TL;DR
PayPal to enable crypto payments for 30M+ merchants; ETH rallies on record ETF inflows; BNB hits ATH.
Highlights
- PayPal to launch “Pay with Crypto,” enabling 30M+ U.S. merchants to accept 100+ digital assets with instant USD or PYUSD settlement and sub-credit card fees 1.
- Ethereum rallies to $3,902, its highest since Dec 2024, with ETF-driven inflows pushing three-month net additions above $8.2B and market cap over $460B 318.
- U.S. spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs see record $11.2B July inflows; ETH ETFs lead with $1.6–$1.85B weekly 4.
- MicroStrategy upsizes capital raise to $2.8B for further Bitcoin purchases; Marathon Digital closes $950M zero-coupon note deal to expand BTC holdings 56.
- CEA Industries secures $500M for BNB treasury; Tron files for $1B shelf to expand TRX holdings; Mill City Ventures raises $450M for SUI token treasury 1112.
- BTCS Inc. increases ETH holdings to 70,028 ETH (~$275M) after a $55.2M purchase and $10M convertible note raise 13.
- Binance Coin (BNB) hits all-time high of $850.70, briefly overtakes Solana in market cap; Binance CEO CZ’s net worth rises to $75.8B 215.
- Binance launches RWUSD, a principal-protected Earn product pegged to tokenized U.S. Treasuries, offering up to 4.2% APR 9.
- Interactive Brokers considers launching a stablecoin or integrating third-party stablecoins for 24/7 client funding 10.
- Zora token surges nearly tenfold in a month after Coinbase Base integration, driving creator coin activity 14.
- GMX hacker returns $40M after accepting a 10% bounty, highlighting the use of white-hat settlements in DeFi exploits 7.
- Expanded RICO lawsuit targets Solana and Jito execs over alleged $5.5B meme coin gambling scheme; Solana co-founder criticizes meme coins and NFTs 8.
Commentary
Institutional and corporate flows remain the dominant theme, with record ETF inflows into Bitcoin and Ethereum reinforcing the narrative of mainstream adoption 4. Ethereum ’s rally above $3,900 is underpinned by sustained ETF demand, large-holder accumulation, and renewed derivatives activity 318. Bitcoin ’s position is further entrenched by aggressive treasury strategies from MicroStrategy and Marathon Digital , both raising substantial capital to expand their BTC holdings 56.
Altcoins are seeing similar institutionalization, with CEA Industries, Tron, and Mill City Ventures collectively raising nearly $2B for BNB , TRX, and SUI treasuries 1112. This mirrors the Bitcoin treasury playbook and signals growing public-market appetite for direct exposure to individual blockchain tokens. BNB ’s all-time high and Solana ’s jockeying for top-five market cap status reflect ongoing competition among major Layer 1s 215, while BTCS continues to expand its Ethereum portfolio 13.
On the adoption front, PayPal ’s upcoming “Pay with Crypto” rollout and Interactive Brokers’ exploration of stablecoin funding mark further integration of digital assets into mainstream payments and brokerage services 110. Binance’s RWUSD product expands access to tokenized Treasury yields, intensifying competition among on-chain money-market offerings 9.
Security and legal developments remain in focus. The GMX exploit was resolved through a white-hat bounty, demonstrating evolving incident response norms in DeFi 7. Meanwhile, the expanded RICO lawsuit against Solana and Jito Labs execs over meme coin activity, and Solana ’s co-founder’s criticism of NFTs and meme coins, highlight ongoing regulatory and reputational risks in the sector 8.
Traders should monitor continued ETF flows, corporate treasury activity, and key technical levels (ETH $4,000, BNB highs) 318. Developments in regulatory actions and mainstream payment integrations could drive further volatility and sector rotation.