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Bitcoin News Roundup for Aug. 12, 2020

With bitcoin prices sitting around $12K and Russia developing “Transparent Blockchain” AI, CoinDesk's Markets Daily is back for your latest crypto news roundup!

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 9:42 a.m. Published Aug 12, 2020, 4:00 p.m.
Markets Daily Front Page Adam Lyllah

With bitcoin prices sitting around $12K and Russia developing “Transparent Blockchain” AI, CoinDesk's Markets Daily is back for your latest crypto news roundup!

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
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This episode is sponsored by Crypto.comBitstamp and Nexo.io.

Today's Stories


First Mover: How a DeFi Trader Made an 89% Profit in Minutes Slinging Stablecoins

So-called stablecoins like tether and USDC are $1 tokens in theory, but a complex arbitrage transaction seems to have netted one trader an 89% profit in just minutes.

Some Traders Now Taking Bets Ether Will Break $1K by December

Some option traders are now betting ether will rise to $1,000 by year’s end.

The Linux Foundation Wants Open-Source Tech to Address Future Pandemics

The Linux Foundation hopes open-source apps will play a key role in tracing exposure to diseases like COVID-19 while being fully transparent.

Russian Financial Crime Agency Plans AI Tool to Link Crypto Transfers to Users

Russia's anti-money laundering agency Rosfinmonitoring has already built a prototype blockchain analytics tool, according to a report.

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More For You

KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

16:9 Image

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

What to know:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

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How a 'perpetual’ stock trick could solve Michael Saylor’s $8 billion debt problem

Strive CEO Matt Cole speaks at BTC Asia in Hong Kong (screenshot)

The bitcoin treasury firm is using perpetual preferreds to retire convertibles, offering a potential framework for managing long-dated leverage.

What to know:

  • Strive upsized its SATA follow on offering beyond $150 million, pricing the perpetual preferred at $90.
  • The structure offers a blueprint for replacing fixed maturity convertibles with perpetual equity capital that removes refinancing risk.
  • Strategy has a $3 billion convertible tranche due in June 2028 with a $672.40 conversion price, which could be addressed using a similar preferred equity approach.