Flash News

TREE NEWS update: Hong Kong police arrested 17 people in a crackdown on a phone scam ring that targeted the elderly, seizing HK$3.67 million in cash. The gang recruited Malaysians to pose as relatives in distress, collecting HK$4.67 million in bail money from 22 victims. Police noted that some crypto exchanges were used to launder funds, urging them to verify customers.

TREE NEWS reports: The SEC is reviewing Cboe BZX’s rule change proposal to list six triple-leveraged commodity ETFs, including Bitcoin and Ethereum products, with an initial 45-day review period. The BTC and ETH ETFs will invest in CME futures rather than directly holding the assets, and require SEC approval before listing.

TREE NEWS update: ElizaOS founder Shaw accused daos.fun creator baoskee of insider trading during ai16z’s rebranding and migration, selling all ai16z tokens for about $6.6 million before the token’s decline. Baoskee denies the claims, citing a Snapshot vote and added liquidity, while counter-accusing Shaw of mismanagement. The dispute highlights ongoing governance and transparency issues in the crypto space.

TREE NEWS reports: Morgan Stanley increased its Bitcoin holdings by approximately 111.762 BTC, worth $7.03 million, via its spot Bitcoin ETF (MSBT), bringing its total to over 6,600 BTC for the first time, valued at over $420 million. The purchase reflects continued institutional accumulation during market dips.

TREE NEWS update: Next week, President Trump is expected to attend a White House innovation meeting with crypto CEOs from Coinbase, Ripple, and others, ahead of the first CFTC advisory committee meeting. The Fed will release July meeting minutes on August 20, with markets focused on rate hike signals. Additionally, several crypto-related events include Binance delistings, Coinbase’s US500 futures launch, and a Bitcoin eCash hard fork.

TREE NEWS reports: Perpetual futures have become the dominant force in crypto trading, now expanding into stocks, indexes, gold, and pre-IPO assets on newer venues. However, overall crypto trading volumes have sunk to a 31-month low, indicating a shrinking market.

TREE NEWS update: Meta has patented camera technology that can automatically recognize faces and log actions in video footage without requiring consent. The system would convert raw footage into labeled clips, raising significant privacy concerns.

TREE NEWS reports: KAITO will unlock 32.59 million tokens worth approximately $12.71 million, representing 7.6% of its circulating supply. LayerZero will also unlock 25.72 million tokens valued at around $20.19 million. These unlocks may increase selling pressure on the respective tokens.

TREE NEWS reports: CoinTelegraph’s daily roundup covers the latest trends and events affecting Bitcoin, blockchain, DeFi, Web3, and crypto regulation. It provides a concise overview of key developments for investors and enthusiasts.

TREE NEWS update: Markus Thielen argues that Bitcoin reaching $1 million by 2030 is ‘mathematically impossible’ due to the massive capital inflows required. He suggests that such a price target may never be achieved, dampening bullish forecasts.

TREE NEWS update: Situational Awareness LP, led by ‘AI stock guru’ Leopold Aschenbrenner, disclosed a 13F showing $20.2B in concentrated AI infrastructure bets, with over half in memory chips (SanDisk, Micron). The fund had liquidated all downside hedges in Q2, pivoting to unhedged longs, which led to massive losses and a forced selloff to Citadel after AI stocks crashed in July.

TREE NEWS update: Washington state regulators have ordered Kalshi to stop offering a broad range of prediction markets, requiring the platform to implement geofencing measures by August 19 and a more robust multi-source system by September 2. The order targets compliance with state laws, marking a regulatory setback for the crypto-adjacent prediction market platform.

TREE NEWS reports: MicroStrategy (now Strategy) has shifted from being the largest Bitcoin buyer to a seller, having sold some holdings to fund dividends and buybacks, with analysts estimating up to $4.5B more in potential sales. This reverses a key structural buying force, posing near-term risk to Bitcoin’s price, though macro conditions are improving. Across 109 Bitcoin treasury companies, potential selling could reach $7.5B, but this may also signal a market bottom soon.

TREE NEWS reports: Galaxy Research has reduced the probability of the CLARITY Act passing to 10%, citing unresolved issues around ethics, stablecoin yields, and developer protections, as well as a narrow Senate window in September. The lowered odds reflect growing skepticism about the bill’s legislative prospects.

TREE NEWS update: AI inference is shifting storage demand from GPUs/HBM to high-capacity NAND, with Sandisk projecting enterprise flash demand to reach 1.2 ZB by 2030 and signing long-term agreements worth $93.9 billion. This could reduce NAND cycle volatility, though it won’t eliminate it, benefiting Sandisk, Micron, and others.

TREE NEWS reports: Metrics Ventures’ July-August market report argues that bond and currency markets are pricing in dollar weakness despite stock market complacency, favoring gold and constrained resources like copper. The fund sees limited crypto upside until excess liquidity is fully released and AI growth is priced in, recommending long positions in resource equities over Bitcoin.