Crypto Weekly Roundup: July 24– July 30, 2025

Author: Jaffar Hashmi – Fintech Analyst & Digital Asset Researcher

The crypto market saw a mild cooling-off this week. Total market cap briefly fell below $4.0 trillion, with 92 of the top 100 tokens in the red over 24 hours. Bitcoin traded in a tight $117–119K range – it peaked at about $119,037 on July 29 and settled near $118,100 by July 30. Ethereum hovered around $3,800, recovering from an intra-week dip to $3,722 and trading near $3,820 as July closed. Altcoins also softened: XRP held roughly $3.10 - 3.14, down slightly for the week, and Solana sat around $178 - $180. Despite the pullback, on-chain data showed strong fundamentals: US spot ETH ETFs logged their 18th straight day of inflows (over $9.3 billion net into ETH funds), and spot BTC ETFs took in nearly $80 million on July 30. Industry analysts note that this profit-taking appears healthy in a still-bullish market: YouHodler’s Ruslan Lienkha observes “the overall market structure remains bullish,” suggesting the dip is likely a short-term correction. As Xapo Bank’s Matthew McPhee puts it, crypto’s rally is “a marathon, not a sprint” – Bitcoin’s recent all‑time highs and reduced volatility indicate it’s being seen more as a “credible hedge against inflation”.

Major Coin Price Movements

• Bitcoin (BTC): Consolidated near $118K. BTC briefly hit about $119,000 on July 29 but eased back to $118,100 by July 30. Over the month, Bitcoin traded between roughly $105K and $123K, reflecting continued support from long-term holders. Institutional interest remained high, with major holders like MicroStrategy (StrategyCorp) adding tens of thousands of BTC (see below).
  
  

• Ethereum (ETH): Around $3,800. Ether rebounded to the mid $3K range in late July, after briefly slipping to the $3,700s. A steady flow of capital into ETH spot ETFs has buoyed demand ETH’s 24-hour range this week was roughly $3,715–$3,834, and it remains well off its April lows ($1,500).
  
  

• XRP (Ripple): Approximately $3.10–3.15. XRP saw a modest retreat. CoinCentral reported XRP “trading around $3.10, down about 1%… and more than 10% lower for the week”. This pullback aligns with the broader altcoin sell-off ahead of the Fed meeting.
  
  

• Solana (SOL): About $178 - 180. SOL’s price was roughly flat to slightly down. Solana’s 24h low/high was around $176.40 - $182.55. Notably, on-chain activity shifted: Coinbase’s Base layer-2 network overtook Solana as the leading memecoin launch platform, and the Base-native $ZORA token surged ~270% last week.

• Others: Most large altcoins eased. BNB fell a few percent, ADA traded near $0.78, and DOGE/DOT were marginally down. DeFi tokens generally saw lower trading volumes. Analysts attribute this broad downturn to pre-Fed caution: traders are “pulling risk off the table” ahead of monetary policy signals.

Regulatory & Policy Updates

• United States: U.S. policy took a pro-crypto turn. On July 30, the White House crypto policy report (from the administration’s working group) signaled support for tokenizing assets and urged new market-structure legislation. This follows Congress passing the stablecoin-focused “GENIUS Act” in July, which President Trump signed into law – an outcome hailed as a “major win for the digital asset industry”. Meanwhile, U.S. regulators eased ETF rules: the SEC approved in-kind creation/redemption for Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, a change that SEC Chair Paul Atkins called a “new day” for the industry due to its flexibility and cost savings.
  
  

• Asia & Middle East: Regional authorities also moved forward. Hong Kong’s new Stablecoin Ordinance (effective Aug. 1) will require any issuer of fiat-pegged stablecoins to obtain an HKMA license. Singapore recently forced unlicensed crypto platforms serving foreigners to exit (June 30 deadline) a crackdown that analysts say could drive liquidity toward compliant hubs like Hong Kong. In response to HK’s rules, Vanuatu announced a Hong Kong-based tech hub to apply for a stablecoin license. In the Gulf, the UAE is embracing crypto on-ramps: Ras Al Khaimah’s National Bank (Rakbank) became the first UAE bank to let retail customers trade crypto via its app, simplifying AED-to-crypto transactions.
  
  

• Europe/UK: In the EU, implementation of existing frameworks continued. For example, Germany published a draft bill to transpose DAC8, which will require crypto providers to report customer transactions to tax authorities (effective Jan 2026). ESG and AML regulations also advanced (ESMA’s new staff competency guidelines for crypto advice were released in mid-July). In the UK, regulators are considering restrictions on crypto leverage (e.g. banning card purchases of crypto) as part of the new crypto rulebook. (Meanwhile, the FCA also proposed lifting its ban on crypto exchange-traded notes for retail, reflecting a generally more crypto-friendly stance under the new regime.)

Protocol & Ecosystem Developments

Ethereum (ETH): Ethereum marked its 10-year anniversary on July 30, celebrated with commemorative NFTs and global virtual events. Ether’s price has recovered sharply (back to $3,800) with renewed DeFi and tokenization activity. In the development roadmap, core developers locked in Nov. 5, 2025, for the next upgrade, codenamed “Fusaka,” which will raise Ethereum’s gas limit from 37M to 45M to improve throughput. Layer-2 innovation continues: for example, the Linea network (a ConsenSys L2) unveiled major protocol changes, introducing ETH-staking on bridged assets and a protocol-level ETH burn that directs 20% of its fees toward reducing the base ETH supply.

Solana (SOL): Solana’s ecosystem announced a new “Internet Capital Markets” roadmap focusing on market microstructure and transaction sequencing. The plan (co-authored by Anza, Jito Labs, Drift, etc.) aims to give smart contracts finer control over execution. Despite this, Solana faced competition from Ethereum L2s: Coinbase’s Base network became the top venue for new token launches (surpassing Solana) after Base’s Zora launchpad saw an explosion of activity. Coinbase’s Conor Grogan noted Base has now outpaced Solana in daily token deployment, and the Base-native $ZORA token rallied ~270% over the week, reflecting this shift.

Bitcoin & Payments: Bitcoin’s ecosystem saw concrete adoption moves. Jack Dorsey’s Block (Square) began rolling out Lightning Network payments for merchants, allowing instant BTC payments that Square then converts to fiat. The service launched at Bitcoin 2025 and is in pilot with select sellers, with plans to reach all Square merchants by 2026. On the treasury side, MicroStrategy’s parent (StrategyCorp) raised ~$2.5 billion via a stock sale and used the proceeds to buy 21,000 BTC at an average price of about $117,250, boosting its total Bitcoin holdings. Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin’s firm SharpLink (SBET) similarly expanded its holdings, adding 77k ETH ($1.68B) and staking the tokens for yield.

NFTs & DeFi: The Ethereum anniversary spurred NFT activity: the Ethereum Foundation’s special NFTs (mintable through July 31) and a live-streamed panel of core developers grabbed headlines. Outside of that, the NFT market continued evolving (new collections and platforms launched, though none dominated headlines this week). In DeFi, total value locked remained around $900–$920 billion, with growth in bridges and derivatives protocols. Notably, centralized finance players are integrating more crypto: for instance, the BNY Mellon partnership reported on July 10 (not this week) continues, and JP Morgan clients now have official on-ramps as Fidelity and others launch crypto products in Europe and Asia.

Conclusion

This week’s pullback appears to be a healthy pause in an ongoing uptrend. Profit-taking ahead of a major Fed meeting and cautious positioning for regulatory changes drove the dip. Yet the underlying trend is reinforced by strong inflows and broader adoption. As one industry executive noted, Bitcoin’s new highs with lower volatility are indicators of its maturation as a financial asset. Overall, analysts remain optimistic. The long-term roadmap for crypto is rich with activity: from tokenization and Layer-2 scaling to more institutional inflows. In the words of Xapo Bank’s Matthew McPhee, digital assets are now increasingly seen as “credible hedges” in portfolios. Crypto’s recent gains may slow in the short run, but the fundamental momentum – from ETFs to enterprise adoption – suggests the bull market’s march is far from over.

Sources: Weekly market data and news from CoinDesk, CryptoNews, Reuters, MoneyControl, Cointelegraph, Coinpaprika, Cryptopolitan, and others, compiled July 24–30, 2025. Each report’s quotes and figures are cited above.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinion and is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice.