Crypto Talkies August 13th 2025

Markets headed into the evening with a risk-on glow. Ethereum (ETH) pushed toward the 5,000 mark as open interest topped new highs and shorts got clipped, a move reinforced by Standard Chartered lifting its target to 7,500 by end of 2025 and 25,000 by 2028. Solana (SOL) cleared 200 on strong institutional bid and tokenization buzz, while Binance Coin (BNB) ripped above 850 as the altcoin tide lifted most boats. Exchanges and platforms found their own tailwinds. OKX permanently burned 65.26 million OKB and capped supply at 21 million, a bold tokenomics reset that sent OKB flying. Bullish made a splashy NYSE debut, raising 1.1 billion at a roughly 5.4 billion valuation, and eToro beat expectations with crypto trading driving the lion share of revenue. Not every equity tie-in popped, though. Circle shares slipped after a 10 million share offering announcement, tempering earlier gains. Meme season refused to go quietly. Dogecoin (DOGE) climbed about 22 percent on the week as whales and institutions piled in, and Shiba Inu (SHIB) whipsawed with heightened whale activity even as broader market momentum lent support. On Solana, Pump.fun engineered a buyback that boosted PUMP and reignited interest across meme launches. The headline grabber came from the corporate treasury front: Nasdaq-listed Safety Shot bought 25 million dollars worth of Bonk (BONK) for its balance sheet, leaning into Solana culture even as its stock slid on investor skepticism about memecoin durability. In parallel, ALT5 Sigma inked a 1.5 billion deal with the Trump family backed World Liberty Financial, setting WLFI at 0.20 and adding fresh intrigue to token launches. XRP’s narrative stayed busy. Analysts see a path toward a breakout that could test the 5 level as technicals and sentiment stabilize after a recent pullback. VivoPower doubled down, planning a 100 million purchase of Ripple shares and partnering with Crypto.com for XRP (XRP) custody to diversify its treasury and tap DeFi rails. Institutional adoption kept stacking bricks. Kazakhstan launched Central Asia’s first spot Bitcoin ETF on the Astana International Exchange with BitGo custody and 250 million in insurance, widening the map for BTC (BTC) products. Grayscale registered trusts for Cardano (ADA) and Hedera (HBAR), laying groundwork for potential spot ETFs and injecting fresh speculation into both tokens. BNY Mellon will custody OpenEden’s 425 million tokenized US Treasury fund, expanding the footprint of on chain T bills. In corporate treasury land, Metaplanet’s Bitcoin strategy paid off, with record profits, a leap in assets, and a climb to the fourth largest corporate holder of BTC. Payments and onramps drew fresh capital and competition. Stripe teamed with Paradigm’s Matt Huang to unveil Tempo, a high performance payments focused blockchain designed to vie with stablecoin rails like Circle’s Arc. Transak raised 16 million led by Tether (USDT) and IDG to expand its stablecoin payments network and market reach. Platform risk flickered too, as Google Play moved to require financial licenses for wallet apps in key jurisdictions including the US and EU, a shift that could box out some non custodial wallets and DEX interfaces from mainstream app stores. Policy makers and industry advocates continued their tussle over rules of the road. US banks urged Congress to close a potential yield loophole in the GENIUS Act, warning that yield bearing stablecoins could siphon deposits and disrupt credit creation. At the same time, a16z and the DeFi Education Fund pressed the SEC for a regulatory safe harbor and broker dealer exemptions for DeFi and blockchain apps to avoid misclassification and encourage compliant innovation. Not all headlines were bullish. Monero (XMR) came under 51 percent attack fears after Qubic mining amassed majority hash, knocking XMR lower and reigniting debates over proof of work resilience in smaller networks. On the security beat, ZachXBT traced more than 30 North Korean linked fake identities used to land jobs at crypto projects, with one scheme tied to a 680,000 exploit. Law enforcement struck back elsewhere, seizing about 1 million in crypto and infrastructure from the BlackSuit ransomware gang. In courtrooms, Do Kwon pleaded guilty in New York over the Terra collapse, facing a likely 12 year sentence tied to Luna and TerraUSD (LUNA, LUNC), while the Estonian founders of HashFlare avoided additional prison in a 577 million Ponzi case as the DOJ weighs an appeal. Cardano (ADA) chopped after a sharp rally, with whales buying dips and chart watchers eyeing a potential move toward 1.50 if momentum returns. Solana (SOL) bulls are focused on the 170 support zone after the 200 breakout, and Ethereum (ETH) dominance grew as leveraged positioning swelled and liquidations ticked up. Bitcoin momentum remains constructive with some technicians eyeing a path to 140,000, and the ecosystem saw a fresh real money signal with Kazakhstan’s ETF listing. Into tomorrow, watch whether ETH can press cleanly into the 5,000 range, if SOL holds above 200, and whether froth in exchange and meme tokens cools or spills over. Headlines to track include any SEC signals on ADA and HBAR, market reaction to stablecoin policy debates and Google’s app store rules, and the next shoe to drop in corporate treasuries dabbling in crypto from XRP to BONK.

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