Coin Corner

Spot BTC ETF inflows are picking up fast — SoSoValue data.

AI helped crypto exchange Bybit save $700 million from thefts The platform reported that in the first half of the year, AI rejected more than 30,000 suspicious withdrawal requests, protecting approximately 20,000 accounts. The average duration of request checks was 4.7 minutes. Bybit states that AI is primarily used to increase the speed of threat detection, while responsibility for making complex decisions still lies with security specialists.

“The cybersecurity arms race has entered an era of minutes. Using AI to enhance our security and risk management capabilities, as well as ensuring the security of the AI systems themselves, is our top priority, while human judgment remains at the center of critical security decision-making,” said Bybit representative David Zong.

The crypto exchange also identified $212 million in cryptocurrency potentially linked to fraud and blacklisted more than 10,000 malicious addresses. To do this, it used behavioral analysis on the blockchain and AI-powered monitoring to identify new fraud patterns. The company notes that artificial intelligence shortens the cycle of defensive operations. Bybit’s AI-based security audit identified vulnerabilities 3–5 times faster than manual checks. Some operations are now executed in hours, whereas previously people spent weeks on them.

🇰🇷 South Korea's Largest Crypto Exchanges Lose 50% of Revenue Upbit and Bithumb reported a significant decline in revenue and profit for the first half of 2026. This is attributed to slowing activity in the local cryptocurrency market and a shift of capital into the AI sector. Dunamu's (Upbit's parent company) operating revenue for the six-month period fell by 49.1% to $289 million. Net profit decreased by 74.1% to approximately $77 million. Bithumb's revenue dropped by 48.7% to $233 million. For the half-year, the platform recorded a net loss of $77 million. Dunamu noted that the decline in metrics is linked to reduced liquidity in the global digital asset market, which led to worsening investor sentiment. Additionally, investment capital in South Korea has significantly shifted from cryptocurrencies to the stock market, specifically into shares of companies operating in the artificial intelligence sector. In total, across the five South Korean exchanges Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax, the total trading volume in the second quarter decreased by 49.5% to $146.43 billion.

Bitcoin Outperformed S&P 500 Gains on Only a Third of Trading Days in Six Months In recent days, Bitcoin has shown positive dynamics, outperforming the stock market in terms of percentage gains. However, Glassnode analysts noted that this is becoming an increasingly rare occurrence—over the past three months, BTC outperformed the key US index, the S&P 500, on only a third of trading days. Glassnode stated that "this is the longest period in the last six years" where Bitcoin has lagged behind the stock market. In 2023 and early 2024, Bitcoin outperformed the S&P 500 in approximately 50–60% of trading sessions. However, in 2025, the figure increasingly dropped below 50%, and by 2026, the trend had worsened, reaching the current 37.8%. Notably, current levels are comparable to early 2022, just before the start of a prolonged bear market. That period was marked by the collapse of FTX—one of the largest crypto exchanges of that era—and the bankruptcy of dozens of other major crypto companies.

Negative sentiment toward XRP on social media surged to a three-month high over the past day after the token fell below the key psychological level of $1. The number of active addresses has also risen sharply. Santiment experts believe that this sharp shift in sentiment is setting the stage for a potential contrarian signal.

🇰🇷 South Korea will begin verifying transfers to Bybit, HTX, and other crypto exchanges and wallets South Korea is tightening control over transfers to foreign crypto platforms. The review of rules followed the removal of apps from nearly 30 crypto exchanges, including OKX, Bybit, CoinEx, and HTX, from the local Google Play Store. Under the new rules, exchanges registered in South Korea may require customers to provide proof of ownership of the recipient's account, information on the purpose of the transaction, and the source of funds when transferring funds to foreign platforms. They may also delay or reject transfers if the provided information is insufficient. Transfers of 10 million Korean won ($7,000) or more to foreign exchanges or non-custodial wallets will be subject to enhanced scrutiny for suspicious transactions. South Korea has one of the largest and most active crypto markets in the world. By the end of 2025, the number of accounts on local crypto exchanges reached 11.1 million in a population of about 50 million, but local traders continue to trade on global exchanges due to the limited number of crypto instruments available in the country.

Bitcoin's price has risen to $64,600, but the demand indicator has remained negative for five consecutive months.

DEXs now account for a record 24% of CEX spot trading volume—the highest share since tracking began in 2019. As recently as 2024, the figure was below 10%. Today, decentralized exchanges have captured nearly a quarter of the spot trading market.

10x Research is highlighting Bitcoin's monthly RSI and does not rule out the possibility that the market's cyclical bottom could be established as early as this month.

Bitcoin: Sentiments are worsening, but the market remains in neutral territory. Historically, the 30-day return following similar observations was +3.4%

As of July 29, 2026, ETF holders have suffered an average loss of 25% on their Bitcoin investments. The massive outflows of funds observed last month were indeed a manifestation of their capitulation.

🇪🇺 Experts predict a wave of crypto company acquisitions following the launch of MiCA in Europe Following the launch of the European crypto regulation MiCA on July 1, it may be easier for smaller crypto companies to sell their business or merge with larger players than to comply with the new requirements, according to experts surveyed by CoinDesk here. Now, crypto exchanges and crypto startups must comply with the same requirements as banks and other financial organizations. In their view, companies without MiCA licenses will gradually leave the European market, and users and their assets will move to licensed participants. At the same time, self-custody of cryptocurrency will not disappear, but the mass market will shift towards regulated companies. Europe may follow the path of Switzerland. After the introduction of legislation for digital assets there, about three-quarters of the largest banks began offering cryptocurrency services. The banks themselves will likely not compete with crypto companies but will use their services for asset custody, staking, or tokenization.

Bitfinex: The "carry-trade" operation with $BTC has stopped generating profit. The basis remained below 5.5% annualized throughout the year, and last month dropped below 2%. 📉 Open interest in CME futures followed this trend, reaching its lowest level since the ETF launch in early 2024. Funding is gradually increasing. For this operation to become profitable again, the basis needs to expand. 📈

Since 2025, the inflow of stablecoins to exchanges has continued to decline. It has reached the most unbelievably low levels over this entire period. Today, the average monthly stablecoin inflow (USDT, USDC) stands at around $2.3 billion, while the yearly average is about $3.7 billion. At BTC's price peak, the average monthly inflow was $5.6 billion, and the yearly average was $4.3 billion. —> This trend clearly illustrates the current weakness in demand and the lack of interest from investors. But be cautious: quite often, the peak in stablecoin inflows is a lagging signal. While some accelerate profit-taking, exchanges increase the supply of stablecoins, accompanied by the actions of the last investors who believe BTC will only go up. For now, demand still needs to pick up.

According to data from River, corporate entities accumulated 115,000 BTC in Q2, whereas retail investors sold 78,000.

Japan could launch its first spot Bitcoin ETF as early as 2028. The country's largest financial institutions are already preparing their products, with the potential market estimated at ¥3 trillion (approximately $18 billion) in the first year alone. Earlier, Japan officially reclassified cryptocurrencies as financial assets, effectively bringing their regulatory framework closer to that of stocks and other investment instruments.

Robinhood launched its own blockchain on July 1, and in just 16 days, the total value locked (TVL) across its protocols surpassed $400 million. It's a strong start for a new network, although a significant share of the activity is currently driven by DeFi protocols and shitcoins rather than tokenized stocks.

Justin Sun announced the launch of an AI system for investigating crypto-related crimes — it analyzes large volumes of data and helps identify suspects more quickly. According to him, cases worth over $1 billion have already passed through the system, and about $100 million will be allocated as rewards for useful information and assistance in investigations.

Cryptocurrency trading volume exceeded $20 trillion in the first quarter The total trading volume on the crypto market in the first quarter of 2026 reached $20.57 trillion, according to a report from Coinglass. Of that amount, $18.63 trillion came from derivatives and $1.94 trillion from spot trading. Binance remains the market leader with a 34.9% share of the derivatives segment and assets totaling $152.9 billion. It is followed in this segment by OKX, Bybit, Gate, and Bitget. Hyperliquid exchange entered the top ten. Overall, trading activity on crypto exchanges has declined, with the majority of volume concentrated in derivatives and on the largest platforms.