Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA), a prominent Bitcoin mining company, has led a $20 million equity investment round in Two Prime, a registered investment adviser and institutional digital asset lender managing approximately $1.75 billion in assets. This move highlights a rising trend among institutional investors seeking yield beyond passive BTC holding. Alongside the investment, MARA significantly increased its Bitcoin allocation to Two Prime’s institutional yield strategies from 500 BTC to 2,000 BTC. This strategic shift aims to generate active returns on Bitcoin holdings rather than relying purely on long-term price appreciation. Bitcoin Yield Strategies Gain Institutional Momentum Two Prime offers SEC-compliant…
Author: Blockto Team
As Bitcoin (BTC) continues its steady climb to new highs, volatility—the metric long associated with crypto’s risk—has been quietly fading, according to a new report from Deutsche Bank. The global financial institution notes that Bitcoin’s shrinking price swings are a sign of a maturing asset class, as mainstream adoption and regulatory clarity transform the digital asset landscape. A Historic Rally, With Unusually Low Volatility Deutsche Bank points out that Bitcoin has surged nearly 75% since mid-November 2024. Yet, this bullish run hasn’t been driven by the explosive, erratic moves that characterized earlier crypto rallies. Instead, it has unfolded during a…
XRP witnessed an 8% price decline over the past 24 hours, falling from $3.02 to $2.78 amid a surge in institutional rebalancing and ETF-related speculation. The drop comes just days before the highly anticipated ProShares XRP Futures ETF launch on July 18, adding to the asset’s short-term volatility. XRP Sees Sharp Intraday Reversal Between July 14 at 06:00 UTC and July 15 at 05:00 UTC, XRP traded within a 7% intraday range, topping out at $3.02 before sliding to a low of $2.78. The most notable movements included: The price action reflects not panic selling, but calculated corporate reallocation in…
Arcadia Finance, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform on the Base blockchain, was exploited on July 15, 2025, resulting in the loss of $2.5 million in crypto assets. The attacker used a vulnerability in the protocol’s Rebalancer contract to steal funds, which were then converted into Wrapped Ethereum (WETH) and bridged to Ethereum mainnet. How the Exploit Happened According to an alert from blockchain security firm Cyvers, the exploit occurred at 04:05:58 UTC. The attacker deployed a malicious contract and quickly executed a swap using arbitrary swapData parameters, bypassing intended protocol logic. This allowed access to user vaults and enabled unauthorized…
After nearly a year of legal proceedings, former Wemade CEO Jang Hyun-guk has been cleared of market manipulation charges related to the circulation of the WEMIX token. The Seoul Southern District Court ruled on Tuesday that there was insufficient evidence to prove intent to deceive investors or influence crypto market prices. Court Finds No Intent to Mislead Investors Prosecutors had alleged that Jang falsely promised to halt the liquidation of WEMIX tokens in early 2022, intending to boost investor confidence and stabilize prices. They claimed Wemade, under Jang’s leadership, unfairly sold over $200 million worth of tokens without making proper…
Standard Chartered has officially launched regulated spot trading services for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), becoming the first global systemically important bank to offer direct crypto trading to institutional clients. The service is now available through the bank’s UK branch and marks a major step in bridging traditional finance with digital asset markets. Institutional Clients Can Now Trade BTC and ETH Directly The service enables institutional investors, asset managers, and large corporations to trade BTC and ETH directly through familiar FX trading interfaces, with full regulatory compliance and deliverable settlement. This move positions Standard Chartered as a pioneer among traditional…
Dogecoin (DOGE) saw a dramatic 10% price drop over a 24-hour period, only to recover swiftly in the final trading hour amid a clear surge in institutional trading activity. The move highlights increasing two-way volatility in the memecoin market as larger players begin targeting high-volume tokens. DOGE Drops 9.52% in Under 24 Hours From July 14 at 05:00 UTC to July 15 at 04:00 UTC, DOGE fell from $0.21 to $0.19, registering a $0.022 price range and total 10.44% volatility. The selloff occurred in two critical windows: The breakdown below the $0.200 level confirmed strong institutional exits, not a typical…
Two deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) have admitted to abusing their official powers to assist a high-profile crypto criminal — dubbed “The Godfather” — in a wide-ranging extortion scheme. The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that the deputies used their law enforcement roles to support Adam Iza, a crypto platform operator also known as Ahmed Faiq, who is now behind bars. Crypto Extortion and Off-Duty Abuse David Anthony Rodriguez and Christopher Michael Cadman admitted to federal charges including conspiracy against rights. Cadman also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return. While moonlighting as private security,…
In a sweeping move that has sent shockwaves through the crypto community, Hungary has officially criminalized unauthorized cryptocurrency trading, with new legislation that went into effect on July 1, 2025. The updated Hungarian Criminal Code introduces prison penalties for both users and operators of unlicensed crypto services. Prison Sentences for Using Unauthorized Crypto Exchanges The revised legal framework now imposes up to two years in prison for individuals who trade using unauthorized crypto exchanges. The severity of penalties increases with the value of the transactions: This legislation marks the first time Hungary has explicitly classified unauthorized crypto activity as a…
Internet Computer (ICP) experienced a rollercoaster trading session, showing strong momentum early before reversing sharply by midday. The token climbed to a peak of $5.6781 but failed to hold gains, eventually retreating below key support levels. Early Surge Fueled by Institutional Volume ICP began gaining strength on July 13 at 17:00 UTC, supported by a steep rise in volume during early Asian trading hours. Between 02:00 and 05:00 UTC on July 14, the token surged from $5.47 to $5.68, marking a 5% move within a three-hour window. Trading volume exceeded 800,000 units, indicating strong institutional activity. Bulls briefly pushed the…