While most market participants were resting, significant events were unfolding behind the scenes. Quantum giant Jane Street officially confirmed holding over $1 billion in bitcoin ETFs, Farcaster protocol operator is seeking a new owner, and flagship DeFi protocol Compound is launching an ambitious $52 million program. Let's break down the details.
Market: bitcoin holds the line, altcoins in a sideways trend
As of the morning of August 18, bitcoin (BTC) is trading around $64,172, showing confident but restrained growth of 1.21% over the day. During the night hours on the 15-minute chart, prices consolidated in a narrow range of $63,950 – $64,460, indicating a temporary balance between buyers and sellers. Ether (ETH) remains in the shadows, showing near-zero momentum (-0.16%) and holding near the $1,894 mark, with a local dip to $1,885 and subsequent recovery.
In the top 10 by market cap, rare calm prevails. Bitcoin looks stronger than others, while XRP and Dogecoin (DOGE) are down 0.72% and 0.42%, respectively. Among the top 100 assets, Venice Token (VVV) stands out with an impressive gain of 10.21%. Polygon (POL) and Morpho (MORPHO) also added 5.52% and 3.44%. The day's laggard was Worldcoin (WLD), which plunged 11.69%. Filecoin (FIL) and OKB lost 6.70% and 5.83%, respectively.
Capital inflows into spot crypto ETFs continue. Bitcoin funds attracted $137.32 million, Ethereum products a modest $4.95 million, and Chainlink (LINK) $2.07 million. This points to sustained institutional appetite for digital assets despite volatility.
Over the past 24 hours, positions of 67,543 traders were liquidated for a total of $224.25 million. Interestingly, short positions accounted for $140.94 million, while longs lost only $83.32 million. The largest single liquidation order of $10.29 million was recorded on Hyperliquid for the BTC-USD pair.
Institutional footprint: Jane Street makes its bet
The key news of the past night is the disclosure of bitcoin ETF share holdings by Jane Street. As of June 30, the quantum giant holds fund shares worth over $1 billion. About $828 million is in BlackRock's IBIT, with the rest distributed across Fidelity (FBTC) and Grayscale (GBTC) products. This is not a direct purchase of bitcoin but access to the asset's price through regulated instruments, signaling market maturity and the acceptance of cryptocurrency by traditional capital.
Farcaster seeks a new owner
Neynar, less than seven months after acquiring the Farcaster protocol from Merkle Manufactory, has put it up for sale. The reason is simple — a sharp decline in revenue. Gross revenue collapsed from $35.43 million in the first quarter of 2026 to a paltry $377,000 for the period from July 1 to August 17. The new owner will receive, along with the protocol, the token launch platform Clanker and developer services. This is a clear example of how quickly conditions change in the web3 segment.
Compound: $52 million for an institutional future
The Compound protocol's DAO community has approved the largest budget in its history at $52 million. Executive Director Aaron Schnarch will lead a new team focused on developing products for institutions: support for real-world assets (RWA) and tools for embedding on-chain lending. Since its launch in 2018, the protocol has processed about $480 billion in deposits and loans, and now aims for a new phase of growth.
My view: Compound's decision is not just a budget spend but a strategic step toward legitimizing DeFi in the eyes of traditional financial institutions. At the same time, Farcaster's revenue decline is a warning sign for the entire social protocol sector. The market is getting tougher, and only those offering real value, not hype, will survive.