Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Ondos $6B perps debut passes Aster and Lighter – Can it challenge Hyperliquid？

Ondo Finance officially launched its perps DEX trading platform less than a month ago. However, it is slowly cementing its place as a top perps DEX platform, even though its price is lagging.　　Because of these factors, the native token, ONDO, commands a market cap of $1.87 billion even in a bearish market. Its daily perps DEX volume has been growing alongside its Open Interest (OI), suggesting it could soon compete with established platforms.　　What‘s fueling Ondo’s Perps volume and OI growth？　　Ondos perps volume has doubled from the launch volume recorded on July 7. The volume rose from $128 million to over $300 million, which is equivalent to more than a 2x increase.　　As a result, the cumulative Ondo perps volume hit a new high of $5.996 billion three weeks after its launch.　　On July 31, it was fourth among all perp DEXs in terms of the volume of tokenized equities traded, ahead of Lighter [LIT] and AsterDEX [ASTER].　　Additionally, its OI hit a new peak level of $74.77 million. This was an indication that Ondo perps DEX was becoming traders preferred platform.　　Source: DeFiLlama　　Tokenized equities, indices, and commodities fueled the sharp increase in perps volume. They included instruments like Nvidia, Tesla, oil, gold, and the

08-02Industry

South Korea Stablecoin Outflows Extend to 18 Months as Offshore Demand Grows

TLDR:South Korea posted a 560.3 billion won net stablecoin outflow in June, extending the trend to 18 months.Cumulative net stablecoin transfers since January 2025 reached about 14.9 trillion won, according to data.June outflows equaled 77.6% of Korean retail investors net purchases of foreign shares during the month.Offshore platforms attract Korean traders with derivatives, DeFi, staking, and tokenized asset products.　　South Korea recorded an 18th straight month of net stablecoin transfers to overseas exchanges in June, underscoring sustained demand for offshore crypto products. The five largest won-based exchanges sent 2.7625 trillion won abroad and received 2.2022 trillion won, producing a 560.3 billion won net outflow.　　Although Junes total remained below several 2025 peaks, the uninterrupted direction of transfers carried greater significance than the monthly size alone. Reported figures showed monthly net outflows ranging from 459.3 billion won in July 2025 to 1.2049 trillion won in February 2025.　　South Korean Stablecoins Post 18 Straight Months of Net Outflows to Overseas Exchanges　　According to Yonhap News Agency, South Koreas five major won-based crypto exchanges sent 2.7625 trillion won in stablecoins to overseas platforms in June 2026, while receiving 2.2022 trillion　　Across the full period beginning in January 2025, cumulative net transfers reached about 14.9 trillion won, based on

08-02Industry

Funding stock buybacks by selling your primary reserve asset is a dangerous game, but Lite Strategy just pulled it off without using a dime of debt

Lite Strategy, a Nasdaq-listed company that holds Litecoin as its primary reserve asset, spent about $5.4 million repurchasing roughly 4.9 million shares through July 17. The company funded the purchases with an undisclosed mix of LTC sales and covered-call premiums.　　The transaction shrank Lite Strategys reported Litecoin holdings but appears to have lifted LTC backing per outstanding common share by about 1.7%.　　In a July 30 filing, the company said it paid an average of $1.11 and retired about 13% of the shares outstanding when the program began, without using debt. It reported 819,070 LTC and 31,882,648 outstanding common shares as of July 17.　　Lite Strategy reported 929,548 LTC at Dec. 31, after the buyback had begun. Adding the rounded 4.9 million repurchases to the July count produces an implied starting share count of about 36.78 million, assuming no offsetting changes in common shares.　　That proxy rises from roughly 0.02527 LTC to 0.02569 LTC per outstanding common share, an increase of about 0.00042 LTC, or 1.66%. The estimate combines a Dec. 31 treasury snapshot with a reconstructed share count based on a rounded repurchase total.　　The arithmetic hinges on a small gap between two declines. Reported LTC holdings fell 11.89% from Dec. 31 to July

08-02Industry

Russian decree bans crypto mining across Moscow region through 2032

Quick TakeA Russian government decree will prohibit crypto mining and participation in mining pools across Moscow and the surrounding region starting on Aug. 15 and continuing through the end of 2032.Regional energy officials had estimated that mining consumes 1 GW of power and could contribute to future electricity shortages.　　The Russian government has issued a decree banning crypto mining and participation in mining pools in Moscow, the surrounding Moscow region, and parts of the Kursk region from Aug. 15 until the end of 2032.　　The more than six-year ban will expand restrictions aimed at curbing the crypto mining industry‘s pressure on local electricity networks. The decree, Government Decree No. 936, was dated July 25 and published on Russia’s official legal information portal on Friday.　　The decree covers the capital city of Moscow and the entirety of the surrounding Moscow Oblast. It also applies to eight municipal districts in Kursk Oblast and the city of Lgov.　　The measure finalizes a proposal published by the countrys Energy Ministry in late June, which included an explanatory note that said the affected territories could face electricity shortages if the mining activities were not prohibited year-round.　　Mining consumes estimated 1 GW on Moscow grid　　The energy minister for Moscow Oblast, Sergei

08-02Industry

Lido – Can LDO recover after its 9% daily loss？ THESE metrics say…

Lido [LDO] has been on the decline, extending a 9% loss for holders on August 1. The drop arrives just after the asset closed in July on a positive note, posting over 30% in gains.　　The decline remains open to question. Does it reflect a structural shift, or does it simply mirror the bearish sentiment across the broader crypto market, weighing on price？ AMBCrypto examined on-chain inputs to gauge whether the market leans bullish or bearish.　　Lidos falling TVL still points to a bullish base　　The recent decline in LDO has followed a comparable drop in the protocols total value locked. TVL measures the health of a protocol through the deposits locked on-chain.　　To put this in perspective, the TVL fell by $414 million over the past day, bringing it down to $17.573 billion. What matters, though, is the broader outlook, where dominance remains strong and the recent dip fits the structure seen across the last 30 days.Source: DeFiLlama　　Over the past 31 days, the market recorded roughly $3.247 billion in total inflows. In context, this translates to an average daily inflow of about $104.74 million, which shaped the market outlook.　　The past days decline resembles the pattern seen throughout the period, raising a strong possibility

08-02Industry

Michael Saylor Rejects Report of New Strategy Bitcoin Sale Approval

Key TakeawaysSaylor identified the reported $5 billion authorization as old news.The June framework permits bitcoin sales but requires none.Earlier sales funded preferred dividends and rebuilt cash reserves.　　Saylor Pushes Back on Viral Bitcoin Sale Claim　　Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor pushed back Aug. 1 on reports that Strategy Inc. (Nasdaq: MSTR) had newly authorized up to $5 billion in bitcoin sales. His response followed a widely circulated social media post that presented the companys existing capital-management framework as a fresh decision, prompting concern about potential selling pressure.　　Saylor characterized the claim as recycled information and explained that the authorization was announced June 29 as part of the companys Digital Credit Capital Framework. He reiterated that the program permits bitcoin sales for defined corporate purposes and that Strategy had announced no additional bitcoin sale authorization.　　Filing Shows How the Program Operates　　A July 6 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recorded 3,588 bitcoin sold for $216 million between June 29 and July 5, following Strategy‘s first bitcoin sale since 2022 of 32 BTC to help fund preferred-stock dividend payments. It later issued $263.5 million in common stock without purchasing additional bitcoin, opting instead to increase cash reserves and liquidity. Those actions reflected the

08-01Industry

Crypto Hacks Drain $1.1B in First Half of 2026 Amid 212 Security Incidents

North Korea-linked attackers accounted for more than half of all stolen crypto funds in the first half of 2026.　　The first half of 2026 was the most active six months for crypto exploits on record.　　This is according to a new report from Blockaid, which shows hackers stole $1.1 billion across 212 incidents.　　Crypto Hacks Top $1.1B in H1 2026　　The Blockaid report found that four major incidents involving KelpDAO, Drift, Resolv, and CoW Swap made up roughly $707 million of the total losses.　　KelpDAO suffered the largest loss, after hackers stole $292 million worth of crypto by faking a cross-chain message that siphoned off the protocols Ethereum reserves. Drift Protocol, a perpetuals exchange built on the Solana chain, also suffered a similarly huge hit, as it was exploited for $285 million within 12 minutes.　　Blockaid linked both cases to TraderTraitor, a state-sponsored North Korean subset of the larger Lazarus Group. Humanity Protocols $32 million loss was also connected to the same attacker cluster, bringing DPRK-linked losses to $609 million, which is about 55% of all funds stolen during the period.　　The pace of attacks also increased through the year, with monthly incidents going from 18 in January to 57 in June. April proved to be the

08-01Industry

Audiera jumps 17% as whales buy $25M BEAT – Next target is…

Audiera has continued its price recovery since it defended the $2.4 support level days ago. The altcoin extended the bullish streak, hitting a six-week high of $4.72.　　With this price hike, the altcoin effectively cleared all July losses. In fact, as of this writing, Audiera was trading around $4.63, marking a 17.32% jump on the daily charts.　　Over the same period, the market cap climbed 25% to $1.5 billion, indicating steady capital inflows.　　Audiera extends bullish streak amid whale accumulation spree　　Audiera [BEAT] has been on a strong bullish streak, driven by sustained accumulation by whales. Since reclaiming $4, whales have consistently jumped and defended higher price levels.　　On 30th July, Audiera whales purchased $25 million worth of BEAT according to NTSchain. The same demand continued, and on the 31st, whales withdrew over 2.4 million BEAT as OxInchain reported.　　As August started, this whale demand has remained steady. According to Nazoku, a newly created wallet withdrew 500k BEAT worth more than $2 million from Gate.　　Source: Debank　　Such a sustained period of whale accumulation suggests that high-net-worth investors are bullish and actively pushing Audiera higher.　　Furthermore, spot activity also echoes this whale accumulation spree. According to Coinglass data, Audiera Spot Netflow has remained negative for four consecutive days.　　Source: CoinGlass　　This

08-01Industry

Monad Just Hit $831 Million TVL All-Time High After Phantom Ends Platform Support

Monad just posted a genuine all-time high in total value locked, the kind of number that usually gets celebrated across every crypto news outlet without much scrutiny.　　At almost the exact same time, one of the industry‘s most widely used wallets announced it’s dropping support for that same network entirely. I don‘t think that’s a coincidence worth glossing over, and I think understanding both sides is the only way to actually judge whether Monads momentum is real.　　The Numbers Behind Monads New $831 Million High　　Monads total value locked has reached a new all-time high of $831 million, according to a recent update from CertiK.　　I think the scale of this jump deserves context. Just weeks earlier, Monad‘s TVL was being reported around $477 million, and before that, around $800 million with roughly $3,000 a day in fee revenue. Crossing $831 million now represents a genuinely fast climb, even by the standards of a chain that’s spent most of this year growing quickly.　　The data behind that headline number breaks down across two distinct categories, and I think both are worth understanding separately, because they tell somewhat different stories about where the growth is actually coming from.　　Lending Protocols Are Driving The Surge　　Over the past month,

08-01Industry

Strategy Holds STRC Dividend at 12% as Stock Stays Below Par

Key TakeawaysStrategy held STRCs dividend rate at 12% for August 2026, its highest rate since the July 2025 launch.STRC closed at $89.46 on July 31, about 10-11% below its $100 par value.Experts have warned the ratchet mechanism creates “a structure with a finite number of cycles.”　　A Rate That Keeps Climbing but Cant Reverse　　Strategy (Nasdaq: MSTR) Executive Chairman Michael Saylor confirmed on August 1 that the Stretch Dividend Rate for STRC, the companys Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock, will hold at 12.00% for August 2026. STRC launched in July 2025 at a 9% rate and has climbed through seven consecutive monthly increases since, reaching 12% for record dates beginning July 1, 2026.　　Image source: X　　The increases follow a ratchet mechanism, i.e. the dividend rises 0.5% whenever STRC trades below $95, and once triggered, an increase cannot be reversed even if the price recovers. Strategy resets the rate monthly to push STRCs price back toward its $100 par value and strip out volatility, a mechanism the company depends on to issue new STRC shares through its at-the-market (ATM) program and raise fresh capital for bitcoin purchases.　　STRC is one of several preferred stock instruments, alongside STRK, STRF and STRD, that Strategy has

08-01Industry

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