As BitMEX exits, analysts warn crypto consolidation is accelerating

The closure of crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX is prompting fresh questions about whether the industry is entering a new phase of consolidation, as analysts point to market-share concentration and rising regulatory costs squeezing smaller platforms.  While BitMEX helped pioneer perpetual swaps that became a cornerstone of digital asset derivatives trading, its daily Bitcoin futures volume began declining around May 2021 and never recovered to its 2020 daily peak of between $1 billion and $5 billion, according to data from CryptoQuant.  Restructuring adviser Roshan Dharia told Cointelegraph the exchange‘s demise reflects structural pressures facing mid-sized centralized exchanges, where liquidity has increasingly concentrated among the industry’s largest players and regulatory compliance costs continue to rise. He said:  The top five platforms now control an estimated 80% of global spot volume, leaving mid-tier and regional exchanges with shrinking margins and no viable path to scale... The headwinds are structural, not cyclical.Source: BitMEX  Related: BitMEX pitches ‘canary fund’ alternative to Bitcoin quantum coin freeze  The fall of BitMEX  BitMEX, the crypto derivatives exchange founded in 2014 by Arthur Hayes, Ben Delo and Samuel Reed, announced on Thursday that it will shut down. Trading is scheduled to end on Sept. 23 following a strategic review by parent company HDR Global Trading.  The

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Samsung Wallet to add stablecoin support as crypto push expands

Samsung has unveiled plans to add stablecoin support to Samsung Wallet, extending its mobile payment platform into blockchain-based digital value transfers.  SummarySamsung has announced plans to add stablecoin support to Samsung Wallet, expanding the app beyond payments and rewards.The company has not disclosed the supported stablecoins, launch timeline or technology partners for the new Wallet feature.The move builds on Samsung‘s recent crypto initiatives, including Coinbase integration and investments tied to South Korea’s digital asset market.  During the companys Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung Electronics said Samsung Wallet will support stablecoins as part of its next phase of development, combining payments, rewards and digital assets within a single mobile experience. The company has not disclosed which stablecoins it will integrate, when the feature will launch or which partners will support the rollout.  Speaking at the event, Samsung product manager Lee Dinham said Samsung Wallet will expand beyond cash and savings to include stablecoins. He said the company intends to become one of the first major smartphone brands to offer native stablecoin functionality, allowing users to transfer digital value directly from their devices.  Although Samsung outlined the direction of the product, it stopped short of announcing technical details. The company has not identified supported blockchain networks, reserve-backed

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BitSpider Plans to Bring Its Card-Native Crypto Point-of-Sale System to Market After MiCA Authorisation

Tallinn, Estonia, July 24th, 2026, Chainwire  BitSpider has highlighted its previously developed Crypto POS platform following the submission of its application for authorization as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA in Estonia. The platform introduced an alternative approach to crypto payments by enabling customers to complete transactions using a tap-and-PIN experience similar to a traditional bank card, without relying solely on QR code scanning.  The BitSpider Crypto POS offered two payment methods in a single device. A customer could pay by scanning a QR code from a self-custody wallet or a compatible wallet application. Alternatively, a customer could tap a BitSpider near-field communication (NFC) card on the terminal, enter a PIN, select a coin and confirm, without a smartphone, wallet application or QR scanning. The card-and-PIN method operated across multiple blockchains and stablecoins, whereas comparable tap-to-pay crypto cards available at the time were generally limited to Bitcoin. Similar tap-and-PIN crypto card products from other providers entered the market in 2025, after BitSpider had designed and demonstrated the concept in 2024.  A complete point-of-sale system  The BitSpider Crypto POS was a point-of-sale platform built on networks compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). It combined dedicated all-in-one terminal hardware, comprising a pre-installed application, a built-in

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Heres Why Bitcoin Dipped Below $64K Today

The macro reason came from the POTUS yet again.  Bitcoins mid-week price rally that drove it to a monthly peak of $67,000 came to a halt, and the asset dipped below $64,000 earlier today, erasing essentially all the gains it had recorded.  Here are the two possible reasons behind this nosedive.  ETF Investor Exodus  At first, we begin with the spot exchange-traded funds tracking the largest cryptocurrency. They were on a seven-day roll that began last Tuesday and had attracted roughly $1 billion within that timeframe for the first time since April. However, investors changed their minds once again on Thursday, pulling out over $200 million worth of BTC. This coincided with the assets initial retracement that drove it toward $65,000.  More recent on-chain data from today, though, claimed that BlackRock has continued to dispose of BTC for its clients, sending approximately $203 million to Coinbase Prime, which it always uses when it liquidates some of its ETF positions.  Of course, the actual damage for the entire day will be announced tomorrow when data providers such as SoSoValue update their numbers. For now, though, the uncertainty remains relatively high given the latest trend shift.  BlackRock moved 3.126K $BTC (~$203M) from its IBIT Bitcoin ETF wallet to Coinbase

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Bitcoin Holds $65K, But $65.7K Will Decide the Next Big Move

Bitcoin dips below $65K as escalating Iran tensions rattle risk markets. Traders now watch $65,700 to confirm BTCs next big move.  Bitcoin briefly slipped under $65,000 during yesterdays sharp sell-off before buyers stepped back in. The reclaim shows short-term resilience, but a bigger test still lies ahead.  Traders are now watching $65,700 as the level that could decide the next major Bitcoin move.  A confirmed break above that mark would flip momentum back toward bulls. A failed attempt could send prices sliding toward $63,000 instead.  Bitcoin Price Eyes the $65,700 Level for Direction  Market analyst That Martini Guy, posting on X, said Bitcoin reclaimed $65,000 after briefly dipping below the mark.  He called $65,700 the key level buyers must reclaim to shift short-term momentum back in their favor. A failure to clear that level, he added, would likely send price down toward $63,000 next.  He pointed to steady spot Bitcoin ETF demand and balanced funding rates as reasons the pullback may not signal a deeper rollover.  Bitcoin has now reclaimed $65,000 after briefly breaking below it during yesterdays sell-off.  While thats a good initial response from buyers, the real test is just starting.  $65,700 is the main level buyers MUST reclaim to flip short-term momentum back to the bulls.  According to

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Wall Street Stumbles as Trump Tariffs Launch and Oil Flirts with $100 Milestone

Key HighlightsMajor US indices wobbled Friday following Thursdays brutal session that erased roughly $800 billion in value from the Magnificent Seven tech giantsSurging artificial intelligence expenditures at Alphabet and Tesla sparked the technology sector retreatNew Section 301 tariffs from President Trump, spanning 10% to 12.5%, became active during overnight hoursCrude retreated Friday but Brent remained positioned for weekly gains after briefly surpassing the $100 thresholdVerizon and American Express delivered profit wins yet disappointed on sales; Intel rallied on stronger-than-expected results  American equities struggled to find stable footing Friday morning following one of 2024s most punishing technology sector routs. Market participants grappled with a complex mix of fresh trade barriers, ballooning AI infrastructure costs, and elevated energy prices.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average managed a modest 0.3% advance, while the S&P 500 treaded water near breakeven. The Nasdaq Composite declined 0.4% as technology names maintained their downward pressure.  E-Mini S&P 500 Sep 26 (ES=F)  All three benchmark indices were tracking toward negative weekly performance. The elite Magnificent Seven cohort of mega-cap technology companies saw approximately $800 billion in combined market capitalization evaporate during Thursdays session alone.  The sharp decline followed quarterly reports from Alphabet and Tesla, which disclosed dramatically escalating capital expenditures tied to artificial intelligence

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Philippines' BPI tests stablecoin rail for overseas remittances

BPI has launched a pilot program using stablecoin settlement rails for cross-border payments, with the Philippine lender targeting faster and lower-cost remittances for freelancers, virtual assistants, and other overseas income earners.  According to local reports from ABS-CBN and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Ayala-led bank is working with global digital clearinghouse Meridian to test a stablecoin-based settlement system that will process inbound international payments before converting them into Philippine pesos for deposit into customers BPI accounts.  The pilot will first cover payroll payments and overseas earnings received by freelancers, virtual assistants, and workers in the informal economy. BPI plans to extend the service to more customers before the 49th ASEAN Summit in November, when the bank expects to showcase the initiative as part of its digital banking efforts.  Rather than replacing existing banking infrastructure, the system uses stablecoins as a settlement layer between the sender and the recipient. Once the transfer is completed, recipients will receive Philippine pesos in their BPI accounts, allowing the bank to combine blockchain-based settlement with conventional banking safeguards.  BPI President and Chief Executive Officer Jose Teodoro Limcaoco said the project builds on the banks ongoing digitalization strategy, adding that the bank wants Filipinos receiving money from abroad to access

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Ali Martinez Predicts Ethereum Rally to $2,060 if $1,850 Support Holds

Ali Martinez says Ethereum could reach $2,060 if the $1,850 support remains intact.ETH exchange reserves continue to decline, pointing to tighter supply across major platforms.Funding rates are rising, showing stronger bullish sentiment without overheating the market.  Ethereum is gearing up for another move higher after rebounding from a key support level, according to crypto analyst Ali Martinez.  His latest chart reveals ETH is still trading within a rising price channel. Martinez said Ethereum bounced after testing the lower boundary of its ascending channel on the one-hour chart.  As long as the $1,850 support holds, he believes ETH could rally toward the channels upper boundary near $2,060.  Ethereum is currently trading at $1,861.87, down 1.96% over the past 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap. Despite the daily decline, the cryptocurrency remains up 1.63% over the past week and 13% over the past month.  $1,850 Remains the Key Support  Martinezs chart shows Ethereum recovering after pulling back to the lower trendline of its ascending channel. He said holding the $1,850 level is important to keep the current bullish structure intact.  If buyers continue defending that support, ETH could retest the top of the channel around $2,060. However, a break below the channel could invalidate the short-term bullish outlook and open

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The Dow Jones buys a rumour and sleeps through a tariff regime

The index that spent this week absorbing a war premium trades near 52,000 on Friday, around 325 points to the good side, on the strength of a wire report that its own three sources undercut in the same breath. Pakistan is exploring a route back to stalled US-Iran talks at China‘s urging, and those sources cautioned that the obstacles to any American engagement remain high. Crude Oil sold off roughly 4% on the story, with Brent easing toward $96.00 after this week’s move above $100.00 and West Texas Intermediate near $88.50.  Every de-escalation headline of this war has been retraced, in April, in May and again in early July, and the market has bought each one on first print. What separates this version is that the equity bid arrived on the same morning the trade regime changed underneath it, and almost nobody marked the second event.  A rally on three sources and a caveat  Apple (AAPL) supplied a large share of the index gain with a 3% move, which is what a price-weighted average does when a high-priced component catches a bid. Beneath the headline the tape was thinner than it looks, with every S public participation, when the wider public joins in;

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The debt clock ticking inside corporate Bitcoin treasuries could force billions back onto the market

The convertible notes, preferred shares, and credit facilities that financed a large share of corporate Bitcoin holdings carry maturities, redemption windows, and dividend dates that determine when a company might need to sell.  Matthew Sigel, VanEcks head of digital assets research, shared a list of corporate Bitcoin treasuries that maps who ranks above the coins inside each companys capital structure.  Once Bitcoin sits inside a public companys balance sheet, it stands beneath a stack of claims: creditors expecting repayment, preferred shareholders expecting distributions, lenders holding pledged coins, common shareholders wanting buybacks, and an operating business that needs cash to run.  A payment, redemption, or maturity can force a company to sell Bitcoin on a fixed date, regardless of whether it still believes in the assets long-term price.  One entry on Sigels list flags Bitdeer, which had fully emptied its Bitcoin treasury as of Feb. 20 to fund a pivot into AI data centers, a move later confirmed when the treasury fell to zero once the company sold 189.8 newly mined BTC and pulled 943.1 BTC from reserves.Claim above BitcoinInstrument or pressureWhat creates the sell riskWhy it mattersCreditorsConvertible notes, senior debtMaturity, repayment, refinancing failureBTC may be sold even if management remains bullishPreferred shareholdersSTRC-style preferred stockDividend

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