoins, or $MT. Wallet limits will restrict early concentration, while contracts will automate deployment, liquidity, and distribution.

This model gives MemeToro a different purpose from Morgan Stanley’s trusts. The trusts provide regulated exposure to existing assets. MemeToro aims to create transparent markets around new AI-generated assets.

That distinction supports its best presale crypto positioning, provided development reaches testnet and mainnet.

Final Words on the Best Presale Crypto Right Now MemeToro has raised $87,351.66 during Stage 5, filling 71.02% of the round. Each $MT costs $0.00285, compared with a planned launch price of $0.01875.

The difference is roughly 6.58 times, but public trading may produce a different valuation.

Calling MemeToro the best presale crypto requires more than comparing prices. Investors should follow the commits, review the manifest, and check whether Coinsult completes each published milestone.

Morgan Stanley’s expansion shows that crypto is entering traditional portfolios. MemeToro represents the opposite edge of that market: open-source development before a platform exists.

For high-risk buyers, the best presale crypto may be one whose progress can be verified early. MemeToro now provides that visibility, but execution remains the deciding factor.

More Information on MemeToro ($MT) Presale Here:

Website: https://memetoro.com/

X: https://x.com/memetoro_mt

Telegram: https://t.me/memetoro_mt

Follow our Telegram and Twitter account now for exclusive news, analytics and on-chain data!

TLDR: DeFi TVL fell $43.4 billion, or 38%, while six major L1s lost $246.5 billion in market cap. Ethereum ETF holdings dropped to 5.2M ETH as treasury firms raised holdings to 7.7M ETH. Layer 2 user operations fell 77% from January to June, far outpacing Ethereum’s 9% decline. BNB Chain stayed the only deflationary major L1, burning tokens at a 5.05% annual rate. Crypto market activity did not rotate between sectors during the first half of 2026. Instead, a broad on-chain contraction hit nearly every part of the industry, according to Binance Research.

Total DeFi TVL fell $43.4 billion, or 38%, while six major Layer 1 blockchains lost a combined $246.5 billion in market capitalization, or 42%.

Contraction Spreads Across Ethereum, Layer 2s, And DeFi Ethereum’s marginal holder base shifted rather than grew during this period. Spot ETF balances shrank from over 6 million ETH to 5.2 million ETH.

Digital asset treasury companies expanded their holdings from 6 million to 7.7 million ETH. This change flipped the balance between the two holder groups, widening the gap between them.

Cheaper Ethereum blockspace failed to convert into stronger revenue. The network’s gas limit rose to roughly 60 million units this year.

Average gas prices fell 75% compared with 2025, and transaction counts rose about 50%. Despite this activity, chain revenue is tracking a 53% decline for the full year.

Generalist Layer 2 networks shed users faster than the broader market contracted. Total L2 user operations fell approximately 77% between January and June 2026.

Ethereum itself saw a smaller 9% decline over the same stretch. This gap shows contraction hit L2s harder than the base layer.

DeFi TVL fell 38.7% during the first half, outpacing the wider market drop. Active loans across DeFi protocols declined 38.0% during the same period.

April marked the sharpest deterioration, coinciding with major exploits across the space. The industry recorded 207 security incidents, the highest count in any six-month period, resulting in $972 million in losses.

Solana And BNB Chain Show Divergent Paths Within The Same Downturn Solana’s network revenue dropped sharply even as trading patterns held steady. Monthly REV fell from $40 million in January to $14 million in June.

That decline amounted to 64.5% over six months. Memecoins still represented 25% of Solana’s decentralized exchange volume.

Tokenized equities gained a foothold on Solana despite the broader pullback. These assets reached 4% of Solana DEX volume by June 2026.

BNB Chain also became a leading venue for tokenized equities during this period. Tokenized RWA market cap on BNB Chain grew 107% in the first half.

BNB Chain’s share of on-chain real-world assets rose as a result. Its portion climbed from 9.8% to 13.5% of the total market.

BNB Chain also remained the only major deflationary Layer 1 network. Its annualized burn rate reached 5.05%, compared with 0.86% for ETH.

Prediction markets stood apart from the broader contraction pattern. Monthly notional volume rose 86% to $51.6 billion, driven partly by the World Cup.

Kalshi and Polymarket accounted for 92% of June’s total trading volume. Non-sports volume across both platforms increased 136% during the same window.

Blockchain

30 July 2026 | 20:11 Open USD will launch on Ethereum from its first day of operation as part of a broader multichain rollout that also includes Solana, Base, Stellar and Polygon.

The July 30 announcement from Ethereum Institutional confirms the network’s inclusion and highlights its role in the stablecoin’s business-focused settlement infrastructure.

As we previously reported, more than 140 companies have joined Open Standard, including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock and BNY. Under the proposed model, most reserve income would be shared with businesses that distribute and use the stablecoin instead of remaining entirely with a single issuer.

Why Ethereum Matters to Open USD Ethereum offers payment companies a shared settlement network without placing the underlying ledger under the control of any one participant.

That matters when companies such as Visa, Mastercard and Stripe are expected to use the same infrastructure. Each can verify the asset and its settlement rules without relying on a private system operated by a direct competitor.

Ethereum also brings established liquidity, mature infrastructure and familiarity among institutional market participants. Other supported networks can then handle transfers where lower fees or faster execution matter more.

Breaking: Open USD will launch on @ethereum on day one.

Over 140 businesses, including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock and BNY. All reserve earnings flow to the partners that grow it.

A shared asset needs neutral ground.

We’re excited to be working with @openstandard on… pic.twitter.com/WF3ure6Dhb

— Ethereum Institutional (@ethereuminsti) July 30, 2026

Open USD Is Being Built for Business Use Open USD is being positioned mainly for corporate settlement, cross-border treasury activity, payment processors and institutional liquidity rather than retail trading.

Consumers may therefore use it without interacting with the stablecoin directly. A merchant, payroll platform or remittance service could settle through Open USD behind the scenes while customers continue paying and receiving funds in local currency.

Its business model is also different from those of USDT and USDC. Participating companies that help distribute Open USD are expected to receive a share of the reserve earnings. That could give exchanges, payment firms and fintech platforms a financial reason to integrate it, although ordinary token holders are not automatically entitled to yield.

Ethereum Fees Will Matter Most to Businesses Ethereum transaction costs remain a practical consideration, especially for treasury desks, payment processors and other companies handling large volumes.

These firms can reduce costs by batching transfers, settling larger amounts less frequently or routing smaller transactions through cheaper supported networks. Ethereum is more likely to serve high-value settlement and liquidity needs than individual purchases at checkout.

Its inclusion from day one gives Open USD access to a major institutional market. Support for several networks broadens the stablecoin’s potential use across payments, trading and treasury operations without requiring all activity to pass through Ethereum mainnet.

Author

Alex is Editor-in-Chief of Coindoo and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, with nearly a decade of experience covering financial markets - crypto first, then everything else. It started in 2016 with Bitcoin. Like most people at the time, he didn't fully understand it - so he kept digging. Blockchain, tokenomics, the projects, the cycles. That curiosity never stopped, and eventually pulled him into traditional markets too: equities, commodities, macro. Not because he left crypto behind, but because you can't properly understand one without the other. What drives him is straightforward: he wants to know why something is happening, not just that it's happening. Most market coverage stops at the headline - price up, price down, here's a chart. Alex finds that kind of reporting actively unhelpful. If you walk away from an article without understanding the mechanism behind the move, what did you actually learn? He holds a degree in Tourism from New Bulgarian University - not the most obvious path into financial markets, but markets have a way of pulling in people who are simply too curious to stay out. He has authored over 200 in-depth analyses and more than 10,000 articles across crypto and traditional finance. He still thinks every day in markets teaches him something new. That's probably why he hasn't stopped.

In the past week, Sharplink made an extra 420 ETH just by staking its current Ethereum [ETH] holdings, without purchasing any more ETH. With this, its total staking rewards have now reached 24,338 ETH. 

This occurs as Ethereum’s staking dynamics have undergone a significant change. The number of active validators for Ethereum continued to decline at the start of July, going from about 886,000 to a low of about 880,000. 

However, by mid-July, the trend began to shift. Interestingly, by the month’s end, the number of active validators had increased steadily from about 880,000 to between 887,000 and 888,000. Despite its modest size, the increase is noteworthy because it represents the first long-term recovery following several months of declines. 

Source: Validator Queue Is ETH’s staking ecosystem gaining strength? At the start of July, roughly 2.8 to 2.9 million Ethereum were waiting in the “Entry” queue. By the end of July, that number had gradually declined to between 2.4 and 2.5 million ETH.

Yet this does not indicate a decline in demand but suggests that the Ethereum network was processing new validators more quickly than more staking requests were being made. 

Source: Validator Queue The “Exit” line, meanwhile, remained almost at zero for the entire month, except for a few brief spikes. This indicates that there was little selling pressure or profit-taking from current stakers, as suggested by the small number of validators trying to withdraw their staked ETH.

Given that there were significantly more Ethereum seeking to enter staking than leave it in July, the high entry queue and small exit queue collectively indicate a strong net inflow into the staking ecosystem. 

This setting also further explains why businesses like Sharplink, which actively stake their ETH treasury, keep accruing staking rewards because more money is still being invested in protecting the network rather than leaving it.

Sharplink vs. Bitmine However, if compared with Bitmine, the biggest Ethereum DAT, the latter has 4,917,189 ETH already staked through its institutional staking platform, MAVAN (the Made in America VAlidator Network), which accounts for roughly 85% of its holdings.

In terms of holdings, Sharplink owns 868,699 ETH worth $1.65 billion, while Bitmine has 5,787,414 ETH worth $11.8 billion. However, at press time, Sharplink’s stock price was up 0.94% at $6.44, and Bitmine’s stock price was down 1.95% at $17.57.

All this happened as ETH traded near $1,903.99, following a 1.47% increase over the previous day. In addition, the ETH ETF was also seeing more inflows than it did during the recent nine weeks of outflows.

Final Summary Sharplink increased its staking rewards and now has 24,338 ETH in total rewards but lags BitMine. The entry queue, exit queue, and the active validators of the Ethereum validator queue further clarified why Shaprlink was staking ETH. 

Ethereum (ETH), the world's second-largest cryptocurrency, has recorded monumental growth in the 11 years since its launch on July 30, 2015. The first price when it became available for anyone to buy on public exchanges in early August 2015 was $2.77.

The biggest achievement of ETH has been proving that blockchain can be much more than a way to transfer value. By introducing smart contracts, it opened the door to innovations like DeFi, stablecoins, tokenisation, NFTs and thousands of decentralised applications, according to Vikas M Sachdeva, CEO, BitDelta India.

Sachdeva further said that eleven years on, Ethereum continues to drive innovation and shape the future of digital finance and its price will depend on a mix of technology, adoption and market confidence. If we continue to see greater institutional participation, growth in tokenisation, stablecoins and real-world asset use cases, demand for Ethereum is likely to strengthen.

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ETH reached its all-time high price level of approximately $4,953.73 on August 24, 2025, surging exponentially from its initial launch price.

CoinDCX Research Team shared with ETMarkets that there were four key growth highlights for Ethereum. Firstly, between 2017 and 2018, defined as the ICO Era, which saw the first major rally crossing the $1,000 mark. Second was between 2020 and 2021, defined as the DeFi and NFT Boom, when ETH surged from $200 to hit an All-Time High (ATH) of $4,891 in November 2021.

The next was in 2022, where ETH transitioned from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake, drastically improving energy efficiency, and the last was 2024 to 2026, which saw the launch and adoption of Spot Ethereum ETFs, solidifying its place as the second-largest digital asset holding nearly 11-12% of total crypto market cap.

Sumit Gupta, Co-Founder at CoinDCX, told ETMarkets that eleven years ago, Ethereum introduced a simple but radical idea: that trust could be programmed. Today that idea underpins a global financial and technological infrastructure used by millions.

Gupta further said that what began as a whitepaper has become the base layer for decentralised finance, tokenisation, and the next generation of the internet. Our conviction in Ethereum, and in blockchain broadly, has only strengthened over the years. As institutions continue to build on this foundation, Ethereum's role in shaping Web3 is not just historical, it is foundational to where the industry goes next.

Believing Ethereum's biggest achievement to be transforming blockchain from a technology primarily used for peer-to-peer payments into a programmable platform for decentralised applications and digital finance, Vikas Gupta, Country Manager – India, Bybit shared with ETMarkets that today, Ethereum remains the largest smart contract blockchain by total value locked (TVL) and developer activity, making its greatest achievement the creation of a thriving ecosystem that continues to power innovation across Web3.

Vikas Gupta further said that over the coming years, Ethereum is well positioned to strengthen its role as the foundational infrastructure for decentralised finance and the tokenisation of real-world assets, and investors should closely monitor the continued growth of Layer-2 networks, institutional adoption, staking participation, stablecoin usage, and the expansion of tokenised assets, which many industry participants view as one of blockchain's largest long-term opportunities.

Commenting on the key factors that could influence ETH's price over the next one to two years, Vikas Gupta said that Ethereum's performance is likely to be influenced less by speculation and more by real-world adoption and macroeconomic conditions, and as the ecosystem matures, sustainable network usage is expected to become a more meaningful driver of value than short-term market cycles.

Here is what other analysts say on Ethereum completing 11 years:

Rajagopal Menon, Vice President, WazirX: Ethereum gave Web3 builders a programmable foundation and made permissionless innovation possible at scale. Over the past decade, it has evolved into critical infrastructure for decentralised finance, stablecoins and tokenised real-world assets. Its growing Layer 2 ecosystem is making transactions faster and more accessible.

Piyush Walke, Derivatives Research Analyst, Delta Exchange: Ethereum's 11th anniversary comes at a mixed moment. While ETH remains well below its 2025 peak, the network itself has never been stronger, with high staking levels, steady validation participation, and growing institutional adoption. Ethereum has evolved from an ambitious idea into the backbone of a growing on-chain economy.

Raj Karkara, COO, ZebPay: Ethereum's journey highlights how collaboration between developers, researchers, validators, and the broader community can drive meaningful technological progress. With blockchain technology continuing to gain traction across both retail and institutional markets, Ethereum remains well-positioned to enable the next wave of innovation, empowering businesses, developers, and users to build a more open, efficient, and interconnected digital economy.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

TLDR ETH trades near $1,905-$1,918, sitting almost exactly on its daily pivot point. A break above $1,967 could open a path toward $2,050-$2,117; a drop below $1,872 risks a slide to $1,840. Staked ETH hit a record 40.2 million coins in Q2 2026, about 33% of total supply. BlackRock clients bought over $20 million in ETH this week while pulling $60 million from their Bitcoin ETF. A wallet tracked by Lookonchain withdrew 40,000 ETH, worth about $76.58 million, from Binance. Ethereum is trading close to $1,905, sitting almost exactly on its daily pivot point of $1,904.31. That kind of precision usually means the market is waiting for a trigger.

The MACD histogram has dropped to zero. This shows that the momentum built during ETH’s recent climb has been used up.

Ethereum’s Relative Strength Index is at 56. That is a neutral reading, meaning the coin is not overbought and still has room to move higher.

Price Levels to Watch The key resistance sits at $1,967.99. A daily close above that price could open a run toward $2,050 and then $2,117, which lines up with the 200-day moving average.

On the downside, buyers have been defending the $1,872 level. A break below that price could send ETH toward $1,840, and then possibly $1,786.

Open interest in ETH futures grew 1.29% over 24 hours to $4.4 billion. This shows new money is entering the market rather than traders closing old positions.

Retail traders are 68.6% long, and larger traders are 63.1% long. Both groups are leaning the same way, which reduces the chance of a quick reversal.

Ethereum Price on CoinGecko Staking and Whale Activity Ethereum turned 11 years old this week, and several data points suggest growing interest in the token. Staked ETH climbed to a record 40.2 million coins in the second quarter of 2026, according to Bitwise. That figure represents about 33% of ETH’s total supply and is worth more than $63 billion.

Bitwise shared this milestone on X, noting that staking participation has never been higher. The post highlighted how much of ETH’s supply is now locked away from regular trading.

Fund flows are also shifting. Arkham Intelligence reported that BlackRock clients pulled $60 million out of the firm’s IBIT Bitcoin ETF this week. During that same stretch, those clients bought over $20 million worth of ETH.

Whale movement backed up the story. Lookonchain tracked a wallet labeled 0x2d59 withdrawing 40,000 ETH, worth about $76.58 million, from Binance. Moving coins off an exchange often means an investor plans to hold rather than sell.

The reason behind this particular withdrawal has not been confirmed. Large transfers like this are watched closely because they can signal reduced selling pressure.

Raj Karkara of ZebPay commented on Ethereum’s progress since launch. He said the network has grown from an early concept into the base layer for a large digital ecosystem, pointing to its shift to Proof-of-Stake as a factor in its long-term durability.

No verified analyst price calls have circulated in the past day with clear attribution. That leaves ETH’s short-term direction tied mostly to technical levels and the flows described above.

As of the most recent update, ETH was trading at $1,918.20, up 0.04% on the day.

Bitget has firmly established its position as one of the top liquidity providers for Bitcoin and Ethereum derivatives trading in the first half of 2026, as revealed in the latest report on crypto derivatives market performance by CoinGlass. The results follow industry-wide decline in overall derivatives trading activity, with better quality/depth of execution becoming more important.

Bitget Shines In Crypto Derivatives Market The report revealed that Bitget’s Ethereum order-book size for ±1% range had the second largest depth. Among exchanges that were studied, the exchange had $81.37 million in ETH liquidity, which represents 21.4% of the liquidity. Bitget was the next best, trailing only Binance.

Bitget was ranked 4th in terms of order book depth with $71.70 million, with a margin of ±1% from the mid price in Bitcoin. This accounted for 13.4% of total liquidity combined across the listed trading platforms.

CoinGlass also pointed to downtrend trading conditions in the first six months of this year. The average daily cryptocurrency derivatives trading volume and open interest in H1 2026 fell by 15.7% and 10.0% year over year, respectively. The decline in the open interest was less than the trading volume, signaling that market participants purchased and sold trades during sluggish trading activity, which further highlighted the need for deep liquidity to execute trades.

“The derivatives markets remain sensitive to volatility even when overall trading activity moderates,” stated Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “In this environment, liquidity depth has become a core measure of exchange’s trust and performance.”

A Surge In Institutional Participants In addition, Bitget also noted that its platform was witnessing an increase in institutional participation. According to the internal data, by December 2025, the spot trading volume of the exchange was 82% institutional investors. The company has previously announced upgrades to its PRO and Liquidity Incentive Programs, which included a revision to trading fee, market-making incentive, and liquidity support offers on all digital asset and traditional financial market products earlier this month.

The CoinGlass report also documented Bitget’s growth in the traditional finance sector products. In the H1 2026, the exchange recorded $66.41 billion in the trading volume of TradFi perpetual contracts, making up 5.5% of the trading volume of the five exchanges evaluated in the category.

The numbers represent the growing market appetite for traditional market exposure via Bitget’s crypto-native trading infrastructures, as the company advances its Universal Exchange model across the crypto, tokenized asset and traditional financial markets.

Ethereum price remained trapped near $1,920 on July 30 as resistance below $2,000, restrictive US monetary policy, delayed crypto legislation, and broader market fear limited demand.

Summary

Ethereum price traded near $1,922, below resistance around $1,938 and the psychological $2,000 level. 4-hour momentum remains constructive, but a negative CMF reading shows weak capital inflows. US spot Ethereum ETFs recorded $18.65 million in net outflows on July 29. Fed policy, the delayed CLARITY Act, and geopolitical risks are discouraging aggressive risk-taking. Ethereum price consolidates below $2,000 According to data from crypto.news, Ethereum (ETH) price was trading around $1,922 at the time of writing, up roughly 0.6% on the daily chart but still unable to turn its July recovery into a clean breakout.

The token has spent several sessions consolidating below $2,000 after briefly reaching the $1,970–$1,980 area earlier in the week. Sellers repeatedly appeared near the upper end of that range, preventing ETH from challenging the psychological threshold.

The daily chart places immediate resistance near $1,938, an area that previously acted as support in February and March. Ethereum’s latest candles have formed directly below that level, suggesting buyers and sellers are waiting for a stronger catalyst before taking control.

Ethereum price daily chart — July 30 | Source: crypto.news Momentum has also started to flatten. The daily relative strength index stood near 58, keeping ETH above neutral territory but below overbought levels. The MACD remained positive, although its lines were converging and the histogram had slipped slightly below zero.

These signals point to consolidation rather than a confirmed bearish reversal. However, they also show that the recovery from June’s low near $1,530 has lost momentum as ETH approaches heavier overhead supply.

Macro fear is limiting risk appetite Ethereum’s stalled breakout follows the Federal Reserve’s decision to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 3.5%–3.75%. Although the decision was widely expected, it gave investors little reason to increase exposure to high-beta assets.

Three Federal Open Market Committee members voted for a quarter-point rate increase, showing that inflation remains a concern inside the central bank. Chair Kevin Warsh also reaffirmed the Fed’s commitment to returning inflation to its 2% target, leaving open the risk of tighter policy if price pressures persist. The Federal Reserve’s statement confirmed the 9–3 decision.

Higher rates increase the relative appeal of interest-bearing assets while raising the opportunity cost of holding cryptocurrencies. The effect is especially important for Ethereum because its recent recovery has depended partly on investors becoming more willing to move back into risk assets.

Geopolitical pressure has added another layer of uncertainty. Brent crude jumped more than 7% on Wednesday amid renewed US-Iran tensions, while the Dow fell 2.2%, the S&P 500 lost 1.5%, and the Nasdaq declined 1.7%. The combination of rising energy prices and weaker equities raised fresh concerns that inflation could remain elevated.

The crypto market’s broader mood reflects that caution. The Fear and Greed Index remained in the “Fear” category on July 30, showing that traders have yet to regain confidence despite ETH’s recovery from its June low.

CLARITY Act delay removes a crucial catalyst Regulatory uncertainty is also weighing on Ethereum indirectly. The US Senate has postponed work on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act while lawmakers prioritize a Russia sanctions package and federal nominations.

The delay reduces the likelihood of meaningful progress before the Senate’s August recess. The bill is intended to clarify how the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission divide oversight of digital assets.

Ethereum already has access to regulated US spot exchange-traded funds, but wider market-structure rules could encourage exchanges, brokers, and institutions to expand their crypto operations. Delaying those rules leaves investors without a near-term regulatory catalyst.

According to data from SoSoValue, US spot Ethereum ETFs recorded approximately $18.65 million in net outflows on July 29, reversing the previous session’s inflow. The withdrawal was modest compared with the funds’ recent weekly gains, but it showed that institutional demand was not strong enough to force ETH through $2,000 during the latest attempt.

Ethereum breakout needs stronger capital inflows Ethereum’s 4-hour chart remains more constructive than the macro backdrop. ETH was trading above its 20-period, 50-period, 100-period, and 200-period simple moving averages, which stood near $1,913, $1,903, $1,889, and $1,801, respectively.

Ethereum price 4-hour chart — July 30 | Source: crypto.news An ascending trendline also continues to support the recovery. That structure gives buyers a path toward $1,960 and $2,000 as long as ETH holds above the $1,888–$1,900 region.

However, the Chaikin Money Flow indicator stood at minus 0.05. A negative reading means capital flow has not confirmed the rising price structure, increasing the risk that another push toward resistance will fade without stronger spot demand.

The liquidation heatmap shows a concentrated liquidity pocket near $1,940, followed by a wider cluster around $1,980–$2,000. A move through $1,940 could therefore trigger short liquidations and pull ETH toward the psychological barrier.

Ethereum liquidation heatmap | Source: CoinGlass Downside liquidity is concentrated near $1,840. If Ethereum loses the ascending trendline and breaks below $1,888, that lower cluster could attract price and expose the 200-period average near $1,800.

Analysts see upside if support holds Crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe expects the recovery to continue while Ethereum remains above its medium-term moving averages.

“As long as ETH remains above the 21-Day MA and the 50-Day MA, higher prices are likely going to follow.”

Van de Poppe also identified US personal consumption expenditure inflation and advance gross domestic product data as the next macro catalysts. Softer inflation could ease pressure on Treasury yields and improve demand for technology stocks and cryptocurrencies.

Analyst Ted Pillows placed Ethereum’s main support slightly lower.

“As long as the $1,850–$1,870 level holds, the next big move for Ethereum will be upside.”

For now, Ethereum’s structure remains resistant to the negative backdrop rather than decisively bullish. Holding above $1,888–$1,900 preserves the recovery, but a sustained breakout will likely require ETH to clear $1,940 with stronger volume before overcoming the larger $1,980–$2,000 supply zone.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

US Crypto Regulations — Read the full US Regulation Hub for the latest on SEC enforcement, IRS crypto tax rules, and pending legislation.

TSMC's US stock rose over 4% in pre-market trading, as it will develop AI chip packaging technology.

According to BIT (bit.com) market data, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM.N) saw its U.S. pre-market shares rise more than 4%. On the news front, TSMC announced today that it will develop AI chip packaging technology.

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Polymarket to Upgrade Crypto Prediction Market Settlement Rules: Ditches Single-Price Snapshots for Time-Weighted Average Prices

Prediction platform Polymarket announced it will implement major adjustments to the settlement mechanism of its crypto price movement markets starting August 7 to safeguard market integrity. Effective at 00:00 UTC that day, affected markets will no longer settle based on a single point-in-time price snapshot, instead adopting the Time-Weighted Average Price (TWAP) model. Different market durations have corresponding TWAP windows: all crypto 5-minute markets use a 30-second TWAP, 15-minute markets use a 60-second TWAP, and 4-hour markets also use a 60-second TWAP. The prior single-snapshot settlement method was vulnerable to price manipulation during low-liquidity periods; the change marks Polymarket’s proactive reinforcement of its market integrity framework following a series of regulatory concerns. To support the transition, Polymarket will allocate $1 million in liquidity rewards to all affected markets throughout August. Technically, Chainlink’s TWAP testnet data stream is already live, while mainnet data streams and Polymarket’s real-time data stream service will launch on August 4. Developers will then be able to access TWAP prices directly via Chainlink Data Streams or Polymarket’s public WebSocket.

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Last week’s U.S. initial jobless claims increase came in below expectations, and the U.S. labor market remains in a phase of slowing hiring and layoffs.

The increase in U.S. initial jobless claims last week came in lower than market expectations, signaling the labor market remains stable. The U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday that for the week ending July 25, initial jobless claims across states rose by 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted total of 197,000, against economists' forecast of 200,000. This uptick partially offset the prior week's decline, when the figure had hit its lowest level since 1969. Initial jobless claims data for July is often volatile, as automakers typically halt production for annual maintenance and equipment upgrades during this period. However, this year, General Motors kept most of its assembly plants operational, while Ford Motor canceled its traditional summer shutdown for truck factories. This may have disrupted the statistical models the government uses to filter out seasonal fluctuations. Economists noted that the U.S. labor market remains in a state of "slowing hiring and slowing layoffs".

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Oracle climbs nearly 5% in pre-market trading, set to launch enterprise applications powered by Google’s Gemini model.

According to BIT (bit.com) market data, Oracle’s US stock rose nearly 5% in pre-market trading, and is now up over 3.5%. On the news front, Oracle has expanded its partnership with Google, and will launch enterprise applications powered by Google’s Gemini model.

4 minutes ago

Microsoft is considering launching an open-weight AI model to counter competition from Chinese AI developers including DeepSeek and Moonshot AI.

According to Nikkei News, Microsoft (MSFT.O) is considering making some of its self-developed AI models available with open weights. Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, said the company is evaluating this possibility amid growing popularity of Chinese AI models among U.S. users. The move signals a potential shift in Microsoft’s AI strategy: facing competition from Chinese AI developers including DeepSeek and Moonshot AI, Microsoft aims to boost its competitiveness while reducing reliance on OpenAI. The tech giant also stated it plans to maintain its multimodal strategy, enabling customers to use models from OpenAI or Anthropic based on their specific needs.

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In U.S. pre-market trading, gains in the semiconductor and storage sectors have widened, with SanDisk and Western Digital surging over 8% each, and SK Hynix ADR climbing 5.3%.

According to BIT (bit.com) market data, pre-market trading in U.S. semiconductor and storage sectors has extended gains, as detailed below: ARM’s gain widened to 11% after it had earlier fallen nearly 8%; Lam Research (LRCX) jumped more than 13%. LRCX released its earnings report after yesterday’s market close, with both its financial results and forward guidance exceeding consensus expectations, projecting its next-quarter revenue to reach a peak of $8.5 billion. Nvidia (NVDA) rose 2.1%; Intel (INTC) gained 4.9%; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) climbed 5.8%; Seagate Technology (STX) advanced 7.5%; Western Digital (WDC) rose 8.3%; SanDisk (SNDK) gained 8.6%; Micron Technology (MU) climbed 6.3%; SK Hynix ADR rose 5.3%.

4 minutes ago

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.

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Crypto security risks showed little sign of easing during the first half of 2026. Instead, attacks accelerated to record levels, pushing industry losses beyond $1.1 billion in just six months.

A report by Blockaid tracked over 212 on-chain incidents. These losses alone exceed the total losses recorded throughout 2025.

Furthermore, the incident count reached 3.4 times the previous full-year level, suggesting attackers are exploiting vulnerabilities faster than projects can address them.

Source: Blockaid April alone accounted for over $600 million in losses across DeFi, translating to over 50% of these losses. The Kelp DAO ($293 million) and Drift Protocol ($285 million) incidents stood out as the biggest individual attacks.

The two incidents also demonstrated how a single breach can erase significant value within hours. Meanwhile, the $5.4 million average loss and $213,000 median loss showed that smaller attacks remained persistent across the ecosystem.

Together, these figures suggest security threats are becoming broader and more costly, increasing pressure on crypto projects to strengthen infrastructure, smart contract auditing, and incident response before losses climb even higher.

Ethereum and Solana lead security losses Those rising losses also reveal where attackers concentrated their efforts during the first half of 2026. Ethereum [ETH] recorded the largest losses at $332 million. Solana [SOL] trailed it closely behind at $326 million, making the two largest blockchain ecosystems the primary targets.

Source: X However, the attack methods differed considerably. Ethereum’s concentration of high-value protocols made smart contracts and protocol code the preferred targets. In contrast, Solana’s signer-heavy multisig ecosystem meant compromised private keys and signing infrastructure accounted for more than 98% of losses.

Meanwhile, cross-chain bridges remained the largest source of dollar exposure, with the $292 million KelpDAO exploit demonstrating how bridge infrastructure continues to attract sophisticated attacks.

These trends show that attackers are targeting the architecture specific to each blockchain rather than merely focusing on larger ecosystems.

Can crypto outpace attackers? Rather than merely trying to prevent them, crypto security has evolved into measuring recovery success based on the pace of recovering the funds.

Despite improved auditing, bug bounty programs, and real-time monitoring having reduced the time to respond to an attack and limited loss, recovery is still very inconsistent.

However, despite these efforts, recovery remains inconsistent, especially after key compromises. Looking ahead, stronger signer security, continuous monitoring, and faster incident coordination will likely determine whether future losses decline.

Until recovery improves alongside prevention, the industry’s expanding security infrastructure will remain effective at limiting damage rather than stopping attacks.

Final Summary Crypto security losses exceeded $1.1 billion in H1 2026, showing attackers continue evolving faster than industry defenses. Crypto security will depend on stronger prevention, faster recovery, and better operational defenses to reduce successful exploits.

SKHX's funding rate on Binance is now 2.1 times that on Hyperliquid.

According to Hyperinsight’s monitoring, the current funding rate for SKHX on Hyperliquid has risen to 0.0373% per hour, paid by long positions to short positions. On Binance, the SKHYNIXUSDT funding rate is approximately 0.3141% every four hours, about 2.1 times that of Hyperliquid over the same period. Calculated at current rates, holding a $10,000 long position would incur a 24-hour funding cost of roughly $89.6 on Hyperliquid and about $188.4 on Binance, a difference of approximately $98.8. Over the past 24 hours, the cumulative settled funding rate for SKHX on Hyperliquid stood at around 0.3925%, while the current hourly rate has risen to roughly 2.3 times the 24-hour average, accelerating cost increases for long positions.

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Leveraged ETFs tracking South Korea’s semiconductor storage sector plunged, with the Southern 2x Long SK Hynix ETF falling over 17%.

The South Korean storage sector continues to face pressure. As of press time, Hong Kong-listed leveraged ETFs are broadly lower. The Nanfang 2x Long Samsung Electronics (07747) declined 7.65% to HK$54.58; the Nanfang 2x Long SK Hynix (07709) dropped 17.13% to HK$27.10.

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China's A-share ChiNext Index and STAR 50 Index both fell more than 6% before midday trading.

China's ChiNext Index and STAR 50 Index both fell more than 6% before midday trading, the Shenzhen Component Index dropped nearly 3.86%, and the Shanghai Composite Index declined 1.2%.

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Address linked to Bitminter founder transfers 829 BTC, some assets move after lying dormant for 8 years

According to monitoring by Emmett Gallic, addresses linked to Geir Harald Hansen, founder of early Bitcoin mining pool Bitminter, recently transferred 829 BTC, with some of these coins moving on-chain for the first time in 8 years. Publicly available information shows that Bitminter, founded by Hansen, was one of the major early Bitcoin mining pools, at its peak accounting for nearly 10% of the network’s total hash rate and having mined approximately 208,232 BTC in total.

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Meme token STONKBROKER on Robinhood Chain briefly hit a $30 million market cap, surging 54.52% in the past 24 hours.

According to GMGN market data, STONKBROKER’s market capitalization briefly touched $30 million, and currently stands at $29.33 million, with a 24-hour gain of 54.52%.

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South Korea’s KOSPI index plunged nearly 50% in 40 days, with Samsung and SK Hynix — which account for half of the index’s weighting — acting as a major driver of the decline.

South Korea’s stock market has recently faced intense selling pressure, with AI chip trading shifting from a crowded high-level position to concentrated liquidation. The KOSPI index hit an intraday all-time high of 9,385.59 points on June 19, before plummeting in less than a month and a half. Calculated at the current level around 5,689 points, the index has pulled back roughly 39% from its peak; measured against yesterday’s intraday low, the maximum decline is nearly 44%. In terms of market capitalization, the KOSPI’s total market cap has shrunk sharply from its mid-June high, with market estimates putting the evaporated value approaching $2 trillion (roughly 1.55 times Bitcoin’s total market cap). The core pressure driving this round of declines is concentrated in semiconductor heavyweight stocks. The KOSPI is a market-cap weighted index, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix exerting enormous influence on the benchmark. Recent calculations show Samsung Electronics accounts for nearly 30% of the KOSPI’s market cap, while SK Hynix makes up over 20%, bringing the two firms’ combined weight to more than 50%. In other words, South Korea’s main board index is highly tied to AI memory, High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), and the semiconductor cycle in this market move. Previously, SK Hynix’s stock surged on the back of HBM demand, memory price hikes, and AI server orders, while Samsung Electronics also benefited from market bets on an AI memory recovery. However, as global tech stock volatility intensified, investors began reassessing risks including returns on AI capital expenditure, competition from Chinese memory players, stretched valuations, and the risk of leveraged funds exiting, triggering a sharp reversal in South Korea’s semiconductor stock chain.

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In brief The Federal Reserve held its benchmark rate at 3.5%–3.75% on Wednesday. Bitcoin and Ethereum both dipped slightly shortly after the 2 p.m. ET announcement. No updated rate projections were released—the Fed's next dot plot, which maps where policymakers expect rates to go, is scheduled for September. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at 3.5%–3.75% on Wednesday, meeting near-universal market expectations and leaving crypto markets to digest a muted response—even as equities sold off on a combination of hawkish dissent and a geopolitical shock.

The price of Bitcoin dipped around 1% to $63,890 following the Fed's announcement while Ethereum similarly fell by about 1% , now trading for just above $1,900.

It's the fifth consecutive hold since the committee cut rates by 25 basis points in December 2025—the last move Jerome Powell made before Kevin Warsh, Trump's pick for Fed chair, took over. Since then, rates haven't moved. Neither has Warsh's communication style: he's pledged to share less "forward guidance" than his predecessors, meaning markets get fewer signals about what's coming next.

Wednesday's decision came without a Summary of Economic Projections—the quarterly dot plot that shows where each Fed member expects rates to land. That means no fresh forecast to trade on. The next one comes in September. What the committee did note: the economy is "expanding at a solid pace," but inflation remains above its 2% target, due in part to the situation in the Middle East causing energy prices to rise.

That last part matters for crypto. Nearly half of FOMC members signaled at the June meeting they'd support a rate hike before year-end. Oil has been trading above $100 a barrel in recent weeks, keeping price pressure alive. A September hike is no longer off the table—and markets know it.

The Federal Reserve adjusts interest rates when economic data—inflation, employment, growth—points toward overheating or slowdown. When rates go up, borrowing gets more expensive: mortgages, business loans, and credit card debt all cost more, slowing spending and, in theory, cooling prices. When they go down, cheaper credit tends to encourage risk-taking and investment. For assets like crypto, lower rates historically act as a tailwind—money flows toward higher-yielding bets when safe alternatives pay less. The reverse is also true: even the threat of a hike tends to pressure prices lower.

Three regional Fed bank presidents—Beth Hammack of Cleveland, Neel Kashkari of Minneapolis, and Lorie Logan of Dallas—voted against holding and in favor of an immediate 25-basis-point hike, the most hawkish bloc of dissents of Warsh's tenure as chair.

The Iran attack was also weighing on markets: Oil climbed nearly $4 to $83 before the decision was released, adding to inflation pressures that gave the hawks their argument. At least 20 people were killed in joint U.S. and Saudi Arabian retaliatory strikes on Iranian-backed forces in Iraq.

The next FOMC decision is September 16, 2026, when the committee will publish updated economic projections and a new dot plot.

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The Federal Reserve decided to keep its benchmark interest rate steady at 3.5%–3.75% on Wednesday, as anticipated by most market participants. The policy move, which offered no new signals about the path ahead, prompted a mild decline in cryptocurrency prices, with Bitcoin and Ethereum both losing ground after the announcement.

Shortly after the Federal Open Market Committee’s decision was revealed at 2 p.m. ET, the price of Bitcoin slipped approximately 1% to $63,890. Ethereum also dipped about 1%, trading just above $1,900 by late afternoon. The subdued response in digital assets contrasted with sharper declines in equity markets, which reacted to both policy tensions inside the Fed and mounting geopolitical risks.

This marks the fifth consecutive meeting where the Fed has opted not to adjust rates. The central bank last shifted course in December 2025, trimming rates by 25 basis points. That was also the final policy move under then-Chair Jerome Powell before Kevin Warsh, previously a Federal Reserve Board governor and an advisor to past administrations, assumed leadership of the central bank. Warsh has emphasized a more reserved approach to communication, providing fewer cues to markets than his predecessors.

Trading volumes in both crypto and equities showed signs of uncertainty as investors digested the lack of new forward guidance from the Fed on interest rates, inflation, and growth outlooks.

Economic Projections DelayedPolicymakers did not issue a new Summary of Economic Projections at this meeting. The closely watched “dot plot,” which details each member’s expectations for future interest rates, will next be published in September. The absence of these projections left markets with little to interpret beyond the statement itself.

The committee described the US economy as “expanding at a solid pace” but flagged that inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, driven in part by rising energy costs linked to Middle East tensions.

Higher inflation readings, paired with oil trading above $100 per barrel in recent weeks, are adding to price pressures across markets. Nearly half of the committee members have indicated potential support for a rate hike before the end of the year, making a September increase a distinct possibility.

Mini dictionary: FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee): The FOMC sets US monetary policy, including interest rates, and is composed of Federal Reserve Board members and regional bank presidents.

Interest rate decisions directly affect a range of financial assets. When the Fed raises rates, borrowing becomes more expensive, typically cooling spending and slowing inflation. Lower rates have the opposite effect by encouraging risk-taking and investment across markets, including cryptocurrencies. Historically, crypto assets tend to benefit from easier financial conditions, while the threat or reality of higher rates puts pressure on prices.

Geopolitical Tensions and Internal DisagreementThree regional bank presidents—Beth Hammack of Cleveland, Neel Kashkari of Minneapolis, and Lorie Logan of Dallas—called for an immediate 25-basis-point rate hike. This trio of dissents represents the most hawkish opposition seen during Warsh’s time as chair.

Geopolitical events also weighed on sentiment. On the day of the Fed announcement, oil prices spiked by nearly $4, reaching $83 per barrel. The move followed retaliatory US and Saudi Arabian strikes targeting Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, which, according to officials, resulted in at least 20 fatalities. The rise in energy prices added urgency to concerns about persistent inflation.

Looking AheadThe Fed will next meet on September 16, 2026. That meeting will include the release of new economic forecasts and a fresh dot plot, offering markets additional insight into policymakers’ expectations for inflation, growth, and the future path of interest rates.

The committee’s balanced approach left crypto markets searching for direction as the likelihood of another rate change later this year remains in focus.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Ethereum price today: $1,910ETH derivatives showed traders trimming positions and moving toward neutral grounds before the Fed's decision to leave rates unchanged.The spot market also aligns with selling activity decreasing and inflows into ETH ETFs dropping to their lowest levels in July.ETH continues to seek direction within the tight short and long-term EMAs range.Ethereum (ETH) climbed above $1,900 on Wednesday following the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) decision to leave interest rates unchanged at 3.50-3.75%. The decision follows a quiet derivatives and spot market for the top altcoin, with traders waiting for the decision before making a move, according to CryptoQuant analysts.

In a report on Wednesday, the analysts highlighted that long traders in ETH perpetual futures have been booking profits near $1,880, but short dominance remains weakened, indicating that traders are scaling down exposure rather than betting on a fresh price decline.

ETH's Taker Buy Sell Ratio is also around neutral levels, with its 168-hour moving average dropping to 1.00. A similar trend is evident in Bitcoin, where the metric has slipped from 1.04 last week toward 1.00, meaning the volume of long and short traders executing trades against market orders is roughly balanced.

Bitcoin & Ethereum Taker Buy Sell Ratio. Source: CryptoQuant"A neutral book into the event means the FOMC outcome could tip dominance either way and drive a sharp rise in volatility," CryptoQuant noted.

Similarly, the Net Taker Volume, which measures similar metrics but in ETH perpetual markets, eased from 28.9 million to 733K on Tuesday.

In addition, the analysts shared that ETH funding rates on the Deribit exchange have remained positive around 0.0011%, indicating a modestly long-biased market. A sustained positive funding environment could put crowded long positions at risk as a shift toward negative funding could amplify volatility and spur a long squeeze.

On the spot side, exchange inflows have slowed considerably for the top altcoin alongside Bitcoin. The report noted that inflows for both coins are around 274K ETH and 7.4K BTC, showing weak selling pressure.

"Both [are] toward the lower end of their 2026 ranges and well below the 50K+ BTC and 2M+ ETH spikes seen earlier in the year. Subdued inflows suggest holders are not rushing to sell into the meeting, consistent with traders already discounting the expected no-change decision," CryptoQuant analysts wrote.

Bitcoin & Ethereum Exchange Inflows. Source: CryptoQuantInstitutional activity also indicates neutral sentiment as inflows into US spot ETH exchange-traded funds (ETFs) dropped to $9.2 million and $14.5 million over the past two days, their lowest net inflows so far in July, according to SoSoValue data.

Earlier reports hinted at a few ETH investors distributing near their on-chain cost basis to potentially de-risk ahead of the FOMC's decision.

With the FOMC leaving rates unchanged, the market has slightly tilted toward the upside as traders await the press conference of Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.

Ethereum technical analysis: ETH seeks direction in tight EMAs rangeEthereum has recorded $53 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours, led by $27.2 million in long liquidations, per Coinglass data.

On the daily chart, ETH is consolidating in a neutral-to-bullish stance as it holds above the 20-day and 50-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs) at roughly $1,868 and $1,846, respectively, while still capped by the 100-day EMA at about $1,935.

The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) hovers around 57, suggesting moderate bullish momentum that could sustain the current bid as long as price remains above this nearby confluence of dynamic supports.

On the topside, immediate resistance is seen at the 100-day EMA around $1,935, followed by the horizontal barrier at $1,961, with higher hurdles then aligning at $2,172 and $2,432.

ETH/USDT daily chartOn the downside, initial support is located at the trendline region near $1,876 before the 20-day and 50-day EMAs. The next horizontal floor is at $1,810, with deeper cushions emerging near $1,702 and $1,507 if selling pressure accelerates.

(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)

US senators propose quantum tech bill, no direct impact on Bitcoin or Ethereum

The Ethereum Institutional Coalition has announced the completion of its first funding round, signaling a marked increase in institutional support for the Ethereum network. The coalition’s initiative is designed to accelerate blockchain adoption among traditional institutions, focusing on the implementation of onchain tokenization, stablecoins, and comprehensive market infrastructure by 2026.

Industry backing and core supportersKey contributors to the funding round include BitMNR, Sharplink, and Ethereum co-founders Joseph Lubin and Mihai Alisie. More than 100 organizations and individuals from the wider crypto ecosystem have joined as supporters, many with deep experience in institutional-grade digital asset solutions.

The coalition aims to leverage this extensive backing to strengthen Ethereum’s position as a preferred platform for settlement and treasury functions involving real-world asset tokens. The existence of clearer guidance for US stablecoins has created a more favorable environment for regulated onchain financial services, encouraging collaborative efforts to build robust market infrastructure.

Technical priorities and regulatory considerationsWith the infusion of new capital, asset managers, crypto exchanges, and fintech companies are expected to have additional resources to develop compliant settlement mechanisms, merchant payment solutions, and secure custody integrations on both the Ethereum blockchain and associated Layer 2 networks.

In addition, custodial platforms are expected to benefit from an institution-focused advocacy channel that supports the preparation of technical toolkits tailored to their needs. This institutional momentum is anticipated to bring further liquidity to exchanges and create new onramps for traditional finance participants entering the crypto sector.

The coalition’s formation coincides with increased regulatory attention on stablecoin standards and real-world asset token structures, essential for market participants seeking exposure to digital assets outside of direct ETF offerings.

The broad industry participation reflects heightened interest from organizations evaluating Ethereum as a fundamental layer for future settlement and tokenization strategies.

Next steps and ecosystem developmentsThe coalition’s roadmap targets 2026 as the year for full-scale institutional implementation of blockchain-based settlement layers. The organization intends to deploy its accumulated business expertise by driving new tokenization pilot projects, launching partner initiatives, and integrating compliance protocols to facilitate secure asset transfers and stablecoin adoption.

To stay ahead of emerging trends and technical shifts, market participants are turning to platforms that consolidate investment tracking, news, and portfolio management. CryptoAppsy, which requires no account creation hassle, combines crypto investments with real-time prices, detailed charts, and multi-currency portfolio management on a single screen. By enabling instant smart price alerts, filtered news by coin, and early discovery of new altcoin listings, as well as providing macroeconomic data such as Fed interest rates, the platform helps market participants make agile and well-informed decisions in this evolving institutional landscape.

With a growing coalition and a clear, regulated environment, ecosystem leaders are preparing for Ethereum’s evolution from a pioneering smart contract platform into a full-scale settlement solution for mainstream finance.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Ethereum has drawn renewed scrutiny from traders and institutional investors, driven by an uptick in whale transactions, improved technical signals, and robust inflows into spot exchange-traded funds. As market participants assess the sustainability of Ethereum’s recent rebound, attention is turning to whether the cryptocurrency can sustain its upward momentum in the coming weeks.

Key support and price movementCurrently, Ethereum (ETH) trades at $1,916.03. Over the past 24 hours, the asset has recorded a 1.70% increase, with a daily trading volume of $23.13 billion. Ethereum’s total market capitalization stands at $231.23 billion, representing 10.53% of the overall cryptocurrency market.

Trading activity among larger holders has surged, with whale wallets transferring or selling approximately 226,435 ETH in a single day. The value of these transactions reached nearly $430 million, underscoring significant moves within major market players.

Crypto analyst Ali Charts pointed to $1,733 as a pivotal support area for Ethereum. He suggested that a drop below this level could undermine the asset’s recovery efforts.

Ethereum’s outlook hinges on its ability to maintain support at $1,733 and to challenge resistance in the $1,980 to $2,080 range, as investor focus intensifies on these signals.

Following a brief pullback to the $1,600 region, Ethereum rebounded and moved back above crucial technical indicators, signaling renewed buying interest among traders and investors.

ETF inflows highlight institutional demandInstitutional adoption of Ethereum continues to strengthen. The debut of the Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust (MSSE) on NYSE Arca on July 28 expanded the list of spot Ethereum ETFs to 11, increasing opportunities for traditional investors to gain exposure to the asset. MSSE registered $5.15 million in net inflows and reported $19.03 million in trading volume on its first trading day, according to data from SoSoValue.

Meanwhile, BlackRock’s ETHB remains the leading Ethereum ETF in daily inflows, attracting $5.91 million on the latest trading day. The fund has now compiled total inflows of $529 million, highlighting persistent interest from institutional clients.

Across all spot Ethereum ETFs, aggregate net assets have risen to $10.50 billion, which represents about 4.53% of the overall Ethereum market capitalization. Combined net inflows among these funds now amount to $11.21 billion, reflecting the sustained demand for Ethereum investment products.

ETFDaily InflowCumulative InflowNet AssetsBlackRock ETHB$5.91 million$529 millionNot specifiedMorgan Stanley MSSE$5.15 millionFirst dayNot specifiedAll spot ETH ETFs (total)—$11.21 billion$10.50 billionMini dictionary: Morgan Stanley is a major US-based multinational investment bank and financial services company, while NYSE Arca is a fully electronic securities exchange operated by the New York Stock Exchange, specializing in ETFs and equities trading.

Outlook and factors to watchEthereum moves into a pivotal phase as it approaches critical support near $1,733, with resistance levels at $1,980 and $2,080 serving as potential hurdles for further gains. The price trajectory is expected to be influenced by ongoing whale transactions, ETF inflows, broader market sentiment, and blockchain application demand.

Institutional appetite for Ethereum, evidenced by ETF developments, adds a significant dimension to current demand, while technical indicators have begun to point toward stronger upside momentum.

With major support and resistance levels coming into focus, Ethereum’s next decisive moves could set the tone for whether the recovery develops into a lasting trend or remains a short-term rebound.

Observers note that market volatility remains high, and outcomes may depend on how well Ethereum can hold support and attract further investment activity. The next several weeks are viewed as critical in establishing the asset’s longer-term direction.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has appointed Pascal Caversaccio, also known as “pcaversaccio,” a co-founder and lead of crypto security response group SEAL 911, to its board as the organization deepens its focus on privacy and security.

On Wednesday, the EF said Caversaccio joined for an initial one-year term voluntarily. He joins President Aya Miyaguchi, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Swiss counsel Patrick Storchenegger on the four-member board.
Caversaccio is a longtime Ethereum contributor and a member of the Foundation’s Silviculture Society, an informal advisory group focused on censorship resistance, open-source development, privacy and security. He also authored The Ethereum Cypherpunk Manifesto in 2024 and Ethereum Privacy: The Road to Self-Sovereignty in 2025.

The board sets the Foundation’s vision and oversees whether management’s strategies and decisions remain aligned with its values. The Foundation described the body as a “security council” responsible for protecting its mission and ensuring compliance as a Swiss foundation.

The appointment comes as the Foundation gives privacy and security a larger role in its organizational strategy. In June, it described both as “non-negotiable protocol guarantees” and said its protocol team would work to translate research, including layer-1 privacy and post-quantum security, into changes that preserve Ethereum’s self-sovereignty.

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Table of contents

The explosive growth of crypto perpetual futures is quietly redrawing Ethereum’s role in market structure. Traders chasing low latency and deep liquidity are migrating to layer-2 networks, and a growing number of builders now argue that Ethereum shouldn’t try to compete as an execution layer. Instead, it should double down on what it already does best: anchoring the security and settlement of the L2s where the real action is happening, according to the original CoinDesk report.

That position reflects a pragmatic turn. For years, Ethereum’s roadmap battled criticism over speed and cost. High-frequency perps trading never fit naturally on a chain prioritizing decentralization over throughput. Rollups and validiums flipped the script. Now, protocols like Arbitrum, Optimism, and zkSync handle order matching and execution, while Ethereum secures the final state. The arrangement solves the UX problem without requiring Ethereum to match the performance of Solana or Sui. The payoff for traders is sharper: sub-cent fees and confirmation times measured in milliseconds on some L2s, while still benefiting from Ethereum’s deep liquidity pools and battle-tested security.

The pivot carries real economic weight. Perps are the single largest category by volume in crypto. When that volume migrates off mainnet, Ethereum loses direct fee capture. L2 batches settle in chunks, compressing thousands of trades into a single data blob posted to mainnet. The network earns less per transaction on the immediate count but arguably strengthens its long-term moat by feeding a whole ecosystem of application-specific chains that pay for security. It’s a bet on scale over unit economics—similar to the cloud infrastructure playbook where margins are thin at the base layer but enormous in aggregate. That logic, however, isn’t yet fully priced into how analysts value Ethereum’s fee generation. Uncertainty about whether blob fees will mature into a dependable revenue stream remains a live debate among institutional desks.

Developer activity offers a useful lens on where the puck is heading. Ethereum still attracts more builders than any other chain, a trend visible in recent data showing robust activity across its L2 ecosystem as well. A look at the top blockchains by developer activity underscores that despite narratives of declining relevance, Ethereum’s tooling and mindshare keep it at the center of new trading infrastructure. Teams building perps DEXs—from Hyperliquid to Vertex—pick an L2 stack that ultimately settles to Ethereum, not because it’s the cheapest option but because it’s the most trusted settlement layer. Trust, in this context, is a hard asset: liquidations don’t fail because of a failed sequencer when the base chain is as scrutinized as Ethereum’s.

A Settlement Layer, Not a Casino Floor The strategic distinction is that Ethereum becomes a bridge for finality, not the venue for the trade itself. Market participants in high-frequency environments care about two things: price consistency and minimal reorg risk. L2s can deliver execution speed; Ethereum delivers settlement certainty. The separation of concerns is, in many ways, the logical endpoint of the modular blockchain thesis that’s been brewing for years. What’s new is that builders are no longer framing this as a temporary scaling patch. They’re describing it as the endgame.

That framing does more than reframe the technical roadmap. It alters how traders, risk managers, and exchange operators assess the safety of on-chain perps markets. When a trader enters a leveraged position on a perpetuals DEX running on an optimistic rollup, the real backstop—if the rollup’s sequencer ever misbehaves—is Ethereum’s slashing conditions and dispute mechanism. The depth of that backstop depends directly on the value securing Ethereum. The relationship is circular: higher L2 activity increases demand for ETH as a settlement asset, which strengthens the security budget, which makes L2s more attractive for larger position sizes. That feedback loop remains untested at the scale that perps volumes can reach during a volatile market regime.

Meanwhile, the institutional pipeline for tokenized assets and real-world settlement is branching into the same infrastructure. The recent crossing of $20 billion in on-chain real-world assets and live tokenized Treasury settlements with JPMorgan illustrate a parallel trend: financial plumbing is moving on-chain across multiple fronts. Perps trading on Ethereum L2s doesn’t operate in a silo; it sits on the same rails that will eventually carry bond settlements and trade finance instruments. The more institutional money that passes through these networks, the harder it becomes for regulators to treat L2s as an unregulated grey zone without upsetting a much broader set of market participants.

What the Market Is Watching Liquidity fragmentation remains a risk that L2 proponents often underplay. With multiple rollups each hosting their own perps markets, traders can get stranded in a single venue’s orderbook without easy cross-L2 bridging. Cosmos-style interchain messaging and shared sequencers are in the works, but they’re not live at scale. Until that gap closes, capital efficiency won’t match what centralized exchanges offer. The builders betting on Ethereum’s settlement-layer thesis are simultaneously betting that interoperability engineering can catch up before user patience runs out. That’s a race worth watching because it determines whether Ethereum’s L2-centric future is a genuine structural upgrade or a temporary detour.

Regulatory cloud cover adds another dimension. If securities laws were ever reinterpreted to impose KYC obligations at the settlement layer itself, the L2 model would face a reckoning. But for now, legislative attempts to rein in crypto have mostly targeted centralized intermediaries. The tension is visible in ongoing Washington negotiations where, just days before a Senate vote, major banks pushed back hard on a landmark crypto bill. The lobbying fight underscores how traditional finance still sees the on-chain settlement model as a competitive threat—one where Ethereum L2s are quietly building the rails that might one day bypass them entirely.

The perps boom, then, isn’t just a volume story. It’s a pressure test for Ethereum’s most consequential strategic bet since the Merge. If L2 networks sustain these volumes without degrading settlement guarantees, Ethereum won’t need to be the fastest chain to remain the most important one. The market isn’t fully convinced yet, but the builders closest to the infrastructure certainly are.

AUTHOR

Kester is an experienced freelance content writer. His focus is primarily on blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. One might even refer to him as a "blockchain enthusiast." He has been following advancements in the crypto and blockchain area for several years, researching and writing his insights in the media. In addition to being a skilled content writer, Mushumir is also knowledgeable in SEO and digital marketing. He aspires to succeed as a content creator in the digital realm, dealing with customers in the finance and tech industries to generate traffic through engaging taglines and content. Mushumir enjoys traveling, reading, and playing cricket when he is not writing. He now works as a news and article writer for BlockchainReporter.

Leading cryptocurrencies traded flat, while stocks sold off on Wednesday as investors digested the Federal Reserve’s policy decision and renewed Middle East hostilities.

Crypto Market RangeboundBitcoin traded in a narrow $63,000–$64,000 band on heavy volume, while Ethereum hovered around $1,900 in a similarly tight range. XRP and Dogecoin also moved sideways.

Nearly $400 million was liquidated from the cryptocurrency market in the last 24 hours, predominantly in bullish long positions, according to Coinglass data

Bitcoin’s open interest rose 1.52% over the last 24 hours. That said, retail and whale derivatives traders on Binance remained net bullish on the leading asset.

Top Gainers (24 Hours) 

The global cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $2.18 trillion, following a modest dip of 0.28% over the last 24 hours.

Stocks in Red After Fed’s Hawkish TiltStocks saw heavy sell-offs on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 1,153.18 points, or 2.19%, to close at 51,594.14. The S&P 500 declined 1.52% to settle at 7,316.1, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 1.74% to end at 24,442.94.

The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged, as widely anticipated, though three policymakers dissented, favoring a 25-basis-point hike. Traders now price in a 57% chance of a rate increase during the September meeting.

In other news, the U.S. military resumed its strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump vowed a severe response to an Iranian ballistic missile strike on American forces in the Middle East.

Whales Making Most of BTC’s CorrectionAli Martinez, a widely followed cryptocurrency analyst and trader, noted that whales were buying Bitcoin’s dip.

“While Bitcoin retraces, large holders have accumulated 29,075 BTC over the past week, a sign they’re positioning through the pullback,” the analyst added.

On-chain analytics firm CryptoQuant stated that Ethereum could be poised for an upside move, as the large-transfer spikes observed in recent months have given way to “historically low transfer volumes.”

“Lower supply is a positive signal for Ethereum, but weak demand continues to keep the price range bound. A new wave of institutional buying could be the catalyst for the next upward move,” the firm added.

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Fintech

29 July 2026 | 18:43 The Ethereum Foundation has added security researcher pcaversaccio, known across the ecosystem as "pc," to its board for an initial one-year voluntary term. He joins President Aya Miyaguchi, co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Swiss counsel Patrick Storchenegger.

Key Takeaways His SEAL 911 work gives the board direct experience of active hacks and exploits. The appointment follows a restructuring that cut 54 positions and reorganized the EF around five domains. The board sets values and oversees management; it does not decide protocol upgrades. The Ethereum Foundation has added security researcher pcaversaccio, known across the ecosystem as “pc,” to its board for an initial one-year voluntary term. He joins President Aya Miyaguchi, co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Swiss counsel Patrick Storchenegger.

The appointment lands just over a month after the largest internal reorganization in the Foundation’s history, which makes the choice of person worth reading closely. A smaller EF has put someone from the incident-response side of Ethereum inside the group that oversees its direction.

He Was Already Advising the Foundation Pc sits on the Silviculture Society, an unpaid advisory group that gives confidential guidance to EF leadership on censorship resistance, open-source development, privacy and security. He also contributed feedback to the EF Mandate, the document published in March defining the Foundation’s mission and decision-making principles.

Moving him from that channel onto the board formalizes a relationship that was already shaping how the organization describes its purpose.

What He Brings From Outside Governance Pc co-founded and helps lead SEAL 911, a free emergency response service connecting projects and users facing live security incidents with vetted researchers. Security Alliance reports more than 3,300 cases handled, over 125 emergency response rooms coordinated and more than $180 million in assets recovered.

That is a specific kind of experience: compromised keys, exploited contracts, stolen funds, and the coordination problem of responding while an attack is still running.

The clearest value he adds is calibration. Boards weighing privacy or censorship-resistance trade-offs usually do so in the abstract, months before any consequence lands on a user. Someone who has coordinated live incident response has watched which theoretical safeguards hold when a protocol is under attack and which collapse on contact. That is a different class of input from what a foundation board normally receives.

His writing covers the same ground from the other direction. The Ethereum Cypherpunk Manifesto argues that privacy, security and censorship resistance belong at Ethereum’s foundation rather than arriving as features bolted on after commercial adoption. Ethereum Privacy: The Road to Self-Sovereignty sets out a direction for stronger transaction privacy, encrypted mempools and resistance to blockchain surveillance.

Both are personal frameworks rather than adopted roadmaps, and together they indicate the perspective arriving at the board table: Ethereum should serve institutions and ordinary users while keeping the properties that stop any company, government or intermediary from controlling it.

The Foundation He Is Joining Is Smaller On June 23, the Foundation completed a months-long restructuring that removed 54 employees, roughly 20% of its workforce. The remaining work was organized into five domains covering the protocol, access, users, community and institutions, each with a narrower remit than before.

The financial reset ran deeper. As Coindoo examined in its analysis of Ethereum’s leaner Foundation model, the 2026 budget fell by roughly 40% as the EF moved toward endowment-style spending designed to preserve resources for decades.

The Foundation drew no explicit connection between the two events, though the protocol cluster’s mandate reads like a description of pc’s own writing: censorship resistance, open-source development, privacy and security as non-negotiable guarantees. The EF was explicit that the group exists for something other than making Ethereum more marketable or turning it into a financial rail run by intermediaries.

One of the five domains is dedicated to institutions, so this is a matter of sequencing rather than opposition. Commercial growth sits inside the structure; the appointment signals where the limits are drawn.

What a Board Seat Actually Controls The Foundation describes its board as a security council: it protects the organization’s values, sets long-term vision and checks that management decisions align with both. It can appoint or remove executive directors.

Its reach stops there. Ethereum’s upgrades are decided through client teams and the wider developer process, none of which the board directs. Daily strategy and operations belong to management.

The voluntary, one-year terms sit alongside that limited scope. Pc joins an oversight body instead of running an operational cluster, and the EF gets a defined review point, though it has said nothing about renewal.

So the appointment changes no budget line and no roadmap item on its own. Its effect shows up later, in how a smaller Foundation allocates what it has left: which security and privacy work gets funded, whether the institutional domain preserves permissionless access, and how firmly the board holds management to the Mandate when those pull against each other.

Why This Appointment, Now After a 20% workforce reduction and a 40% budget cut, an organizational chart only goes so far. What a Foundation in that position needs is a board willing to push back when efficiency, adoption or institutional pressure starts eroding the values it says it exists to protect.

Pcaversaccio arrives from the place those values get tested hardest: live attacks, real assets, users losing money in real time. Whether that changes anything depends on decisions the EF has yet to make.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Statements about the appointment’s likely effects are analytical conclusions rather than Foundation policy. Methodology: The analysis uses the Ethereum Foundation’s own announcements on its board, restructuring and mandate, Security Alliance’s published SEAL 911 figures, pcaversaccio’s public writing and Coindoo’s earlier coverage of the Foundation’s budget reset. Author

Kosta has reported on cryptocurrency markets and blockchain infrastructure since 2020, bringing over six years of hands-on experience in the crypto industry built through daily tracking of markets, trends, and emerging blockchain developments. Specializing in Bitcoin on-chain analysis, institutional ETF flows, and digital asset price action, his work at Coindoo has been cited by other news agencies and consistently covers market developments with a focus on data-driven reporting across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. Over the years, Kosta has contributed to multiple crypto media outlets in different regions, authoring over 6,000 articles across the sector. His reporting spans cryptocurrency markets and the broader fintech industry, tracking not only price action but also the technological and regulatory forces shaping the ecosystem. To support his analysis, Kosta actively leverages on-chain data and metrics from leading platforms such as Santiment, Glassnode, and CryptoQuant, enabling deeper, evidence-based market insights. He believes in the power of transparency and the data that underpins the blockchain ecosystem. His academic background in Marketing Management from Denmark further complements his analytical approach, adding a strong understanding of communication strategy and content positioning to his work.