Perpetual futures traders expanded open interest by more than 36,000 BTC over the past week, the largest weekly growth since April 2023, as bitcoin fell 14% to an intraday low of $89,183 on Tuesday. K33 Research Head of Research Vetle Lunde noted funding rates climbed alongside the leverage increase, indicating traders are attempting to catch falling prices rather than adopting defensive positions. The current market structure mirrors seven similar regimes over the past five years, six of which saw continued declines over the following month with an average 30-day return of -16%.

Bitcoin's roughly 25% drop from its all-time high near $126,000 represents a short-term correction rather than a cycle-peak downturn, according to Bernstein analysts. The firm points to rising institutional ownership in ETFs—from 20% to 28%—and substantial absorption of long-term holder supply through $34 billion in combined ETF inflows and corporate purchases. Strategy's conservative leverage and structural tailwinds including political support and favorable liquidity conditions suggest a shallower consolidation than the 60-70% drawdowns of previous cycles.

California-based Auradine has released its next-generation Teraflux bitcoin mining hardware, achieving energy efficiency as low as 9.8 joules per terahash in select configurations. The new lineup includes air-cooled, hydro-cooled, and immersion-cooled models designed for large-scale mining operations. Initial samples are scheduled for Q2 2026, with volume shipments planned for Q3 2026.

U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds drew $524 million in net inflows on Tuesday, the strongest single-day performance since October 10. BlackRock's IBIT led with $224.2 million, followed by Fidelity's FBTC at $165.9 million. Since launching in January 2024, these funds have accumulated $60.8 billion in total net inflows, with cumulative trading volume nearing $1.5 trillion.

SoFi Technologies introduced SoFi Crypto on Tuesday, becoming the first nationally chartered bank to offer direct cryptocurrency trading to retail customers. Members can buy, sell, and hold digital assets including BTC, ETH, and SOL through a phased rollout integrated within the SoFi app. The service allows transactions directly from FDIC-insured accounts without transferring funds to external platforms.

Bitcoin dropped 10% over the past week to retest $100,000, recording its weakest 30-day performance against the Nasdaq since July 2024. Despite bearish sentiment following October's $20 billion deleveraging event, easing monetary policy, potential 401(k) crypto access, and increased bank participation suggest the decline represents consolidation rather than a cycle peak, according to K33 Research.

Bitcoin's sideways price action in 2025 represents a transition phase resembling a "silent IPO," with early holders selling to institutional buyers, according to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan. He characterized this consolidation as a healthy maturation process that positions bitcoin for larger portfolio allocations as volatility declines and mainstream adoption expands.

DeFi protocol Balancer lost approximately $128.6 million across multiple blockchains on Monday through an exploit targeting V2 Composable Stable Pools, data show. Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission announced it will permit locally licensed crypto exchanges to share global order books with overseas platforms to enhance liquidity and price discovery.

Nasdaq-listed shipping company OceanPal Inc. closed a $120 million private placement to establish SovereignAI Services LLC, a subsidiary focused on blockchain and AI infrastructure developed with the NEAR Foundation. Kraken, Proximity, Fabric Ventures, and G20 Group participated alongside the NEAR Foundation. The funds will support a NEAR Protocol-based digital asset treasury and a confidential AI cloud platform using NEAR and Nvidia technologies.