Good morning from Portugal. It’s Matt with your Daily Crypto News. Yesterday, I went on a nearly two-hour live rant on Substack — sitting on the balcony, coffee in hand, unloading thoughts on the economy, privacy, and crypto. That’ll be posted later today if you’re curious. But for now, let’s get into today’s big stories.
🇫🇷 Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Blasts France Over ‘Absurd’ 2024 Arrest
🏦 Are Crypto Treasuries a Lifeline or Last Resort?
🇵🇭 Philippines Mulls Strategic Bitcoin Reserve With 20-Year Lockup
🎭 Anonymous Hacktivist Group Founder Pushes Meme Coin While Facing Prison
📉 What Bitcoin’s Weekend Dip Means for the Bulls
💵 Bitcoin Now 1.7% of Global Money Supply as Fed Chair Signals Rate Cut
🔄 Bitcoin Whales Swap BTC for ETH, Trader Sees $5.5K ETH Next
📉 Trader Cobb & Market Training via The Grow Me Co
Pavel Durov Calls His Arrest “Absurd”
“French prosecutor accused him of failing to moderate his content on Telegram… Durov rejects the claim.”
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov slammed his 2024 arrest in France as “legally and logistically absurd,” marking a year since his detention at a Paris airport. Despite being released on €5 million bail, he remains under judicial supervision and must return to France every 14 days with no appeal date in sight.
French authorities accused him of failing to stop criminal activity on Telegram, citing child exploitation, narcotics, and fraud. Durov says Telegram complies with all legally binding requests, but bureaucracy and poor police handling likely created friction.
The arrest sparked global backlash — Elon Musk and Edward Snowden condemned it, while President Macron defended France’s free-expression record. To me, this is really about Europe’s broader push against encryption and privacy.
Being in London recently, I saw firsthand how speech and privacy are far more restricted than in the U.S. It’s a reminder: America still has that last guardrail of constitutional protections.
Corporate Bitcoin Treasuries Nearly Double
“Analysts compare the trend to gold adoption, noting it gives investors indirect access to crypto.”
Corporate Bitcoin holdings surged in 2025, with the number of listed firms holding BTC rising from 70 to 134. Together they now hold about 245,000 Bitcoin, according to K33 Research. Analysts say it mirrors the early adoption of gold — giving investors indirect exposure in markets where ETFs are limited.
But some warn companies may be using flashy Bitcoin buys as PR stunts. Case in point: biotech firm Windtree Therapeutics saw its stock briefly pump after announcing a BNB reserve, only to collapse 90% and get delisted weeks later.
This is the MicroStrategy effect: if you can’t compete in your core business, leverage your treasury to buy Bitcoin and hope number go up. It works — until it doesn’t. My take is this: for strong companies, Bitcoin treasuries can be long-term positioning. For weak ones, it’s just lipstick on a pig.
Philippines Considers Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
“The bill would direct the central bank to purchase 10,000 Bitcoin over the next five years and hold it for 20.”
The Philippines is weighing a groundbreaking proposal to buy 10,000 Bitcoin over the next five years and lock it for 20 years. Congressman Miguel Luis Villafuerte argues Bitcoin’s global importance makes it essential as a sovereign reserve asset.
The plan would see 2,000 BTC purchased annually, with liquidation only allowed after two decades to pay down government debt. If passed, the Philippines would become one of the first Asian nations to legislate a sovereign Bitcoin reserve.
Critics warn about volatility and taxpayer exposure, but honestly, I don’t see much risk here. Governments spend billions on far dumber bets. If Bitcoin moons over 20 years, the upside is enormous. If it goes to zero, the loss barely registers on a national balance sheet. The real risk is political: the optics of “wasting” public funds.
Anonymous Founder Launches Meme Coin
“Branded as a movement coin… designed to honor hacktivist culture and support Cottle’s legal defense.”
Aubrey Cottle — known as “Kirt” and recognized as a founding member of Anonymous — has launched a Solana-based token called Anon (ANON). The pitch: a movement coin honoring hacktivist culture and funding Cottle’s legal defense against charges tied to a 2021 GOP data breach.
The token, launched via Solana Baggs’ platform, hit an $8 million market cap and generated $60,000 in fees since mid-August. Part of the revenue goes directly to Cottle and his family. Supporters call it the “first real movement coin” on Solana.
To me? This looks more like self-serving fundraising than activism. You can’t call yourself “Anonymous” when your full name, face, and history are plastered all over. And using a token to bankroll your legal fight while branding it as a global hacktivist movement? That’s a stretch.
Craig Cobb’s Market Take
“Ethereum didn’t flinch, man. Bitcoin sneezed but alts held strong.”
Craig Cobb dropped by with his weekly trading outlook. His view: Bitcoin took a sharp 4% hit in a single 15-minute candle, but the bounce was quick and alts largely held their ground. Ethereum in particular showed resilience, barely moving during the sell-off.
Craig says he’s stalking long setups, not shorts — especially with rate cuts likely coming in September. His advice is to treat these dips as pullbacks, not breakdowns. As always, his links are in the show notes if you want his charts and trade setups.
Crypto Prices
As of 10:05 a.m. Portugal/London time (5:05 a.m. Eastern):
Bitcoin (BTC): $111,380 — down 3% (24h)
Ethereum (ETH): $4,590 — down 3.9% (24h), still up 8% (7d)
XRP: $2.94 — down 3% (24h)
BNB: $860 — down 1% (24h), up 3.4% (7d)
Solana (SOL): $199 — down 4.3% (24h)
Tron (TRX): $0.352 — down 3.6% (24h)
Dogecoin (DOGE): $0.22 — down 5% (24h)
Cardano (ADA): $0.87 — down 4% (24h)
Total Market Cap: $3.87 trillion (down 2.8%)
Bitcoin Market Cap: $2.2 trillion
Ethereum Market Cap: $552 billion
Summary
Today’s stories show the two sides of crypto: governments tightening their grip on privacy and speech while other governments consider Bitcoin as a reserve asset. Companies are aping in — some for survival, others for strategy — while meme coins continue to blur the line between activism and opportunism. Through it all, markets are pulling back, but Ethereum’s resilience suggests the bull cycle isn’t done yet.
Happy HODLing, Everyone.
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