While most market participants were resting, several landmark events occurred in the crypto industry. Regulators continue to tighten the screws, while institutional players, on the contrary, are increasing their appetite for risk. I break down the key changes that will set the tone for the coming days.
Bitcoin and Ether: Moderate Growth Amid Positive ETF Flows
On the morning of September 1, bitcoin (BTC) was trading near the $79,151 mark, up 1.53% over the day. The daily trading range was $77,700 – $79,200, indicating consolidation after recent volatility. Ether (ETH) also rose 1.91% to $2,482, with its quotes moving in a narrow corridor of $2,432 – $2,487.
Overall, the market showed positive dynamics. Among the growth leaders were Uniswap (UNI) with a gain of 7.24%, Canton (CC) — 4.51%, and Zcash (ZEC) — 4.45%. Arbitrum (ARB) showed a particularly impressive result, surging 28.88% over the day. Curve DAO Token (CRV) and Dash (DASH) also posted double-digit gains of 17.61% and 11.40%, respectively. Only a few assets were in the red, including TRON (TRX) with a loss of 1.44%.
The market was also supported by spot exchange-traded funds. Inflows into bitcoin ETFs amounted to $216.70 million, and into ether products — $87.68 million. Funds for XRP ($5.64 million), Solana ($925 thousand), and Hedera ($399 thousand) also received small but telling inflows. The fear and greed index rose to 69 points, remaining in the "greed" zone. For comparison: a month ago, this indicator was at 27 points, indicating a dramatic shift in sentiment.
Over the past day, positions of 57,237 traders were liquidated for a total of $146.24 million. Notably, the main blow fell on short positions — $102.63 million versus $43.61 million for longs, confirming the market's recovery after the overnight decline.
Singapore Introduces Separate License for Stablecoin Issuers
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has proposed legislative amendments introducing a separate license for issuing stablecoins. Only holders of such a license will be able to call their tokens stablecoins under MAS regulation. Issuers will be required to hold reserves of at least 100% of the issuance volume, comply with redemption timelines, and not pay interest to holders for storing tokens.
The regulator also intends to require companies to conduct quarterly stress tests and track, freeze, and burn tokens associated with illegal activity. Systemically significant stablecoins that fail to meet requirements risk facing restrictions up to delisting on licensed platforms. This is a serious step toward market consolidation that could push out small and unscrupulous issuers.
Kalshi Permanently Blocks Former Congressman for Manipulation
Prediction market platform Kalshi has made an unprecedented decision — it permanently blocked former U.S. Congressman George Santos and fined him more than $70,000. This is the first lifetime trading ban in the platform's history.
According to Kalshi, Santos opened large positions in a market betting on his presence at President Donald Trump's address to Congress, then publicly misled people about his plans to influence the price of contracts. He earned about $18,000 betting on his own absence. He received the lifetime ban due to refusing to cooperate with the investigation — in four other recent cases, traders cooperated and got off with temporary restrictions.
1789 Capital Increases Investments in Polymarket to $500 Million
The fund 1789 Capital, whose partner is Donald Trump Jr., will invest another approximately $300 million in Polymarket. This adds to the already invested $200 million, making the fund one of the platform's largest investors. The funding round is estimated at about $1 billion, and the platform itself at $21 billion. The main shareholder remains exchange operator Intercontinental Exchange, whose stake of $1.6 billion corresponds to approximately 22% of the company's shares.
My comment: Regulatory activity in Singapore is a signal for the entire market: stablecoins are moving from the "gray zone" into a fully regulated asset class. This will increase institutional confidence but simultaneously intensify pressure on issuers with insufficient reserves. At the same time, aggressive investments in Polymarket by politically connected structures raise questions about the independence of prediction markets — this deserves particularly close attention.