Crypto World
Ondo Finance’s tokenized stock on Binance win Abu Dhabi regulatory approval
Binance’s renewed push into tokenized stocks gained regulatory backing Tuesday as the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) approved trading of Ondo Finance’s tokenized equities on the exchange’s regulated platform.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of ADGM cleared Ondo Global Markets’ tokenized stocks and ETFs to trade on Binance’s FSRA-regulated Multilateral Trading Facility, according to a press release shared with CoinDesk. The listing includes tokenized versions of Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Circle, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla and the Invesco QQQ ETF. The products are available for non-U.S. users.
This is the first time the ADGM approved tokenized securities trading under the its regulatory framework, allowing UAE-based financial institutions, intermediaries, and counterparties deal in token versions of equities, Ondo said.
“Through offering Ondo tokenized stocks for trading on Binance, we are expanding access to hundreds of millions of investors,” Ian de Bode, president of Ondo Finance, said in a statement.
The approval gives Binance a regulated venue to trade tokenized equities, nearly five years after it shut down a similar service following scrutiny from U.K. and German regulators. The move comes after Binance listed Ondo’s tokenized equities on its Alpha platform, dedicated to riskier, early-stage projects.
Tokenized stocks have drawn interest from crypto exchanges such as Kraken, brokerages like Robinhood and traditional market operators like Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange. The market’s total value has surpassed $1 billion, RWA.xyz data shows.
Supporters argue that putting equities on blockchain rails can widen investor access and allow the assets to move across trading and lending platforms more easily, linking stock markets with decentralized finance.
Ondo structures its products as equity-linked notes tied to the underlying shares. The firm says it has processed more than $11 billion in cumulative trading volume with over $600 million in total value locked since launching its offering less than six months ago.
Last year, Ondo secured approval for its base securities prospectus in the European Union, allowing public distribution across the European Union.
Crypto World
Mining Companies Move Deeper into AI, HPC as MARA may Sell Bitcoin
In a Monday SEC filing, the US Bitcoin miner said it would consider selling some of the coins on its balance sheet, depending on market conditions.
US-based cryptocurrency miner MARA Holdings made waves after a regulatory filing signaled that the company could change its HODL strategy.
In a Monday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), MARA said it was open to selling some of its Bitcoin (BTC) holdings “from time to time” depending on market conditions and its investment priorities. According to the miner, it changed its strategy to allow for BTC sales in 2026, while Bitcoin sales generated from mining at the company have been permitted since 2025.
MARA’s strategy shift comes as many crypto mining companies are pivoting some of their infrastructure into artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) amid increasing BTC difficulty and associated costs. On Monday, Riot reported a net loss of $663 million for 2025 in part due to the value of its Bitcoin holdings, while Core Scientific said its Q4 2025 revenue was down 16% from the year-earlier period.
“This is not flexibility,” said analyst Shanaka Anslem Perera in a Tuesday X post on MARA’s SEC filing. “This is the math forcing the hand. Production cost sits at $87,000 per coin. Spot trades at $69,000. Every block mined loses money. Hashprice collapsed to a record low of $35 per petahash.”
He added:
“The entities that mine Bitcoin no longer want to hold it. The entity that holds the most Bitcoin [Michael Saylor’s Strategy] has never mined a single satoshi. Production and accumulation have fully decoupled for the first time in this asset’s sixteen-year history.”

MARA announced last month that it had acquired a 64% stake in computing infrastructure operator Exaion, in a move to strengthen its position through HPC and AI. Similarly, digital infrastructure company Terawulf reported last week that it expects additional growth in 2026 fueled by AI and HPC contracts.
Related: Will Bitcoin crash if oil prices hit $100 per barrel?
At the time of publication, BTC was trading hands for $67,717, off by more than 13% in the past 30 days. MARA reported holding 53,822 BTC as of Dec. 31, then worth about $4.7 billion. At current price levels, that equates to $3.64 billion.
How the US-Iran conflict is affecting Bitcoin
The military actions taken by the United States and Israel against Iran during the weekend spurred concerns over oil supplies and inflation. The price of Bitcoin failed to stay over $70,000 on Tuesday while even assets like gold experienced some volatility amid concerns of a drawn-out conflict.
Magazine: Would Bitcoin really be at $200K if not for Jane Street? Trade Secrets
Crypto World
Why the endowment is swapping bitcoin for ethereum ETFs
Harvard University endowment’s decision to trim its bitcoin holdings while adding exposure to ether (ETH) has raised a familiar question: Is the endowment making a bet on Ethereum over Bitcoin, or simply adjusting risk?
The answer may be less dramatic than it appears and potentially bullish for the sector.
Michael Markov, co-founder and chairman of Markov Processes International, who studies university endowments, said crypto is likely the most volatile part of Harvard’s public markets portfolio. In the fourth quarter of 2025, price swings in both bitcoin and ether surged, with both assets losing around 25% of their value.
These sharp price swings have, at least in part, led Harvard to rebalance its portfolio, even if it did not change its long-term view of bitcoin. When an asset becomes more volatile and riskier than intended in a portfolio, cutting back restores balance.
“When volatility rises sharply, the risk contribution of that sleeve can expand disproportionately relative to its capital weight,” Markov said. In that setting, he added, trimming exposure can happen “without implying a strategic shift.”
Simply put, Harvard, which bought BlackRock’s bitcoin ETFs last year, likely didn’t lose its conviction in bitcoin; rather, it moved to rebalance its risk appetite.
In fact, it’s not just a crypto-specific move. Rebalancing capital out of assets that have done well and into underperforming sectors is something most Wall Street portfolio managers do to keep returns fixed. The idea is to rebalance the portfolio ahead of a market rotation, moving outperforming assets into underperforming ones to capture an eventual shift in sentiment.
For example, given sky-high valuations of traditional equities, some of these endowments, which tend to focus on long-term return, have begun looking into other alternative investment ideas, including digital assets-related ETFs. Harvard first bought bitcoin in the third quarter of 2025, allocating roughly 20% of its reported U.S.-listed public equity holdings into the crypto asset. The idea is not to overhaul portfolios but to add measured exposure that could lift returns in years when crypto or underperforming assets perform well, and traditional equities start to lose their higher valuations.
Another possibility is liquidity.
Harvard has increased its allocation to private equity in recent years, Markov noted, pushing more capital into long-term, illiquid investments. At the same time, billions of dollars in unfunded commitments remain on the books. That creates pressure on the smaller slice of the portfolio that can be sold quickly.
“That means the liquid sleeve is relatively small compared to the capital call obligations,” he said. When that happens, and investors such as Harvard need to fund capital investment requests from private equity, they tend to sell more liquid, publicly traded assets to fulfill those commitments.
“Selling some public ETFs – including crypto ETFs – is mechanically the easiest way to manage that pressure,” according to Markov.
Crypto demand
Despite the need to rebalance out of volatile assets or to fund other capital commitments, Harvard didn’t exit crypto.
Instead, it added almost 3.9 million shares of BlackRock’s ether ETF, currently valued at $56.6 million.
Samir Kerbage, chief investment officer at Hashdex, sees that move as part of a broader institutional shift into digital assets and beyond just investing in bitcoin.
“Harvard’s purchase of Ethereum ETFs is a clear sign of institutional demand for crypto assets beyond bitcoin,” Kerbage said. He pointed to the GENIUS Act — passed into law in July — making it easier for large allocators to navigate the crypto landscape.
As rules around stablecoins and tokenized securities take further shape, investment committees of large institutions may feel more comfortable backing networks that support those applications.
Ethereum sits at the center of much of that activity. Over the past few years, it has become the main network for stablecoins, tokenized funds and other onchain financial applications used by asset managers and fintech firms. Unlike bitcoin, it offers institution-level staking, allowing holders to lock up tokens to help secure the network and earn yield. That feature can make ether look less like a pure directional bet and more like exposure to the underlying infrastructure powering digital financial services.
Kerbage also expects institutions that move beyond bitcoin to favor diversified products, but slowly. While some allocators may consider assets such as ether, XRP or solana (SOL) on their own, he said many will likely choose index-style vehicles instead.
“This ongoing trend is not because it’s the fashionable choice, but because the alternatives are genuinely hard,” Kerbage said, citing questions such as which tokens to hold, how much to allocate and when to rebalance. “These aren’t crypto-specific problems.”
However, for a giant fund like Harvard signaling a desire to expand further into digital assets, even slowly, is likely positive for crypto, as even a few years ago, this was unthinkable.
Taken together, Harvard’s bitcoin trim and ether buy may reflect two things: managing short-term risk and cash needs, while slowly expanding beyond bitcoin as U.S. crypto rules become clearer. Ultimately, it’s likely a broader sign of further institutional confidence in digital assets.
Crypto World
Bitcoin slides 3% as assets rout; Gold smashes to $5K on oil fears
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) pulled back from its recent tilt toward the $70,000 threshold as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East intensified concerns about oil supply and global inflation. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz sparked a broad risk-off mood, with equities slipping and safe-haven assets showing mixed performance. By midday, BTC hovered near the $66,000 area after retreating from its earlier highs, underscoring how macro headlines continue to drive crypto liquidity and price action. A data point from TradingView highlighted a roughly 3.2% intraday decline, reinforcing traders’ focus on momentum and key technical levels in a volatile environment.
Key takeaways
- Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) failed to sustain a move toward $70,000 as energy-market tensions resurfaced following Hormuz-related disruptions.
- Major equity indices were weaker at the open, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each down around 2%, and gold also retreating as risk appetite deteriorated.
- BTC price action remained range-bound and failed to break through critical trend lines, a dynamic traders described as evidence of persistent bearish pressure.
- Analysts linked the session to a broader risk-off cycle driven by oil supply concerns and potential inflationary stress, affecting both crypto and traditional markets.
- While some voices cautioned that BTC could see a rotation opportunity if macro conditions stabilize, the near-term path remained uncertain.
Tickers mentioned: $BTC
Sentiment: Bearish
Price impact: Negative. BTC dropped about 3.2% on the day, returning to the $66,000 region as volatility in oil and cross-asset liquidity weighed on prices.
Market context: The move sits within a broader risk-off backdrop where energy-market shocks, inflation concerns, and geopolitical headlines shape appetite for both traditional assets and digital currencies. The episode underscored how crypto trading remains tethered to macro risk sentiment and liquidity dynamics that can shift quickly in response to geopolitical developments and energy data.
Why it matters
The day’s price action sheds light on Bitcoin’s evolving role in diversified portfolios during periods of geopolitical stress. As oil markets react to potential supply disruptions, the resulting spillovers to equities and currencies can compress risk-on assets, including digital currencies. The observed dynamics imply that BTC is not immune to macro shocks and that its appeal as an inflation hedge or portfolio diversifier may be contingent on broader liquidity conditions and investor risk tolerance.
For market participants, the session highlighted the importance of risk controls and scenario planning. While some analysts had suggested a rotation from gold into BTC as a store of value during periods of stress, the evidence from this single session indicates a more nuanced relationship. The price resilience of BTC in some shorter timeframes contrasts with the larger-timeframe momentum that favored bears, suggesting a wait-and-watch period for a clearer directional signal.
Looking ahead, the interplay between oil-market volatility, inflation expectations, and crypto liquidity will likely calibrate how traders approach BTC in the near term. If macro headwinds ease and risk assets stabilize, BTC could retest upside levels; if not, a continuation of range-bound trading or further downside pressure remains plausible. Investors should monitor whether BTC can reclaim key levels or remain anchored in a consolidative range while macro headlines evolve.
What to watch next
- Oil-price trajectories and official updates on energy supply risks, particularly around chokepoints like Hormuz, over the next several sessions.
- BTC price levels: watch for a decisive move above $70,000 or a clear break below $66,000 to signal a new short- or medium-term direction.
- General risk sentiment: observe moves in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq for continued correlation or decoupling from crypto markets.
- Geopolitical developments: any escalation or de-escalation could rapidly reframe liquidity and volatility in crypto markets.
Sources & verification
Market reaction and key details
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) traded in a narrow corridor as macro headlines continued to drive prices. The market faced a risk-off tilt after the Strait of Hormuz closed, amplifying concerns about oil-supply interruptions and potential inflationary pressures. In this environment, equities pulled back and safe-haven assets vacillated, with gold not providing the shelter some had anticipated. Data from TradingView captured BTC’s movement, showing a roughly 3.2% decline on the day and a retreat toward the $66,000 mark. The price action followed a broader pattern of cross-asset sensitivity to geopolitical risk and energy-market signals.
“The market is beginning to price-in a longer war,” The Kobeissi Letter wrote on X, reflecting a shift in risk perception as geopolitical tensions persisted.
From a technical standpoint, traders highlighted that BTC once again failed to flip key trend lines that would signal renewed bullish conviction. Keith Alan, cofounder of Material Indicators, observed that “So far $BTC bulls have failed to muster any momentum,” underscoring the lack of a clear breakout above resistance levels. A weekly chart review suggested a memory-like pattern of consolidation spanning 2021 through late 2024, with recent rallies not carrying the DNA of a sustained bull recovery.
“After losing the 2021 Top and the 21-Day SMA again, I’m having flashbacks to March – Nov 2024 when we endured 8 months of consolidation in this range. Nothing about Monday’s rally has the DNA of a bull recovery.”
Despite the bearish tone, some participants sought opportunities in the near term. A widely cited observation from traders noted that, relative to other assets, Bitcoin appeared to hold up better than some precious metals during the crisis, a theme that prompted discussions of potential capital rotation. Yet the prevailing consensus emphasized that volatility remained elevated and that BTC’s intermediate-term direction would hinge on how the oil-market dynamics and inflation outlook evolved in the days ahead.
“Not doing the worst since the escalation in the middle east. Actually outperforming stocks & precious metals for a change,” commented Daan Crypto Trades, highlighting the nuanced performance within a broad risk-off phase.
As the session progressed, gold came under pressure as macro concerns persisted. Nik Bhatia, founder of The Bitcoin Layer, described gold as “absolutely smashed,” while noting it had posted year-to-date gains of around 16%. This juxtaposition—gold weakening even as Bitcoin remains in a tight range—helped illustrate the complexity of risk markets during this period. Some observers, including Michaël van de Poppe, suggested that a rotation of capital from gold to BTC could be underway, a narrative that would require more data to confirm but remains a subject of debate among market watchers.
What’s next in the oil-BTC dynamic
The current episode underscores how energy-market shocks can feed into crypto liquidity, especially when inflation expectations are in flux. As traders reassess macro scenarios, BTC could either test higher resistance levels if risk appetite returns or continue trading within a defined range until new catalysts emerge. The next steps will hinge on how quickly energy markets stabilize, how central banks respond to any escalation in oil prices, and whether risk-on assets regain footing in a global environment of heightened uncertainty.
Crypto World
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) Soars by Double Digits: Breakout Confirmed or Bull Trap?
The cryptocurrency market has rebounded over the past 24 hours, with Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and many other leading digital assets posting slight increases.
For its part, NEAR Protocol (NEAR) outperformed every competitor in the top 100 club, registering an impressive 12% pump.
What Fueled the Rally and What’s Next?
NEAR has been at the forefront of gains lately, with its valuation rising to a monthly peak of around $1.45 just several hours ago. Currently, it trades at around $1.35 (per CoinGecko’s data), representing a roughly 40% jump on a weekly scale. Its market capitalization has surpassed $1.7 billion, making it the 44th-largest cryptocurrency and flipping popular altcoins like Bittensor (TAO), Pi Network (PI), and others.
The main catalyst for the rally seems to be the latest technical upgrade announced by NEAR Protocol’s team. The project’s official X account revealed that Confidential Intents is live, a feature that lets users make private DeFi transactions without exposing sensitive details.
“DeFi users, developers, and institutions now unlock a wide range of privacy-first use cases without forgoing discretion,” the disclosure reads.
X user Emperor Osmo argued that NEAR is “fundamentally undervalued,” adding that Intents are generating widespread adoption.
“Meanwhile, they continue to increase the rate of adoption under which AI enables privacy-first trading (Iron Claw). Agentic payments are scaling, and Near is positioned to capture a lot of that flow,” they stated.
Michael van de Poppe also spoke highly of NEAR, describing it as “simply the best AI protocol in the ecosystem.” He wondered why investors wouldn’t want to add it to their portfolios, adding that from a technical standpoint, “it’s the best representation of the current status of altcoins.”
Altcoin Sherpa believes NEAR “is insanely strong,” while Sjuul | AltCryptoGems thinks the asset is trying to print “a cup and handle” formation on its price chart. This pattern consists of a rounded bottom (cup) and a small pullback on the right side (handle), and together they usually signal a bullish setup.
Not so Quick
Despite the evident resurgence, NEAR remains far below its all-time high of around $20 witnessed at the start of 2022. Meanwhile, certain technical indicators suggest a correction could be on the way.
The asset’s Relative Strength Index (RSI), which measures the speed and magnitude of recent price changes, has briefly climbed past 70. This means that NEAR has entered overbought territory and could be on the verge of a move south. Conversely, ratios below 30 are considered buying opportunities.

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Crypto World
Iranian Exchange Outflows Jump 700% as USDT Sanctions Alert Intensifies
Iranian crypto exchange outflows spiked 700% to nearly $3 million immediately following coordinated US and Israeli military strikes, according to a blog post by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic.
The surge was detected on Iran’s largest exchange, Nobitex, suggesting a rapid flight to safety as users rushed to move assets off-platform and into overseas exchanges, in capital flight maneuvers that could be bypassing traditional banking systems.
This behavior signals acute distress in the local market, with capital potentially bypassing the domestic banking system entirely.
With the Iranian regime’s internet restrictions collapsing trading volumes by 80%, the value leaving exchanges indicates Iranian crypto speculation is over for now.
- Nobitex outflows surged 700% immediately after military strikes began.
- USDT trading pairs were suspended by central bank order, freezing liquidity.
- On-chain data shows 5.9% of volume is now linked to illicit or sanctioned activity.
Iranian Exchange Outflow Deep Dive: 700% Spike Defies Volume Collapse
Data from Elliptic reveals that net outflows on Nobitex, the country’s largest exchange, jumped 700% in the 48 hours following the strikes.

This massive exit occurred despite a wider collapse in market activity. Transaction volumes across Iranian platforms fell by roughly 80% between Feb. 27 and March 1 due to severe internet restrictions.
Bitcoin rebounded after the Iran strike shock, erasing losses quickly on global markets, but local Iranian traders did not wait for price discovery. They moved immediately to secure assets.
TRM Labs attributes the volume drop to “mechanical access limitations” rather than a collapse of market infrastructure. However, the simultaneous spike in withdrawals suggests that those who could access the network prioritized capital extraction over trading.
If these outflows sustain at current levels, domestic exchanges face a liquidity crisis. Users are effectively draining the order books, moving capital flow from centralized venues to decentralized wallets that are harder for local authorities to seize and harder for global regulators to track.
Discover: The best pre-launch crypto sales
USDT Sanctions Risk and Illicit Volume Signal: Is Tether the Next Target?
The primary bridge for this capital flight is Tether (USDT). Recognizing this, Iran’s central bank directed major platforms, including Nobitex and Wallex, to temporarily suspend trading of the USDT/toman pair. This move effectively severed the main link between the domestic fiat currency and the global crypto economy.
Given its deep liquidity and dollar peg, USDT is the preferred vehicle for sanctions evasion and illicit flows

This concentration of risk draws a target on Iran’s crypto infrastructure. Global regulators, particularly OFAC, are increasingly sophisticated at mapping on-chain relationships between exchanges and sanctioned entities. The suspension of USDT pairs suggests Tehran is aware of the vulnerability.
If sanctions enforcement tightens on Tether rails, Iranian exchanges could be cut off from global liquidity pools entirely. This would force flows into less transparent, peer-to-peer shadow banking networks, complicating compliance for every major exchange worldwide.
Macro Implication: Failure of Control vs. Risk of Isolation
The situation presents a binary outcome for the region’s crypto market. If tensions escalate, the oil price impact from the Iran war could further devalue the rial, driving a second, more desperate wave of capital flight into crypto assets. This would likely trigger aggressive secondary sanctions from the U.S. targeting any protocol or platform facilitating these flows.
On the other hand, if internet restrictions ease and the central bank restores USDT pairings, the market may return to the “risk containment mode” observed by TRM Labs.
However, the 700% outflow spike has already signaled that confidence in domestic platforms is fragile.
The implications for global traders are clear: liquidity in the region is becoming increasingly toxic, and compliance firewalls need to be higher than ever.
Discover: The best meme coins in crypto
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Crypto World
CFTC chief Selig to clear path for U.S. perpetual futures in coming weeks
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Crypto perpetual futures have largely developed offshore because of the U.S. reluctance to pursue industry regulations, said U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Mike Selig, and his agency will soon provide guidance on how that business should be handled.
Such derivatives contracts, which don’t expire and are often associated with leverage, have been an area of high interest to the industry. U.S. exchange Kraken, for instance, recently announced a move into perpetual futures for tokenized stocks for non-U.S. users.
Selig’s agency is “working towards getting professional futures, true professional futures here in the U.S. within the next month or so,” he said at a Milken Institute event in Washington on Tuesday. “We expect to announce that very soon.”
“The prior administration drove a lot of these firms and the liquidity offshore,” he noted.
That was a theme of his remarks and those from his U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission counterpart, Chairman Paul Atkins. As they’ve often done lately to underline their shared mission on digital assets, which they call Project Crypto, the two appeared together on stage and highlighted their unified approach.
One of the things the two are pursuing are “innovation exceptions” to allow for crypto experimentation without fear of regulatory crackdown. Selig said they’ll also soon define how decentralized finance (DeFi) developers are approached after years of prosecution and regulatory uncertainty.
Selig, who can act on his own because he’s currently the only member on the CFTC’s five-member commission, also said prediction markets — an overlapping cousin of the crypto sector — will get “guidance in the very near future” from the regulator. “We’re going to be setting very clear standards.” And he said the agency is also working on a more fulsome rulemaking process to soon give that position more permanent footing than guidance, which is procedurally easy to eliminate and rewrite.
Oversight of the events-contracts firms, including such leaders as Polymarket and Kalshi, is under dispute, with state gambling regulators pressing their own authorities over the firm’s sports contracts. Selig stepped forward to combat that in courts, arguing the CFTC’s position as a lead regulator of such firms’ activities.
“They can exist in parallel,” he said Tuesday of the two regulatory regimes.
Atkins, though, delved into one of the drawbacks of the regulators’ current work: legal standing. Despite Atkins’ earlier confidence that the SEC can forge ahead without new laws directing its crypto work, he said on Tuesday, “We really do need statutory certainty.”
“We need the sense of Congress,” he said.
A U.S. Supreme Court decision two years ago removed a significant degree of authority that federal regulators enjoyed in court disputes over their actions, so agencies going it alone on policy guidance doesn’t carry the weight it once did. Agencies such as the SEC and CFTC can more easily be challenged, and their positions also easily reversed by future officials arriving at the commissions.
The U.S. Senate is still working on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act that’s meant to establish a regulatory system for the U.S crypto markets. That legislative effort remains jammed up in negotiations involving the industry, bankers, lawmakers from both parties and the White House. Its chances for passage in 2026 grow more difficult with each day, as midterm elections approach and available Senate floor time dwindles.
Read More: The chief of the SEC is headlining an event sponsored by a crypto firm at war with it
Crypto World
Over 15,000 BTC sold and more coming as public miners pivot to AI
Bitcoin miners are increasingly moving away from holding bitcoin on their balance sheets by selling more BTC to fund new identities as players in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
What started as holding onto bitcoin at all costs, or HODLing, is becoming a thing of the past for most publicly listed miners as they move into the capital-intensive but more attractive business of AI infrastructure. With tougher competition, higher energy costs and compressed prices, the profit margin for mining bitcoin, which during the 2021 bull run reached as high as 90%, has vanished, leaving miners who relied solely on that business struggling. Given that miners already have data centers ready to host AI computing machines, most have shifted their business away from bitcoin to become “AI infrastructure” companies.
This momentum is gaining more traction as prices sit roughly at $66,000, down nearly 50% from October’s all-time high. Many of the top 10 public miners are selling or openly discussing sales to fund these AI expansions.
Here are some miners that are either moving away from the bitcoin business by selling more BTC or have completely shifted into AI:
IREN (IREN) has never taken an ideological stance on holding bitcoin, focusing instead on infrastructure scale and operational execution as it leans into high-performance computing. The company currently holds 0 BTC, underscoring its lack of a treasury-driven strategy.
TeraWulf (WULF) has maintained a pragmatic posture, avoiding a hardline treasury approach while preserving balance sheet flexibility for AI aligned growth. It holds 15 BTC, in line with its historical peak, reflecting minimal emphasis on accumulation.
Cipher Digital (CIFR), formerly Cipher Mining, has made its repositioning explicit, calling 2025 a transformative year as it pivots toward HPC infrastructure. The company divested its 49% stake in three mining joint ventures for roughly $40 million in stock. Cipher now holds 1,500 BTC, down from an all-time high of 2,284 BTC, highlighting a gradual reduction alongside its structural shift.
Riot Platforms (RIOT) has treated bitcoin as a funding tool rather than a passive reserve, selling all monthly production and liquidating balance sheet holdings, including nearly 1,100 BTC to finance the Rockdale acquisition. Riot sold $200 million worth of bitcoin in the final two months of 2025. It currently holds 18,005 BTC versus peak holdings of 19,368 coins.
Hut 8 (HUT) said bitcoin is no longer a long-term strategic focus in its fourth-quarter earnings call, with exposure set to decline over time in favour of its equity stake in American Bitcoin (ABTC), which holds 6,039 BTC. Hut 8’s own balance stands at 13,696 BTC, unchanged from its peak.
Core Scientific (CORZ) sold $175 million of bitcoin as its AI pivot accelerated. After holding 2,537 BTC at year’s end 2025, its balance has dropped to around 630 BTC, well below its 9,618 BTC high watermark.
MARA Holdings (MARA) has softened its strict HODL identity, selling newly mined bitcoin and signaling it may buy or sell opportunistically, with about 28% of holdings loaned or pledged. It still holds 53,822 BTC, matching its all-time high, despite the more flexible policy.
CleanSpark (CLSK) treats its more than 13,000 BTC as productive capital, monetizing output, layering covered calls, and exploring bitcoin-backed credit lines as non-dilutive financing. Its current 13,513 BTC balance is in line with its historical peak.
Bitdeer Technologies (BTDR) reduced holdings to zero to fund AI data center expansion. That marks a massive drop from its prior peak of 2,470 BTC.
Bitfarms (BITF) has been blunt about its repositioning, with CEO Ben Gagnon stating, “We are no longer a Bitcoin company.” The miner now holds 1,827 BTC, down from a peak of 3,301 BTC, as it doubles down on AI infrastructure.
Crypto World
U.S. Court Dismisses Years-Long Scam Token Lawsuit Against Uniswap Labs
A federal court in the United States has dismissed a class action lawsuit accusing Uniswap Labs of facilitating the trading of scam tokens on its decentralized protocol. The court dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims with prejudice after four years of trial.
According to a filing with the U.S. Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Katherine Polk Failla dismissed the case for several reasons, including the plaintiffs’ failure to allege the defendants’ knowledge of the fraud. Among other reasons, the judge also ruled that the plaintiffs failed to allege that Uniswap Labs and its founder, Hayden Adams, aided, abetted, and substantially assisted the fraud.
Uniswap Wins Scam Token Class Suit
While filing the initial complaint and the first amended complaint (FAC) in April and September 2022, respectively, the plaintiffs alleged 14 claims against Uniswap, Adams, and other defendants. The complainants argued that the defendants were liable for scam tokens issued and traded on Uniswap.
The argument stemmed from the fact that the identities of the scam token issuers were unknown. They claimed that Uniswap served as a marketplace for the tokens in exchange for transaction fees. The plaintiffs also insisted that the defendants had, in effect, sold the tokens as unregistered broker-dealers by drafting smart contracts that enabled ownership of the protocol’s native asset, UNI.
By August 2023, the court dismissed the FAC for failure to state a claim under federal securities laws. Judge Failla insisted that the accusers’ attempts to hold defendants liable for the losses from the scams were unconvincing. Although the complainants appealed the dismissal, the Second Circuit court affirmed the judge’s decision in part in February 2025. The appeal resulted in the plaintiffs again being allowed to amend their complaint.
No Plausible Claims
In the second amended complaint (SAC) filed in May 2025, the accusers focused on state-law violations. By this time, the judge had dismissed all defendants except Uniswap and Adams. By July, the defendants had filed a motion to dismiss under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
In dismissing the SAC, Judge Failla insisted that the plaintiffs still failed to allege plausible claims against Uniswap, despite three attempts.
“Even if Plaintiffs had adequately alleged Defendants’ actual knowledge, their claim would still fail because they have not alleged that Defendants provided substantial assistance to the issuers’ fraud,” the judge stated.
Meanwhile, Adams commented on the dismissal, calling it a “good, sensible outcome.”
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BTC rises to $68,000 as traditional markets tumble
Yesterday’s modest rally in stocks in response to a new Middle East war breaking out over the weekend — for the moment — appears to have been a headfake.
In mid-morning U.S. hours, the Nasdaq is at session lows, down 2.5%. The S&P 500 is lower by 2.3%. European markets are being hit even harder, led by a 5.2% plunge in Italy’s IBEX 35 and a 4.1% fall in Germany’s DAX.
Having run up to historic highs in the weeks leading up to the war, precious metals are tumbling as well. Gold is lower by 4.3%, silver by 7.5% and platinum by 11.3%. WTI crude oil continues to surge, up another 8% to $77 per barrel.
Having declined relentlessly for about the last five months, crypto markets are, however, showing a tiny bit of relative strength. Trading at $68,000, bitcoin is down 1% over the past 24 hours, but higher by more than 2% from its worst levels of the day.
Also down over the past day, but nicely higher from the session’s worst levels are ether (ETH), solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP).
There’s no such bounce yet in crypto-related stocks, which remain under heavy selling pressure on Tuesday.
Shares of trading platform Robinhood (HOOD) dropped 7%, while Coinbase (COIN) fell 5%. Strategy (MSTR) and crypto platform Bullish (BLSH) each declined 4%. Stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) held up better but still slipped about 1%.
“Historically, bitcoin, as the only liquid asset that also trades on weekends, has absorbed shocks during periods of forced risk reduction,” said James Butterfill, head of research at CoinShares. “This time, the price development was constructive, bitcoin gained despite the increasing instability … This divergence is significant. The absence of significant liquidations despite rising yields and geopolitical tensions suggests that positioning is adjusted compared to previous episodes.”
Crypto World
New York Fed’s Williams says tariff burden falls ‘overwhelmingly’ on the U.S.
John Williams, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, speaks during an Economic Club of New York (ECNY) event in New York, US, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
David Dee Delgado | Bloomberg | Getty Images
American consumers and businesses are taking most of the hit from President Donald Trump’s tariffs, New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said Tuesday in remarks that counter White House claims.
“The tariffs have overwhelmingly been borne domestically — a New York Fed analysis estimates that most of the burden has fallen on U.S. firms and consumers.,” Williams said in remarks for a conference in Washington, D.C. “In addition, the tariffs have already meaningfully increased U.S. prices of imported goods, and the full effects have likely not yet been felt.”
The study Williams cited has generated a fair amount of controversy over the past few weeks.
In a white paper published on the New York Fed’s website, a team of researchers found that as much as 90% of the added cost from tariffs has been passed on to domestic producers and consumers. Trump and other White House officials had insisted that exporters would absorb the costs rather than raise prices.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett flamed the controversy during a CNBC appearance in which he suggested that the researchers should be “disciplined” for what he termed was “the worst paper I’ve ever seen in the history of the Federal Reserve system.” Hassett later stepped back the criticism.
Addressing the issue for the first time publicly, Williams said that not only were the tariffs being felt at home, but they also were keeping the Fed from reaching its 2% inflation goal.
“My current estimate is that, to date, the increase in tariffs has contributed around one half to three quarters of a percentage point to the current inflation rate of about 3 percent,” he said. “The FOMC defines price stability as 2 percent inflation over the longer run. Owing to the effects of tariffs, progress toward that goal has temporarily stalled.”
On the bright side, Williams said he still expects the tariff impact on inflation to be temporary, and he sees the Fed hitting its target by 2027. He added that the U.S. economy “appears to be on a good footing.”
As for current policy, he said it is “well positioned” for the Fed to hit its dual mandate goal of steady prices and full employment. Should inflation progress lower after the tariff impact fades, “further reductions in the federal funds rate will eventually be warranted to prevent monetary policy from inadvertently becoming more restrictive.”
Markets expect the Fed to resume cutting later this year, possibly in July or September, according to current futures pricing. As New York Fed president, Williams carries extra influence on the Federal Open Market Committee, where he is a permanent voting member.
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