WLFI derivatives volume jumps 400% ahead of World Liberty’s first token unlock on Monday

The Block

Trading volume on WLFI derivatives is spiking as crypto investors prepare for the Trump-linked DeFi project World Liberty Financial to unlock its first tranche of tokens on Monday at 8:00 a.m. ET.

24-hour volume for WLFI derivatives has spiked over 400% to $3.13 billion on Sunday afternoon, according to Coinglass data, with open interest climbing more than 50% to $760 million. The perpetual futures debuted last week across major exchanges to a price around $0.40, though the price has dipped to about $0.32 as of Sunday afternoon.

Binance has seen nearly half of the WLFI pre-market trading volume in the past day, the data show, with $1.52 billion compared to OKX's $607 million and Bitget's $428 million. Binance also leads the field in WLFI open interest, with $360 million, more than double Bitget's $107 million.

Should the pre-market price hold, WLFI will debut tomorrow with a fully diluted value (FDV) of over $31 billion, given its 100 billion WLFI token supply, potentially placing World Liberty into the vicinity of projects such as Sui, Dogecoin, and Tron, which all have an FDV between $32 and $33 billion. Those projects are #11, #12, and #13 in the world for FDV, respectively, according to The Block's price data.

On Monday, the project will unlock 20% of the tokens purchased by early investors in the $0.015 and $0.05 rounds, which can be claimed through a "Lockbox" process. The unlocked tokens represent about 5% of the token's overall supply. The WLFI token will debut across many major exchanges, according to early announcements. At current prices, investors in the $0.015 round stand to realize a ~20x return.

World Liberty also teased an upcoming announcement related to its USD1 stablecoin on X last week. "USD1 meets internet capital markets. Announcement coming soon," the post from Friday reads. No other details were provided, though World Liberty is planning a loyalty program for its flagship stablecoin, The Block previously reported.

If WLFI's current price is matched by spot markets once the tokens become unlocked, the Trump family's stake of 22.5 billion tokens, held by the holding company DT Marks DEFI LLC, would be worth over $7 billion, though the tokens, like other tokens belonging to team members and advisers, won't be immediately unlocked.

President Donald Trump has been criticized for his stake in the project, with some Democrats calling it a potential avenue for corruption. Conflict-of-interest guardrails pushed by Democrats largely failed to make it into the text of the GENIUS Act, the stablecoin-focused legislation that was signed into law by Trump in July.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

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Venture capital game has changed due to market maturation — VC exec

Cointelegraph

Venture capital (VC) firms have become much more selective with the crypto projects they invest in, representing a shift from the previous cycle due to market maturation, according to Eva Oberholzer, the chief investment officer at VC firm Ajna Capital.

“It's harder because we have reached a different stage in crypto, similar to every cycle we have seen for other technologies in the past,” Oberholzer told Cointelegraph.

She added that market maturation has slowed down pre-seed investing, as VCs pivot their attention to established projects with clear business models. Oberholzer said:

“It's more about predictable revenue models, institutional dependency, and irreversible adoption. So, what we see right now is that crypto is not driven by any memecoin frenzies or other trends, but it's more about institutional adoption.”

The shift in VC activity reflects the broader trend of institutional crypto investment and the focus on revenue-generating digital asset businesses, as opposed to the price speculation that drove investment during previous crypto cycles, including the 2021 bull market.

The traditional financial world demands yield and revenue-producing crypto businesses

Traditional financial investors, including Wall Street firms, venture capitalists, and institutional funds, are increasingly demanding crypto projects that provide established, predictable revenue streams.

VC firms are concentrating on stablecoin projects and investing in other forms of payment infrastructure that can generate fees, Oberholzer said.

Real-world asset tokenization (RWA) platforms are also on the radar of VC firms due to the revenue models associated with minting and managing tokenized RWAs onchain.

Matt Hougan, the chief investment officer (CIO) at investment firm Bitwise, recently told Cointelegraph that the quest for yield is driving Wall Street investment in Ether (ETH).

“If you take $1 billion of ETH and you put it into a company and you stake it, all of a sudden, you're generating earnings. And investors are really used to companies that generate earnings,” Hougan said.

The smart contract layer-1 blockchain hosts the majority of the stablecoin, RWA market, and decentralized finance (DeFi) activity that generates stable revenues through fees and other forms of financial rent for its owners.

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CZ Backs DeFi Dominance As Japan Post Bank Unveils $1.3 Trillion Digital Currency Plan

Beincrypto

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) joined the BNB Chain this week as it marked its fifth anniversary in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Japan Post Bank plans to activate its ¥190 trillion ($1.29 trillion) in deposits, issuing a digital currency for trading of blockchain-based financial products.

Binance’s CZ Says DeFi Will Outpace Centralized Trading Amid Japan’s Web3 Rise

In his fireside chat, Changpeng Zhao emphasized that BNB Chain’s success has been driven by its community rather than any single individual.

“The chain has a small tech team and is much more community-driven. I don’t do that much; I post tweets and encourage people to build. I’m a cheerleader,” he said.

With more than 4,000 decentralized applications now active, including PancakeSwap and Aster, BNB Chain has become one of the largest ecosystems in the industry.

CZ noted that stablecoin usage has nearly doubled this year. Meanwhile, real-world assets (RWAs) are beginning to take shape despite regulatory and liquidity challenges.

While he acknowledged that he holds many BNB tokens, which account for a significant portion of his worth, CZ stated that he sees decentralized finance (DeFi) overtaking centralized exchanges.

“DEX volumes are very likely to exceed CEX in the future. DeFi is the future. And normal trading should be privacy-preserving,” he said.

If starting from scratch today, CZ said he would focus on building an AI-powered trading agent and a privacy-preserving perpetual DEX. He also pointed to RWAs and stablecoins as areas of massive opportunity.

“Securities, treasuries, and commodities have huge potential. But regulation, KYC, and liquidity are major challenges,” he acknowledged.

Against this backdrop, the Binance executive highlighted BNB Chain’s investments into partnerships with issuers such as Securitize and Backed.

Japan, he argued, is well-positioned to play a leading role in this next chapter of Web3.

“I would love to see a dedicated BNB Chain team here, and more projects that bring together robotics, AI, and Web3,” CZ shared.

Japan Post Bank’s Digital Currency Push

While CZ looked at the future of global DeFi, Japan’s financial sector is preparing for a leap of its own.

Japan Post Bank announced it will issue the DCJPY digital currency in fiscal 2026. The move would enable depositors to instantly convert savings into digital money for trading blockchain-based assets.

Local media reports that the bank manages ¥190 trillion ($1.29 trillion) in deposits across 120 million accounts. By integrating blockchain rails into its core services, it hopes to revitalize dormant balances and attract younger customers.

DCJPY, developed by DeCurret DCP, will be pegged 1:1 to the yen and usable for purchasing security tokens and NFTs (non-fungible tokens).

The move could significantly improve trading efficiency by enabling instant settlement of tokenized securities. Japan Post Bank also envisions government subsidies and grants distributed via DCJPY, further embedding digital money into daily life.

Meanwhile, the Boston Consulting Group and Ripple say the tokenized RWA market could expand from $600 billion in 2025 to $18.9 trillion by 2033.

Estimated Growth in Tokenization through 2033

Based on these reports, both CZ and Japan Post Bank aim to capture this opportunity.

From BNB Chain’s decentralized community to Japan’s state-backed digital currency, Tokyo is emerging as a hub where Web3 ideals and institutional innovation converge.

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Bitcoin bull market will be 'over' if $100K BTC price is lost — Trader

Cointelegraph

Key points:

Bitcoin bulls can kiss goodbye to the entire bull market if they lose $100,000 support, a new forecast predicts.
BTC price action faces a battle of RSI signals as bullish and bearish divergences compete.
Some see an opportunity to buy the dip just above the $100,000 mark.

Bitcoin will end its bull market if it loses $100,000 support, a new warning says.

In his latest analysis on X, popular trader Roman predicted that if six-figure BTC prices become a thing of the past, the bull cycle will too.

Bitcoin bull run “officially” hinges on $100,000

Bitcoin has upended market sentiment again with its latest dip, which at one point took down 15% versus all-time highs above $125,000.

BTC price targets have adjusted in step, with Roman among those seeing a retest of levels closer to $100,000 and under.

If bulls fail to hold that psychologically crucial area completely, however, the outlook will be far worse.

“Definitely looks ugly as we’ve lost our uptrend and 112k support,” he summarized alongside the daily chart.

“98-100k is the level to watch. We lose that and *officially* confirms the bull run being over.”

Roman added that on high timeframes, Bitcoin is “still showing lots of exhaustion,” referring to previous posts from August and earlier.

These flagged phenomena include low trading volume at the highs and a bearish divergence on the relative strength index (RSI) indicator.

As Cointelegraph reported this week, four-hour timeframes are beginning to show a new bullish divergence on RSI — often an advance notice of an uptrend returning.

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView confirmed the bullish divergence still playing out at the time of writing Sunday.

RSI bullish divergences give traders hope

Some market participants remained hopeful for a broader crypto market rebound based on the current structure.

“If this level holds, a new ATH in the next 4–6 weeks is on the table,” fellow trader ZYN told X followers in part of a post showing a weekly RSI bullish divergence.

“That’s not hope. That’s structure.”

Others eyed around $100,000 as an ideal entry zone rather than a cue to cut exposure.

“It's quite clear that we're, in the short term, not in an uptrend on Bitcoin,” crypto trader, analyst and entrepreneur Michaël van de Poppe acknowledged on the day.

“I'm targeting the area around $102-104K for support. I still think that this is the best period to accumulate your positions on.”

was down around 6.5% for August at the time of writing — still faring better than the previous four years, data from CoinGlass showed.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

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Japan Post Bank eyes 2026 rollout of DCJPY deposit token for asset settlement: Nikkei

The Block

Japan Post Bank plans to adopt a tokenized asset network in FY2026, giving holders of 120 million accounts the ability to exchange their savings for a token that can be used for easier securities transactions, according to a new report from local outlet Nikkei.

Japan Post Bank will join the DCJPY network, according to the report, which issues a token of the same name, redeemable by partner banks at 1 yen. DCJPY was created by Japanese firm DeCurret DCP, which is backed by MUFG (Japan's largest finance firm) among others, and the network was revealed in August of 2024.

Depositors will be able to instantly convert savings to DCJPY tokens, which can then be used to purchase tokenized securities targeting returns of around 3% to 5%, the report states. The bank, which holds more deposits on behalf of retail users than any other bank in the country, aims to attract a younger consumer base by reducing the settlement time for such transactions from days to near-instantly.

DeCurret DCP is also in talks with local governments to have subsidies and grants paid through DCJPY, digitizing local operations, the report states. So far, GMO Aozora Net Bank is the only bank announced as a minting bank for DCJPY, though it has been tested in various proofs of concept.

The deposit token functions differently from a stablecoin in that it operates on a permissioned network and represents a direct bank deposit. Nikkei also reported this month that Japan's Financial Services Agency plans to approve its first yen-denominated domestically regulated stablecoin this fall, issued by Tokyo-based fintech company JPYC. Japan is also considering revising its tax code to promote crypto trading and open a path towards official ETF offerings.

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Forest Protocol (FOREST) - Gate Listing - 01 Sep 2025

CoinMarketCal

Forest Protocol will be listed on the Gate exchange with FOREST/USDT trading starting September 1, 2025. This event could push FOREST’s price higher because new exchange listings make it easier for people to buy and sell the token. Greater access often brings more attention and more trading. However, price moves depend on the demand for FOREST. If the project is popular, the price may go up fast at first. But if not many traders are interested or sell quickly, the effect might be small or even negative. source

Gate
@Gate
Gate Initial Listing: $FOREST @ProtocolForest
Trading Pair: $FOREST / $USDT
Trading Starts: 13:00, September 1st (UTC)
Trade: https://t.co/d7OW4S648Y
Details: https://t.co/JspMJNAxFZ pic.twitter.com/fvwYXhuSeR
Aug 31, 2025

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World of Dypians (WOD) - Binance Alpha Listing - 31 Aug 2025

CoinMarketCal

The World of Dypians (WOD) launch on Binance Alpha could move prices. Binance is one of the largest crypto exchanges, and Alpha listings add extra attention. The airdrop and trading competition will encourage more people to trade WOD, which can bring big price changes. If many new investors join, the price could jump. But competition and rewards may also bring fast selling, which could push the price down quickly after a rise. Traders should watch trading volumes and interest closely in the first hours of the listing. source

Binance
@binance
World of Dypians (WOD) is now live on Binance Alpha!
Users with at least 220 Binance Alpha Points can claim an airdrop of 750 WOD tokens on a first-come, first-served basis. If the rewards are not fully distributed, the score threshold will automatically decrease by 15… pic.twitter.com/d4pcXY4Mlg
Aug 31, 2025

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