# Crypto Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Crypto", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

EtherFi Founder Criticizes: All Crypto Apps Are Variants of Casinos, We Choose to Be a "Boring" Bank

**Title:** EtherFi Founder Criticizes Crypto "Casino" Apps, Embraces "Boring" Banking Model **Summary:** EtherFi CEO Mike Silagadze argues that mainstream crypto applications like Pump.fun, CEXs, and Polymarket are merely "casino" variants—highly profitable but failing to retain ordinary users. In contrast, EtherFi is pursuing a "boring" and sustainable path by building a self-custody neobank that aims to function as a new brokerage. The platform's summer rollout introduces key features aligned with this vision: expanded fiat on-ramps, an integrated Aave credit line, and tokenized stocks/metals (starting with xStocks). This marks a progression from its initial focus on savings (via liquid restaking vaults) and spending (stablecoins & card) to now include "investing" and "borrowing." A core anti-casino design is embedded in its new Aave-powered lending market. Unlike typical DeFi lending pools which Silagadze calls "woodchippers" for users, EtherFi's system features a conservative threshold that halts further borrowing well before liquidation, aiming to serve as a personal finance tool rather than a high-leverage gambling venue. Silagadze highlights the untapped potential, noting that traditional neobanking is a $300 billion revenue industry—roughly 300 times larger than current DeFi. He believes moving beyond the "casino" phase is crucial for crypto's real economic accumulation. Looking ahead, EtherFi's "Autumn" update plans to add a social, peer-to-peer layer, envisioning money transfers that instantly create functional, self-sovereign accounts for recipients. The success of this neobroker model against the dominant "casino" narrative remains to be seen, but EtherFi is positioning itself as a leading contender in the shift.

marsbit08/17 07:36

EtherFi Founder Criticizes: All Crypto Apps Are Variants of Casinos, We Choose to Be a "Boring" Bank

marsbit08/17 07:36

Greenlane Treasury's $70M BERA Position Ends Q2 Valued at $16M

Greenlane Holdings' cryptocurrency treasury, focused on the $BERA token, ended Q2 with its portfolio valued at $16.4 million—a drop of over 76% from its $70 million cost basis, according to regulatory filings. The company held 81.3 million $BERA tokens as of June 30. This $53.8 million difference led to a non-cash impairment loss of $19.1 million for the quarter, contributing to a net loss of $24.8 million. The digital assets segment generated $309,000 in staking and yield income during the same period. Greenlane, a Nasdaq-listed firm that pivoted from cannabis accessories to a digital treasury strategy, designated $BERA as its primary reserve asset in October 2025. Despite increasing its holdings since March, the token's price has fallen about 75.9% this year, trading around $0.146 at the time of reporting.

cryptonews.ru08/17 07:13

Greenlane Treasury's $70M BERA Position Ends Q2 Valued at $16M

cryptonews.ru08/17 07:13

Revealing the Flow of $11.2 Billion in Funding Over Six Months: The Most Valuable Asset in Crypto Is Shifting from Code to Licenses

The article reveals that in the first half of 2026, all $11.2 billion in disclosed crypto industry funding flowed exclusively to businesses requiring regulatory licenses to operate, signaling a major shift in institutional valuation. Top-funded sectors were payments/stablecoins ($3.7B), prediction markets ($2B), and exchanges/trading platforms ($1.7B). The core argument is that capital's focus has moved from technological innovation ("what code can do") to compliance capability ("possession of a license"), as licenses represent a slow, costly barrier to entry that code cannot easily replicate. This mirrors the evolution of traditional fintech. Notably, a split is emerging: while institutional capital floods licensed, centralized entities, retail user activity continues to thrive on permissionless DeFi protocols. The article concludes that within the institutional framework, the industry's most valuable asset is being redefined from code to regulatory approval.

marsbit08/17 03:18

Revealing the Flow of $11.2 Billion in Funding Over Six Months: The Most Valuable Asset in Crypto Is Shifting from Code to Licenses

marsbit08/17 03:18

Crypto Summit Preview: Trump to Personally Attend, SEC and CFTC Chairs to Share Stage — What New Regulations Will Be Decided?

The White House is convening a major crypto summit on August 19, with President Trump, SEC Chair Atkins, and CFTC Chair Selig expected to attend. Key industry players like Coinbase, Ripple, and a16z, alongside traditional finance giants such as Nasdaq and CME, are invited. Notably, prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket are also on the guest list for the first time. The summit occurs ahead of a crucial September 15 Senate procedural vote for the CLARITY Act, which aims to clarify SEC and CFTC jurisdiction over digital assets. However, market predictions for the bill's passage in 2026 have fallen sharply to around 19%, stalled by political issues including conflicts related to Trump's crypto holdings and debates over stablecoin yields and DeFi regulation. Analysts like Nate Geraci suggest the administration's goal is to signal it will move forward with crypto regulation regardless of the congressional outcome. The SEC and CFTC are expected to advance rules—such as "Reg Crypto" and an "Innovation Exemption"—under existing authorities. The following day, the CFTC's new Innovation Advisory Committee will meet, aligning discussions on crypto, AI, and prediction markets. This summit marks a shift from the March 2025 meeting's focus on broad political support ("ending the war on crypto") to concrete regulatory planning. Despite the high-profile gathering, the market showed little immediate reaction, with Bitcoin prices remaining stable.

marsbit08/17 03:10

Crypto Summit Preview: Trump to Personally Attend, SEC and CFTC Chairs to Share Stage — What New Regulations Will Be Decided?

marsbit08/17 03:10

Bitwise CEO Believes the Era of Confrontation Between Banks and Bitcoin is Coming to an End

Wall Street and global financial institutions are accelerating their entry into the digital asset market, blurring the lines between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi). According to Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley, the era of being "long on bitcoin and short on bank stocks" is over, as financial giants pivot towards embracing crypto. Horsley noted two asset managers with over $1 trillion in assets approved crypto products this summer despite a bear market, signaling widespread institutional belief in the industry's future. Sygnum's CIO, Fabian Döri, observes a structural shift where banks have moved from resisting digital assets to actively creating, supporting, and distributing them through custody, tokenization, and regulated trading. Anchorage Digital CEO Nathan McCauley adds that his firm's client base increasingly reflects the convergence of traditional and crypto finance, with large institutions preferring to partner with specialized crypto infrastructure providers rather than building in-house systems. Major firms like Swissquote, DBS Bank, BBVA, BNY Mellon, and affiliates of Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, and Charles Schwab have entered the crypto space in recent years.

cryptonews.ru08/16 20:52

Bitwise CEO Believes the Era of Confrontation Between Banks and Bitcoin is Coming to an End

cryptonews.ru08/16 20:52

Founder: DefiLlama Delayed Mobile App Launch Due to Phishing Apps in App Store

DefiLlama has delayed the launch of its official mobile app, spending months trying to convince Apple to remove phishing apps from the App Store that were impersonating the analytics platform, according to its pseudonymous founder 0xngmi. The team waited to release its own app to prevent users from falling victim to the scams. One malicious app was removed by Apple "within days" only after DefiLlama documented the app withdrawing funds from a test wallet. Fake apps posing as major crypto brands like Rabby Wallet and Curve Finance have previously appeared in the App Store, and a counterfeit Ledger Live app in the Microsoft Store led to the theft of $588,000 in late 2023.

cryptonews.ru08/16 20:49

Founder: DefiLlama Delayed Mobile App Launch Due to Phishing Apps in App Store

cryptonews.ru08/16 20:49

MoonRush Launches Social Trading App Combining On-Chain Market Discovery and AI-Powered Risk Protection

MoonRush has launched a mobile social trading app for crypto markets, integrating on-chain token discovery with AI-powered risk protection. The platform allows users to explore trending tokens, track traders and public wallet activity, and access market data across multiple blockchains including Solana, Base, BNB Chain, and Robinhood. Unlike purely social-first platforms, MoonRush combines a market discovery experience with a social layer, providing context around wallet movements and social signals. Its AI system identifies potentially high-risk tokens, displaying warnings or disabling buy functions, but leaves final trading decisions to the user. Designed for mobile, the app consolidates discovery, research, and multi-chain trading into a single non-custodial experience, aiming to help traders make more informed decisions.

TheNewsCrypto08/16 17:45

MoonRush Launches Social Trading App Combining On-Chain Market Discovery and AI-Powered Risk Protection

TheNewsCrypto08/16 17:45

Apple Removes Fake DefiLlama App After Several Months of Complaints

Apple removed a fake app impersonating the analytics platform DefiLlama from the App Store after months of complaints from the service's founder, 0xngmi. He stated that Apple had ignored his reports about trademark infringement and requests to remove the software. To finally prove the app was fraudulent, 0xngmi resorted to downloading it himself, depositing a small amount of funds, and allowing the hackers to steal it, demonstrating the scam to Apple. He called this action "crazy" but necessary to protect users from the fake app, which closely resembled a basic version of DefiLlama and was used to steal seed phrases from victims. 0xngmi publicized the incident to warn other crypto teams, hoping they would avoid similar wasted effort. As a result of this situation, the DefiLlama team has postponed the launch of their official app, deciding to wait until all fraudulent versions disappear to prevent users from accidentally downloading a fake.

cryptonews.ru08/16 10:06

Apple Removes Fake DefiLlama App After Several Months of Complaints

cryptonews.ru08/16 10:06

Renovation Team's Handcrafted Abstract Masterpiece "Bull Coming", Meme Coin of the Same Name Surges 3000x in 3 Days

The animation film "Niu Lai" (meaning "The Bull is Coming"), produced by a former decoration company turned film studio, gained viral attention for its rough, abstract style and low-budget production. Initially earning only 7,000 RMB in its first nine days after release on August 5, the movie unexpectedly became a cultural phenomenon. Its "ugly" aesthetics, bizarre plot, and theme of hope resonated widely, sparking a wave of online memes and parodies both domestically and internationally. Audiences were drawn to its underdog story and interpreted it as a symbolic critique of mainstream film industry and a reflection of public longing for a bullish market. Capitalizing on this hype, a meme cryptocurrency named "Niu Lai" was launched. It experienced an astronomical surge, reportedly rising nearly 3000x in just three days, with its market cap briefly approaching $30 million. The film's official response clarified that obtaining a public screening license in China primarily involves content compliance checks, not quality assessment, suggesting such low-budget projects are accessible. The "Niu Lai" event highlights the immense power of meme culture and community-driven narratives in today's attention economy, where abstract concepts can rapidly translate into significant cultural and financial movements.

marsbit08/16 06:01

Renovation Team's Handcrafted Abstract Masterpiece "Bull Coming", Meme Coin of the Same Name Surges 3000x in 3 Days

marsbit08/16 06:01

The Decorating Team's Abstract Masterpiece 'Cattle' Sparks a Meme Coin That Soared 3000x in 3 Days

The low-budget animated film "Niu Lai" (roughly "Bull Comes"), produced by a former two-person home renovation team, has unexpectedly become a viral sensation both online and offline. After its August 5th release, the film gained notoriety for its rudimentary animation, abstract plot, and initially abysmal box office of just over 7,000 RMB in its first nine days. This "cult classic" aesthetic fueled massive online discussion and meme creation. Coinciding with the film's viral fame, a meme cryptocurrency of the same name, "Niu Lai," was launched on August 14th. It experienced a meteoric rise, reportedly surging nearly 3000 times in value within three days and reaching a market cap close to $30 million at its peak, creating another "miracle" story in the crypto space. The phenomenon highlights the power of memes in today's attention economy. The film's粗糙 (rough) quality is seen by some as a form of resistance against polished mainstream cinema, while its central figure—a calf—resonates with widespread cultural longing for a bull market. The story transformed from a simple mother-son passion project into a multifaceted social symbol, generating extensive user-created content and international curiosity, with some overseas viewers even praising its unique charm.

Odaily星球日报08/16 06:01

The Decorating Team's Abstract Masterpiece 'Cattle' Sparks a Meme Coin That Soared 3000x in 3 Days