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What are retrodrops in cryptocurrencies, how do they work, and how do they differ from regular airdrops? Instructions on how to earn money from retrodrops in 2026 and which projects are conducting them
Over the past few years, retrodrops in cryptocurrency have become a separate phenomenon on the market. Specifically, users who have been trying out new protocols, testing wallets and infrastructure solutions for a long time receive free tokens on their balance after the network launch (or at another pre-agreed time). Sometimes, the amount can be quite impressive. For some, this is a pleasant bonus for their activity, while for others, it is a full-fledged way to earn money for early participation and project development. If you want to engage in such activity, it is important to understand the logic behind the distribution mechanism and the rules of the game.
In this article, we will explain what retrodrops are in simple terms, how they differ from classic drops, why projects give tokens to users, and how to try to earn money from retrodrops without unnecessary risk. We will also look at typical difficulties and recall some of the most high-profile distributions in recent years, after which stories about unexpected cryptocurrency winnings appeared en masse on social networks.
What are retrodrops in simple terms
Retrodrops in cryptocurrencies are a special type of token distribution in which rewards are given to users who have already been active in the project. Unlike promotional campaigns aimed at attracting new people, the focus here is on those who started activities at an early stage and helped develop the protocol or wallet at a time when almost no one knew about it. In the highly competitive environment of blockchain projects, such distribution becomes a kind of gratitude from the project to those who were among the first to believe in the idea.
The principle is simple: the project team records a list of addresses that have been using their product from the very beginning and allocates a portion of tokens for free distribution among these addresses. The specific criteria depend on the logic of the protocol. The reward may be influenced by the number of transactions made, the amount of liquidity, the period of asset ownership, participation in testnets or voting. In any case, a retrodrop is a kind of look at the history of a user's activity, for which they receive a reward after the full launch of the project.
This approach makes retrodrops understandable even to beginners. Roughly speaking, the service looks at its history, selects those who supported its development at an early stage, and shares a portion of its tokens. For market participants themselves, this is a signal: sometimes it is enough to use and test solutions that seem promising. After some time, such actions may be rewarded with free tokens.
How does a retrodrop differ from a classic airdrop
A retrodrop looks like another token distribution, but its logic differs from a standard airdrop. A classic airdrop is usually aimed at attracting new users. The project promises a free token for subscribing to social media, filling out a form, or completing a simple task. The goal is to expand the audience, create buzz around the brand, and quickly spread information about the coin launch to a wide audience.
Retrodrop is structured differently. It is a reward not for potential future action, but for past work and activity in the protocol. The user has already interacted with the service: traded on a decentralized exchange, provided liquidity, tested early versions, or regularly contributed to community activity. After some time, the team releases a governance token or updates the tokenomics and decides to distribute part of the emission among such early participants. Thus, cryptocurrency retrodrops become a way to strengthen the connection between the protocol and its early users.
The difference is clearly visible in the examples. One of the most discussed retrodrops was made by Uniswap, when many addresses that traded on the exchange before a certain date received a fixed set of UNI tokens. Arbitrum and other large second-layer networks used a similar approach: the reward was distributed among those who had already transferred assets to the network, made transactions, or participated in the ecosystem in some way. In essence, this is a recognition of the value of early activity, not just a quick marketing ploy.
Another important point: classic airdrops often attract people who are looking to meet the minimum requirements in order to get a free asset and sell it immediately. Retrodrops in cryptocurrencies are more often targeted at an audience that was already using the protocol. As a result, the proportion of random participants is lower, and there are more addresses among those who are willing to interact with the project after the distribution.
Why do projects do retrodrops?
It may seem strange that projects give away some of their tokens for free instead of selling them to raise capital. However, there is a clear logic behind retrodrops. In many cases, tokens are not just speculative assets, but are used as a tool for managing the protocol. By distributing tokens among active users, the team takes a step towards decentralization: those who are already familiar with the product and understand how it works will vote for its development.
The second reason is related to community motivation. It is important for early users to feel that their contribution is noticed. If the project publicly rewards old participants, it strengthens trust and maintains interest in further development. The user understands that their actions matter and that activity can lead to real financial results. This is especially important in a competitive environment where each protocol has alternatives with similar functionality.
Retrodrops also help increase popularity. Each large distribution generates a wave of discussion: people share screenshots of their rewards, recall how long ago they started using the service, and tell their friends about their bonus. This way, the project gets free promotion among its target audience without a traditional advertising campaign. In some cases, retrodrops are also used as a way to attract liquidity: part of the distribution may depend on the amount of funds that the user held in the protocol or sent through it.
Finally, retrodrops build a long-term horizontal connection between the team and the community. When the same people constantly participate in votes, discussions, and tests and receive rewards for doing so, a stable core of the project is formed. For a crypto startup that is building infrastructure for years to come, this is no less important than one-time equity capital.
How to make money on retrodrops
The question of how to make money on retrodrops is obviously one of the most important for users. Some come to cryptocurrency precisely for such opportunities, while others consider retro drops as an additional bonus to their main strategies. There is no universal instruction, because each project has its own conditions, but there is a common set of approaches that increase the chances of being among the rewarded addresses.
Activity in protocols
Most often, retrodrop criteria are related to real activity in the protocol. This can include trading on a decentralized exchange, participating in liquidity pools, staking, lending, using bridges, or interacting with smart contracts. The more actions a user performs, the higher the probability that their address will be included in the sample for future distribution.
At the same time, it is not necessary to chase maximum volumes. Many projects seek to reward a wide range of participants, not just the big players. The important thing is that a person uses the product not just once, but regularly over a certain period of time. Such behavior shows that the user is solving their tasks through this protocol, and did not just come for a free token.
Use of wallets and services
There are retrodrops associated not only with protocols, but also with wallets or infrastructure services. The user installs a wallet, makes transactions through it, connects to different networks, participates in the creation of bridges (moving assets across different networks), and after a while, the team releases its own token and announces a distribution among early addresses. Similar scenarios are being considered for MetaMask-level wallets, zkSync-based solutions, and various Layer-2 networks that are developing around large ecosystems.
It is important not to limit yourself to a one-time action. The more diverse your activity is - sending and receiving tokens, interacting with applications, participating in staking or test programs: the higher your chances of being on the list of future recipients. Some users distribute their activity across multiple addresses, but this approach requires accuracy and thoughtful security management.
Tracking future retrodrops
A separate area of work is the search for promising projects that are highly likely to arrange a retro drop in the future. A whole layer of content has formed where analysts and enthusiasts share their assumptions about possible candidates. To avoid spending all their time on independent monitoring, many subscribe to thematic Telegram channels, blogs, and aggregators that collect information about new protocols, testnets, and activity campaigns.
However, blindly following any advice does not make sense. Before investing funds or spending significant time on a particular service, it is useful to assess the risks, study the team, partners, and real-life usage scenarios. Cryptocurrency retrodrops offer a chance to get a good bonus, but the basic rule remains: users are responsible for their decisions and should work with tools they understand.
Risks and hidden complexities of retrodrops
Against the backdrop of stories about sudden success, it is easy to forget that any way of making money on the market involves risk. Retrodrops are no exception. First and foremost, the danger comes from scam projects that hide behind promises of future distributions. Malicious actors create a page, offer to connect a wallet, sign a suspicious transaction, or install a phishing extension. As a result, the user loses money, and no retrodrop takes place.
Another common risk is associated with fake websites of real projects. The more popular the protocol, the higher the chance that clones with similar domains will appear. The user rushes to participate in an airdrop or retrodrop, clicks on a link from an unverified source, and gives attackers access to their assets. To avoid this scenario, it is important to check the website address, use official channels, and not confirm transactions whose purpose is unclear.
Don't forget about commissions. Some strategies for receiving retrodrops involve active work on networks with high traffic. At peak times, transaction costs can be significant, and the pursuit of free tokens turns into a series of expensive operations that do not pay off even with generous distribution. The user only sees the final reward, but the real profit is reduced by all the associated costs.
Tax implications are a separate issue. In different jurisdictions, receiving free tokens may be considered a taxable event. If the retrodrop was large, it is unsafe to ignore this aspect. When planning your strategy, it is wise to clarify the rules in your country in advance so that you do not face possible consequences later. A retrodrop is an attractive type of reward, but it does not override legal requirements.
Top 5 retrodrops of recent years
In recent years, there have been several retro drops on the market that have been actively discussed in the crypto community. They have shown how significant the rewards for early participation can be and what role such distributions play in the development of a project.
Uniswap (UNI). One of the first sensational retrodrops. Users who had conducted at least one transaction on the exchange before a certain date were eligible to receive a set of UNI tokens. For many, this was an unexpected confirmation that regular activity on the protocol could eventually turn into a tangible reward.dYdX. The decentralized derivatives platform allocated tokens to those who traded on the platform and provided it with volume. The number of coins depended on activity, and the tokens received became a management tool, so it was not only a distribution but also a step towards greater decentralization.Optimism (OP). The Ethereum-based second-layer network decided to reward both early users and active participants in governance and supporters of the ecosystem. The retro-drop took place in several waves, and part of the distribution was based on the history of interaction with the ecosystem as a whole, not just with one application.Arbitrum (ARB). Another example of a large retrodrop that was discussed throughout the community. The reward was given to users who made transactions on the network, transferred assets via bridges, and used various Arbitrum-based applications. This distribution showed that the network is capable of valuing not only individual large addresses, but also a mass user base.Aptos (APT). When launching the main network, the team chose a distribution format for the early community and test phase participants. Many considered this retrodrop to be further confirmation that joining a promising project at the right time can be profitable.
Each of these retrodrops has its own rules, but they are united by a common idea: projects share tokens with those who helped them during the development stage. For some users, this was a pleasant surprise, while for others, it was an incentive to pay closer attention to new protocols and infrastructure solutions that have not yet been distributed.
Cryptocurrency retrodrops do not guarantee profits and are not a guaranteed way to make money. At the same time, they show that the market encourages meaningful activity, participation in tests, staking, and the use of wallets and protocols. If you approach the selection of projects thoughtfully, consider the risks, and do not perceive every announcement as a chance for quick enrichment, retrodrops can become one of the elements of a long-term strategy. Airdrops as classic distributions and retrodrops as rewards for past actions complement each other, forming a wider range of ways for users to interact with the crypto market.
#Airdrop

Analysts at Pantera Capital, the oldest crypto fund, note that 2025 was a disastrous year for the vast majority of cryptocurrencies, with the exception of Bitcoin, whose growth was supported by institutional demand.
In its January review, Pantera Capital notes that 2025 was an unsuccessful year for most of the crypto market, except for Bitcoin. According to the company's assessment, price movements last year were mainly determined by macroeconomics, capital flows, and the behavior of major players, rather than the development of the projects themselves.
Pantera estimates that the bear market for altcoins has been going on since December 2024. The company calls this “perhaps the most underrated fact of 2025.” The total capitalization of crypto assets, excluding Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins, fell by about 44% during this period. Most tokens have fallen significantly in price, and the decline has been widespread.
Pantera also notes that the current decline in altcoins is in line with previous cycles in terms of its duration.
*Pantera Capital is one of the first and largest cryptocurrency investment companies, founded in 2013 by former Tiger Management top manager Dan Morehead. It specializes in venture investments in blockchain projects and manages billions in assets through funds focused on DeFi, infrastructure, and direct investments in crypto project tokens.
The company separately points to the sharp divergence between Bitcoin and the rest of the market. Bitcoin benefited from its status as “digital gold” and steady demand from ETFs, corporations, and government agencies. Other tokens did not have such support, which exacerbated capital outflows and pressure on prices.
Additional factors contributing to the decline were unresolved issues regarding the value of tokens for investors, a slowdown in blockchain activity, and the departure of retail speculators. At the same time, the use of stablecoins continued to grow, but the main economic benefits from this went to companies and services, rather than token holders.
Assessing the outlook for 2026, Pantera notes that the market has become significantly less overheated. Participants have reduced their use of borrowed funds, prices have already undergone a deep correction, and speculative activity has declined.
According to the company, this makes the beginning of 2026 more stable compared to the beginning of last year, provided that the fundamental indicators of the market do not deteriorate. “Periods of market imbalances have historically become the basis for the next phase of growth,” the authors write.
#altcoins

Gold prices exceeded $4,700 per ounce for the first time in history, and the capitalization of stable tokens backed by precious metals reached a record $4.65 billion.
The price of gold hit a new all-time high, exceeding $4,700 per ounce for the first time during trading on January 20, according to TradingView. At the same time, exchange prices for silver also hit a new all-time high, exceeding $95 per ounce. Against the backdrop of this growth, the only sector in cryptocurrencies representing precious metals, stable gold-based tokens, reached a record capitalization of $4.65 billion. The data also shows a tenfold increase in their use at the blockchain level over the past year.
The price of precious metals hit historic highs amid US President Donald Trump's desire to seize Greenland. This raised investor concerns about a trade war between the US and Europe and triggered a flight to safe-haven assets.
The total capitalization of gold stablecoins was nearly $4.65 billion, more than 3.5 times higher than a year ago, according to The Block on January 20. Two assets alone accounted for nearly 90% of the total: PAXG from Paxos and XAUT from Tether, with $1.8 billion and $2.43 billion, respectively.
The rise in the price of gold significantly exceeded the growth of the first cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has risen less than 4% since the beginning of the year, to $91,000. During the same period, the price of gold has risen by almost 10% and set a record above $4,700. The prices of stable tokens — PAXG and XAUT — have achieved the same result, as their exchange rate is pegged to the value of real metal.
During the same period, the main stock indices of American companies, the S&P 500 and NASDAQ, rose by 1.4% and 1.1%, respectively. The overall growth dynamics were reflected in the correlation chart between Bitcoin prices and gold and indices.
According to The Block, as of January 20, the correlation index had recovered to mid-October 2025 levels, when Bitcoin reached its historic high of $126,200. Currently, the indices for gold, S&P 500, and NASDAQ are 0.41, 0.6, and 0.52, respectively. For comparison, at the beginning of January, these values were at -0.25, 0.47, and 0.34.
Network metrics for gold
The rise in the price of gold, which is a continuation of last year's trend when the precious metal became one of the fastest growing asset classes, also coincided with user activity with PAXG and XAUT tokens.
According to Etherscan, there are 70,000 and 20,000 PAXG and XAUT wallet holders, respectively.
As the capitalization of the tokens themselves grew, the number of token holders also increased — at the beginning of January last year, there were more than 35,000 PAXG holders and 3,500 XAUT holders, which indicates a twofold and approximately sevenfold increase, respectively.
The number of transactions and the total amount of transfers have also shown significant growth since the beginning of 2025. For PAXG, over the past year, the weekly aggregate indicator has grown from $130 million and about 6,000 transactions to more than $530 million and 74,000 transactions. For XAUT, the growth occurred from $7 million and less than 1,000 transactions per week to $520 million and nearly 35,000 transactions, according to TokenTerminal.
The trading volume of such tokens has grown tenfold over the same period. At the beginning of last year, the daily volume of both XAUT and PAXG did not exceed several tens of millions of dollars. As of January 20, according to CoinMarketCap, the combined daily trading volume has grown to $350 million.
The positive dynamics of gold tokens is accompanied by an expansion of the list of trading platforms where the assets are traded. For example, in October 2025, PAXG was added to the spot trading list on the OKX crypto exchange. And XAUT was added to the spot lists of the two largest Korean crypto exchanges, Upbit and Bithumb.
Other uses for tokens have also emerged. For example, in early January, the popular video hosting service Rumble, supported by Tether, launched a cryptocurrency tipping system for content creators. According to the company, users will be able to send rewards in Bitcoin, USDT stablecoin, or the gold-backed XAUT token.
#GOLD

Launched a year ago, the $Trump meme coin has fallen more than 90%. During this period, the president's administration has failed to meet the expectations of the crypto community.
A few days before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, the OFFICIAL TRUMP (TRUMP) memecoin was launched on the Solana blockchain. Trump officially supported the launch of the crypto asset, and the event became one of the most high-profile for the crypto market last year.
Exactly one year ago, on January 19, the price of TRUMP reached a historic peak above $75, since then falling by more than 90% to below $5. Experts believe that the project has done more harm than good to the crypto market, becoming a political tool and hindering key legislation.
“The launch of Trump's memecoin has done more harm than good to the industry. Political opponents cite his personal gain as a reason to block or slow down the legislative process in the cryptocurrency space,” Peter Chang, head of research at Presto Labs, told Decrypt.
The hype surrounding TRUMP in early 2025 coincided with the growth of the total market capitalization of meme coins, which rose to a record $150 billion. Also, after the launch of TRUMP, the main exchange regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), stated in February 2025 that their issuance and sale did not require registration, and buyers of such assets were not protected by US federal securities laws.
On this wave, dozens of memecoins were listed on major crypto exchanges, including the largest Binance and the American Coinbase, which did not want to risk adding memecoins until the change of administration in the US. By January 19, 2026, the market capitalization of the sector had fallen to $45 billion, according to Coingecko.
Although there have been periodic attempts to revive the TRUMP project community, the price has been on a downward trend for most of the year. For example, in May, Trump's team hosted a dinner at the Trump National Golf Club for the largest token holders. And in early December, it was announced that Trump's meme coin would be used as a reward in the mobile game “Trump Billionaires Club.”
However, none of these initiatives had a positive long-term impact. In April, there was an attempt to stabilize the price above $15 after it fell to $8. But since then, the price has fallen almost without rebound - on January 19, it dropped below $5.
A year under Trump
During Trump's presidency, only one law concerning the cryptocurrency market was passed - the GENIUS Act, which regulates the stablecoin market. However, the main document regulating the cryptocurrency market as a whole - the CLARITY Act - was never passed. Trump initially set a deadline for the adoption of CLARITY for last summer, then expectations shifted to September and then to the end of November.
Now, no exact dates have been given, although the introduction of transparent regulation was one of Trump's promises to the cryptocurrency market before the last election, which led to cryptocurrencies rising to new highs in 2025.
The same situation occurred with the national cryptocurrency reserve in the US. In one of his first executive orders in early 2025, Trump identified the development of the dollar stablecoin market as a priority and ordered the creation of a US government reserve consisting of confiscated cryptocurrencies. However, the audit of federal agencies' crypto assets, which are to form the basis of the reserve, scheduled for April 5, 2025, has not yet been carried out.
Some experts note that overly positive expectations were formed towards the Trump administration.
“Trump supports cryptocurrencies, and that's a positive thing. But we are not his top priority. I think our industry has always believed that Trump would be our savior, but in reality, that has never been the case,” Yat Siu, co-founder of investment company Animoca Brands, told Coindesk.
Others openly criticize the US president's policies. Charles Hoskinson, founder of the Cardano crypto project, said that Trump's policies have politicized cryptocurrency and turned half the country against the industry. He added that the Trump administration has put the American crypto industry in a worse position than it was under former President Joe Biden.
Siu noted the structural changes taking place in the market: institutional capital is becoming a permanent force. He believes that Bitcoin has taken on the role of a reserve asset, forcing altcoins to prove their real value.
The current situation, according to the expert, is the opposite of what it was at the beginning of 2025, when altcoins were valued based on political expectations. At that time, the industry was waiting for approval from regulators, which never came.
#TRUMP

Experts have identified the main areas of development for cryptocurrencies in 2026, which are expected to transition from a speculative boom to structural growth.
In 2026, the cryptocurrency market is on the verge of a qualitative leap from the experimental phase to the stage of mass adoption and structural maturity, according to a report by market maker Keyrock.
Together with the Dune analytics service team, they identified key trends to track the growth of the crypto industry and provided their forecasts for this year.
Dune is an analytics platform for creating dashboards and analyzing blockchain data that allows users to query, visualize, and share information about cryptocurrencies.
Forecast markets
Prediction markets became the main trend of 2025, with weekly volume growing 9.2 times to nearly $5 billion. Market leaders Kalshi, Polymarket, and Opinion account for more than 98% of the market share. Experts believe that they demonstrate real demand for hedging against uncertainty. Categories including sports, politics, and economics attract different audiences, indicating maturity as a financial product.
Keyrock predicts that the total volume will grow fivefold to $25 billion per week. The fastest growth will be in non-sports categories such as economics, culture, and society. Liquidity will be concentrated among the top three players.
Tokenization
The real world assets (RWA) tokenization sector showed explosive growth in 2025, indicating real interest in blockchain among traditional finance. Currently, the sector is mainly represented by stablecoins, but experts are noting interest in launching a broader range of RWA products, such as private loans or government bonds.
In 2026, experts expect growth to increase more than fourfold (excluding stablecoins), and the structure will shift to a more diversified basket of products, including tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
AI agents and x402
The x402 protocol allows AI agents (autonomous programs based on artificial intelligence) to automatically pay for services with stablecoins on the internet. It has not yet become widespread, but is considered by experts to be an indicator of the development of automated trading.
The main forecast for 2026 includes weekly volume growth exceeding $100 million, which is 10 times higher than the peak values of 2025.
Blockchain storage
Safes and vaults are the cryptocurrency version of stock structures. Keyrock highlights this sector as a separate important element of decentralized finance (DeFi), but one that is still underdeveloped. Only four representatives are included in the list of tracked projects: Morpho, Euler, Yearn, and Beefy.
The market volume in 2025 grew by 73% to almost $12 billion. This year, experts predict growth to $36 billion thanks to the influx of institutional capital, regulatory clarity, and RWA growth.
Perpetual futures
In 2025, there was explosive growth in the perpetual futures market, led by Hyperliquid. Open trading interest on such futures platforms (Perp DEX, from perpetual futures) grew to $20 billion, which is a fivefold increase from the beginning to the end of 2025.
Keyrock predicts that this year the market will scale to new asset classes (stocks, commodities). And open interest will exceed $50 billion. This type of futures will be used by default for trading any assets on the blockchain, especially RWA.
Buyback
The process of token buybacks by issuers has become the main mechanism for returning value to crypto asset holders, but experts observe inefficiencies in execution, which reduce the effectiveness of the process. The total amount of token buybacks in 2025 exceeded $1.5 billion.
The company's forecast for 2026 includes a 50-100% increase in the number of buyback programs.
Privacy
The growing interest in the privacy features of Zcash (ZEC) reflects real demand for financial privacy in blockchains, experts say. And the growth in volume in this sector creates a kind of network effect. This refers to the volume of ZEC held in a special pool (shielded pool), which ensures data privacy for its holders.
The forecast for 2026 includes growth from 5 million to more than 7 million ZEC coins held in this privacy pool. It is noted that the growth will be driven, among other things, by interest from institutional players.
Crypto cards
The volume of payments via crypto cards using stablecoins grew more than sixfold in 2025, exceeding $106 million per week. Keyrock considers this segment to be a significant catalyst for the growth of stablecoins. Despite significant growth in 2025, it is still in its early stages of development.
Experts predict that in 2026, the monthly volume will reach $500 million, along with improvements in user experience and expanded functionality.
Bitcoin ETF
Despite the volatility of capital inflows into Bitcoin ETFs, the amount of assets under management by funds increased by 25% in 2025, becoming a source of demand. Experts believe that this has changed the structure of the market. According to Sosovalue, as of January 16, the amount of assets under management by Bitcoin funds exceeds $125 billion.
Keyrock predicts that the volume of assets under management by Bitcoin ETFs will continue to grow and exceed 2.5 million BTC this year, or $237 billion (at an exchange rate of about $95,000). At the same time, net inflows will be positive in at least eight of the 12 months.
Credit rates in DeFi
The volatility of lending rates (e.g., USDC on Aave) is holding back the development of complex financial products in DeFi. In 2025, the value ranged from 2.4% to 9.8%. Analysts note that stable lending rates are key to institutional adoption.
In 2026, rate volatility will decrease significantly, with the 30-day volatility falling below 0.25 on average (compared to approximately 0.40 in 2025). Keyrock believes this will be possible thanks to deeper liquidity and effective arbitrage.
#InvestorFocused

2025 was a record year in terms of the number of tokens that stopped trading on the markets. The number of dead projects surpassed all previous years combined.
More than 11.6 million tokens ceased to exist in 2025, setting an absolute annual record in the history of the cryptocurrency market. This was reported by CoinGecko analysts, who explained such huge figures by the general turbulence in the market during the year, which hit the memecoin sector particularly hard.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, 7.7 million tokens ceased to be active, accounting for 34.9% of the total number of recorded failures. Analysts explained this sharp increase by the systemic crisis that followed the market crash in early October.
The analysis methodology includes data from the GeckoTerminal service's list of tokens that are no longer actively traded. The data covers the period from July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2025. “Dead tokens” refers to the absence of trading activity.
The number of crypto projects that ceased to exist, by year, from 2021 to 2025:
in 2021 — 2,584 tokens;
in 2022 — 213,075 tokens;
in 2023 — 245,049 tokens;
in 2024 — 1,382,010 tokens;
in 2025 — 11,607,391 tokens.

More than half (53.2%) of all cryptocurrency projects ever presented on GeckoTerminal have ceased to exist, with the vast majority of “crypto project deaths” occurring in 2025. Over the previous year, more than 11.6 million tokens “died,” accounting for the overwhelming majority (86.3%) of the total number of “token deaths.”
Despite this, the total number of crypto projects in 2025 also increased sharply. In 2021, 428,383 projects were presented on GeckoTerminal. However, by 2025, this number had skyrocketed to nearly 20.2 million. Coingecko noted that this trend was facilitated by the ease of launching tokens on special platforms such as Pump.fun, which led to a surge in low-quality crypto projects on the market.
In 2024, nearly 1.4 million projects ceased to exist (10.3% of the total number of “crypto project deaths” over the past five years). The same year was the second in terms of the number of launches, with more than 3 million new projects entering the market. The share of project failures from 2021 to 2023 is only 3.4% of the total number for the five-year period.
Back in 2024, the probability of success for many cryptocurrencies was extremely low, particularly those launched on platforms such as Pump.fun. At that time, experts estimated the probability of generating income by purchasing tokens on such platforms to be lower than in a casino. They cited a 2.6% chance of success in American roulette, while the chance of finding a memecoin that would rapidly increase in value was estimated at only 0.12%.
#solana

Damages incurred by participants in the crypto industry from the actions of scammers and hackers increased by 34% compared to 2024.
Due to hacks and fraud involving cryptocurrencies, more than $4 billion was lost in 2025, according to analysts at PeckShield. According to their data, this is 34.2% more than in 2024, when $3.01 billion worth of cryptocurrencies were stolen.
The total damage in 2025 exceeded $4.04 billion. Of this, $2.67 billion was lost to hacks (a 24.2% increase year-on-year) and $1.37 billion was lost to fraud (a 64.2% increase).
The report highlights a strategic shift: there is a growing number of thefts involving social engineering techniques (psychological tricks and manipulation that force victims to disclose confidential information that attackers can use to steal funds). Analysts attributed 12% of losses in 2025 to incidents involving such methods.
Hacks accounted for 66% of the total damage, the most serious being the theft of $1.4 billion from the Bybit exchange in February last year. Another 22% of losses were due to scams, including “rug pulls” (when developers withdraw liquidity at the peak of the price) and pseudo-crypto investments.
Another important change was the increase in the share of centralized services among the affected platforms. While in 2023 they accounted for just over 35%, in 2024 they already accounted for about 45%, and in 2025 — over 70%.
Over the course of the year, only about $334.9 million of the stolen funds were frozen or returned. PeckShield noted a decrease compared to 2024, when $488.5 million was recovered.
PeckShield's assessment is based only on officially confirmed and recorded cases and amounts of damage. For example, experts at Chaianalisys, by analyzing the relationships and transactions in wallets associated with fraudsters, estimate the damage for the past year to be much higher — $17 billion.
#ETH

Singapore-based Bitdeer has surpassed American miner MARA in terms of total computing power.
Singapore-based Bitdeer has become the largest Bitcoin miner, according to The Block. The publication noted that it surpassed the American company MARA in terms of computing power used to mine the leading cryptocurrency.
According to Bitdeer, at the end of 2025, the company's “total hashrate under management” was 71 EH/s (exahash per second). Of this, 55.2 EH/s was accounted for by the miner's own mining. MARA, which has been the industry leader in recent years, reports an “active hashrate” of 61.7 EH/s.
The publication notes that it is comparing Bitdeer's “total hashrate under management” with MARA's “active hashrate.” The company does not specify what share of the latter is accounted for by MARA's own capacity.
The global hashrate on January 14 is about 1020 EH/s, according to Hashrate Index. In total, Bitdeer and MARA's declared capacities account for about 13% of global mining, which is comparable to the total volume of Russian mining, estimated at 16%.
Bitdeer was founded by Bitmain co-founder Jihan Wu, who separated it from the latter in 2020. The company is increasing its mining hashrate thanks to its proprietary chips and SEALMINER ASIC miners. In December 2025, Bitdeer earned 636 bitcoins with their help, which is four times more than the 145 BTC it mined in December 2024.
Singapore-based Bitdeer is expanding its infrastructure for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing in parallel with mining. It is investing in construction projects at a minimum of eight sites in Canada, Ethiopia, and Norway, as well as in the US states of Ohio, Tennessee, and Washington.
MARA operates 18 data centers, which mainly use Bitmain's Antminer series mining equipment. MARA is also diversifying its business by moving into AI and mainly trying to store the bitcoins it mines.
MARA owns approximately 53,000 BTC, ranking second among public companies accumulating Bitcoin after Michael Saylor's Strategy, which has more than 687,000 BTC, according to BitcoinTreasuries. Bitdeer holds 1,900 BTC, ranking 35th in this rating.
#BTC

The price of the largest cryptocurrency in the privacy sector has updated a record that had held for about five years, amid a lack of growth for Bitcoin and Ethereum.
On January 12, the price of the confidential cryptocurrency Monero (XMR) hit a new record high, reaching almost $598.5 according to the Kraken crypto exchange. Later, the price of XMR fell slightly to around $580. The previous peak was above $517 and was reached in May 2021.
Over the past day, the price of XMR has risen by almost 20%, while the price of XMR's closest competitor, the cryptocurrency Zcash (ZEC), has risen by 7%. During the same period, the prices of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) remained virtually unchanged, trading at around $90,500 and $3,100, respectively, according to Coinmarketcap.
Since the beginning of the year, XMR quotes have grown by more than 30%, outperforming many major cryptocurrencies in terms of percentage growth. During this period, BTC grew by almost 2%, and Ethereum by 4%.
XMR's performance since the beginning of 2026 is a continuation of the coin's growth in the previous year, when it became one of the growth leaders among the largest cryptocurrencies on the market. As was the case for most of 2025, the current growth of XMR has not been accompanied by any events or news. The coin grew without institutional capital inflows, as was the case with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, BNB, and others.
XMR ranks 12th among the largest cryptocurrencies on Coinmarketcap with a market capitalization of nearly $10.5 billion and is the largest coin by market capitalization in the privacy sector, ahead of Zcash (ZEC) with $6.6 billion.
For most of the second half of last year, ZEC showed better dynamics than XMR, briefly surpassing it in terms of capitalization. The Zcash price lost momentum in November 2025, reaching a local peak of around $730 — since then, the price has fallen to $400. In early January 2026, pressure on the ZEC price intensified amid the announcement of the departure of one of the cryptocurrency development teams — at that time, the asset's price lost about 20% in a few hours.
Ban on anonymity
With Monero, anonymity is a fundamental and mandatory feature of all transactions, as users cannot choose a different format for sending coins. This has led to its consistent delisting by many major exchanges, including Binance, OKX, and Bybit, due to pressure from regulators. Due to the exchanges' rejection of XMR, liquidity in the trading markets has been falling for a long time.
Attention has been drawn to Monero due to general interest in coins from the privacy sector, despite the risks of regulation, as noted by analysts at 10x Research, according to Coindesk.
For example, on January 12, a ban on private cryptocurrencies, including Monero and Zcash, will come into force by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), according to new rules for the circulation of digital assets in the DIFC international financial zone.
The reason is the inability to ensure transaction transparency and compliance with anti-money laundering and sanctions legislation requirements. But this does not stop confidential cryptocurrencies and their growth.
#XMR

The Solana blockchain network became the primary platform for launching memecoins and one of the most active in the world in terms of user numbers, maintaining its position among the largest in 2025
In 2025, Solana (SOL) retained its status as one of the largest and most widely used first-tier blockchains and secured its place in the top 10 by capitalization with a value of over $70 billion. As of December 16, according to Coinmarketcap, the price of SOL stands at $126, with the peak price reached in mid-January above $290. SOL currently ranks seventh among the largest blockchains, down from fifth at the beginning of January.
Having survived several cycles of price declines and recoveries, the project has entered the end of the current year with a stable ecosystem, high user activity, and an established community around the project. In 2025, this blockchain became the main one for the memecoin market: even heads of state participated in the launch of a cryptocurrency based on Solana.
The peak price of over $290 came at the launch of the official memecoins of US President Donald Trump (OFFICIAL TRUMP) and his wife Melania Trump (MELANIA) in mid-January 2025.
These events also coincided with increased demand for SOL from traders on decentralized exchanges based on Solana. For example, when TRUMP was launched, network fees reached a record $14 million on January 19, according to Defillama. For comparison, the current values as of December 16 are around $80,000. Prior to listing on conventional exchanges, the TRUMP token and many other memecoins could only be purchased through Solana-based DEX platforms, which likely spurred demand for SOL itself, which is needed to pay fees.
The next key event for SOL was the launch of the Libra (LIBRA) memecoin in early February, which was initially supported by Argentine President Javier Milei. In just a few hours at the time of launch, the token's capitalization rose to $4.5 billion and then plummeted by 95%. Milei later withdrew his support for the token, saying he was not aware of the details of the project. Lawsuits were filed against the organizers for launching the Libra token in a “deceptive, manipulative, and fundamentally unfair” manner.
Pump.fun
By mid-December, the prices of all three of the above tokens had fallen by more than 90% from their peak values in 2025. The main beneficiary of the hype surrounding memecoins was the Pump.fum platform, through which more than 70,000 tokens were created per day at its peak in January. The platform's current figure is around 15,000.
The platform's business model is based on receiving commissions for launching tokens, as well as a percentage of trading operations with them. For example, in January, the platform earned about $150 million, according to Dune, with a record daily figure of over $15 million. The current daily level is around $600,000. And since all transactions on Pump.fun take place in Solana, all actions are paid for in SOL tokens, which increases or decreases the demand for cryptocurrency.
After the launch of TRUMP, SOL quotes fell by almost 65% from their peak by April 2025, dropping below $100 for the first time since early 2024. The fall in Solana quotes turned out to be temporary, and by mid-September, the rate had reached another local peak of around $250. This time, the activity coincided with the hype surrounding the launch of the Pump.fun (PUMP) platform token, which reached a record price of around $0.009. At the same time, the platform's peak daily revenue temporarily rose above $2.1 million, according to Dune.
As of December 16, 2025, more than 14 million coins had been created through the Pump.fun platform, making Solana a network with many low-capitalization memecoins. However, there are also large projects: the capitalization of the top 10 crypto assets created on the basis of SOL reaches $4 billion. These include projects such as TRUMP, Bonk (BONK), Pudgy Penguins (PENGU), Pippin (PIPPIN), dogwifhat (WIF), and Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) — all of which are among the top 200 largest crypto assets by capitalization according to Coinmarketcap.
Competition with Ethereum
Against the backdrop of the success of previous years, especially in early 2025, when SOL outperformed Ethereum (ETH) in terms of growth dynamics, many experts spoke of a possible displacement of “ether” from its leading position in the smart contract platform sector.
Starting in 2023, the price of SOL relative to ETH grew by more than 1000% by January 2025 — the SOL to ETH ratio changed from approximately 0.008 to a peak of 0.094. However, since May 2025, the indicator has been falling almost without correction, reaching 0.043 on December 16, according to Tradingview.
With the change in SOL's dynamics relative to ETH, the rhetoric has shifted to the idea that these two assets will demonstrate superiority in different areas: Ethereum as a secure, flexible financial platform, and Solana as a platform for fast, user-centric applications.
Solana Activity Leader
Solana has taken its place among the leaders in terms of active users. According to TokenTerminal, as of December 16, the figure stands at 40.3 million users for the past year, second only to BNB Chain with 61.5 million.
Most of the activity on Solana is trading: five of the ten largest decentralized exchanges by trading volume operate on this network, with a share of almost 30% of the global total ($93 billion over the past 30 days). According to this indicator, the network is the largest, ahead of Ethereum with $60 billion, according to Defillama on December 16.
Solana also became the second largest blockchain network in terms of the number of transactions produced — 123.2 billion over the past 365 days. This is more than 20 times higher than its closest competitor, BNB Chain, with 5.5 billion. According to TokenTerminal, Internet Computer (ICP) ranks first with 145 billion (however, this network does not stand out in any other way except for this metric — for example, data from November shows that the network had just over 5,000 active users).
Institutional demand
In 2025, Solana also became one of the few cryptocurrencies, alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum, to attract demand from institutional investors.
Some companies began adding SOL to their corporate reserves and managed to accumulate about 3% of the total coin supply on the market, or more than $2.3 billion. The largest holder using SOL as a corporate reserve, Forward Industries, owns nearly $900 million worth of reserves. There are already 18 companies on the list — for comparison, in July there were about five with a total SOL balance of about $700 million.
At the end of October, US regulators allowed the launch of SOL-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which have attracted more than $900 million to date. This makes the crypto asset the fourth largest in terms of capital under management by US ETFs, after Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP, according to Sosovalue.
In addition to direct purchases of SOL by institutional investors, such market participants have also shown interest in the network itself. For example, banking giant JPMorgan conducted a transaction on the Solana blockchain to issue $50 million in bonds for Galaxy Digital. The buyers of these securities were the Coinbase crypto exchange and the Franklin Templeton management company. Another example is the launch of the TER token, fully backed by gold, on Solana by the Kingdom of Bhutan.
#solana

The market is preparing for crypto winter, with traders and investors inclined to sell digital assets.
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) has been fluctuating between $80,000 and $100,000 for three weeks now. The market has entered a «phase of disappointment» . Experts predict that Bitcoin will continue to move sideways this week.
Crypto exchanges liquidated leveraged trades worth about $451 million from 130,000 traders in one day. Those who expected cryptocurrencies to rise lost $293 million, while those who bet on a decline lost $157 million.
The fear and greed index in the crypto market has once again fallen into the “extreme fear” zone, indicating a score of 20 out of 100. The indicator's downward shift from the “fear” zone suggests that market participants are inclined to actively sell cryptocurrencies.
In the first week of December, spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Bitcoin in the US recorded a net capital outflow of $87.7 million, according to SoSoValue. During this time, $65.6 million was withdrawn from Ethereum funds.
Bitcoin options on Deribit, the largest derivatives trading platform, show that traders are betting that BTC will remain in its current trading range, Bloomberg noted. Open interest in contracts expiring at the end of December far exceeded long-term rates — traders are selling contracts to lock in profits as they expect volatility to remain low.
For the first time in more than a decade, the S&P 500 index's annualized return has exceeded that of Bitcoin. The publication notes that expectations of market growth amid the US cryptocurrency policy are not being met, and traders are preparing for a crypto winter.
#BTC

November 2025 was a negative month for Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general. During this period, several anti-records were set on the crypto market.
November 2025 was a month of anti-records for the cryptocurrency market and the worst month for Bitcoin returns since June 2022. The last month of autumn also saw the second-highest outflow of capital from Bitcoin-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and the highest for Ethereum ETFs. The monthly spot trading volume of cryptocurrencies on centralized exchanges hit its lowest level since June 2025.
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) fell 17.67% in November, according to Coinglass, the worst period since June 2022, when the price fell 37.28%. On November 1, the price was around $109,600 and fell for most of the month with minor corrective movements, repeating the dynamics from the absolute peak in early October, when the price exceeded $126,200.
Almost immediately after the monthly candle closed, the price of Bitcoin fell sharply, and on December 1, quotes fell to $84,000.
October and November are historically the most successful periods for Bitcoin, but this year they did not meet investors' expectations. The average percentage return for November is above 41%. Since 2013, there have been only five months with negative returns — in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2025.
The same positive statistics applied to October, which has been one of the best months for Bitcoin price dynamics since 2013. The coin has only been in the red three times at the end of the month — in 2014, 2018, and 2025. According to Coinglass, as of October 31, the average return during this period was almost 20%.
At the same time, there have been reports of a significant decline in spot trading volumes for November. The monthly figure on centralized exchanges (CEX) in November fell to $1.59 trillion, hitting a new low since June. This is 26.7% less than the $2.17 trillion in October, according to The Block. Binance remains the largest exchange with $599.34 billion, which is 25.8% less than in October ($810.44 billion).
Trading volume on decentralized exchanges (DEX) fell 30% over the month, from $568.43 billion to $397.78 billion. This is also the lowest since June. Uniswap had the highest volume at $79.98 billion, which is 35.6% less than a month earlier.
Record withdrawals from ETF
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that provide investors with access to crypto assets through the NASDAQ and NYSE exchanges in the form of shares also recorded record outflows.
According to Sosovalue, the total outflow of capital from Bitcoin funds in November amounted to almost $3.5 billion, which is the second-largest monthly figure in history since the emergence of such funds in early 2024. The only higher figure was in February 2025, with an outflow of $3.56 billion.
Ethereum-based funds recorded an all-time high of $1.42 billion in November. This figure is more than three times higher than the previous record of $483 million in July 2024.
Other cryptocurrency-based funds, including SOL, XRP, DOGE, LTC, and HBAR, showed positive capital inflows of $419 million, $667 million, $2 million, $7 million, and $36 million, respectively. It is possible that the differences in capital flows between BTC and ETH funds are related to their novelty — many of these funds launched in October and November 2025, while BTC and ETH have been trading since 2024.
Record fears
November was the most “terrifying” month for the crypto market in the past three years. According to the Fear and Greed Index, it was the most negative month since November 2022, according to Alternative.
In November 2025, the index was in the “extreme fear” zone for 20 days, in the ‘fear’ zone for 8 days, and in the neutral zone for 3 days. The only time it was worse was three years ago, when the index was in the extreme negative zone for 23 days and in the normal “fear” zone for 7 days.
Since September 2025, the index has been predominantly in the negative zone.
The Fear and Greed Index is a sentiment indicator that shows which of these emotions prevails among market participants. It ranges from 0 to 100. A low score indicates fear, which implies a sell-off of assets and a drop in cryptocurrency prices. High scores mean that investors are inclined to buy cryptocurrency.
The most popular version of the index is presented by the developers of alternative software. Other platforms, such as CoinMarketCap, have also begun to calculate the index according to their own parameters. They do not disclose their methodology, and the indicators from different sources often differ significantly.
#BTC

Only a few percent of Bitcoin coins remain to be mined. How much cryptocurrency is on the open market?
By mid-November 2025, miners had mined 95% of all bitcoins that will ever be in circulation. That's about 19.95 million coins, or $1.9 trillion at the time of publication. This percentage was already recorded in the summer, but now the calculations have been adjusted to take into account coins that are considered “unspendable,” such as those that have been lost or are in technically inaccessible wallets.
Thus, miners have 1.05 million left to mine out of the 21 million bitcoins originally provided for in the algorithm. As of November 17, just over 230,000 coins fall into the “unspendable” category.
The mechanism for the emergence of new bitcoins is predictable and based on a gradual decrease in issuance (halving). It is known in advance when and how many coins will be created, with possible minor deviations in time, but not in volume. Thus, 99% of all bitcoins will be mined by January 2035, and 99.9% by 2047.
Bitcoin passed the 94% mark in mid-2024 and 90% at the end of 2021. Bitcoin crossed the 80% mark in early 2018, 70% in late 2016, 60% in early 2014, and 50% in late 2012.
The rate of new Bitcoin issuance continues to slow down, as provided for by the cryptocurrency algorithm, in which a so-called halving occurs every four years. This mechanism halves the reward in the form of new Bitcoins that miners receive for adding another block of transactions to the blockchain, thereby reducing the rate at which new coins appear in circulation.
For comparison: when the network was launched in 2009, miners received 50 BTC for each block, or about 2.6 million bitcoins per year. After the first halving in 2012, the reward was reduced to 25 BTC (approximately 1.3 million coins per year), in 2016 — to 12.5 BTC (750,000 coins per year), in 2020 — to 6.25 BTC (325,000 coins per year), and in 2024 — to 3.125 BTC, which corresponds to approximately 160,000 coins per year.
After the next halving in 2028, the annual increase in supply will be about 80,000 BTC, and in another four years, it will decrease to about 40,000 coins.
The income of miners who receive rewards in bitcoins decreases over time. In dollar terms, the situation depends on the exchange rate, but in fact, the amount of cryptocurrency received is decreasing. As the next planned reduction in emissions approaches, market participants are increasingly raising questions about the sustainability of the business and the need to adapt to new conditions.
In a recent interview with CoinDesk, Fred Tille, head of the largest US mining company MARA Holdings, said that the industry is facing a major transformation in the coming years. According to him, outdated and inefficient business models will cease to be profitable, and only companies with access to cheap energy or those that have managed to diversify their activities beyond mining (for example, into artificial intelligence) will be able to survive.
Competition is intensifying as new players enter the market, including equipment manufacturers and companies with large budgets such as Tether. Thiel noted that without a significant increase in the price of Bitcoin, the situation after the halving in 2028 could become critical.
If we convert the estimated total income of miners into dollar equivalent, at a Bitcoin price of around $95,000 (as of mid-November 2025), it amounts to approximately $40 million per day. For comparison, similar figures were observed in 2021 and 2022, when the Bitcoin price ranged from $30,000 to $60,000.
This indicates that with a decrease in emissions and the current number of participants remaining unchanged, mining may cease to be an economically viable way to ensure the network's operation if the price of Bitcoin does not grow at a faster rate.
#BTC

Growth in Ripple was spurred by reports of the possible launch of several ETFs based on it as early as November.
Ripple's XRP (XRP) cryptocurrency rose 10% in price over the day. The coin outperformed market leaders amid reports that several spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) based on XRP could be launched in the US as early as November.
On November 10, XRP ranks fourth in terms of capitalization ($149 billion), according to CoinMarketCap. Ripple's coin is second only to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the stablecoin USDT on this list. This cryptocurrency has been around since 2012 and is used as the native token of the XRP Ledger blockchain.
Five XRP ETFs offered by Franklin Templeton, Bitwise, Canary Capital, 21Shares, and CoinShares have been added to the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) list, CryptoBriffing reported on November 9. It is noted that this may indicate the imminent launch of these funds, possibly as early as this month.
A spot exchange-traded fund based on cryptocurrency gives investors access to it in the form of regular exchange-traded shares. Such funds are required to purchase cryptocurrency when new shares are issued, which has provided the crypto market with a significant influx of capital and has been one of the drivers of growth since 2024, when the first ETFs on Bitcoin and Ethereum were launched.
In early October, analysts noted that the suspension of federal government operations in the US (the shutdown) could delay the review of applications for the launch of altcoin-based ETFs. On the morning of November 10, it became known that the US Senate had approved a bill that would end the shutdown, which had been going on for 40 days.
Also, at the beginning of the month, Ripple announced that it had raised $500 million from a group of institutional investors, including Fortress, Citadel, Pantera Capital, and Galaxy Digital funds. The funds were invested in exchange for shares in the company at its valuation of $40 billion. XRP showed virtually no reaction to this news.
On July 18 this year, the token updated its historical maximum at around $3.66. Since then, according to CoinGecko, it has fallen by 31%. The token falls into the “Made in the USA” category, and analysts linked its growth in 2025 to the overall more friendly regulation of cryptocurrencies in the US, which began with Donald Trump's rise to power.
#Xrp🔥🔥

Someone transferred bitcoins for the first time since 2013
The unknown owner of a Bitcoin wallet containing approximately 400 BTC (about $44.4 million) transferred all of their coins for the first time since November 2013. In almost 12 years, the value of the coins has increased 185 times.
From the address “whale” on the night of September 29, all cryptocurrency was withdrawn — 400.08 BTC worth $44.48 million. The coins were distributed among 27 other addresses. Twenty-six of them received 15 BTC each, and one received 10 BTC.
The owner received these bitcoins in November 2013 at a rate of about $599 per coin. At that time, the value of 400.08 BTC was $239,800.
It is unknown who is behind the transfer of 400 bitcoins. There are no funds left in the wallet balance. The profit from the growth of the bitcoin exchange rate at this address amounted to $44.2 million.
This summer, Bitcoin reached new historic highs. The maximum was recorded in August at over $124,000, but Bitcoin transfers by early holders began to be recorded as early as July. The value of coins purchased more than 10 years ago has increased hundreds of times.
The owner of a group of wallets that had held more than 80,000 BTC (over $9 billion) since 2011 began transferring coins in early July, which were then sold through crypto broker Galaxy Digital. Another group of addresses saw $30 million worth of Bitcoin withdrawn, untouched since 2010.
In early September, an unknown owner of a wallet holding 444 BTC (over $50 million) made their first transaction since November 2012. A week later, another unknown owner of a wallet containing 1,000 BTC (more than $116 million) transferred all of their coins for the first time since 2014.
#BTC

Our experts draw attention to the main trend of the year — DAT companies (Digital Asset Treasuries). The top coins right now are those used to create reserves by such “treasury” projects. First and foremost, these are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and BNB.
Solana is currently the favorite. Our experts expect more companies buying SOL to enter the market. These firms are quite competitive and will try to become the largest DAT company with reserves of this cryptocurrency.
For example, Bitcoin, which is currently held in the reserves of DAT companies, does not offer any opportunity to earn additional income, while Ether, Solana, or BNB can be used in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols for additional income, which offer higher returns than US government bonds.
The last level of resistance for Sol
Solana is at its last resistance level, according to our experts. Any positive news could push Solana to new highs. According to our expert, no negative developments are expected in the near future, and good news for the market about a key rate cut in the US may appear as early as September 9.
The current fall in market prices was more technical, according to our analyst. And a rate cut always provides good support for risky assets.
Perhaps until the 9th, the market will take a wait-and-see position, wanting to get confirmation from the head of the US Federal Reserve that the rate has indeed been cut and it is possible to move on. The reaction to the decline should be “insanely good, so be careful, careful with leverage, careful with aggressive bets,” our experts warn.
Therefore, it is worth “buying in advance” in overly risky positions. It is better to stay in more or less protected assets for now, our experts believe.
#solana

As part of the TouristDigiPay project, visitors to the country can exchange cryptocurrency for local currency and spend these funds during their stay.
Since August 18, Thailand has been running the TouristDigiPay program, which allows tourists to use cryptocurrency during their stay in the country. They will be able to exchange their digital coins for local currency (Thai baht) through approved services and spend these funds on goods and services.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Thailand Pichai Chunhavajira announced that the new initiative will be in effect for a year and a half. According to him, the “sandbox” will be supervised by regulators: the Ministry of Finance, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Under the program, tourists will be able to exchange cryptocurrencies for baht through licensed operators and pay for goods and services using electronic payment services. The direct use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment is not provided for.
It should be noted that the project is not aimed at promoting digital assets in the country or allowing their use for payments. Initially, it was a pilot project for Phuket, but in July it was decided to expand it to the whole country.
The use of cryptocurrencies for payments is prohibited in Thailand, and the “sandbox” is being introduced solely because tourists have shown interest in using cryptocurrencies. Nevertheless, all services participating in TouristDigiPay will have to comply with anti-money laundering rules, and users will have to undergo verification.
Regulated services will be allowed to participate in the program. Binance and KuCoin, for example, are licensed in Thailand, and both have separate divisions working in partnership with local services.
The Bank of Thailand is also preparing a “tourist crypto wallet,” an app through which visitors to the country will be able to exchange their assets and use QR codes, according to local publication The Nation. To reduce the risk of fraud, transaction limits will be introduced in the crypto wallet, and tourists will only be able to withdraw money after closing their accounts, rather than in cash.
#CryptoNews

The price of the leading altcoin exceeded $4,000. Net cash inflows into altcoin ETFs exceeded $1 billion per day for the first time
Ethereum (ETH) is setting new records, while Bitcoin (BTC) and other major altcoins are showing declines. Investors have for the first time poured more than $1 billion into spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Ethereum in the US in a single day.
On August 12, the price of Ethereum against Bitcoin rose to its highest level since the beginning of the year. The ratio reached 0.0362 BTC per 1 ETH for the first time since January 4, according to TradingView. Over the past month, the price of ETH against BTC has risen by almost 45%.
Spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on altcoins attracted a record $1.02 billion in a single day, according to SoSoValue. In total, Ethereum ETF assets reached $25.7 billion, which is 4.77% of the coin's market capitalization. The continuous inflow of capital into “ether” spot funds has been ongoing since mid-May, during which time the price of ETH has more than doubled.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin fell 2% in a day. The price of the first cryptocurrency, which rose above $122,000 yesterday, fell to $119,000.
Other cryptocurrencies from the top ten also showed a decline: XRP (XRP) lost 3.3%, Solana (SOL) fell 4.3%, and Dogecoin (DOGE) fell 4.2%. Tron (TRX) rose 1.7%.
The total market capitalization fell by 1.7% over the day. Among the top 100 cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) showed the highest growth at 2.6%. The sharpest decline was seen in Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) at 18%.
Liquidations on crypto exchanges over the day amounted to $435 million. 80% of closed positions were long (longs). In total, $127 million worth of trades were forcibly closed on Ethereum, and $71 million on Bitcoin.
The fear and greed index on the crypto market is at 68 points out of 100. This is the “greed” zone, which indicates high investor interest in buying cryptocurrencies.
A strong growth factor for Ethereum this summer has been demand from public companies that have adopted an altcoin accumulation strategy. A total of 70 companies have already accumulated more than $15 billion in ETH, according to StrategicETHreserve data as of August 12.
Earlier, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin commented on this trend. In his opinion, the new way for people to access altcoins through the shares of such companies is useful, but improper credit risk management could lead to a collapse.
#ETH🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

What is Linea blockchain from Consensys. What will the Linea project token be, details of token distribution, who will receive tokens and how many?
The developers of the Linea blockchain platform have announced the launch of a native token, revealing details of the distribution of assets among early users. As part of the token distribution event, early investors and users will receive 9% of the total Linea issuance. Users have been waiting for this event for several years since the network was launched in July 2023.
The total token supply of Linea will be 72,009,990,000 LINEA, which is 1,000 times more than the initial supply of ETH created when the Ethereum blockchain was launched in 2015.
At launch, approximately 22% of the total tokens (15.8 billion LINEA) will be in free circulation. This includes airdrops for early contributors, ecosystem activation programs, and liquidity distribution.
9% of the total token supply will be distributed via airdrop.1% has been allocated to developers.75% of LINEA tokens will be allocated to the Ecosystem Fund, which will be managed by the Linea Consortium: a council of companies including ENS Labs, Eigen Labs, SharpLink, Status, and Consensys.The fund will be housed in a private US company that will apply for non-profit status.15% of the total number of tokens will go to the Consensys treasury. These tokens will be locked for five years but can be used within the ecosystem, for example, as liquidity or staking.
Linea is a second-layer solution for Ethereum layer 2 (L2) scaling that uses ZK-EVM technology to ensure high transaction speeds and low costs. In other words, Linea allows users and developers to interact with Ethereum-based decentralized applications (dApps) with higher efficiency and lower costs.
Linea ranks 32nd in terms of user deposits on the network with $160 million, according to Defillama as of August 1. There are 137 applications launched on the network, and the total daily revenue of the blockchain from fees does not exceed $10,000.
Peak activity came in 2024, when many users expected an airdrop as a reward for using the network. Linea was launched amid many L2 projects, such as zkSync, Arbitrum, and Optimism, incentivizing their early users through native cryptocurrency giveaways.
Linea attracted the attention of users thanks to the company behind its creation, Consensys, one of the largest developers of applications and infrastructure solutions for the Ethereum blockchain. Consensys is responsible for developing the popular crypto wallet Metamask and Infura, software solutions used by many exchanges and services operating on Ethereum.
Currently, Consensys, led by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin, is known for its connection to SharpLink, which has become one of the largest holders of Ethereum cryptocurrency. Since the end of May, when Lubin became the company's CEO, SharpLink has been actively accumulating ETH on its balance sheet, copying Michael Saylor's strategy, but with Ethereum instead of Bitcoin. According to StrategicETHreserve, as of August 1, SharpLink has more than $1.6 billion on its balance sheet.
Burning tokens
An important feature of Linea is how network fees will be used in this blockchain solution. According to the website, after the launch of LINEA, 20% of all transaction fees paid in ETH will be burned, and the remaining 80% will be used to burn LINEA tokens, making the token deflationary.
This is the first such solution among Linea's competitors. Other blockchain networks collect fees as revenue and distribute it to operators who ensure the network's performance. In addition, Linea introduces a new level of interaction with traditional companies, where SharpLink will become a significant participant in decision-making at the individual blockchain level.
However, the LINEA token is not intended for anything other than distribution among network users. As stated on the website, LINEA is not a token for paying transaction fees (ETH is used). At the time of release, LINEA holders will not have the right to manage the network within a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). Tokens have also not been distributed or sold to employees or investors.
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Our experts analyzed the market situation and shared their thoughts on how it might change in the coming week.
During the week of July 15-19, the price of $BTC rose to a new all-time high, exceeding $120,000 for the first time.
By Sunday, the price had stabilized at around $118,000. The growth was supported by several factors, ranging from progress in regulation to increased institutional demand and the expansion of cryptocurrency use globally. One of the key drivers of the week was Crypto Week in the US Congress.
The House of Representatives considered all three key bills — GENIUS (on stablecoin regulation), the Clarity Act (crypto market structure), and the anti-CBDC bill. The bills strengthen legal certainty for digital assets, simplifying access to them for funds, banks, and large investors.
The results of Crypto Week were, in fact, expected. But they pave the way for a qualitatively new application of digital assets by removing previous legislative restrictions. This factor can be safely added to the list of fundamental drivers for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The altcoin season also began for a reason.
Nothing is stopping prices from rising
At the corporate level, interest in investing in crypto assets remained strong. The influx of fresh money into altcoins will support the entire segment.
Strong macroeconomic data in the US, including retail sales growth and a decline in unemployment claims, have reduced expectations of an imminent easing of Fed policy, but interest in Bitcoin as an alternative asset remains strong.
Bitcoin's stability above $115,000, growing interest from major players, and progress in legislation are creating conditions for the uptrend to continue. The key triggers next week will be news from the Fed and US macro statistics. According to GIS Mining estimates, the technical target for Bitcoin is $130,000-134,000.
How soon the high target for BTC will be reached is an open question. From a technical standpoint, there is nothing stopping the price from going up. However, after this week's rally, investors may need time to regain momentum. The market is bullish and very strong.
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