InstitutionalFi News Roundup
Bitcoin Breaks ATH! Crypto Market Update: InstitutionalFI News Roundup & Week Ahead
Bitcoin has decisively shattered bearish narratives this week, not only breaking through previous resistance but setting a new all-time high of $118,455 on Friday, according to Pepperstone data. This marks a 9.3% surge since Wednesday’s low, defying widespread calls for a double-top and echoing the resilience seen in earlier cycles.
The rally is being driven by robust institutional demand and record ETF inflows. On July 10 (ET), Bitcoin spot ETFs saw $1.179 billion in net inflows—the second-highest daily total ever—while Ethereum spot ETFs attracted $383 million, also the second-highest on record. This institutional momentum has been a key force behind the market’s upward trajectory, with major corporations and asset managers continuing to add to their crypto reserves.
Ethereum has also surged, reaching $3,030—a 17% gain since Wednesday’s low—as several corporate treasuries announced large ETH purchases earlier in the week.
Other major cryptos:
XRP: $2.58
BNB: $688
SOL: $163
News Highlights
Coinbase partners with Perplexity to provide traders with real-time, reliable crypto data.
Corporates added over $17.6B in Bitcoin to balance sheets in Q2 2025 (Bitwise).
Japanese firm GATES Inc. will tokenize $75M in Tokyo real estate on Oasys blockchain, with plans to expand to $200B.
Amber International (NASDAQ: AMBR) launches on Solana via xStocks Alliance, listing its tokenized stock AMBRx.
Florida Attorney General investigates Robinhood’s crypto trading business for alleged misleading advertising.
Grayscale expands its asset consideration list to include new smart contract, DeFi, AI, and utility tokens.
Ethereum Foundation unveils a new strategy focused on ecosystem acceleration, support, and long-term growth.
HSBC pilots e-HKD+ experiments on multiple blockchains and launches Hong Kong’s first on-chain settlement service.
BIT Mining (NYSE: BTCM) to build a $300M SOL treasury as it expands into the Solana ecosystem.
GameSquare completes its first $5M Ethereum purchase as part of a $100M ETH treasury plan.
Ant International–Circle partnership report denied: Ant says there is no current plan for USDC integration.
Royal Government of Bhutan continues BTC transfers to Binance, with 213.5 BTC moved this week.
Donald Trump Jr. invests in Thumzup Media, which holds over $2M in Bitcoin and plans to add more cryptocurrencies.
Circle and Bybit enter a USDC revenue-sharing agreement, similar to previous deals with Coinbase and Binance.
ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) sells Coinbase and Robinhood shares after strong proxy stock performance.
Other Highlighs from the Week
Arkham: The recent transfer of 80,000 BTC by a whale is likely an address format upgrade (from “1-” to “bc1q-”), not a sale.
Ethereum Upgrade: Vitalik Buterin and Toni Wahrstätter propose EIP-7983, capping per-transaction gas at 16.77M to reduce DoS risks and improve network stability. This would also help with zkVM compatibility and scalability.
The Blockchain Group bought 116 BTC for €10.7M; now holds 1,904 BTC (up 1,348.8% YTD).
Hilbert Group (Sweden) will add Bitcoin to its reserves.
CEL AI (UK) made its first BTC purchase (6.18 BTC), with plans for more.
Elon Musk’s “America Party” will embrace Bitcoin, calling fiat “hopeless.”
Kazakhstan to launch a national crypto reserve; Russia’s Rostec to issue RUBx stablecoin on Tron.
Singapore fines 9 banks $21.5M over $2.2B money laundering.
Jack Dorsey unveils Bitchat, a decentralized, BLE-based messaging app that works without internet. Uses end-to-end encryption and local storage, but with a 300m signal limit and some security concerns.
TON Foundation offers a controversial “UAE Golden Visa” for staking $100K in Toncoin for 3 years (plus $35K fee). UAE authorities have denied involvement—investors should verify before participating.
Ukraine sanctions 60 companies (mostly Russian) for aiding sanctions evasion via crypto.
Russia launches a national registry for crypto mining equipment to regulate power use and tax reporting.
Metaplanet acquired 2,205 BTC for $238.7M, now holding 15,555 BTC at an average cost of $99,307 each.
Shenzhen, China warns of illegal fundraising and fraud linked to “stablecoins” and digital assets.
xStocks token trading dropped 93% during the US holiday, highlighting the link between traditional and crypto market hours.
Key Takeaways
BTC remains resilient near all-time highs despite “summer slowdown” volumes.
Ethereum’s ecosystem is evolving, with major protocol proposals and institutional interest.
Institutional and corporate players continue to accumulate BTC and ETH, even as regulatory scrutiny and global adoption intensify.
Market structure is shifting, with traditional finance and crypto increasingly intertwined.