The long wick below $109,000 signalled “solid buy pressure,“ suggesting that bulls are aggressively defending this support level.
Analyst Rekt Capital said that it was important for Bitcoin to reclaim $114,000 as support to avoid a prolonged correction period.
“Turning $114K into new resistance would prolong the pullback period,” the analyst said in a Thursday X post, adding:
“This has been a cycle of downside deviation, so all it comes down to is Bitcoin Weekly Closing above $114K for bullish bias.”
BTC/USD weekly chart. Source: Rekt Capital
Bitcoin bears want to pull price down to $103,000
As Cointelegraph reported, Bitcoin’s price outlook hinged on holding above $112,000.
Similar sentiments were shared by MN Capital founder Michael van de Poppe, who spotted Bitcoin trading at $112,800 on Thursday and said that the support at $112,000 was “crucial” for BTC price.
“If Bitcoin can’t hold above $112K, we’ll probably face a very ugly correction across the board.”
BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Michael van de Poppe
Bitcoin had dipped below this support as of Friday, validating a bear flag on the four-hour chart, as shown.
A bear flag suggests a continuation of the bearish momentum, with sellers taking control.
Note that the price was rejected from the upper boundary of the flag, which is around $114,000, and has dropped below the lower boundary, which coincides with $112,000.
The measured move target from the pattern suggests a potential decline toward $103,700, representing a 6% drop from the current level.
Liquidation data shows bid clusters all the way down to $104,000, suggesting that BTC price is likely to sink deeper to grab liquidity around this level.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
Avalanche’s transaction growth surpassed all other blockchain networks this week, signaling more investor mindshare rotating to the smart-contract blockchain’s utility token, as it also saw increasing governmental adoption.
Avalanche, a smart-contract blockchain aiming to improve scalability and usability, has emerged as the crypto market’s fastest–growing blockchain network.
Transactions on Avalanche rose over 66% during the past week, surpassing 11.9 million transactions across over 181,300 active addresses, wrote crypto intelligence platform Nansen, in a Friday X post.
The increased transactions may signal more incoming investor interest in the Avalanche (AVAX) token, catalyzed by Avalanche’s latest governmental implementation and renewed exchange-traded fund (ETF) filings around the altcoin.
On Thursday, the US Department of Commerce announced that it will begin posting real gross domestic product (GDP) data on decentralized blockchains, including Avalanche.
Starting with the data from July 2025, the GDP reports will be published on nine public blockchain networks, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Avalanche, Solana, Tron, Stella, Arbitrum One, Polygon PoS and Optimism, wrote the Department in a Thursday announcement, adding:
“This is the first time a federal agency has published economic statistical data like this on the blockchain, and the latest way the Department is utilizing innovative technology to protect federal data and promote public use.”
The Department of Commerce called it a “landmark effort” that may “demonstrate the wide utility of blockchain technology” and serve as a “proof-of-concept for all of government,” to build on the US President Donald Trump administration’s vision of making the US the “blockchain capital of the world.”
An excerpt from the title page of the S-1 for Grayscale Avalanche Trust (AVAX). Source: SEC
Other potential developments catalyzing investor interest include crypto investment firm Grayscale’s updated S-1 filing for a spot Avalanche exchange-traded fund, which was submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, Cointelegraph reported.
Transactions on second-place Starknet increased by 37%, while the Viction network emerged in third with an expansion of over 35%.
The Base network was sixth in terms of growth, but ranked first in terms of transaction count, with over 64 million transactions over the past week, Nansen data showed.
Blockchain could make America’s economic data immutable
Publishing economic data on the blockchain will make these reports “immutable,” wrote US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, adding:
“We are making America’s economic truth immutable and globally accessible like never before, cementing our role as the blockchain capital of the world. And everybody has to admit that 3.3% GDP growth is impressive.”
“It’s only fitting that the Commerce Department and President Donald Trump, the Crypto-President, publicly release economic statistical data on the blockchain,” added Lutnick after the historic announcement.
US GDP hash on nine public blockchains. Source: commerce.gov
AAVE price prediction suggests upside to $370-$400 range if key $340 resistance breaks, though bearish momentum indicators warrant caution in near-term trading.
AAVE Price Prediction Summary
• AAVE short-term target (1 week): $340-$350 (+10-14% from current $308.19)
• Aave medium-term forecast (1 month): $370-$400 range if resistance breaks, or $268-$275 if support fails
• Key level to break for bullish continuation: $340 resistance zone
• Critical support if bearish: $275.76 immediate support, $245.00 strong support
Recent Aave Price Predictions from Analysts
The latest AAVE price prediction consensus from multiple analysts shows remarkable alignment around the $370-$400 target range. Both Blockchain.News and CoinDCX issued identical forecasts targeting this zone, contingent upon AAVE breaking above the critical $340 resistance level with strong volume confirmation.
However, the Aave forecast landscape includes a notable contrarian view from Price Forecast Bot, which projects weakness toward $268.87 within one month. This bearish outlook represents a significant deviation from the bullish consensus, highlighting the current technical uncertainty facing AAVE.
CoinCodex provides a more conservative near-term AAVE price target of $343.77, representing a 14.88% gain that aligns with the key resistance breakout scenario. The convergence of multiple analysts around similar price levels suggests these technical zones carry significant weight for future price action.
AAVE Technical Analysis: Setting Up for Breakout or Breakdown
Current Aave technical analysis reveals a cryptocurrency positioned at a critical juncture. Trading at $308.19, AAVE sits between its 20-day SMA ($314.17) and 50-day SMA ($301.79), indicating short-term consolidation within a broader uptrend context.
The Bollinger Bands configuration shows AAVE positioned at 0.43 on the %B indicator, suggesting the price remains in the lower half of the trading range with room for upward movement toward the upper band at $355.73. This positioning supports the bullish case for testing higher resistance levels.
However, momentum indicators present mixed signals. The RSI at 49.63 sits in neutral territory, neither oversold nor overbought, while the MACD histogram at -0.6195 indicates bearish momentum divergence. The Stochastic oscillators (%K: 29.42, %D: 36.02) suggest potential oversold conditions that could support a bounce.
Volume analysis from Binance shows $67.3 million in 24-hour trading, which needs to increase significantly to confirm any breakout above the $340 resistance zone that analysts are targeting.
Aave Price Targets: Bull and Bear Scenarios
Bullish Case for AAVE
The primary AAVE price target for bulls focuses on the $370-$400 range, representing 20-30% upside from current levels. This scenario requires AAVE to first break above immediate resistance at $340, followed by clearing the 52-week high zone around $383.53.
Technical support for this bullish Aave forecast comes from the strong overall trend classification and the significant distance above the 200-day SMA ($236.66), indicating underlying strength. The Average True Range (ATR) of $22.36 suggests sufficient volatility to achieve these price targets within the projected timeframes.
For the bullish case to materialize, AAVE needs sustained volume above average levels and RSI momentum to shift above 60, confirming buyer strength. The MACD histogram must also turn positive to validate the upward momentum.
Bearish Risk for Aave
The contrarian AAVE price prediction targeting $268.87 represents a 13% decline from current levels and aligns closely with the immediate support zone at $275.76. This bearish scenario becomes probable if AAVE fails to hold above its 20-day moving average and experiences a volume-driven breakdown.
Critical support levels to monitor include the immediate support at $275.76 and the strong support at $245.00. A break below $275 would likely trigger algorithmic selling and test the resolve of long-term holders around the $245 level.
Risk factors supporting the bearish case include the current MACD histogram divergence, the recent 6.22% daily decline, and the failure to sustain momentum above the 7-day SMA at $329.59.
Should You Buy AAVE Now? Entry Strategy
Based on current Aave technical analysis, the decision to buy or sell AAVE depends on risk tolerance and timeframe. Conservative investors should wait for a confirmed break above $340 with strong volume before establishing positions, targeting the $370-$400 range.
Aggressive traders might consider accumulated positions between current levels ($308) and the immediate support at $275.76, using a stop-loss below $270 to limit downside risk. This approach provides a favorable risk-reward ratio if the bullish scenario unfolds.
Position sizing should account for the 24-hour ATR of $22.36, suggesting potential daily moves of 7-8%. Risk management requires stops below $275 for new long positions, while profit targets should be set in stages: $340, $370, and $400.
AAVE Price Prediction Conclusion
The most probable AAVE price prediction suggests a test of $340 resistance within one week, with a medium confidence level for reaching the $370-$400 range if this level breaks convincingly. The Aave forecast timeline extends to early September 2025 for achieving these bullish targets.
Key indicators to watch for confirmation include RSI moving above 55, MACD histogram turning positive, and sustained volume above $80 million daily. Invalidation of the bullish case occurs with a break below $275.76 support, which would shift focus to the bearish AAVE price target near $268.
The overall assessment maintains a cautiously bullish bias given the strong underlying trend, but acknowledges the near-term technical uncertainty reflected in current momentum indicators. Traders should prepare for increased volatility as AAVE approaches these critical technical levels over the next two weeks.
Lido DAO shows mixed signals with RSI at 46.47 and bearish MACD, but analysts maintain bullish LDO price prediction targets of $1.75-$2.10 within weeks.
LDO Price Prediction Summary
• LDO short-term target (1 week): $1.32-$1.37 (+9-13% from current $1.21)
• Lido DAO medium-term forecast (1 month): $1.75-$2.10 range (+45-74%)
• Key level to break for bullish continuation: $1.63 strong resistance
• Critical support if bearish: $1.16 lower Bollinger Band, then $0.69 major support
Recent Lido DAO Price Predictions from Analysts
The cryptocurrency analyst community shows remarkable consensus in their LDO price prediction outlook despite current market weakness. CoinCodex maintains the most conservative near-term target at $1.57, representing a 30% upside from current levels, backed by 94% of technical indicators showing bullish sentiment.
More aggressive Lido DAO forecast models from e-bitcoin and BTCC converge on the $1.75-$2.10 range for medium-term targets, driven by technical momentum and fundamental catalysts in the liquid staking sector. The most optimistic projection comes from PricePredictions.com, which sets an ambitious LDO price target of $3.78, citing potential BlackRock ETF staking approval as a major catalyst.
BlockchainReporter’s long-term projection of $9.239 by year-end represents the most bullish scenario, though this appears disconnected from current technical realities. The analyst consensus suggests realistic upside potential of 45-74% over the next month, making the $1.75-$2.10 range the most credible Lido DAO forecast.
LDO Technical Analysis: Setting Up for Oversold Bounce
Current Lido DAO technical analysis reveals a token caught between conflicting signals. The daily RSI at 46.47 sits in neutral territory, avoiding oversold conditions that would typically trigger aggressive selling. However, the MACD histogram at -0.0332 indicates bearish momentum continues to dominate short-term price action.
The Bollinger Bands configuration tells a compelling story for the LDO price prediction. With LDO trading at just 0.11 position within the bands, the token hugs the lower boundary at $1.16, suggesting oversold conditions on a volatility-adjusted basis. This positioning historically precedes mean reversion moves toward the middle band at $1.37.
Volume analysis supports the oversold bounce thesis. The 24-hour trading volume of $21.2 million on Binance represents healthy liquidity, while the -5.59% daily decline appears to be exhausting seller interest near key support levels. The moving average structure shows LDO below short-term SMAs but crucially above the 200-day SMA at $1.01, maintaining the longer-term uptrend.
Lido DAO Price Targets: Bull and Bear Scenarios
Bullish Case for LDO
The primary bullish scenario targets the $1.75-$2.10 range, aligning with multiple analyst projections. This LDO price target requires breaking above the immediate resistance at $1.63, which coincides with the strong resistance level identified in the technical data.
A successful break above $1.63 would likely trigger momentum toward the first target of $1.75, representing the lower bound of the analyst consensus range. The 50-day SMA at $1.16 has already been reclaimed, providing a foundation for the next leg higher. Volume expansion above 30 million daily would confirm institutional accumulation supporting higher prices.
The maximum bullish target of $2.10 becomes achievable if Ethereum staking demand accelerates and LDO benefits from its dominant market position in liquid staking derivatives. This scenario would require sustained buying pressure and a broader cryptocurrency market recovery.
Bearish Risk for Lido DAO
The bearish scenario activates if LDO fails to hold the lower Bollinger Band at $1.16. A breakdown below this level would target the next major support at $0.69, representing a 43% decline from current levels.
Warning signs for this LDO price prediction include RSI falling below 40, MACD histogram deepening into negative territory, and daily volume dropping below $15 million. A broader cryptocurrency market correction or negative developments in Ethereum staking regulations could trigger this downside scenario.
The critical support cluster between $1.16-$1.20 must hold to maintain the bullish medium-term outlook. Any daily close below $1.16 would invalidate the current Lido DAO forecast and suggest deeper correction ahead.
Should You Buy LDO Now? Entry Strategy
Based on current Lido DAO technical analysis, the optimal entry strategy involves scaling into positions near key support levels. Conservative buyers should consider initial positions between $1.20-$1.25, with additional accumulation planned if LDO retests the $1.16 lower Bollinger Band.
More aggressive traders can buy LDO on any bounce above $1.32 (7-day SMA) with tight stop-losses below $1.16. This approach capitalizes on the oversold bounce while maintaining defined risk parameters.
Position sizing should reflect the mixed technical picture. Consider allocating 50% of intended position size immediately, with remaining funds deployed on either higher confirmation above $1.37 or lower accumulation near $1.16. Stop-loss levels should be set below $1.10 to account for volatility while protecting against major breakdown scenarios.
LDO Price Prediction Conclusion
The LDO price prediction for September 2025 maintains a cautiously bullish outlook with medium confidence. The convergence of analyst targets in the $1.75-$2.10 range, combined with oversold technical conditions, supports a 45-74% upside potential over the next month.
Key indicators to monitor include RSI breaking above 50 for momentum confirmation, MACD histogram turning positive, and daily volume consistently exceeding $25 million. Failure to reclaim the $1.37 middle Bollinger Band within two weeks would weaken the bullish case.
The timeline for this Lido DAO forecast spans 2-4 weeks, with initial targets of $1.57-$1.63 expected within the first week if momentum builds. The broader $1.75-$2.10 range becomes achievable by late September, assuming favorable market conditions and continued strength in the Ethereum ecosystem.
What are crypto swaps, crypto bridges and conversion tools?
We are well past the halfway mark of 2025, and crypto swaps are everywhere. But is that just hype, or does the data back it up? And what exactly is a crypto swap, and how does it differ from bridging or exchanging?
In Q2 2025, decentralized exchanges (DEXs) saw a huge 25.3% jump in spot trading volume, hitting over $876 billion. Around the same time, centralized exchanges (CEXs) dropped almost 28%, ending the quarter at $3.9 trillion.
A clear trend can be uncovered here: More people are choosing direct crypto swaps over the traditional “sell to fiat, then buy again” method.
A crypto swap is a direct, wallet-to-wallet exchange of one digital asset for another — no fiat currency, no order books and no third-party custody. Instead of selling your Bitcoin (BTC) for dollars and then buying Ether (ETH),you swap BTC for ETH in a single step.
When people talk about converting crypto, they often mean selling into fiat or using a platform’s internal “conversion” tool, which may add hidden fees, delays or intermediaries.
Swapping bypasses these issues, especially when paired with cross-chain swap or bridge crypto solutions for moving assets between different blockchains.
Benefits of swapping vs. traditional trading
Here’s why many users prefer a decentralized swap over trading through an exchange.
Lower fees: Swaps often avoid high trading fees and markups. You will usually only pay small network or smart contract gas costs.
Better liquidity access: It avoids thin order books and price slippage. Automated market maker-based swaps tap into liquidity pools, making transactions smoother.
Non-custodial control: You keep your own private keys. No Know Your Customer (KYC) process, no trusting a centralized exchange to hold your funds.
Faster transactions: With most onchain swaps, the process is almost instant. You don’t have to deal with multi-step conversions or wait for fiat settlements.
Risks of swapping cryptocurrencies
While swapping is quick and cost-effective, there are still risks to be aware of.
Smart contract vulnerabilities: If the DEX or bridge uses faulty code, funds could be at risk.
Slippage on large trades: Bigger swaps can still move the market, especially on low-liquidity pairs.
Limited advanced features: Swaps aren’t built for complex trading strategies.
That’s why the best cross-chain bridges of 2025 and swap platforms focus on security audits, deep liquidity pools and protective measures like front-running prevention.
Ultimately, for most users, the combination of speed, low cost and keeping custody makes swapping crypto (especially across chains) more appealing than traditional trading.
How are crypto swaps changing in 2025?
Swaps have come a long way. The best platforms now scan across chains, bridges and rollups to give you better rates with less risk.
Symbiosis.finance, for example, taps into liquidity from layer 1s, layer-2 bridges and both Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and non-EVM networks to tighten rates and cut risks.
This means users can perform cross-chain swaps without ever touching a separate bridge interface.
One of the most notable upgrades is that Symbiosis built its own blockchain (the SIS chain) to manage and swap bridge logic internally. This has two big benefits:
Consistent, predictable fees instead of fluctuating bridge charges
Faster, more reliable execution for cross-chain transactions.
Security stays decentralized. The network runs on a delegated proof-of-stake (PoS) model, where tokenholders can act as validators or delegate to others. This spreads out responsibility, reduces the risk of centralized control and aligns incentives for honest participation.
This architecture eliminates the need for traditional pooled-asset bridges, a type of decentralized bridge that has been a common target for exploits in recent years.
Also, by integrating chain bridging protocols directly into its own blockchain, Symbiosis removes several points of failure while keeping the user experience fast and straightforward.
In short, the best cross-chain bridges of 2025 have become about making swaps as easy as a single click, while quietly solving the complex cross-chain interoperability and security challenges in the background.
Did you know? Symbiosis operates a peer-to-peer Relayers Network that runs offchain alongside its smart contracts. This network uses multi‑party computation (MPC) and threshold signature schemes (TSS) to validate cross-chain operations; relayers stake SIS tokens and earn rewards.
Other modern options for cross-chain swaps
While platforms like Symbiosis have set a high standard for swapping and bridging crypto in 2025, different providers take very different technical paths to achieve the same goal: letting users move assets between blockchains quickly, securely and cost-effectively.
Uniswap v4: Single-chain AMM with extreme efficiency
Uniswap v4 focuses on in-chain swaps rather than cross-chain interoperability. Its architecture is built to deliver deep liquidity and ultra-low gas fees within Ethereum and supported layer 2s, but it doesn’t natively bridge crypto between chains.
Its headline upgrade, the hooks framework, allows developers to insert custom logic at specific points in a swap’s lifecycle, things like:
Adjusting fees in real time based on market conditions
Integrating onchain oracles for accurate pricing and slippage control.
Under the hood, Uniswap v4 uses a singleton contract architecture and flash accounting, cutting gas use by up to 99% compared to earlier versions. This makes it ideal for users who prioritize low-fee swaps and custom trading logic within a single ecosystem.
Did you know? Uniswap v4 introduces hook fees (custom code that runs before swaps), allowing developers to impose bespoke charges such as withdrawal penalties or performance-based rewards.
4-Swap: Peer-to-peer atomic swap protocol
4-Swap takes a completely different route. Instead of automated market maker (AMM) liquidity pools or rollups, it uses hashed time-locked contracts (HTLCs) to enable direct onchain swaps between two parties across different blockchains — no pooled liquidity, no bridging contracts.
Its “grief-free” mechanism fixes a long-standing issue in older atomic swap designs, where one party could stall the process to waste the other’s time or gas. Here, the transaction flow is structured so that stalling offers no advantage.
4-Swap’s main appeal is maximum trustlessness and privacy, but it comes with trade-offs: Swaps depend on finding a matching counterparty, and prices are negotiated rather than set by an AMM.
4-Swap is better suited to niche markets or technically advanced users who are comfortable with slower execution.
Did you know? 4‑Swap is the first atomic swap protocol that cleverly combines the griefing penalty and the principal amount into a single transaction per blockchain, which dramatically reduces the total onchain steps to just four (delivering faster execution without needing any new Bitcoin opcodes).
These examples show just how varied the technology behind cross-chain swaps can be, ranging from high-speed AMM aggregators to manual atomic swap protocols and beyond.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
Bitcoin’s price has soared since many investors first entered the market, leaving holders with a tough question: Should you sell now, or keep holding for the future?
For some, selling could mean finally realizing profits and turning digital wealth into real-world rewards. For others, it raises the fear of missing out on even greater gains if Bitcoin (BTC) climbs higher.
That tension is driving renewed interest in an idea that was both popular and controversial in the last bull market: crypto lending. At its core, crypto lending offers a way to unlock cash without selling your Bitcoin, thereby holding onto the asset you believe in.
The concept isn’t new, and neither are the risks. Several major lending platforms collapsed during the last downturn, wiping out billions of dollars in customer funds and leaving lasting scars on the industry.
But in 2025, the topic is heating up again. New companies, fresh approaches and evolving regulations are reshaping the landscape. Decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols are gaining ground, centralized platforms are promising stronger safeguards and institutional interest is quietly building in the background.
Still, the same question remains: Is it really safer this time around, or are investors walking into the same dangers all over again?
Cointelegraph’s latest video takes a closer look at the comeback of crypto lending: what’s driving it, what’s changed since the 2022 collapse and what you need to know before considering this strategy for yourself.
Watch the full video now on the Cointelegraph YouTube channel!
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele called attention to prediction markets amid increasing bets that the country’s Bitcoin holdings will hit $1 billion by year-end.
Bukele took to X on Thursday to tweet about Kalshi’s prediction market, which shows increasing betting activity on El Salvador’s Bitcoin (BTC) holdings hitting $1 billion by late 2025.
“I could do the funniest thing right now,” Bukele said, as the odds of El Salvador hitting a $1 billion Bitcoin milestone before November jumped from 20% to 38% on Kalshi on Thursday.
Soon after Bukele’s post, rival platform Polymarket listed a similar bet, where the odds of a $1 billion Bitcoin milestone by December 2025 stood at 43%.
Kalshi tracking the odds since mid-August
Kalshi’s prediction market on El Salvador’s $1 billion Bitcoin holdings has been active since mid-August, with the “before December 2025” bet holding near 24% and “before November 2025” hovering around 18% until the last few days.
Following the spike to as high as 38%, the “before November 2025” bet dropped to 27%, while the “before December 2025” bet hovered around 35%.
Kalshi’s prediction market on “When will El Salvador’s Bitcoin holdings be worth $1 billion?” Source: Kalshi
While Kalshi had been tracking the odds of El Salvador’s Bitcoin holdings reaching $1 billion for several days, rival platform Polymarket only introduced a similar market following Bukele’s tweet.
“New Polymarket: Will El Salvador hold $1 billion of Bitcoin by…?” the platform posted on X just hours after Bukele highlighted Kalshi’s market on Thursday.
Polymarket introduced a betting market “Will El Salvador hold $1b+ of BTC by…?” on Wednesday. Source: Polymarket
Cointelegraph approached Kalshi and Polymarket for comments regarding the market listing policies, but had not received any responses by the time of publication.
Controversy around El Salvador’s Bitcoin holdings
WhileKalshi and Polymarket are set to capitalize on the rising optimism around El Salvador’s Bitcoin holdings, neither of the platforms created betting markets concerning a previous controversy.
Despite those claims being part of El Salvador’s official communication with the IMF, Bukele and El Salvador’s Bitcoin Office continued tweeting about new Bitcoin purchases, with holdings currently being reported at 6,282 Bitcoin ($709 million).
Bitcoin holdings in El Salvador’s BTC treasury. Source: Bitcoin.gob.sv
As of now, neither Juan Carlos Reyes, president of El Salvador’s National Commission on Digital Assets, nor any other contacted parties have responded to Cointelegraph’s request in July asking them to clarify the controversy.
The news came amid the prediction markets gaining momentum, with former Polymarket and Kalshi executive Toni Gemayel announcing a $15 million raise from investors like Coinbase Ventures for the prediction market platform Clearing Company.
Crypto projects are set to unlock about $4.5 billion in vested tokens in September, according to data tracker Tokenomist.
Tokenomist data shows that about $1.17 billion will come from cliff unlocks, while $3.36 billion will be released through linear unlocks. About $4.5 billion in tokens will become available to investors, project teams and other stakeholders as vesting agreements expire.
Cliff unlocks are typically larger, one-time token releases that happen at the end of a specified lockup period. This often affects the market more due to supply shocks. On the other hand, linear unlocks distribute tokens over time, which helps smooth out the impact on the supply.
Projects like Sui (SUI), Fasttoken (FTN), Arbitrum (ARB) and Aptos (APT) are among the biggest crypto projects unlocking millions in vested tokens in September.
Crypto projects unlocking digital assets in September. Source: Tokenomist
Crypto projects to unlock vested tokens in September
Sui leads September’s token unlocks with over $153 million in tokens scheduled to be released. Tokenomist data shows that the network has only released 35.1% of its supply, which means a significant portion remains locked.
FTN comes second with $90 million in tokens to be added to the supply. Unlike Sui, FTN has already released over 96% of its tokens. This means the unlock represents a smaller relative increase in supply.
Aptos follows with almost $50 million in tokens set to be unlocked, while Arbitrum trails closely with about $48 million scheduled for release next month.
Other notable unlocks include Starknet, releasing $16.85 million in tokens and Sei, which will add about $16.49 million to its supply. Projects like ZK and Immutable will release $10.7 million and $13.4 million, respectively.
Market turns from unlock anxiety into a more nuanced perspective
Vincent Kadar, the CEO of security token platform Polymath, previously told Cointelegraph that while investors used to get unlock anxiety from token unlocks, the conversation has shifted.
Kadar said sophisticated investors evaluate the economics, adoption levels, governance transparency and incentives aligning with long-term value. He said the market is focusing less on short-term impact and is giving more attention to fundamentals.
Kadar said that the shift is constructive for the industry overall, adding that the conversation is changing as blockchain projects grow and connect with public markets.
The Trump administration is considering at least 11 candidates to replace Jerome Powell when his term as Federal Reserve chair expires in May. At least three of them have taken positive stances toward crypto.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Wednesday that there are 11 “very strong candidates” for Fed chair, which he’ll begin to vet and shortlist starting next month.
The list of candidates, as CNBC reported on Aug. 13, citing two administration officials, includes Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan, former St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson, Fed Governor Chris Waller, Fed Vice Supervision Chair Michelle Bowman and former Fed Governor Larry Lindsey.
The list also includes Bush administration economic adviser Marc Sumerlin, investment bank Jefferies chief market strategist David Zervos and BlackRock’s chief investment officer for global fixed income Rick Rieder.
The Federal Reserve sets US interest rates, which affect how the market invests. Lower interest rates increase liquidity and usually spur bets on volatile, risky assets like crypto, while interest rate hikes typically see investors sell riskier bets.
Rieder once said Bitcoin is “here to stay”
BlackRock’s Rieder has made positive comments about crypto in the past.
He told The Wall Street Journal in early 2024 that Bitcoin could likely “be a big part of the asset allocation framework” and that “over time people become more and more comfortable with it.”
Rieder told CNBC in November 2020 that he thought crypto and Bitcoin were “here to stay” and that “the receptivity — particularly millennials’ receptivity — of technology and cryptocurrency is real.”
BlackRock has the largest Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) exchange-traded funds on the market.
Feds Waller, Bowman make crypto-friendly moves
The Fed’s Waller and Bowman, reportedly also in the running, have both recently signalled a friendly approach to crypto.
Bowman, the Fed’s top regulatory official, said on Aug. 20 that the central bank’s staff should be allowed to invest a small amount in crypto to help them understand the technology, adding it would help with a “working understanding of the underlying functionality.”
Fed Governor Waller said a day later that the banking sector had “nothing to be afraid of” about crypto payments operating outside the traditional banking system, as it was “simply new technology to transfer objects and record transactions.”
In comparison, Powell has addressed crypto a handful of times and has usually urged a cautious approach. He said in June that crypto had become more mainstream and expected banks to increase engagement with the sector.
In December, he said Bitcoin was more of a competitor for gold than it was the US dollar.
Honorable mention: Jefferies works with crypto
Meanwhile, Jefferies, the investment bank for which Zervos directs strategy, is involved in crypto-tied entities.
The bank has backed the recent public debuts of trading platform eToro, stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Group, crypto exchange Bullish and crypto-based lender Figure Technology Solutions.
It also bet early on the Bitcoin (BTC) buying ambitions of Michael Saylor’s Strategy, and has reportedly had a senior banker dedicated exclusively to crypto for at least five years.
Powell’s tenure as chair ends in May, but his 14-year term on the Fed board ends in early 2028. His highly anticipated speech on Friday raised hopes of an interest rate cut, with financial markets now expecting the Fed to cut rates when it again meets in mid-September.
Japanese investment company Metaplanet approved a plan to raise 180.3 billion yen ($1.2 billion) through an overseas share issuance, with almost $835 million set aside for Bitcoin purchases.
According to a Wednesday filing, the company plans to issue up to 555 million new shares, which could increase its total outstanding stock from 722 million to about 1.27 billion shares. The issue price will be determined Sept. 9-11, with payments scheduled to settle shortly after.
Metaplanet said the bulk of the funds will go toward acquiring additional Bitcoin (BTC), adding to its existing treasury reserves of 18,991 BTC (valued at around $2.1 billion). The company said the strategy is designed to protect against Japan’s weak yen, mitigate inflation risks and enhance corporate value.
A further $440 million will be directed into the firm’s “Bitcoin Income Business,” which generates revenue by selling covered call options on its BTC holdings. The company said the program is already producing profit and will be expanded with the new funds.
The move is the latest step in Metaplanet’s aggressive Bitcoin-focused strategy, which includes the “21 Million Plan” announced in April and the “555 Million Plan” revealed in June. The company has set a target of holding more than 210,000 BTC by 2027, representing over 1% of Bitcoin’s total supply.
The offering will be conducted through overseas placements to institutional investors. The filing said that the issuance was not registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, and will not be publicly offered in the United States.
“We announced an international offering of new shares earlier today,” Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich wrote on X. “Due to legal restrictions, we cannot comment on the offering beyond what is in the release while the offering in ongoing,” he added.
Metaplanet CEO announces new share offering. Source: Simon Gerovich
Metaplanet has been upgraded from a small-cap to a mid-cap stock in FTSE Russell’s September 2025 Semi-Annual Review, earning inclusion in the FTSE Japan Index. The move follows the company’s strong Q2 performance.
As a result, Metaplanet will also be automatically added to the FTSE All-World Index, which features the largest publicly traded companies by market capitalization across different regions. This will place it alongside major global players.
