The startup's $500 million valuation shows Silicon Valley will throw money at AI-powered anything—even a high tech mattress.
Hong Kong-based firm Ming Shing said it is entering an agreement with Winning Mission Group to purchase 4,250 BTC at an average price of $113,638.
In a thread on August 19, analyst Miles Deutscher argued that MicroStrategy’s market-implied net asset value (mNAV) premium—the core gear in Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin acquisition flywheel—has compressed sharply, weakening the feedback loop that helped the company outpace Bitcoin through most of the cycle. “Michael Saylor built the craziest BTC flywheel in history. But his buying power is starting to fade. The market is now asking one question: ‘Is the BTC treasury bubble finally popping?’” MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin Premium Is Fading Deutscher grounds the discussion in how investors currently value MicroStrategy. “People often overlook that MicroStrategy has a legacy software business, which continues to generate revenue. However, MicroStrategy has essentially become a company whose valuation is primarily influenced by its BTC holdings. The entire system is powered by mNAV (Market-Implied NAV).” In practical terms, the mNAV multiple is the premium investors pay over the company’s look-through Bitcoin value to access leveraged BTC exposure via MSTR. “An mNAV of ~1.58x means the market is paying a 58% premium for their BTC.” According to Deutscher, that premium “was once a 3.4x mNAV” when Bitcoin was surging, but it has “now decreased to 1.58x. Demand is slowing down.” In other words, what had been a powerful flywheel—high premium enabling cheap equity issuance that funded more Bitcoin purchases, which in turn kept NAV rising and the premium elevated—now spins with much less torque. Related Reading: Crypto Founder Predicts The Collapse Of Bitcoin In This Timeframe That shift intersected with a contentious corporate action. “Recently, Saylor sparked controversy by revealing that Strategy had revised its MSTR Equity ATM Guidance to offer greater ‘flexibility’ in executing its capital markets strategy.” The implication, Deutscher argues, is that greater issuance flexibility “may dilute shareholder value and increase financial risk tied to Bitcoin’s volatility.” He notes that “the market is quite divided” on the change. On the constructive side, he quotes @thedefivillain’s take—“Slower concentration of supply in Saylor’s hands,” “Greater leverage to justify mNAV,” and “Reduced buying pressure for BTC in dollar terms”—as reasons the revision could ultimately be benign. But critics worry about “the possibility of a ‘death spiral.’ The removal of the 2.5x mNAV safeguard for equity issuance may allow MicroStrategy to sell shares at lower valuations.” Reflexivity, in Deutscher’s telling, is the operative risk factor: “Reflexivity is a brutal force that operates in both directions.” A Hypothetical Scenario Deutscher then sets up a stress-test to illustrate how that reflexivity could bite if Bitcoin weakens and the premium compresses to parity. “If BTC’s price drops 20% and MicroStrategy’s mNAV multiple falls to 1.0x, the stock might plummet by 46.5%.” He walks through the arithmetic from a notional baseline of $115,000 per BTC, which on a 20% decline would fall to $92,000. On MicroStrategy’s “226,331 BTC,” he calculates that would put look-through NAV at $20.82 billion. To align an mNAV of exactly 1.0x, he backs into enterprise value and market cap under that scenario: “Starting with an enterprise value of $20.82 billion, we subtract MicroStrategy’s $2.2 billion in debt and add its $0.1 billion in cash. This calculation unveils the company’s market cap, hitting $18.72 billion, a significant pullback from its original $35 billion market cap.” Related Reading: Bitcoin Bull Run Hinges On Trump’s Pick For Fed Chair: Analyst The conclusion he draws from the modeled path—BTC −20% to ~$92,000, mNAV → 1.0x, MSTR market cap −46.5%—is that MicroStrategy’s equity remains a leveraged instrument with an outcome path that can be materially worse than Bitcoin itself when the premium compresses. Beyond the scenario math, Deutscher links recent spot price action to changing marginal demand. “I think BTC’s recent weakness can be attributed to the market starting to price in reduced Saylor demand/tail potential risk of the revised ATM guidance.” In parallel, he highlights how the proliferation of spot ETFs erodes the original rationale for paying a large listed-company premium to own BTC “beta”: “Spot Bitcoin ETFs are plentiful now. Why would you pay a 58% premium for MSTR’s leveraged exposure when you can grab IBIT at a clean ~1.0x NAV?” By his framing, the mNAV premium itself “was indicative of the market’s view that MSTR was going to outperform BTC.” With that view fading, the premium looks less like an enduring structural feature and more like a belief-sensitive variable. “In my opinion, the MSTR premium is essentially a gamble. You’re betting on three fragile things: unwavering market confidence, open capital markets, and Saylor’s leadership. If any of those pillars start to wobble, the premium collapses.” At press time, BTC traded at $113,624. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Bitcoin is trading just above $113,000, with realized cap rising steadily and spending activity led overwhelmingly by coins younger than three months. Profit realization remains positive, short-term holders hover around breakeven, and older supply shows little sign of distribution. Bitcoin closed Aug. 20 at $113,599, marking a 7.9% drop in the past week, a 3.3% […]
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Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller urged policymakers and bankers to stop fearing DeFi and stablecoins, saying they will drive the next wave of innovation in the US payments system.
Google’s new devices, shipping this month, claim to do a lot of what “Apple Intelligence” promised to do last year, but so far hasn’t.
The Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) and the Blockchain Association jointly issued a letter on Aug. 20 endorsing Brian Quintenz for Chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). In the letter to President Donald Trump, the groups emphasized that confirming Quintenz promptly is critical to advancing his administration’s agenda to foster a “golden […]
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With Bitcoin demand cooling and profit-taking accelerating, investors are rotating into ether and a handful of resilient plays while retail “altseason” fades.
XRP slipped below the critical $3.00 level this week, extending its losing streak as whale sell-offs and regulatory uncertainty weighed heavily on the market. Currently trading at $2.8, XRP has made a 3.68% decline in the past 24 hours, with trading volume rising slightly by 0.82% to $6.85 billion. Related Reading: Panic Or Profit? Analyst Says XRP Below $3 Is A ‘Massive Blessing’ The latest downturn comes after on-chain data revealed that whales offloaded 470 million XRP tokens over the past 10 days, slashing their cumulative holdings to just 7.63 billion coins. Large-scale exits by wallets holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP suggest institutional desks and high-net-worth traders are taking profits after XRP’s recent rally to above $3.39 earlier this month. XRP Price Action: $2.85–$2.90 Becomes Key Battleground Price action data shows XRP’s sharpest drop occurred between 13:00 and 15:00 UTC on August 19, when it slid from $3.04 to $2.93 as volume spiked to 137 million, nearly double the daily average. Despite heavy selling, buyers repeatedly defended the $2.85–$2.88 zone, preventing further collapse. Currently, XRP is consolidating near $2.85–$2.90, a sign that short-term selling pressure may be easing. Still, resistance at $3.04 has been confirmed, making a bullish recovery difficult without stronger demand. XRP's price trends to the downside on the daily chart. Source: XRPUSD on Tradingview Can Bulls Hold the Line at $2.8? For traders, the $2.8 level is now the most critical support to watch. A breakdown could open the door for a deeper decline, while reclaiming $3.00 would signal renewed buyer strength. Analysts note that a recovery above $3.19 is essential for momentum to shift back in favor of the bulls. Adding to the pressure, a security audit ranked the XRP Ledger lowest among 15 major blockchains, sparking concerns over long-term resilience. Meanwhile, the U.S. SEC has delayed decisions on several XRP ETF applications, including Nasdaq’s CoinShares filing, until October, deepening regulatory uncertainty. Related Reading: Ripple Enters Agreement With Gemini Ahead Of IPO — Here’s What We Know Until the SEC rules on ETF filings in October, XRP may remain volatile as whales continue to offload and institutional investors adjust their portfolios. Whether this dip is a healthy correction or the start of a broader downturn will depend on how well XRP can defend its current support levels in the days ahead. Cover image from ChatGPT, XRPUSD chart from Tradingview
The son of President Donald Trump called himself a “bitcoin maxi” during an appearance in Jackson Hole on Wednesday.
Wormhole Foundation (WF) entered the bidding competition for Stargate Finance, challenging LayerZero’s proposed $110 million acquisition. In an Aug. 20 statement via X, WF argued that LayerZero’s offer significantly undervalues the cross-chain bridge protocol. LayerZero Foundation announced its acquisition proposal on Aug. 10, offering to purchase all circulating STG tokens at $0.1675 per token through […]
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Venice launches DIEM, a tokenized AI compute asset giving holders $1 daily API credit, minted exclusively by VVV holders.
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A provision addressing conflicts of interest would likely bolster Dem support for crypto market structure legislation, Angie Craig said.
After hitting a new all-time high (ATH) of $124,474 on Binance on August 13, Bitcoin (BTC) has tumbled toward $113,000, with the next major support zone around $110,000. Analysts warn that more downside could still be ahead for the top cryptocurrency. Bitcoin To Fall More? Crowded Long Trade Gives Hint According to a CryptoQuant Quicktake post by contributor XWIN Research Japan, Bitcoin open interest across all exchanges has surged past $40 billion, nearing ATH territory. This rise shows both whales and short-term traders are piling into leveraged positions. Related Reading: Bitcoin Falls Below $115,000 As Binance Buying Power Ratio Collapses The chart below highlights the recent spike in BTC open interest, now hovering at $40.6 billion. Compared to August 2024 levels of $15 billion, open interest has grown by more than 150%. The CryptoQuant contributor added that despite this surge, the funding rate has remained positive, showing a strong long bias. While this reflects market optimism, it also signals a crowded trade, with most participants betting on further BTC appreciation. As a result, the risk of a long squeeze – forced liquidations of long positions due to aggressive leverage – has risen. XWIN Research Japan explained in their analysis: A sudden price drop can trigger a cascade of forced selling, amplifying volatility. In other words, Bitcoin’s short-term moves remain at the mercy of speculative flows. BTC Fund Holding By Institutions Rises Despite speculative froth from excessive leverage in the market, BTC fund holdings by Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and institutional investors continue to surge, exceeding 1.3 million according to latest data. Spot ETFs and corporate treasuries absorbing BTC provides the digital asset a structural bid that steadily reduces its available supply. According to data from SoSoValue, US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs currently hold $146 billion in net assets – representing 6.47% of BTC’s market cap. Related Reading: Market Jitters Rise As Bitcoin Pulls Back—Is $135K Still Possible? That said, this week alone has seen more than $645 million in outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs, following two consecutive weeks of inflows totaling nearly $800 million. Among the ETFs, BlackRock’s IBIT leads with $84.78 billion in net assets as of August 19. Still, not all signals are bearish. For instance, while BTC slipped below $115,000, its spot trading volume surged past $6 billion, giving bulls hope for a potential rebound. Similarly, technical analyst AO recently suggested that BTC could be mirroring gold’s trajectory, with an ambitious target of $600,000 by early 2026. At press time, BTC trades at $113,845, down 1.5% in the past 24 hours. Featured image from Unsplash, charts from CryptoQuant and TradingView.com
Gemini cryptocurrency exchange co-founders, Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, have donated 188.4547 Bitcoin (BTC), valued at about $21 million, to the Digital Freedom Fund PAC. The recently created Digital Freedom Fund PAC received strategic funding from the Winklevoss brothers to help crypto-friendly leaders be elected during the upcoming midterm elections in the United States. According …
Nasdaq plans to delist BNB treasury company Windtree Therapeutics for failing to meet compliance requirements by staying above $1.
Windtree Therapeutics, a struggling biotech firm that rebranded itself around holding BNB reserves, is set to be delisted from the Nasdaq after its stock collapsed below the exchange’s minimum price requirement. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nasdaq will remove Windtree from its listings on Aug. 21 after the company failed […]
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BTC only mounted a modest bounce from the overnight lows, while BNB hit a new record high and ETH, SOL rebounded 6%-7%.
Hyperliquid has achieved the highest revenue per employee globally, at $106 million, surpassing traditional technology giants and the previous record holder, Tether Limited. The revenue-per-employee metric places Hyperliquid significantly ahead of established technology companies. Data gathered by Hyperliquid France puts Tether in second with $93 million per employee, while OnlyFans ranks third at $37.6 million. […]
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Ethereum (ETH) is struggling to hold above $4,200 after a sharp sell-off triggered widespread liquidations across the crypto market. It has dropped nearly 9% over the past week, with traders bracing for a potential retest of the $4,100 level. Related Reading: Shiba Inu Takes Major Step With Community Governance Model — Details Data from CoinGlass shows that more than $178 million in positions were liquidated in the past 24 hours, with ETH long traders suffering the biggest blow, over $127 million wiped out. A notable case saw one Hyperliquid trader lose nearly $6.2 million after re-entering ETH longs too aggressively, turning months of gains into heavy losses within just two days. This volatility comes as Ethereum’s exit queue for staking withdrawals has surged to 910,461 ETH, worth about $3.91 billion, signaling an upcoming wave of supply that could pressure prices further. ETH's price losing momentum on the daily chart. Source: ETHUSD on Tradingview Institutional Investors Step in Despite Market Jitters Despite retail pain, large institutional players appear to be buying the dip. Bitmine Immersion, the biggest publicly traded ETH holder, recently added 52,475 ETH, bringing its holdings to nearly $6.6 billion. SharpLink followed suit, purchasing 143,593 ETH at $4,648, though its position is now underwater. Blockchain trackers also flagged new inflows from FalconX-linked wallets worth over $38 million. This suggests that while short-term sentiment remains shaky, big-money investors continue to accumulate ETH, betting on its long-term value. Ethereum (ETH) Analysts Warn of Deeper Losses Before Recovery Market experts caution that Ethereum may remain under pressure as macroeconomic uncertainty looms ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole meeting. Pessimistic tone from Fed Chair Jerome Powell could trigger further risk-off sentiment across crypto and equities. On-chain activity has also weakened. Active Ethereum addresses have dropped nearly 28% in August, signaling waning retail participation. Network growth has slowed as well, raising questions about near-term demand. Still, analysts see long-term upside once the market absorbs the $4B staking unlock. Some forecasts remain bullish, with Ethereum projected to reach between $6,000–$8,000 by year-end if institutional flows persist. Related Reading: Ripple Enters Agreement With Gemini Ahead Of IPO — Here’s What We Know For now, however, the critical question remains: can ETH defend $4,000, or will supply pressure drag it into a deeper correction? Cover image from ChatGPT, ETHUSD chart from Tradingview
The judge cited ongoing cooperation of the defendants in the case as one of the reasons for unfreezing the stablecoins.
Ether price shows resilience despite macroeconomic uncertainty, with derivatives steady and onchain activity strengthening the prospect of a recovery.
Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss donated 188.4547 Bitcoin (BTC) worth $21 million to establish a new political action committee. Tyler announced the Digital Freedom Fund PAC on Aug. 20, positioning the group as a vehicle to “help realize President Donald Trump’s vision of making America the crypto capital of the world.” The PAC plans […]
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Armstrong joins Jack Dorsey and Cathie Wood in calling for explosive BTC growth, with Ark Invest projecting as high as $3.8M by decade’s end.
According to a Binance Research report, tokenized stocks are nearing a major inflection point reminiscent of the early days of decentralized finance.
The rationale behind token buybacks mirrors traditional corporate share repurchase programs, but the effectiveness shows mixed results.
Binance Coin (BNB) has hit a new all-time high (ATH) against all odds. The large-cap altcoin, with a fully diluted valuation of about $121 billion, surged over 4.4 percent on Wednesday to reach a new ATH of above $875 during the mid North American trading session. According to market data from Binance-backed CoinMarketCap, BNB’s daily …
Kraken’s acquisition will add natural-language trading automation to its Pro platform, as exchanges, miners and analytics companies move aggressively into AI.
The Gemini co-founders, with a combined net worth in the billions, have said they will make another political contribution in support of US President Donald Trump’s crypto agenda.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is moving in a different direction on crypto. Related Reading: Cardano Climbs To 8th, Pushing Dogecoin And TRON Down The Ranks Chair Paul Atkins confirmed that the agency will launch the President’s Digital Assets Group, a step he says will open a new chapter in US regulation. White House Roadmap According to Atkins, the first objective of the new group will be to carry out recommendations from the President’s Digital Asset Markets Working Group. His remarks came during the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, where he introduced what he called “Project Crypto” and promised to move away from regulation by enforcement. I had a great conversation with @TeresaGoody at @SALTConference’s Wyoming Blockchain Symposium today about my priorities as @SECgov chairman, including Project Crypto and making IPOs great again. It’s a new day at the SEC. Thread ????⬇️ pic.twitter.com/I7UIrjQFpT — Paul Atkins (@SECPaulSAtkins) August 19, 2025 Atkins stated the SEC will not rely on old methods. Instead, the commission intends to create rules that prevent abuse but remain flexible enough for technology’s rapid development. Atkins said the effort is part of US President Donald Trump’s extensive push for a more transparent policy on digital assets. Investor Protection And Innovation Atkins praised the administration for supporting a plan that he says balances investor protection with space for innovation. He added that cooperation with Congress, the White House, and other agencies will help keep US policy consistent and aligned with international standards. This is a clear contrast to the approach of his predecessor, Gary Gensler, who frequently said most tokens were securities under existing rules. Critics of Gensler’s stance argued it drove innovation overseas and created a climate of uncertainty. Atkins rejected that argument, saying very few tokens meet the definition of securities. The way tokens are packaged, marketed, and sold matters more, he explained. Flexible Rules For Developers The shift could make it easier for crypto projects to operate in the US without immediately being treated as securities. Reports show that the President’s DAWG released a roadmap in July urging regulators to introduce rules that encourage businesses while maintaining investor safeguards. Atkins said the SEC will stick closely to that roadmap. Related Reading: Analyst Says Shiba Inu’s $0.000010 Support Could Trigger Major Bounce Exemptions & Transparency He explained that the commission will provide exemptions, safe harbors, and new disclosure standards tailored for crypto companies. That would replace the “one-size-fits-all” system that has frustrated the industry for years. Activities such as ICOs, airdrops, network rewards, and building decentralized apps may be treated more flexibly under this plan. Atkins clarified that the new approach does not mean a free-for-all, but rather a structure designed to support responsible growth. Featured image from Meta, chart from TradingView