Overview:

• Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded USD 1.918 billion in weekly net inflows, led by BlackRock’s IBIT with USD 1.331 billion.

• Solana reduced its mainnet slot time to 350 milliseconds, shortening leader rotation and lowering network latency. 

• Stablecoin-funded crypto card spending climbed above USD 1 billion in July.

The crypto markets saw major developments as spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $1.9 billion in net inflows last week, while Solana’s block speed increased to 350 milliseconds. Also, Ethena jumped 94% and Crypto card buying reached a new monthly high.

Bitcoin Witnessed $1.9 Billion in Inflows

Last week's trading days saw net inflows of $1.918 billion in spot Bitcoin ETFs, according to SoSoValue.

The spot Bitcoin ETF with the highest net inflows last week was BlackRock's ETF IBIT, with weekly net inflows of $1.331 billion, bringing IBIT's cumulative total net inflows to $62.43 billion; second was Fidelity's ETF FBTC, with weekly net inflows of $293 million, bringing FBTC's cumulative total net inflows to $10.18 billion.

The spot Bitcoin ETF with the largest weekly net outflows was VanEck's ETF HODL, with weekly net outflows of $16.1496 million, bringing HODL's cumulative total net inflows to $1.07 billion. 

The total net asset value of spot Bitcoin ETFs reached $96.07 billion, with the ETF net asset ratio at 6.17%, and cumulative net inflows since inception totaling $53.71 billion.

Solana Speeds up Blocks to 350 Milliseconds 

Solana has reduced the time between blocks on its mainnet to 350 milliseconds, the fastest block interval since the network launched, as developers work toward a further reduction to 200 milliseconds.

The change was approved in May through the technical proposal SIMD-0525 and is designed primarily to reduce network latency rather than increase throughput.

Solana divides time into short intervals known as slots. During each slot, a designated validator, known as the leader, produces a block. 

As each leader is assigned four consecutive slots, reducing the slot time from 400 milliseconds to 350 milliseconds shortens the leader rotation interval from 1.6 seconds to 1.4 seconds.

Also Read: Bitcoin: The New Hard-Asset Era, Why Dollar Weakness is Supporting BTC

Crypto Card Buying New Monthly Record

Crypto card spending hit a monthly record, with stablecoin-funded purchases climbing to $1.03 billion, or $1.04 billion in supplementary reporting based on PaymentsScan data. 

PaymentsScan, an on-chain analytics platform that tracks card activity across dozens of issuers, reported that the figure was up 16% from June and nearly 200% from a year earlier.

More than 10 million individual purchases were logged in July alone, according to PaymentsScan data cited on X by The Kobeissi Letter. 

Just three years ago, PaymentsScan’s tracked monthly volume was roughly $1 million. The climb from $382 million in August 2025 to more than $1 billion in July 2026 marks sustained growth in the platform’s tracked data.

Ethena Jumps 94%

Ethena (ENA) gained nearly 94% over the past seven days, but the token is still trading well below its highs. 

The central question for traders right now is whether buyers have enough momentum to push past the $0.179 level or if this short-term bounce is about to stall out.

The token sits roughly 70% below its October high near $0.53.

If bulls manage a clean breakout above $0.179, the next natural technical targets sit at $0.247 (the 0.382 Fib) and $0.3017 (the 0.5 Fib). On the flip side, a rejection at current prices risks dragging ENA back down into the lower bounds of its broader trading range near $0.07.

Germany Extends MiCA Lead

Germany has extended its lead in European Union MiCA authorizations after six cooperative banks joined the latest register, taking the country’s total number of licensed crypto asset service providers to 79.

The European Securities and Markets Authority updated its interim Markets in Crypto Assets register on Friday, raising the number of authorized crypto asset service providers, or CASPs, across Europe to 331.

Compared with ESMA’s Aug. 12 update, all six newly added providers were German cooperative banks: Raiffeisenbank Aidlingen, Ihre Volksbank, VR Bank Mittelfranken Mitte, Volksbank Euskirchen, VR Bank Ried Überwald and Volksbank Backnang.

Also Read: Ethereum’s Institutional Shift: How Tokenization, DeFi, Wall Street Could Shape ETH’s Next Phase

FAQs:

1. How much money flowed into spot Bitcoin ETFs last week?

Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded USD 1.918 billion in net inflows last week. BlackRock’s IBIT led with USD 1.331 billion, while Fidelity’s FBTC followed with USD 293 million.

2. How fast are Solana blocks now?

Solana reduced its mainnet slot time from 400 milliseconds to 350 milliseconds. This cuts the four-slot leader rotation interval from 1.6 seconds to about 1.4 seconds.

3. Why did Ethena gain nearly 94%?

Ethena rose almost 94% over seven days as buying momentum strengthened, although ENA remains about 70% below its October high. Traders are watching USD 0.179 as a key breakout level.

4. How much was spent using crypto cards in July?

Stablecoin-funded crypto card purchases reached about USD 1.03 billion in July, according to PaymentsScan data. More than 10 million individual purchases were recorded during the month.

5. How many MiCA-authorized crypto providers are there in Europe?

The European Securities and Markets Authority’s interim register lists 331 authorized crypto asset service providers across Europe. Germany leads with 79 licensed providers after six cooperative banks were added.