📉 Bitcoin Starts August Wobbly, Dollar Strength Weighs-BTC and ETH opened August on shaky footing as the U.S. dollar index crossed 100 and the yen hit a four-month low. With non-farm payroll data looming and macro jitters back in focus, traders are cautious. Bitcoin dropped to $112,000 before recovering slightly, with altcoins showing muted movement. The macro is back in charge…at least for now. (CoinDesk)
🧑⚖️ SEC’s Atkins Signals Pro-Crypto Pivot-New SEC Chair Paul Atkins made waves this week by outlining “Project Crypto”, a full-scale review of securities rules with digital assets in mind. It’s a rare moment of alignment between regulators and builders, with Atkins openly acknowledging that current frameworks are ill-equipped for tokenized markets. While no timelines were set, the tone represents a significant shift from the combative approach under Gary Gensler. (Blockworks)
🦄 Figma’s IPO Pop Includes $70M in Bitcoin ETFs-Design unicorn Figma stunned the market with a 198% pop on IPO day, but what caught crypto eyes was its $70 million Bitcoin ETF allocation on the balance sheet. It’s one of the first major IPOs to go public with a BTC treasury component baked in. The line between “tech company” and “crypto-native” just got blurrier, and we’re here for it. (CoinDesk)
💰 Strategy Posts $10B Q2 Profit on Bitcoin Rebound-What is a week in news without Michael Saylor?! Formerly known as MicroStrategy, Strategy posted a whopping $10 billion profit for Q2, driven almost entirely by BTC appreciation. The firm now holds $72 billion worth of Bitcoin, up from $55 billion last quarter. Saylor’s critics are unusually quiet this week. (Decrypt)
🐋 Whale Activity Picks Up as BTC Eyes New Highs-On-chain data showsBitcoin whale activity surging, with wallet clusters accumulating aggressively near the $115K mark. Glassnode reports show rising open interest, suggesting smart money is positioning for a breakout. If this isn’t front-running retail, it might be a sign the whales are betting on a macro-driven “melt-up”. (CoinDesk)
🪙 Robinhood Leans Into Tokenization-In its Q2 earnings call, Robinhood’s CEO doubled down on tokenization, calling it the “natural evolution of financial markets.” The platform plans to launch tokenized assets for retail within the next 12 months, citing demand from younger investors. TradFi might be cautious, but Robinhood is betting the next generation wants faster, fractional, blockchain-native…everything. (Decrypt)
📈 Kraken Eyes $500M Raise at $15B Valuation-The IPO window is well and truly open. Kraken is reportedly seeking to raise $500 million at a $15 billion valuation ahead of a possible IPO. It would mark one of the largest fundraises in crypto since the last bull cycle, and a serious flex in a market where most companies are still playing defense. (Decrypt)
