PumpFun continues to dominate the token launchpad landscape. Over the past week, @Pumpfun brought in about $38M in revenue from user-paid fees. Even as attention swings toward alternative chains such as @RobinhoodCrypto, the @ponsdotfamily launchpad has produced only around $23M over the same period. The question now is whether any rival can dislodge $PUMP and @Solana as the memecoin sector's top platform and chain.

BitMine Immersion Technologies (NYSE: BMNR) said Monday it purchased 27,562 ether over the past week, lifting total holdings to 5,983,940 ETH and pushing combined crypto and cash reserves beyond $17 billion, according to a company release. The update reinforces BitMine's position as the largest publicly traded holder of ether. As of Sept. 20, the Norwalk, Connecticut-based company reported 5,983,940 ETH valued at $2,688 per token, along with 212 bitcoin, $714 million in cash and marketable securities, a $180 million stake in Beast Industries and a $105 million stake in Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS). BitMine put total crypto, cash and equity holdings at $17.1 billion. The company said its ETH balance represents 4.9% of the estimated 122.1 million-token supply, putting it within reach of the 5% threshold it has highlighted as a milestone, referred to in its materials as the "alchemy of 5%". Chair Tom Lee said BitMine has purchased ETH every week since launching its ETH Treasury Strategy on June 30, 2025. BitMine also emphasized the income potential of its holdings. It said 5,067,309 ETH, worth $13.6 billion and representing about 85% of its ETH position, is staked and generated a seven-day yield of 2.62% on an annualized basis. Lee said BitMine has staked more ETH than any other entity globally and projected annualized staking revenue of about $357 million, rising to roughly $421 million once the full balance is deployed through its MAVAN staking platform. The disclosure follows last week's update that showed BitMine's ether holdings surpassing 5.96 million ETH. The company funds purchases through its bitcoin mining operations and capital-raising proceeds, and has accelerated buying as institutional interest in ether has increased. BitMine describes its investments in Beast Industries and Eightco as "moonshots" alongside its staking and cash businesses.

Solana (SOL) has pushed through its most important resistance in months, leaving traders positioned for a drop on the wrong side of the move. SOL is changing hands around $117.60, up 5.8% on the day, as a sharp short squeeze and renewed ETF demand fuel the rally. The advance comes alongside a broader rebound across crypto markets, with Bitcoin back above $85,000 for the first time in eight months. Solana's surge stands out on its own metrics: volatility reached 9.52% today, daily trading volume rose to $988 million, and the token is back at levels last seen before the February selloff. After finding a July low near $60, SOL has more than doubled. ETF flows are adding a steady bid. U.S. spot Solana ETFs posted $47.62 million in net inflows on September 18, with Bitwise's $BSOL accounting for the entire day's intake, according to data shared by SolanaFloor. Liquidations underline how one-sided positioning had become. Coinglass data show $23.72 million of SOL positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours across 3,968 traders. Shorts made up $21.59 million of the total versus $2.08 million in longs, meaning more than 90% of the losses hit traders betting against SOL. The largest single liquidation totaled $973,702, while liquidation pressure peaked between 10:00 and 11:00 UTC as the breakout accelerated. Overall liquidations are running at 1.22 times the seven-day average, consistent with an active squeeze rather than a routine session. Spot ETF demand has been firmer than leveraged flows. U.S. Solana ETFs absorbed 468,600 SOL on September 18 alone, worth roughly $55 million at current prices, marking their strongest day of the month. Since launch, these funds have accumulated about 652,500 SOL, valued near $77 million, with BSOL holding 604,190 SOL. Flows were uneven in early September, including quiet sessions and small outflows, but the net trend remains positive—and ETF buyers are not forced to sell on dips the way leveraged traders can be. On the technical picture, SOL reclaimed $96.24 earlier this month, a level that capped price action through the summer. The 200-day moving average is now near $83.90, flattening and turning higher after a prolonged decline, with SOL trading comfortably above it. ChatGPT's level roadmap highlights three key zones: • Immediate test: $118.60. SOL is pressing into this area; a daily close above it would strengthen the breakout signal. • Next target: $130–$140. With limited overhead resistance between $120 and $145, momentum could carry quickly if short covering continues. • Support to watch: $96.24. Former resistance is expected to act as a floor; holding it keeps the recovery structure intact. The primary risk is that squeeze-driven rallies can reverse once forced buying fades. If SOL fails to clear $118.60 and drops back below $96, the 200-day average near $83.90 becomes the next key support. For now, ETF inflows and heavy short liquidations are keeping bulls in control.

CoinMarketCap data show Venice AI's native token, VVV, has notched a fresh all-time high as attention shifts from pure price momentum to product utility and supply dynamics. On Sept. 21, VVV climbed to an intraday peak of $34.51, up about 17% over the prior 24 hours and more than 35 times above its December 2024 low. The token's market capitalization is now roughly $1.6 billion, ranking it among the three largest AI-linked crypto assets by market cap, behind only Near and TAO. Unlike many narrative-driven tokens, VVV is embedded in Venice AI's usage ecosystem. The platform, founded by ShapeShift creator Erik Voorhees, focuses on privacy-oriented chat and image generation. VVV functions primarily as an access credential rather than a conventional payment token: users can pay in fiat for services, or participate by holding and staking VVV. Venice has also introduced a second token, DIEM. When users stake VVV, the system mints DIEM, and holders receive $1 worth of API credits per day. The project says the goal is to tie token value to real platform usage rather than secondary-market speculation. Supply-side measures are also in focus. Venice plans to allocate part of platform revenue to buy back and burn VVV on the open market, a mechanism that could reduce circulating supply as the business scales. Privacy messaging has been a key catalyst. Venice positions itself as a privacy-first alternative, claiming it does not store chat logs, does not require registration, and does not filter prompts that other mainstream chatbots often restrict. That stance has resurfaced in market conversation after a public dispute earlier this month over attribution of AI research spread across social platforms, renewing scrutiny around whether AI platforms may read or absorb user prompts and ideas. Venice used the moment to reinforce its claim that it "does not read user content," and VVV rallied as the discussion intensified. Business metrics have added support. Venice disclosed that in August its annualized revenue run rate exceeded $100 million, up from $70 million the prior month. In July, the company closed a $65 million Series A round at a $1 billion valuation led by crypto fund Dragonfly. Token issuance is being dialed down. Initial annual issuance was 14 million tokens; as of Sept. 1, it has been cut to 2.5 million per year, with a further reduction to 2 million per year planned for October. Traders have largely zeroed in on two drivers: falling issuance expectations and rising platform revenue. Risks remain, particularly around token concentration. The report notes Venice does not train its own cutting-edge models, instead routing requests to open-source models such as Llama and DeepSeek. More immediately, market data indicate the top 100 addresses control about 98% of VVV supply, leaving price action highly sensitive to large holders and limiting the influence of retail demand. For now, VVV is being supported by three pillars: AI application narratives, deflation expectations, and revenue growth. Its highly concentrated ownership structure, though, keeps volatility risk elevated.

Aster_DEX has removed approximately 26.5 million ASTER tokens from circulation since June following the rollout of its upgraded tokenomics. At current prices, the burn is valued at about $19.6 million. The tokens were taken from the Aster team's allocation, including roughly 4.2 million ASTER burned over the past week.

X has begun allowing users to trade cryptocurrencies directly from their timeline.

MARKET: Total weETH deposits on Aave V3 have topped $4 billion.

Solana (SOL) rallied 8% to about $119 on September 21, marking its highest level since January as the broader crypto market rebounded. Attention is now shifting to the weekly chart after veteran trader Peter Brandt highlighted what he sees as a five-year cup-and-handle formation, bringing the $240 resistance zone into focus. SOL climbed from roughly $110.69 to $119, pushing through the $112.50 resistance area. The breakout appeared to trigger stop-losses and fresh spot demand, while short sellers rushed to cover, adding fuel to the move. Over the past 24 hours, more than $33.70 million in SOL positions were liquidated, with shorts accounting for $30.42 million, or nearly 90% of the total. After briefly touching $119, SOL eased back toward the $116 region. Derivatives activity also strengthened. SOL futures trading volume surged 89% to $13.33 billion, and open interest rose 9.10% to $7.28 billion. Institutional appetite has also held up, with Solana ETFs posting 12 consecutive weeks of inflows and cumulative inflows topping $1.4 billion. Brandt's chart work suggests the "cup" spans from the 2021 peak to the 2022 market low, followed by an extended consolidation phase that may represent the "handle." The key hurdle sits around $240, and the setup would require a sustained breakout above that zone to be confirmed. From around $116, a move to $240 implies roughly 106% upside. Near-term, the sharp rebound could prompt profit-taking. On the downside, the $80–$85 area remains the primary support zone; a breakdown below it would undermine the cup-and-handle thesis. Technical indicators are mixed: ADX near 20 points to a still-weak trend, while a falling ATR suggests declining volatility and continued price compression.

Tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) attracted roughly 1.8 million new holders over the past month, lifting the total holder count above 4.5 million, a 66% jump in 30 days, according to rwa(.)xyz. Despite the surge in participation, total value edged down 0.37% over the same period to $38.47B. Tokenized stocks led growth across asset classes, rising 14% to $3.0B across 4,584 assets. On the network side, Solana climbed 10% to $4.3B, keeping third place behind Ethereum and BNB Chain, both of which posted small declines. WisdomTree (WisdomTreeFunds) recorded the largest issuer-level expansion, up 57% to $1.3B. U.S. Treasury products remained the biggest category at $14.8B.