Aoyon Ashraf

Aoyon Ashraf is CoinDesk's Global Head of News and is responsible for all of the editorial content and strategies. He spent almost a decade at Bloomberg covering equities, commodities and tech. Prior to that, he spent several years on the sellside, financing small-cap companies. Aoyon graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in mining engineering. He holds ETH, BTC, and SOL that are above CoinDesk's disclosure threshold of $1,000. He also holds LINK, ATOM and some other altcoins that are below CoinDesk's disclosure threshold of $1,000.

Aoyon Ashraf

Latest from Aoyon Ashraf


Markets

Tokenized Gold Market Tops $2.5B as the Precious Metal Nears Record Highs

Gold-backed tokens XAUT and PAXG have surged to fresh highs in market capitalization as the metal trades near its April peak.

A gold bar (Scottsdale mint/Unsplash)

Markets

XRP Price Holds Near $2.75 as Analyst Maps Path Between $2.40 Risk and $3.70 Upside

XRP trades around $2.75 after intraday swings, with Martinez warning of a $2.40 downside risk if support fails and outlining a bullish path toward $3.70.

XRP 24-hour chart with price near $2.75

Markets

BNB Slips Below $860 as Traders Brace for U.S. Jobs Data

Underlying network activity surged, with daily active wallet addresses on BNB Chain more than doubling to 2.5 million, but transaction volumes have been dropping steadily since late June.

BNB price chart (CoinDesk Data)

Policy

Asia Morning Briefing: August ETF Flows Show the Massive Scale of BTC to ETH Rotation

August saw $751M exit U.S. Bitcoin ETFs even as Ethereum funds pulled in nearly $4B, underscoring diverging institutional appetites as BTC stalls

High-resolution image of numerous shiny gold bitcoin tokens stacked together.

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Markets

Rich Bitcoiners Are Reportedly Spending BTC on Luxury Holidays: Does This Really Make Sense?

Private jet flights, yacht cruises and boutique hotels are now taking crypto. But does it make sense for bitcoin’s new wealthy to actually spend their coins?

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Markets

Yen-Backed Stablecoin Can’t Come at a Better Time as BOJ Seen Raising Rates

Top bankers and economists expect the BOJ to hike rates in the fourth quarter, boosting the appeal of yen and yen-backed assets.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

Markets

Major Bitcoin Breakout Could be Brewing as Retail and Institutions Stack ‘Relentlessly’

Bitcoin accumulation by retail and institutions is hitting highs, with one analyst saying it could set the stage for a major breakout as price steadies near $109,000

24-hour bitcoin price chart near $109,000

Markets

Bitcoin or Gold: Which Is the Better Hedging Asset in 2025?

Bitwise’s André Dragosch argues gold still protects against stock sell-offs while bitcoin hedges bond stress — raising questions about their roles in 2025 portfolios.

Bitcoin tokens with gold chain, silver coins and global banknotes.

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Markets

Crypto Charts Look 'So Broken and Bearish They’re Bullish' Ahead of Fed Meeting, Says Analyst

Alex Krüger says recent liquidations and scary charts could set up a bullish rebound, though conviction trends may wait until after the Fed’s Sept. 17 decision.

Physical bitcoin and ether tokens placed in front of trading screen with charts.

Markets

Most Bitcoin Still Belongs to Individuals, but Institutions Are Catching Up: Research

River’s research estimates BTC ownership at 65.9% for individuals, 7.8% for funds, 6.2% for businesses and 1.5% for governments. About 7.6% is believed to be lost.

Pizza with one slice removed, symbolizing bitcoin ownership distribution