Author: John Smith

Bitget CEO Gracy Chen has put the chance of the U.S. government buying Bitcoin for its strategic reserve before President Donald Trump leaves office at close to zero. Summary The U.S. reserve holds an estimated 198,000 BTC obtained mainly through forfeiture proceedings. Trump’s order permits additional acquisitions only through strategies that impose no extra taxpayer costs. Chen said active purchases would require a much larger policy decision and political debate. The no-sale rule removes potential government supply but does not create direct market demand. Speaking in a recent interview, Bitget CEO Gracy Chen said the U.S. government is unlikely to…

A Hyperliquid testnet deployer using Kraken’s name has whitelisted 10 wallets and tested three compliance controls, raising the possibility that the centralized exchange has been experimenting with a permissioned HIP-3 market. Summary 10 wallets have been approved to use the test deployment through a gating system. Three of the five observed controls have been tested, including forced position reductions and collateral transfers. Kraken has not confirmed that it owns or operates the testnet deployment. HIP-3 lets outside builders run perpetual markets through Hyperliquid’s trading infrastructure. Blockworks analyst Shaunda Devens reported on Aug. 22 that a deployer called “Kraken HIP-3 test…

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only. EX DeFi is attracting XRP holders seeking alternative income as regulatory optimism boosts interest in the digital asset. Summary Trump urges Congress to advance the CLARITY Act as Bitcoin tops $79,000 and XRP surges more than 40% amid regulatory optimism. EX DeFi promotes XRP cloud mining with automated computing power contracts, aiming to help holders generate passive income. EX DeFi says its platform combines cloud mining with multi-layer security, compliance measures, and support for major digital assets. Significant progress…

XRP has climbed 17% to an intraday high of $1.43 as Ripple’s vote for the PermissionDelegationV1_1 amendment has moved a key part of the XRP Ledger’s version 3.3.0 upgrade deeper into the validator approval process. Summary XRP rose 17% in 24 hours and traded between $1.22 and $1.43. Ripple voted to support PermissionDelegationV1_1, which would allow limited account authority. Seven of 35 trusted validators supported the amendment at the latest count. U.S. spot XRP ETFs attracted $13.24 million in daily net inflows. XRP Ledger amendment has entered its validator vote XRPL validator voting data showed that seven of the 35…

Ethena price extended its weekly gain to about 65% on Aug. 21, reaching $0.142 after a $1 billion lending deal with FalconX and bullish calls from Arthur Hayes fueled demand for ENA. Summary Ethena price gained about 65% in seven days and reached an intraday high near $0.145. A $1 billion FalconX facility will fund overcollateralized loans using assets backing USDe. 4-hour RSI reached 93.97, warning that the near-vertical rally is overheated. A break above $0.1465 could expose $0.1587, while $0.1343 is the first support. Ethena price action today According to data from crypto.news, Ethena (ENA) price traded near $0.140…

Nomura-backed Laser Digital has become Japan’s first newly registered crypto asset exchange service provider in about four years, securing approval as the country prepares to move digital assets under a financial-instruments framework. Summary Laser Digital has become Japan’s first newly registered crypto asset exchange service provider in about four years. The Nomura-backed firm will initially provide liquidity services to domestic virtual asset service providers. Laser Digital plans to expand into institutional digital asset trading, though no launch date has been announced. Japan is preparing to bring crypto under its financial instruments framework, with new rules expected to take effect in…

Trading activity on South Korea’s two largest crypto exchanges has jumped sharply, with Upbit volume rising 273% to about $1.84 billion as Bitcoin’s latest rally pulls local traders back toward digital assets. Summary Upbit’s 24 hour trading volume surged 273% to about $1.84 billion, its highest level since mid March. XRP led trading on both Upbit and Bithumb as activity increased across South Korea’s two largest crypto exchanges. Bithumb’s daily volume climbed 132.9% to about $934.9 million during the crypto market rebound. Presto Research said Korean investors could send more capital into crypto if the current rally holds. According to…

The biggest single day ETH move in two years did not trigger the liquidation cascade. But the concentrated staking correlation trade on Aave is one bad day from unwinding. Summary Ethereum surged approximately 18% on Aug. 20, 2026, its strongest single day move since March 2024, climbing from roughly $1,920 to above $2,270 as trading volume jumped 402%. More than $1 billion in Ethereum short positions were liquidated across derivatives markets during the rally, contributing to a broader $3 billion crypto liquidation event. On Aave, the largest decentralized lending protocol with roughly $12.2 billion in total value locked, just 9%…

Most Americans believe President Donald Trump and his family should not earn money from cryptocurrency while he holds office, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Aug. 19. Summary 63% of surveyed Americans called Trump family crypto profits inappropriate, while 32% considered them appropriate. 69% of Republicans considered the profits appropriate, while 92% of Democrats described them as inappropriate. 1,166 adults participated in the four-day Reuters/Ipsos poll with a three-point overall sampling error margin. Reuters calculated more than $1.4 billion in 2025 crypto income from Trump’s financial disclosure filing. 69% said private business interests influence presidential decisions, extending concern beyond…

Binance said on Aug. 20 that two employees detained in the United Arab Emirates had been cleared and released after answering questions about third-party fund flows. Summary Two Binance employees were detained, questioned and released after UAE authorities examined third-party fund flows. Binance says the employees provided statements and were not targets of the authorities’ financial investigation. UAE authorities have not publicly detailed suspected offenses, named subjects or announced any formal charges. Binance FZE retains an active Dubai license covering exchange, brokerage, lending and investment services activities. The company says it is developing clearer coordination procedures with police authorities across…