Coin360 Daily Dispatch | Crypto Market Updates & Highlights | August 29, 2024

Crypto Market Update

Table of Contents

Market and Investor Activity

• Whale Investors Drive Bitcoin Accumulation Despite Exchange Sell-Offs
• Ethereum Faces Bearish Pressure Amid Whales' Sell-Offs
• Ethereum ETFs See Net Outflows, Despite Recent Gains
• BlackRock and Bitwise Compete in Brazil’s Bitcoin ETF Market

Regulatory and Institutional Developments

• Cboe Moves to List Options on Crypto ETFs
• Binance Refutes Claims of Blocking Palestinian Accounts
• Alchemy Acquires Bware to Expand European Presence

Crypto Platform and Blockchain Updates

• Telegram CEO Released on Bail Amid TON Blockchain Struggles
• Transak Partners With Sony's Soneium for Fiat Onramps
• Jupiter DEX Integrates Meme Token Tools for DeFi Trading
• Tranchess Soars 41% Following Binance Futures Listing
• Crypto.com Partners With Standard Chartered for Global Retail Services
• Io.net and Flock.io Launch World’s First PoAI Consensus Mechanism
• Uniswap Labs Introduces ERC-7683 for Cross-Chain Liquidity

Specific Cryptocurrency News

• Nvidia’s Earnings Impact AI Crypto Tokens
• PEPE Whale Purchase Sparks Potential 65% Rally
• Stacks Enhances Scalability With Nakamoto Upgrade
• Kaia Blockchain Mainnet Debuts With 1-Second Finality

Scams and Security Concerns

• Traders Lose Millions in Mbappé-Related Crypto Scam
• Pig Butchering Scams Rise in Crypto Sector

NFTs and Digital Collectibles

• Trump’s NFT Collection Raises $2 Million Amid Crypto Plans
• Forbes Partners With OKX Wallet for NFT-Gated Community

Whale Investors Drive Bitcoin Accumulation Despite Exchange Sell-Offs

Bitcoin’s price hovered around $60,000 with major price movements. A whale bought 1,000 BTC during a dip to $58,000 amid Binance's 45,000 BTC sell-off. Over the past month, 133,300 BTC were accumulated by major holders, with reserves on exchanges reaching yearly lows, signaling reduced selling pressure. Despite $4.8 billion liquidations in August, traders anticipate a potential surge to $70,000. The Federal Reserve's anticipated rate cut in September could further support Bitcoin’s bullish outlook, as large holders continue to increase their positions, driving up demand.

Ethereum Faces Bearish Pressure Amid Whales' Sell-Offs

Ethereum faces pressure with whales dumping significant amounts of ETH, including the Ethereum Foundation transferring 35,000 ETH to Kraken. Another large holder, referred to as a “diamond hand whale,” has moved 25,000 ETH valued at around $74 million to various exchanges. Furthermore, Jump Trading, a prominent trading firm, has decreased its Ethereum holdings by approximately 88,917 ETH valued at $276 million, transferring them to various crypto exchanges. Declining interest in Ethereum-related products is evident, with weak demand for spot Ethereum ETFs. Current price trends indicate bearish market sentiment.

Ethereum ETFs See Net Outflows, Despite Recent Gains

On Wednesday, spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced a net outflow of $105.19 million, with ARKB leading the losses. Ethereum ETFs broke a nine-day losing streak, gaining $5.84 million, mainly from Blackrock's ETHA. Despite that, the nine spot Ether ETFs have seen $475.48 million in net outflows since July 23, with $6.97 billion currently held in reserves.

BlackRock and Bitwise Compete in Brazil’s Bitcoin ETF Market

BlackRock announced the launch of its Ethereum ETF (ETHA39) on Brazil's B3 exchange, enhancing Brazilian investors' access to Ethereum. Meanwhile, Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) is set to receive $120 million in Bitcoin from acquiring Osprey Bitcoin Trust's assets, with OBTC shareholders transitioning to BITB shares. The acquisition emphasizes the competitive dynamics in the Bitcoin ETF market, particularly against Grayscale's earlier offering.

Cboe Moves to List Options on Crypto ETFs

Cboe, a major US securities exchange, has filed amended applications to list options on Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. These applications include ETFs from various issuers like Grayscale and Fidelity. The move aims to expand trading opportunities in crypto ETFs, positioning them alongside other commodities-based ETFs for options trading. This filing underscores growing interest and regulatory efforts to integrate cryptocurrency assets into traditional financial markets.

Binance Refutes Claims of Blocking Palestinian Accounts

Binance refutes claims of blocking all Palestinian accounts as Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalates, stating only a few accounts linked to illicit activities were affected. CEO Richard Teng denies comprehensive ban, emphasizing adherence to anti-money laundering laws. Spot trading volume dropped by 23%, raising concerns of potential bias and government influence. Co-founder Yi He assures Palestinians can still use Binance without restrictions. Geopolitical influences may be at play amid Israeli military actions in the West Bank.

Alchemy Acquires Bware to Expand European Presence

Alchemy, a web3 development firm, has acquired Bware, a Romanian blockchain infrastructure provider, expanding its presence in Europe. The deal sees Bware's team of 40 joining Alchemy's product department without affecting customers. The undisclosed valuation aims to leverage both companies' strengths, with Alchemy having previously acquired Satsuma and partnered with Worldcoin.

Telegram CEO Released on Bail Amid TON Blockchain Struggles

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was released on €5 million bail in France but must remain in the country under judicial supervision. His arrest, related to accusations of facilitating illicit activities, sparked a public outcry and a campaign by the TON community for his release. The TON blockchain, closely linked to Durov, faced two outages due to the DOGS token launch, causing network strain. Toncoin’s price has been volatile, with whales selling significant amounts, hindering recovery despite an 8% rise following Durov’s release. The community remains cautious amid ongoing legal uncertainties.

Transak Partners With Sony's Soneium for Fiat Onramps

Transak partners with Sony's Soneium for global fiat onramps, aiming to bring traditional payment methods to the blockchain project. The integration is expected to impact the gaming industry, enabling users to purchase, transfer, and trade in-game assets and NFTs. Transak, operating in 160 countries with over 5.7 million users, has previously partnered with Uniswap for similar services.  

Jupiter DEX Integrates Meme Token Tools for DeFi Trading

Jupiter DEX has integrated Pump.fun and Moonshot into its platform, enabling direct purchase of newly launched meme tokens. This move enhances its aggregator capabilities, offering tools for efficient DeFi trading. The integration arrives amid Pump.fun's peak transaction activity, influencing Solana DEX markets. Jupiter continues to expand its services, aiming for fair fee distribution and community engagement, bolstered by recent funding and innovative product launches.

Tranchess Soars 41% Following Binance Futures Listing

Tranchess (CHESS) surged 41% at one point following its listing on Binance Futures with a 75x leverage option. Concurrently, Coinbase announced the addition of perpetual futures for BounceBit, Conflux, and Neo, sparking price surges of 12.54%, 9.55%, and 5%, respectively, ahead of their trading launch on September 5, 2024.

Crypto.com Partners With Standard Chartered for Global Retail Services

Crypto.com has launched new global retail services in partnership with Standard Chartered, allowing users to transact in US dollars, euros, and UAE dirhams. This initiative is accessible through the Crypto.com app in over 90 countries, starting with the UAE and expanding gradually. Managed under Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, the service aims to enhance consumer confidence and regulatory compliance in cryptocurrency transactions. 

Io.net and Flock.io Launch World’s First PoAI Consensus Mechanism

Io.net and FLock.io have partnered to launch the world-first Proof of AI (PoAI) consensus mechanism, enhancing decentralized AI network integrity and scalability. PoAI ensures fair compensation for genuine contributors, deterring rewards for non-contributors. This advancement aims to make decentralized networks a trusted and scalable solution for AI applications, aligning with io.net's vision for superior performance and cost efficiency.  

Uniswap Labs Introduces ERC-7683 for Cross-Chain Liquidity

Uniswap Labs and Across Protocol have introduced ERC-7683, a new Ethereum token standard aimed at addressing liquidity fragmentation in decentralized finance (DeFi). This standard facilitates automated cross-chain interactions, simplifying token swaps across different blockchains without requiring specific user knowledge. Uniswap plans to implement ERC-7683 on its cross-chain platform, UniswapX. The proposal, now under review by the CAKE Working Group, aims to enhance liquidity efficiency and accessibility across diverse blockchain ecosystems, potentially streamlining DeFi operations in the future.

Nvidia’s Earnings Impact AI Crypto Tokens

AI-related cryptocurrency tokens saw a decline following Nvidia's Q2 earnings release, which surpassed Wall Street's expectations but fell short of impressing investors. Nvidia reported a revenue of $30 billion, up 15% from Q1 and exceeding estimates by about $1.32 billion. Despite this, Nvidia's stock price dropped 6.89% in after-hours trading to $116.95. The performance of AI tokens often correlates closely with Nvidia's financial results, impacting market sentiment in the crypto space.

PEPE Whale Purchase Sparks Potential 65% Rally

A PEPE whale recently bought 173 billion tokens worth 1.34 million USDC, potentially driving a 23% price increase to $0.0000099. He previously bought 170 billion tokens, sold in July 2024, making $1.77 million in less than a year. Supported by a rising trendline, PEPE looks bullish, with a weekly breakout possibility for a 65% rally if closing above $0.0000102 amidst growing open interest and a recent 20% price drop.  

Stacks Enhances Scalability With Nakamoto Upgrade

Stacks (STX) has launched the Nakamoto Upgrade, significantly improving its Bitcoin Layer-2 scalability and reducing settlement times to just 5 seconds. This upgrade aims to enhance transaction speeds within the Stacks ecosystem, making it more efficient for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. Despite these advancements, Stacks' total value locked (TVL) dropped by over $7 million post-upgrade, suggesting mixed immediate market confidence. 

Kaia Blockchain Mainnet Debuts With 1-Second Finality

Kaia, a Layer-1 blockchain jointly launched by Kakao and LINE, has debuted its mainnet. Positioned as the fastest EVM blockchain with one-second finality and low gas fees, it integrates deeply with Kakao and LINE messaging apps. Builders can create Telegram-style apps on LINE using its NEXT WEB SDK, supported by a $1.2 million builder program.

Traders Lose Millions in Mbappé-Related Crypto Scam

Traders lost millions when hackers used Kylian Mbappé's compromised social media account to promote a fake cryptocurrency token, briefly inflating its market cap to $460 million before it crashed. One trader alone lost over $1 million by investing in the scam token. Despite warnings from major crypto firms like Crypto.com, some investors managed to profit, with one savvy trader turning a $28 investment into $124,000 before the token's value plummeted. 

Pig Butchering Scams Rise in Crypto Sector

Pig butchering scams in the cryptocurrency sector are escalating, with scammers opting for shorter, more impactful schemes to deceive victims. Enhanced enforcement efforts are pushing criminals toward quicker scams, leading to a significant increase in illicit activities. Routes through unregulated platforms like Huione Guarantee are causing concerns due to potential illicit crypto transactions.