Bitmine Immersion Technologies extended its Ether buying streak to 65 consecutive weeks, adding 53,501 ETH last week as a broader crypto market recovery lifted the value of its burgeoning digital asset portfolio despite sizable unrealized losses.

The latest purchase brought Bitmine’s holdings to more than 5.9 million ETH, valued at roughly $14.8 billion based on an Ether price of $2,511 as of Sunday. The company now owns 4.9% of Ethereum’s 120.7 million circulating supply, putting it within striking distance of its stated goal of owning 5%.

Bitmine’s chairman, Tom Lee, said Ether, Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL) have been the three best-performing major assets since June 30, with ETH leading the gains.

“We believe this sets the stage for institutions to add to their crypto holdings given the substantial outperformance of crypto versus other macro assets in 3Q so far,” Lee said.

Following the latest purchase, Bitmine is sitting on roughly $5.1 billion in unrealized losses on its Ether holdings, according to DropsTab data. The paper losses reflect sustained accumulation through the downturn, which began in the fourth quarter of last year and sent Ether and the broader crypto market sharply lower.

The company’s NYSE-traded BMNR shares were up 1.3% on Monday morning, at $24.09 apiece, poised to end the month with an almost-40% increase, according to Yahoo Finance data.

Related: Bitmine extends 14-month ETH buying pace as Ether breaks above $2.5K

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Grayscale Predicts a Third Wave of Financial Privacy Demand

Artificial intelligence could strengthen demand for Zcash privacy features as analytical tools become better at connecting public blockchain transactions with offchain information, Grayscale Head of Research Zach Pandl said Aug. 31. In the firm’s latest Stack commentary, Pandl described AI as the force behind a potential third wave of public attention to financial privacy.

Mainstream privacy concerns previously intensified during the computerization of financial records in the 1970s and the expansion of the internet in the 1990s, according to the asset manager. Public blockchains now create a distinct exposure, since transactions remain visible and can potentially be combined with exchange records, wallet activity, and other identifying information.

Pandl stated:

“For users that prioritize privacy, this could become a ‘must have’ feature.”

The new commentary follows a broader Grayscale analysis of zcash’s potential position within the digital currency market. ZEC has risen roughly 19-fold over the past year but remained below 1% of bitcoin’s market capitalization as of Aug. 29. Grayscale’s earlier valuation scenarios were hypothetical illustrations, not price forecasts.

US Agencies Identify AI-Driven Re-Identification Risks

Federal research supports the broader concern that AI can weaken protections previously provided through anonymization and fragmented data. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) states that AI creates new re-identification risks, while its predictive capabilities could reveal more information about individuals and amplify behavioral tracking and surveillance.

A separate U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published in March compiled privacy risks named by an expert panel it convened. The panel described AI cross-referencing seemingly independent data sets to re-identify anonymized information, and flagged data aggregation as a separate risk. Systems may combine financial, location, health, and other data about a person to infer details not explicitly contained in any single data set.

Those findings do not specifically assess blockchain transactions or Zcash, but they support the mechanism underlying Grayscale’s argument. Transparent ledgers provide a permanent data set that increasingly capable systems could analyze alongside information collected by exchanges, payment platforms, public records, data brokers, and online services.

Shielded Transactions Conceal Addresses and Amounts

Zcash supports both transparent and shielded transactions, giving users control over whether transaction details are publicly visible. Its shielded transfers use zero-knowledge cryptography, a technology used by some privacy coins, to validate transactions without revealing the sender and recipient addresses or the amount.

Interest in confidential blockchain transactions has increased alongside broader concerns about financial surveillance. By May, roughly 30% of ZEC’s supply was held in shielded pools, up from approximately 8% in earlier years, showing increased adoption of Zcash’s privacy features. The percentage reflects the share of ZEC stored privately and provides a network-level measure of shielded-pool adoption.

Investor access also expanded when Grayscale’s Zcash ETF began trading on NYSE Arca under the ticker ZCSH on Aug. 25. The product provides spot ZEC exposure through an exchange-traded structure, connecting Grayscale’s privacy thesis with a publicly traded investment vehicle.

Its latest commentary presents AI-driven privacy risks as a potential source of longer-term demand, while its central claim remains a forecast about Zcash’s relevance rather than evidence that AI has already increased shielded transaction use.

A network’s revenue generation is closely tied to the strength of activity happening on-chain.

The logic is simple: Fees are a critical source of revenue for the network. The more fees are being generated, the more active the users are, the higher the demand for block space is, and the more the network utilizes its adoption to generate revenue for itself in the long run.

Interestingly enough, Robinhood Chain, which is an Ethereum [ETH] Layer-2, built on Arbitrum’s technology, concluded August having generated $1 million+ in revenues for its network. This is an astonishing feat, given that it only went live on the public mainnet 60 days ago. The key takeaway? How quickly has Robinhood Chain has overtaken competitors in terms of yield? 

As the figure above shows, the chain generated almost 20x more revenue on the 30th of August than it did just 10 days earlier. To put this into perspective, on the 22nd of August, the revenue of Robinhood amounted to $49k, whereas that of Arbitrum totaled $5.4k and Ethereum just $248. By the 30th of August, Robinhood’s revenue had jumped to $1.087 million, whereas Arbitrum generated $108k and Ethereum only $155.

Notably, Arbitrum was quick to boast about this milestone on X. With 10% of Robinhood Chain’s [HOOD] revenue flowing back to Arbitrum, the increase in activity also provides a revenue growth tailwind for the underlying network. At the same time, with only 1% of fees returning to Ethereum, the market has become skeptical about the impact of Robinhood’s on-ramp on Ethereum’s ability to capture transaction fees.

But this skepticism may be just beginning. Notably, the focus is now shifting from the L1 to the DEX sector, as the question looms large over whether Robinhood’s growing on-chain traffic would put pressure on the market share of Solana’s [SOL] DEX dominance.

Robinhood’s on-chain growth is creating a new battleground

The DEX space is one of the main sources of revenue for networks.

The rationale behind this is that decentralized exchanges (DEX) take place on a blockchain network, and every transaction and swap must happen on-chain and thus generate fees for the network. As such, any increase in DEX trading volume usually translates into higher revenues for the underlying blockchain.

Looking at the numbers provided by DeFiLlama, one can see that Solana is the largest project in this space. Its DEX volume reached $64 billion, more than 2x Ethereum’s. However, Robinhood is quickly gaining ground on the daily volume front.

The network recently hit a record $1.4 billion daily DEX volume, which is more than Ethereum’s $1.2 billion and coming much closer to Solana’s $2.4 billion. This is certainly impressive, even though it was only a one-day spike, given Robinhood Chain’s mainnet launched only two months ago.

In short, the growing activity is putting Robinhood Chain even more in focus. 

As seen in the chart above, the network now achieves record-breaking DEX volume and network revenue. If Robinhood succeeds in sustaining this level of growth, its increasing market share will put pressure on the industry incumbents. This will disrupt the competition for on-chain liquidity and revenue, making it one of the most important trends to watch.

Final Summary

Robinhood Chain is seeing record growth in both revenue and DEX volume.
If this growth continues, it could challenge major networks for users and liquidity.

Cointelegraph is committed to providing independent, high-quality journalism across the crypto, blockchain, AI, and fintech industries.

All news, reviews, and analyses are produced with full journalistic independence and integrity. For more details on our standards and processes, please read our Editorial Policy.

Decentralized finance (DeFi) vault infrastructure protocol More Markets had a lending reserve drained of about $9.3 million in digital assets on Flow EVM, according to Web3 security platform Blockaid.

The attacker drained about 15.5 million Wrapped Flow (WFLOW) tokens, valued by Blockaid at approximately $9.3 million, from the mFlowWFLOW lending reserve, according to blockchain data shared by Blockaid in a Monday X post.

Blockaid said the attacker used Ankr Staked FLOW (ankrFLOW), a liquid staking token, alongside E-mode to overborrow from the reserve.

E-mode, short for efficiency mode, is an Aave V3 feature that increases borrowing power for assets whose prices are expected to move together, such as a liquid staking token and its underlying asset.

The exploit pushed total losses from cryptocurrency hacks to $139.7 million for August, making it the third-largest month by value stolen so far in 2026. However, it marks a significant decrease from $254 million stolen during July, according to DefiLlama data.

On Sunday, Cronos halted its blockchain network after a reported $75 million exploit targeting DeFi lending protocol Tectonic.

More Markets had not publicly confirmed the incident or disclosed whether users suffered losses at the time of publication. Cointelegraph contacted Blockaid for more details but did not receive a response by publication and was unable to reach More Markets for comment.

Related: Humanity Protocol to prioritize operational security following $36M hack

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) returned to inflows on Monday, led almost entirely by BlackRock, while Ether, XRP and Solana funds continued attracting capital.

SoSoValue data showed that Bitcoin ETFs recorded $216.7 million in net inflows on Monday, reversing the $201.8 million in withdrawals recorded on Friday. 

The Friday outflows ended a nine-session run that brought more than $3 billion into the funds. Bitcoin (BTC) was trading near $78,700 at the time of writing, up about 1.5% over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko. 

Meanwhile, Ether ETFs extended their inflow streak to 11 trading sessions, while XRP and Solana funds each recorded a 10th consecutive positive session.

US spot Bitcoin ETF flows. Source: SoSoValue

BlackRock accounts for 95% of Bitcoin ETF inflows

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) led Monday’s Bitcoin ETF rebound with $205.9 million in net inflows, accounting for about 95% of the category’s daily total, according to Farside Investors. 

Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) added $6.9 million, followed by the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) with $4.3 million. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin Trust added $3.6 million, while Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust attracted $9.4 million.

Related: Strategy buys $370M Bitcoin in first corporate purchase since June

VanEck’s Bitcoin ETF (HODL) was the only fund to record withdrawals, posting $13.4 million in net outflows. The remaining funds reported no flows. 

US spot Bitcoin ETF flows per fund. Source: Farside Investors 

Ether, XRP and Solana ETFs extend inflow runs

Spot Ether ETFs attracted $87.7 million on Monday, marking their 11th consecutive trading session of inflows.

BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA) led with $59.9 million, followed by Grayscale’s Ethereum Mini Trust with $13.5 million and Fidelity’s Ethereum Fund with $9.3 million, according to Farside.

XRP ETFs extended their positive run to 10 sessions with $5.64 million in net inflows, according to SoSoValue. The funds have attracted capital during every US trading session since Aug. 18. 

Solana ETFs also posted a 10th consecutive positive session, though daily inflows slowed to $925,010 from $18.1 million on Friday. Monday’s figure was the category’s weakest inflow during its current run. 

Magazine: Mystery surrounds why an OG burned $1M in Bitcoin

TLDR

Ethereum price could reach $2,650 in August, according to Kalshi prediction market data.
Spot Ethereum ETFs pulled in $179.8 million on August 25, led by BlackRock’s ETHA.
ETH traded at $2,451.51 on August 26, down 0.44% on the four-hour chart.
A close above $2,500 could open the door to $2,600 and $2,800.
A rejection near $2,500 may push ETH back down toward $2,350 support.

Ethereum’s price could climb to $2,650 before the end of August. That is the forecast shown on prediction platform Kalshi, based on trader positioning.

The prediction follows a 20% weekly jump that pushed Ether above $2,400. Gains have slowed since then as traders take profits.

The wider crypto market fell 1.95% over the past day, dropping to $2.61 trillion. Bitcoin stayed near $78,000, just below the $80,000 mark.

XRP settled at $1.44 after a 5% pullback over two sessions. That drop follows a strong rally the week before.

On Kalshi, the forecast chart shows a $2,650 target with a rise of 585.4 points. This shows traders are leaning toward continued short-term gains for Ethereum.

Ethereum ETF Inflows Rise

Spot Ethereum ETFs brought in $179.80 million in net inflows on August 25. The data comes from SoSoValue.

BlackRock’s ETHA led all funds with $146.44 million in inflows. Fidelity’s FETH followed with $25.75 million, and BlackRock’s ETHB added $7.61 million.

Combined, Ethereum ETFs now hold $14.88 billion in assets. That figure equals 5.06% of Ethereum’s total market cap.

Daily trading volume across these funds reached $980.49 million. Total historical net inflows for Ethereum ETFs have grown to $12.45 billion.

ETHA remains the largest fund with $8.23 billion in assets, though it dipped 0.46% recently. Grayscale’s ETHE has seen $5.35 billion in net outflows but still holds $1.87 billion in assets.

Price Levels to Watch

Ethereum traded at $2,451.51 on August 26, down 0.44% on the four-hour candle. The price has held above the $2,350 support level despite the slowdown.

The four-hour RSI fell to 55.57, a neutral reading after recent overbought conditions. The MACD line sits below the signal line, with a negative histogram.

A close above $2,500 could open the path toward $2,600 and $2,800. That is the next resistance zone traders are watching.

A second rejection near $2,500 could send Ethereum back to the $2,350 support area. A break below that level could bring $2,000 into view, with $1,800 as a further downside target.

Over the past week, Ondo [ONDO] crypto has gone from being on the verge of a bullish breakout past the short-term resistance at $0.42 to sinking 7% in a week and falling toward the $0.30 demand zone.

The short-term downturn was accompanied by a notable decline in Open Interest from $122 million to $112 million within 24 hours. Coinalyze data also showed a decline in spot CVD alongside negative Funding Rates in recent hours.

The Funding Rate was marginally positive once again at the time of writing, but put together, these indicators signaled bearish dominance. Here’s what Ondo crypto traders and investors need to watch out for next.

Indecisive Ondo crypto trends swing opportunities scarce

Early in 2026, an Ondo crypto swing price move down from $0.47 to $0.20 marked a bearish trend continuation. Throughout the year, a decisive breakout from this downtrend has not been established.

The bullish price action in May stopped just shy of breaching the $0.47 high. A descending triangle pattern (green) saw an upward breakout in July, which was stopped short at the $0.413 local resistance.

At the time of writing, the CMF was at +0.06 to indicate sizeable capital inflows on the daily timeframe. Yet, the RSI was at 46.6 to signal neutral momentum.

This momentum decline was a result of the rejection from the range highs over the past week.

Traders’ call to action – Watch the range

Since June, the $0.305-$0.42 range (purple) has been in place. The mid-range level at $0.364 was lost to the bears, and the $0.34 local demand zone was being tested.

A breakdown below $0.34 and a dip to $0.305-$0.320 would likely give a buying opportunity around the range lows, targeting $0.42 as take-profit.

However, as the 1-day chart showed, the longer-term swing structure was bearish. Hence, Ondo crypto traders should be prepared to cut their position in case of a dip below $0.30 and adopt a bearish bias thereafter.

Final Summary

The Ondo crypto price action has lacked a clear trend in recent months, but its oscillation within a range has provided trading opportunities.
Another buying opportunity could be around the corner. Swing traders will be watching the $0.305-$0.320 demand zone closely in the coming days.

Cointelegraph is committed to providing independent, high-quality journalism across the crypto, blockchain, AI, and fintech industries.

All news, reviews, and analyses are produced with full journalistic independence and integrity. For more details on our standards and processes, please read our Editorial Policy.

DeFi’s latest rally reflects growing expectations that protocol economics could matter more in token valuations.

DeFi tokens have climbed nearly 38% since August 17 as investors reassess how US crypto policy could affect protocol revenue and token value.

SoSoValue says the rally is moving DeFi closer to a market where fees, buybacks and on-chain activity can play a larger role in how tokens are valued.

Policy Shift and Protocol Revenue Behind the Rally

In a post on X, SoSoValue said its DeFi sector index, $DEFI.ssi, rose from 0.3616 on August 17 to around 0.498 after reaching 0.511, for a cumulative gain of about 37.7%.

The move came alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum’s recovery and broader short covering, but the research firm argues that investors are also reassessing whether mature DeFi protocols can return more of their revenue to tokenholders.

That issue has limited DeFi valuations for years. Protocols could generate substantial trading fees, lending income, and other revenue while tokenholders had little direct claim on those economics.

Fee distributions and buybacks could also create securities-law concerns in the US, leaving many protocols reluctant to activate mechanisms that tie revenue to their tokens. But that may be changing, considering that last week, the SEC proposed its “Regulation Crypto Assets” framework, which includes exemptions and a conditional safe harbor for certain crypto-asset offerings.

Under the proposal, once a project has completed or permanently stopped the essential managerial work it had promised, its token may no longer remain part of an investment contract.

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The Senate’s CLARITY Act draft goes further for DeFi, with protections for noncontrolling developers, validators, node operators, oracle providers and self-custody wallet software.

That draft also leaves room for rewards linked to trading, staking, governance, and liquidity provision. However, it still needs 60 votes in the Senate, while the SEC proposal is subject to public comment, but according to SoSoValue, markets are already assigning more confidence to the direction of US policy, even though legal certainty is still not there.

Revenue and Buybacks Give DeFi Tokens a Different Valuation Case

When you consider protocol revenue, the case becomes even more interesting, with Uniswap generating about $7.18 million during the past 30 days, followed by PancakeSwap at $5.16 million, Jupiter at $4.69 million, Aave at $4.12 million, and Aerodrome at $4.11 million.

Several of these protocols now have mechanisms that connect those economics to their tokens. For example, Hyperliquid uses part of trading fees to buy HYPE, Uniswap has linked revenue to UNI burns, and Jupiter allocates 50% of protocol fees to JUP purchases. PancakeSwap also uses part of its fees for CAKE buybacks and burns.

Meanwhile, Ethena has proposed an even larger allocation. Once USDe reaches its stated supply threshold, 95% of net revenue paid to the foundation across its three core business lines would go towards ENA buybacks.

According to SoSoValue, the next phase depends on whether those protocol revenues keep rising and whether tokenholders can get a larger share of it.