Jul 31, 2026 · 4 min listen · Last updated July 31, 2026
From storyflo. This is your daily audio brief. It's Dex, July 31st. On-chain and off — the five stories setting today's crypto agenda. Let's get into it. First, from Cryptobriefing. BlackRock clients purchase $183M in Bitcoin as institutional appetite keeps growing.
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Daily Crypto Brief · July 31st
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BlackRock clients purchase $183M in Bitcoin as institutional appetite keeps growing
Institutional dominance in Bitcoin ETFs raises market concentration risks, potentially amplifying volatility if BlackRock alters its strategy.
The post BlackRock clients purchase $183M in Bitcoin as institutional appetite keeps growing appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Bitcoin Wallets at Risk After Critical Coldcard Security Bugs Get Exposed
Bitcoin self-custody users are being urged to move their funds after Block disclosed two critical vulnerabilities in multiple generations of Coldcard hardware wallets.
Block's engineering and security teams started getting reports of Bitcoin being remotely stolen from non-Bitkey wallets and began an investigation.
It turned out that Coldcard Mk2, Mk3, Mk4, Q, and Mk5 devices have security flaws.
ETH/BTC Ratio Hits 3-Month High: But Don’t Count on Altcoin Season Yet
0.030 – that’s the ETH/BTC ratio this week, the highest it’s been in three months. Bitcoin’s dominance hovers around 58.7% while Ethereum’s share nudged up to 10.5%, leaving the broader altcoin slice near 30.8%.
The squeeze on smaller tokens isn’t new; it’s been a 15‑month stretch of sell pressure. Whales are still loading ETH, and institutional players like BitMine and Arthur Hayes have kept adding to their positions, even as spot ETH ETFs see fresh inflows and Bitcoin funds see redemptions.
The ratio is up about 10.5% month‑to‑month but still down roughly 5% over six months and 12.6% year‑to‑date, so the next move will tell whether this is a genuine shift or a brief bounce.
For listeners who want low‑fee crypto exposure, our markets partner Kraken supports ETH — link in show notes.
Bitcoin ETFs just broke a brutal $500M losing streak, but the entire recovery is an illusion propped up by BlackRock
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs snapped a four-session losing streak on July 29 and finished the day with $32.1 million in net inflows.
However, one fund did all the lifting. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, or IBIT, pulled in $89.8 million, enough to cover the $43.1 million that left Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund, or FBTC, and the $14.6 million that exited the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF, or ARKB.
July 29 U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF net flows ($ millions)
IBIT’s inflow exceeded the complex’s net result by exactly $57.7 million because the Fidelity and ARK outflows reduced BlackRock’s contribution.
Upbit lists CFX trading pairs against KRW, BTC, and USDT on July 31
Three new CFX pairs—KRW, BTC, and USDT—went live on Upbit today. The exchange’s depth should tighten spreads and give Korean traders a direct on‑ramp, which could smooth out the price swings we’ve been seeing on smaller venues. With Conflux still navigating Chinese regulatory headwinds, this listing adds a layer of institutional credibility and may pull some capital back into the ecosystem.
From a positioning standpoint, the extra liquidity is a quiet catalyst; it’s not a headline‑grabbing breakout, but it does make the market a bit more resilient. Keep an eye on order‑book depth and any shifts in volume as the pairs settle.
For listeners who want low‑fee crypto exposure, our markets partner Kraken supports CFX — link in show notes.
Crypto’s next altseason may have fewer winners: Wintermute
So, Wintermute just dropped its OTC flow report for the first half of 2026, and it's saying that institutional investors are really starting to concentrate their activity in a much narrower group of digital assets. We're talking 72% of spot flow coming from institutions, which is the highest share on record. That's up from 61% in the second half of last year and 59% in the first half of 2025.
What's interesting is that this concentration of institutional activity is happening in fewer tokens, and it's also fading faster after price surges. So, if we see an altcoin rally in the future, it might not be as broad as we're used to. Instead, it could be a more selective move, with only a few tokens really benefiting.
To put some numbers on this, between the first half of 2024 and the first half of 2026, the number of unique tokens traded by institutional counterparties grew by just 24%. That's compared to 76% growth among retail clients. And when it comes to how long institutional activity sticks around after a price surge, it's fading after about one day. Retail activity, on the other hand, stays elevated for about three days.
This is all part of a bigger trend where capital is clustering around a smaller group of altcoins. We've seen this in other data, like the fact that the 10 largest non-stablecoin altcoins account for about 80.5% of the non-Bitcoin, non-stablecoin market's capitalization. And it's not just Wintermute's data that's showing this – other firms like CryptoQuant and Kaiko are seeing similar concentrations in exchange trading and trading volume.
For listeners who want low-fee crypto exposure, our markets partner Kraken supports Bitcoin — link in show notes.
Coldcard issues Mk3 warning as experts examine $38M Bitcoin wallet drain
Coinkite urged Coldcard Mk3 users to migrate funds after identifying a potential seed-generation risk, as Bitcoin security experts separately examine an unexplained $38 million wallet drain.
Canadian Bitcoin hardware maker Coinkite has warned users of its Coldcard Mk3 signing device to move funds from wallets whose seed phrases were generated on affected firmware.
On Thursday, Coinkite said seeds created on an Mk3 running firmware version 4.0.1, released in March 2021, or any later Mk3 version may put funds at risk.
Can XRP Overcome Pressure? Zcash (ZEC) Might Bounce to $500, Did Hyperliquid (HYPE) Lose Its Importance? Crypto Market Review
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions.
On the markets — Kalshi traders have been actively repricing this story in the last day.
Bitcoin Miner IREN Stock Surges 30% After CEO Says Demand Outstrips Supply
Bitcoin miner IREN Limited (NASDAQ: IREN), another company that has pivoted to AI infrastructure, jumped 30% on July 30, clawing back losses from a broader sell-off in AI infrastructure stocks.
Co-CEO Daniel Roberts told investors that customer demand for IREN’s computing capacity outstrips what the company can build right now.
CEO Points to Contracted Revenue, Not the Stock Price
Rather than address the recent volatility directly, Roberts used a post on X to redirect attention to the business itself.
Bhutan’s Gelephu taps 3iQ to manage part of Bitcoin treasury
Bhutan’s Gelephu taps 3iQ to manage part of Bitcoin treasury
3iQ will manage an undisclosed portion of Gelephu Mindfulness City’s Bitcoin treasury as Bhutan develops a digital-asset investment hub.
Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) has appointed Canadian digital-asset manager 3iQ to manage a mandate backed by part of its Bitcoin treasury as the special administrative region develops a digital-asset investment hub.
Under the partnership, 3iQ will manage an undisclosed portion of the Bitcoin allocated to support Gelephu’s development.