TL;DR

ETH ETF inflows hit $2.9B; BitMine, BlackRock, Norway funds accumulate; LINK surges on buy-back, ICE deal.

Highlights

• BitMine accumulated $470M in ETH , now holding 1.3M ETH (~1% of supply)1; BlackRock ’s Bitcoin ETF owns 749,000 BTC ($85B) and is increasing ETH exposure, with ETH ETF inflows outpacing BTC 4:1 last week20.
• Ethereum ETFs saw a record $2.9B in weekly inflows, with AUM reaching $30B20; unstaking queue hit $3.8B (900,000 ETH), causing a 15-day delay28.
• Both Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs logged first net outflows since early August on Aug 15, totaling $73M120.
• Norway’s $1.7T sovereign wealth fund boosted Bitcoin holdings by 83% to 11,600 BTC, mainly via MicroStrategy7.
• Bitcoin closed above $100,000 for 100 days; 200-day MA crossed $100,000; market cap at $2.4T (1.7% of global money supply)1215.
• Chainlink ’s LINK rallied 12% to $26 after launching “Chainlink Reserve” (auto buy-back), whale accumulation, and new ICE partnership for onchain FX/metals data; TVS secured now $93B+45.
• Solana hit a record 107,664 TPS, far surpassing Ethereum ; governance activity ongoing with SIMD 3269.
• Japan’s FSA set to approve first yen stablecoin (JPYC) this fall, targeting DeFi and remittances3.
• Moonbirds NFT floor price jumped to 3.9 ETH (No. 8 by market cap) after new ownership and renewed trading10.
• Notable trading: One ETH trader turned $125K into $29.6M (236x) on Hyperliquid; whales cycled $136M in WBTC /ETH via DeFi lending and exchanges11.
• World Economic Forum appointed BlackRock ’s Larry Fink interim co-chair, highlighting increasing links between global finance and crypto16.
• Strive expects Michael Saylor’s Strategy to join S&P 500 next month, potentially increasing BTC-linked equity flows14.

Commentary

Institutional flows remain central, with BitMine and BlackRock aggressively expanding ETH and BTC holdings120. Ethereum ETFs drew a record $2.9B in weekly inflows, dwarfing Bitcoin ETF inflows and lifting total ETH ETF AUM to $30B220. This surge coincides with sustained high Ethereum network activity—over 1M daily transactions—and a record $3.8B unstaking queue, largely led by Lido, EtherFi, and Coinbase 28. However, both BTC and ETH ETFs saw their first net outflows in weeks on August 15, suggesting some rotation or profit-taking after strong inflows120.

Bitcoin ’s technical setup is reinforced by 100 consecutive daily closes above $100,000 and a 200-day moving average now above that level12. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund nearly doubled its BTC exposure, mainly via MicroStrategy, while ETF and corporate treasury demand continues to support the $100,000 floor712. S&P 500 index inclusion rumors for Saylor’s Strategy could further increase passive flows into BTC-linked equities14.

In DeFi and infrastructure, Chainlink ’s LINK outperformed after the launch of its “Chainlink Reserve” buy-back mechanism, whale accumulation, and a new partnership with ICE to bring institutional FX and metals data onchain45. Chainlink now secures over $93B in value, underlining its dominance in oracle infrastructure45. Solana ’s new TPS record (107,664) highlights ongoing L1 scaling competition9.

NFT and trading activity show renewed risk appetite: Moonbirds’ floor price more than doubled post-acquisition, while leveraged ETH trading produced outsized returns and large whales cycled capital across DeFi protocols1011. Japan’s upcoming yen stablecoin could expand DeFi and remittance options in Asia3. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum’s appointment of BlackRock ’s Fink as interim co-chair underscores the tightening relationship between traditional finance and digital assets16.

Traders should closely monitor ETF flows, Layer 1 network metrics, and whale activity for early signs of rotation or volatility, especially as institutional participation deepens and leverage remains high across majors and DeFi.