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- BitMine raise plans, Sonic testnet 2.1, Transak $16M raise, Qubic Monero’s hashrate claims, ETHZilla shares spike,
BitMine raise plans, Sonic testnet 2.1, Transak $16M raise, Qubic Monero’s hashrate claims, ETHZilla shares spike,
ARK Investment, Aave’s TVL surge, Kraken’s Meme Coin Showdown, Circle launch, Steak ‘n Shake Bitcoin payments. LayerZero proposed $110M buyout, Metaplanet BTC Buy
AlphaTLDR
August 14, 2025
📰Proof of News
GM, GA, or GN LFG.
Crypto’s been busy, headlines are hitting hard. Don't worry we got you. The market has been brewing, here's what's currently happening:
 | BitMine plans to raise $24.5B via stock sales to expand its ETH holdings, while SharpLink secured $389M for similar purchases. With ETH nearing record highs, corporate treasuries now hold over 1% of supply, a figure banks predict could hit 10% long term. |
 | Sonic has launched testnet 2.1, adding Ethereum Pectra compatibility and boosting EVM scalability with its optimized SonicVM. The upgrade comes as its S token gains traction in DeFi, with integrations in protocols like Aave. |
 | Transak raised $16M in a round led by Tether and IDG Capital to expand its stablecoin payments stack and enter new markets. The firm serves 10M+ users in 75 countries with fiat-crypto transaction infrastructure. Read More» |
 | Qubic claims it gained 51% of Monero’s hashrate, causing a six-block chain reorg and sparking debate over whether it was a successful 51% attack. Monero devs dispute the claim, while XMR price fell ~8.6% amid the turmoil. |
 | ETHZilla shares jumped over 90% after Peter Thiel acquired a 7.5% stake and the firm revealed holdings of 82,186 ETH worth ~$349M, alongside $238M in cash reserves. |
 | ARK Invest has resumed buying Jack Dorsey’s Block after months of selling, purchasing 262,463 shares worth $19.2Mat $73. The move boosts ARK’s total Block holdings to 2.6M shares valued at $193M, signaling a possible shift in strategy despite the stock being down 21% from January highs. |
 | Aave’s TVL has surged from $8B in early 2024 to $47B, capturing 80% of Ethereum’s outstanding debt and signaling rising institutional adoption of DeFi lending. The growth reflects DeFi’s advantages, permissionless access, transparency, and capital efficiency, positioning Aave as a core bridge between traditional finance and crypto. |
 | PENGU won Kraken’s Meme Coin Showdown with $21.4M in volume, earning the Pudgy Penguins mascot a spot on Williams Racing’s F1 car at the Singapore Grand Prix. Technicals show a bullish pennant, with a breakout above $0.040potentially targeting $0.050. |
 | Circle will launch Arc, an EVM-compatible Layer 1 using USDC as native gas, aimed at stablecoin payments and capital markets. The announcement came alongside Q2 results showing 53% revenue growth to $658M, despite a $482M net loss from IPO-related charges. |
 | Steak ‘n Shake credited Bitcoin payments for a 10.7% Q2 same-store sales jump, the highest among major US fast-food chains. Since adopting BTC in May, the chain cut payment fees by 50% and saw strong customer uptake. |
 | LayerZero has proposed a $110M buyout of all Stargate (STG) tokens at $0.1675 each, dissolving Stargate DAO and merging governance under LayerZero. STG and ZRO prices jumped after the news, with the deal requiring 70% community approval. |
 | Metaplanet bought 518 BTC for $61.4M, raising its total to 18,113 BTC worth $1.85B, making it the sixth-largest holder globally. The purchase follows plans to raise $3.7B for further bitcoin buys. |
🐸Memecoin Momentum
It’s been a rough stretch in the trenches lately. Over the past two weeks, the market has felt more like a battleground than a bull run, with launchpads locked in constant PVP and very few real winners emerging. We’ve seen the same tokens recycled across multiple platforms, giving traders déjà vu rather than fresh opportunities. And while a handful of coins have managed to pump, the overall outcome has been far from favorable for most — with more frustration than gains to show for it.
In other news, things got spicy last week with rumors flying about the Bonk crew allegedly snatching up old IPs and reviving dead memecoins for quick flips. Not exactly a clean look if true. The heat really turned up when they got called out over the $Useless token — and sure enough, wallets tied to the team started slowly dumping. $Useless hit an ATH of $415M, but after a hard retrace to around $190M, it's now chilling at $217M. Nothing’s been confirmed yet, so it’s all still in rumor territory… but if the Bonk team is behind the pump-and-dump plays, it’s a major red flag for everything in their ecosystem.
So yeah, it’s been chaotic in the trenches — launchpads swinging at each other, recycled tokens flying left and right, and rumors swirling around the Bonk team like wildfire. The $Useless drama definitely shook some confidence, especially with that shady-looking dump after hitting $415M. Whether the rumors are real or not, it’s clear the vibes in the trenches aren’t what they used to be.
Still, a few random tokens managed to cut through the noise. We saw wild moves from plays like $URANUS, $SPARK, $TOKABU, and $CLIPPY — pure degen energy. And somehow, $FARTCOIN is still holding it down, with one wallet throwing down $100K in buys over 18 hours, averaging a clean $45/min. Absolute madness. Even Pump is showing signs of life again — crawling back to a 1% graduation rate after weeks in the gutter. It’s not amazing, but hey, at least we’re not flatlining anymore.
In summary, the trenches have launchpads going head-to-head, the same tokens getting dropped everywhere, and only a few random plays actually taking off. It’s been tough to catch a clean win, and let’s be real — most traders have been left holding bags instead of profits. Vibes are weird, but the grind doesn’t stop. The market might still be messy, but if you're paying attention, there’s still action to catch. Stay sharp out there.
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