Portofino Mint - 1 September 2025

🚀 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘁!

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🧭 This Week in Crypto: ETH Steals the Spotlight

‍Ethereum surged to fresh all-time highs while Bitcoin stumbled below key levels, altcoins rotated on political headlines, and macro volatility kept traders on edge. Add in Google’s blockchain debut and Interpol’s global crackdown, and you have a week where crypto once again sat at the center of markets.

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📊 Market Highlights

 • 𝗕𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻 (𝗕𝗧𝗖): Multiple failed attempts to break $112K–$113K resistance left BTC sliding under $110K, forming lower highs. $500M in longs were liquidated, pushing the fear index into the high 30s. Key supports: $109.5K, then $104K.

‍ • 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘂𝗺 (𝗘𝗧𝗛): The star performer. ETH hit $4,900 ATH, boosted by $1.25B ETF inflows, stablecoin settlement growth, and heavy call-buying in options. ETH/BTC ratio continues higher. Read more about Ethereum here.

‍ • 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗮 (𝗦𝗢𝗟): Held firm at $209 after a 16% rally, with ecosystem tokens Raydium and Jupiter outperforming.

• 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘀 (𝗖𝗥𝗢): Doubled after Trump Media unveiled a $6.4B crypto treasury strategy, including a $1B CRO purchase plan. Jumped into the top-20 by market cap.

‍ • 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 (𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞): Rose 5%+ on news of a U.S. Commerce Department partnership.

• 𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗥 & 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘀: Tested key supports after U.S. inflation data triggered $543M in leveraged wipeouts.

 • 𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝘆𝗽𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗽: Choppy but resilient — capital rotated into ETH and political plays.

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💰 Flow & Desk Highlights

  • Futures markets showed stress: $543M in leveraged positions liquidated in a single day.

  • ETH options skewed bullish, with strong call-buying across maturities.

  • ETF flows underlined the divergence: ETH inflows twice BTC’s.

  • Risk sentiment rotated rapidly, with traders moving between majors and political-driven alts.

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🏢 Corporates Go Full Crypto

• MuSharpLink Gaming: Bought 143,593 ETH ($601.5M), its largest treasury purchase to date.

• Metaplanet (Japan): Added 1,009 BTC, lifting holdings to 20,000 BTC.

• Trump Media: Announced a $6.4B crypto treasury plan, including a $1B CRO purchase.

🌐 Adoption and Regulation

• Google GCUL: Launching a financial-institution-focused Layer 1 with Python-based smart contracts. CME already piloting for payments/tokenization; rollout eyed for 2026.

• SkyBridge + Avalanche: Tokenizing $300M in hedge funds via Avalanche with Tokeny and Apex.

• Ripple & SBI: Expanding RLUSD in Japan, targeting a 2026 launch. Gemini also added RLUSD and launched an XRP credit card with 4% rewards.

• Interpol: Operation Serengeti 2.0 — 1,200 arrests, $97.4M seized from crypto scams.

• Politics: Winklevoss twins donated another 188 BTC ($21M) to Trump-aligned PACs, showing crypto’s increasing role in U.S. campaign finance.

• Institutions & Solana: Galaxy, Jump, and Multicoin unveiled a $1B Solana ecosystem fund.

🔮 What’s Next?

• Monday: Global PMI data.

• Wednesday: U.S. ADP employment, China services PMI.

• Friday: U.S. & Canada Jobs Reports — critical for Fed outlook.

• Watch BTC at $109.5K support; ETH momentum post-ATH; SOL institutional inflows; and macro headlines around tariffs and Fed politics.

💡 Big Picture‍

BTC remains trapped in range, ETH broke out to record highs, and political catalysts pushed alts like CRO into the spotlight. Futures liquidations remind us of leverage risks, while ETF flows and institutional commitments show deepening adoption. With tariffs, Fed intrigue, and sticky inflation adding fuel, crypto is again the market’s release valve for volatility.

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📅 Missed last week’s update? Catch up on all the Powell-driven rallies, ETF flows, and tokenization headlines in the previous Portofino Mint.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘎𝘗𝘛.