Crypto

The largest cryptocurrency surged 7.9% in a day to around $77,000, triggering a short squeeze that wiped out roughly $1.21 billion in bearish bets amid a wave of favorable news from Washington.

Meanwhile crypto majors and alts continue to soar, with BTC nearing $80k and alts like Pump and ZEC putting up big candles.

GPU-rental benchmarks may price one layer of AI capacity while HIVE and Riot retain project and financing exposure. The post Bitcoin miners are getting a new AI hedge, but it may protect them from the wrong risk appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Solana reduced its slot time for the first time since genesis as it works toward a 200-millisecond target aimed at reducing network latency. Solana reduced its slot time to 350 milliseconds, marking the first such reduction since the inception of the network, according to the Solana Foundation’s vice president of technology, Jacob Creech. “We’re in a new era of 350ms. Next stop, 300ms,” Creech said in a Friday X post. Average slot times on Solana stood at 360ms at press time, down from the network’s original 400ms target, according to the Solana slot time explorer. Read more

Ethereum has staged a sharp breakout from its multi-week consolidation, with ETH now trading around $2.4K after reclaiming the descending trendline that had capped the broader recovery. The move is supported by a strong acceleration in momentum and a noticeable rise in short liquidations, although the sharp increase in RSI readings suggests the rally could […]

Nomura-backed Laser Digital Japan received registration to provide domestic liquidity before expanding into institutional crypto trading. Nomura Group’s digital asset subsidiary, Laser Digital, received authorization to operate as a crypto asset exchange service provider under Japan’s Payment Services Act (PSA) A list issued by Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) on Friday showed that Laser Digital received the country’s first crypto exchange license in four years. The last platform to receive FSA authorization was Binance Japan in October 2022.  Japan’s crypto market is entering a “new phase of maturity,” creating a need for “trusted counterparties and infrastructure” as “institutional investors increase their interest in this asset class,” Jez Mohideen, co-founder and CEO of Laser Digital, said in a Friday press release. Read more

Binance’s employees were cleared and released after providing statements to UAE authorities about third-party fund flows through a company client account, a spokesperson told Cointelegraph. Binance employees detained in the United Arab Emirates were cleared and released after providing statements about third-party fund flows through a company client money account, a spokesperson for the exchange told Cointelegraph. The New York Times reported Thursday that two Binance employees were detained after being stopped at airports in the UAE amid police inquiries into possible financial crimes involving the exchange.  The employees were not the targets or subjects of what Binance described as “routine inquiries.” Read more

Justin Sun said on Aug. 20 that a California federal judge rejected World Liberty Financial's attempt to force all of his claims into private arbitration, keeping his individual allegations in open court. The public docket confirms World Liberty filed a motion to compel arbitration and a separate motion to seal case materials. That news arrives […] The post Justin Sun keeps World Liberty fight public as its $4 billion stablecoin bank awaits final approval appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Three weeks of review turned up problems unrelated to the flaw that cost users $114 million, but updating still does not make a compromised wallet safe.

Validators have been instructed to keep their mainnet nodes offline until a restart is officially announced.

Standard Chartered’s Geoff Kendrick said Bitcoin could move toward its $126,000 all-time high after Oct. 6 as spot Bitcoin ETF inflows recover. Bitcoin may move toward its all-time high of $126,000 before the end of the year, with the recovery potentially accelerating after Oct. 6, according to Geoff Kendrick, global head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered. Kendrick said in a Friday note shared with Cointelegraph that the latest rally has been driven largely by short liquidations, while inflows into spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have also started to recover. He said low open interest could leave room for more investors to return as prices rise. “For the first time this year there is now a risk my end year forecast (of USD100k) is too low,” Kendrick wrote. Read more

Bitcoin topped $70,000 after larger Treasury buybacks, but fading bond-market relief suggests the rally was driven by a short squeeze. The post Treasury’s $14 Billion Buyback Triggered a $3.5 Billion Crypto Short Squeeze appeared first on Cryptonews.

The crowd's bearish turn preceded ETH's latest surge, while the crypto asset's move higher has brought a closely watched level into focus.

XRP surges 22% to $1.30 on macro tailwinds. Breakdown of key resistance, support levels, and why traders are eyeing early-stage plays like Bitcoin Hyper. The post XRP Price Prediction: 22% Rally, But Ripple Still is Undervalued appeared first on Cryptonews.

Market watchers say sudden sharp price spikes and forced short liquidations are the classic signs of a bottom, though macro risks still remain.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey found 63% of Americans view the Trump family's crypto profits as inappropriate, with even half of the president's fellow Republicans saying his business interests sway his decisions.

President Donald Trump said Aug. 19 that CFTC Chair Michael Selig is working to bring Hyperliquid to the US in a fully compliant, legal way. Hyperliquid's official interface currently keeps US persons off the platform, part of the regulatory geography that let crypto's largest perpetual futures venue grow up outside American oversight. Hyperliquid processed over […] The post US rule rewrite looms for $200B on-chain venue Hyperliquid as Trump signals onshore approval appeared first on CryptoSlate.

After years of stalled bills, misguided enforcement, and catastrophic collapses, almost any comprehensive crypto legislation began to look like progress. But Clarity is turning that hunger for progress into a political trap, argues Berkeley Law lecturer Hermine Wong.

Your day-ahead look for Aug. 21, 2026

Bitcoin surged toward $80,000 on Friday, extending a three-day rally that has liquidated more than $4 billion in bearish bets and pushed the cryptocurrency to a three-month high. Data from CryptoSlate shows Bitcoin climbed as high as $78,449, gaining more than 10% over the past 24 hours before easing to $77,873 as of press time. […] The post Bitcoin is closing in on $80,000 and already destroyed a record $4 billion in short bets appeared first on CryptoSlate.