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The 77% Viral Spike That No One Took Seriously—Until It Exploded

Whales are front-running the crowd. Institutions are picking their winners. And a centuries-old asset just made a quiet comeback—on-chain.

It's not the loud headlines moving the market right now—it's the whispers. And they're getting harder to ignore.

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Market-Moving News

Some weeks make noise. This one planted flags.

From billion-dollar inflows that no one's celebrating to supply squeezes hiding in plain sight, the smart money is already in motion—leaving clues for whoever's looking.

Markets

Crypto Funds See $1.9B Inflows as Ether ETPs Lead the Charge 

Crypto investment products pulled in $1.9 billion last week, marking the 15th straight week of net inflows.

This came despite BTC's slide below $115K and overall market volatility.

Ether ETPs accounted for $1.59 billion of the total, the second-largest weekly inflow ever for ETH products. Solana and XRP followed with $311.5 million and $189.6 million in inflows, respectively.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin ETPs saw minor outflows of $175 million, ending a 12-day streak of inflows.

CoinShares believes this split shows more ETF anticipation than broad altcoin enthusiasm.

The weekly inflows were down 57% from the record $4.4 billion seen the week prior. Still, YTD flows hit $29.5 billion, and total crypto ETP AUM crossed $221 billion for the first time.

BlackRock's iShares products led the week again with $1.56 billion in inflows. Fidelity saw continued outflows of $123 million, while ARK Invest's outflows slowed to $90 million.

Grayscale reversed recent trends with $78 million in inflows, though its YTD tally remains negative. 21Shares added $80 million, holding steady among smaller issuers.

For investors, this rotation suggests growing institutional confidence in ETH and select altcoins.

But the inflow slowdown and BTC outflows hint that positioning is still cautious and heavily narrative-driven.

Institutions

SharpLink Buys $295M in ETH, Now Holds Over $1.69B

SharpLink just acquired 77,210 ETH worth $295 million, surpassing the amount of Ether issued last month. The firm staked most of the purchase to earn yield and further tighten supply.

Its total ETH holdings now exceed 438,000, valued at over $1.69 billion. This cements its position as the second-largest corporate ETH holder, behind only Bitmine.

Bitmine itself holds over 566,000 ETH and aims to accumulate at least 5% of ETH's total supply. That goal would require 6 million ETH, or over $23 billion at today's prices.

SharpLink's bold ETH strategy comes as it filed to boost its stock sale from $1B to $6B. Most of those funds are expected to go toward more Ether purchases.

The firm also hired former BlackRock exec Joseph Chalom as co-CEO to lead its global strategy.

Ethereum advocate and Consensys CEO Joseph Lubin was named chairman earlier this year.

SharpLink's "Ethereum runs 24/7" post underscores its bet on crypto-native rails over legacy finance. The firm is leaning fully into ETH as both a strategic reserve and a staking revenue source.

For investors, this is a clear vote of confidence in Ethereum's long-term role. But such aggressive accumulation may contribute to supply shocks—and rising centralization concerns among purists.

Silent Surge (Sponsored)

The escalating U.S.-China trade tensions are reshaping the AI landscape.

Companies like Nvidia are facing significant revenue hits with the U.S. imposing new export restrictions on advanced AI chips to China.

This shift opens doors for U.S.-based AI companies poised to fill the gap. I’ve identified 9 under-the-radar AI stocks with:

  1. Deep AI integration across their core operations

  2. Strong U.S. manufacturing capabilities

  3. Proven revenue growth from AI initiatives

  4. Infrastructure ready to capitalize on policy shifts

Access our FREE report, "Top 9 AI Stocks for This Month" to discover these opportunities before the broader market catches on.

Tokenized Gold

Tether Gold (XAUt) Rides Bullion Boom to $800M Market Cap

Tether Gold has surged alongside physical gold, reaching over $800 million in market cap. Each XAUt token is backed 1:1 with gold and tracks the spot price closely.

Tether's Q2 report showed backing from 7.66 tons of fine gold, verified by BDO Italia. With over 259,000 tokens in circulation, XAUt's price climbed 40% in the past year.

XAUt is now available on major exchanges like Bybit, Bitfinex, and KuCoin. It recently expanded into Thailand and launched an omnichain version on TON.

Gold itself is trading near $3,400 per ounce as macro uncertainty drives demand. Analysts point to Trump's tariffs, inflation concerns, and geopolitical risk as key catalysts.

According to the World Gold Council, central banks added 1,000+ metric tons of gold in 2024. This marks the third year in a row of such accumulation—a major reversal from decades of selling.

Institutions are also piling into gold ETFs, with $38 billion in inflows in H1 2025. It's the strongest half-year showing in five years, according to WGC data.

For investors, XAUt offers a blockchain-native hedge against macro turmoil.

It blends crypto flexibility with gold's safe-haven strength—though liquidity and custodian trust still matter.

Coin Leaderboard

Crypto Pulse

This week's Crypto Pulse leaderboard moved fast—and not always for reasons rooted in fundamentals. A meme from Musk, a new listing, and a nostalgic Web hit lit the charts with pure hype.

As institutions pile into ETH and gold-backed tokens quietly grow in the shadows, retail traders are chasing momentum with zero hesitation.

These gains aren't about utility—they're about speed, sentiment, and surprise. 📊

Vine Coin (VINE) $0.1449 (+77.31%)

VINE spiked 77.31% after a single tweet from Elon Musk reignited trader frenzy.

Yooldo (ESPORTS) $0.1278 (+55.24%)

ESPORTS surged 55.24% in the past day following its fresh listing on Binance Alpha.

Simon's Cat (CAT) $0.00001256 (+49.69%)

CAT extended its bull run from July 25, climbing another 49.69% in the last 24 hours.

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Future Forward

The next big move won't come with alarms blaring—it'll slip in through the side door while everyone's looking elsewhere.

What looks like noise now may be the first beat of the next rhythm.

Every market cycle leaves breadcrumbs—odd flows, quiet accumulation, and signals that don't quite make sense yet.

Catch them early, and you're not just reacting—you're reading the future.

Crypto Conferences:

💎 Nigeria Fintech Forum 2025 (Jul 29, 2025)

💎 Crypto Experience Summit 2025 (Jul 29, 2025)

💎 Ethereum 10Y Anniversary Zug (Jul 30, 2025)

Upcoming Airdrops:

🎁 IOST (IOST) Airdrop (Jul 30, 2025)

🎁 Tensor (TNSR) Airdrop (by Jul 31, 2025)

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Upcoming Token Launches:

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🚀 CHIPS (CHIPS) IDO on Polkastarter (Aug 5, 2025)

🚀 EarnPark (PARK) Token Sale Tier 3 (Aug 29, 2025)

Which event are you most excited for? Let us know!

Crypto Know-How: What Is Metaplanet?

Metaplanet is a Tokyo-based public company that's made headlines by turning its balance sheet into a Bitcoin vault.

It's modeled its strategy after Michael Saylor's MicroStrategy, aiming to maximize shareholder value through BTC accumulation.

As of July 2025, Metaplanet holds over 17,000 BTC—making it the largest corporate Bitcoin holder outside the US.

It even tracks a custom "BTC Yield" metric to measure returns against shareholder dilution.

The company believes Bitcoin is a long-term strategic reserve asset, not just a speculative play. Its aggressive buying reflects a belief that BTC is superior to fiat for preserving corporate value.

For investors, Metaplanet is a pure-play bet on Bitcoin's upside—especially in Asia. But as with any high-conviction strategy, the risk is just as concentrated as the reward.

Everything Else

  • Japan-based Metaplanet bought 780 more BTC, boosting its holdings to 17,132 BTC—making it the largest public holder outside the US.

  • Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko called memecoins and NFTs "digital slop," despite Solana's heavy reliance on meme coin platforms like Pump.fun.

  • Michael Saylor's Strategy launched a $2B bitcoin-backed preferred stock with a 9% dividend, aiming to bring stable crypto income to Wall Street investors.

  • Australia's ASIC warned Bitget for offering unlicensed crypto futures with 125x leverage, escalating global scrutiny of the exchange's operations.

  • OKX became the first global exchange to launch regulated retail crypto derivatives in the UAE, allowing up to 5x leverage under Dubai's pilot framework.

That's a wrap for now—but crypto doesn't sleep, and neither do the signals. The next breakout might already be building in the shadows, long before the spotlight catches up.

Best Regards,
— Benjamin Vitaris
Crypto Intel