Daily News 19

Author: Evan Mercer

  • Binance Founder CZ Says Crypto Sector Has Ended Its Harshest “Crypto Winter” in History: Here Are the Details

    Binance Founder CZ Says Crypto Sector Has Ended Its Harshest “Crypto Winter” in History: Here Are the Details

    Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said the cryptocurrency industry has endured the most severe “crypto winter” in its history while maintaining strong underlying fundamentals.

    Speaking at Bitcoin Asia 2026 in Hong Kong, Zhao said the market has matured significantly following previous sharp declines. The Binance founder, widely known as CZ, also offered a broadly positive outlook for the sector’s future.

    Real-world asset tokenization gains momentum

    Zhao said expectations are particularly high for the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA). He noted that putting tokenized assets on-chain could reduce time and cross-border transaction constraints, while also improving liquidity for small and medium-sized assets by connecting them with investors worldwide.

    Global cryptocurrency regulation

    Discussing regulatory approaches around the world, Zhao identified the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as one of the leading countries in cryptocurrency regulation. He added that the United States is making rapid progress in establishing rules for stablecoins and cryptocurrency exchanges.

    Zhao said Japan has adopted a crypto-friendly approach, Hong Kong’s market is expanding rapidly, and Singapore is following a more cautious policy than some other regions.

    Decentralized exchanges continue to mature

    CZ also said decentralized exchanges (DEXs) have made significant advances in both technological infrastructure and user awareness over the past eight years. According to Zhao, DEXs have become a more mature part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem, and the sector could make an even greater leap forward if regulatory conditions were relaxed further worldwide.

    Zhao’s comments highlighted regulatory clarity, broader adoption of RWA tokenization and continued development of decentralized finance infrastructure as potential drivers of the cryptocurrency sector’s next growth phase.

    This is not investment advice.

  • Strategy Spends $635 Million Buying Back STRC as Perpetual Preferred Stock Trades Below $100 Par Value

    Strategy Spends $635 Million Buying Back STRC as Perpetual Preferred Stock Trades Below $100 Par Value

    Strategy’s perpetual preferred stock, Stretch (STRC), continues to trade below its $100 par value despite the company’s ongoing repurchase efforts.

    The bitcoin treasury company has spent $635.2 million buying back STRC, which currently trades at $97.34. Strategy introduced a $1 billion repurchase authorization that helped lift STRC from a low of approximately $71 to about $97.

    Strategy expands STRC buybacks

    Strategy’s repurchases have increased in size as STRC’s price has risen. The company’s latest purchase totaled $151.8 million at an average price of $97.48.

    Strategy also purchased bitcoin for the first time in two months, acquiring 4,603 BTC for $369.7 million last week at approximately $80,000 per bitcoin. The purchase increased Strategy’s total holdings to 845,050 BTC, valued at $65.9 billion.

    Strive’s SATA preferred stock adds pressure

    Competition from Strive’s perpetual preferred stock, SATA, appears to be one of the challenges facing STRC. SATA offers a 13% annualized dividend rate with daily payments, compared with STRC’s 12% annualized rate paid semi-monthly.

    SATA has remained near its $100 par value for more than a week, allowing Strive to issue additional shares through its at-the-market program. The proceeds helped fund the company’s purchase of 1,800 BTC over the past week.

    The divergence is also visible in the companies’ common shares. Strive’s ASST has gained 60% year to date, while Strategy’s MSTR has fallen 15%.

    Source: cryptonews.net

  • CoinMarketCap’s Altcoin Season Index Continues to Rise: Here’s the Latest Data

    CoinMarketCap’s Altcoin Season Index Continues to Rise: Here’s the Latest Data

    CoinMarketCap’s Altcoin Season Index climbed 2 points to 28, up from yesterday’s reading. Although the increase signals a modest improvement in altcoin performance relative to Bitcoin, the market remains well below the threshold for an altcoin season.

    Altcoin Season Index remains firmly in Bitcoin season territory

    The CoinMarketCap Altcoin Season Index measures the 90-day performance of the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization against Bitcoin. Stablecoins and wrapped tokens are excluded from the calculation. The index is widely used to gauge whether capital is shifting from Bitcoin into altcoins.

    An altcoin season is considered to have started when at least 75% of the top 100 cryptocurrencies outperform Bitcoin over a 90-day period. If that threshold is not reached, market conditions are classified as a Bitcoin season.

    Readings closer to 100 indicate market conditions that are more favorable to altcoins, while lower readings show that Bitcoin is outperforming the broader altcoin market. At 28, the current index indicates that altcoins have not established broad-based dominance.

    Bitcoin dominance continues to influence altcoin performance

    Bitcoin’s price movements and market dominance remain key factors in determining the overall direction of the cryptocurrency market. Changes in investor risk appetite, liquidity conditions, and Bitcoin’s upward or downward movements can have a direct impact on altcoin performance.

    While the index’s 2-point daily increase is positive for altcoins’ relative performance, it does not by itself confirm a trend reversal. For an altcoin season to develop, the index must rise further in the coming period, with a substantial share of the top 100 cryptocurrencies outperforming Bitcoin.

    Market participants are closely watching Bitcoin dominance, the performance of major altcoins, and further movements in the Altcoin Season Index to determine whether capital flows into altcoins are strengthening.

    This is not investment advice.

    Source: cryptonews.net

  • London Stock Exchange Partners With Payward to Bring the UK’s Largest Stocks On-Chain

    London Stock Exchange Partners With Payward to Bring the UK’s Largest Stocks On-Chain

    The London Stock Exchange (LSE) and Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, have agreed to expand tokenized stock trading through Payward’s xStocks framework.

    The partnership builds on a platform that has scaled rapidly. In just over a year, xStocks have recorded more than $40 billion in total trading volume, with nearly $20 billion settled onchain. Payward said the products now have more than 200,000 holders.

    Read more: NYSE owner ICE taps tZERO for tokenized securities push, takes stake in firm

    Tokenized U.K. shares planned for global distribution

    The agreement could give U.K.-listed shares access to investors in more than 110 countries through blockchain infrastructure. However, xStocks are not currently available to investors based in the U.K.

    Subject to regulatory approval, the LSE said it will begin listing xStocks and support their trading on LSE 24, its recently announced 24-hour trading venue. The platform is expected to eventually cover tokenized equities from the United States, European Union, United Kingdom and Hong Kong, along with additional asset classes as the framework expands.

    The companies also plan to explore equity tokens issued natively by the LSE. This would allow LSE members to issue and service shares directly onchain while preserving full fungibility and the same rights attached to traditional stock.

    “For years, the assumption was that crypto and traditional finance were on a collision course, and one of them would have to lose. That was never the real story,” said Arjun Sethi, Payward’s co-CEO, in a statement.

  • Investor Interest in Ethereum ETFs Continues as Net Inflows Reach 11-Day Streak

    Investor Interest in Ethereum ETFs Continues as Net Inflows Reach 11-Day Streak

    Ethereum spot ETFs in the United States recorded $87.68 million in total net inflows on August 31, extending their positive inflow streak to 11 consecutive trading days, according to SoSoValue data.

    BlackRock’s ETHA leads Ethereum ETF inflows

    BlackRock’s Ethereum spot ETF, ETHA, recorded the largest daily inflow at $59.94 million. Since its launch, the fund has accumulated $12.797 billion in total net inflows.

    Grayscale’s Ethereum Mini Trust ETF ranked second, attracting $13.50 million in net inflows. Its cumulative net inflows reached $1.924 billion.

    Ethereum spot ETF assets reach $15.614 billion

    The total net asset value of Ethereum spot ETFs in the US has reached $15.614 billion. These funds account for 5.23 percent of Ethereum’s total market capitalization, based on the reported net asset ratio.

    Since their inception, Ethereum spot ETFs have recorded $13.062 billion in total net capital inflows. The uninterrupted inflow streak over the past 11 trading days points to continued interest in Ethereum among institutional investors and participants in traditional finance.

    BlackRock’s ETHA remains the leading Ethereum ETF by both daily and cumulative inflows. Its total inflows of more than $12.7 billion underscore the fund’s position among the Ethereum investment products attracting strong institutional demand.

    ETF flows remain a key Ethereum market indicator

    Investors are closely watching Ethereum ETF flows for signals about the cryptocurrency’s price direction. A sustained period of net inflows may support demand in spot markets, while future capital movements into and out of Ethereum funds are likely to remain a key focus in the coming days.

    This is not investment advice.

  • CME Overtakes Binance as Largest XRP Futures Venue

    CME Overtakes Binance as Largest XRP Futures Venue

    CME has overtaken Binance to become the largest platform for XRP futures open interest, marking a notable shift in the cryptocurrency derivatives market.

    The change comes as institutional interest in XRP continues to grow, with sustained inflows into spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) providing further evidence of rising demand from professional investors.

    Source: cryptonews.net

  • OpenAI’s ‘Trust Us’ TIME Cover Revives an Old Warning for AI Bulls

    OpenAI’s ‘Trust Us’ TIME Cover Revives an Old Warning for AI Bulls

    “Trust us bro’ doesn’t work anymore. Time for someone checking what the AI is actually doing to humanity,” one X user wrote about the September 7 cover.

    Several other users expressed similar concerns. Adam Ghaida, founding engineer of AI-powered personal assistant Orchid, said that “Trust Us is probably the most ominous title they could’ve picked.”

    The criticism reflects a broader concern about whether enthusiasm for artificial intelligence has reached a peak. Non-business magazine and newspaper covers have historically served as contrarian indicators, often signaling tops in industry trends or market valuations, according to the late Paul Macrae Montgomery, a renowned stock and bond market forecaster who created the Magazine Cover Indicator.

    What the Magazine Cover Indicator signals

    Montgomery observed decades ago that when a general-interest magazine places an investment theme on its cover, much of the excitement surrounding that theme may already be priced in. In financial and societal terms, the idea may have become overbought.

    For the signal to be valid, Montgomery identified three conditions: the cover must appear in a mainstream magazine rather than a trade or business publication; it must focus on a widely understood idea; and the theme must have already experienced a significant price run-up.

    Time’s cover featuring the OpenAI founders meets all three conditions. Artificial intelligence is not only widely discussed around the world but has also attracted billions of dollars in investor capital, venture funding and capital expenditure.

  • Kalshi Issues First Lifetime Ban to Former Congressman George Santos

    Kalshi Issues First Lifetime Ban to Former Congressman George Santos

    George Santos did not attend the event, ultimately betting money on that outcome. In addition to banning him, Kalshi fined Santos more than $70,000 in an enforcement action late last week. Federal authorities have reportedly also been investigating the matter. Santos did not immediately respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment.

    Santos was expelled from Congress in 2023 as criminal investigations pursued the disgraced former lawmaker. He was serving a prison sentence for fraud when President Donald Trump commuted it last year.

    Kalshi said the Santos case was one of five new enforcement actions at the company. Under its regulatory obligations, the prediction-market platform is responsible for serving as a first line of defense against market manipulation. The other individuals received temporary trading bans after cooperating with Kalshi’s investigations.

    “Mr. Santos faces additional financial penalties and will be banned permanently from trading on Kalshi given his lack of cooperation,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates the industry, also fined a former White House aide for illicit trading late Friday. Gabriel Perez was ordered to pay more than $170,000 and received a three-year trading ban. The penalties were reduced after what regulators described as his “exemplary cooperation.”

  • CME’s Share of XRP Futures Surges as Token Rallies 40% in One Week

    CME’s Share of XRP Futures Surges as Token Rallies 40% in One Week

    A growing share of $XRP futures trading is shifting to CME as traders reduce leveraged positions across cryptocurrency exchanges.

    CME XRP open interest rises 36%

    Total $XRP open interest—the amount tied up in outstanding futures contracts—fell from about 2.77 billion tokens on Aug. 17 to approximately 2.34 billion on Aug. 31, according to CoinGlass data. Over the same period, the price of $XRP moved higher, rising from roughly $0.99 to $1.38.

    CME, the regulated U.S. futures exchange widely used by professional trading firms and investment managers, moved against the broader trend. $XRP open interest on CME increased from about 284 million tokens to 387 million, representing a rise of roughly 36%.

    CME captures a larger share of XRP futures exposure

    Across the rest of the market, futures positions declined by about 533 million $XRP, or 21%, during the two-week period. CME now represents roughly 17% of total outstanding $XRP futures exposure, up from about 10% in mid-August.

    CME’s expanding share is significant because many institutional investors prefer—or are required—to trade through regulated venues instead of offshore cryptocurrency exchanges. The increase therefore provides a rough indication that more professional capital may be entering the $XRP futures market.

  • Trump Jr.’s Firm Leads $1 Billion Polymarket Fundraising Round at $21 Billion Valuation: Report

    Trump Jr.’s Firm Leads $1 Billion Polymarket Fundraising Round at $21 Billion Valuation: Report

    Donald Trump Jr.’s venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, is leading a $1 billion funding round for prediction market Polymarket, valuing the company at $21 billion, a firm spokesperson said Monday.

    1789 Capital is contributing about $300 million to the round, spokesperson Alexa Henning said. The firm has already invested roughly $200 million in Polymarket.

    The latest funding values Polymarket 40% higher than its previous valuation of about $15 billion just months ago, highlighting the rapid growth of prediction markets.

    Polymarket and Kalshi expand prediction market business

    Polymarket and rival platform Kalshi allow users to wager on outcomes ranging from statements a president may make in a speech to which contestants on a reality television show might get married. Both companies have expanded sharply over the past year.

    The Trump family’s involvement in the sector has grown alongside the industry. Trump Jr. became an adviser to Kalshi in 2025 and received shares valued at more than $300,000. He also advises Polymarket separately.

    President Donald Trump has taken an increasingly favorable position toward prediction markets during the same period. Michael Selig, Trump’s appointee to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates prediction markets, has praised the companies and sued states seeking to regulate them.

    In May, Trump wrote on Truth Social that prediction markets would thrive under his leadership.