The past week has seen a flurry of activity in the crypto space, with developments ranging from meme coin surges to the expansion of digital asset treasuries, and the increasing importance of on-chain analytics in fighting financial crime.
The Solana meme coin, PWEASE, experienced a significant value increase following a social media post by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. This event underscores the influence of social media on the value of meme coins and the potential volatility they can experience. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of understanding the dynamics of meme coin markets, particularly for those in regulatory and compliance roles.
In other Solana news, DeFi Development Corp., a Solana treasury firm, has increased its share repurchase program from $1 million to $100 million, leading to a surge in its stock price. This move highlights the strategic use of buybacks as a tool for growth and the potential for treasury firms to leverage their holdings to boost their market value.
Meanwhile, the role of on-chain analytics in identifying and tracking criminal activity in the crypto space is becoming increasingly crucial. As the crypto market evolves and criminal tactics become more sophisticated, traditional law enforcement methods struggle to keep pace. The use of artificial intelligence in crypto analytics is emerging as a vital tool in the ongoing struggle against financial crime.
Finally, the establishment of Australia's first Solana-based digital asset treasury by Fitell Corporation signals a new era in corporate treasuries. By reinvesting yield and operating within a structured DeFi framework, companies like Fitell are blending traditional business models with on-chain yield strategies. This trend could have significant implications for fund structuring and institutional investment in the crypto space.
As always, it's essential for legal and financial professionals to stay informed about these developments and consider their potential impact on regulatory, compliance, and strategic decisions.
The following article summaries have been sourced from Decrypt, CryptoSlate, NewsBTC, and Crypto Briefing. Each summary includes a direct link to the original source.
The Solana meme coin, PWEASE, saw a significant surge in value, increasing by 65% within an hour, following a social media post by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. The meme coin was created in response to a public disagreement between Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where Vance insisted Zelenskyy express gratitude for America's support in the conflict with Russia. The meme, which depicts Vance in a comical light, quickly spread across the internet, leading to the creation of the PWEASE coin. However, the token's value has since declined by 24%, resulting in a market capitalization of $4.65 million at the time of writing.
The PWEASE meme coin initially reached a peak market cap of $54 million in early March, but it fell 92% to a $4 million market cap as the meme lost its popularity among traders. The token's value was revived when Vance reposted the meme on social media, responding to political commentator Joy Reid's suggestion that the VP might have benefited from diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives when he was admitted to Yale University. Interestingly, a Norwegian tourist claimed in June that he was denied entry into the U.S. for having the meme on his phone, a claim that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security refuted, attributing his denial of entry to previous drug use. Meanwhile, President Trump’s official meme coin has seen a 9% decrease over the past week and is down nearly 90% from its peak in January.
DeFi Development Corp. (DFDV), a Solana treasury firm, has increased its share repurchase program from $1 million to $100 million, leading to a surge in its stock price. The firm's shares rose as much as 6% before retracing, and are now trading at $15.73, marking a 4% increase on the day. Despite a 12% drop in the last week, the company's stock has risen over 2,100% year-to-date. The firm's COO and CIO, Parker White, stated that buybacks are a tool to grow Solana-per-share (SPS) long-term, and the firm will be regularly evaluating the usage of buybacks against other opportunities to grow SPS.
The firm currently holds around $452 million worth of Solana in its treasury, but trades at a $395 million market cap at its current trading price, giving it an mNAV—or a ratio of market cap to crypto holdings—below 1. This situation has led to the firm's decision to increase its repurchase program. The firm, which changed its name from Janover to DeFi Development Corporation in April to reflect its commitment to digital assets, has been further integrating itself within the Solana ecosystem. It now holds 2,095,748 SOL on its balance sheet, making it the second-largest publicly traded Solana treasury firm globally.
In a recent interview with Decrypt, Matt Price, the Director of Investigations and Strategic Advisory at Elliptic, discussed the role of on-chain analytics in identifying and tracking criminal activity in the crypto space. Price highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in crypto analytics, describing the ongoing struggle between law enforcement and criminals as an "evolving game of cat and mouse on-chain."
Price also shed light on the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in dealing with sophisticated financial crimes involving cryptocurrencies. He emphasized that the rapidly evolving nature of the crypto market and the increasing sophistication of criminal tactics make it difficult for traditional law enforcement methods to keep pace. The interview underscores the critical role of on-chain analytics and AI in modern financial crime investigations.
Creditors of the defunct crypto exchange FTX are once again being targeted by fraudsters, this time through a fake airdrop scheme. Sunil Kavuri, an advocate for FTX creditors, warned on September 24 that phishing emails are being sent to community members, exploiting information stolen in the Kroll data breach. The phishing emails claim that FTX creditors are eligible for an "ASTER" token distribution and direct them to a fraudulent claims portal. Kavuri urged creditors to verify announcements only through trusted Telegram and X channels. This latest scam follows a series of phishing attacks that have been plaguing FTX creditors since the exchange's collapse.
In related news, the X account of FTX's disgraced founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, has been reactivated. On September 24, a post was made from the account, leading to speculation that Bankman-Fried was communicating from prison. However, a subsequent post clarified that a friend now controls the account and is posting on Bankman-Fried's behalf. The account now lists a mailing address for prisoner correspondence, tagged with the phrase 'monitored,' suggesting that all letters will be read by authorities before Bankman-Fried sees them. Bankman-Fried, who was convicted for orchestrating one of the largest frauds in crypto history, is serving a 25-year sentence in a federal prison and is currently appealing his sentence.
Coinbase and Cloudflare have partnered to establish the x402 Foundation, an industry group dedicated to developing an open standard for machine-to-machine payments. The initiative, announced on September 23, is designed to provide AI systems and digital agents with a streamlined method to transact value directly across the internet. Cloudflare, which powers nearly 20% of all websites, indicated that the new framework will integrate payments into web interactions in a similar manner to how error codes, such as "404 Not Found," shape browsing behavior.
The x402 Foundation's primary focus will be on governance and interoperability to foster adoption across various industries. Coinbase stated that developers would be provided with grants, tools, and resources to experiment with applications like pay-per-use AI models, creator micropayments, or on-demand identity services. For the standard to become widely accepted, Coinbase stressed the importance of it remaining neutral and open. This approach, it argued, will ensure x402's portability across platforms, jurisdictions, and economic sectors, thereby preventing fragmentation as machine commerce grows. Cloudflare is also testing a deferred-payments option within its pay-per-crawl beta, which would allow websites to charge AI agents that scrape their pages, transforming automated data access into a revenue source without relying on ad models or subscription fees.
The Bitcoin derivatives market has remained steady despite a week of falling Bitcoin prices, according to a report by CryptoSlate. There was no significant leverage reduction, which typically indicates market stress. Instead, the market appeared to be repricing and hedging rather than deleveraging. Despite a $3,910 pullback in Bitcoin spot prices from $116,403 on September 18 to $112,493 on September 24, futures positioning held its ground. Open interest in Bitcoin contracts rose from 720,810 BTC to 724,990 BTC, a gain of 0.58%.
The report also noted that options interest grew for two consecutive days during the price decline. Options open interest fell into September 22 at 495,960 BTC, then reversed with two sharp increases: +13,870 BTC on September 23 and +9,810 BTC on September 24. By the end of the week, total options open interest stood at 519,640 BTC, up 1.97% from September 18. This suggests that the market is hedging rather than speculating. The report also noted that the market is positioned to absorb the next directional push, whether the price stabilizes or weakens further. A move above the mid $113,000s would quickly expand notional and lighten hedge drag, while a dip lower would likely see options continue to build.
In conclusion, the Bitcoin market enters the next stretch hedged rather than fragile. The week closes with Bitcoin positioned defensively but orderly. Spot sits near $112,500, futures units are stable, and options hedges cushion the downside. The absence of panic suggests that the market is prepared to respond cleanly rather than forcefully to future price movements.
Fitell Corporation, an Australian fitness company, has announced the establishment of Australia's first Solana-based digital asset treasury. To facilitate this, Fitell has secured up to $100M through a convertible financing facility, with an immediate commitment of $10M to acquire $SOL tokens. The company's new treasury aligns with the rapidly evolving digital asset treasury (DAT) approach, which is designed to be an active, yield-oriented engine rather than a passive token holding. Fitell plans to deploy its $SOL holdings across a diversified portfolio of DeFi and derivatives strategies, with any returns being reinvested into the treasury to compound the firm's $SOL exposure over time.
Fitell is also planning to rename itself 'Solana Australia Corporation', indicating its transformation from a fitness retailer to a digital asset treasury company. The company aims to dual list on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), thereby providing regional investors with direct access to its Solana exposure. Despite the risks associated with shifting from its core fitness business into crypto, Fitell believes that its strategy of reinvesting yield and operating within a structured DeFi framework will outperform passive staking. The company's move reflects the increasing adoption of DAT strategies in the crypto space.
In the Solana ecosystem, altcoins like Snorter Token ($SNORT) are gaining attention. Snorter Bot, powered by $SNORT, is designed to identify low-cap coins on Telegram. The $SNORT presale recently surpassed $4M as investors recognize the potential of Snorter Bot. With Solana Australia Corporation expanding its $SOL holdings, the strength of the broader ecosystem seems firmly established for the near future. This could signal a new era in corporate treasuries, blending traditional businesses with on-chain yield strategies.
Despite Bitcoin's recent price crash to $112,000, crypto analyst Stockmoney has reassured investors that the cryptocurrency's rally is far from over. Stockmoney explains that the crash is part of a broader upward movement. He describes the Bitcoin cycle as a series of mass liquidation events, which are part of the plan and should not surprise market participants. According to Stockmoney, the Bitcoin price rises as whales take profits, then further increases on low volume as retail investors seek to secure their gains. This results in numerous positions with paper gains and open futures positions, which equals a lack of liquidity, particularly after low-volume uptrends.
Bitcoin's price crashed to around $112,000 this week, down from a high of approximately $117,000 last week, following the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates by 25 basis points. This price drop has been seen as a 'sell the news' event. The crypto market liquidations on September 22 marked the largest liquidation event for long positions this year. Stockmoney asserts that liquidity must be freed before Bitcoin's price can rise further. He adds that this cycle is a recurring pattern and that it is a profitable business model for market makers as limits get filled when whales buy the dips.
Crypto analyst Ali Martinez has encouraged market participants to buy the dip, following his earlier analysis that Bitcoin had retraced to $112,000 as expected. He is now watching for buying pressure to form the right shoulder before a breakout to $130,000, which would mark a new all-time high for Bitcoin. Meanwhile, Titan of Crypto, another analyst, has noted that Bitcoin is currently retesting the Kijun around $112,600, a crucial level to monitor as it could determine the cryptocurrency's next move. He also suggested that this could be the final shakeoff before a liftoff to a new all-time high for Bitcoin. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at around $112,600.
Aster, a decentralized perpetual exchange, has hit a new all-time high of $2.34, marking a surge of over 6,000% since its launch on September 17. This impressive rally has garnered the attention of traders and investors globally, highlighting the growing momentum behind the token. The rise of Aster is not merely speculative; it is backed by Yzi Labs (formerly Binance Labs) and has received public endorsement from former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao. This combination of institutional support and high-profile advocacy has accelerated adoption and boosted confidence in Aster's potential to challenge established platforms.
Despite its sharp gains, Aster's price action reflects the volatility typical of newly launched tokens. Investors are closely monitoring whether it can sustain its momentum and establish a stable range. The market is divided on whether this breakout signals the start of a long-term trend or a short-lived speculative frenzy. Regardless, Aster has positioned itself as one of the most closely watched tokens currently. Top analyst Big Cheds recently shared a technical perspective on Aster, highlighting a shift in market structure. He pointed out a hammer candle earlier this week, a classic reversal signal suggesting a potential bottom. Since then, Aster has surged more than 70% and hit a new all-time high, confirming the strength of buying momentum behind the token.
Aster continues to show impressive strength as it consolidates near its new all-time highs. The hourly chart highlights a steady bullish structure, with the price currently trading around $2.27. Importantly, Aster has maintained its position well above the 50 EMA ($1.85), signaling ongoing buyer dominance and strong support from trend-following participants. After the initial surge and short-term retracement earlier this week, Aster established higher lows, showing that demand quickly absorbed selling pressure. The recent push above $2.20 confirms follow-through buying, reflecting renewed confidence and momentum in the market. This pattern suggests that traders are actively accumulating at pullbacks, reinforcing the bullish outlook.
Bitcoin's recent fall below the 0.95 Cost Basis Quantile, a level often associated with profit-taking activity, could potentially increase the downside risk for the cryptocurrency, according to data from blockchain analytics firm Glassnode. This development could lead Bitcoin to test lower support levels between $105,000 and $90,000 if it fails to reclaim this threshold.
The Cost Basis Quantile is a crucial metric for assessing market risk levels and potential price action zones for Bitcoin. If Bitcoin successfully moves back above the 0.95 Cost Basis Quantile, it would suggest a resurgence of market strength. The cryptocurrency's movement in relation to this quantile will be a key factor to watch for investors and traders alike.
Tuttle Capital has launched the IBIT 0DTE Covered Call ETF (BITK), marking the first zero-days-to-expiration covered call strategy on BlackRock’s Bitcoin Trust. The ETF, which began trading today, is a daily-reset options product designed to capture premiums on IBIT while mitigating the risk of overnight volatility. This innovative offering comes in the wake of IBIT’s options trading debut in late 2024, which saw an impressive $1.9 billion in volumes on its first day.
BITK allows traders to generate daily income from Bitcoin options premiums, reflecting the increasing integration of Bitcoin derivatives into traditional ETF strategies. This development underscores the growing acceptance and incorporation of cryptocurrency into mainstream financial products and strategies, further bridging the gap between traditional finance and the digital asset space.
Litecoin (LTC) has become one of the most actively traded crypto assets on multi-asset Forex platforms, with an average 24-hour exchange volume of around 5,000 LTC, or approximately US $558 million a day. However, this popularity has also made it attractive to hackers and scammers. Over US2.17 billion in crypto has been stolen in 2025 through July, surpassing 2024’s full-year total. For those planning to trade LTC pairs against the dollar, euro, or yen on Forex platforms, it is crucial to prioritize security as seriously as any trading strategy.
When choosing a Forex broker that lists LTC pairs, it is essential to prioritize security and transparency over convenience. A good broker should hold a Tier-1 regulatory license, offer segregated crypto custodial accounts so your LTC is never mixed with operating funds, and publish third-party security audits. If a platform cannot prove cold-storage coverage for at least 95% of client crypto, it is advisable to look elsewhere. Furthermore, it is crucial to protect both sides of the trade: the wallet and the brokerage. Wallet-level hardening involves keeping your personal wallet under dual control, storing half of your recovery phrase offline and the other half in an encrypted digital vault.
In addition to these measures, it is recommended to enable IP whitelisting, opt for session-expiration timers, and build a multi-layer authentication stack. This includes using an authenticator app for time-based codes and adding a FIDO2 security key. It is also advisable to configure your account so that order placements above a certain value require an additional biometric check. Maintaining network hygiene is also essential, which involves using a reputable, no-logs VPN, keeping endpoints patched, confirming address intents, and testing withdrawals. Security must be viewed as an ongoing discipline, involving regulated platforms, hardened wallets, layered authentication, and tested human procedures.
