Bessent targets the trillion-dollar "emergency fund pool" to buy US Treasuries, giving the short-term market a boost; Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold and US Treasuries all rally across the board.

Xpeng Motors announced today that its robotics division has closed its first round of financing exceeding $900 million, with a post-money valuation of over $6.3 billion, setting a new record for a single private financing round in China’s embodied intelligence sector. The round was led by IDG Capital, with strategic investors Tencent and Alibaba participating, and Gaorong Capital—an early investor in Momenta and Zhiyuan Robotics—also joining. The funds will be allocated to robot hardware and software development, physical AI model training and optimization, high-quality data collection, construction of end-to-end mass production facilities, and global expansion. Xpeng targets monthly production of 1,000 units of its IRON humanoid robot by the end of this year, with initial deployments at its own retail stores and industrial parks, and commercial sales and delivery in China and overseas markets starting in 2027. CEO He Xiaopeng announced in June that he would personally head the robotics business, advancing humanoid robot development to the mass production stage. Multiple automakers are currently accelerating their push into the robotics sector, and Xpeng’s accumulated strengths in smart driving—including sensors, software, batteries, and supply chain management—are seen as core competitive edges. In April this year, Shanghai-based embodied intelligence startup TARS Robotics completed a $455 million+ Pre-A round, which was then hailed as the largest single private financing in China’s embodied intelligence space. Xpeng’s robotics division has now surpassed that record with its over $900 million round.

According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has firmly broken through the $79,000 level, with a 2.4% gain in the past 24 hours.

Fortune published an article titled "A New Crypto Giant Is Rising," praising Hyperliquid. At last week's SALT Conference, the premier crypto industry event held in Jackson Hole, Hyperliquid became the talk of the entire gathering. Since its launch in 2023, Hyperliquid has operated under an offshore model, but its team is accelerating efforts to establish a regulated business in the United States. Unlike most offshore firms that have stumbled in the U.S. market, Hyperliquid boasts multiple advantages: CEO Jeff Yan was born in the U.S., and it is reported that he has secured support for perpetual contracts from influential figures including former President Trump and the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The company's team also includes Schamis, who brings decades of credibility in traditional finance, and prominent crypto lawyer Jake Chervinsky, who is dedicated to building a legal framework for DeFi in the U.S. Fortune assesses that Hyperliquid could suddenly emerge as a major competitive threat to crypto giants such as Coinbase, Kraken, and Robinhood, much like Binance burst onto the scene in 2017.

BitMine, the largest Ethereum treasury firm, added 32,447 Ether (ETH) to its holdings last week. As of August 23, its total Ethereum holdings stood at 5,847,611 ETH, representing roughly 4.8% of Ethereum’s total supply. Currently, BitMine’s total assets—including cryptocurrencies, cash, and other investments—are valued at approximately $14.9 billion, comprising $308 million in cash and securities, 210 Bitcoin (BTC), $180 million in equity stakes in Beast Industries, and an $89 million investment in Eightco Holdings (ORBS). Furthermore, the amount of Ethereum it has staked remains at 5,067,309 ETH, accounting for 87% of its total holdings and worth around $12.4 billion, with an annualized staking yield of roughly $330 million.

A source familiar with the matter said the U.S. Treasury Department is expected to announce an expansion of secondary sanctions targeting countries and entities conducting business with Iran, with plans to impose secondary sanctions on any activity involving specific Iranian sectors. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will unveil details of the Iran sanctions at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, which is 2 a.m. Beijing time tonight. Significant volatility in stock and crypto markets is anticipated. Bessent previously wrote in the Financial Times that the U.S. is entering a decisive phase, noting that an economic "D-Day" for Iran is approaching at dawn—marking the largest financial offensive ever launched against an adversarial power. When elaborating on the related sanctions measures, Bessent specifically added that "large-scale" military operations are not expected to be needed.

According to GMGN market data, the meme token Artificial Inu (AI) on the Robinhood chain — which was previously bought by Ansem via trading signals — hit a new phase high of over $37 million in market cap today before pulling back. It is now priced at $27 million, with a 24-hour gain of 44.5% and 24-hour trading volume of $5 million. On August 21, Ansem purchased over $21,000 worth of the Artificial Inu meme token on the Robinhood chain, a move that sparked follow-up hype in the market. Artificial Inu integrates narratives around Shiba Inu, AI, and NVIDIA, and features a pairing mechanism with tokenized NVDA. BlockBeats reminds users that such tokens are highly volatile, so investors should exercise caution.