13 Aug 2025, 09:02

Options Whales Switch to Bull Mode : Ethereum (ETH) Expects New Record by This Date!

As the largest altcoin Ethereum (ETH) takes firm steps towards surpassing its 2021 ATH, investors' bullish expectations are increasing. At this point, ETH recorded a strong rally, while options traders increased their bullish positions. According to Deribit data, over $5 million was spent on $5,000 expiry options expiring on September 26. Accordingly, options traders predict that ETH will rise above $5,000 before the end of this quarter. Investors are also buying $5,500 and $6,000 futures options, according to the data. OTC platform Paradigm announced that a market participant purchased a December futures call option with a strike price of $7,500. Speaking to Coindesk, Amberdata derivatives director Greg Magadini said in his weekly note to clients that potential targets of $5,000 and $7,200 should be monitored for Etheruem. “With everyone sidelined on Ethereum and market sentiment completely down, there is still a huge amount of room for ETH to recover its losses. Initial targets are $5,000 (a new all-time high) and around $7,200 (ETH/BTC average price 0.06 assuming BTC is around $120,000). Santiment, on the other hand, noted that the persistent selling of retail investors during the Etheruem price increase attracted attention. At this point, according to Santiment, the ETH rally is characterized by continued selling by small investors. “Historically, prices move against the expectations of small investors. On June 16, 2025, and July 30, 2025, Ethereum experienced periods of extreme greed, leading to price corrections.” Stating that small investors are selling, Santiment added that big players are buying the ETHs sold by small investors and that further rise is on the way. Ethereum continues to trade at $4,620 at the time of writing. *This is not investment advice. Continue Reading: Options Whales Switch to Bull Mode : Ethereum (ETH) Expects New Record by This Date!

13 Aug 2025, 09:01

a16z, DeFi Education Fund Want SEC Safe Harbor for DEX, Crypto Wallet Devs

Two powerful forces in the D.C. crypto policy scene are seeking broker-dealer exemptions for dapp developers.

13 Aug 2025, 09:00

Bitcoin – Why BTC’s $156K–$168K year-end target looks likely

Soft CPI, $1T tariffs, and rate-cut bets - Will September spark Bitcoin’s breakout into price discovery?

13 Aug 2025, 09:00

A16z, DeFi Group Pitch U.S. SEC on Safe Harbor For DeFi Apps

Over its years of shepherding its portfolio firms through regulatory waters in the U.S., Andresseen Horowitz (a16z) has made several proposals to keep securities laws off of crypto activity, and a new petition to the Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking such protection for decentralized finance (DeFi) websites and mobile applications. The request, sent in cooperation with the DeFi Education Fund on Wednesday, follows a surge in DeFi support from the White House and SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, encouraging this corner of the crypto sector to move forward without onerous regulatory headwinds. President Donald Trump's administration produced a recent crypto report that included recommendations to "provide relief for certain DeFi service providers" from broker-dealer registration rules. "The guiding principle of the safe harbor is that only those apps which do not engender the risks that the Exchange Act’s broker-dealer regulatory regime was designed to address should be eligible; in such cases, registration as a broker under the Exchange Act is unwarranted and inappropriate," according to the proposal. In March, a16z sent a lengthy letter to the SEC's Crypto Task Force outlining the firm's preferences for safe harbors for network tokens and airdrops, and another proposal asked for an exempt space for non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The Andreessen Horowitz crypto arm also has invested in DeFi companies, including Uniswap and Maker. Trump's SEC chief, Atkins, has promised to begin taking crypto-friendly actions, even in the absence of the long-awaited congressional legislation to fully establish digital assets regulations in the U.S. — an effort still underway in the Senate, following a recent House vote to approve such a bill. Atkins said his agency is starting "Project Crypto" to get its initiatives underway. Read More: A16z Crypto Leads $15M Seed Round Into Decentralized AI Data Layer Poseidon

13 Aug 2025, 08:59

OKB Soars Nearly 170% in an Hour After OKX Announces 65M Token Burn

OKB, a global utility token issued by the OKX, surged nearly 170% within an hour on Wednesday after the platform revealed a sweeping tokenomics overhaul, including a one-time burn of more than 65 million tokens. Key Takeaways: OKB surged nearly 170% in an hour after OKX announced a 65M token burn. The “PP upgrade” to X Layer boosts throughput to 5,000 TPS, slashes gas fees, and improves Ethereum compatibility. OKX will phase out OKTChain and Ethereum L1 OKB while expanding X Layer’s ecosystem. According to data from CoinMarketCap , OKB jumped from around $47 to $126 on the news, lifting its 24-hour gain to 172%. The burn will permanently reduce OKB’s total supply to 21 million, marking one of the largest supply cuts in the token’s history. OKX Unveils ‘PP Upgrade’ to X Layer with Latest Polygon CDK Integration Alongside the burn, OKX detailed a major upgrade to its Polygon-powered zkEVM public chain, X Layer, integrating the latest Polygon CDK technology in what it calls the “PP upgrade .” The improvements increase throughput to 5,000 transactions per second, lower gas fees to near zero, and enhance Ethereum compatibility for developers. X Layer will be embedded across OKX Wallet, OKX Exchange, and OKX Pay, introducing features such as gasless withdrawals for USDT and other major assets. As part of the restructuring, OKX will decommission OKTChain due to overlapping functions, halting OKT trading on August 13, 2025, with automatic conversions to OKB starting August 15. We are making a strategic upgrade to @XLayerOfficial , aiming to build a leading public chain focused on DeFi, payments, and RWAs. Key updates: 1️⃣ Underlying tech – PP upgrade 2️⃣ Ecosystem development strategy 3️⃣ Deep integration with OKX Wallet, OKX Exchange & OKX Pay 4️⃣… pic.twitter.com/OU4EpKtuJz — OKX (@okx) August 13, 2025 The chain will remain active until January 1, 2026, for final token deposits and conversions. The tokenomics revamp will also see OKB remain the sole gas and native token for X Layer while phasing out its Ethereum L1 version. Users will need to bridge their tokens to X Layer via OKX before Ethereum L1 withdrawals are disabled. OKX plans to bolster the ecosystem with a dedicated fund, liquidity incentives, and upgraded infrastructure, including cross-chain bridges, oracles, and compliance tools, in a bid to position X Layer as a leading network for DeFi, payments, and real-world asset applications. OKX Integrates PayPal for Zero-Fee Crypto Purchases in Europe In July, OKX partnered with PayPal to allow users in the European Economic Area to buy and deposit cryptocurrencies directly through the payments platform. The move aims to simplify the buying process by offering familiar, localized payment methods such as PayPal balance, linked bank accounts, and cards, with no extra setup needed once accounts are connected. The initiative follows the exchange’s recent Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) registration , ensuring full compliance with EU digital asset regulations. Circle Internet Group and OKX have also announced a partnership aimed at expanding access to and liquidity for the USDC stablecoin. The collaboration will introduce 1:1 conversions between USD and USDC on the OKX platform, improving trading efficiency and accessibility for the platform’s more than 60 million global users. A key component of the partnership is the integration of direct 1:1 USD-to-USDC and USDC-to-USD conversions on OKX’s trading platform. The post OKB Soars Nearly 170% in an Hour After OKX Announces 65M Token Burn appeared first on Cryptonews .

13 Aug 2025, 08:58

Bitcoin (BTC) Holds Strong Above Bull Flag: Rally coming?

Bitcoin (BTC) has broken out of its bull flag. However, the initial rally was stopped in its tracks and the price action has returned to sit above the $119,000 support level. Is a real rally still on the way? Could the CME gap down to $117,000 still be filled? Source: TradingView A strong rally is probably on the cards for the $BTC price . However, there may be some housekeeping to do first, in the form of a quick dip down to close the recent CME gap that stretches from $119,000 down to just over $117,000. If the $BTC price did take this particular route, the potential dip would likely coincide with a retest of the top trendline of the bull flag, so probably no harm done. CME gaps aren’t always filled, but most of the time they are. It just remains to be seen in this particular instance whether the market will want to take off to the upside, or whether it can be held for a last little dip. $BTC is currently respecting an ascending trendline (faint dotted line), so if the price falls through this line, it could be a sign that a retrace to $117,000 might be about to take place. On the other hand, if the price lifts off from this trendline, and given the strong bullish fervour in the market, it just might not come back. Horizontal support can favour the gap fill Source: TradingView The daily chart illustrates that things are relatively serene for $BTC . That said, the Stochastic RSI indicators are perhaps shaping to turn back down. They have not quite reached the top so this remains to be seen. The blue 50-day SMA is travelling up, and it could act as support again if there was more than a slight dip in price. Also on the subject of support, it can be seen that the lower part of the horizontal support band would not be far from the bottom of the CME gap. Could these particular stars be aligning? A very bullish 2-week chart Source: TradingView Zooming a lot further out, the 2-week chart continues to look bullish for the $BTC price . In the price action it can be observed that should this two-week period close more or less as is, the current candle will envelop the previous one. If one looks back to the previous bull flag, a similar enveloping candle was what took the price up to the next bull flag. At the bottom of the chart, the Relative Strength Index reveals that the indicator line is right up against the descending trendline. A breakthrough here would likely result in a strong surge to the upside. Watch this closely. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.