The week ahead includes a dense run of crypto policy, exchange and project events. DeepSeek’s revised API pricing takes effect on Aug. 17 with peak and off-peak rates, while Coinbase is scheduled to carry out system maintenance, launch US500 perpetual-style index futures for U.S. users through Coinbase Derivatives, and end support for USDC deposits and withdrawals on Noble. Hashdex is also set to close and liquidate its Bitcoin ETF, and Binance will delist six tokens on the same day. Attention then shifts to regulation. South Korea will implement tighter rules for single-stock leveraged ETF and ETN products on Aug. 19, including stricter deviation-rate controls and an added simulated-trading requirement for first-time retail investors. Politico, citing three people familiar with the matter, reported that the White House may meet crypto and prediction-market executives on Aug. 19. On Aug. 20, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Innovation Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting, with crypto assets, artificial intelligence and prediction-market oversight on the agenda. The week also features several token unlocks, including LayerZero, KAITO, MBG and SOON, plus project updates from Solana, DGrid AI, SNS, Doodles, Step App and Manus. Binance will make additional network and compliance-related changes later in the week, including restrictions involving EXMO and other platforms.

Data from Token Unlocks shows that several crypto projects are set for sizable token unlocks next week, including LayerZero, KAITO, SOON and MBG By MultiBank Group. Among them, LayerZero’s ZRO has the largest unlock by value, with about 25.71 million tokens scheduled for release at 7:00 p.m. Beijing time on Aug. 20. The release equals roughly 4.40% of its circulating supply and is valued at about $19.9 million. KAITO is set to unlock about 32.6 million tokens an hour later, with the tranche equal to 7.63% of circulating supply and worth about $11.5 million. SOON and MBG are also on the calendar for next week, with unlock values estimated at about $3.9 million and $2.8 million, respectively. The figures were cited by PANews, citing Token Unlocks data.

Web3 asset data platform RootData shows that MultiBank (MBG) is scheduled to unlock about 25 million tokens at 8:00 a.m. Beijing time on Aug. 22. Based on the figures cited in the update, the unlocked allocation is valued at about $2.62 million. The brief was published by ChainCatcher and did not include additional details on the unlock structure, recipient categories, or vesting background. The report only cited RootData’s token unlock data for the timing and estimated value.

MultiBank Group and Khabib Nurmagomedov have announced a multi-billion-dollar joint venture aimed at building what they describe as the world’s first regulated tokenized sports ecosystem.

Bitcoin held near $66,000 after briefly rising above $66,900, but traders continued to focus on a heavy resistance zone between $67,000 and $68,000, including the weekly 200 EMA near $68,328. Analysts cited by the source said the area also lines up with the average cost basis of investors over the past five months and the failed rebound point seen in mid-June, making it a likely zone for sharp price reactions. If BTC clears $68,000, bulls may gain room to extend the move. If not, the market could retest support near $63,000. The report also pointed to softer participation across the crypto market. Vetle Lunde, head of research at K33 Research, said CME Bitcoin futures open interest has dropped to its lowest level since 2023, while spot trading activity remains weak, describing the move more as a low-liquidity summer rebound than the start of a broad bull run. On flows, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs posted a net inflow of $203 million for a sixth straight day, while spot Ethereum ETFs added $37.471 million for a third consecutive day. Outside crypto, U.S. equity index futures moved lower and names that surged the previous session in semiconductors and memory fell back in late trading. The broader report also tracked moves in AI infrastructure, energy markets, Treasury yields, crypto-related U.S. stocks, and Asian markets including South Korea and Japan.

Token Unlocks data shows a batch of sizable token unlocks scheduled for next week, led by LayerZero’s ZRO, KAITO and Humanity Protocol’s H. According to the data, LayerZero (ZRO) is set to unlock about 25.71 million tokens at 7:00 p.m. Beijing time on July 20, equal to roughly 4.6% of its circulating supply and worth about $20.9 million. KAITO will follow at 8:00 p.m. Beijing time the same day with about 17.6 million tokens, or 4.3% of circulating supply, valued at about $16 million. Humanity Protocol (H) is scheduled to unlock about 266 million tokens at 8:00 a.m. Beijing time on July 25, representing around 8.6% of circulating supply and worth about $15.5 million. The list also includes Plasma (XPL), SoSoValue (SOSO), aPriori (APR), SOON, MBG By Multibank Group (MBG), and Undeads Games (UDS), with unlock values ranging from about $2.4 million to $7.3 million.

RootData token unlock data shows that MultiBank (MBG) is scheduled to unlock about 25 million tokens at 8:00 a.m. Beijing time on July 22. Based on the figures cited in the update, the unlocked tokens are valued at about $3.26 million. The item was published by ChainCatcher as a 7x24 newsflash, with RootData named as the data source for the token unlock information. No additional details beyond the unlock amount, time, and estimated value were provided in the source text.

MultiBank Group, a global regulated financial institution, will launch its $MBG utility token on July 22, 2025. Backed by $275.9M net profit and a four-pillar ecosystem (FX, exchange, crypto platform, RWA tokenization), the token offers tiered loyalty, staking yields (up to 29% APY), and a deflationary burn mechanism targeting up to 50% supply reduction over four years.