Crypto projects set a record with $638 million in token buybacks this year.

According to ChainCatcher, citing the Financial Times, data from blockchain analytics firm Allium Labs shows that crypto projects have spent nearly $640 million on token buybacks year-to-date, totaling $638 million. This figure exceeds the $545 million recorded during the same period last year, while the full-year total for 2024 stood at only $366,000. Perpetual futures exchange Hyperliquid and meme coin launchpad pump.fun together accounted for nearly 90% of the total buyback volume. Allium Labs’ Head of Research

ChainCatcherSep 8 09:18

Express News | Cryptocurrency trading volume in the Middle East and North Africa reached $350 billion, a threefold increase from 2022.

On September 8, the latest report from the Bitcoin Policy Institute showed that annual blockchain transaction volume in the Middle East and North Africa region is projected to reach $350 billion in 2025–2026, driven by tensions involving Iran. This figure is more than triple the approximately $100 billion recorded in 2022. The report notes that while regional conflicts typically accelerate capital flight, the dynamics surrounding Iran are distinct: an increasing share of capital is shifting toward digital assets, underscoring the growing role of cryptocurrencies—particularly Bitcoin—as a hedge against economic and geopolitical uncertainty. According to the report, Bitcoin initially declined in tandem with other risk assets following the outbreak of conflict. However, investors subsequently rotated from higher-risk cryptocurrencies into Bitcoin, pushing its market dominance to a one-month high of 64.8%. In countries such as Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iran, where currency depreciation has been significant, residents are increasingly using Bitcoin and USD-pegged stablecoins to preserve value. Meanwhile, Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are attracting crypto firms and institutional investors by establishing regulatory frameworks. Data from Chainalysis further reveals that approximately $10.3 million flowed out of Iranian crypto exchanges between February 28 and March 2 this year, following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. The report concludes that in nations facing sanctions, conflict, or monetary instability, cryptocurrencies have become tools for preserving and transferring value outside the traditional financial system, while regulated Gulf markets continue to attract institutional capital.

BreakingsSep 8 06:13

Express News | Banco do Brasil Expands Crypto Services as Regulatory Framework Takes Shape

On September 8, Brazilian banks were expanding their crypto-asset services for clients. According to a report by Folha de S.Paulo, Itaú, Brazil’s largest asset management bank, now offers 15 crypto-assets—including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the US dollar stablecoin USDC—through its investment app. Nubank, Brazil’s largest fintech company, lists 28 crypto-assets. Banco do Brasil, the country’s most profitable state-owned bank, has recorded transaction volumes exceeding 11 million reais (approximately $2.1 million) since launching direct purchase services for Bitcoin and Ethereum in January of this year. However, customer crypto transactions are not reflected on the banks’ balance sheets. A March 2026 document from the Central Bank shows that Brazilian banks hold zero virtual assets on their books. Over the past year, Itaú, Bradesco, Santander, Banco do Brasil, and Nubank have all expanded their crypto product lines, coinciding with record growth in the size of Brazil’s crypto market. According to data from the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal), Brazilians transferred 505.5 billion reais (approximately $98.7 billion) via cryptocurrencies in 2025, more than five times the 2020 level, with corporate transactions accounting for 98.3% of the total. This move by banks aligns with the implementation of new regulations. Brazil enacted the Legal Framework for Virtual Assets in 2022, granting regulatory authority over the sector to the Central Bank. Three resolutions issued in November 2025 require any institution allowing customers to trade, hold, or send cryptocurrencies to obtain a license, meet minimum capital requirements, and segregate customer accounts. The compliance deadline is October 30, 2026.

BreakingsSep 8 04:39

Deconstructing Hunter Biden’s $LAPTOP Token Launch: On-Chain Political Revenge Against Trump and Liquidity Extraction

For on-chain traders, political maneuvering is merely a facade; the real battle lies in the high-stakes gameplay. Author: Gemini, Shenchao TechFlow. On September 7, 2026, Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. President Joe Biden, posted a video on X confirming that his personal meme coin, $LAPTOP, would officially launch on the Base chain on September 9. If you dismiss this as yet another tedious celebrity token issuance, you are severely underestimating the mischievous intent behind it. According to the currently disclosed tokenomics, this is not just a rehash of the past "laptop scandal"

Shenchao TechFlowSep 8 01:12

Analysis: Bitcoin’s hard-asset characteristics may surpass those of gold, offering greater “immunity” to bond market volatility

PANews, September 8 – According to CoinDesk, gold and Bitcoin have recently strengthened in tandem as market concerns over the fiscal health of developed economies intensify. To date, the 90-day correlation coefficient between the daily returns of BTC and gold has risen to 0.59, the highest level since 2020. However, compared with gold, Bitcoin appears more “immune” to volatility in the bond market. Data show that the 90-day correlation coefficient between BTC and the yield on US 10-year Treasury notes is only -0.17, suggesting that the negative impact of rising US Treasury yields on Bitcoin is relatively limited; during the same period, gold and the 10-year US Treasury

PANewsSep 8 00:13

Express News | Son of former U.S. President Biden plans to launch meme coin LAPTOP

According to The Wall Street Journal, Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. President Joe Biden, will launch a meme coin named LAPTOP, referencing the laptop controversy. It is scheduled to go live on Coinbase’s Base network on September 9. The project’s founding team, including Hunter Biden, will hold 30% of the total token supply (1 billion tokens), which will be locked for six months and fully unlocked over two years. An additional 20% of the tokens will be airdropped in two batches to users who previously incurred losses on the Trump meme coin TRUMP, Hunter Biden’s Substack subscribers and their friends, and users on the mailing list maintained by video journalist Andrew Callaghan. The remaining 20% will be allocated for charitable donations, liquidity provision, distribution to exchange partners and market makers, and covering the accounting, legal, administrative, and compliance costs of the token foundation. Reportedly, the founding team has also established a burn mechanism tied to 30 predefined events. If these events achieve predetermined outcomes within specified timeframes (such as the Democratic Party winning the 2028 presidential election, Bitcoin reaching a new all-time high, or LAPTOP’s fully diluted valuation surpassing that of TRUMP), up to 30% of the token supply may be burned; if not achieved, the tokens will be donated to charity proportionally. The report notes that Hunter Biden has recently frequently appeared on podcasts and news programs and written Substack articles discussing his views on cryptocurrency, including commenting on the dispute between the Trump family’s crypto project World Liberty Financial and Justin Sun.

BreakingsSep 7 22:56