InstitutionalFi News Roundup
Bitcoin Breaks ATH! Crypto Market Update: InstitutionalFI News Roundup & Week Ahead
Bitcoin remains range-bound just below its all-time high, trading near $119,000 with a modest 2% fluctuation so far today. This consolidation just shy of record levels underscores ongoing market strength. A key trend is the uptick in retail trading activity, which has coincided with a decline in Bitcoin’s market dominance—from 66% in June to 61.4% now—as capital circulates into altcoins.
Total crypto market cap has reached $4 trillion, with many top 20 assets hovering near their highs. Notably, XRP set a new all-time high at $3.66, briefly pushing its market cap above $200 billion. This surge was largely driven by South Korean demand, as won-pegged stablecoins fueled a third of Bitget’s 24-hour XRP volume, and XRP/KRW trading topped $2.2 billion on Upbit.
Ethereum has confirmed a major breakout after crossing its 50- and 200-day moving averages, advancing 43% in under two weeks. Institutional treasuries played a role, with one ETH treasury now topping $1 billion in holdings.
ETF flows remain robust:
Bitcoin spot ETFs: $523 million net inflow on July 17
Ethereum spot ETFs: $602 million net inflow (ETH ETFs now total $1.77 billion in purchased ETH)
Bitcoin spot ETF total inflows: $2.01 billion
Other major coins:
XRP: $3.44
BNB: $736
SOL: $178
News Highlights
Thumzup Media, backed by Donald Trump Jr., approves a $250M crypto investment in BTC, XRP, and DOGE.
Russia’s SberBank will launch crypto custody services.
Canary Capital files for the first staked $INJ ETF in the US.
Tether mints an additional $1B USDT, with total daily issuance reaching $3B.
Strategic ETH reserves surpass $5.5B, now managed by 53 entities.
Market structure: Crypto market cap exceeds $4T, with BTC at 59.9% and ETH at 10.8%. In the past 24 hours, BTC gained over 2% and ETH over 8%.
XRP now ranks third by market cap following its $3.60+ breakout, buoyed by sustained South Korean volume.
The famed 80K BTC “ancient whale” completely exited their long-held position, sending 40,192 BTC ($4.83B) to Galaxy Digital and netting a 72,000x return on original investment.
President Trump is preparing an executive order to allow 401(k) investments in crypto, gold, and private equity, opening up new potential sources of demand.
US House passed three major crypto bills (CLARITY, GENIUS, and Anti-CBDC Acts) on July 17—the first significant US crypto laws, with a White House signing scheduled today.
NYSE-listed Enlightify plans phased acquisitions of up to $20M in CYBER tokens for its public treasury.
Bit Origin will raise $500M to build a DOGE treasury, becoming one of the first listed firms to make DOGE a core asset.
GameSquare raised $70M, with most proceeds slated for ETH accumulation, positioning it among the largest public ETH holders.
BitMine’s ETH and equivalents now top $1B, including a recent $250M private round and 300,657 ETH held.
CME Group rules out meme coin products but expands Solana/XRP futures, and is exploring 24/7 trading.
Coinbase introduced the Base App, merging wallet, trading, payments, and mini-apps into one platform.
Bank of America is considering a stablecoin, joining Citi and JPMorgan in exploring such initiatives.
Market Outlook:
Analysts remain bullish, with July price targets for Bitcoin in the $122,000–$125,000 range. If momentum persists, BTC could test $130,000 by August; any dip below $116,000 may trigger a healthy correction. Overall, ongoing ETF inflows, institutional treasury adoption, and landmark US crypto legislation continue to bolster sector confidence and price support.