#binance

As per BitInfoCharts, the wallet address bc1q…859v2 received its initial deposit of BTC on March 8. Over the following three and a half months, it amassed 118,000 BTC (nearly $3.1 billion). Speculations quickly spread across X (Twitter), suggesting it might be BlackRock strategically increasing its BTC holdings. However, the wallet belongs to the US-based exchange Gemini. It transferred its funds from an older wallet, which was also among the top BTC holders nearly a year ago. The current top three wallets are as follows: Binance cold wallet — 248,597 BTC. Bitfinex cold wallet — 178,010 BTC. Gemini new wallet — 118,300 BTC.

Brian Armstrong has expressed his belief that Binance has transferred some of their USDC assets to a different stablecoin, according to anonymous sources in Cointelegraph. NotChaseColeman, an analyst, highlights that Binance and Justin Sun are strategically moving from USDT to USDC to secure USD, which will then be invested in FDUSD and TUSD (assets controlled by the company). Adam Cochran, a name we're familiar with, weighed in, drawing attention to the activities associated with Binance addresses. He observed: “Even with banks open in Asia and Europe and US coming online, USDT peg is off by the deepest sustained amount since the FTX fall out. Selling pressure once again coming in from the Binance.” Adam thinks the uncertainty surrounding USDT is at an all-time high, and the Curve Finance and Uniswap platforms are overrun with USDT. He was optimistic about a more promising USDT horizon today, but that seems to be deferred. BTC has touched the 28,710 threshold. Indeed, Mondays have their unique trials.

Renowned business analyst Adam Cochran recently shared insights concerning Huobi's financial state and its potential insolvency. Key takeaways from Adam's analysis: Investigation Underway: Both Huobi and Tron are facing scrutiny, with their staff being questioned by the police. Unusual Asset Distribution: After Justin Sun's introduction of wrapped USDT (stUSDT), a whopping 98% of user assets intended for Tether bond redemptions ended up in the wallets of Huobi and Justin Sun. Discrepancy with USDT Balance: Huobi's reported USDT balance is just $63 million, but their users hold a staggering $631 million worth of USDT. Something doesn't add up here. ETH Holdings in Question: It appears that Huobi is holding all of its users' ETH as stETH, raising eyebrows about their handling of customer assets. Binance Making Moves: Meanwhile, Binance is actively selling USDT and purchasing DAI, possibly indicating a shift in market dynamics. Outdated Reserves Page: It's been a whole month since Huobi last updated its reserve page, and discrepancies between the reported figures and wallet balances need clarification.

In a three-month span beginning in March 2023, the FBI shifted gears in their investigations involving digital currencies. Those efforts have led to the confiscation of an estimated $1.7 million in cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, USDT, XMR, and DAI. Some of these were traced back to Binance-affiliated wallets. Notably, the Eastern District of Virginia saw the most substantial single seizure of 428.5 ETH.

Tether CTO: "The launch of PayPal stablecoin doesn’t impact Tether as the firm does not serve U.S. users. If PYUSD launches in international markets, it could have a positive impact on the crypto industry and potentially erode revenues for payment giants like MasterCard and Visa." Co-founder of zkLend: "PayPal will indeed bolster the perception and acceptance of cryptocurrencies, but it can lead to a diminished market share for decentralized stablecoins, threatening the very principles of decentralization that underpin the crypto space." Analysts at JPMorgan: "This could boost Ethereum activity and enhance Ethereum’s network utility as a stablecoin/DeFi platform. PYUSD could fill the void left by the $20 billion shrinkage of Binance's BUSD stablecoin, which was forced to shut down by U.S. regulators earlier this year." Co-founder of Sei Network: "The gas fees of using PYUSD will be ridiculous, which will disincentivize its usage. To help make the user experience better, PayPal will either need to subsidize transaction costs or will need to help support PYUSD on other networks with cheaper gas fees." It's worth noting that PayPal currently serves 435 million customers globally.

A former top trader on Binance sent 2,500 ETH (worth nearly $5 million) to a dead wallet address. In a surprising comment on his last year's unfortunate trade, he said, "Cannot be happier. Being ultimately bankrupt is the best thing that can happen to me. Anyway, number has no meaning in another dimension. Now is the defining moment." Other users describe him as a rather eccentric individual with a significant fortune. What could have led him to take this intriguing step?

The CEO of Binance has repeatedly aired his distrust of USDT, dubbing it a "black box" due to its lack of transparency in audits and reports. Also, Binance listed a new stablecoin, FDUSD, on July 26th, that has seen a rapid rise in capitalization. They are in the process of designing their own algorithmic stablecoin and are open to listing more USDT equivalents on their exchange. Meanwhile, Tether's CTO has hinted at CZ's involvement in market manipulation in the stablecoin sector, mentioning a 10 basis point USDT depeg on July 28th. "Isn't it interesting that USDt is being pressured down (slightly, within 10bps, just to push market makers to react), and USDc, the main competitor that you would expect being gaining from the situation, is redeemed heavily nevertheless, while suddenly a competitor born 2 days ago is getting it all? Exactly! It feels definitely organic and not manipulative at all. Some people never learn." For the record, the Twitter account of First Digital Labs (FDUSD) has a mere 585 followers. It's intriguing to watch the outcome of this power struggle. Is this just the tip of the iceberg? Fingers crossed, this won't escalate into a challenge for a bout in the octagon, as seems to be a popular move among billionaires...

Despite the ongoing rally in June, spot trade volumes in Q2 experienced a substantial decline, reaching their lowest level since 2020, according to Kaiko. Binance saw the most significant drop in trading activity, with volumes plunging by nearly 70%. Other exchanges such as Coinbase, Kraken, OKX, and Huobi also witnessed a decline of over 50% in trade volumes.