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The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may be entering a new phase in its approach to digital assets. This shift may have gone largely unnoticed by the market, according to Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset Management. Market Sleeping On SEC’s Pivot? In a recent investor note, Hougan pointed to the speech delivered by SEC Chair Paul Atkins at the America First Policy Institute, titled “American Leadership in the Digital Finance Revolution.” Hougan described the document as “the most bullish government document I have read in my entire crypto career.” The speech outlined a comprehensive agenda, which is referred to as “Project Crypto.” This, according to Hougan, includes a blueprint to modernize digital asset regulation in a way that boosts innovation and positions the United States as a leader in the global crypto economy. While the broader market has not yet responded, Hougan believes that Atkins’ vision has not been priced into the market. He explained that investors are underestimating how a friendlier SEC stance could catalyze a structural pivot across multiple crypto sectors. “I’ve studied and written about crypto nonstop for the past eight years. I’ve long been bullish about the future of crypto, and I’ve said that all assets will eventually move over blockchain-based rails. But after reading the speech, I’m realizing I have to think bigger – and move to a faster timeline. If it wasn’t priced in for me, I’m going to guess it wasn’t priced in for others.” Based on the content of the speech, Hougan identified three key themes poised to benefit: Layer 1 smart contract platforms like Ethereum and Solana, public trading platforms such as Coinbase and Robinhood, and decentralized finance protocols, including Uniswap and Aave. Hougan warned that the market’s failure to acknowledge this regulatory inflection point could represent a missed opportunity. The exec also noted that such moves have historically resulted in outsized gains across high-beta sectors. While skepticism remains due to the SEC’s longstanding adversarial stance toward the crypto industry, Hougan’s interpretation of Atkins’ remarks suggests a serious re-evaluation is underway. Calls For Privacy Protections and DeFi Inclusion Adding to this regulatory narrative was a noteworthy speech from another SEC official. Earlier this week, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce called for stronger protection of financial privacy and crypto users’ rights during a speech at the Science of Blockchain Conference. She criticized the country’s financial system’s surveillance practices, while arguing that the Bank Secrecy Act and tools like the SEC’s Consolidated Audit Trail compromise individual freedom. Peirce even went on to highlight the benefits of DeFi and privacy-preserving technologies like zero-knowledge proofs. She urged regulators not to criminalize open-source developers or force reporting in peer-to-peer crypto transactions. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details). LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin! Read More

A violent attack in central Paris has left a man without a hard drive containing €2 million worth of Bitcoin. The incident, which took place on Tuesday evening, August 5, is the latest in a growing pattern of crypto-related crimes in France. Details Of The Attack According to local media reports, the incident began at around 7:15 p.m. at the Peninsula Hotel, a luxury establishment located on Avenue Kléber in Paris’s 16th arrondissement. Hotel staff alerted the police after witnessing five unknown men approach one of their guests and demand, “Give us 400,000 euros, and it’s over.” The victim was then forcibly taken from the hotel to an area near the Arc de Triomphe, where he was physically assaulted. Officers from the anti-crime brigade quickly responded and arrested all five suspects in the 8th arrondissement. Initial investigations revealed that the group may be connected to a nearby nightclub, where the victim allegedly owed €40,000. Police believes the suspects were attempting to collect that debt by force. The victim was briefly interviewed by authorities and said he had been beaten and threatened. He reported that the attackers took his iPhone 13 Pro Max and a hard drive containing Bitcoin worth around €2 million. He added that a previous incident had occurred the week before, during which the same individuals had displayed a weapon. The suspects were taken into custody at the First District Police headquarters for extortion. During the night, investigators from the Anti-Banditism Brigade took over the case. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that five people were in custody and that investigations and hearings are ongoing. Crypto Crime in Paris on the Rise This isn’t the first time Paris has made the headlines for crypto-related crime. The country has endured a series of violent kidnappings targeting individuals in the industry. The most recent case happened in May and involved a failed attempt by a masked gang to abduct relatives of the co-founder of French Bitcoin exchange Paynium. Twenty five suspects were later indicted for the failed abduction. Another incident saw the father of a crypto millionaire being hijacked while walking their dog. David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, and his wife were also taken from their home in France in January, with French special forces rescuing the couple after a 58-hour ordeal. The operation led to multiple arrests, including individuals with prior crypto-related convictions. Both cases involved a ransom demand, with the victims being released with missing fingers. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details). LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin! Read More

Ripple has recently rallied to test the key $3.6 resistance zone. Should buying pressure continue and price secure a breakout above this level, the move could pave the way for an extended advance toward the $4 region. XRP Price Analysis: Technicals By Shayan The Daily Chart XRP has recently bounced from the critical $2.8 support zone, which aligns with the 0.5 Fibonacci retracement of the prior rally. This confluence attracted notable buying interest, triggering a sharp upswing toward the $3.4–$3.6 resistance range. This zone represents a prior swing high and a likely area of concentrated supply, making it a significant hurdle for buyers to clear. If bulls successfully reclaim the $3.6 level with strong volume, the path toward the psychological $4 threshold becomes more attainable. However, given the overhead supply, some short-term consolidation or a minor pullback from $3.6 is possible before any sustained breakout attempt. Source: TradingView The 4-Hour Chart On the 4H timeframe, Ripple’s upward structure is more pronounced. Following a period of consolidation within a bullish flag formation, the market found support at the 0.5 Fib level and broke decisively to the upside. This breakout has fueled the advance toward the $3.6 resistance. If buyers can overcome this barrier, the resulting breakout could trigger a short-squeeze, accelerating price toward $4. Conversely, repeated rejections at $3.6 could lead to another consolidation phase within the current range before the next directional move. Source: TradingView SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details). LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin! Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information. Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView. Read More

The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap blasted past $4,200 today for the first time since December 2021, liquidating $207 million in shorts in the process. The movement has piqued the interest of market watchers, with some claiming it’s the launchpad for a historic run to $12,000, even as others still feel it’s a brutal bear trap. Extreme Bull Sees $12K Fueling the fire was pseudonymous on-chain analyst Tracer, who told their over 312,000 followers on X that “$ETH is about to break 4-year resistance… $12,000 is not just a dream anymore.” According to them, a confirmed breakout would unleash a “MONSTER rally” that would demand immediate positioning. They were not alone in their raving, with YouTuber Crypto Rover predicting a run to $6,000 on the back of institutional uptake of the cryptocurrency. “Once BlackRock’s Spot $ETH Staking ETF gets approved. We teleport to $6,000,” the influencer declared. Data from Glassnode lends some credence to their optimism, noting a “sharp rise in both first-time buyers and momentum buyers,” a sign of fresh demand coming into the ETH market. Ethereum’s run past the $4,200 barrier was powered by a 19% weekly gain, with a 7.5% jump in the last 24 hours putting more than $200 million in leveraged short positions to the sword and drawing cheers from unlikely corners. Even Eric, the son of U.S. President Donald Trump, tweeted: “It puts a smile on my face to see ETH shorts get smoked today. Stop betting against BTC and ETH – you will be run over.” Bears Whisper of an Imminent Reckoning However, not everyone is celebrating. Noted analyst and self-proclaimed ETH skeptic EGRAG CRYPTO revealed a chilling plan: “If #ETH / #BTC closes above 0.039… I plan to short the shit out of #ETH.” He sees this pump as a potential setup for a massive, portfolio-boosting short opportunity, calling it “personal revenge.” Even bullish voices like Michaël van de Poppe are urging caution at these levels: “It is a little too risky to be buying $ETH at these highs,” he posted on X, advising investors to rotate capital into the ETH ecosystem for better risk/reward. With ETH now less than 15% below its all-time high and momentum buyers piling in, the $12,000 call no longer seems pure fantasy to the permabulls. Yet, EGRAG’s lurking short and Van de Poppe’s warning about overextended prices should be stark reminders: parabolic moves can end in pain. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details). LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin! Read More

Market data indicates that the much-anticipated altseason has yet to begin truly. A comparison of Bitcoin, large-cap (top 20) altcoins, and mid-to-small-cap tokens shows the weakest altcoin performance of the current cycle. Altcoins Struggle to Match Bitcoin’s Dominance In its latest analysis, CryptoQuant said that the most significant surge resembling a “true” altseason occurred in early 2024, when mid- and small-cap assets briefly outperformed Bitcoin. A second phase emerged in late 2024 and early 2025, though Bitcoin retained dominance. Current trends reveal only a mild altcoin reaction, which is far less pronounced than earlier phases. The analysis indicates that this could mark the very early stages of a broader altcoin rally, but add that investors may need patience before a stronger rotation from Bitcoin to altcoins takes hold. In a separate observation, Swissblock’s Altcoin Vector found that a renewed acceleration in the altcoin market could be underway, driven largely by Ethereum’s recent strength. Its analysis said that the broader altcoin market often moves in tandem with the ETH/BTC pair, which has rallied about 75% since its May lows and recently broken out of a downtrend. Ethereum is described as the “tip of the spear,” which is leading this potential shift. According to the tweet, altcoins have already begun aligning with ETH’s breakout, and the next significant move could occur once ETH/BTC clears a key resistance level of 0.035, which may trigger a “Positive Impulse” across the market. Cycle Won’t Finish Without Altseason A crypto analyst said there are early signs that an altseason may be forming. However, it is still far from complete. Describing altseason as a crucial phase of the market cycle, the analyst argued that the current cycle will not end without it. While Bitcoin has dominated most of the recent gains, the analyst believes altcoins could deliver significant surprises once they gain momentum and will capture the market’s full attention. For now, however, the altcoin market remains in the background, and the shift toward a true altseason has yet to materialize in any meaningful way. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details). LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin! Read More

Ethereum Home » Ethereum » Fundamental Global files $5 billion shelf for Ethereum treasury strategy, targets 10% network stake by Vivian Nguyen Aug. 10, 2025 The company aims to become the world’s largest corporate holder of Ethereum. Key Takeaways Fundamental Global filed a $5 billion shelf registration to support its Ethereum treasury strategy. The company targets a 10% market share in the Ethereum network by leveraging capital raises and ETH accumulation. Share this article Fundamental Global, a Nasdaq-listed financial services provider, filed a $5 billion shelf registration statement with the US SEC this week as part of its ongoing effort to scale its Ethereum accumulation strategy. The company, soon to be renamed FG Nexus, aims to become the world’s largest corporate holder of ETH, targeting a 10% stake in the network. Achieving this goal would make Fundamental Global one of the largest corporate holders of Ethereum, in the company of BitMine, which holds $3.5 billion, and SharpLink, which owns $2.2 billion. The shelf registration, one of the largest in the digital asset treasury space, includes an “at-the-market” prospectus covering up to $4 billion in common stock sales. This structure gives Fundamental Global the flexibility to raise funds over time, allowing the company to move quickly when market conditions are favorable. The remaining capacity could be issued as preferred stock, debt, or other securities. “This $5 billion shelf filing represents a significant step in our capital raising capabilities and positions us to move with speed and scale when capital deployment opportunities arise,” said Kyle Cerminara, CEO and Chairman of Fundamental Global, in a statement. “We believe this framework will enable us to capitalize on ETH accumulation opportunities and support our target of a 10% stake in the Ethereum Network.” According to Maja Vujinovic, head of the company’s Digital Assets Division, institutional adoption of digital assets is accelerating, creating a favorable backdrop for Fundamental’s capital deployment plans. The strategy is to capture multiple value drivers, including ETH price appreciation, staking rewards, and exposure to tokenized real-world assets built on Ethereum, she noted. Fundamental Global pivoted to Ethereum in late July with a $200 million private placement aimed primarily at purchasing Ethereum as its primary treasury reserve asset. Fundamental Global (FGF) shares plunged 48% at market close on Friday, per Yahoo Finance. Share this article Read More

Regulation Home » Regulation » Trump’s top crypto advisor Bo Hines departs amid ongoing efforts to build America’s Bitcoin reserve Powered by Gloria | Edited by Vivian Nguyen Aug. 10, 2025 Hines spearheaded federal policy reforms and advanced the plan for a national Bitcoin reserve. Photo: Chris Seward Key Takeaways Bo Hines departed his role as the White House Crypto Council’s Executive Director to return to the private sector. The Crypto Council advanced initiatives such as the Crypto Summit, Genius Act, and Digital Assets Report under Hines’s leadership. Share this article After eight months on the job, Bo Hines, Trump’s pick last December to head the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, said Saturday he’s resigning. The White House’s top crypto adviser will head back to the private sector but pledged to keep backing the crypto ecosystem. Serving in President Trump’s administration and working alongside our brilliant AI & Crypto Czar @DavidSacks as Executive Director of the White House Crypto Council has been the honor of a lifetime. Together, we have positioned America as the crypto capital of the world. I’m… — Bo Hines (@BoHines) August 9, 2025 “Thank you Bo Hines for doing an amazing job with the first-ever Crypto Council,” said White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks in a statement. “Huge accomplishments with the Crypto Summit, Genius Act, and Digital Assets Report. As you pursue your next chapter, I look forward to being able to draw on your expertise and advice.” Patrick Witt, the council’s deputy director, is expected to succeed Bo Hines as Executive Director following Hines’ resignation. According to Sacks, Witt and Harry Jung, the CFTC’s senior policy adviser on crypto, DeFi, and digital assets, will take charge of putting the Crypto Council’s recommendations into action and pushing the Clarity Act through. During his tenure, Hines pushed to make the US the “crypto capital of the world,” driving a pro-innovation regulatory agenda. He oversaw the release of a sweeping July 2025 report mapping out a market-friendly framework for digital asset oversight and coordinated across federal agencies to strengthen blockchain policy and innovation. Hines also championed the creation of a national Bitcoin strategic reserve, promoting budget-neutral acquisition methods such as reallocating seized assets and revaluing gold holdings. His tenure saw efforts to dismantle previous regulatory barriers and encourage crypto companies to return to the US, while positioning the country to compete in the digital economy. Although the national Bitcoin reserve plan drew mixed responses over its slow pace and limited transparency, Hines is credited with setting a strategic course and laying the policy foundations for ongoing federal crypto initiatives. Share this article Read More

Markets Home » Markets » BlackRock rules out XRP and SOL ETFs despite Ripple-SEC case closure Powered by Gloria | Edited by Vivian Nguyen Aug. 9, 2025 BlackRock previously reported high client interest in Bitcoin and Ethereum, but low demand for other crypto ETFs. Key Takeaways BlackRock has stated it currently has no plans to offer spot ETFs for XRP or Solana. The asset manager clarified their position amid speculation following Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF launches. Share this article With Ripple closing its long-running legal battle with the SEC, industry analysts anticipate that the resolution will make major fund managers more comfortable offering investment products tied to XRP, Ripple’s native crypto asset. Pro-XRP users, in particular, have been eyeing BlackRock, the asset management giant. But it appears BlackRock has no immediate plans to get on board. A BlackRock spokesperson recently told The Block that spot XRP and Solana (SOL) ETFs are not on the firm’s roadmap for now. The confirmation came shortly after ETF Store President Nate Geraci suggested that BlackRock would eventually enter the XRP ETF market as Ripple and the SEC wrap up their appeals. He said it’s hard to justify ignoring crypto assets apart from Bitcoin and Ethereum, but if BlackRock really stays away from other crypto ETFs, they’re essentially stating that only BTC and ETH are worth investing in. Yes, I think BlackRock was waiting to see this before filing for iShares XRP ETF… I’ll own it if I’m wrong. IMO, makes *zero* sense for them to ignore crypto assets beyond btc & eth. Otherwise, they’re basically saying btc & eth are only ones that will ever have value. Bold. pic.twitter.com/FtBqMRFpOl — Nate Geraci (@NateGeraci) August 8, 2025 However, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas thinks BlackRock is content with its two existing ETFs, those tied to the two largest crypto assets, and sees diminishing returns in expanding further. I just think they are happy w the two. Law of diminish returns from here on out. But again I’ve nothing to go on but my own spidey sense here. — Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) August 8, 2025 The analyst is also doubtful that BlackRock will file for an index-based crypto ETF, which potentially includes major assets like XRP, later this year. “Very little” demand for other crypto ETFs: BlackRock’s executives Robert Mitchnick, BlackRock’s Head of Digital Assets, revealed at the Bitcoin 2024 convention that there was ‘very little’ client demand for crypto ETFs beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. Samara Cohen, BlackRock’s Chief Investment Officer of ETF and Index Investments, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the firm would not launch a Solana ETF in the near term. “We really look at the investor’s ability to see what meets the criteria, what meets the bar to be delivered in an ETF,” Cohen said. “For us right now, both between [investing] ability considerations and also what we hear from our clients… Bitcoin and Ether definitely meet that bar. I think it will be a while before we see anything else.” Share this article Read More