'Sometimes He Was Wrong': Adam Back on Bitcoin Creator Satoshi; Ripple in White House Regardless of Clarity Act; Coinbase CEO Drops AI Prediction: Crypto to Power Agents Economy — Morning Crypto Report

TL;DRBlockstream CEO Adam Back said Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto was often wrong in early technical calls, rejecting theories that Nakamoto planned unlimited block-size growth.The White House holds a closed-door crypto meeting on Aug. 19 with SEC Chair Paul Atkins, CFTC Chair Mike Selig, and executives from Ripple, Coinbase, Gemini, Polymarket, Nasdaq, NYSE, CME and DTCC, bypassing the stalled CLARITY Act.Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong predicted AI agents will outnumber human wallet holders, pointing to the x402 payment protocol and USDC on Base, which have already processed over $100 million.Bitcoin fell below its 200-week moving average, trading between $62,000 and $65,000, as U.S. spot ETFs saw $389.7 million in net outflows during Aug. 10–14 — the largest weekly withdrawal since early July.Strategy raised $334 million via an MSTR stock sale to defend its 840,447 BTC holdings, while BitMine extended its ETH accumulation streak to 59 consecutive weeks.  Adam Back reminds crypto community of Satoshis mistakes  Blockstream CEO Adam Back delivered a harsh reality check to supporters of the theory about Satoshi Nakamotos “true plan.”  Commenting on a new podcast by Robin Linus — which claimed that Satoshi intended to increase block sizes indefinitely in accordance with Moores Law to push BTC to $1 million —

08-17Industry

Hackers Are Abusing a macOS Screen Sharing Flaw to Secretly Mine Monero

In briefThe Netherlands NCSC warned of active exploitation of a macOS Screen Sharing vulnerability across systems with port 5900 exposed to the internet, where attackers gained root access and installed Monero mining programs.The flaw stems from faulty state management during authentication, letting network attackers log in without valid credentialsThe cryptojacking campaign—which quietly mines privacy coin Monero on victims hardware—joins a wave of similar schemes.  Attackers have been exploiting a vulnerability in Apples macOS Screen Sharing feature to seize control of Macs and quietly install cryptocurrency miners, the Netherlands national cyber agency warned this week.  In an updated advisory, the Dutch National Cyber Security Center, or NCSC, said it received reports of active exploitation across multiple systems that had port 5900, used by Screen Sharing, exposed to the internet.  Myriad: When will OpenAI release GPT-6? Click to make your prediction.  In each case, the attackers gained root access, the highest level of control over a machine, and planted a Monero mining program to harness the victims hardware. Monero is a so-called privacy coin, a type of cryptocurrency that cannot be easily traced, unlike transparent networks such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. The agency flagged that public proof-of-concept code for the flaw is now circulating, lowering the

08-17Industry

Austria's FMA fines crypto broker Bitpanda $81,000 in first published MiCA penalty

Quick TakeAustria‘s FMA fined Bitpanda €70,000 ($81,130) for violations of the EU’s MiCA rules.The fine is Austrias first published legally binding penalty under MiCA.  Austrias financial regulator fined Bitpanda GmbH €70,000 ($81,130) last week for violations of the EUs Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, marking the first published legally binding penalty under the new framework in the country.  The Austrian Financial Market Authority said in a statement that Bitpanda failed to submit a crypto-asset white paper at least 20 working days before its publication and distributed a marketing communication before the required white paper had been published.  The company also failed to include required disclosures and contact information in a marketing communication, the regulator added.  Bitpanda, founded in Vienna in 2014, provides crypto services including custody, exchange, and order execution. Germany‘s financial regulator BaFin granted the company a MiCA license last year to serve customers across the European Economic Area, while Austria’s FMA authorized Bitpanda GmbH to provide custody, exchange, order execution and other crypto services in April 2025.  In a separate statement, the FMA said this was the first time it had published a legally binding penalty decision under MiCA.  “The publication of sanctions is part of the legal system and serves to ensure transparency for

08-17Industry

Binance to Delist 8 USDC Margin Pairs: Full List

In a recent announcement, major crypto exchange Binance issued a notice of removal for selected margin trading pairs, which will be delisted from Cross and Isolated Margin platforms as applicable.  A total of eight pairs will be delisted from Cross Margin; three out of these eight will be delisted on Isolated Margin, with the delisting set to occur on August 21.  The eight Cross Margin pairs affected include AUCTION/USDC, BEAMX/USDC, CETUS/USDC, HUMA/USDC, LAYER/USDC, NXPC/USDC, UMA/USDC and VELODROME/USDC.  The Isolated Margin pairs affected are three in number and include HUMA/USDC, LAYER/USDC and NXPC/USDC. Binance Margin will delist the aforementioned margin trading pairs on August 21 at 06:00 (UTC).  Starting from now, users will no longer be able to transfer any amount of assets of the said pairs via manual transfers and Auto-Transfer Mode into their Isolated Margin accounts with immediate effect.  Delisting dates  Binance Margin will suspend isolated margin borrowing on the isolated margin pairs of HUMA/USDC, LAYER/USDC and NXPC/USDC on August 18 at 06:00 (UTC).  Binance Margin will close users positions, conduct an automatic settlement, and cancel all pending orders on the cross and isolated margin pairs listed on August 21 at 06:00 (UTC). These pairs will then be removed from Binance Margin.  Users will not be able

08-17Industry

Strategy Leaves Bitcoin Untouched, Raises $334M Selling MSTR Stock

In briefStrategy made no Bitcoin purchases or sales in the week to August 16, leaving holdings at 840,447 BTC.It raised $333.7 million selling MSTR shares, splitting the proceeds between preferred dividends, a STRC buyback and its dollar reserve.The firms USD reserve reached $4.8 billion, with $653 million left under the preferred repurchase program.  Strategy made no Bitcoin purchases or sales last week, according to an 8-K filed Monday, ending a run of weekly disposals that had funded its dividends and buybacks since June. Its stack stands at 840,447 BTC, unchanged, at an average purchase price of $75,385.  The Bitcoin treasury company instead raised $333.7 million net by selling 3,458,866 MSTR shares, at an average of about $96.48, down from $99.17 the week before. The filing splits the proceeds three ways: $52.4 million to pay dividends on its STRC preferred stock, $132.2 million to buy that stock back, and $149.1 million into its dollar reserve.  Strategy increased its USD Reserve by $150M and repurchased $132M of $STRC. This increased USD Duration by 41 days to 2.8 yrs and tightened STRCs BTC Credit by 4 bps to 114 bps. As of 8/16/26, we hold ₿840,447 in our BTC Reserve and $4.8B in our USD Reserve.

08-17Industry

Why is XRP Failing to Hold $1? Binance Data Holds the Answer

Short positioning against XRP is building on Binance, while whale deposits to the exchange have collapsed to their lowest level in four years.  The combination leaves the market with crowded bearish bets and thinning sell-side supply.  Sponsored  Sponsored  XRP Open Interest Rebuilds After July Contraction  Binance XRP open interest climbed from roughly $181 million on August 3 to $232.7 million on August 17, according to analyst Amr Taha. This marks a 28.6% increase in two weeks and the highest reading since June 2026.  The rebuild reverses a sharp contraction. Open interest on Binance hit a three-month low in July, and the seven-day change sat near negative $40 million on July 29. That figure has since flipped to a positive $38.9 million.  Direction, however, favors sellers. Binance perpetual Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) fell to negative $463.2 million, showing aggressive sell-side execution continued while positions expanded.  “The combination of rising open interest and declining perpetual CVD is consistent with new bearish positions being added, rather than the move being driven only by existing longs closing,” the analyst said.  XRP CVD on Binance. Source: CryptoQuant/Amr Taha  Sponsored  Sponsored  Spot markets show the same tilt. All-CEX estimated spot CVD swung from about positive $153 million on August 3 to negative $231.8 million, a shift of nearly

08-17Industry

Kalshi ordered to stop broad range of prediction markets in Washington

A Washington state judge has ordered prediction market platform Kalshi to stop offering a broad range of event contracts in the state, rejecting its argument that federal commodities law preempts Washington gambling law.  King County Superior Court Judge John McHale barred Kalshi from offering contracts tied to sports, elections, politics, entertainment, culture, tech and science, and “mentions.” Contracts involving commodities, climate, economics and finance are exempt.  “Were holding Kalshi accountable for running an illegal gambling operation,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said Thursday on X, citing a recent court ruling.  Kalshi must implement IP-address and residency-based geofencing by Aug. 19 and a GeoComply multi-source geofencing system by Sept. 2 to prevent people in Washington from purchasing contracts covered by the injunction.  The amended order, signed Wednesday, sets the terms of a preliminary injunction McHale granted in July. The judge found that the Commodity Exchange Act does not preempt Washington gambling law and that the state had shown a likelihood of success on claims under three state laws.  Kalshi maintains that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over its exchange. The Washington Court of Appeals denied its request to stay the injunction.

08-17Industry

BTC price loses 200-week trend line as 2022 repeats: Five things to know in Bitcoin this week

Bitcoin (BTC) is starting the new week at around $63,000, but bear-market history continues to repeat with weekly close below a key long-term trend line.  Key points:Bitcoin has been trading in a range between $57,700 and $67,300, but last weeks close came with a drop below the key 200-week moving average at $64,216.Markets are pricing in near-70% odds of a hold by the Federal Reserve in September, as July meeting minutes are due this week.Japan Q2 GDP figures fall short of expectations at 1.1% as analysis warns of “global tightening” that could impact Bitcoin and risk assets.  Bitcoin sees weekly close below 200-week moving average  Bitcoin price action enjoyed a modest rebound after Sundays weekly close, seeing local highs of $63,655 on Bitstamp.BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView  Data from TradingView shows BTC/USD continuing to tread water as the week begins, failing to challenge either side of a narrow trading range.  Analyst Benjamin Cowen, however, drew attention to the fact that BTC/USD is now back below its 200-week simple moving average (SMA). As Cointelegraph reported, this moving average was a defining feature in the 2022 bear market, when it turned resistance in August before BTC entered its long-term bottoming phase.  “What is interesting is how in both

08-17Industry

No change in bitcoin holdings as Strategy boosted dollar reserve, bought back more STRC last week

SummaryStrategy sold 3.46 million MSTR shares for $333.7 million, using the proceeds to repurchase $132.2 million of STRC, fund $52.4 million of dividends and add $150 million to its USD reserve.The company made no bitcoin purchases or sales, leaving its holdings at 840,447 BTC, while its $4.8 billion USD reserve now covers 2.8 years of obligations.  Bitcoin treasury firm Strategy (MSTR) raised $333.7 million last week through the sale of 3.46 million shares of common stock, according to a Monday filing.  The company did not buy or sell any bitcoin during the week ended Aug. 16, leaving its bitcoin reserve unchanged at 840,447 BTC. The holdings were acquired for $63.36 billion at an average price of $75,385 per bitcoin, including fees and expenses.  Strategy used $132.2 million of the stock-sale proceeds to repurchase 1,388,720 shares of its variable-rate preferred stock, STRC. It allocated another $52.4 million to STRC dividends and added approximately $150 million, to its U.S. dollar reserve.  The reserve increased to $4.80 billion as of Aug. 16, extending Strategy‘s USD duration to 2.8 years. It is intended to support dividend payments on the company’s preferred stock and interest payments on its outstanding debt.  Following the latest transactions, Strategy has $653 million remaining under

08-17Industry

Strategy sells $334 million in MSTR shares, makes no bitcoin purchases or sales as USD reserve hits $4.8 billion

Quick TakeStrategy has sold 3.46 million MSTR shares for approximately $333.7 million, but did not buy or sell any bitcoin last week.The firms USD reserve balance rose nearly $150 million to $4.8 billion.  Bitcoin treasury company Strategy sold approximately $333.7 million worth of MSTR shares last week, according to an 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.  The firm said it sold 3,458,866 MSTR shares between Aug. 10 and Aug. 16, buy did not buy or sell and bitcoin during the period.  $52.4 million in net proceeds from the MSTR sales were used to fund dividends on Strategys STRC preferred stock, $132.2 million were used to fund repurchases of STRC under its Digital Credit Securities Repurchase Program, and $149.1 million were used to increase its USD reserve to $4.8 billion, the firm said.  Strategy has therefore retained its bitcoin holdings at 840,447 BTC — worth around $53.4 billion — bought at an average price of $75,385 per bitcoin for a total cost of around $63.4 billion, including fees and expenses.  Strategys holdings are still equivalent to around 4% of bitcoins 21 million supply cap, but carry around $10 billion of paper losses at current prices.  Bitcoin traded flat on Monday immediately following the

08-17Industry
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