SharpLink, the second-largest Ether treasury company, reported a net loss of $394 million for the second quarter of 2026, compared to a $103 million net loss during the same period last year. 

The loss included $321 million in unrealized crypto losses and $76 million in impairments on staked Ether (ETH) tokens, according to a Monday announcement. 

The Miami, Florida-based Ether treasury company said it generated $11.5 million in revenue, including $11.1 million from ETH staking. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $56 million, up from $28 million in December 2025.

SharpLink holds 632,784 Ether, worth $1.2 billion, and 181,321 ETH, or $343 million, through various liquid staked Ether tokens, which exposes the company to the second-biggest crypto’s price movement. Ether fell around 23% during the second quarter of 2026, according to CoinMarketCap. 

SharpLink resumed its Ether purchases with a $7.8 million buy in late June, after pausing buying for eight months. It bought another 10,000 Ether for about $16 million days later.

SharpLink’s stock price fell 3.9% on Monday, extending its 30% year-to-date decline, according to Yahoo Finance data.

The company ranks as the second-largest Ether treasury company, with its current 863,000 ETH holdings worth $1.46 billion. Bitmine is the largest corporate Ether holder, with 5.54 million ETH, worth $9.4 billion, according to StrategicEthReserve data.

Magazine: Ethereum’s EEZ could pull other blockchains into its orbit

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Two Prime’s loan to MARA carries a fixed interest rate of 7.65% and matures in August 2028. Blume said borrowing demand has increased in recent months, with institutions tapping bitcoin holdings to finance capital expenditure while retaining exposure to the asset.

The structures are also becoming more sophisticated. Recent regulatory filings show agreements with detailed provisions covering margin calls, collateral custody and liquidation, alongside a wider range of loan sizes and maturities.

Lenders including Ledn and Kraken have also expanded the market through asset-backed securities and warehouse facilities linked to bitcoin collateral, according to Blume.

The development could have implications beyond bitcoin lending as more financial assets move onto blockchain-based infrastructure.

“This core competency will grow increasingly relevant as the broader financial system comes on-chain,” Blume said, pointing to tokenized equities as one potential area of growth.

As more publicly traded companies add bitcoin to their balance sheets, the ability to borrow against those holdings is emerging as an increasingly important part of digital-asset corporate finance.

Financial markets’ risk-free rate, the yield on U.S. Treasury securities, is rising again. Crypto maximalists often dismiss this as background noise, but when the rate rises sharply, it often competes for capital with stocks and other assets. History shows that the resulting market adjustments tend to be painful.

Jurrien Timmer, director of global macro at Fidelity Investments, highlighted this dynamic in an X post, noting that rising Treasury yields from the 1960s through the mid-1990s made government bonds competitive with equities.

Investors who ignored the higher opportunity cost of capital learned the hard way from the 1987 crash, known as Black Monday. The Oct. 19 crash sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging by 508.32 points, or 22.6%, in a single day. It’s still the largest one-day percentage drop in history.

Timmer’s reminder is timely, as yields have generally been rising since the Covid market crash in 2020, echoing the beginning of the multi-decade uptrend that started in the late 1950s. Right now, the 30-year yield is hovering at its highest level since 2007 and could rise further if Wednesday’s U.S. CPI beats estimates, validating higher-for-longer Fed interest-rate expectations.

As XRP volatility persists, EX DeFi is attracting holders seeking passive income through cloud mining while maintaining long-term exposure to their digital assets.

Last week, XRP trading volume and ETF inflows saw a marked decline — with ETF inflows dropping by 93% — further fueling investor caution.

Despite an improving regulatory environment for XRP, positive developments have not yet triggered a significant price surge. As ETF inflows slowed sharply, market demand for XRP waned, with institutions shifting some capital toward mainstream digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While ETF approvals boosted XRP visibility, the 93% drop in inflows indicates that new capital entering the market is significantly lower than during periods of strong performance. The market may interpret this shift as a slowdown in institutional allocation, profit-taking by some investors, or a temporary rotation of funds into lower-risk assets.

Driven by market sentiment, XRP price retreated to recent lows, causing its market capitalization to shrink and resulting in the temporary loss of its position as the world’s fourth-largest digital asset. Heightened short-term volatility has prompted some investors to re-evaluate their XRP investment strategies.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of XRP holders are exploring alternative ways to generate returns and hedge against price pullbacks. Is it possible to mitigate the impact of short-term volatility while generating consistent, additional income from their XRP holdings?

Against this backdrop, the EX DeFi cloud mining platform is attracting growing investor interest. Through a cloud mining yield aggregation mechanism, users can explore diversified income streams, hedge against market volatility, and boost returns—moving beyond a sole reliance on XRP price appreciation.

Despite slowing ETF inflows, long-term prospects remain a focus

Although the recent slowdown in XRP ETF inflows has sparked concerns regarding short-term capital flows, this shift primarily reflects a decline in market risk appetite; it cannot serve as the sole basis for assessing XRP long-term fundamentals.

With Ripple securing MiCA authorization in Europe and the continued expansion of stablecoin and asset tokenization services via RLUSD and Ripple Mint, the infrastructure of the XRP ecosystem continues to mature. Simultaneously, developments on the XRP Ledger — particularly in areas like asset tokenization — are creating new use cases and potential avenues for growth within the ecosystem.

Despite a recent dip in secondary market trading activity and cautious sentiment among retail investors, demand for long-term digital asset allocation remains strong. As regulatory frameworks continue to mature, XRP future development remains a focal point for the market.

XRP volatility intensifies; EX DeFi emerges as a new option for investors

Amidst recent heightened volatility in XRP prices, an increasing number of XRP holders are turning to EX DeFi. They seek a way to generate stable passive income through a sustainable cloud mining model while maintaining their long-term digital asset holdings.

Compared to high-volatility leveraged trading or strategies that rely solely on price appreciation, EX DeFi cloud mining platform offers a more convenient way to engage with digital assets. Users do not need to deploy mining hardware or bear maintenance costs; they simply select a computing power contract that suits their needs to participate in the mining service.

About EX DeFi

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in the UK, EX DeFi operates in compliance with European regulatory frameworks such as MiCA and MiFID II. The platform continuously enhances transparency, operational standards, and user protection mechanisms, striving to provide a seamless digital asset service experience.

The platform employs a multi-layered security architecture, featuring:

• Annual financial and security compliance audits by PwC
• Digital asset custody insurance from Lloyd’s of London
• Enterprise-grade cybersecurity protection from Cloudflare and McAfee®
• Multi-layer encryption architecture, AI-driven risk management, and two-factor authentication (2FA)

How ​​to earn daily rewards with EX DeFi

1: Register an Account

Visit the official EX DeFi website and sign up for free using an email address. New users receive a $17 bonus and can begin automated mining immediately.

2: Deposit Cryptocurrency

The platform supports various mainstream cryptocurrencies, including XRP, BTC, ETH, USDT, LTC, USDC, BCH, DOGE, and SOL. The deposit process is clear, transparent, and secure.

3: Select a Mining Contract

Choose a mining plan that fits a particular budget. The minimum deposit is just $100. Mining begins automatically once the system is activated. 

4: Automatically Receive Daily Rewards

The platform offers 24/7 intelligent mining services and automatically distributes daily rewards. Users can easily earn passive income without any manual intervention.

Mining Contract Examples

BTC (Novice Trial Contract): Investment $100, Duration: 2 days, Daily Return: $4, Total Profit: $100 + $8

DOGE (Golden Shell Mini-Doge Pro): Investment $500, Duration: 6 days, Daily Return: $6.5, Total Profit: $500 + $39

BTC (Canaan-Avalon-A1466): Investment $1,000, Duration: 10 days, Daily Return: $13.4, Total Profit: $1,000 + $134

LTC (Bitmain Antminer L7): Investment $5,000, Duration: 20 days, Daily Return: $73.5, Total Profit: $5,000 + $1,470

BTC (Bitmain S19K-Pro): Investment $10,000, Duration: 30 days, Daily Return: $161, Total Profit: $10,000 + $4,830

Click here to visit the official EX DeFi website for more details on mining contracts.

Conclusion

Although the pace of institutional capital allocation into XRP ETF has recently slowed — indicating that investors remain cautious regarding current market risks — ETF capital flows are only one factor influencing XRP market performance. Ripple continued progress in areas such as regulation, stablecoins, asset tokenization, and the XRP Ledger ecosystem still provides a foundation worth watching for XRP long-term development.

For long-term XRP holders, short-term price volatility is difficult to avoid entirely. While keeping an eye on XRP’s future price performance, improving the utilization efficiency of digital assets through more diversified asset management strategies is also becoming a key focus for the market. The cloud mining yield aggregation mechanism of the EX DeFi platform offers XRP holders a new way to participate in the digital asset ecosystem and generate passive income.

Visit the official website now to start the cloud mining journey and earn up to $7,500 in stable daily income while mitigating the risks associated with XRP price volatility.

“No major financial center has yet built a framework that treats tokenized equities simultaneously as securities, blockchain-native tokens, and DeFi-composable assets,” said Brett Tejpaul, co-CEO of Coinbase Institutional, the exchange’s arm focused at institutional digital asset investors.

Coinbase have already established a footprint in United Arab Emirates before Tuesday’s regulatory approval. In 2023, the firm’s asset management arm initiated Project Diamond to let institutional investors issue and trade digital debt instruments using Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum-based blockchain network. Last, month, Mubadala Capital, the asset management arm of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, tokenized one of its private-market investment strategies through UAE-based infrastructure provider KAIO on blockchain including Base, with Coinbase itself taking exposure to the fund.

The Abu Dhabi operation will sit alongside Coinbase’s derivatives business in Dubai, the company said, giving it two bases in the UAE for expanding businesses outside the U.S.

Key takeaways

•  Stellar has fallen below a critical support zone.
• The long-to-short ratio for XLM has declined to 0.94 and 0.90, respectively.
• The funding rate for XLM has turned negative, reflecting stronger demand for short positions.

XLM continues to underperform

Stellar (XLM) remains under pressure on Tuesday after recording modest declines during the previous session. XRP is drifting toward the psychologically important $1.00 level, while XLM has slipped below a key support zone.

Weakening derivatives-market indicators are limiting the prospects of an immediate recovery for XLM. Declining long-to-short ratios, negative funding rates and rising open interest suggest that traders are increasingly positioning for further price declines.

 XLM’s long-to-short ratio has fallen to 0.90 on Tuesday, approaching its lowest level in more than a month.

A ratio below one indicates that short positions outnumber long positions, meaning more traders are betting that the assets will decline. The current readings suggest that bearish sentiment is particularly strong among XLM traders.

The falling ratios also indicate that confidence in a near-term rebound is weakening as both assets struggle to recover from their recent losses.

XLM technical forecast: XLM could dip to $0.1500

Stellar (XLM) trades near $0.161 on Tuesday, extending its decline below the short- and medium-term Exponential Moving Averages. The current structure keeps XLM’s near-term outlook bearish as buyers struggle to regain control.

The token remains below the descending trendline breakout level at $0.166, which now acts as immediate resistance. Its Relative Strength Index stands near 35, indicating weak buying momentum without placing XLM in technically oversold territory.

The Moving Average Convergence Divergence indicator also remains below its zero line, reinforcing the downside bias as XLM consolidates beneath its key moving averages.

If a recovery begins, XLM must first reclaim the descending trendline near $0.166. A sustained move above that level could allow buyers to challenge the horizontal resistance at $0.177.

The 50-day EMA at $0.178 and the 100-day EMA at $0.181 create a concentrated resistance zone that could limit further gains. Above these levels, the 200-day EMA at $0.193 represents a broader bearish pivot. Reclaiming this moving average would be necessary to signal a more meaningful change in trend.

On the downside, XLM’s next major support is located at $0.142. A decisive break below this level could accelerate the current decline and expose the token to further losses before buyers attempt to establish a new price floor.

Key takeaways

• Bitcoin trades below $64,000 as stalled US-Iran negotiations weaken demand for risk-sensitive assets.
• Rising oil prices are increasing inflation concerns and expectations of another Federal Reserve rate hike.
• US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $144.67 million in net outflows on Monday, ending a five-day inflow streak.

Bitcoin (BTC) is struggling below $64,000 at the time of writing on Tuesday as rising oil prices and uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran negotiations weigh on market sentiment.

Weakening institutional demand has added to the pressure. US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded net outflows at the beginning of the week, ending a five-day run of positive flows.

The combination of geopolitical uncertainty, renewed inflation concerns and softer ETF demand is keeping investors cautious and limiting Bitcoin’s ability to recover.

US-Iran deadlock pushes oil prices higher

Negotiations between the United States and Iran over a potential peace agreement and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz appear to have reached an impasse.

US President Donald Trump responded to Iran’s conditions for a peace agreement with additional demands on Monday, including compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests, according to Reuters.

The rhetorical escalation could complicate diplomatic efforts and delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy shipments.

Concerns about prolonged disruption have pushed oil prices higher while pressuring risk-sensitive assets such as Bitcoin.

A sustained increase in energy prices could lift production and transportation costs, creating renewed inflationary pressure. Higher inflation could give the Federal Reserve more reason to maintain restrictive monetary policy or raise interest rates.

Expectations of another Federal Reserve rate increase have strengthened alongside the rally in oil prices.

The CME FedWatch Tool shows that market participants are pricing in a 51.3% probability of a 25-basis-point rate hike at the Fed’s September meeting. That figure has increased from 44.1% on Friday.

Higher interest rates generally reduce demand for speculative assets by increasing borrowing costs and making interest-bearing investments more attractive. As a result, rising rate-hike expectations could continue to limit Bitcoin’s upside.

However, expectations could shift again in response to incoming inflation, employment and economic-growth data.

Institutional demand for Bitcoin began the week on a weaker footing. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $144.67 million in net outflows on Monday, according to SoSoValue. The withdrawal ended five consecutive trading days of net inflows.

ETF flows are closely watched because they provide insight into demand from institutional and traditional-market investors. Sustained inflows can support Bitcoin by increasing spot-market buying, while persistent outflows can add selling pressure.

Monday’s outflow does not necessarily establish a broader trend. However, additional withdrawals throughout the week could deepen Bitcoin’s correction and further weaken investor sentiment.

Bitcoin price remains below key moving averages

Bitcoin trades near $63,916 at the time of writing on Tuesday after falling 1.44% during the previous session.

The cryptocurrency remains below a cluster of important Exponential Moving Averages, maintaining its bearish near-term structure.

The 50-day EMA at $64,625 represents Bitcoin’s nearest resistance. Above that level, the 100-day EMA at $66,795 and the 200-day EMA at $72,045 create additional barriers.

With all three moving averages positioned above the current price, BTC faces substantial resistance during any recovery attempt.

Momentum indicators also show a lack of decisive buying pressure. The Relative Strength Index stands near 48, slightly below its neutral midpoint of 50.

Meanwhile, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence line remains marginally below zero and close to its signal line. The setup reflects weak and largely directionless momentum rather than a confirmed bullish reversal.

Bitcoin must reclaim the 50-day EMA at $64,625 to improve its short-term outlook. A sustained break above this level could allow buyers to target the 100-day EMA at $66,795. 

Further gains would bring the 200-day EMA at $72,045 into focus, followed by the broader horizontal resistance at $75,719.

On the downside, Bitcoin’s immediate support is located at $62,345. Buyers may attempt to defend this level if geopolitical and macroeconomic pressures continue.

A decisive daily close below $62,345 would strengthen the bearish outlook and potentially trigger a deeper correction toward the yearly low of $57,800, established on July 1.