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Bitcoin ETF outflows continue as bitcoin slumps

Bitcoin ETFs’ outflows continued on August 4, with $333 million in outflows and BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust taking the lion’s share with $292 million. Meanwhile, bitcoin continued its downward trend, hovering around $114,000, down 7% in the past week.

In other bitcoin news:

  • Semler Scientific reported second-quarter earnings yesterday, with earnings per share of $5.04, above the consensus estimate of a loss of $0.22, and revenue of $8.22 million, also above consensus, according to Benchmark analysts. The company increased its bitcoin holdings to 5,021 bitcoin during the quarter. Shares were slightly down in early trading.

  • Riot Platforms, the fifth-largest corporate bitcoin holder, announced it produced 484 bitcoin in July, up from 450 in June, an 8% month-over-month increase and a 31% year-over-year increase. The stock dipped in early Tuesday trading.

  • The newly rebranded Capital B (previously The Blockchain Group) acquired 62 bitcoin, bringing the French company’s total to 2,075.

  • UK-based The Smarter Web Company announced it raised 8.1 million pounds ($10.7 million) to acquire more bitcoin. The company holds 2,050 bitcoin.

  • Crypto platform Exodus Movement announced it increased its bitcoin holdings to 2,087 bitcoin.

  • Taking a page from Strategy’s playbook, Japanese firm Metaplanet announced the launch of a merch store, featuring “a curated lineup of apparel, accessories, and limited edition items.”  

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Payward, parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, puts plans for IPO on hold

Payward, crypto exchange Kraken’s parent company, has paused its plans for an initial public offering until market conditions improve, according to a report from CoinDesk that cited two people with knowledge of the matter. 

Since the firm announced in November its preparation for an IPO of its common stock, the total market capitalization of the crypto industry has shed around $652.2 billion, from $3.2 trillion to $2.5 trillion as of Wednesday, data from CoinGecko shows. 

The news comes two weeks after Kraken received approval for a master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, allowing the crypto exchange to connect to the Fed’s payment infrastructure used by traditional banks and credit unions. 

Last year, Kraken raised $800 million at a $20 billion valuation from institutional investors such as Jane Street and Citadel Securities.

The news comes two weeks after Kraken received approval for a master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, allowing the crypto exchange to connect to the Fed’s payment infrastructure used by traditional banks and credit unions. 

Last year, Kraken raised $800 million at a $20 billion valuation from institutional investors such as Jane Street and Citadel Securities.

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SEC and CFTC issue new guidance on how securities laws apply to crypto assets

On Tuesday, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, together with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, issued an interpretation clarifying how federal securities law applies to crypto assets, a first step toward developing a clearer regulatory framework. 

The interpretive guidance introduces a token taxonomy for different types of cryptocurrencies, with SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins adding that “most crypto assets are not themselves securities.”

Examples of a digital commodity, “a crypto asset that is intrinsically linked to and derives its value from the programmatic operation of a crypto system that is ‘functional,’” include:

The guidance also includes definitions of digital collectibles (such as NFTs), stablecoins, digital tools, and digital securities (such as tokenized real-world assets and stocks).

This is a monumental step in the mainstream adoption of the industry and clears a hurdle in how crypto can operate going forward, according to David Pakman, head of venture investments at CoinFund. “This will allow new token designs with the confidence that their existence does not require registration with the SEC, etc.,” Pakman told Sherwood News.

Despite the clarification efforts from the two organizations, the market capitalization of the crypto industry has dropped about 2% in the last 24 hours as each of the tokens mentioned in the guidance are trading lower in the period, data from CoinGecko shows.

The joint agency action also complements congressional efforts to turn a crypto market structure framework into law. With the goal of providing regulations on the offer and sale of digital commodities, the CLARITY Act passed the House of Representatives last year and is now sitting in the Senate.

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