Bitcoin Surges to $80,000 as Liquidity Drives Momentum Shift

Bitcoin's price surge toward $80,000 has sparked hopes of a broader momentum shift in the cryptocurrency market. According to Bernstein, the rally is driven by improving liquidity, rebounding ETF demand, and a friendlier regulatory backdrop. The analysts pointed out that bitcoin historically reacts well to increased liquidity expansion, particularly when it comes to debt markets.

Spot bitcoin ETF flows have also turned, with $1.6 billion in net inflows this week, including $606.3 million on Thursday alone, led by BlackRock's IBIT. Meanwhile, Strategy's balance sheet has stabilized, with its 840,447 BTC now back above the $75,385 average cost for an unrealized profit of nearly $2 billion.

Shinhan Asset Management, one of South Korea's largest financial firms, has partnered with the Solana Foundation, Etherfuse, and Orca to pilot a tokenized fund. The proof-of-concept involves issuing and distributing a Korean won-denominated tokenized fund, allowing overseas institutions to buy a KRW ultra-short-term bond.

Anchorage Digital CEO Nathan McCauley said AI agents will become 'first-class economic actors' that carry out transactions across cash, card, and crypto rails. He argued that agents need actual bank accounts, rather than simply giving AI systems a way to make payments, allowing them to both send and receive funds.