Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Bank of Korea Breaks 13-Year Streak With Gold ETF Purchase

The Bank of Korea has disclosed a $250 million position in a gold exchange-traded fund (ETF). The stake marks its first gold-linked investment in 13 years.　　The move gives South Koreas central bank exposure to gold prices without expanding its physical bullion reserves.　　Filing Shows a $250 Million Gold ETF Position　　The BOK held 679,765 shares of SPDR Gold Shares at the end of June. The stake was valued at $250.4 million in a filing submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.　　Sponsored　　Sponsored　　That same document lists four holdings worth $3.89 billion in total. Gold accounted for roughly 6.4% of the disclosed portfolio. It reported no such position three months earlier.　　Gold ETFs count as securities and are held within South Koreas foreign-exchange reserves. Physical bullion is treated as a separate long-term reserve asset. This means that the purchase leaves the official stockpile at about 104.4 tons, unchanged since 2013.　　However, earlier in August, the central bank said it built a framework for domestic gold purchases, its first such step in almost six decades.　　Follow us on Xto get the latest news as it happens　　Central Bank Gold Demand Hit a Record Second Quarter　　Meanwhile, other central banks combined added a net 289 tons in the three months through

08-13Industry

Goldman Sachs to add Bitcoin, Ethereum ETFs in $2.25B Neos deal

Goldman Sachs has agreed to acquire Neos Investments for up to $2.25 billion, a deal that will add three Bitcoin and Ethereum options-income ETFs managing more than $1.1 billion combined to its asset management business.　　SummaryGoldman Sachs will acquire Neos Investments for up to $2.25 billion.The deal will add three Bitcoin and Ethereum income ETFs to Goldmans asset management business.Neos manages more than $30 billion across 19 options based income ETFs.The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory approval.　　According to Goldman Sachs, the cash-and-equity transaction will bring Neos and its more than $30 billion in assets under management into Goldman Sachs Asset Management, subject to performance and service commitments tied to the agreement. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027 after regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.　　Among the 19 Neos funds included in the transaction are the Neos Bitcoin High Income ETF (BTCI), Boosted Bitcoin High Income ETF (XBCI) and Ethereum High Income ETF (NEHI), giving Goldman an existing lineup of crypto-linked income products while its own proposed Bitcoin income fund remains on file with U.S. regulators.　　Goldman Sachs will inherit three crypto income ETFs　　Neos launched BTCI in October

08-13Industry

Bitwise CIO sees crypto valuations doubling on token revenue

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan argued on Aug. 12 that crypto valuations outside Bitcoin could rise sharply as more protocols connect revenue generated by network activity to their native tokens.　　SummaryBitwise CIO Matt Hougan says stronger revenue capture could help crypto valuations double or more.Hyperliquid routes roughly 99% of fee revenue toward HYPE purchases through its Assistance Fund mechanism.Uniswap governance has funded about 7.5 million UNI burns through protocol fees since December 2025.Aaves first ten months of buybacks acquired over 205,000 AAVE using $42 million in allocations.SEC commissioners will consider tailored crypto offering rules at an open meeting scheduled for Friday.　　In a memo, Hougan pointed to Hyperliquid, Uniswap, Aave, Pump.fun and Lighter as examples of projects using fees or other protocol revenue to finance token purchases or burns. He expects more DeFi applications and layer 1 networks to adopt similar structures over the next 12 to 24 months.　　His strongest forecast was explicitly conditional. Hougan wrote that “we could see valuations double or more” if his view that the link between protocol revenue and token value continues strengthening proves correct. Bitwise also states that the memo represents an assessment at a particular time and is neither a guarantee of future results

08-13Industry

Blockchain Association backs Custodia's Supreme Court bid over Fed master account access

Quick TakeThe Blockchain Association filed an amicus brief on Wednesday in support of Custodia Bank‘s Supreme Court petition challenging the Fed’s denial of master account access.The industry group said the case is about ensuring “lawful digital asset businesses can compete on equal footing.”　　The Blockchain Association has filed an amicus brief in support of Custodia Banks Supreme Court petition challenging the Feds denial of master account access.　　In a Wednesday filing, the industry group urged the court to review whether regional Fed banks have the discretion to reject eligible state-approved banks access to master accounts.　　A Fed master account could give financial institutions direct access to the central banks payment systems, which is key infrastructure for banks serving digital asset clients.　　“No lawful industry should be excluded from essential banking services through regulatory pressure or unchecked administrative discretion,” the association wrote in a thread of posts on X, adding that the case is about ensuring “lawful digital asset businesses can compete on equal footing.”　　In its amicus brief, the association also cautioned that prior lower courts rulings provide “a blueprint for federal regulators to debank disfavored industries or companies in the future without interference from state regulators.”　　Years-long legal battle　　Custodia Bank, a Wyoming-chartered crypto-focused institution founded

08-13Industry

Metaplanet denies selling bitcoin worth $320 million

SummaryMetaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich said the company has not sold any bitcoin and still holds 43,000 BTC despite recent large on-chain movements.Gerovich explained that the transfer of 5,014 BTC, worth about $320 million, was a routine shift between Metaplanet custodial addresses rather than a liquidation.　　Tokyo-listed bitcoin holder Metaplanet isnt dumping its bitcoin bags.　　Company CEO Simon Gerovich moved quickly to dismiss reports of a massive sale, clarifying that Wednesdays large BTC transfer, flagged by blockchain trackers, was merely a “routine custody transfer” and not a liquidation.　　“We transferred 5,014 BTC between Metaplanet custodial addresses over the past 24 hours. This was a routine custody operation. No bitcoin was sold, and our holdings remain 43,000 BTC,” Gerovich said.　　On Wednesday, data tracking firms flagged the movement of 5,014 BTC, worth $320 million at the going spot price, from wallets linked to the firm. That sparked a speculation that the firm was preparing to sell those coins.　　These so-called digital asset treasury firms, led by industry giant Strategy, has come under the microscope recently as investors watch for any sign of these major corporate holders trimming their positions to lock in gains or manage balance sheet risk.　　Strategy portions of its BTC holdings to fund dividends on

08-13Industry

AI Is Bullish for Crypto, Bitwise Advisor Says

Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence is one of the biggest competitors for speculative investment capital in financial markets.　　However, according to Jeff Park, a former Bitwise portfolio manager and current advisor to the crypto asset manager, the AI boom could end up becoming a catalyst for BTC, which is a rather unpopular opinion within the cryptocurrency sector.　　Crypto Event Calendar　　He argued that the enormous wealth being created by AI is bullish for BTC because the financial structures supporting that boom will not last indefinitely. “Its hard to believe this right now but all this AI wealth creation is very bullish for BTC,” Park wrote.　　His unorthodox take is based on an asset-liability mismatch. Park believes the resulting financial positions could eventually become unstable. Capital could end up fleeing riskier or more heavily leveraged assets and seek alternatives such as Bitcoin.　　Park believes that BTC is an “infinite duration asset” that could be waiting for that eventual rotation of capital.　　Chipping away at cryptos potential　　AI has become one of the dominant investment narratives in global markets.　　Reuters reported in June that Bitcoin was suffering as investors moved their attention toward booming AI-related stocks.　　That means a booming AI-driven stock market can potentially make Bitcoin look less attractive, and capital is

08-13Industry

ASX shareholder seeks court action against former directors

ASX shareholder Rosherville Pty Ltd has notified the Australian Securities Exchange that it plans to seek Federal Court permission to pursue certain former officers and directors over the failed CHESS replacement project.　　SummaryRosherville plans to seek Federal Court approval to sue ASX officers and directors over CHESS.ASX says the proposed derivative action contains no allegations against the exchange itself at present.Federal Court ordered ASX to pay A$20.5 million over its earlier misleading CHESS project statement.ASX scrapped the original distributed ledger system after writing off A$245 million to A$255 million.ASX replacement Release 1 launched in April while Release 2 is currently planned for 2029.　　ASX disclosed the proposed statutory derivative action on Aug. 12, less than six weeks after the exchange was ordered to pay an A$20.5 million penalty in a separate regulatory case over the same project.　　The exchange said Rosherville alleges breaches of directors duties connected with the previous project. ASX stressed that the proposed action contains no allegations against the company itself. Its announcement does not identify the former officials, detail their alleged breaches or state what remedies Rosherville intends to pursue.　　You might also like:　　ASIC warns of Bitcoin ETF risks as ASX listing sees cautious optimism　　ASX shareholder must clear five court

08-13Industry

Crypto valuations could double as protocols link revenue to tokens: Bitwise CIO

Crypto valuations could at least double as protocols increasingly use revenue to fund token buybacks and burns, according to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan.　　On Wednesday, Hougan said crypto outside of Bitcoin is becoming a revenue-driven market in which network activity feeds into native-token value. He said investors have not priced in that change, leaving some crypto assets undervalued.　　Hougan pointed to Hyperliquid, Uniswap, Aave, Pump.fun and Lighter, protocols that use fees to repurchase or remove tokens from circulation. He said he expects decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and layer-1 networks to adopt similar revenue-capture mechanisms over the next 12 to 24 months.　　Stronger links between protocol revenue and token value could give investors conventional valuation metrics, Hougan said, adding that token holders lack shareholders legal claims to cash flow and that community-set tokenomics can change.　　DeFi protocols turn fees into token demand　　Hyperliquid, the decentralized exchange that generated over $800 million in revenue last year, uses about 99% of this to buy and burn HYPE. On Aug. 6, Hyperliquid reported $169 million in second-quarter revenue and directed $141 million toward HYPE buybacks.　　Uniswap also linked revenue to its token after its “UNIfication” overhaul approved the activation of protocol fees to fund UNI burns on Dec.22,

08-13Industry

Bitcoin firms ask AI labs for same tools attackers already have

SummaryMore than three dozen bitcoin and crypto firms are urging major AI labs to give open-source security researchers early access to their most powerful models, arguing defenders are using weaker tools than attackers.The letter, organized by the Bitcoin Policy Institute and signed by companies including Coinbase, Block and ARK Invest, says Bitcoin Core developers are locked out of trusted-partner programs and hampered by safety filters on public models.Recent exploits against BTCPay Server and Lightning nodes, uncovered in part by an AI-powered volunteer “Bitcoin Red Team,” underscore the signatories call for early model access, compute resources, secure testing environments and direct channels to lab security teams.　　More than three dozen bitcoin and crypto companies have asked the largest AI labs to give open-source security researchers early access to their most capable models, arguing that the people defending a trillion dollars of infrastructure are working with weaker tools than the people attacking it.　　The letter, organised by the Bitcoin Policy Institute and published earlier this week is signed by Coinbase, Block, BitGo, Blockstream, Anchorage Digital, ARK Invest, Bitwise, Foundry, Casa, Exodus and others, alongside nonprofit developer funds including Brink, Chaincode and Btrust.　　Its central complaint is specific that Bitcoin Core developers, the small group maintaining

08-13Industry

Metaplanet CEO ends sale speculation after 5,014 BTC move

Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich said on Aug. 13 that the Japanese Bitcoin treasury company did not sell any of its holdings after moving 5,014 BTC, valued at roughly $322 million, between custodial addresses over the previous 24 hours.　　SummaryMetaplanet moved 5,014 BTC between custodial addresses while CEO Simon Gerovich denied any Bitcoin sale.43,000 BTC remain in Metaplanet‘s treasury after transfers, according to CEO Simon Gerovich’s latest statement.Metaplanet said moving roughly $322 million in Bitcoin cost approximately $8 in total network fees.Metaplanet remains the third largest public Bitcoin treasury behind Strategy and Twenty One Capital globally.Bitcoin traded near $63,600 today, leaving Metaplanets treasury below its reported average acquisition cost overall.　　The statement answered speculation generated by large transfers from wallets publicly associated with the company.　　Gerovich said, “This was a routine custody operation. No bitcoin was sold, and our holdings remain 43,000 BTC.” He added that moving the roughly $322 million in Bitcoin cost the company approximately $8 in total network fees.　　We transferred 5,014 BTC between Metaplanet custodial addresses over the past 24 hours. This was a routine custody operation. No bitcoin was sold, and our holdings remain 43,000 BTC.　　All of our addresses are published, which is why the transfers were observable in real

08-13Industry

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