Aug 01, 2025
Regulatory Wins Fuel Broad-Based Rally
Key takeaways for the month
Flagship indices posted double-digit increases: The CF Smart Contract Platforms Index surged 31.84 % MTD, leading gains, while Ultra Cap 5 and Diversified Large Cap advanced about 27 %. Even traditionally defensive gauges like the Free-Float Broad Cap added 17 %, confirming risk-on sentiment across market segments.
Pro-innovation policy fuels broad rally: The SEC’s green-light for in-kind ETF creations and new listing rules, together with the GENIUS Act’s stable-coin framework and a White House crypto roadmap, have fostered a friendlier regulatory climate, catalyzing renewed investor confidence and a broad upswing across major tokens.
Historic fund inflows signal deepening adoption: Digital-asset funds attracted $10.6 billion, an all-time monthly record. Bitcoin captured $5.3 billion, while Ethereum drew $4.9 billion.
Regulated Derivatives markets set new highs: CME Ether futures traded nearly $118 billion with open interest climbing to $5.21 billion, eclipsing prior peaks. Alt-coin contracts followed suit: Solana volume jumped to $8.1 billion with open interest above $400 million, and XRP futures hit $125 million in turnover, highlighting rising institutional market participation.
On-chain activity rebounded sharply: Total value locked in DeFi protocols rose 20.6 % to roughly $340 billion, fueled by borrowing-and-lending growth on Ethereum. Aggregate layer-1 fees across Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana climbed to $108.4 million, underscoring higher network usage and fee demand.
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