Fewer than 1 million people on Earth hold a full Bitcoin. That’s less than 0.02% of the global population and even fewer in crypto. Powered by WPeMatico

Bitcoin’s energy-based “fair value” sits at $167K, 45% above its current price, as record hash rate data shows BTC trading at a deep 31% discount. Powered by WPeMatico

Harvard Management Company, which oversees the university’s $50 billion endowment, disclosed a $116 million position in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) in its latest quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The stake, reported in a Form 13-F on Friday covering holdings as of June 30, 2025, represents one of the largest known bitcoin allocations by a U.S. university endowment. IBIT, launched in January of last year, is a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund that allows investors to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency without directly holding it. The position places the university among a growing cohort of institutional investors — from hedge funds to pension systems — adding regulated bitcoin products to their portfolios. The disclosure comes as total assets across U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs have climbed into the tens of billions of dollars, driven by both retail inflows and large-scale institutional allocations. For endowments, the ETF structure offers daily liquidity and SEC oversight, which can help meet governance and compliance requirements for alternative investments. Harvard didn’t provide further comment on the filing. Read more: U.S. Endowments Are Leaning Into Crypto: FT Powered by WPeMatico

Sui’s (SUI) price rose 4% in the past 24 hours to $3.82 as Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum expanded its offerings to include custody, trading and lending products tied to the blockchain for its institutional clients. The move means regulated investors in Switzerland can now hold, trade and borrow against SUI through Sygnum’s platform, broadening access to the layer-1 blockchain’s ecosystem. The bank’s services are aimed at professional and institutional investors seeking exposure under Swiss financial regulations. Earlier this week, another Swiss institution, Amina Bank, said it had started offering both trading and custodial services for SUI. Amina described the step as making it the first regulated bank globally to support the blockchain’s native asset. The announcements appear to have spurred market activity. CoinDesk Analytics data shows trading volume spiked to 36.45 million tokens over midnight, more than double the 14.31 million daily average, as buyers stepped in to defend a support zone between $3.72 and $3.74. That level has held since mid-July, suggesting short-term traders see it as a key price floor. SUI’s daily gains track closely with the broader crypto market, as measured by the CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20), which climbed 4.5% in the past day. The token’s monthly performance is also positive, up 7% over the past 30 days, but significantly lower than the broader market, with the CD20 up 24%. For institutional clients, the expansion of regulated access to newer blockchain projects like Sui represents more than just another trading option. It signals growing comfort among banks with integrating blockchain networks beyond the largest, most established assets. In practice, this could mean asset managers, corporate treasuries and high-net-worth clients have more ways to diversify holdings without leaving regulated frameworks. Sui, developed by Mysten Labs, aims to offer high-speed, low-cost transactions using a novel data structure called “objects” to improve scalability. Wider access through banks like Sygnum and Amina could help it compete for developer attention and real-world applications. If demand for bank-mediated blockchain exposure continues to grow, Sui may find itself in a stronger position to attract not only speculative traders but also enterprise adoption. Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. Powered by WPeMatico

A hidden signal from the derivatives market suggests that ether’s (ETH) rally could intensify, lifting valuations quickly to $4,400. The indicator under consideration is the net gamma exposure of dealers/market makers in the Deribit-listed ether options market. Gamma is the critical metric for options traders, measuring how an option’s delta, or its sensitivity to the underlying asset’s price, changes in response to market moves. When dealers are short gamma, they are forced to buy the underlying asset as its price rises and sell as its price falls, which often amplifies directional moves. Dealers provide liquidity to the order book and make money from the bid-ask spread while constantly striving to maintain a price-neutral net exposure. At press time, there was a notable buildup of short gamma between strikes $4,000 and $4,400, according to data source Amberdata. With ether crossing above $4,000, dealers could buy the asset to hedge their exposure, creating a self-reinforcing positive feedback loop that could rapidly propel the price higher to $4,400. That’s a level where the gamma dynamic shifts positive, requiring dealers to trade against the market and arrest the price volatility. This makes the $4,400 a logical price magnet for the ongoing rally. “If the momentum in the market is strong enough to get through $4,000, we see dealers also become net buyers of ETH at higher prices, potentially leading to a quick rally to $4,400, the next big gama inventory level,” Greg Magadini, director of derivatives at Amberdata, told CoinDesk. Powered by WPeMatico

Sygnum, a Swiss digital asset bank, is expanding regulated institutional access to the Sui blockchain with new custody, trading and lending products for its professional clients. The Zurich- and Singapore-headquartered firm announced Friday it will now offer institutional-grade custody, spot and derivatives trading for SUI, alongside upcoming staking and SUI collateral-backed Lombard loans. Staking is expected to launch in the coming weeks, with loans scheduled for the fourth quarter. All SUI holdings will be kept off the bank’s balance sheet and set up to be bankruptcy remote. The move builds on Sygnum’s July 2025 integration of SUI into its platform, which it says made it the first Swiss bank to fully support the token. By working with the Sui Foundation, Sygnum aims to channel demand from banks, asset managers and high-net-worth individuals seeking secure, regulated exposure to blockchain ecosystems. Christian Thompson, managing director at the Sui Foundation, said the partnership strengthens Sui’s connection to global institutional investors through a trusted, regulated gateway. Sygnum co-founder and CEO Mathias Imbach said the bank’s role is at the “intersection” of digital assets and traditional finance, helping clients access new opportunities within a regulated framework. Sui, developed by former Meta engineers at Mysten Labs, uses parallel transaction processing to improve scalability, akin to cloud-based services. It supports decentralized finance, instant payments, real-world asset tokenization and gaming, and has positioned itself early in the BTCfi segment, which lets bitcoin holders participate in DeFi without compromising security. Sygnum holds banking and digital asset licenses in Switzerland, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, and offers services including regulated banking, asset management, tokenization and B2B solutions. At press time, according to CoinDesk Data, SUI was trading at $3.84, up 4.5% in the past 24 hours. Powered by WPeMatico

Aptos’ APT registered a 7% surge during the last 24 hours, advancing from $4.34 to $4.62, according to CoinDesk Research’s technical analysis model. The model showed that Aptos demonstrated considerable bullish momentum throughout the preceding 24-hour period. The most significant price action materialised during the nocturnal hours extending into the early morning of August 8, wherein exceptional volume surges exceeding 12.9 million units propelled the asset through successive resistance levels, establishing fresh support foundations within the $4.61-$4.66 corridor, according to the model. Resistance has emerged at $4.72 Aptos has surpassed Solana and Stellar in real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, securing third position globally with more than $719 million in RWA total value locked. The rally in APT came as the wider crypto market also rose, with the broader market gauge, the Coindesk 20, recently up 3.2%. In recent trading, Aptos was 7% higher over 24 hours, trading around $4.62. Technical Analysis: 24-hour price range of $0.44 encompassing a 9.4% range, with a high at $4.72. Volume surges exceeding 12.9 million units during nocturnal hours extending into early morning of Aug. 8. Support zone established at $4.61-$4.66 with robust institutional accumulation at $4.36. Resistance threshold confirmed at $4.72 with substantial volume-driven rejection pattern. Ascending trough formations suggest continued upward pressure towards $4.80-$4.90 Fibonacci levels. Terminal hour reversal with 126,000+ volume surge confirming institutional distribution activity. Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. Powered by WPeMatico

ATOM surged 4% from $4.36 to $4.55 in the 24 hours to 15:00 UTC on Aug. 8, breaking through key resistance on exceptional 2.19 million-unit volume that far exceeded daily averages. The rally was fueled by heavy institutional buying of Cosmos ecosystem tokens, a move linked to Coinbase’s launch of dYdX (COSMOSDYDX) support on its native network. Market analysts say the expansion strengthens the bridge between centralized and decentralized trading, reflecting rising institutional interest in interoperable blockchain infrastructure. Momentum, however, faded quickly in the final hour of trading. Between 14:39 and 15:38, ATOM whipsawed sharply, first spiking to $4.60 before sliding to $4.56, marking a 0.52% hourly loss. The selloff accelerated when the token broke below $4.58 support at 15:03, triggering concentrated selling of 26,000 units over a four-minute span. By the close, trading volume had evaporated to zero, signaling exhaustion and leaving the $4.58–$4.60 range as a new overhead resistance zone. The price action unfolded against a broader market backdrop where Bitcoin tested $116,000 resistance and institutional whales rotated capital into large-cap altcoins and utility tokens. Within the Cosmos ecosystem, ATOM’s surge and abrupt reversal underscored both the strength of institutional demand and the fragility of short-term rallies. Traders now view $4.55 as critical support and are watching for whether renewed buying interest can overcome resistance and reestablish upward momentum. Technical Indicators Breakdown ATOM climbs from $4.36 to $4.55 for a 4% gain with $0.34 trading range between $4.32 lows and $4.67 highs. Key breakout occurs at 13:00 on 8 August when ATOM explodes through $4.55 resistance, spiking to $4.65 on massive 2.19 million unit volume. Trading volume crushes 24-hour average of 1.35 million, confirming high-volume resistance break. Strong support emerges at $4.46 where buyers step in repeatedly. The $4.55-$4.67 zone now acts as critical resistance after failed breakout attempt. Final 60 minutes from 8 August 14:39 to 15:38 see dramatic reversal, initially climbing from $4.58 to $4.60 session high. Heavy selling hits during 15:03-15:07 period when ATOM breaks $4.58 support. Trading dies in final minutes with zero volume at 15:38. Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. Powered by WPeMatico

NEAR Protocol rose 1.93% in the 24 hours to 15:00 UTC on Aug. 8, moving from $2.59 to $2.64. The token traded between $2.54 and $2.71, a 6.84% range that industry executives say highlights ongoing structural weaknesses in crypto markets and the need for clearer regulation. “These volatile trading patterns highlight the need for more robust market infrastructure and clearer regulatory frameworks,” said a senior executive at a major digital asset trading firm. Institutional flows drove much of the activity, with volume surging to 18.9 million units. Analysts pointed to the $2.62 to $2.66 zone as a focus for corporate treasuries and hedge funds. A sharp rejection at $2.67, accompanied by more than 120,000 units sold in four minutes, reflected algorithmic trading patterns that have caught regulators’ attention. Market watchers say the mix of heavy institutional buying and rapid selling shows the sophistication of corporate participation in crypto but also raises stability concerns. Financial Metrics and Investment Analysis NEAR fluctuated within an $0.18 band representing 6.84% volatility between $2.54 support and $2.71 resistance levels. Institutional trading activity peaked at 18.9 million units during Asian market hours, exceeding typical corporate trading patterns. $2.62-$2.66 consolidation attracted corporate investment flows and institutional accumulation strategies. $2.67 level triggered systematic selling protocols with over 120,000 units executed during algorithmic trading sequences. 1.13% decline from session peaks during concentrated selling window indicates institutional risk management protocols remain active. Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. Powered by WPeMatico

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) clarification around liquid staking continued to lift asset prices across the staking sector this week, with ETH rising to $4K for the first time since December on Friday. Several layer-2 networks have also been the beneficiary of ETH’s recent ascent. Ethereum scaling solution Optimism’s native token (OP) rose 8% in the past 24 hours to cement a weekly gain of 13%, rival network Blast also experienced a uptick of 6.3%. Mantle, which uses optimistic rollups to process transactions off-chain before settling them on the Ethereum mainnet, was the leader of the pack, with the MNT token jumping by 50% in the past week. The staking sector in general has outperformed the wider market, with LDO up 12.3% and ETHFI up 5.4% in the past 24 hours. The clarification comes after a very brief “altcoin season” last month that led to a series of significant moves for altcoins against their bitcoin trading pair. The SEC’s clarification on liquid staking could open the floodgates to institutional capital, which has been open to investing in assets like ether but not acquiring a yield through DeFi due to it previously being a regulatory gray area. Rebecca Rettig, part of Jito’s legal team, hinted that liquid staking tokens could become a part of an ETF following the SEC’s announcement. Powered by WPeMatico