Crypto fundraising hits record $3.5B last week amid market volatility

  • Crypto fundraising hits record $3.5B across 28 deals, led by blockchain services.
  • Bitcoin peaks at $126K before a sharp crash wipes $20B in crypto liquidations.
  • Pantera, Coinbase Ventures lead amid rising investor confidence in crypto.

Crypto fundraising surged to an all-time high last week, with startups in the digital asset space raising a record $3.5 billion across 28 funding rounds, according to data from Cryptorank released on Monday.

The milestone marked the strongest week on record for crypto venture activity, surpassing the previous peak of nearly $3 billion set between July 28 and August 3.

The surge came after seven consecutive weeks of sub-$1 billion fundraising, signaling a sharp resurgence in investor confidence despite volatile market conditions.

Over the past six months, weekly fundraising has fluctuated widely—from as low as $150 million to nearly $3 billion—underscoring the unpredictable nature of capital flows in the sector.

Blockchain services lead as sector activity broadens

Data from Cryptorank showed that blockchain services dominated last week’s fundraising landscape.

Of the 28 funding rounds recorded between October 6 and 12, 12 were for blockchain service providers, making it the most active category of the week.

Centralized finance (CeFi) projects followed with six rounds, while the remaining deals were spread across blockchain infrastructure, decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming, and social ventures.

The data suggests investors are increasingly favoring service-oriented projects that support the broader crypto ecosystem rather than narrowly focused tokens or speculative ventures.

Among the most active investors, Pantera Capital participated in four separate deals last week—two in blockchain services and one each in CeFi and social ventures.

Over the past year, however, Coinbase Ventures has maintained its position as the most prolific investor in the sector, with 73 investments across multiple categories.

Animoca Brands followed with 63 deals, while YZi Labs, a Binance-affiliated fund, completed 38. Amber Group and Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto accelerator (a16z CSX) each recorded 37 investments, rounding out the top five.

Record fundraising coincides with Bitcoin’s new peak

The record-breaking fundraising activity coincided with Bitcoin’s (BTC) new all-time high of $126,000, reached on October 6, according to CoinGecko.

The rally was largely attributed to a migration of assets from centralized exchanges into self-custody, institutional funds, and digital asset treasuries, reflecting growing long-term confidence in the world’s largest cryptocurrency.

However, the optimism proved short-lived. On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced a 100% tariff on China, triggering a sudden sell-off across global markets—including digital assets.

Bitcoin’s price fell below $110,000 shortly after the announcement, ultimately plunging by $16,700, a 13.7% correction in under eight hours.

The crash also wiped out nearly 13% of Bitcoin’s futures open interest and resulted in approximately $20 billion in liquidations across crypto markets.

The decentralized perpetuals exchange Hyperliquid reportedly led the liquidation wave.

Investor confidence holds despite market shock

Despite the sharp downturn in crypto prices, analysts see the record fundraising week as a sign of resilient investor appetite for blockchain and digital asset ventures.

The timing—between Bitcoin’s all-time high and one of the largest single-day crashes in market history—highlights both the sector’s volatility and its capacity to attract substantial capital inflows.

The combination of renewed venture activity, sector diversification, and institutional participation suggests that investors remain focused on the long-term structural growth of the crypto economy, even as short-term market dynamics continue to fluctuate.

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Strategy adds 220 BTC as crypto market recovers after Friday’s bloodbath

  • Strategy acquires 220 BTC, boosting holdings to 640,250 BTC total.

  • Bitcoin rebounds above $115,000 after record $19 billion crypto liquidations.

  • Ethereum and Ripple recover as crypto market capitalisation surpasses $4 trillion.

Bitcoin treasury company Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) acquired an additional 220 BTC between October 6 and October 12 for approximately $27.2 million, paying an average price of $123,561 per coin, according to a company press release on Monday.

The purchase increases Strategy’s total Bitcoin holdings to 640,250 BTC, worth around $73 billion at current market prices.

The average acquisition price for the firm’s total holdings stands at $74,000 per Bitcoin, resulting in a total investment of approximately $47.4 billion, including fees and expenses.

The haul represents more than 3% of Bitcoin’s total 21 million supply, implying around $25.6 billion in paper gains at today’s prices.

Strategy temporarily paused its weekly acquisitions last Monday, as it typically does at the end of each quarter, maintaining total holdings at 640,031 BTC.

BTC treasury companies continue momentum

According to Bitcoin Treasuries data, 188 public companies have adopted some form of Bitcoin acquisition strategy.

The top 10 holdings outside Strategy include MARA with 52,850 BTC, Tether-backed Twenty One with 43,514 BTC, Metaplanet with 30,823 BTC, Adam Back and Cantor Fitzgerald-backed Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company with 30,021 BTC, Bullish with 24,300 BTC, Riot Platforms with 19,287 BTC, Trump Media & Technology Group with 15,000 BTC, CleanSpark with 13,011 BTC, and Coinbase with 11,776 BTC.

For the quarter ended September 30, Strategy reported an unrealised gain of $3.89 billion on its digital assets, along with an associated deferred tax expense of $1.12 billion.

As of the same date, the company’s total digital asset carrying value stood at $73.21 billion, with a related deferred tax liability of $7.43 billion.

Ahead of the latest purchase, Saylor hinted at further acquisitions in a post on Strategy’s bitcoin acquisition tracker, stating, “Don’t Stop ₿elievin’.”

Crypto market rebounds

Bitcoin held onto gains on Monday, trading around $115,000 as the market recovered from last week’s sell-off.

Ethereum climbed back above $4,100, while Ripple traded around $2.60.

The overall crypto market capitalisation rose above the $4 trillion mark from $3.78 trillion, according to CoinGecko.

Total single-day liquidations across all cryptocurrencies reached a record $19 billion last week on Friday, with altcoins experiencing the sharpest losses.

Market volatility was triggered in part by comments from US President Donald Trump regarding additional tariffs on China and other export controls, which briefly spurred a decline in equities and cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin dipped to approximately $102,000 before rebounding over the weekend.

Despite persistent macroeconomic uncertainty, the rebound in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple prices has offered relief to traders affected by recent leveraged losses, signalling cautious optimism in the crypto market.

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ASTER price bounces back, but DeFiLlama exit and unlock threaten rally

  • Aster is rebounding after a sharp market crash, regaining key price levels.
  • DeFiLlama delisting, however, sparked trust concerns across the DeFi community.
  • Upcoming token unlock and delayed airdrop also pose new volatility risks.

After suffering one of its steepest crashes to date, the Aster (ASTER) cryptocurrency is once again showing signs of life.

The decentralised exchange token has rebounded more than 13% in the past 24 hours, recovering from a deep selloff that wiped out over half of its market value earlier this month.

The rebound follows a chaotic week in the crypto market that saw more than $20 billion in leveraged positions liquidated — the largest single-day wipeout in digital asset history.

Aster, which had climbed to prominence after rebranding from APX, was hit particularly hard, plunging nearly 52% from its September highs around $2.30 to as low as $1.10.

The crash came after a string of damaging events, including its abrupt removal from DeFiLlama, a $12 million token transfer to Binance, and a delay in its highly anticipated Stage 2 airdrop.

DeFiLlama delisting raises deeper questions

Aster’s removal from DeFiLlama last week was more than a simple data correction. It reignited a broader debate about transparency and trust in decentralised finance (DeFi).

The analytics platform flagged Aster’s reported volumes for suspicious similarities with Binance’s perpetual market data, suggesting the exchange’s activity might not be entirely organic.

For a project that had quickly climbed to the top of the DEX leaderboard, the delisting was a major credibility blow.

The controversy highlighted a deeper issue within DeFi of how much the supposedly trustless system still depends on centralised gatekeepers to define what’s real.

Experts note that roughly a quarter of exchanges still display signs of inflated activity through wash trading or automated self-dealing.

When DeFiLlama pulled Aster’s data, some, like Bolivian, accused the aggregator of acting as a centralised authority.

Others, like Simon Dedic, defended its decision, saying it protected the integrity of market data. The incident served as a reminder that in a world built on transparency, trust remains the weakest link.

Aster airdrop delay and token unlock weigh on outlook

Adding to the uncertainty is Aster’s upcoming Stage 2 airdrop, which the team postponed from October 14 to October 20 after complaints about allocation discrepancies.

The developers have, however, confirmed that 4% of the token supply will soon move from the Airdrop Reserve to the project’s Treasury contract, ready for the unlock.

While the delay has temporarily eased selling pressure, it has also raised concerns about future dilution.

More than half of Aster’s total supply remains designated for upcoming airdrops, and the lack of clear vesting details could spark volatility once tokens enter circulation.

Bulls return, but resistance looms

Despite these challenges, Aster’s price has rebounded sharply, trading around $1.56 after recovering key support at $1.50.

Technical indicators show improving sentiment. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has climbed above the neutral 50 mark, while the MACD has turned positive, suggesting renewed buying pressure.

A clean break above $1.60 could open the path to $1.70 and eventually the psychological $2 level if momentum holds.

On-chain data also supports the bullish turn. Aster’s total value locked (TVL) has risen slightly to $2.16 billion, signalling that liquidity is slowly returning to the protocol.

The rebound in TVL, while modest, suggests users are regaining confidence after last week’s panic.

However, analysts caution that the pattern resembles a “dead cat bounce” common after steep selloffs.

If the bullish pressure fades, the price could retreat toward $1.25 or even $0.97.

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Hyperliquid price forecast: HIP-3 upgrade and CEO’s transparency crusade fuel bullish momentum

  • The Hyperliquid Improvement Proposal 3 (HIP-3) upgrade enables permissionless perpetual market creation.
  • Jeff Yan’s transparency push boosts trust in on-chain trading.
  • Hyperliquid (HYPE) price has held above $40, eyeing resistance near $43.82.

Hyperliquid (HYPE) has rallied sharply today, with HYPE jumping about 13% to $41.67 as markets reacted to a major protocol upgrade and a renewed debate over exchange transparency.

The HYPE token price surge pared a weekly decline and sent market-cap metrics higher as traders digested both the technical and fundamental implications of recent events.

Activation of HIP-3 Hyperliquid upgrade

The headline driver is the activation of Hyperliquid Improvement Proposal 3 (HIP-3) on Oct. 13, a protocol upgrade that allows permissionless creation of perpetual futures markets.

Under the new rules, builders who stake 500,000 HYPE can deploy perp DEXs on HyperCore, a shift that explicitly links token utility to platform growth.

That staking mechanism creates immediate on-chain demand for HYPE while lowering barriers for derivatives builders, potentially expanding the range of tradable products and liquidity on the protocol.

This upgrade also aligns with Hyperliquid’s broader positioning as a fully on-chain DEX integrated with HyperEVM.

By design, every trade, order, and liquidation is logged transparently on the chain. For traders and market makers, the promise of open verification reduces counterparty risk tied to opaque internal reporting.

Hyperliquid’s founder criticises CEX’s non-transparent liquidation

Hyperliquid’s founder, Jeff Yan, amplified HYPE’s value proposition by publicly criticising centralised exchanges for underreporting liquidation events.

Yan pointed to documentation showing Binance’s CEX liquidation streams only publish a single event per 1,000 milliseconds, which can mask multiple simultaneous liquidations.

In the wake of a $19 billion liquidation cascade over Oct. 10–11, those comments hit home for many market participants.

The contrast between Hyperliquid’s on-chain record and alleged CEX underreporting has become a tradeable narrative.

Institutional and retail traders who prioritise verifiable execution may reallocate activity and capital toward venues where every liquidation is public and auditable.

That trust shift, if it persists, could support sustained volume on Hyperliquid.

HYPE token price analysis

Technically, HYPE has bounced off a longer-term support near the 200-day simple moving average, around $36.17, which attracted dip buying.

Momentum indicators look mixed: RSI sits close to oversold territory at about 38.8, suggesting room to run, while MACD readings remain bearish.

Hyperliquid price chart

While Hyperliquid’s price has today cleared a short-term hurdle, meaningful overhead resistance exists, and bears have not yet capitulated.

According to some analysts like CoinLore, the token needs to hold above $39.80 to target the first resistance at $43.82, with higher resistances at $49.45 and $57.30.

On the downside, a failure of $39.87 could open the path toward $35.03, where longer-term support may be tested.

Hyperliquid price forecast and key levels to watch

In the near term, bullish momentum looks plausible if adoption follows the upgrade and if the transparency narrative continues to redirect volume into Hyperliquid.

A sustained hold above $40 is critical; it would validate the recent rebound and increase the chance of testing $43.82 as the next objective.

Failure to defend that zone, however, could see HYPE retest lower support near $35.

Traders should watch for concrete adoption signals over the next 48 hours: new perp deployments, on-chain staking activity, and consistent trade volumes on freshly minted markets.

The traders should also monitor how the broader market digests macro news, since systemic events can quickly overwhelm idiosyncratic catalysts.

If builders and traders embrace HIP-3, HYPE’s utility and demand could meaningfully outpace speculative momentum alone.

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BNB hits a new ATH of $1,370 as the broader market recovers

Key takeaways 

  • Binance’s BNB is up 11% in the last 24 hours and has set a new all-time high of $1,370.
  • The crypto exchange paid $283M in compensation to users affected by the depegging of three assets on its platform.

BNB hits a new ATH as Binance comes under fire

BNB, the native coin of the Binance ecosystem, has continued its excellent performance by hitting a new all-time high earlier today. The coin touched $1,370 early on Monday, setting a new all-time high in the process and hitting a market cap of $187 billion.

The third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap temporarily dropped to the $1,077 support on Friday as the broader crypto market recorded massive losses. However, it has since bounced back and is now trading above $1,300.

The rally also comes as Binance faces criticism from traders within the crypto community. Traders recorded massive losses on Friday as Binance depegged three Binance Earn assets.

The depeg occurred in three Binance Earn markets — Ethena’s stablecoin USDe, Binance-issued Solana liquid staking token BNSOL, and Wrapped Beacon liquid staking token WBETH.

However, Binance announced that it had paid $283 million in compensation to the affected users. Furthermore, it covered users with verified losses from internal transfers/Earn redemptions.

BNB could hit $1,500 as rally continues

While the broader crypto market is recovering, BNB has also rallied to a new all-time high. The BNB/USD 4-hour chart is bullish and efficient thanks to BNB’s rally over the last 24 hours.

BNB/USD 4H Chart

The momentum indicators remain extremely bullish, suggesting that BNB could rally higher in the near term. The RSI of 63 shows that buyers are in control and could push BNB into the overbought region if the bullish bias persists. The MACD lines are also within the positive region, indicating a bullish bias.

If the rally continues, BNB could surge towards a new all-time high of $1,500 over the next few days or weeks. However, if BNB undergoes a correction, it could decline and retest the weekend low of $1,077 ovr the coming hours or days.

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