Block Tao

On August 20, the Federal Reserve released the minutes from its July 29–30 meeting, and stablecoins were mentioned eight times, underscoring a growing institutional focus on this segment of the crypto ecosystem. 

Despite a sharp sell-off in crypto-related equities, Cathie Wood is defying market sentiment by increasing her positions in Robinhood (HOOD) and Bullish (BLSH) through her firm Ark Invest.

On Tuesday, August 19, shares of Strategy Inc. ( MSTR) — the public company with the largest Bitcoin holdings — fell more than 7%, breaking below the key $350 support level to close at $336, its lowest price since April 2025.

On Wednesday, August 20, Ethereum (ETH) plunged more than 5%, hitting an intraday low of $4,070, dangerously close to the critical $4,000 support level.

The continued sell-off in BTC triggered a sharp correction in Hong Kong-listed crypto-related equities during the Asian midday session.

As the supply of U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins surges, Japan and South Korea are accelerating efforts to develop their own yen- and won-based stablecoins, aiming to keep pace with global digital currency trends.

On Tuesday, August 19, Bitcoin (BTC) continued its downward slide, falling nearly 1% and briefly dipping below $115,000, marking a three-week low. Ethereum (ETH) also dropped more than 2%, trading near $4,200, its lowest level in a week.

Since last Thursday, BTC has dropped more than 7%, eroding investor confidence and raising the risk of a retest of the August 2 low near $110,000.

On July 17, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced it is exploring the integration of digital identity verification tools into decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. 

On Monday, August 18, Ethereum (ETH) extended its decline, falling over 4% to $4,289. Since last Thursday, ETH has dropped nearly $500, marking a cumulative loss of more than 10%. Analysts warn that the recent surge in staking withdrawals could continue to pressure ETH’s price downward.

On Monday, August 18, Chinese equities surged across the board, with all three major indexes posting strong gains. 

Token burning is the permanent removal of cryptocurrency from circulation, similar to stock buybacks in traditional finance. Tokens are sent to a “burn address” or “blackhole address” — wallets with no private key access — making them unrecoverable and unusable.

On Friday, August 15, stablecoin giant Circle (NYSE: CRCL) continued its downward trend in pre-market trading, falling 1.77% to $136.76. Since peaking in late June, Circle’s stock has retraced sharply, with a maximum drawdown of 54% from its all-time high.

On Friday, August 15 at 11:00 a.m. ET, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins delivered a major policy speech outlining the agency’s new initiative: ProjectCrypto. 

With rate cut expectations now in flux, crypto assets may struggle to regain momentum. Analysts warn that Bitcoin could retest the $110,000 support zone, which held firm during early August despite heavy selling pressure.

Standard Chartered Bank has revised its year-end ETH price target from $4,000 to $7,500.

With a diversified product suite, high-value crypto reserves, and backing from top-tier investors, Bullish could attract significant market interest and potentially outperform Circle in post-IPO performance.

This milestone places Bitcoin as the fifth-largest asset globally, trailing only gold (XAUUSD), Nvidia (NVDA), Microsoft (MSFT), and Apple (AAPL).

A 401(k) is the most widely used retirement savings plan in the U.S., governed by Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. It allows employees to contribute a portion of their salary into a tax-advantaged account, typically invested in traditional assets like stocks and bonds.

On Wednesday, August 13, Ethereum (ETH) extended its rally, surging more than 8% in the past 24 hours to reach a high of $4,682, its strongest level since November 2021.