Institutions: The Federal Reserve has limited room to raise interest rates, and are bullish on US 10-year Treasury bonds.

BTC-backed lending is gradually expanding from crypto financial scenarios focused on trading and investment to real-world credit needs such as tuition fees, living expenses, business working capital, and real estate, marking a clear shift in market applications. Institutions including SALT Lending and Ledn note that an increasing number of borrowers are choosing to collateralize BTC for liquidity rather than selling their holdings. Since its founding in 2018, Ledn has disbursed over $11 billion in cumulative loans, and projects its scale to grow to $1 trillion in the coming years. Its client base includes both entrepreneurs and institutional investors seeking working capital, as well as individuals borrowing to cover children’s education, real estate investments, and short-term living expenses. This trend signals that BTC’s financial attributes are evolving further from a "tradable asset" to a "collateralizable asset." Borrowers aim to unlock BTC’s value without selling it, while retaining exposure to potential future upside. Meanwhile, institutions like SALT are pushing fixed-rate, long-term products, bringing crypto-backed loans closer to traditional credit models such as residential mortgages. Coinbase recently launched fixed-rate BTC-backed loans via Morpho. Ledn further projects that such models could expand beyond BTC to traditional hard assets like gold in the future, broadening the boundaries of the collateralized lending market.

According to Lookonchain monitoring, trader 0xdd6a has opened simultaneous short positions on BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, and DOGE on Aster DEX using 20x leverage. All positions are currently profitable, with a total position value of approximately $26.5 million and unrealized profits of around $586,000. Breakdown: 3,629 ETH held, position value ~$9.33 million, unrealized profit ~$163,000; 73,728 SOL held, position value ~$8.52 million, unrealized profit ~$141,000; 48.37 million DOGE held, position value ~$4.24 million, unrealized profit ~$224,000; 1.68 million XRP held, position value ~$2.37 million, unrealized profit ~$53,000; 24 BTC held, position value ~$1.99 million, unrealized profit ~$5,600.

Trader 0xdd6a opened 20x shorts on $BTC, $ETH, $SOL, $XRP, and $DOGE on @Aster_DEX, all currently in profit. The total position size is $26.5M, with $586K in unrealized profit. Positions: 3,629 $ETH ($9.33M) — up $163K 73,728 $SOL ($8.52M) — up $141K 48.37M $DOGE ($4.24M) — up

Trader 0xdd6a opened 20x shorts on $BTC, $ETH, $SOL, $XRP, and $DOGE on @Aster_DEX, all currently in profit. The total position size is $26.5M, with $586K in unrealized profit.

According to an announcement from the USDKG project, per Order No. 639-t issued by the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan on August 20, 2026, the USDKG project will cease all operations, including halting related activities on its blockchain network. USDKG token holders can apply to convert their existing tokens into fiat currency or USDT via the project’s official email. The announcement did not provide further details on the specific reasons for the project’s shutdown or subsequent arrangements; holders may contact the project team via the provided email for conversion-related matters.

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told attendees at Token2049 that the crypto industry’s heavy past support for the Republican Party has alienated the Democratic Party, and advancing U.S. federal crypto legislation requires bipartisan backing. Cuomo noted that the industry previously “bet big on the Republican Party” to push forward the CLARITY Act, but “you need both Democrats and Republicans; it has to be more balanced.” In the 2026 election cycle, crypto-related political action committees (PACs) have allocated $54.3 million to support Republican candidates, $26.2 million to back Democrats, and an additional $23.2 million to oppose Democratic candidates. Cuomo also pushed back against the perception that Democrats are “anti-crypto,” arguing that crypto technology aligns with Democratic values because it can deliver financial services to populations that previously lacked access to financial products. He stated that if the Democratic Party gains control of Congress after the midterm elections, it could either choose to weaken the Trump administration’s crypto policies or collaborate with Republicans to advance the full CLARITY Act. To date, Fairshake has announced it will support 32 U.S. House candidates in the November midterm elections, including 19 Republicans and 13 Democrats.