Crypto Markets Weekly Recap: July 14-18, 2025 – Bulls Charge Through Calendar Week 29
Bitcoin smashes through resistance as institutional inflows hit $2.4B—highest since 2024's ETF frenzy.
Ethereum's Shanghai upgrade triggers 18% staking surge while SEC Chair Gensler mutters about 'hypothetical concerns'.
Solana flips XRP in market cap rankings (again), proving once more that blockchain speed trumps legal ambiguity.
DeFi TVL spikes 22% despite Wall Street analysts calling it 'niche'—same guys who missed Bitcoin at $200.
NFT volumes crater to 2025 lows as bored apes become... well, boring. Even celebrity endorsements can't pump this dead cat.
Closing thought: TradFi banks now offering 'crypto advisory' services—nothing funnier than dinosaurs selling rocket fuel.
New momentum for Ethereum
Ethereum is benefiting the most from regulatory progress in the US. As the leading smart contract blockchain for institutional applications, ethereum recorded over 5 billion US dollars in net inflows for the first time. In just one week, 908 million dollars flowed into ETH products – a daily average of 181 million dollars. This far exceeds the previous average of 23 million and signals growing interest among US investors. The spotlight is now on the anticipated launch of several altcoin ETFs. The SEC recently approved an exotic Solana ETF and opened the door for funds based on XRP and Cardano. However, the launch is delayed as the agency first wants to establish a clearer framework for crypto products.
Third-largest ICO in history
Pump.fun is the leading memecoin launchpad on Solana. Users can create and trade their own memecoins on the platform. In just twelve months, the platform generated 600 million US dollars in revenue at minimal cost. This makes Pump.fun one of the fastest-growing startups globally. Last weekend, the project launched an ICO to finance its next growth phase. 12.5 percent of the maximum PUMP tokens were sold for 500 million dollars – valuing the company at 4 billion dollars. The sale took place via its own platform and exchanges such as Kraken, KuCoin, and Gate.io. Nearly 24,000 KYC-verified wallets participated, and the offering sold out within minutes.
Global banking giant launches crypto trading
Standard Chartered will soon enable Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for institutional clients in the UK. The British banking giant, with a focus on emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, is responding to rising demand. With total assets of 820 billion US dollars and over 85,000 employees, StanChart operates in more than 50 countries. According to the bank, it is the first globally systemic institution to offer direct crypto trading for institutions. The offering includes spot trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum and will soon be expanded to include non-deliverable forwards (NDFs).
Bitcoin as a portfolio component
Bitcoin has remained stable above the 100,000 US dollar mark for two months. The rise is supported by clear regulations and strong interest from both institutions and retail investors. What began in 2009 as a digital experiment is now a globally recognized asset class. 21Shares Research highlights the key factors that continue to make Bitcoin attractive as “digital gold” – even at all-time high levels.
