Bitmine Immersion Technologies pulled off something rare in August: a 46.5% stock gain driven by a methodical pivot from Bitcoin mining infrastructure to becoming one of the largest public holders of Ethereum on the planet.
BMNR shares climbed from around $18 to above $26 over the course of the month, driven by a combination of aggressive ETH accumulation, a massive share buyback program, and staking revenues that are starting to look like a legitimate business model rather than a crypto side hustle.
The numbers behind the move By early August, Bitmine’s total asset holdings exceeded $11 billion. By the end of the month, that figure had swelled to approximately $14.9 billion, a nearly 35% increase in a matter of weeks.
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The centerpiece of that portfolio: roughly 5.8 million ETH as of early August, representing about 4.8% of Ethereum’s entire circulating supply. The company continued adding tens of thousands of ETH on a weekly basis throughout the month, pushing total holdings even higher.
About 87% of the company’s ETH holdings are actively staked, generating projected annualized revenues between $250 million and $330 million. On the capital return side, Bitmine has repurchased more than 19 million shares since July 1, 2026, as part of a $4 billion buyback program. Chairman Tom Lee framed the initiative as a response to the stock trading at a persistent discount to its net asset value.
From mining rigs to Ethereum vaults Bitmine’s origin story is rooted in Bitcoin mining, specifically immersion cooling technology for mining hardware. The pivot to an Ethereum-centric treasury model represents one of the more dramatic corporate transformations in the digital asset space.
Bitmine isn’t the first public company to build a crypto treasury. MicroStrategy famously pioneered the Bitcoin treasury model years ago, accumulating tens of billions of dollars worth of BTC and inspiring a wave of imitators. But Bitmine’s Ethereum-first approach is a meaningful departure from that playbook, reflecting a bet that ETH’s staking yield and role in decentralized finance give it a different value proposition than Bitcoin’s “digital gold” narrative.
What the pivot signals for the broader market The staking revenue angle is particularly notable. A projection of $250 million to $330 million in annualized revenue from staking alone gives traditional finance investors something they can model in a spreadsheet.
By repurchasing shares when the stock trades below net asset value, Bitmine is essentially telling the market: we think our ETH is worth more than you’re giving us credit for.
Weekly gains of up to 26% during August also suggest the stock is attracting momentum-driven traders alongside fundamental investors.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Bitcoin jumped nearly 5% on Thursday following comments by Fed Governor Christopher Waller that capped rate hike bets.
Notable Statistics:
Coinglass data shows 120,343 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $1.83 billion. SoSoValue data shows net inflows of $101.2 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs on Wednesday. Spot Ethereum ETFs saw net outflows of $513.71 million. In the past 24 hours, top gainers include XRP, Hyperliquid and Pepe. Notable Developments:
Coinbase Adds Elon Musk’s Alumni to Board Amid Canada ExpansionBitcoin Could Hit $90,000 By October Under One Condition, Analyst SaysDOGE Surges 10%, Attempts Reversal as Japanese Fund Exits Position at a LossBitcoin Rallied 25% in August but You May Not Want to Get Too ExcitedTrump’s Crypto Ally Fights to Save His Company After a 99% CrashSeptember Is Bitcoin’s Worst Month but This Time Might Be DifferentBitcoin Dips to $78,000 but $300,000 Remains the Big Target, Investor SaysBitcoin-Gold Correlation Hits 6-Year High: What Is Going On?Trader Notes:
Crypto Patel highlighted Bitcoin’s reclaim of $81,000 puts $83,000 in focus. A strong higher-time frame close above that level could invalidate the bearish lower-high, lower-low structure.
He remains cautious until then, with a break below $60,000 signaling renewed downside risk.
Kevin sees Bitcointwo to three days away from potentially confirming a daily Golden Cross. He added that every such crossover following a bear trend lasting more than 300 days has historically confirmed a cycle bottom.
Image: Shutterstock
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According to Reuters, global banking giant Standard Chartered announced the launch of its Bitcoin and Ethereum spot trading service for its corporate clients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The bank thus became the first global bank to offer direct cryptocurrency spot trading to institutional clients in the Gulf country.
The new service is offered through Standard Chartered’s operations at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The bank aims to expand institutional investors’ access to the cryptocurrency market through traditional financial infrastructure.
Standard Chartered’s move to the UAE stands out as part of its strategy to expand its activities in the digital asset space. The bank had already begun offering spot trading services for BTC and ETH to institutional clients in the UK in 2025.
Solana Accounts for One-Fifth of Stablecoin Transactions! While Standard Chartered UAE drew attention with its BTC and ETH moves, the bank’s Head of Digital Asset Research, Geoff Kendrick, made statements about Solana.
Speaking on Solana’s official podcast, “House of Sol,” Kendrick highlighted Solana’s strong position in the stablecoin market.
Kendrick stated that approximately $7 trillion worth of transactions are processed monthly via stablecoins, and the Solana network handles about one-fifth of these transactions.
According to Kendrick, this ratio highlights not only the network’s role in decentralized finance and cryptocurrency trading, but also its growth in payment and stablecoin-based use cases.
Kendrick also noted that Solana’s low transaction costs and high transaction capacity are among the key factors that enable the network to stand out in stablecoin and micro-payment applications.
*This is not investment advice.
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Users paid $4.45 million to transact on the network on Sept. 2, more than Ethereum, Solana and Tron combined, after the base fee rose 23 times off its 0.02 gwei floor. Robinhood absorbs the cost inside its own wallet app until Sept. 29.
Robinhood Chain collected more in gas fees over the past 24 hours than any other blockchain, after memecoin launch activity pushed the two-month-old network's base fee far above the minimum price its contracts allow.
Almost all of the increase is price. Transactions on the chain rose about 36% over the same stretch, while the execution gas on an average transaction went from under a cent to about 32 cents. Robinhood pays the fee for customers swapping inside its wallet app under an offer that expires on Sept. 29.
Users paid $4.45 million in gas on Sept. 2, up 18.8% from the prior day and 82 times the $54,254 paid on Aug. 22, according to DefiLlama, which counts gas fees paid by users covering both Robinhood Chain execution and the Ethereum data component. Canton ranked second that day at $1.69 million, followed by Tron at $873,930, Solana at $612,579, BNB Chain at $480,271 and Ethereum at $304,277. The chain has taken $12.44 million over seven days, two-thirds of the $18.45 million it has earned since mainnet launched on July 1.
Off The 0.02 Gwei FloorRobinhood Chain enforces a minimum gas price of 20 million wei, or 0.02 gwei, readable from the ArbGasInfo precompile at address 0x6c and the same default Arbitrum One runs. The base fee held at that floor on a median basis from Aug. 17 through Aug. 23, according to blocks sampled directly from the chain's public RPC endpoint. It has been above it every day since Aug. 24.
Over the 24 hours to 16:27 UTC on Sept. 3, the median base fee across 600 sampled blocks was 0.467 gwei, 23 times the floor, with intraday readings above 5 gwei. Arbitrum One was at 0.02 gwei at the same moment and Base at 0.005 gwei.
Measured onchainAug. 21-22Sept. 2-3Median base fee0.0201 gwei0.467 gweiGas consumed per second13.2 million36.9 millionTransactions per block9.9613.97Gas per transaction132,766272,229Execution gas cost per transactionunder $0.01$0.32At the intraday peaks, a transaction of that size costs roughly $3.40. DefiLlama's 82-fold increase runs ahead of the 47-fold rise in execution cost because its series also prices the Ethereum data component and priority tips, which the per-transaction calculation above excludes.
Gas Burn Nearly TriplesRobinhood Chain consumed an average of 36.9 million gas per second over the past 24 hours, against 13.2 million on Aug. 21 and 22. Blocks carried an average of 13.97 transactions against 9.96, and each transaction used 105% more gas.
Arbitrum Nitro tracks a gas backlog against several targets measured over windows from nine seconds to a full day, per Arbitrum's documentation. When the backlog grows the base fee rises exponentially to discourage usage, and falls as the backlog clears. The base fee has risen on nine of the past 10 days.
Robinhood Pays Until Sept. 29Customers swapping inside the Robinhood Wallet app are paying none of this. Robinhood covers network fees on crypto and stock token swaps on Robinhood Chain, plus one-time ERC-20 approval fees, for swaps greater than $0.50, with "no additional caps, limits, or frequency restrictions," according to Robinhood's support page for the offer.
The offer period runs "beginning at launch of Robinhood Chain to 11:59 PM EST September 29, 2026." Wallet-to-wallet transfers, bridge transactions and anything executed through the dapp browser are excluded, as are third-party wallets. Robinhood reserves the right to change or end the offer without notice.
That leaves traders using Pons, GMGN or Uniswap directly paying the current rate, and Robinhood Wallet users facing it in 26 days unless the offer is extended.
Pons Sets The LoadPons V2, the launchpad that exists only on Robinhood Chain, took $6.09 million in fees over the past 24 hours and $26.33 million over seven days, DefiLlama data shows. Uniswap V4 on the chain collected $6.65 million, trading bot GMGN $2.65 million and Uniswap V3 $870,480.
PONS traded at $0.5827 on Thursday, up 42.9% over 24 hours, 388.2% over seven days and 2,727.3% over 30 days, for a market capitalization of $413.8 million and a rank of 117, according to CoinGecko. The token set an all-time high of $0.6011 at 17:19 UTC on Sept. 3 and turned over $126.7 million in the past day.
DEX volume on the chain was $1.55 billion over 24 hours, down 7% from the prior day and up 88.1% over seven days. Total value locked stands at $819.6 million.
Gas Takes A QuarterGas has gone from a rounding difference against those application fees to a quarter of everything paid on the chain. Fees across Robinhood Chain and every protocol deployed on it totaled $19.12 million on Sept. 2, of which gas was 23.3%. On Aug. 22 it was 2.5%.
No other large network prices its own capacity that high.
Chain, Sept. 2All fees paidChain gas feesGas shareRobinhood Chain$19.12 million$4.45 million23.3%BNB Chain$2.89 million$480,27116.6%Solana$10.54 million$612,5795.8%Base$1.86 million$97,5835.3%Arbitrum One$268,976$13,8575.2%Ethereum$9.34 million$304,2773.3%Application fees scale with the value being traded and gas with the compute the chain can supply. Volume has kept climbing; capacity has not.
Six Of Eight SignersBringing fees down by raising the chain's throughput is not Robinhood's decision alone. Robinhood Chain's parameters sit with a Security Council of eight signers — two held by Robinhood and one each by BitGo, Chainlink Labs, Fireblocks Trust Company, Offchain Labs, Paxos and Talos — where routine changes need six of eight approvals and a seven-day onchain timelock, according to the chain's governance documentation. Emergency actions skip the timelock and need seven of eight.
Arbitrum's Cut GrowsRobinhood kept $4.01 million of Sept. 2's gas fees after Ethereum data costs and the 10% fee share owed under the Arbitrum Expansion Program license, DefiLlama's accounting shows. The gap between the two figures is almost exactly 10%, leaving Ethereum data costs at close to nothing for the day.
That share splits 8% to the Arbitrum DAO treasury and 2% to development funding, putting roughly $356,000 a day into the DAO at Sept. 2 rates against about $4,300 on Aug. 22. ARB traded at $0.1381, up 10.6% over 24 hours and 44.2% over seven days, according to CoinGecko.
Robinhood Chain passed Ethereum on daily application revenue in late August and ranked second among all chains by DEX volume at the start of September. It overtook Base on daily active users three weeks after launch.
TLDR: Ethereum saw accelerated August activity across Layer-2 upgrades, institutional adoption and ecosystem development. BlackRock expanded tokenization on Ethereum while Gnosis and Whitechain pursued Layer-2 transitions. Privacy tools and wallet infrastructure advanced through new applications, security features and post-quantum technology. DeFi growth continued as Aave, Morpho and Uniswap reached new deposit and trading milestones. Ethereum development activity accelerated through August as builders across the ecosystem shipped new upgrades, launched fresh protocols, and expanded institutional integrations.
Layer-2 networks advanced their infrastructure, decentralized finance protocols recorded fresh deposit milestones, and privacy-focused applications gained new momentum.
The developments touched governance, tokenization, wallet security, and onchain gaming across the wider Ethereum landscape.
Institutional and Layer-2 Expansion Gain Momentum Ethereum’s Layer-2 ecosystem saw structural changes this month. GnosisDAO approved a vote to move Gnosis Chain from an independent Layer-1 network to a ZK-proven Ethereum Layer-2 rollup.
The shift introduces synchronous composability, allowing applications on Gnosis and Ethereum to interact within a single transaction.
Institutional interest in Ethereum also expanded. BlackRock introduced its Select Treasury Based Liquidity Fund with a tokenized share class deployed on Ethereum mainnet.
The asset manager additionally began tokenizing share classes tied to its $311 billion European money market fund series on the network.
Ethereum is for shipping.
Here are 35 things the Ethereum ecosystem launched, upgraded, and announced through August.
1/ GnosisDAO approved a vote to transition @gnosischain from its own L1 to a ZK-proven Ethereum L2 rollup with synchronous composability, so apps on Gnosis and…
— Ethereum (@ethereum) September 3, 2026
Arbitrum activated its ArbOS Elara upgrade, bringing more responsive transaction fees to Arbitrum One. The update also increased Stylus smart contract capacity fourfold and added new features for chains built on the Arbitrum stack.
Elsewhere, Whitechain, the network connected to the WhiteBit exchange ecosystem, announced plans to transition from an independent Layer-1 into an Ethereum Layer-2 built on the OP Stack.
Ethereum client teams also introduced the Platåberget testnet to prepare implementations ahead of the Glamsterdam network upgrade.
Privacy Tools and Wallet Infrastructure Advance Privacy-focused development remained active across the Ethereum ecosystem in August. Aztec Network launched Alpha v5, a protocol upgrade that reduced private transaction proving times. The release also brought an initial group of privacy-preserving applications onto the network.
Privacy Boost introduced a new frontend application enabling users to send private transfers directly from connected wallets.
Wallet security also advanced through new releases. MetaMask launched its Agent Wallet, an agentic tool built with spending limits, allowlists, and configurable risk profiles.
Freedom Factory opened presales for PQ1, an air-gapped hardware wallet that signs transactions using post-quantum cryptography through an Ethereum smart account.
Privacy-focused wallet Cloaked reported reaching $650,000 in deposits and $1 million in transaction volume during its first 90 days of operation.
Web3Privacy also released an updated Ethereum Privacy Ecosystem Mapping for 2026, documenting the network’s growing privacy tooling landscape.
DeFi Growth and Ecosystem Programs Continue Decentralized finance activity on Ethereum showed continued expansion during the month. Aave v4 surpassed $525 million in deposits on Ethereum mainnet.
Morpho reported crossing $880 million in total deposits on Robinhood Chain within less than two months of going live, while also reaching $5.75 billion in deposits on Base.
Uniswap processed more than $1 billion in stock token volume on Robinhood Chain, contributing to over $20 billion in total volume since the platform’s July launch.
The exchange also launched v4 Permissioned Pools, a hook standard enabling allowlisted swaps for regulated assets while keeping the base protocol permissionless.
Coinbase launched tokenized stocks on Base for non-U.S. users, backed one-to-one by a regulated custodian and held in self-custody wallets.
Base separately opened applications for its Base Batches 004 accelerator program, supporting ten early-stage teams building on the network.
Ether.fi expanded its crypto neobank offering with tokenized stocks and portfolio-backed loans facilitated through Aave.
The Ethereum Foundation also launched an autoresearch challenge focused on post-quantum security, built alongside zkSecurity and EigenLabs, placing a machine-verified security problem on a public leaderboard for open contribution.
@Polymarket has officially launched Polymarket Perps, a perpetual futures platform that lets users trade with up to 20x leverage across crypto assets, global equities, and commodities through a single unified interface.
From Prediction Market to Derivatives Hub The rollout effectively transitions @Polymarket from a niche prediction market into a comprehensive decentralized derivatives venue.
Assets and Market CoveragePopular crypto assets integrated at launch include $BTC, $ETH, $ADA, $SUI, and $BNB, alongside exposure to broader financial markets.
The timing of the full rollout is notable. and Expanding into perpetuals puts @Polymarket squarely in competition with established crypto derivatives platforms, as well as rival prediction market operator Kalshi, which has signalled a similar product push.
Sources:
Crypto Briefing: Polymarket rolls out perps trading with up to 20x leverage
Yahoo Finance: Polymarket Unveils Perpetual Futures In Time To Beat Kalshi's Crypto Launch
CNBC: Polymarket launches trading of heavily leveraged perps contracts
ARK Invest researcher Lorenzo Valente made noteworthy assessments regarding Ethereum, Solana, and Hyperliquid.
Lorenzo Valente, posting from account X, compared the value capture models of Ethereum, Solana, and Hyperliquid through three different fast-food chains.
At this point, Valente argued that ETH, SOL, and HYPE should not be considered as different versions of the same Layer 1 (L1) business model, but rather as having entirely different value capture structures, comparing them to McDonald’s, Chipotle, and In-N-Out, respectively.
Ethereum: The Most Successful Franchise System! Valente argued that Ethereum has established the most successful franchise system in the crypto market through its Layer 2 networks, but collects very little rent or fees at the payment layer.
Instead of directly operating its own Layer 2 (L2) networks, Ethereum allows independent teams like Arbitrum, Base, and OP Mainnet to develop their own networks. However, Ethereum charges limited fees compared to this massive franchise ecosystem it has created.
Solana: She Keeps the Entire Operation Under Her Own Roof! An ARK Invest researcher noted that, unlike Ethereum, Solana has built its own vertically integrated system and holds higher fees and MEV (maximum extractable value).
This gives Solana a stronger direct value capture mechanism compared to Ethereum. However, in return, the network has to operate the entire infrastructure itself and bear the technical and operational risks that may arise.
According to Valente, Solana’s advantage is its ability to keep a significant portion of economic activity and income under its own umbrella; its disadvantage is that this structure creates a higher degree of vertical integration and systemic risk.
Hyperliquid: The Shortest Value Capture Chain In Valente’s comparison, Hyperliquid is equivalent to In-N-Out. According to the renowned expert, Hyperliquid has the shortest value-capture chain thanks to its tight vertical integration, lack of VC funding, and fee-financed HYPE buybacks.
Hyperliquid’s model has no external capital, and almost all of the fees flow into a relief fund used to buy back HYPE.
According to Valente, this structure significantly shortens the gap between the fee paid by the user and the economic value obtained by token holders. Therefore, he believes that Hyperliquid has the most direct value capture mechanism among the three models.
*This is not investment advice.
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Ethereum fiyatı 2.400 dolar civarında seyrederken Arthur Hayes, 2026 sonu için oldukça iddialı bir tahmin paylaştı. BitMEX’in kurucu ortağı ve Maelstrom CIO’su Hayes, Ethereum’un yıl sonuna kadar 10 bin dolara ulaşabileceğini öngörüyor. Hayes’in yükseliş senaryosunda Ethena (ENA) için 0,50 dolar, Ether.fi (ETHFI) için ise 2 dolar hedefi bulunuyor.
Hayes’in 2 Eylül’de yayımladığı “Atención” başlıklı yazıda Maelstrom’un kısa vadeli 2026 sonu tercihleri değişmedi. Hayes, Bitcoin’deki yapısal uzun pozisyonun portföyün temelini oluşturduğunu, daha spekülatif tarafta ise Ethereum, Ethena ve Ether.fi’yi öne çıkardığını belirtti.
Ethereum İçin 10 Bin Dolar Senaryosu Nereden Geliyor? Hayes’in Ethereum tahmini doğrudan fiyat grafiğine değil, küresel likidite beklentisine dayanıyor. Ünlü yatırımcı, EUR/JPY paritesinin yaklaşık 185 seviyesinden 140 veya daha aşağıya gerilemesini bekliyor. Bu hareketin 2027 ortasına kadar gerçekleşmesi halinde finansal sistemde önemli bir likidite etkisi oluşabileceğini savunuyor.
Hayes’in tezinde ABD Hazine politikası ve Japonya Merkez Bankası da önemli rol oynuyor. Hayes, ABD Hazine Bakanı Scott Bessent’in euro satıp yen almasını ve Japonya Merkez Bankası’nın faiz artırmasını bekliyor. Böyle bir süreç, onun değerlendirmesine göre dolar likiditesinde ciddi bir artış yaratabilir.
Bu beklentinin arkasındaki gelişmelerden biri de ABD Hazinesi’nin 12,5 milyar dolarlık borç geri alımı. Söz konusu işlem, Hazinenin yaklaşık 1 trilyon dolarlık nakit tamponunu kullanarak tahvil geri alımlarını artırma planıyla ilişkilendiriliyor. EUR/JPY de bu gelişmelerin ardından 182,45 seviyesine kadar geriledi.
Hayes’in senaryosunda Fed bilançosunun genişlemesi ve Hazine’nin tahvil alımlarıyla birlikte piyasaya daha fazla likidite girmesi, riskli varlıkların değer kazanmasını destekleyebilir. Ethereum için 10 bin dolarlık hedefin temel dayanağı da bu makroekonomik varsayım.
ENA ve ETHFI İçin de 3 Kata Yakın Yükseliş Hedefi Hayes’in yükseliş beklentisi Ethereum’la sınırlı değil. Maelstrom’un 2026 sonu için daha spekülatif hedefleri arasında Ethena (ENA) için 0,50 dolar ve Ether.fi (ETHFI) için 2 dolar bulunuyor.
Kaynakta ENA yaklaşık 0,153 dolar seviyesinde bulunuyor ve token son bir ayda yaklaşık %70 yükselmiş durumda. ETHFI ise yaklaşık 0,57 dolardan işlem görüyor. Token, son 24 saatte %4,5 gerilerken son üç ayda yaklaşık %90 değer kazandı.
Mevcut seviyeler üzerinden bakıldığında 0,50 dolarlık ENA hedefi yaklaşık %227, 2 dolarlık ETHFI hedefi ise yaklaşık %251 yükseliş gerektiriyor. Hayes’in sözünü ettiği güçlü rallinin gerçekleşmesi halinde her iki token da mevcut fiyatlarına kıyasla yaklaşık üç katına çıkmış olacak.
Hayes’in ENA ve ETHFI’ye ilgisi de yeni değil. Daha önceki değerlendirmelerinde Ethena ve Ether.fi’yi öne çıkaran Hayes, özellikle stablecoin ve DeFi piyasasındaki büyümenin bu projeler için önemli bir fırsat yaratabileceğini savunmuştu.
Ethereum Fiyatında 2.500 Dolar Seviyesi İzleniyor Ethereum tarafında ise 10 bin dolarlık hedef henüz oldukça uzak. Kaynakta ETH’nin 24 saat içinde 2.357 dolara kadar geriledikten sonra 2.415 dolar civarında toparlandığı ve işlem hacminin de hafif düştüğü belirtiliyor.
Kısa vadeli piyasa beklentileri de Hayes’in uzun vadeli senaryosundan daha temkinli. Polymarket verilerine göre yatırımcılar Ethereum’un eylül ayında 2.000 dolara dokunma ihtimalini yaklaşık %25 olarak fiyatlıyor. Buna karşılık ETH’nin aynı ay içinde 2.500 dolara ulaşma ihtimali %71 seviyesinde bulunuyor.
Bu tablo, piyasadaki kısa vadeli beklentinin önce 2.500 dolar seviyesine odaklandığını gösteriyor. Hayes’in 10 bin dolarlık hedefi ise mevcut fiyat hareketinden bağımsız bir sıçrama değil, likidite koşullarının önemli ölçüde değişeceği daha geniş bir makro senaryoya dayanıyor.
Ethena Pay ve Piyasadaki Diğer Katalizörler Ethena tarafında projeye ilişkin önemli gelişmelerden biri Ethena Pay’in piyasaya sürülmesi oldu. Avalanche üzerinde geliştirilen ürün, USDe’nin 48 ülkede saklanması, harcanması, transfer edilmesi ve getiri elde etmek amacıyla kullanılmasını hedefleyen bir kripto ödeme ve finans uygulaması olarak konumlanıyor.
Makro tarafta ise ABD Başkanı Donald Trump’ın İran savaşıyla ilgili açıklamaları da risk iştahı açısından takip ediliyor. Trump’ın, devam eden ekonomik baskının İran yönetimini nükleer programını dağıtmaya veya rejimin çökmesine götürebileceğini düşündüğü ve savaşın sona erdirilmesini değerlendirdiği aktarılıyor.
Hayes’in tahmininin gerçekleşmesi için önümüzdeki dönemde özellikle dolar likiditesi, Fed bilançosu, ABD Hazine politikası ve Japonya’nın faiz politikası yakından izlenecek. Ethereum açısından 10 bin dolar hedefi bugün için bir piyasa fiyatı değil, bu koşulların Hayes’in öngördüğü yönde gelişmesi halinde ortaya çıkabilecek agresif bir senaryo.
Bu içerik genel piyasa verilerine dayanır ve yatırım tavsiyesi değildir. Kendi araştırmanızı yapmanızı öneririz.
Son Dakika kripto para haberleri için hemen tıkla.
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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is back above $80,000 after Fed Governor Christopher Waller said he is willing to hold rates steady at the Sep. 15 meeting.
Waller Backs September Rate Hold as Inflation CoolsAs Benzinga reported Thursday, Waller told Reuters that he supports holding rates provided August inflation does not surprise to the upside.
“If there is continued progress toward our 2% goal, then I am willing to support holding the policy rate at its current level,” Waller said, adding that a hot inflation print would put a hike back on the table.
His case rests on the three-month core inflation run rate falling from 4.76% in February to 3.05% through July, a pace he called encouraging despite annual PCE still running at 3.3%.
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Fed futures currently price in a 51% chance of a September hike according to CME FedWatch, making August CPI the swing input for markets.
Bitcoin Jumps 5% and Challenges $82,207 ResistanceA rate hold removes one of the most immediate headwinds for risk assets. BTC surged 5% to $80,600 Thursday, pushing into the resistance band that has capped price since May.
Moreover, RSI at 71.27 confirms genuine momentum behind the move with the 20-day EMA at $75,164 sitting well below as fresh support.
Key levels for BTC: $82,207 — 1.0 Fib resistance, close above opens path to $97,278 $76,983 — 0.786 Fib, first support on any pullback Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) and XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) are up 4% and 8%, respectively, on the news.
XRP is breaking decisively out of the descending triangle that compressed price for two weeks after August’s spike to $1.70.
RSI at 72.46 matches the sharpest reading since the initial August 19 breakout, with the EMA cluster at $1.37 now flipping to support below.
Key levels for XRP: $1.50 — next psychological resistance $1.37 — EMA cluster, breakout retest support Read Next
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Standard Chartered has become the first global systemically important bank (G-SIB) to offer Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) spot trading services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for institutional clients, according to a Reuters report. The new service allows eligible institutional clients to conduct deliverable BTC and ETH spot trades via the bank’s existing electronic trading channels, with access to its foreign exchange interface for crypto asset transactions. This expansion builds on Standard Chartered’s digital asset custody operations: the lender launched digital asset custody services in the UAE in September 2024, and first rolled out BTC and ETH spot trading for institutional clients via its UK branch in July 2025. Clients may select custodians—including Standard Chartered’s own digital asset custody solution—for trade settlement.
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Fed Mouthpiece: Governor Waller shifts stance, now cautiously optimistic about holding interest rates steady
Wall Street Journal reporter Nick Timiraos, known as the "Fed’s mouthpiece", says Fed Governor Christopher Waller’s overall stance has not fundamentally changed since July, but his policy tilt has shifted: from concerns and a bias toward tightening monetary policy back then, to cautious optimism and a preference for keeping interest rates unchanged now. The final decision will depend on August’s inflation data. Waller’s reaction path for the September 15-16 policy meeting is clear: if inflation continues moving toward the 2% target, he will hold rates steady; if August’s inflation figures come in higher, he will consider a rate hike.
2 minutes ago
Apple faces a $2.7 billion class-action lawsuit, accused of unfair application tracking rules against third-party developers and gaining an improper advantage for its own advertising ecosystem.
Apple Inc. is facing a class-action lawsuit in London seeking up to ￡2 billion (approximately $2.7 billion) in damages. The suit was filed today at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London, initiated by Ann Pope, a former senior official at the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, on behalf of app developers. The core allegation is that Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, launched in 2021, imposes stricter restrictions on third-party developers than on its own services, granting Apple’s in-house advertising ecosystem an unfair competitive advantage. Ann Pope stated that Apple’s policies have "caused very significant harm to businesses that rely on Apple as a gatekeeper." Since its rollout, ATT has been a longstanding focus of global regulatory scrutiny. Apple’s official stance is that the feature is designed to let users control whether apps track their activity across other companies and websites. However, plaintiffs argue there is a double standard in the rule’s implementation: third-party apps’ tracking requests require strict pop-up authorization, while Apple’s own personalized ads and services can bypass equivalent restrictions. This lawsuit is the latest legal challenge facing Apple over its ATT policy, and marks the first major private antitrust lawsuit in the UK targeting Apple’s app ecosystem rules, following regulatory reviews from the EU, the U.S., and multiple other countries.
2 minutes ago
Eightco Holdings disclosed approximately $380 million in holdings, covering OpenAI equity, Ethereum (ETH), and Worldcoin (WLD).
US-listed firm Eightco Holdings (Nasdaq: ORBS) announced that as of September 2, its total assets stood at roughly $380 million, primarily consisting of: approximately $90 million in OpenAI equity held indirectly via a special purpose vehicle (SPV), $18 million in Beast Industries equity, a $1 million investment in Mythical Games, 16,278 ether (ETH), nearly 302 million Worldcoin (WLD) tokens (priced at ~$0.37 per token on Coinbase), plus about $122 million in cash and stablecoins. Over the past month, the company has repurchased more than 25 million common shares under its previously unveiled $125 million share buyback program, and took part in World Foundation’s $52.5 million funding round led by Pantera. The company positions its investment portfolio to target three core trends: artificial intelligence, digital identity, and the creator economy. OpenAI accounts for roughly 24% of its treasury assets, WLD makes up ~29% (the largest publicly disclosed institutional holding globally, representing ~8.3% of its circulating supply), while Beast Industries accounts for ~5%. Management notes that this portfolio covers key segments of the future AI and digital financial system.
2 minutes ago
Bonk Guy holds $2.52 million worth of USELESS, with an unrealized profit of $1.68 million.
According to Lookonchain's monitoring, five months ago, when Solana ecosystem meme coin USELESS’s market cap dropped to $30 million, well-known crypto KOL "Bonk Guy" began using a dollar-cost averaging strategy to buy the token. Over the past month, Bonk Guy has continued purchasing USELESS, and now holds 15.9 million tokens worth $2.52 million, with an unrealized profit of $1.68 million. Per GMGN data, USELESS, the Solana meme coin, rose over 50% in 24 hours, pushing its market cap above $150 million. On September 1, Bonk Guy said his bullishness on USELESS is even stronger than when he traded BONK in 2023, noting that USELESS previously surged from a $4 million market cap to $450 million in a non-bull market, and could see even larger gains if it experiences a real bull market for the first time. After Bonk Guy’s bullish call on September 1, USELESS jumped over 50% that day, breaking through the $100 million market cap mark. BlockBeats reminds users that most meme coins have no real use cases, are highly volatile, and require cautious investment.
2 minutes ago
Meme coin FATCOIN’s market cap hits a new high, surging past $3.8 million with a 66% gain in the past 24 hours.
According to GMGN market data, the meme stock coin FATCOIN on Robinhood Chain has hit a new all-time high, with its market cap exceeding $3.8 million, a 66% 24-hour gain, and a 24-hour trading volume of $3.5 million. FATCOIN (nicknamed "Fat Coin") is paired with tokenized shares of Eli Lilly (LLY), the leading U.S. weight-loss drug developer. BlockBeats Note: Stock Meme is an emerging concept that merges traditional meme coins with tokenized U.S. stocks. Unlike typical meme coins paired with USDT or ETH, these tokens form trading pairs directly with on-chain U.S. stock tokens (e.g., NVDA, TSLA, AAPL, etc.). This approach retains meme coins’ high volatility and community-driven speculative traits while tapping into the popularity and narratives of real stocks. A portion of transaction fees is often redirected to the community treasury to accumulate the corresponding U.S. stock tokens, creating a dual-driven model of "sentiment speculation + real asset anchoring". Note: Prices are highly volatile; invest with caution.
2 minutes ago
AI company Humain plans to launch a $2.5 billion fund focused on data center investments.
Beating AI Insight Flash News: According to a Bloomberg report, AI firm Humain plans to raise an initial $2.5 billion to establish a fund focused on data center investments. People familiar with the matter said the fund will finance the 250-megawatt data center capacity being built by Humain in partnership with Al Moammar Information Systems, with the overall scale potentially expanding to 1 gigawatt in the future. Backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF), Humain is advancing local AI computing power and data center infrastructure development to meet surging demand for AI computing resources.
The cryptocurrency market broadly and subtly recovers on Thursday, led by Bitcoin’s (BTC) rise near $78,000. This follows persistent declines from the August peak near $81,500. Altcoins, including Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP), mirror BTC’s neutral-to-bullish outlook, trending higher above $2,400 and $1.37, respectively.
Appetite for risk assets remains relatively elevated, as reflected in the Fear & Greed Index. Market sentiment rose to 65 in the Greed territory on Thursday, up marginally from 63 the previous day. Steady, positive market sentiment provides a much-needed tailwind to sustain price increases.
Crypto Fear & Greed Index | Source: AlternativeBitcoin attracts ETF inflows as Ethereum and XRP see outflowsBitcoin spot Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) saw inflows totaling $101 million on Wednesday. This followed $236 million in outflows recorded on Tuesday. Meanwhile, cumulative inflows edged up slightly to $54.71 billion, from $54.61 billion over the same period. Total assets under management average $97.22 billion.
Bitcoin ETF flows | Source: SoSoValueEthereum spot ETFs turned bearish on Wednesday, with outflows amounting to $48 million. The pullback comes after 12 straight days of inflows. Cumulative inflows currently stand at $13 billion, with net assets under management at $15 billion.
Ethereum ETF flows | Source: SoSoValueUS-listed spot XRP ETFs similarly saw outflows totaling $7 billion on Wednesday, breaking 11 consecutive days of inflows, according to SoSoValue. Cumulative inflows are holding steady at $1.68 billion, with net assets under management at $1.42 billion.
XRP ETF flows | Source: SoSoValueIf Ethereum and XRP continue to experience outflows, supply could weigh on price action, reducing the odds of sustained recovery. For now, positive market sentiment could cushion the tokens and prevent a sharp sell-off.
Technical analysis: Bitcoin rebounds as bulls returnBitcoin trades near $78,000, extending its advance well above the main Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), which now underpin a bullish near-term bias and suggest a firmly supported trend after the recent breakout.
At the same time, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 67 shows strong but not yet overbought momentum. By contrast, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator prints in negative territory, suggesting bullish pressure remains strong but is losing steam after the sharp run-up.
BTC/USDT daily chartImmediate support is at the current pivot zone around $78,000, with a deeper corrective slide likely to target the 200-day EMA at $72,458 first. Below that, the 50-day EMA at $70,601 and the 100-day EMA at $69,406 form a broader demand cluster that should attract buyers on a more pronounced pullback while the broader trend remains constructive.
Altcoins technical outlook: Ethereum and XRP defend key support Ethereum trades at $2,404, holding a clear bullish bias as price consolidates well above the short-, medium- and long-term EMAs, all reinforcing a supportive underlying trend despite the latest pullback from recent highs.
Momentum remains constructive, with the RSI around 62, suggesting positive but not extreme buying pressure, while the MACD shows the line below its signal and retreating, hinting at a cooling phase rather than a full-fledged reversal.
ETH/USDT daily chartImmediate support lies at the current pivotal area around $2,400, followed by the 200-day EMA at $2,172, the 50-day EMA at $2,137 and the 100-day EMA at $2,060. As long as ETH holds above these clustered EMA supports, dips are likely to attract buying interest, keeping the broader path of least resistance pointed higher and leaving room for the pair to resume its advance once the current momentum consolidation runs its course.
As for XRP, the spot price hovers above $1.37 as bulls gain ground from support tested on Wednesday near $1.30. The pair also holds above major moving averages including the 50-day, 100-day and 200-day EMAs, which collectively suggest a constructive bullish bias in the near term.
The RSI near 60 hints at still-positive but moderated upside pressure after the recent overbought readings, while the MACD has slipped below its signal line and turned slightly negative, suggesting waning momentum rather than a full reversal at this stage.
XRP/USDT daily chartOn the downside, initial support is at the 200-day EMA around $1.35, with a deeper floor near the confluence of the 50-day and 100-day EMAs in the $1.22 region should a larger pullback unfold. With no nearby overhead indicator-defined resistance on the daily chart, price action around $1.37 itself functions as a short-term pivot, and a sustained hold above the 200-day EMA would keep the bullish bias intact, while a daily close below that level would open the door for a test of the mid-$1.20s support cluster.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Crypto ETF FAQs An Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is an investment vehicle or an index that tracks the price of an underlying asset. ETFs can not only track a single asset, but a group of assets and sectors. For example, a Bitcoin ETF tracks Bitcoin’s price. ETF is a tool used by investors to gain exposure to a certain asset.
Yes. The first Bitcoin futures ETF in the US was approved by the US Securities & Exchange Commission in October 2021. A total of seven Bitcoin futures ETFs have been approved, with more than 20 still waiting for the regulator’s permission. The SEC says that the cryptocurrency industry is new and subject to manipulation, which is why it has been delaying crypto-related futures ETFs for the last few years.
Yes. The SEC approved in January 2024 the listing and trading of several Bitcoin spot Exchange-Traded Funds, opening the door to institutional capital and mainstream investors to trade the main crypto currency. The decision was hailed by the industry as a game changer.
The main advantage of crypto ETFs is the possibility of gaining exposure to a cryptocurrency without ownership, reducing the risk and cost of holding the asset. Other pros are a lower learning curve and higher security for investors since ETFs take charge of securing the underlying asset holdings. As for the main drawbacks, the main one is that as an investor you can’t have direct ownership of the asset, or, as they say in crypto, “not your keys, not your coins.” Other disadvantages are higher costs associated with holding crypto since ETFs charge fees for active management. Finally, even though investing in ETFs reduces the risk of holding an asset, price swings in the underlying cryptocurrency are likely to be reflected in the investment vehicle too.
Standard Chartered has activated institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading in the UAE through its DIFC entity, making it the first global systemically important bank (G-SIB) to offer this capability in the region.
The move extends the bank’s UK spot-trading desk, launched in July 2025, into one of the world’s fastest-growing institutional crypto markets.
For Gulf-based allocators, family offices, and asset managers, this is a meaningful shift. It means executing on BTC and ETH no longer requires opening a separate crypto venue. The bank you already use for FX now runs the trade.
What Standard Chartered Is Actually Offering, and How It Works The product is institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading, deliverable, not cash-settled. Eligible clients access it through Standard Chartered DIFC’s electronic trading channels, using the same FX-style interfaces they already operate on.
Settlement can go to any custodian the client chooses. That includes Standard Chartered’s own UAE digital-asset custody solution, which the bank launched in September 2024.
This means the operational loop is now complete inside one institution. Clients can mint and redeem USDC through the same DIFC platform, hold BTC or ETH in bank-grade custody, and execute spot trades, all without touching a pure-crypto venue.
That is precisely how institutional flow scales beyond early adopters.
Rola Abu Manneh, CEO for UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, stated that extending Bitcoin and Ether spot trading capability to institutional clients is a significant step in broadening the bank’s regulated digital asset proposition.
She added that combining execution with custody and global bank connectivity gives clients a more integrated path into digital asset markets.
Christopher Parsons, Senior Executive Officer at Standard Chartered DIFC, noted that DIFC provides a regulated platform for deploying global capabilities.
He said the UAE launch demonstrates that model, pairing Standard Chartered’s global markets expertise with a regulated regional base.
Why the UAE Is the Right Second Market, and What It Means for the Region Standard Chartered has been assembling a full-stack digital-asset offering in the Gulf for over a year. The DIFC spot-trading desk is the execution layer that was missing.
The bank already runs UAE custody, USDC mint-and-redeem rails, and, as CoinGape reported, plans for institutional crypto prime brokerage. That stack now has a buy-and-sell button on top.
The UAE context makes the timing logical. The country has built a state-linked Bitcoin reserve, becoming one of the few sovereigns with direct BTC exposure.
Large Gulf allocators, including Mubadala, have increased holdings in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF, signalling that institutional appetite in the region is real and growing.
The regulatory environment has followed. DFSA, ADGM, and VARA have all moved to attract institutional players.
Bitcoin Suisse recently secured an Abu Dhabi FSRA license for institutional crypto services.
BitGo expanded its electronic crypto trading into MENA. Standard Chartered’s edge over both is the bank balance sheet, the DIFC entity, and the existing FX interface, not the coin count.
For European comparison, Standard Chartered also secured a MiCA licence to strengthen its digital asset strategy in Europe.
The UAE launch makes clear that the bank is building a multi-jurisdictional institutional digital-asset network, not running a single-market pilot.
Settlement for clients who prefer a familiar custody rail can go through Standard Chartered-backed Zodia Custody’s institutional wallet infrastructure.
That gives the desk a regulated, bank-adjacent settlement option alongside independent custodians.
Two caveats are worth noting for investors. First, this is an eligible-client-only product, not a retail offering.
Second, Basel crypto risk weights remain punishing for balance-sheet warehousing, so the bank is acting as an execution gateway, not a principal market-maker.
Liquidity will still sit with crypto market-makers behind the FX wrapper. But for institutions that have been waiting for a G-SIB to open the door, the door is now open.
From on-chain data to charting, explore these free crypto tools every investor should know.
Kraken raised the maximum leverage available on ETH/USD spot margin positions to 20x on September 2, extending the ceiling for eligible Kraken Pro traders in selected markets. In its product announcement, the exchange stressed that the change applies only to ETH/USD margin and does not extend to futures or other trading pairs.
The Change Is Limited to ETH/USD Margin The update increases the leverage limit without introducing a new account type or a separate trading interface. Kraken said eligible users will find the expanded range in the existing ETH/USD margin flow on Kraken Pro. Availability is jurisdiction-dependent, and traders must check the app to determine whether their account and market qualify.
That narrow scope is important. Kraken described the product as spot margin offered by Payward Trading Ltd in the British Virgin Islands, not as a futures contract. The exchange did not announce matching leverage increases for Bitcoin, other crypto assets or its derivatives products.
Fees and Risk Controls Stay the Same According to Kraken, the margin engine, order flow and account structure are unchanged. The exchange also said margin fees have not changed. Existing displays and controls—including liquidation price, margin ratio, take-profit orders and stop-loss orders—continue to work as they did before the higher ceiling became available.
Those tools can help traders define exits, but they do not remove market or liquidation risk. BlockchainReporter’s guide to using stop-loss orders in crypto explains why an order level and actual execution price can differ in fast markets.
Kraken Frames 20x as Capital Efficiency Kraken said the higher limit can let a trader open the same-sized ETH/USD position with less capital committed, or take a larger position using the same allocation. However, the company characterized the new ceiling as an optional tool rather than a target and said usage should depend on each trader’s strategy and risk tolerance.
The announcement included no volume forecast, adoption target or estimate of how many customers will qualify. It also did not identify the excluded markets, leaving account-level eligibility as the practical boundary for the rollout.
Higher Leverage Raises Loss Exposure The exchange warned that leverage increases both potential gains and losses and that margin users can lose more than their initial investment. Raising the maximum does not change how Kraken measures or manages a position; it changes how much exposure an eligible trader can take through the same margin system.
For now, the confirmed development is a product-setting change for one pair in selected jurisdictions. Traders who do not see 20x in Kraken Pro are not covered by the rollout at this stage, regardless of the global announcement.
AUTHOR
Max delves deep into the cryptocurrency realm, with a passion for altcoins and NFTs. Convinced of crypto's transformative potential, he envisions a decentralized financial future. Max's background in the financial sector grants him unique insights into global monetary systems. In his leisure, Max embraces the thrill of adventures and is an avid sports enthusiast, finding balance and rejuvenation away from work.
Hargreaves Lansdown, one of the UK’s largest retail investment platforms, is making Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded notes (ETNs) available to its 2 million UK investors, ending its status as the largest retail investment platform to hold back from offering crypto products.
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Nine ETNs from six issuers, including BlackRock’s iShares, WisdomTree and 21Shares, are now listed on the platform, with annual fees ranging from zero to 0.35%. The products will be available through Hargreaves’ Advanced Investing service and are subject to additional investor safeguards.
The move comes after the FCA lifted its ban on retail access to crypto ETNs in October 2025.
Despite the regulatory change, adoption has remained relatively modest, with industry participants citing limited access through tax-advantaged accounts and the need for greater investor education.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Usually, the month of September is a risky period for crypto investments. Historically, Bitcoin shows its weakest monthly performance during this period, while central bank decisions can intensify volatility. This year’s context adds many uncertainties, including a probable rate hike in the United States. Despite these threats, three cryptos still have strong arguments to get through the month. These are Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
In brief September remains historically unfavorable for the crypto market, with volatility reinforced by monetary uncertainties. Bitcoin appears as the most defensive choice, thanks to its liquidity, dominance, and potential ETF support. Ethereum maintains a strong position in tokenized finance, driven by stablecoins, RWAs, and flows toward ETFs. Solana presents a more offensive profile, supported by its on-chain activity, but with a higher correction risk. The Fed’s decision and flows to ETFs will be decisive for the trajectory of these three cryptos in September. September combines unfavorable seasonality and monetary risk Bitcoin has conceded an average loss of about 3% during the month of September since 2013. Only five positive closes have been recorded over this period. This seasonality earned it the nickname “Rektember”, a combination of September and the expression “rekt”, related to heavy losses in the crypto industry.
The macroeconomic situation reinforces this caution this year. Markets assign over a 60% probability to a Federal Reserve rate hike on September 16. Conflicts in the Middle East also support oil and inflation expectations. Justin Onuekwusi of St. James’s Place stated :
The way the Fed communicates will be important, as it affects its credibility and global rates.
In this context, the three assets do not present the same level of risk :
Bitcoin is the most defensive choice thanks to its liquidity and market dominance ; Ethereum offers an intermediate profile supported by staking, stablecoins, and tokenization; Solana offers greater offensive potential but remains more exposed to corrections. No positive performance is guaranteed by this selection. It simply favors cryptos that have significant liquidity and identifiable economic activity.
Bitcoin remains the most defensive choice in the crypto market Bitcoin remains the most valued and most liquid asset in the crypto market. These features facilitate operations and usually limit the magnitude of movements compared to less significant altcoins. Such characteristics do not eliminate the risk of correction, especially after the 25% rise recorded in August.
ETFs also represent an indicator to watch. These American products attracted nearly 2.5 billion dollars in seven sessions by the end of August, according to available data. Continued inflows would support BTC. Large outflows could, on the contrary, amplify selling pressure.
Thus, Bitcoin constitutes the most cautious profile among the three cryptos selected. Its progression will depend mainly on the Fed’s decision, bond yields, and its ability to sustainably reclaim 80,000 dollars.
Ethereum maintains its lead in tokenized finance Ethereum benefits from activity less dependent on speculative transactions alone. The blockchain hosts about 148 billion dollars of stablecoins, nearly 49% of the supply distributed across various networks, according to DefiLlama,
Its position is also apparent in the tokenization of real-world assets. Ethereum currently hosts 17.57 billion dollars of distributed RWAs and 159.71 billion dollars of stablecoins according to RWA.xyz. These sums strengthen its role as a financial infrastructure, even if the price of ether is undergoing a correction.
Ethereum ETFs also recorded ten sessions of net inflows up to August 28. Their cumulative flows then approach 12.98 billion dollars. This demand provides potential support, however, the token remains more volatile than Bitcoin. The competition from other blockchains and the decline in fee-based income also represent two risks.
Solana offers more potential, but also more volatility Solana offers the most offensive profile in this selection. The network combines low fees, fast execution, and significant activity in decentralized exchanges, stablecoins, and tokenized assets.
Its stablecoin supply exceeded 16 billion dollars in May. Solana ETFs also total nearly 1.13 billion dollars in assets, according to the Solana Foundation. The blockchain processed 1,900 billion dollars in stablecoin transactions during the first half, according to 21Shares.
Solana remains more sensitive to liquidity withdrawals and rapid sell-offs. It is better suited for dynamic exposure than a defensive position. During September, fractional acquisitions could reduce the risk of entering right before a correction. The Federal Reserve decision and flows to ETFs will then help determine if Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana can truly withstand their unfavorable seasonality.
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Luc Jose A.
Diplômé de Sciences Po Toulouse et titulaire d'une certification consultant blockchain délivrée par Alyra, j'ai rejoint l'aventure Cointribune en 2019. Convaincu du potentiel de la blockchain pour transformer de nombreux secteurs de l'économie, j'ai pris l'engagement de sensibiliser et d'informer le grand public sur cet écosystème en constante évolution. Mon objectif est de permettre à chacun de mieux comprendre la blockchain et de saisir les opportunités qu'elle offre. Je m'efforce chaque jour de fournir une analyse objective de l'actualité, de décrypter les tendances du marché, de relayer les dernières innovations technologiques et de mettre en perspective les enjeux économiques et sociétaux de cette révolution en marche.
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
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.
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Standard Chartered has expanded its regulated digital asset business in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for institutional clients, adding the service to a regional crypto offering that already includes custody.
The London-headquartered bank introduced digital asset custody in the UAE in September 2024. In June 2026, it followed with a banking agreement allowing CoinMENA to use Standard Chartered for fiat on- and off-ramps, client money accounts and transaction management through virtual accounts.
The bank is providing the new service through Standard Chartered DIFC, an entity regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).
Institutional Clients Gain Spot Crypto Access Eligible institutions can access spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) trading through electronic trading channels integrated into Standard Chartered’s existing platforms.
Standard Chartered said Thursday that it is the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to offer the capability in the UAE and the only global bank currently providing institutional digital asset spot trading in the region.
Other Platforms Seek UAE Crypto Approvals The launch comes amid broader efforts by cryptocurrency and trading businesses to secure regulatory authorization for digital asset products in the UAE.
Capital.com disclosed plans in August to provide spot crypto services to UAE clients after its affiliate, Capital Vault UAE, obtained a virtual-asset licence from the country’s Capital Market Authority (CMA).
Revolut also moved to expand its crypto services in July, when the neobank received in-principle approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority to provide crypto-related services in the UAE.
DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.
Standard Chartered will now hand institutional clients real Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) in the United Arab Emirates. Those clients receive the coins themselves, not a derivative that only tracks the price.
The bank announced the desk on Thursday through its Dubai arm. Only 29 lenders worldwide carry the too big to fail label. Just one of them now delivers coins.
Standard Chartered’s Bitcoin Desk Sits Inside a Too Big to Fail BankThe Financial Stability Board names those 29 banks every year. Its 2025 list puts Standard Chartered in the lowest risk bucket, carrying a 1% capital surcharge.
JPMorgan sits three tiers above it. Citigroup and HSBC sit two. Standard Chartered says no rival G-SIB offers the same deliverable spot service.
The smallest of the systemic banks moved first, not the biggest. Deliverable may be the key word here, seeing as the client ends up holding Bitcoin. This means someone at the bank must move real coins and guard them.
The appeal is the fee stream. The bank earns on the spread, the settlement and the custody, rather than losing that revenue to crypto exchanges.
Why Dubai Got This Before New YorkStandard Chartered built the Dubai stack in pieces. Custody came first, in September 2024, with hedge fund Brevan Howard Digital as its opening client.
Spot trading followed in London in July 2025. The bank then added USDC minting there in July 2026. Execution was the last gap.
Every step cleared the Dubai Financial Services Authority. All four launches happened in Dubai or London, never in the United States.
Rivals, meanwhile, are behind. Citi is still readying bitcoin custody, a service Standard Chartered has run for two years.
Banks are not chasing a rally. They are building while the price is low, for clients rich enough to qualify. Retail is nowhere on that list.
Ethereum price recovered above $2,400 on Sept. 3 after falling to $2,370, but weakening short-term momentum and nearby liquidation clusters leave the breakout vulnerable.
Summary
Ethereum price recovered to about $2,408 after falling as low as $2,370 during the daily session. The 4-hour RSI stands at 43.86, while ETH remains below the Bollinger Bands’ $2,430 midpoint. Positive daily CMF and a bullish moving-average crossover show that the wider recovery remains intact. A daily or weekly close below $2,350 could expose the $2,200 support zone. According to data from crypto.news, Ethereum (ETH) price traded around $2,408 at the time of writing, up 0.66% during the current daily session after opening near $2,392. The token moved between an intraday low of $2,370 and a high of $2,419.
The rebound returned ETH above the closely watched $2,400 level, but the token remains below the $2,438 Fibonacci retracement area and the $2,500–$2,550 resistance zone. Sellers have repeatedly defended the upper region since Ethereum’s late-August rally stalled near $2,550.
Wider risk sentiment also remains fragile. Renewed fighting between the United States and Iran pushed Brent crude to a six-week high of $97.39 on Sept. 3, according to Reuters, raising concerns that higher energy costs could keep inflation elevated.
Markets are also preparing for the Federal Reserve’s Sept. 16 decision. Rate expectations have shifted rapidly, with prediction market Kalshi placing the probability of a 25-basis-point increase at 53% at the time of writing. A rate increase would raise the relative appeal of yield-bearing assets and could pressure cryptocurrencies and other risk assets.
Ethereum price loses short-term momentum The 4-hour chart shows that Ethereum has started forming lower highs after its late-August advance. ETH currently trades below the Bollinger Bands’ middle line at $2,429.79, which acts as the first short-term resistance.
Ethereum price 4-hour chart — Sep. 3 | Source: crypto.news The upper Bollinger Band sits at $2,493.27, placing it near the lower edge of the wider $2,500–$2,550 supply zone. A 4-hour close above the midpoint could allow ETH to retest that resistance, while a break through the upper band would strengthen the case for another move toward $2,550.
Momentum has not yet supported that outcome. The 4-hour relative strength index stands at 43.86, below the neutral 50 level. Its signal average is lower at 41.48, showing a small recovery in momentum but no clear bullish reversal.
The lower Bollinger Band at $2,366.32 closely matches the session low and provides the nearest technical support. Losing that line would put $2,350 in focus, followed by the breakout region around $2,200.
Daily Ethereum chart retains its bullish structure Ethereum’s daily structure remains stronger than its 4-hour setup. ETH continues to trade well above its 50-day simple moving average at $2,064.47 and its 200-day average at $2,031.85.
Ethereum price daily chart — Sep. 3 | Source: crypto.news The 50-day average has also moved above the 200-day line, forming a bullish crossover. Such a crossover indicates that medium-term price momentum has improved relative to Ethereum’s longer-term trend, although it does not prevent a short-term correction.
Chaikin Money Flow supports the wider bullish structure. The indicator stands at 0.22, showing that buying pressure has remained stronger than selling pressure during the measured period. However, CMF has flattened after rising sharply during the August breakout, suggesting that capital inflows are no longer accelerating.
Crypto trader Daan Crypto Trades identified $2,400 as the key level separating a normal breakout retest from a deeper reversal. According to the analyst, a failure to hold the zone would send ETH back into its previous range and weaken the recent breakout structure.
Ted Pillows placed the next downside trigger slightly lower. The analyst said a weekly close below $2,350 could open the path toward $2,200, while resistance remains concentrated around $2,540 and $2,800.
$ETH is back above $2,400.
ETF inflows have turned negative, which indicates weakening demand.
If sellers are able to manage a weekly close below the $2,350 level, Ethereum could dump to $2,200. pic.twitter.com/239lAFnWdy
— Ted (@TedPillows) September 3, 2026 ETH liquidation map shows pressure on both sides CoinGlass’ one-week Ethereum liquidation heatmap shows leveraged positions accumulating immediately above and below the current price.
Ethereum liquidation heatmap | Source: CoinGlass The closest large downside cluster appears around $2,350–$2,360. A move into that area could liquidate leveraged long positions, adding forced selling and increasing the risk of a brief drop below support.
Liquidity has also gathered around $2,430–$2,450, creating a nearby target if buyers hold $2,400. A move through that range could force short traders to close positions and help accelerate a rebound toward $2,500.
The largest visible liquidation concentration sits much higher, around $2,535–$2,550. That cluster overlaps with Ethereum’s recent price peak and the resistance cited by analysts, making it the main upside target if ETH regains momentum.
Liquidation heatmaps show where leveraged positions may face pressure, but they do not guarantee that price will reach those levels. New positions and closed trades can also change the size of each cluster over time.
Can Ethereum price hold above $2,400? Ethereum needs a daily close above $2,400 and a move through the 4-hour Bollinger midpoint at $2,430 to stabilize its short-term structure. Reclaiming $2,450 would shift attention toward $2,493 and the heavier resistance between $2,500 and $2,550.
Failure to hold $2,400 would return focus to the lower Bollinger Band near $2,366. A decisive close below $2,350 would weaken the August breakout and could expose $2,200, where the previous consolidation range and technical support converge.
The daily moving averages and positive CMF still favor the broader recovery, but the 4-hour chart shows that sellers retain control of short-term momentum. Ethereum therefore remains at a decision point, with $2,350–$2,400 serving as support and $2,430–$2,550 forming the main recovery barrier.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
Fed Mouthpiece: Governor Waller shifts stance, now cautiously optimistic about holding interest rates steady
Wall Street Journal reporter Nick Timiraos, known as the "Fed’s mouthpiece", says Fed Governor Christopher Waller’s overall stance has not fundamentally changed since July, but his policy tilt has shifted: from concerns and a bias toward tightening monetary policy back then, to cautious optimism and a preference for keeping interest rates unchanged now. The final decision will depend on August’s inflation data. Waller’s reaction path for the September 15-16 policy meeting is clear: if inflation continues moving toward the 2% target, he will hold rates steady; if August’s inflation figures come in higher, he will consider a rate hike.
1 minutes ago
Apple faces a $2.7 billion class-action lawsuit, accused of unfair application tracking rules against third-party developers and gaining an improper advantage for its own advertising ecosystem.
Apple Inc. is facing a class-action lawsuit in London seeking up to ￡2 billion (approximately $2.7 billion) in damages. The suit was filed today at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London, initiated by Ann Pope, a former senior official at the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, on behalf of app developers. The core allegation is that Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, launched in 2021, imposes stricter restrictions on third-party developers than on its own services, granting Apple’s in-house advertising ecosystem an unfair competitive advantage. Ann Pope stated that Apple’s policies have "caused very significant harm to businesses that rely on Apple as a gatekeeper." Since its rollout, ATT has been a longstanding focus of global regulatory scrutiny. Apple’s official stance is that the feature is designed to let users control whether apps track their activity across other companies and websites. However, plaintiffs argue there is a double standard in the rule’s implementation: third-party apps’ tracking requests require strict pop-up authorization, while Apple’s own personalized ads and services can bypass equivalent restrictions. This lawsuit is the latest legal challenge facing Apple over its ATT policy, and marks the first major private antitrust lawsuit in the UK targeting Apple’s app ecosystem rules, following regulatory reviews from the EU, the U.S., and multiple other countries.
1 minutes ago
Bonk Guy holds $2.52 million worth of USELESS, with an unrealized profit of $1.68 million.
According to Lookonchain's monitoring, five months ago, when Solana ecosystem meme coin USELESS’s market cap dropped to $30 million, well-known crypto KOL "Bonk Guy" began using a dollar-cost averaging strategy to buy the token. Over the past month, Bonk Guy has continued purchasing USELESS, and now holds 15.9 million tokens worth $2.52 million, with an unrealized profit of $1.68 million. Per GMGN data, USELESS, the Solana meme coin, rose over 50% in 24 hours, pushing its market cap above $150 million. On September 1, Bonk Guy said his bullishness on USELESS is even stronger than when he traded BONK in 2023, noting that USELESS previously surged from a $4 million market cap to $450 million in a non-bull market, and could see even larger gains if it experiences a real bull market for the first time. After Bonk Guy’s bullish call on September 1, USELESS jumped over 50% that day, breaking through the $100 million market cap mark. BlockBeats reminds users that most meme coins have no real use cases, are highly volatile, and require cautious investment.
1 minutes ago
Meme coin FATCOIN’s market cap hits a new high, surging past $3.8 million with a 66% gain in the past 24 hours.
According to GMGN market data, the meme stock coin FATCOIN on Robinhood Chain has hit a new all-time high, with its market cap exceeding $3.8 million, a 66% 24-hour gain, and a 24-hour trading volume of $3.5 million. FATCOIN (nicknamed "Fat Coin") is paired with tokenized shares of Eli Lilly (LLY), the leading U.S. weight-loss drug developer. BlockBeats Note: Stock Meme is an emerging concept that merges traditional meme coins with tokenized U.S. stocks. Unlike typical meme coins paired with USDT or ETH, these tokens form trading pairs directly with on-chain U.S. stock tokens (e.g., NVDA, TSLA, AAPL, etc.). This approach retains meme coins’ high volatility and community-driven speculative traits while tapping into the popularity and narratives of real stocks. A portion of transaction fees is often redirected to the community treasury to accumulate the corresponding U.S. stock tokens, creating a dual-driven model of "sentiment speculation + real asset anchoring". Note: Prices are highly volatile; invest with caution.
1 minutes ago
AI company Humain plans to launch a $2.5 billion fund focused on data center investments.
Beating AI Insight Flash News: According to a Bloomberg report, AI firm Humain plans to raise an initial $2.5 billion to establish a fund focused on data center investments. People familiar with the matter said the fund will finance the 250-megawatt data center capacity being built by Humain in partnership with Al Moammar Information Systems, with the overall scale potentially expanding to 1 gigawatt in the future. Backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF), Humain is advancing local AI computing power and data center infrastructure development to meet surging demand for AI computing resources.
1 minutes ago
Fed's Waller: Whether to raise interest rates in September will hinge heavily on next week's August CPI
Fed Governor Waller shifted from potentially supporting interest rate hikes to adopting a dovish stance after his remarks. The labor market is in good shape, and he expects the August jobs report to sustain this trend. Three-month core inflation has shown "significant improvement" at an "encouraging pace". Headline and core PCE are not the best indicators for judging inflation trends. Pending revisions by the U.S. Commerce Department to estimates of non-market prices could lower the 12-month PCE by a few tenths of a percentage point. Waller noted that the next interest rate decision will "largely depend" on the August inflation data set to be released next week. "If we continue to make progress toward the 2% target, I am willing to support keeping the policy rate at its current level. But if inflation data comes in higher than expected, I will consider a rate hike. An acceleration in inflation may not prompt me to support policy tightening. If there is evidence in August that the momentum of inflation moving toward the 2% target has reversed, a small adjustment to our policy stance will help ensure inflation returns to target."
According to DeFiLlama data, Robinhood Chain’s 24-hour DEX trading volume hit approximately $1.851 billion, marking the sixth consecutive day it has set a new all-time high. Currently, this volume ranks second among all blockchains, trailing only Solana (around $2.531 billion) and outpacing Ethereum (around $1.32 billion), BSC (around $1.181 billion), and Base (around $800 million). Over the same period, Robinhood Chain’s on-chain fees stood at roughly $4.45 million, while its on-chain revenue reached about $4.01 million—both ranking first in DeFiLlama’s chain metrics. Breaking down the figures: Robinhood Chain’s 24-hour Chain Fees totaled around $4.45 million, while the combined fees of Solana, BSC, Ethereum, and Base came to roughly $1.49 million. In terms of revenue, Robinhood Chain’s 24-hour network layer revenue hit approximately $4.01 million, compared to just $288,000 in combined revenue from Base, Solana, Ethereum, and BSC. This means Robinhood Chain’s single-chain daily revenue is roughly 13.9 times the combined total of these four chains. Furthermore, the surging trading activity on Robinhood Chain has caught the attention of wallet projects. OKX Wallet announced today that users trading Robinhood Chain tokens via OKX’s built-in DEX will receive a limited-time full gas fee subsidy. Binance Wallet also announced the launch of a 20% fee reduction promotion for Robinhood Chain today.
Cover image via depositphotos.com Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
On September 2, U.S. investor demand for cryptocurrency ETFs was clearly divided, with Bitcoin drawing in new investment, while Ethereum, XRP, and Solana products all saw daily net outflows.
Surge of spot ETF inflowsThe most recent ETF data shows that during the session, Bitcoin spot ETFs saw net inflows of $101.15 million. As a result, their total net assets increased to $97.22 billion, while their cumulative net inflows reached about $54.73 billion. Additionally, daily trading volume for Bitcoin ETFs was approximately $1.73 billion, significantly higher than that of any other category of cryptocurrency ETF.
XRP/USDT Chart by TradingViewThe picture for the main altcoins was significantly worse. Despite maintaining positive 30-day flows of $1.83 billion, Ethereum ETFs saw daily net outflows of $48.08 million. Their total inflows are still around $13.03 billion, indicating that the most recent withdrawal is not as large as the total amount of capital that has been accumulated over time.
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Withdrawals are spikingEvery day, XRP had to deal with an even greater withdrawal. Together, the five XRP ETF products recorded outflows of $57.20 million. Nonetheless, cumulative net inflows are approximately $1.68 billion, and XRP's 30-day figure is still positive at $165.22 million.
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Of the three, Solana had the biggest outflow, losing $6.13 million over the course of the day. Its overall figures are still positive: SOL ETFs have drawn $197.60 million over the past 30 days and roughly $1.34 billion overall.
The divergence indicates that, rather than completely giving up on cryptocurrency ETF exposure, investors are currently viewing Bitcoin as the safer option during a time of uncertainty. Some of this hesitancy is also reflected in price action.
Following its spectacular August surge toward $1.70, XRP is currently trading at $1.36, testing the 200-day moving average at $1.35. If XRP is to avoid the correction continuing toward its 20-day EMA at $1.29, it is crucial to hold onto this level.
As a result, the ETF data shows conflicting results. Although altcoin products are experiencing short-term redemptions, their 30-day flows are still positive. While its biggest rivals moved in the opposite direction, Bitcoin has regained the strongest immediate institutional demand, adding more than $100 million.
A hacker linked to the third wave of Coldcard wallet thefts has started swapping stolen Bitcoin for Ether through THORChain.
Galaxy head of research Alex Thorn took to X on Wednesday to report that the third-wave exploiter moved about 10% of the stolen funds, with 90% remaining untouched. Thorn said it marked the first time funds from any of the three waves had moved onchain from the original hacker addresses.
“The hacker appears to be having some issues swapping all the funds through THORChain — they keep getting refunded and he keeps retrying,” he said.
Thorn said onchain analysts traced the funds through THORChain to a new Ethereum address, adding that he shared it with relevant authorities and crypto companies. It remains unclear whether the attacker will attempt to further obscure or move the assets through an exchange, he added.
The transfers follow a Coldcard exploit that Galaxy Research linked to the theft of at least 1,789 Bitcoin from 8,865 addresses, worth about $114.7 million at the time they were stolen. Blockchain security company CertiK reported in August that hackers linked to the exploit had sent 64 Bitcoin and 200 Ether to cryptocurrency mixers such as Tornado Cash.
The latest movement comes days after Thorn said the Coldcard attackers remained active, citing the Aug. 28 sweep of a deliberately weakened researcher wallet designed to test the attackers’ ability to find vulnerable keys.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
ARK Invest digital asset researcher Lorenzo Valente compared Ethereum, Solana and Hyperliquid with three U.S. restaurant businesses on Sept. 3, arguing that their different operating structures require separate valuation frameworks.
Summary
ARK researcher Lorenzo Valente compared Ethereum, Solana and Hyperliquid through three contrasting restaurant business models. Ethereum uses layer two networks for scaling while collecting relatively limited settlement fees today overall. Solana processes applications within one integrated environment, keeping execution fees closer to validators and holders. Hyperliquid channels most eligible trading fees toward HYPE purchases through its Assistance Fund mechanism automatically. Valente said each architecture requires separate valuation methods because revenue paths and risks differ materially. In an essay, Valente likened Ethereum to McDonald’s, Solana to Chipotle and Hyperliquid to In-N-Out. The comparisons address how each blockchain expands, controls its infrastructure and directs revenue toward its native asset.
Valente argued that Ethereum operates like a franchise network because independent layer 2 teams build their own systems while relying on Ethereum for settlement. Solana resembles a company-owned chain because applications execute inside one integrated environment. Hyperliquid offers a more concentrated structure built around its trading venue, consensus system and fee-funded HYPE purchases.
The restaurant comparisons are Valente’s analytical framework. They are not ARK investment recommendations or objective classifications of the three networks.
Ethereum resembles a franchise that charges limited rent Ethereum’s scaling roadmap allows layer 2 networks such as Arbitrum, Base and OP Mainnet to process transactions away from its main execution layer. Those networks periodically submit data or proofs to Ethereum to inherit parts of its security and settlement infrastructure.
Valente compared this arrangement with McDonald’s franchising model. Ethereum provides the brand, standards, developer ecosystem and settlement layer. Independent teams finance and operate the layer 2 networks, just as franchise operators fund and manage individual restaurants.
“Blockchains Are Cities” from @hosseeb and @jmonegro “Fat Protocols” are two pieces I’ve returned to repeatedly over the yrs
But things changed in the last 10 years
This piece looks at the trade-offs between ETH, SOL, and HYPE and why all 3 can win imo https://t.co/vTDivLVenu
— Lorenzo Valente (@LorenzoARK) September 2, 2026 This structure helps Ethereum expand without financing every new execution network itself. Separate teams can develop specialized products, attract users and experiment with different technologies while continuing to settle on Ethereum.
However, Valente argued that Ethereum captures too little of the economic activity generated by those networks. Layer 2 operators collect transaction fees from users but pay Ethereum primarily for data availability and settlement.
EIP-4844 introduced separate blob space for rollup data in March 2024. Blobs reduced the cost of submitting layer 2 data to Ethereum, making transactions cheaper for users. They also lowered the fees that rollups paid to the main network when blob capacity exceeded demand.
Valente described this as Ethereum building a successful franchise network but failing to collect enough rent. In his view, Ethereum owns valuable settlement infrastructure but prices access too close to its operating cost.
The analogy has limits. Ethereum does not sign commercial franchise agreements with layer 2 operators. It also cannot impose royalties, control their products or prevent them from using alternative data availability services. Any proposal to raise the minimum blob fee would require technical review and acceptance through Ethereum’s decentralized governance process.
Ethereum developers have considered changes to blob pricing as demand and capacity evolve. A higher fee floor could increase payments to Ethereum, but it could also increase layer 2 transaction costs or encourage operators to use competing systems.
Solana keeps more activity inside one environment Valente compared Solana with Chipotle because both follow what he described as a vertically integrated model. Solana processes application activity directly through its base network instead of making external rollups the main route for scaling.
Trades on Jupiter, token launches, stablecoin transfers and other application transactions share the same execution environment. Users pay base and priority fees, while validators may receive additional value through transaction ordering and Jito tips.
This structure keeps more of the fee flow within the Solana network. Validators and their delegators receive compensation, while part of the base fee is burned. The relationship between network use and value capture is therefore more direct than it is when execution occurs on an independent layer 2.
Valente compared that arrangement with Chipotle owning and operating its restaurants. The company controls the customer experience and retains store revenue, but it must also finance expansion and absorb operational failures.
Solana faces a similar trade-off. Its unified architecture provides direct control over execution, fee markets and performance upgrades. It also means congestion or network disruption can affect applications across the ecosystem simultaneously.
The network has invested in additional validator clients, including Firedancer, to improve performance and reduce its dependence on one main software implementation. Solana’s Firedancer and Alpenglow upgrades could strengthen performance and validator diversity, although their full effects depend on deployment and operator adoption.
Valente argued that Solana’s integrated model produces better fee retention than Ethereum’s rollup structure. That assessment depends on which revenues and costs are included. Validator rewards involve token issuance, while application fees do not automatically accrue equally to every SOL holder.
Hyperliquid creates the shortest fee-capture chain Hyperliquid received the In-N-Out comparison because it combines a focused product range, internal infrastructure and limited reliance on outside capital. Its original product centered on perpetual futures trading through an onchain order book.
The platform built its own consensus system, HyperBFT, and operates its trading infrastructure through HyperCore. It later added HyperEVM for general smart contract applications, but derivatives remain a major source of activity and revenue.
Valente argued that Hyperliquid has the shortest value-capture path among the three networks. Trading fees flow into the protocol, and the Assistance Fund uses most eligible revenue to purchase HYPE from the market.
The model differs from a conventional corporate share repurchase. HYPE is a crypto token rather than equity, and holding it does not grant the same legal claims as owning company stock. Assistance Fund purchases can still create recurring market demand when trading activity generates sufficient fees.
Hyperliquid’s Assistance Fund directs most protocol trading fees into HYPE purchases. Crypto.news reported in May that the fund had used more than $1.3 billion for purchases since the mechanism began, based on available protocol and market data.
More recent research found that Hyperliquid and Pump.fun accounted for nearly 90% of tracked crypto token repurchases during 2026. Those figures measure purchases during the examined period and should not be interpreted as guaranteed future demand.
Hyperliquid has also expanded through HIP-3, which lets approved builders deploy perpetual markets while using its underlying infrastructure. Official documentation says spot and HIP-3 deployers may retain up to 50% of fees generated by their deployed assets.
Valente compared the arrangement with a tightly controlled restaurant operator allowing outside builders to introduce products without surrendering its infrastructure or customer relationship.
Different models produce different concentration risks Ethereum’s main advantage under Valente’s framework is distribution. Independent layer 2 teams provide external capital, engineering capacity and access to large companies. The cost is weaker control over users, execution revenue and the behavior of those networks.
Solana retains more activity inside one system. This can strengthen fee capture and product coordination, but the network must support a broader technical surface and absorb system-wide operational risks.
Hyperliquid offers the most direct relationship between product revenue and token purchases. It also carries the greatest concentration risk of the three models because activity, leadership and revenue remain closely connected to one trading ecosystem.
Valente warned that builders responsible for a large share of HIP-3 trading could eventually seek better fee terms. Revenue may also weaken during a prolonged decline in derivatives activity.
The comparison does not establish which token will outperform. Valuations also depend on issuance, liquidity, governance, competition, regulation and demand for the products running on each network.
No verified market move could be attributed directly to Valente’s essay. ETH, SOL and HYPE trade continuously and respond to broader crypto prices, leverage, protocol activity and macroeconomic conditions.
What happens next Ethereum’s value-capture debate will focus partly on blob demand and pricing. Developers can adjust capacity or fee parameters, but changes require testing and community support. Higher settlement revenue would need to be balanced against affordable layer 2 transactions.
Solana’s model will be tested by network upgrades, validator-client diversity and its ability to support higher activity without recurring congestion. The expansion of institutional products and consumer applications could also change its fee composition.
For Hyperliquid, HIP-3 adoption will show whether the network can expand beyond its internally developed markets while preserving its revenue share. Trading volumes and Assistance Fund purchases will remain important measures of the model’s durability.
Valente’s central argument is that investors should not value every layer 1 network using identical metrics. Ethereum emphasizes external ecosystem expansion, Solana emphasizes unified execution and Hyperliquid emphasizes direct product revenue. Each model can succeed, he said, but each carries a different path to failure.
FAQs Did ARK Invest officially classify Ethereum as McDonald’s? No. Lorenzo Valente presented the comparison in an analytical essay. The analogy represents his framework for examining blockchain economics.
Why did Valente compare Solana with Chipotle? He argued that Solana operates an integrated network where applications execute directly and fees remain within the underlying system.
Why was Hyperliquid compared with In-N-Out? The comparison reflects Hyperliquid’s focused product, internal infrastructure, limited outside funding and direct fee-to-token purchase mechanism.
Does Ethereum receive fees from layer 2 networks? Yes. Layer 2 networks pay Ethereum for data and settlement. Valente’s criticism concerns the amount Ethereum captures relative to layer 2 activity.
Crypto billionaire Arthur Hayes predicts Ethereum price will reach $10,000 by year-end amid fresh liquidity into the crypto market from Fed balance sheet expansion and Treasury bond buybacks. He also forecasts sharp gains in Ethena (ENA) and Ether.fi (ETHFI).
Ethereum Price Could Reach $10,000 by 2020-End, Arthur Hayes Predicts Arthur Hayes, BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom CIO, has issued new year-end 2026 outlook in his latest Substack article “Atencion,” predicting Ethereum price to reach $10,000.
The outlook is based on the expectation that EURJPY will fall from around 185 to 140 or lower by mid-2027. Notably, EURJPY dropped to 182.45 today as the US Treasury announced a $12.5 billion debt buyback on Thursday. This comes as part of the US Treasury’s plan to buy back bonds using a $1 trillion cash cushion.
JUST IN 🚨: U.S. Treasury is forecasted to buy back $12.5 Billion of their own debt tomorrow pic.twitter.com/AyJBxYGqEn
— Barchart (@Barchart) September 2, 2026
Arthur Hayes claimed that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants to sell Euros and buy Yen, with the Bank of Japan (BOJ) also looking to hike rates. This will massively increase US dollar liquidity.
Ethereum price is rebounding from a 24-hour low of $2,357, currently trading at $2,415. Trading volume has decreased slightly in the last 24 hours.
Ethena (ENA) and ETHFI to Rally Arthur Hayes also predicted a massive rally to $0.50 for Ethena (ENA) and $2 for ETHFI. Hayes has repeatedly called Ethereum his top near-term crypto pick, he had invested many times in ENA and ETHFI.
ENA price is trading around $0.153, with an almost 70% rally in a month. Meanwhile, ETHFI is moving near $0.57, down 4.5% today after a 90% rally in the last 3 months. Arthur Hayes pointed to potential three-times rallies if the forecasts materialize.
Recently, Ethena launched Ethena Pay to enter crypto neobanking built on Avalanche that lets users save, spend, transfer and earn with USDe across 48 countries.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is discussing declaring the Iran War over. Trump told aides that continued economic pressure will force the Iranian regime either to dismantle its nuclear program or collapse.
Prediction market traders on Polymarket are pricing roughly a one-in-four odds of Ethereum touching $2,000 during September. The upside is currently more favored, with odds showing a 71% chance the price hits $2500 this month.
"The total value of crypto assets that have been stolen to date exceeds the yearly GDP of a medium-sized nation."
So reads the start of the Motivation section in the EIP-7906 draft proposal, which was created in early 2025, meaning that "GDP" has swelled from various exploits since then.
Of course, the problem of onchain theft isn't unique to the Ethereum ecosystem, but Ethereum does undoubtedly have a major thorn here, namely "de facto blind signing" of everything, as EIP-7906's authors put it, since today there's no way to easily vet and restrict what transactions will do once signed.
In other words, there's no network-level handle on outcomes, only on signed calldata. This means something like a wallet or a tx simulation UI can display wrong data, or miss hostile intentions, and Ethereum will still commit whatever was executed because a provided signature authorizes execution, and not a checked outcome.
This gap between intention and execution is exactly what EIP-7906, a.k.a. transaction assertions, is meant to solve. This standard's introduction will be pivotal, to the point that its arrival will mark a sort of "before" and "after" milestone in Ethereum UX.
Transactions assertions will be one of those features that we look back on and wonder how we used Ethereum without them. https://t.co/cUtPzeBCIq
— ً (@lightclients) September 1, 2026 It seems we won't have to wait very long, either. EIP-7906 is proposed for inclusion (PFI) in Ethereum's Hegotá upgrade and has already been demoed in a Hegotá devnet next to frames. The EIP isn't officially considered/scheduled for inclusion yet, and it may get pushed to Ethereum's following upgrade, but it's possible we'll see it live in 2027 at the earliest.
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That's all the general background here, but to understand how transaction assertions actually work, you have to know the basics of "frame transactions" per EIP-8141, which is already formally slated for Hegotá and which EIP-7906 is fundamentally built around.
As you can imagine from the name, frame transactions break transactions into frames, i.e. short, labeled steps with different jobs. One frame can validate a signature, another can let a sponsor pay your gas, with others you can make approvals, swaps, batches, etc.
EIP-8141: Frame Transaction
Add frame abstraction for transaction validation, execution, and gas payment
Ethereum Improvement Proposals
However, in its default structure, EIP-8141 doesn't have a baked-in outcomes check to make sure your list of frames only do what your wallet screen has indicated. Here then cue in transaction assertions, as EIP-7906, if pushed to mainnet, would add a frame mode for precisely this type of checking job.
The EIP's new proposed frame mode is specifically POST_TX, which would have to sit at the very end of your frames list. It'd run as a static call, so it could read but not write anything, and its three new opcodes, TXTRACE, TXDIFF, and EVENTDATACOPY, would only work inside it.
The neat thing is that by the time POST_TX runs, your real balance, storage, and event diff changes would already exist, and then your smart account would get a look at that data. If the results don't match with what's expected, the execution frames will revert. Accordingly, EIP-7906 can provide vetoes on onchain outcomes rather than mere (and potentially flawed) previews of them.
Under this paradigm, you'd be able to guarantee a swap will fire off as expected or dodge an approval drainer after trying to ape into an NFT mint that was discreetly nefarious, and so on. Everything that opcodes expose could get checked against your transactions' literal traces instead of simulations or calldata summaries that hostile frontends can fake.
To be sure, transaction assertions aren't a panacea for all of the Ethereum ecosystem's security problems, but it's safe to say that they can prevent plenty future onchain losses. We don't have to sign transactions and just hope for the best. We can authorize execution and then refuse to keep the results if something's gone wrong.
That's a powerful shift that will prove to be a big level up for Ethereum UX. For now, the main question that remains is the timeline. In one week, Ethereum client teams will submit their ranking preferences for further Hegotá inclusions, so we'll know more then on the community's appetite for transaction assertions coming sooner or later, like the upgrade after Hegotá.
In brief Remixpoint sold its altcoins for ¥878.8 million ($4.47 million). The sale produced a ¥117.8 million ($598,400) gain. Sale proceeds may fund battery-storage projects and strengthen its balance sheet. Japanese public company Remixpoint sold all its Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and Dogecoin on Sept. 1, making Bitcoin the only cryptocurrency left in its treasury.
According to a public disclosure on the company’s website, the assets sold for ¥878,814,569 ($4.47 million), against a book value of ¥761,041,920 ($3.87 million). Remixpoint realized a ¥117,772,649 ($598,400) gain, which it expects to record as business-segment revenue in the second quarter of its fiscal year ending March 31, 2027.
Myriad: Bitcoin price next move? Click to make your prediction.Ethereum generated a ¥60,203,121 ($305,900) profit. Solana added ¥49,304,898 ($250,500), while XRP produced ¥11,523,717 ($58,500). Dogecoin was the only losing position, recording a ¥3,259,087 ($16,500) loss.
Before the sale, the company’s Ethereum and Solana generated ¥29,874,959 ($151,800) in combined staking rewards.
Remixpoint said it decided to exit the altcoins after weighing market conditions, each asset’s risk and return, and the company’s financial strategy.
“After comprehensively considering the market environment, the risk-return characteristics of each cryptocurrency,” the company wrote. “The Company's financial strategy, and other factors, the Company decided to sell all of the altcoins it held.”
Its cryptocurrency policy will now center on Bitcoin, a shift the company said would clarify its approach and improve capital efficiency.
Bitcoin lending generated 14.92055902 BTC in fees from Feb. 24 through Aug. 31. Those fees were valued at ¥164,218,522 ($834,300).
According to Bitcoin Treasuries, the company now holds 1,501 BTC, valued at $116.1 million, and ranked Remixpoint 38th among public-company Bitcoin holders. The different totals reflect figures reported on different dates.
Corporate Bitcoin buying has accelerated in recent weeks as public companies raise capital and concentrate more of their reserves in the asset.
In April, Metaplanet added 5,075 BTC, lifting its holdings to 40,177 BTC. In August, the Japanese company agreed to contribute 2,100 BTC and $2.5 million in cash to Super League Enterprises. Also in August, Zhibao Technology received 2,380 BTC through a $154.7 million private placement funded directly with Bitcoin.
Later that month, Strive bought 1,110 BTC for $81.5 million before adding another 1,800 BTC for roughly $143 million. At the end of August, Strategy purchased 4,603 BTC for $369.7 million, ending a roughly two-month pause in its Bitcoin purchases.
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Coinbase launched regulated derivatives contracts for eligible Canadian traders on September 2, giving users access to crypto, commodity and index futures through Coinbase Financial Markets. The company announcement lists 23 perpetual and dated crypto futures, including contracts tied to Bitcoin, Ether and Solana. Coinbase said the rollout makes it the first major crypto-native platform to offer direct native crypto futures in Canada.
The initial lineup combines perpetual-style and dated contracts. Coinbase is also offering five commodity futures linked to markets including gold, silver and oil, plus index futures such as COIN50. Access is limited to customers who meet the platform’s eligibility requirements.
Coinbase describes the contracts as nano-sized, which reduces the capital needed for each position relative to larger contract formats. Eligible traders can take long or short positions with leverage of up to 10 times. That leverage can magnify losses as well as gains, and the company warns that futures trading may not suit every investor.
CFM Provides the Regulated Route The contracts are offered by Coinbase Financial Markets, a futures commission merchant registered with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a member of the National Futures Association. Coinbase previously secured U.S. authorization for crypto futures sales through its regulated broker, providing the structure now used for eligible Canadian customers.
Product Mix Extends Beyond Crypto Combining crypto, commodities and an index in one derivatives menu broadens the launch beyond directional bets on individual tokens. It also gives users several instruments for hedging, although the announcement does not say that every Canadian Coinbase customer will qualify. Availability depends on the platform’s assessment and product rules.
The rollout also builds on Coinbase’s wider derivatives infrastructure. Its futures business has previously worked with Nodal Clear to introduce USDC as collateral in U.S. futures markets.
Launch Pricing Comes With Risk Warnings Coinbase set introductory pricing at 0.02% per trade plus $0.11 per contract for eligible Canadian traders, describing the terms as temporary. The company did not specify an end date for the launch offer.
The announcement emphasizes that leverage can cause losses exceeding the initial investment. The launch therefore expands regulated product choice in Canada without removing the market, liquidation and leverage risks attached to derivatives. Traders must still pass Coinbase’s eligibility process before using the contracts.
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Tokoni Uti is a Lagos-based writer with several years of experience. Her work has appeared in the Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Free Press and the San Diego Free press among others. She is a graduate of Bowen University.
Arthur Hayes says his family office Maelstrom’s crypto positioning is unchanged, anchored by a structural Bitcoin (BTC) long. He also set a $10,000 price target for Ether (ETH) by the end of 2026.
The BitMEX co-founder made the call in a September 3 newsletter centered on euro-yen macro dynamics. He set similar year-end targets for Ethena (ENA) and Ether.fi (ETHFI).
Hayes’ Ether Price Target and Other CallsHayes is chief investment officer of Maelstrom, the family office he runs after co-founding and formerly running BitMEX. Maelstrom holds positions across established majors and earlier-stage tokens alike. He publishes portfolio views as asides inside longer macro essays on his newsletter, rather than as standalone calls.
As one of crypto trading’s most closely watched voices, Hayes’ price targets often shape market chatter. This particular newsletter offered no valuation model behind any of the three altcoin figures.
Hayes called the BTC long structural, with no price target attached. He labeled the ETH, ENA, and ETHFI targets more speculative. Those goals are $10,000 for ETH, $0.50 for ENA, and $2 for ETHFI.
A Long Way to Go for ETHETH traded near $2,379 per token at publication time. That puts Hayes’ target roughly 320% above current levels.
ENA changed hands at $0.159, and ETHFI at $0.562, both far below his goals. BTC held near $77,258.
Since surging in August, ETH is on a downturn. Image Source: BeInCryptoThe newsletter’s core argument focused on the euro weakening against the yen. That thesis ties French bank stress and Bank of Japan policy to faster Fed money printing. Hayes links that view to his broader claim that Bessent’s buyback playbook will boost dollar liquidity.
Hayes has also been an active ETHFI buyer this year. He bought back into ETHFI in August after exiting the position earlier in 2026.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Bitcoin ETFs posted a net inflow of $101 million yesterday, while Ethereum ETFs saw a net outflow of $48.2 million.
According to monitoring by Farside Investors, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw a net inflow of $101 million yesterday. Of that, BlackRock’s IBIT recorded a net inflow of $115.4 million, while Grayscale’s GBTC posted a net outflow of $56.2 million. U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs overall had a net outflow of $48.2 million. Among them, BlackRock’s ETHA saw a net outflow of $53.4 million, ETHB posted a net inflow of $52.9 million, Fidelity’s FETH had a net outflow of $26.2 million, and ETHE recorded a net outflow of $23.5 million.
5 minutes ago
Is Kimi's $50 billion valuation overpriced? Its annual recurring revenue (ARR) exceeds $1.2 billion, matching that of Zhipu AI, and stands at nearly $2.5 billion, approaching MiniMax.
Beating AI Insight News Flash: Moonshot AI, the developer of Kimi Chat, is advancing toward a Hong Kong IPO, with its latest Pre-IPO round targeting a valuation of approximately $50 billion. This valuation may seem high, but when extrapolating from listed peers MiniMax and Zhipu AI, there is a clear revenue threshold Kimi needs to hit. Based on rough market cap calculations as of September 3, MiniMax has a total market cap of around $16 billion, with August annual recurring revenue (ARR) exceeding $800 million, translating to less than 20x ARR. Zhipu AI’s total market cap is roughly $66 billion, with August ARR of $1.6 billion, corresponding to about 41.25x ARR. If Kimi is valued at $50 billion, its valuation multiple will be lower than Zhipu’s as long as its ARR exceeds approximately $1.212 billion; hitting $2.5 billion in ARR would correspond to a 20x multiple, close to MiniMax’s level. Kimi’s last explicit ARR disclosure was $300 million in mid-June. After the K3 model launched in July, President Zhang Yutong stated that the enterprise ARR had seen "multiple-fold growth" and recorded its largest single-day increase in history. Bloomberg also reported that daily sales rose at least sixfold following K3’s release, but the company has not yet disclosed the absolute value of its latest ARR. Therefore, the key to judging whether the $50 billion valuation is reasonable now boils down to one figure: Kimi’s latest ARR after the K3 launch.
5 minutes ago
US SEC Chair Again Urges Congress to Advance the CLARITY Act
U.S. SEC Chair Paul Atkins told Fox News in an interview that he hopes Congress will swiftly advance the CLARITY Act and send it to President Trump for signing. Meanwhile, the SEC is continuing to develop regulatory rules adapted to blockchain and crypto asset markets. The U.S. Senate has set September 15 as the key procedural vote date for the CLARITY Act, which requires 60 votes to move the bill forward to formal consideration. Even if legislative efforts continue to face obstacles, the SEC and CFTC plan to leverage their existing authorities to advance the crypto market regulatory framework.
5 minutes ago
Predict.fun announces the launch of 15-minute up/down prediction markets for SPY/USDT and QQQ/USDT.
Prediction market platform Predict.fun has launched a new 15-minute up/down prediction market. Two markets—SPY/USDT and QQQ/USDT—are now live, allowing users to trade by predicting the future 15-minute price direction of the underlying assets. The new offering aims to provide users with a more high-frequency, flexible prediction experience. The market is open for participation now; welcome users to visit Predict.fun to try it out.
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Bitget has launched USDT-margined CP perpetual contracts.
Per an official announcement, Bitget has launched U-denominated CP perpetual contracts, supporting up to 20x maximum leverage. Contract trading bots will also be rolled out simultaneously. For more details, refer to Bitget’s official platform.
5 minutes ago
Bessent: Iran Sanctions to Expand to Digital Assets, Aviation, and Shipping Sectors
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated at a Washington press conference yesterday that the Trump administration may designate digital assets, aviation and shipping sectors as new sanctions targets amid further pressure on Iran’s economy.
According to monitoring by Farside Investors, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw a net inflow of $101 million yesterday. Of that, BlackRock’s IBIT recorded a net inflow of $115.4 million, while Grayscale’s GBTC posted a net outflow of $56.2 million. U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs overall had a net outflow of $48.2 million. Among them, BlackRock’s ETHA saw a net outflow of $53.4 million, ETHB posted a net inflow of $52.9 million, Fidelity’s FETH had a net outflow of $26.2 million, and ETHE recorded a net outflow of $23.5 million.
The cryptocurrency market remained muted on Wednesday, even as softer private employment data modestly reducing the odds of a rate hike.
Crypto Market StableBitcoin held steady, with trading volume dropping 13% over the last 24 hours. The apex cryptocurrency has corrected by 1.68% over the past week.
After failing to hold above $2,400 early in the session, Ethereum slid to an intraday low of $2,356. XRP and Dogecoin also recorded gains.
Cryptocurrency-related stocks dipped, with Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) and Bitmine Immersion Technologies Inc. (NYSE:BMNR) closing down 1.35% and 1.33%, respectively.
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Over $280 million was liquidated from the cryptocurrency market in the last 24 hours, with long position traders bearing the brunt of the losses, according to Coinglass data.
Trending
Bitcoin’s open interest fell 0.35% over the last 24 hours. Notably, sentiment among retail and whale derivatives traders was markedly bullish.
Top Gainers (24 Hours)
The global cryptocurrency market cap slipped 1.74% in the last 24 hours to $2.60 trillion.
Stock Market ReboundsStocks halted their losing streak on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 295.07 points, or 0.56%, to end at 53,061.95. The S&P 500 rose 0.46% to close at 7,666.60, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.45% to close at 26,217.83
U.S. private payrolls increased by 38,000 jobs in August, marking the slowest pace of job creation since January.
The probability of a rate hike to 3.75%–4.00% at the Federal Reserve’s meeting later this month fell from 67% to 62.3% in 24 hours, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
Whales Buy BTC DipAli Martinez, a widely followed cryptocurrency analyst and trader, noted that large investors have been scooping up Bitcoin despite the correction.
Martinez highlighted that since Bitcoin’s retracement from $81,474 to $76,732, whales have accumulated 6,765 BTC, worth roughly $521 million.
Michaël van de Poppe, another well-known cryptocurrency researcher, analyzed Ethereum’s moves, highlighting potential downside sweeps to $2,355 followed by $2,300 as initial buying zones.
“Best case: $2,200 would be the ideal spot for long entries,” Van De Poppe said. “However, ultimately, this dip is to get yourself positioned before ETH goes to $3,000.”
David Schwartz, Chief Technology Officer at Ripple, publicly supported Tether’s decision to freeze $42.4 million in USDT assets prior to the receipt of a formal court warrant. The move has intensified debate over the extent of centralized control maintained by stablecoin issuers.
Lawsuit targets Tether’s asset freezeTwo Thai businessmen initiated legal action against Tether in the Southern District of New York on August 31. They allege the company blacklisted 10 Ethereum addresses containing 42,417,785.62 USDT on October 30, 2025, after being contacted by Homeland Security Investigations in an informal capacity. A formal seizure warrant for the funds only followed on February 19, 2026. The case remains unresolved in court.
Schwartz stated that Tether had limited options in the situation, emphasizing that securing the disputed funds was necessary until competing ownership concerns could be resolved. His defense is notable given Ripple’s position as an issuer of RLUSD, a rival regulated stablecoin.
Stablecoin controls and compliance powerRipple outlines in its RLUSD terms that it reserves broad powers to freeze wallet addresses holding RLUSD in response to legal requirements or under internal compliance policies, including informal law enforcement requests. The protocol also permits RLUSD to be destroyed in one wallet and recreated in another as appropriate.
This approach reveals why Schwartz’s backing of Tether’s pre-emptive action appears consistent with Ripple’s own stance on regulatory compliance.
Both RLUSD and USDT are issuer-managed stablecoins. Their design allows administrative actions such as address freezing, burning, or reminting backed tokens, enabling compliance during fraud investigations, sanction enforcement, and court-ordered asset seizures.
Mini dictionary: RLUSD is Ripple’s regulated US dollar-backed stablecoin, featuring built-in controls for address freezing and reminting to meet compliance and law enforcement requests.
Ripple affirms that RLUSD wallets can be blacklisted and tokens burned or reissued if legally required or for compliance purposes, mirroring measures seen at Tether.
XRP and native asset distinctionsIn contrast, Schwartz has repeatedly clarified that XRP, the native asset of the XRP Ledger, is not subject to these issuer-level controls. Documentation for XRPL distinguishes between issued tokens, which can be frozen or clawed back, and XRP itself, which remains outside such mechanisms.
According to Schwartz, Ripple can neither freeze an account holding XRP nor reverse a finalized XRP transaction. This design underscores the difference between decentralized protocols like XRP and managed stablecoins such as RLUSD or USDT.
As a result, RLUSD and XRP fulfill fundamentally different roles in the digital asset landscape and should not be considered interchangeable.
Tether’s cooperation with authorities expandsTether has recently expanded its cooperation with law enforcement. In February, Tether assisted U.S. authorities in seizing nearly $61 million in USDT related to a pig-butchering fraud operation. The company also reported helping freeze another $344 million in April in coordination with U.S. agencies.
DateAmount Seized/FrozenContextFebruary 2026$61 millionPig-butchering fraud caseApril 2026$344 millionUS law enforcement coordinationThe outcome of the ongoing lawsuit could set a precedent for how far stablecoin issuers may go in acting upon informal government requests before the formal judicial process is completed.
Schwartz’s position highlights the critical division between stablecoins, which require administrative controls to facilitate compliance, and decentralized assets like XRP, which cannot be censored or reversed post-settlement.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
According to on-chain data, Robinhood Chain's on-chain fees reached $3.75 million in the past 24 hours, exceeding the total fees of three public chains—Solana, Ethereum Mainnet, and Base—over the same period.
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The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has risen to 65, with the market remaining in "greed" territory.
According to data from Alternative, today’s Crypto Fear & Greed Index dropped to 65, up from 63 yesterday, with market sentiment remaining in the "Greed" territory. Note: The index ranges from 0 to 100, and its components include: volatility (25%), trading volume (25%), social media buzz (15%), market surveys (15%), Bitcoin’s market dominance (10%), and Google Trends analysis (10%).
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Chasing the rally of the 'NiuLai' token, crypto KOL XXAntiWar transfers 17.57 million tokens to seven addresses.
According to on-chain analyst Ai Yi (@ai_9684xtpa), crypto KOL XXAntiWar, who chased the rally during the bull market, has transferred 17.57 million tokens to 7 addresses via multiple intermediaries in recent days, and is currently still in unrealized loss. Thus, while Fomo shows XXAntiWar has liquidated all positions, this is actually because new holding addresses have not been recorded.
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An institution transferred 39,500 ETH worth approximately $95 million to a CEX.
According to Yuqing Monitoring, an institutional entity transferred 39,500 ETH (valued at approximately $95 million) to multiple CEXs over the past day. Over the past four days, its total transfers to CEXs have reached 142,800 ETH (worth around $345 million), while it still holds 29,735 ETH (approximately $70.9 million).
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South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves posted a record increase of $14.33 billion in August.
South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $14.33 billion in August, marking the largest single-month increase in history, driven mainly by a sharp rise in commercial banks’ foreign currency deposits at the Bank of Korea (BOK). The BOK said in a Thursday statement that as of the end of August, the country’s foreign exchange reserves climbed to $442.28 billion from $427.95 billion at the end of July. The central bank added that August’s reserve growth stemmed primarily from a surge in foreign currency deposits held by financial institutions, while a weaker U.S. dollar against other currencies also boosted investment income and valuation gains on overseas assets denominated in foreign currencies. The improved reserves have strengthened South Korea’s financial buffer, as the won weakened several times in the first half of the year, drawing market attention to the country’s external financing conditions. Earlier this year, the won fell to its lowest level since 2009, prompting South Korean authorities to repeatedly warn against excessive exchange rate volatility and seek to curb capital outflows driven by massive retail investor investments in overseas assets.
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Berkshire Hathaway plans to hold stakes in Japan's five major trading houses for the long term, with related stocks rising collectively.
Japanese trading house stocks rose on Thursday after Greg Abel, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, said the firm plans to keep its stakes in these trading houses for decades to come. The trading house sector was among the top gainers in the Topix index on Thursday. Mitsubishi Corp. jumped as much as 4.5%, hitting its highest level since May; Sumitomo Corp., Mitsui & Co., Itochu Corp., and Marubeni all rose more than 2.5%. Berkshire currently holds roughly a 10% stake in each of the five trading houses. Abel, who took over as CEO from Warren Buffett in January this year, told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday that Berkshire’s holdings in the Japanese trading houses are "long-term investments" and the company intends to hold them for decades. Since Berkshire disclosed its stakes in 2020, the share prices of these Japanese trading houses have benefited from their association with Buffett. A market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute noted that Abel’s renewed show of confidence "may rekindle investors’ interest in buying trading house stocks."
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Ansem: Robinhood’s Stock Price Bottoming Out and Consolidating, Expected to Hit New High in Q4
Crypto KOL Ansem wrote in a post that traditional finance (TradFi) firms consistently lag behind when integrating new crypto operations, as their suited executives often take too long to access relevant data. He believes Robinhood (HOOD) is a strong investment pick, noting its stock has been consolidating from the bottom, while the company is adding a key new revenue stream through its Layer 2 blockchain business. Robinhood’s stock is projected to hit a new all-time high in the fourth quarter, rising 50% from its current level.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
According to official announcements, Solana ecosystem trading aggregator Jupiter has launched its cross-chain deposit feature, Universal Deposit. Users no longer need bridging tools to send tokens from any supported chain to Jupiter, and will receive USDC directly in their Solana wallets. The feature automatically integrates routing, cross-chain bridging, and swap workflows, eliminating the need for users to switch networks or execute additional transactions. Currently, Universal Deposit supports asset deposits from networks including Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, and Sui, with users able to complete operations using their existing wallets. The service applies a unified fixed rate, charging $0.30 per transaction regardless of the transfer amount—whether it is $100 or $10 million. Jupiter noted that the feature is designed to deliver a more convenient cross-chain asset transfer experience.
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The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has risen to 65, with the market remaining in "greed" territory.
According to data from Alternative, today’s Crypto Fear & Greed Index dropped to 65, up from 63 yesterday, with market sentiment remaining in the "Greed" territory. Note: The index ranges from 0 to 100, and its components include: volatility (25%), trading volume (25%), social media buzz (15%), market surveys (15%), Bitcoin’s market dominance (10%), and Google Trends analysis (10%).
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Chasing the rally of the 'NiuLai' token, crypto KOL XXAntiWar transfers 17.57 million tokens to seven addresses.
According to on-chain analyst Ai Yi (@ai_9684xtpa), crypto KOL XXAntiWar, who chased the rally during the bull market, has transferred 17.57 million tokens to 7 addresses via multiple intermediaries in recent days, and is currently still in unrealized loss. Thus, while Fomo shows XXAntiWar has liquidated all positions, this is actually because new holding addresses have not been recorded.
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An institution transferred 39,500 ETH worth approximately $95 million to a CEX.
According to Yuqing Monitoring, an institutional entity transferred 39,500 ETH (valued at approximately $95 million) to multiple CEXs over the past day. Over the past four days, its total transfers to CEXs have reached 142,800 ETH (worth around $345 million), while it still holds 29,735 ETH (approximately $70.9 million).
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South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves posted a record increase of $14.33 billion in August.
South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $14.33 billion in August, marking the largest single-month increase in history, driven mainly by a sharp rise in commercial banks’ foreign currency deposits at the Bank of Korea (BOK). The BOK said in a Thursday statement that as of the end of August, the country’s foreign exchange reserves climbed to $442.28 billion from $427.95 billion at the end of July. The central bank added that August’s reserve growth stemmed primarily from a surge in foreign currency deposits held by financial institutions, while a weaker U.S. dollar against other currencies also boosted investment income and valuation gains on overseas assets denominated in foreign currencies. The improved reserves have strengthened South Korea’s financial buffer, as the won weakened several times in the first half of the year, drawing market attention to the country’s external financing conditions. Earlier this year, the won fell to its lowest level since 2009, prompting South Korean authorities to repeatedly warn against excessive exchange rate volatility and seek to curb capital outflows driven by massive retail investor investments in overseas assets.
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Berkshire Hathaway plans to hold stakes in Japan's five major trading houses for the long term, with related stocks rising collectively.
Japanese trading house stocks rose on Thursday after Greg Abel, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, said the firm plans to keep its stakes in these trading houses for decades to come. The trading house sector was among the top gainers in the Topix index on Thursday. Mitsubishi Corp. jumped as much as 4.5%, hitting its highest level since May; Sumitomo Corp., Mitsui & Co., Itochu Corp., and Marubeni all rose more than 2.5%. Berkshire currently holds roughly a 10% stake in each of the five trading houses. Abel, who took over as CEO from Warren Buffett in January this year, told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday that Berkshire’s holdings in the Japanese trading houses are "long-term investments" and the company intends to hold them for decades. Since Berkshire disclosed its stakes in 2020, the share prices of these Japanese trading houses have benefited from their association with Buffett. A market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute noted that Abel’s renewed show of confidence "may rekindle investors’ interest in buying trading house stocks."
10 minutes ago
Ansem: Robinhood’s Stock Price Bottoming Out and Consolidating, Expected to Hit New High in Q4
Crypto KOL Ansem wrote in a post that traditional finance (TradFi) firms consistently lag behind when integrating new crypto operations, as their suited executives often take too long to access relevant data. He believes Robinhood (HOOD) is a strong investment pick, noting its stock has been consolidating from the bottom, while the company is adding a key new revenue stream through its Layer 2 blockchain business. Robinhood’s stock is projected to hit a new all-time high in the fourth quarter, rising 50% from its current level.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
PANews reported on September 3, based on SoSoValue data, that after several consecutive days of consolidation, the crypto market saw a slight rebound, with the GameFi sector performing strongly and rising 8.87% in 24 hours. Among them, Akedo (AKE) rose 82.95%, and The Sandbox (SAND) rose 4.65%. Meanwhile, Bitcoin (BTC) rose 0.65%, breaking through $77,000; however, Ethereum (ETH) fell 0.26% and remained below $2,400.
In other sectors, the Layer 2 sector rose 4.48% in 24 hours, with Arbitrum (ARB) up 12.97%; the AI sector rose 2.96%, with Kite (KITE) up 13.68%; the Meme sector rose 2.20%, with Pons (PONS) up 27.88%; the PayFi sector rose 1.55%, with Telcoin (TEL) up 4.06%; the Layer 1 sector rose 1.17%, with Aptos (APT) up 8.36%; and the CeFi sector rose 0.87%, with Aster (ASTER) up 5.07%.
In addition, the DeFi sector fell 0.05%, while Lighter (LIT) surged 14.31%, hitting a record high.
Bitcoin holds near $77,000 as ETF outflows weigh on sentiment, while traders await clearer macroeconomic signals and regulatory developments.
Notable Statistics:
Coinglass data shows 89,097 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $338.25 million. SoSoValue data shows net outflows of $236.5 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs on Tuesday. Spot Ethereum ETFs saw net inflows of $10.95 million. In the past 24 hours, top gainers include Bitway, Filecoin and Arbitrum. Notable Developments:
Bitcoin Is ‘Not Exactly Gold’ but That’s a Good Thing, Bitwise Exec SaysXRP’s 20% Pullback Hits Critical Support: Is $2 Still in Play?CLARITY Act Faces Make-or-Break September: What Do Prediction Markets Say?Strategy CEO Says 7,000 Bitcoin Sale Was ‘Minuscule’How Bitcoin ETFs Are Changing Institutions’ Appetite for CryptoHyperliquid Strategies Expands Equity Facility to $2.5B Amid US Entry TalksTrader Notes:
Daan Crypto Trades noted that Bitcoin’s unusually low and early monthly high at $79,200 is likely to be swept. He sees a potential reversal opportunity around that move, with $80,000 remaining the key level for higher-time-frame continuation.
CryptosBatman highlighted Bitcoin has liquidity on both sides, but $78,000 is the stronger near-term target. He expects a liquidity sweep there before BTC makes its next major move.
BitcoinOG Lucky predicts Bitcoin’s current reset could precede another expansion, particularly if a Golden Cross forms alongside stronger momentum. He sees $100,000 as a key Q4 target if bullish momentum returns.
Image: Shutterstock
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The United States Justice Department and cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike announced that they have successfully dismantled Sality, a peer-to-peer botnet operating since 2003. The botnet, which infected computers globally, used a decentralized architecture to avoid shutdown and has been responsible for significant cryptocurrency thefts in recent years.
Longstanding Threat to Cryptocurrency UsersFor the past eight years, Sality’s main function was to deliver EggJagger, a malicious payload that targets cryptocurrency owners. EggJagger works by monitoring the clipboard of infected machines and replacing any copied cryptocurrency wallet address with one under the attacker’s control. As a result, unsuspecting users would send funds to the operator instead of their intended recipient.
EggJagger consistently intercepted cryptocurrency addresses, rerouting payments made in Bitcoin or Ethereum to wallets belonging to the attacker.
CrowdStrike, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions, estimates that EggJagger alone enabled the theft of at least 12.1 million rubles, or approximately $150,000, from victims. The majority of these stolen funds remained untouched after the theft, which allowed their value to appreciate as cryptocurrency prices climbed. At their peak in January 2025, the unspent assets had grown to 147 million rubles, equivalent to a nominal $1.35 million and roughly $4 million in purchasing power for some currencies.
MetricValueDateMinimum theft from EggJagger$150,0002018–2026Peak unspent stolen holdings$1.35 million (nominal)January 2025Estimated purchasing power$4 million (approx.)January 2025Before its use as a cryptocurrency-targeted attack, Sality acted as a carrier for a range of malicious tools including credential theft, spam, proxy services and denial-of-service payloads.
International Operation Targets Botnet InfrastructureAuthorities from the United States, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania collaborated alongside private sector partners such as CrowdStrike to disrupt Sality’s operations. The FBI Los Angeles Field Office and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service seized crucial domains linked to Sality in the US, while European authorities targeted infrastructure in their respective countries.
The Shadowserver Foundation, a non-profit organization specializing in cybersecurity, has partnered with internet service providers to notify victims and help remediate infected machines.
Sality persisted for over two decades because it did not rely on a central command server. Instead, each infected computer directly connected to others, enabling the malware to spread through executable files traversing network shares and removable drives. The protocol accepted any machine that successfully responded to its handshake protocol, without any robust authentication.
CrowdStrike’s Counter Adversary Operations team exploited this weakness to reconfigure the botnet. By inserting their own nodes and removing legitimate peers from each infected machine’s address list, they successfully isolated over 15,000 infected systems worldwide.
The Sality operator, tracked by CrowdStrike under the name SALTY SPIDER, occasionally deployed the botnet for targeted attacks. In September 2023, the botnet was used for a denial-of-service action against AvanChange, a Russian cryptocurrency exchange, supposedly as retaliation for personal reasons. CrowdStrike believes exchanges like AvanChange were also channels to convert stolen digital assets into cash.
Currently, affected computers now communicate with so-called “sinkholes” managed by CrowdStrike, disrupting the operator’s control. CrowdStrike has provided detection guidelines and network indicators for the public and emphasized that infected systems will remain at risk until the malware is manually removed.
Rise of Adaptive AI-Powered MalwareExperts warn that recent advances in artificial intelligence could fuel the next wave of cyber threats. New research from the University of Toronto, Vector Institute, University of Cambridge, and ServiceNow demonstrates a proof-of-concept AI worm capable of scanning for vulnerabilities, developing tailored attack strategies, and autonomously spreading across networks.
Researchers suggest these adaptive worms may soon challenge existing cybersecurity measures by changing tactics in real time and exploiting a broad spectrum of targets.
Mini dictionary: Shadowserver Foundation, a non-profit cybersecurity organization that actively monitors internet security threats and helps remediate large-scale malware and botnet infections by working with internet providers and law enforcement agencies around the world.
The next generation of malware, supercharged by artificial intelligence, poses a growing threat due to its ability to adapt instantly and operate without direct human intervention.
The global NFT market is projected to reach $60.82 billion in 2026, up from $43.08 billion in 2025, with gaming NFTs capturing 38% of total transaction volume. An NFT is a cryptographic token on a blockchain that proves ownership of a unique digital or physical asset, most commonly built on the ERC-721 or ERC-1155 standards on Ethereum. Real utility has overtaken speculation as the primary growth driver, with tokenized real world assets, event tickets, in-game items, and digital identity credentials all relying on NFT infrastructure. Environmental objections have largely been resolved since Ethereum moved to proof of stake in September 2022, cutting the network energy use by 99.99% according to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance. Legal frameworks remain fragmented, though the Yuga Labs v. Ripps circuit ruling confirmed that an NFT qualifies as goods under the Lanham Act, setting an early precedent for trademark enforcement in digital assets. The narrative that NFTs died sometime in 2023 makes for a clean headline, but it confuses a price correction in speculative art collectibles with the technology itself. Monthly trading volumes bottomed out in mid-2023 and then climbed back steadily. By October 2025, NFT trading volume hit $546 million in a single month with 10.1 million individual sales, an annual high. The collapse was real for profile-picture speculation, yet the underlying standard, a way to record verifiable ownership of a unique asset on a public ledger, never stopped working.
What changed is who uses NFTs and why. The buyer paying six figures for a cartoon ape grabbed attention in 2021. The concert venue issuing 40,000 tickets as tokens in 2026 does not make the same splash, but the second example moves more volume, solves a real problem, and does not depend on floor-price hype. Understanding what an NFT actually is, how the technology works, and where it applies today matters more now than it did during the speculative peak.
How NFTs work under the hood A non-fungible token is a unit of data stored on a blockchain that certifies a digital or physical asset as unique and not interchangeable. The word “fungible” means mutually replaceable. One bitcoin is identical to any other bitcoin, making it fungible. An NFT, by definition, is not. Each token carries a distinct identifier that separates it from every other token on the same contract.
On Ethereum, the two dominant standards are ERC-721 and ERC-1155. ERC-721, introduced in January 2018, assigns a single unique ID to each token. Every CryptoPunk, every Bored Ape, and every one-of-one art piece is an ERC-721 token. ERC-1155, proposed later that year, allows a single smart contract to manage both fungible and non-fungible tokens in the same deployment. A game studio can issue 10,000 identical healing potions and one legendary sword under the same contract, reducing gas costs and simplifying inventory logic.
The token itself does not store the image, video, or file it represents. Instead, it holds a pointer, usually a URI, that links to metadata hosted elsewhere. That metadata describes the asset and may include a link to the actual media file, often stored on IPFS or Arweave for durability. When someone says they “own an NFT,” they own the on-chain token and whatever rights the creator attached to it. The media file could, in theory, disappear if the hosting fails, which is why decentralized storage matters.
Minting is the process of creating an NFT. A creator deploys or interacts with a smart contract, which writes a new token ID to the blockchain. From that point forward, every transfer of ownership is recorded publicly. Buyers need a compatible crypto wallet to hold and transact with their tokens.
A short history of non-fungible tokens The concept predates the 2021 boom by several years. Colored Coins on Bitcoin in 2012 explored the idea of attaching unique metadata to satoshis. The Counterparty platform followed in 2014, enabling custom token creation on Bitcoin. Rare Pepes, trading cards minted on Counterparty in 2016, became some of the earliest examples of digital collectibles with secondary-market value.
CryptoPunks launched on Ethereum in June 2017, giving away 10,000 algorithmically generated pixel portraits for free. Larva Labs, the studio behind the project, did not even use the ERC-721 standard because it had not been written yet. CryptoKitties followed in late 2017, briefly congesting the Ethereum network as users bred and traded digital cats. That congestion, ironically, proved that demand for on-chain collectibles was real enough to stress a major blockchain.
NBA Top Shot, built on the Flow blockchain by Dapper Labs, brought NFTs to mainstream sports audiences in late 2020. Users purchased video highlight “moments” of NBA plays, and the platform generated over $700 million in sales within its first year. It was the first NFT project many non-crypto users encountered.
The real explosion came in early 2021. Beeple sold “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” at Christie’s for $69.3 million in March of that year. Within months, monthly NFT trading volumes on OpenSea alone surpassed $3 billion. Celebrities, sports leagues, and fashion brands rushed in. Adidas, Nike (through its RTFKT acquisition), and Gucci all launched NFT collections. By early 2022, the hype peaked.
Then came the correction. As crypto markets contracted through 2022 and 2023, speculative NFT collections lost 90% or more of their floor prices. OpenSea laid off staff. Several high-profile projects abandoned their roadmaps. Critics declared the technology a fad. The total NFT sales volume for the first half of 2025 came in at $2.82 billion, a fraction of the 2021 peak but still a sign of persistent demand.
But beneath the noise, builders kept shipping. Blur launched in late 2022 and introduced a trader-focused marketplace model that rewarded active traders with token incentives. Magic Eden expanded from Solana to support Ethereum, Bitcoin Ordinals, and other chains, positioning itself as the leading multi-chain marketplace. By cumulative volume as of 2026, OpenSea leads at $23.14 billion, followed by Blur at $8.54 billion and Magic Eden at $6.39 billion. Together those three platforms account for 82% of total NFT trading volume.
Where NFTs stand in 2026 The market has recovered on a fundamentally different footing. The global NFT industry was valued at $43.08 billion in 2025 and is on track to reach $60.82 billion in 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 41.2%. The critical shift is that utility-driven categories now dominate.
Gaming NFTs alone capture 38% of total transaction volume. Asia leads global NFT ownership with 2.8 million holders, the largest regional concentration. Monthly active traders exceeded 820,000 in October 2025, suggesting sustained participation well beyond a handful of whales.
This is not the same market that peaked on profile-picture hype. The median transaction size is smaller, the use cases are broader, and the infrastructure is more mature. Layer-2 rollups and account abstraction have reduced gas costs and simplified the user experience to the point where many buyers do not even know they are interacting with a blockchain.
Token-bound accounts, introduced through ERC-6551, have added another dimension. Under this standard, an NFT itself can own other assets. A game character NFT can hold its own inventory of weapon and armor tokens, all bundled together. When the character sells, its entire inventory transfers with it. This kind of composability was not possible in the early NFT era and represents a meaningful step toward more complex on-chain ownership structures.
Real utility beyond digital art The most significant growth in NFTs since 2024 has come from applications that have nothing to do with collectible images.
Gaming and virtual worlds. In-game items such as weapons, skins, land parcels, and characters are increasingly issued as NFTs on chains like Immutable X and Polygon. The key advantage is interoperability. A rare item earned in one game can, if both developers support the same standard, be used or sold in another. This model is still maturing, but major studios including Ubisoft and Square Enix have run pilot programs, and the gaming share of NFT volume speaks for itself.
Real world asset tokenization. Physical goods are being paired with on-chain tokens that serve as certificates of authenticity and ownership. Luxury watches, handbags, fine art, and real estate shares now have “digital twin” NFTs that travel with the asset through secondary markets. This category bridges traditional finance and decentralized finance in a way that purely digital collectibles never did.
Ticketing and access passes. Event tickets issued as NFTs solve counterfeiting and scalping problems by tying each ticket to a verifiable on-chain record. Organizers can program royalties on secondary sales, enforce transfer restrictions, or unlock post-event perks for holders. Platforms including GET Protocol and YellowHeart have processed millions of NFT tickets.
Identity and credentials. Soulbound tokens, non-transferable NFTs proposed by Vitalik Buterin in 2022, are being explored for diplomas, professional certifications, and membership badges. Because they cannot be sold or transferred, they serve as verifiable credentials tied to a specific wallet.
Music royalties. Artists are tokenizing fractional ownership of royalty streams, letting fans invest directly in songs. Platforms like Sound.xyz have distributed royalties to token holders, creating a new revenue model that bypasses traditional label structures. The appeal for musicians is direct-to-fan economics: rather than receiving a fraction of a cent per stream, an artist can sell a limited edition of 1,000 NFTs representing a share of a song’s future earnings and capture revenue immediately at the point of sale.
How the environmental picture changed Before September 2022, the environmental criticism was legitimate. Ethereum ran on proof of work, the same energy-hungry consensus mechanism that Bitcoin still uses. Minting a single NFT on proof-of-work Ethereum consumed energy comparable to days of household electricity use in some estimates.
The Merge, completed on September 15, 2022, switched Ethereum to proof of stake. According to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, this cut Ethereum electricity consumption by 99.99%. A proof-of-stake validator runs on hardware no more demanding than a consumer laptop and consumes a fraction of the energy that a single mining rig required.
Since the vast majority of NFTs are minted on Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, and other proof-of-stake chains, the energy argument against NFTs no longer holds at scale. The exception is Bitcoin Ordinals, inscriptions written directly onto the Bitcoin blockchain, which does still operate on proof of work. However, Ordinals represent a small fraction of the overall NFT market.
This does not mean NFTs have zero environmental footprint. Data centers, network infrastructure, and user devices all consume energy. But the orders-of-magnitude reduction from the Merge moved the conversation from “NFTs are an environmental disaster” to “NFTs consume about as much energy as any other web service.”
The legal and intellectual property landscape Buying an NFT does not automatically grant copyright, trademark rights, or commercial use rights to the underlying work. What a buyer receives depends entirely on the license the creator attaches. Some projects, like Bored Ape Yacht Club, grant holders full commercial rights. Others reserve all rights for the original creator.
Courts are beginning to set precedent. The Yuga Labs v. Ripps ruling at the circuit level confirmed that an NFT qualifies as goods under the Lanham Act, giving trademark holders a legal pathway to challenge infringing NFT collections. The joint USPTO and U.S. Copyright Office report on NFTs and intellectual property, published in 2023, concluded that existing intellectual property frameworks broadly apply to NFTs but acknowledged gaps in enforcement, especially across jurisdictions.
AI-generated NFT art adds another layer of complexity. Under current U.S. copyright doctrine, a work must have a human author to receive protection. Purely AI-generated images used as NFTs likely cannot be copyrighted, leaving their creators with limited legal recourse if the work is copied.
Royalty enforcement is another unresolved area. Early NFT marketplaces honored creator royalties on secondary sales as a social norm, but newer platforms began making royalties optional to attract volume. This created a race to the bottom where creators saw their revenue streams cut. On-chain royalty enforcement through smart contracts offers a partial solution, but it only works when the buyer stays within a single marketplace ecosystem.
Jurisdiction remains the hardest problem. NFTs exist on decentralized networks that span every country simultaneously. A creator in France, a buyer in Japan, and a marketplace server in the United States each fall under different legal regimes, and no international framework specifically governs NFT transactions yet. The European Union’s MiCA regulation, which took full effect in late 2024, covers certain crypto assets but does not explicitly address most NFTs unless they qualify as financial instruments.
Limitations and open problems NFTs solve the ownership-record problem elegantly, but they do not solve every problem their advocates claim.
Metadata fragility. If the server or IPFS pin hosting an NFT’s image goes offline, the token still exists on-chain, but it points to nothing. Permanent storage solutions like Arweave help, but not every project uses them.
Wash trading. Inflated volume numbers have plagued NFT marketplaces. A single user trading between their own wallets can artificially boost a collection’s apparent demand. Marketplace incentive programs, where platforms reward trading volume with token airdrops, have made this worse.
Interoperability gaps. Cross-chain NFT transfers remain clunky. Bridging an NFT from Ethereum to Solana is not as simple as sending a stablecoin. Standards differ, metadata formats vary, and bridge exploits have caused significant losses.
Scams and rug pulls. The low barrier to minting means anyone can create a collection, promise a roadmap, and disappear with buyer funds. Due diligence is entirely on the buyer in most cases.
Speculation versus use. While utility is growing, a significant portion of NFT volume still comes from traders flipping tokens for short-term profit. Distinguishing genuine demand from speculative churn remains difficult even with on-chain data.
Royalty erosion. Creator royalties on secondary sales were once a defining feature of NFTs, promising ongoing income for artists. In practice, marketplace competition has eroded enforcement, and many platforms now treat royalties as optional. Builders are working on smart-contract-level enforcement, but no widely adopted standard has solved this completely.
User experience barriers. Despite improvements in wallet design and account abstraction, onboarding a non-crypto user to buy their first NFT still involves friction: setting up a wallet, acquiring tokens for gas, understanding approvals, and navigating marketplace interfaces that assume blockchain literacy.
What this does not cover This guide focuses on what NFTs are, how they work, and where they apply. It does not cover how to mint your own NFT collection, detailed smart contract development in Solidity, specific investment advice on any NFT project or collection, technical tutorials for building on ERC-721 or ERC-1155, or the broader crypto ecosystem beyond the NFT-specific layer. Each of those topics warrants its own deep dive.
Practical checks Verify metadata storage before buying. Check whether the NFT’s image and metadata are stored on IPFS, Arweave, or another decentralized solution. If the metadata URL points to a centralized server, the asset is only as durable as that server.
Read the license, not the marketing. Before assuming commercial rights, find the actual license terms attached to the NFT project. Many collections grant no rights beyond personal display. The difference between “you own the IP” and “you own a token” is the difference between a business asset and a collectible.
Use a hardware wallet for high-value holdings. NFT theft through phishing and malicious approvals is common. A hardware wallet that requires physical confirmation for each transaction is the strongest defense against remote exploits. Review your wallet’s token approvals regularly and revoke any you do not recognize.
Check on-chain provenance, not marketplace screenshots. Verify ownership history directly on a block explorer like Etherscan. Marketplace interfaces can lag, display errors, or be spoofed. On-chain data is the only source of truth for who owns what and when it changed hands.
Start with established marketplaces. OpenSea, Blur, and Magic Eden each offer different strengths, but all three provide baseline protections against fraudulent listings. Avoid purchasing from unfamiliar sites that ask for wallet permissions you do not understand.
What does NFT stand for? NFT stands for non-fungible token. “Non-fungible” means the item is unique and cannot be swapped one-to-one with another token of the same type, unlike currencies or commodity tokens that are interchangeable.
How is an NFT different from cryptocurrency? Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin or ether are fungible, meaning each unit is identical and interchangeable. An NFT is a unique token with its own identifier. You can trade one bitcoin for another and have the same value; you cannot do the same with two different NFTs because each represents a distinct asset. Both live on blockchains, but they serve fundamentally different purposes: cryptocurrency is a medium of exchange, while an NFT is a certificate of ownership for a specific item.
Do NFTs have value in 2026? Yes. The NFT market is projected at $60.82 billion in 2026. However, value varies enormously by category. Gaming items, event tickets, and RWA tokens generate consistent demand, while speculative art collections remain volatile. An NFT is only as valuable as the utility or cultural significance behind it.
Are NFTs bad for the environment? The vast majority of NFTs are now minted on proof-of-stake blockchains. Ethereum cut its energy consumption by 99.99% after moving to proof of stake in September 2022. NFTs on Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, and similar chains have a minimal energy footprint comparable to standard web services. The one exception is Bitcoin Ordinals, which rely on proof-of-work mining. However, Ordinals account for a small share of total NFT activity.
What happens if the image linked to my NFT disappears? The token itself remains on the blockchain, but it would point to a dead link. This is why decentralized storage matters. NFTs with metadata on IPFS or Arweave are far more durable than those hosted on centralized servers. Always check where an NFT’s metadata is stored before purchasing.
Can someone copy the image of my NFT? Anyone can right-click and save a JPEG, but they cannot replicate the on-chain token that proves ownership. The value of an NFT is the verifiable ownership record, not the image file itself. Think of it like a deed to a house: anyone can photograph the building, but only the deed holder owns the property.
Do I own the copyright when I buy an NFT? Not automatically. Copyright ownership depends on the license the creator attaches to the project. Some collections, such as Bored Ape Yacht Club, grant full commercial rights to holders. Others retain all intellectual property rights with the original artist. Always read the specific terms before assuming you can commercially use the underlying work.
What is the safest way to store NFTs? A hardware wallet offers the highest security for NFT storage. Devices from Ledger and Trezor require physical confirmation for every transaction, which prevents remote attackers from moving your assets. Pair a hardware wallet with regular approval audits on Etherscan to revoke permissions you no longer need.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency and NFT markets are volatile and carry significant risk. Always conduct your own research and consult qualified professionals before making any financial decisions. Information is current as of September 2, 2026, and may become outdated.
