Crypto Markets & On-Chain Ecosystem Developments

According to ChainCatcher, sh0edog (Joe), former General Counsel of Magic Eden, joined fomo as General Counsel. With a background in crypto law since 2016, including roles at Day One Law and Fenwick West, sh0edog brings extensive legal expertise to the consumer crypto finance application. Fomo has a

South Korea's Broadcasting, Media and Communications Standards Commission voted on 18 August 2026 to order domestic internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, classifying the crypto prediction market as illegal gambling under Korean law. The decision follows a regulatory review that b

According to News1, on 18 August 2026, South Korea's Broadcasting, Media and Communications Standards Commission voted to order domestic internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, classifying the crypto prediction market as illegal gambling under Korean law. The action concludes a

According to SEC 13F filing, Jane Street purchased approximately $630 million worth of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the second quarter of 2026, bringing its total Bitcoin ETF holdings to $1.06 billion. The move marks a sharp reversal from Q1, when the market maker reduced its Bitcoin ETF

According to analyst Amr Taha, XRP net wallet flows turned heavily negative across major exchanges as of August 18. Coinbase recorded the largest outflow with -14,300 net wallets, accounting for 47.3% of the total absolute 7-day net wallet imbalance—its highest level since July 2024. Binance

Tokenized real-world assets deployed in DeFi lending pools, vaults, and decentralized exchange liquidity reached $3.98 billion as of 18 August, according to DefiLlama data. The figure marks a sixfold increase from $650.88 million one year ago and $12 million three years ago. Total tokenized

BitMart founder Sheldon Xia faces a 19 August deadline to disclose the exchange's assets and present a repayment plan. The ultimatum arrived through BitMart's Chinese-language X account on 17 August, after weeks of blocked user withdrawals, with employees reportedly taking control of the account to

According to Cointelegraph, BitMart founder Sheldon Xia faces a 19 August deadline to disclose the exchange's assets, present a repayment plan, and explain frozen user withdrawals. The demands came through BitMart's Chinese-language X account on 17 August, which employees reportedly control. Xia dis

According to DefiLlama, real-world assets actively deployed in DeFi lending pools, vaults, and decentralized exchanges reached $3.98 billion as of August 18. However, only 11.5% of the $34.64 billion in total tokenized RWA issuance is actively working as collateral or liquidity

According to Bitcoin News reporting on VanEck analysis, eight of VanEck's 12 Bitcoin surrender signals are currently triggered, with all 12 signals having entered the capitulation zone within the past three months. VanEck predicts the current Bitcoin pullback will be smaller than previous bear

Japan's National Diet gave final approval on 15 July 2026 to legislation reclassifying 105 crypto assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, with the amendment promulgated on 23 July 2026. The core provisions are targeted to take effect during fiscal 2027, with the exact commencement d

Japan's National Diet gave final approval on July 15, 2026, and the amendment was promulgated on July 23, 2026. The legislation moves 105 crypto assets from the Payment Services Act into the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA) framework that governs stocks, bonds, and investment trusts,

According to BlockBeats and Arkham monitoring, on August 19, trader 0x4B1 purchased approximately 0.85% of CASHCAT's total supply for around $1.29 million upon the token's Robinhood listing. CASHCAT's price subsequently dropped approximately 30%, resulting in an unrealized loss of about $412,000 for

According to its official announcement, Printr, a cross-chain memecoin creation and trading platform, is ceasing operations due to insufficient funding and lack of distribution support. The platform will shut down completely on August 31, 2026. Beginning today, all on-chain staking positions and ac

Strive Asset Management bought 79 Bitcoin between August 10 and August 14 at an average price of $63,231 per BTC, bringing its total holdings to 20,246 BTC. The Nasdaq-listed company's shares jumped 7% following the purchase, which was worth approximately $5 million. Strive continues a gradual

Strive Asset Management's stock rose 7% as the Nasdaq-listed company expanded its Bitcoin treasury with a purchase of 79 BTC worth approximately $5 million between August 10 and August 14. The company acquired the Bitcoin at an average price of $63,231 per BTC, bringing its total holdings to 20,246

According to BlockBeats, Nasdaq-listed Chinese insurtech company Zhibao Technology (ticker: ZBAO) completed its previously announced PIPE financing on August 19. Investors subscribed for new shares and warrants with 2,380 Bitcoin, valued at $154.7 million based on a reference price of $65,000 per

From 12:00 to 16:00 (UTC) on August 18, 2026, BTC moved sideways within a narrow range and pulled back slightly, posting a change of -0.09%, a price range of 64,282.6–64,352.0 USDT, and an amplitude of just 0.11%. Over the 24-hour period, BTC rose approximately 1.82% to around $64,793, indicating a moderate upward trend. However, short-term technical pullback pressure has emerged, drawing increased market attention. The main driver of this move was that, following a daily MACD golden cross, the

According to Hong Kong Police, a man in his 80s was defrauded of over HK$5 million in ETH through a fake cryptocurrency app in June and August 2026. The victim clicked on a pop-up ad, downloaded a counterfeit Trust Wallet application, and was then lured by scammers posing as platform staff who

According to Citi, the bank announced on Tuesday it will launch Bitcoin custody later this year as part of Custody+, a suite of custody and settlement tools. The service will allow institutional clients to access traditional securities and crypto assets through the same unified framework. Citi