1. Bitcoin spot ETFs posted total net inflows of $189 million yesterday. Hashdex DEFI announced it will be delisted. 2. Ethereum spot ETFs recorded total net inflows of $71.468 million yesterday. BlackRock's ETHA led the group with net inflows of $64.6814 million. 3. Arthur Hayes said the AI bubble is concentrated in data-center debt and loss-making AI firms, while remaining bullish on the "Agentic Economy." 4. Serenity said Yutai Technology's IPO offers a public-market valuation reference for humanoid robotics companies. 5. HSBC upgraded South Korea's equity market to "overweight." 6. BitBox reported two critical vulnerabilities and one bootloader issue in its firmware, and has released a patched update. 7. AI token prices fell as trading volume rose. Cathie Wood said demand for AI shows significant price elasticity. 8. One allotment delivers RMB 475,000 in gains. Unitree Robotics opened at RMB 1,100, implying a market cap of RMB 445 billion. 9. Liang Wenhong booked an unrealized profit of RMB 1.1 billion from his investment in Unitree Robotics. A Shunwei Capital affiliate led by Lei Jun recorded unrealized gains of more than RMB 15.2 billion. 10. ZhiBao Technology completed a $154.7 million PIPE financing and added 2,380 bitcoins to its corporate treasury reserves.

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds attracted a combined net inflow of $189 million, according to SoSoValue data cited by Huoxing Finance. BlackRock's IBIT led daily inflows, adding $144 million and lifting its cumulative net inflow to $61.4 billion. Fidelity's FBTC ranked second with $23.92 million of net inflows, bringing its cumulative total to $10.02 billion. VanEck's HODL posted the largest one-day net outflow, at $16.92 million, while still showing $1.07 billion in cumulative net inflows. Separately, Hashdex said its spot Bitcoin ETF, DEFI, has begun winding down, citing factors including fund size, trading liquidity, and operating costs. Trading on NYSE Arca stopped on August 17, with delisting to follow. The fund started liquidating its remaining Bitcoin holdings on August 18 and expects to distribute cash proceeds to shareholders around August 24. Bloomberg data shows DEFI managed about $7.28 million in assets as of July 30. At the time of publication, the combined net asset value of all spot Bitcoin ETFs stood at $79.3 billion. The ETF net asset ratio—market value as a share of Bitcoin's total market capitalization—was 6.12%, and cumulative net inflows reached $52.28 billion.

Strategy reported that 12 of its 15 largest institutional shareholders increased their MSTR positions during the second quarter of 2026. Based on Q2 13F filings, the group's combined holdings rose by about $700 million on a net basis, a data point the company highlighted as evidence that major investors continue to back the stock. Capital International Investors remained the largest holder, adding roughly $346 million to bring its position to $3.49 billion, representing about 9.4% of shares outstanding. Vanguard's two largest entities added a combined $147 million. BlackRock Institutional Trust increased its stake by $84 million, while Goldman Sachs nearly quadrupled its position to $555 million. Three firms reduced exposure. Capital Research Global Investors posted the largest cut, trimming about $462 million. UBS Financial Services reduced its position by $142 million, and Geode Capital Management lowered holdings by $5 million. Even with those reductions, the net increase across all 15 holders was still around $700 million for the quarter. The Q2 figures follow a stronger first quarter. In Q1, 13 of the top 15 holders added shares, and combined holdings increased by $4.6 billion. The filings land as Strategy faces closer scrutiny of its Bitcoin-linked capital strategy. Since May, the company has sold Bitcoin in multiple tranches to fund dividends on its STRC preferred shares, a shift from the "never sell Bitcoin" stance that helped define its market identity. Management has described the transactions as capital structure optimization rather than a pullback from Bitcoin exposure. Some analysts have questioned whether the company's flywheel model can hold up when Bitcoin prices soften, and how much Bitcoin monetization Strategy can pursue without damaging investor confidence. Continued institutional buying offers the company a rebuttal, suggesting large, long-term holders remain comfortable with the approach for now. Analysts still cite potential upside in MSTR even with Bitcoin prices largely flat, with the next few quarters expected to test how far Strategy can lean on its Bitcoin reserves before sentiment shifts.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has released a draft framework for crypto assets designed to spell out clearer compliance routes for financing digital-asset projects in the United States, CoinDesk reported. The proposal, titled "Regulation of Crypto Assets," is open for public comment and could still change before any rules are finalized. The SEC said the package would create a more tailored securities regime for certain investment contracts involving crypto assets, aiming to reduce fundraising friction while keeping investor-protection requirements under federal securities laws. The draft introduces two new registration exemptions. One would allow issuers to raise up to $5 million over a four-year period. The other would allow up to $75 million in any 12-month period. Even when an issuer relies on an exemption, the proposal would still require disclosures. For the higher-tier exemption, project teams would also need to provide financial statements and meet ongoing reporting obligations. The proposal also includes a conditional safe harbor tied to securities classification. Under the draft, if an issuer has completed or permanently stopped performing the key managerial duties promised under an investment contract—and satisfies other specified conditions—the associated crypto assets could later fall outside the definition of an "investment contract." That structure could mean certain tokens may no longer be treated as securities once the conditions are met, affecting how later issuance, trading, and compliance requirements apply. Another element of the draft would preempt certain state-level securities registration and qualification requirements for offerings conducted under the new rules, as well as certain related secondary-market transactions. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the proposal is intended to give crypto entrepreneurs clearer financing pathways and help keep innovation in the United States. An SEC spokesperson said the commission approved the proposal on a seriatim basis, with commissioners voting individually outside a public meeting. The SEC had scheduled an open meeting to consider the proposal on Aug. 14, but it was canceled due to scheduling conflicts. After publication in the Federal Register, the draft will enter a 60-day public comment period. The SEC emphasized the measure is a proposal, not a final rule.

Pump.fun's native token PUMP is showing renewed bullish momentum after a tough 10-month stretch, with a key technical signal now in place. For the first time since the protocol's mid-2025 launch, PUMP's 50-day EMA has moved above its 200-day EMA — a "golden cross" often read by technicians as a potential trend reversal. PUMP bottomed in July at $0.001491, then jumped to roughly $0.003 intraday on Monday before finishing near $0.002733. The move is also being supported by improving fundamentals. According to DeFiLlama, Pump.fun generated $11.52 million in revenue over the past seven days, ranking fourth among crypto protocols behind Tether, Circle and Canton, and ahead of Polymarket, GMGN, Tron and Axiom Pro. That pace implies an annualized run rate of about $458 million versus a market capitalization near $1.09 billion. Pump.fun's fee model ties protocol activity directly to the token. Half of fees are automatically routed via smart contract into buybacks and burns. Over the last week, about $5.5 million was directed to PUMP purchases, and the project says cumulative buybacks and burns have reached $429.63 million, removing roughly 28.58% of circulating supply. Operational indicators are strengthening as well. Pump.fun reports $10.74 million in fees for Aug. 10–16, up 7% week over week. Tuesday's $1.73 million marked the strongest single revenue day since January. Weekly app traders rose 23%, and daily active traders set a new all-time high last Thursday. The team is also leaning into growth initiatives. On Aug. 13, Pump.fun introduced Callout Rewards, which pays users daily based on the trading volume generated by their token callouts. The app also reduced trading fees to 0% on Solana and to 0.1% for cross-chain trades, a pricing move aimed at competing more aggressively with Axiom, GMGN and Fomo while encouraging user-driven volume. Memecoins have had a volatile run, but this cycle's retail activity across chains has reinforced their staying power in crypto. With strong revenue, automated buybacks and new incentives, Pump.fun appears positioned to remain a major memecoin venue if broader market sentiment improves.

Bitcoin.com said it will add USDU support to its self-custody Bitcoin.com Wallet, expanding access to the stablecoin for millions of users, according to Huoxing Finance. USDU is issued by Universal Digital Intl Limited (Universal) and is the first U.S. dollar stablecoin registered by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) as a foreign payment token. The token is an Ethereum ERC-20 asset, with each USDU fully backed 1:1 by liquid U.S. dollar reserves held at regulated banks in the UAE. Universal said the reserves are independently audited each month by a third-party accounting firm, with reports posted on its official website. Both the web and mobile versions of the Bitcoin.com Wallet will support self-custody, sending and receiving of USDU. Bitcoin.com will also accept USDU for selected services and plans to enable peer-to-peer payments between users and merchants within its ecosystem. The wallet will provide stablecoin education and Learn-to-Earn content. Trading and exchange features are expected to roll out once supported by third-party service providers, with availability varying by jurisdiction.

Bitcoin spot ETFs posted a combined net inflow of $189 million on Aug. 18 (U.S. Eastern Time), according to SoSoValue data cited by Odaily Planet Daily. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) led the group with $144 million in single-day net inflows, lifting its cumulative net inflows to $61.4 billion. Fidelity's Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) ranked second, adding $23.92 million on the day and bringing total historical net inflows to $10.02 billion. VanEck's Bitcoin ETF (HODL) recorded the largest single-day net outflow, with $16.92 million leaving the fund. HODL's cumulative net inflows stand at $1.07 billion. Separately, Hashdex has begun winding down and liquidating its spot Bitcoin ETF, DEFI, citing factors including asset size, trading liquidity and operating costs. Trading on NYSE Arca halted on Aug. 17, with delisting expected shortly after. The fund started selling its remaining Bitcoin holdings on Aug. 18 and expects to distribute cash proceeds to shareholders around Aug. 24. Bloomberg data show DEFI had about $7.28 million in assets under management as of July 30. As of the time of writing, spot Bitcoin ETFs held total net assets of $79.3 billion. The category's net asset ratio—ETF market capitalization as a share of Bitcoin's total market cap—stood at 6.12%, while cumulative net inflows reached $52.28 billion.

Oxford Economics forecasts global food prices will rise 11.8% in 2026, with grains, fruit and vegetables, and dairy among the hardest hit. After a European heatwave, trader group Coceral cut its outlook for EU and UK grain production to 286.6 million tonnes. Germany's Farmers' Association warned that drought and extreme heat are set to reduce the country's grain harvest by 7% to 41.9 million tonnes.

Twenty One Capital reported a net loss of $413.5 million in the second quarter, with more than 97% of the deficit driven by changes in the value of its bitcoin holdings. The company recorded a $401.5 million loss from digital asset fair-value movements during the quarter. As of quarter-end, it held 43,514 bitcoins valued at about $2.78 billion, ranking as the second-largest publicly traded bitcoin treasury company. Japan's Metaplanet holds 43,000 bitcoins and is closing in on Twenty One's position. Twenty One ended the quarter with $106.1 million in cash and roughly $484.5 million in outstanding convertible notes.