Market attention on Aug. 21 centered on active token trading, a reported Anthropic IPO plan, prediction market regulation, and fresh AI infrastructure investment.
Most-traded CEX tokens and 24-hour moves
Among the top 10 tokens by CEX trading volume, BNB rose 4.36%, BTC gained 7.78%, ETH climbed 18.13%, and SOL added 11.16% over the past 24 hours. Tokens in the red included ACE, down 15.71%; ALLO, down 3.74%; TUT, down 19.66%; and ALPINE, down 11.29%. EURI rose 0.87% and DOGE gained 7.10%.
Top 24-hour gainers
According to OKX data, the top gainers over 24 hours were BOME at 35.97%, PEOPLE at 29.45%, ACE at 28.47%, ENA at 27.82%, ONT at 25.80%, NEIRO at 24.78%, SNT at 23.65%, PUMP at 22.68%, MON at 18.26%, and GAS at 15.96%.
Top-performing crypto-related equities
Data from msx.com showed BTCT.M up 60.15%, MSTX.M up 18.17%, CONL.M up 15.91%, MARA.M up 14.92%, AIFC.M up 14.48%, BTBT.M up 14.29%, TRON.M up 14.20%, CAN.M up 13.99%, LITX.M up 12.06%, and XXI.M up 11.53%.
Top on-chain meme tokens
GMGN data listed Slug, SuperCat, LONGBOI, Jodie, and catalyst as the top five on-chain meme tokens.
Headline developments
Anthropic said to be preparing an IPO that could match or exceed SpaceX
Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Anthropic expects its IPO to match or surpass the record level associated with SpaceX. The comparison referenced SpaceX's $75 billion initial fundraising total and $86.2 billion including the overallotment option.
The report said Anthropic could publicly file for the offering as soon as the end of August. The company raised $6.5 billion in May at a $96.5 billion valuation and had reached a $6.5 billion revenue run rate by the end of July. Bloomberg said Anthropic is working with Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan on the IPO and is considering a super-voting share structure that would give CEO Dario Amodei greater control.
HYPE briefly tops $73.4
OKX market data showed HYPE briefly moved above $73.4, with a 24-hour gain of 26%.
ICE weighs additional investment in Polymarket
Bloomberg reported that Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, is considering taking part in Polymarket's new funding round. ICE CEO Jeff Sprecher said the company would stay open to participating if doing so could help complete the round. The report added that ICE has already made a large investment in Polymarket, and another investment could deepen the connection between prediction markets and mainstream finance.
Industry updates
Samsung may unveil a shareholder return plan worth as much as $79 billion
According to Jinshi, citing people familiar with the matter, Samsung Electronics is set to announce a new shareholder return plan that could total 90 trillion won to 110 trillion won, or about $79 billion. Its board is scheduled to meet after the South Korean market close and release details afterward.
CME and Kalshi executives clash over prediction market oversight
Decrypt reported that CME Group Chairman Terry Duffy and Kalshi co-founder Luana Lopes Lara sparred at a CFTC roundtable over standards for reviewing prediction market regulation. Duffy argued the contracts could be manipulated, while Lopes Lara responded that traditional markets also face the same risk.
The exchange came as U.S. federal regulators and state authorities remain at odds over who has jurisdiction over prediction markets. Earlier, a Washington state judge ordered Kalshi to stop offering the contracts, while the CFTC asked that trading continue.
Fed's Musalem says he recommended a rate hike in July
According to Jinshi, Federal Reserve official Musalem said he had recommended a rate increase in July. He declined to give a clear view on the September Federal Open Market Committee meeting, said he wants inflation to return to 2% within 18 months, and added that core inflation should be watched during supply shocks. He also said the labor market is not currently creating inflation pressure.
U.S. military may have opened a secret shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz
CCTV International News said two U.S. officials stated that the U.S. military had quietly established a shipping channel in and out of the Strait of Hormuz to ensure that "millions of barrels" of oil leave the area each day. Iran had not responded at the time of the report.
U.S. Treasury bars ESG funds from "Trump Accounts"
Fox News reported that the U.S. Treasury has barred ESG funds from inclusion in "Trump Accounts." The rule sits alongside other measures intended to keep investment options in those accounts low-cost so investors can retain more of their money.
Micron plans to invest more than $250 billion in the U.S.
According to Jinshi, Micron Technology said it plans to invest more than $250 billion in the United States, create more than 90,000 jobs, and launch Micron Research Labs. The company also plans to invest $10 billion over the next decade in memory technology and artificial intelligence research and development.
SEC proposes two fundraising exemption tiers for crypto projects
Data showed that among 3,244 crypto projects that could be counted, 1,617 had raised no more than $5 million in total, representing 49.8% of the total. The median amount raised was $2.5 million.
On Aug. 18, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed Regulation Crypto Assets, which would create two issuance exemption tracks: a cumulative cap of $5 million over four years, or up to $75 million every 12 months with ongoing reporting requirements. The proposal is now in a 60-day public comment period.
Odds of the Clarity Act passing this year edge up to 22%
Trump urged Congress at a White House meeting with crypto industry and financial institution executives to pass what he called a "fair version" of the Clarity Act. Prediction market data showed the probability of the bill passing this year rising from 18% to 22%, though the market still does not view passage as likely.
Projects and funding
Riot Platforms signs AI data center leasing agreements worth $9.8 billion
Pulse2 reported that Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms signed AI data center leasing agreements with two large technology clients covering 241 MW of capacity, with about $9.8 billion in expected long-term contract revenue.
The largest of the agreements covers a 191 MW custom data center at the company's Rockdale site in Texas. The initial term runs for 20 years through 2048 and is expected to generate about $9.1 billion in revenue. If renewal options are exercised, the total value could reach about $16.1 billion.
Callosum raises $100 million
Bloomberg reported that multi-chip AI compute orchestration platform Callosum raised $100 million in a round led by Atomico, with participation from Plural and the U.K. sovereign AI fund.
The company said the money will be used to build an "intelligent orchestration layer" linking AI applications with underlying compute resources by breaking down AI workloads and automatically matching them with the most suitable models and chips to cut costs and improve performance.
People and views
CZ says a compliant U.S. entry by Hyperliquid would help the wider industry
CZ said that if the Trump administration pushes Hyperliquid into the U.S. market in a "fully compliant and legal manner," the significance would go beyond Hyperliquid itself. He said many perpetual futures DEXs and decentralized services could later open to U.S. users, and that policy would not be limited to a single company. In his view, a policy that benefits one project would also benefit other participants across the industry.