08/18/2026
Aug 18: Bitmine Nears 5% of Ethereum Supply Despite $8.4B in Unrealized Losses
XRP Traders Bet on Rebound as Price Slips to $1 and Sentiment Sours · Stripe Acquires OpenRouter for Over $7 Billion, Betting on AI Model Ro · Robinhood Chain TVL Jumps 45% in August as USDe Stablecoin Dominates
Market Snapshot
- Bitcoin (BTC): $64,387.71 (+2.35% 24h)
- Ethereum (ETH): $1,910.24 (+1.69% 24h)
- Solana (SOL): $76.05 (+1.94% 24h)
- Notable metric: Robinhood Chain TVL surged 45% in August, topping $540 million
Top Stories
- Robinhood Chain TVL Jumps 45% in August as USDe Stablecoin Dominates
- Bitmine Nears 5% of Ethereum Supply Despite $8.4B in Unrealized Losses
- XRP Traders Bet on Rebound as Price Slips to $1 and Sentiment Sours
- Stripe Acquires OpenRouter for Over $7 Billion, Betting on AI Model Routing
Key Takeaways
- Stablecoins, not tokenized RWAs, are driving rapid TVL growth on emerging L2s like Robinhood Chain.
- Bitmine’s accumulation of ETH is historic, but its massive unrealized losses highlight the risks of aggressive treasury strategies in volatile markets.
- XRP’s heavy long positioning amid negative sentiment could precede sharp moves—either a rebound or a cascade of liquidations if key levels break.
- Stripe’s $7B+ OpenRouter deal underscores the premium placed on AI infrastructure and developer distribution, despite limited current revenues.
What to Watch
Keep an eye on Robinhood Chain’s TVL trajectory—will stablecoin inflows continue, or will tokenized RWAs regain relevance? Bitmine’s next moves, especially regarding ETH buybacks versus accumulation, could set the tone for corporate crypto treasuries. In AI, Stripe’s integration of OpenRouter may spark further consolidation as tech giants race to own the developer interface layer. XRP traders should watch the $1 level closely for signs of either capitulation or reversal.