Risk is back on the menu. Bitcoin is trading around A$94,831 (US$66,400), up about 1.6% over the past day and roughly 3% for the week, while Ethereum sits near A$2,747 (US$1,936), up about 1% and 2.6% for the week. The move tracked a bounce in US tech stocks, and there’s a more interesting stat underneath it: per SoSoValue data reported by Yahoo Finance, US spot Bitcoin ETFs have now posted two consecutive weeks of net inflows — the first back-to-back positive weeks since May. Worth keeping in perspective: those inflows are still nowhere near covering the outflows of the past couple of months. A thaw, not a heatwave.
Here’s what else moved overnight.
Strategy bought zero Bitcoin last week
Michael Saylor’s Strategy reported no BTC purchases for the week — instead it sold about 2.73 million MSTR shares for US$263.5 million and lifted its USD reserve to US$3.2 billion, alongside its 843,775 BTC stack. Why it matters: the most reliable corporate bid in the market is sitting on its hands and stacking cash instead. If your bull case leans on "the treasury companies will keep buying", overnight was a reminder that they don’t have to.
Robinhood opens real brokerage accounts to AI agents
Robinhood launched agentic accounts that let users connect an AI agent to research, trade and manage a live portfolio on their behalf. Bernstein separately lifted its HOOD price target to US$160, per CoinDesk, arguing prediction markets could become the broker’s biggest revenue line. Why it matters: this isn’t available to Australians, but it’s a preview of where retail platforms are heading — and a good moment to say it plainly: be very careful before handing any AI agent control of real money or keys.
The London Stock Exchange is going 24/7
The LSE plans round-the-clock trading to compete with always-on crypto platforms, the FT reports via Watcher.Guru. Why it matters: crypto’s market structure is quietly winning the argument. The ASX still keeps banker’s hours; the pressure on traditional venues everywhere — Australia included — only goes one way.
Grayscale files for a Worldcoin ETF
Grayscale lodged an SEC registration for an ETF tracking WLD, spotted by Bloomberg’s James Seyffart. Why it matters: the ETF-isation of crypto has reached the eyeball-scanning coins. A filing is a long way from an approval, and further still from anything an Australian investor can buy locally — treat it as a sentiment signal, not a product.
Stablecoins keep eating business models
Wallet maker Exodus is cutting 25% of staff to rebuild around a full-stack stablecoin payments platform, and a16z data shows tokenised stocks hit US$1.7 billion in market cap — up more than 5x in a year. Why it matters: payments and tokenisation are where the industry is redeploying, right as Australia’s Digital Assets Framework (with its stablecoin licensing regime) counts down to its April 2027 start.
Vietnam sets fines for unlicensed crypto platforms
From 1 September, Vietnamese traders face fines up to ~US$1,900 for using unlicensed platforms, per Wu Blockchain. Why it matters: the APAC licensing net is tightening everywhere at once — a useful backdrop for the local deadline below.
What to watch
The ECB rates decision lands Thursday night our time. In the US: OCC GENIUS Act comments close 24 July, CFTC 24/7-trading comments close 27 July, and the CLARITY Act still has two possible Senate floor windows before the 7 August recess, with the ethics-provision standoff unresolved. At home, AUSTRAC’s VASP registration window closes Wednesday 29 July — one week from today — and FTX’s ~US$900 million fifth distribution starts 31 July, so keep ignoring "FTX payout" DMs and emails; that’s prime phishing season.
If the ETF thaw has you thinking about finally setting up a proper local on-ramp, our comparison of Australian crypto exchanges is the place to start — CoinSpot remains our pick for most new buyers.
Affiliate disclosure: some links above (marked as recommendations) earn auscrypto.life a commission at no cost to you. This roundup is general information only, not financial advice — do your own research and consider your circumstances before making investment decisions.