TokenPost
Hello. It's time for an in-depth analysis with TokenPost. On Monday, August 18, 2025, we will delve into the major movements of the cryptocurrency market and their underlying meanings. Let's first quickly touch on the market sentiment. As of 4 PM today, the overall trend is clearly weak. Bitcoin BTC has dropped 2.23% from yesterday, moving around $111,397. Ethereum has fallen even more, dropping 4.59% and currently recording $4,255. XRP has also declined by 4.62%, and Solana is showing a 5.52% downward trend. Well, other major altcoins like BNB, Dogecoin, Cardano, and TRON are mostly following a similar pattern.
Host
Yes, that's right. The total market capitalization has also decreased to about $3.884 trillion. The 24-hour trading volume is around $163.6 billion, and what's noteworthy is that Bitcoin dominance has slightly increased to 59.09%.
TokenPost
Ah, is this a phenomenon where money flows into Bitcoin when the market is unstable?
Host
It tends to be perceived as a relatively safe asset. Meanwhile, Ethereum's market share has slightly decreased to 13.2%. Oh, and the derivatives market trading volume has sharply increased by almost 49% compared to yesterday.
TokenPost
49%? Wow
Host
As the volatility increases, it seems that speculative trading has also increased.
TokenPost
I see. It seems to be a signal that short-term volatility is spreading. In this situation, the most interesting news today is definitely about the National Pension Service.
Host
Yes, that's correct. This is quite noteworthy.
TokenPost
They say the National Pension Service has increased its holdings in cryptocurrency-related company stocks by a whopping 182% in just the first half of this year.
Host
So the scale has grown to about 770 billion won, which is over $55 million.
TokenPost
What companies are these 770 billion primarily from?
Host
Stocks of well-known companies like MicroStrategy, Coinbase, Block, and Robinhood.
TokenPost
Oh, MicroStrategy is a company that holds a lot of Bitcoin.
Host
Especially, MicroStrategy's holdings have increased by 226% in just the first half, which shows a significant commitment.
TokenPost
226% is impressive.
Host
The key point here is that massive institutions like the National Pension Service are not directly buying Bitcoin, but participating in the market indirectly through related company stocks.
TokenPost
Ah, it's an indirect investment. What could be the reason?
Host
This can be interpreted in two ways. First, institutions can no longer ignore the cryptocurrency market. Second, despite this, they want to avoid the high volatility and regulatory uncertainties of direct investment.
TokenPost
So, it's about reducing risks while following market growth potential.
Host
Yes, it's a kind of attempt to dip their toes into cryptocurrency's upside potential in a safer manner.
TokenPost
I see. How might this indirect participation impact the perception of other institutional investors or the market as a whole?
Host
It will likely have a positive impact. The National Pension Service is synonymous with conservative investment. Their movement signals that the cryptocurrency-related industry is increasingly being recognized as an institutional investment target.
TokenPost
Hmm, there will be a ripple effect.
Host
However, this doesn't necessarily directly translate to an immediate increase in cryptocurrency prices. But the correlation between related company stocks and cryptocurrency prices might strengthen.
TokenPost
Yes, it's an interesting analysis. Companies are also continuing to directly purchase cryptocurrencies, different from the National Pension Service's indirect investment.
Host
Yes, that trend continues. Faraday Future, a NASDAQ-listed electric vehicle company, announced plans to purchase cryptocurrencies worth $30 million and may increase this in the future.
TokenPost
Oh, an electric vehicle company?
Host
And in Japan, Meta Planet, a listed company already known for holding a lot of Bitcoin, has additionally purchased 775 BTC.
TokenPost
Wow, they keep buying.
Host
They now hold a total of 18,888 BTC. Another Japanese real estate company, Live Work, also announced plans to purchase BTC worth about 4.7 billion won.
TokenPost
A real estate company? What was their purpose?
Host
They explained it as a way to reduce cash holding risks and maintain long-term holdings.
TokenPost
Ah, they see it as a value storage method.
Host
That's right. These are examples showing their focus on Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation and currency value decline.
TokenPost
Institutions are indirectly and some companies are directly participating in the market in very diverse ways. Oh, and there was news about domestic regulations. The Financial Services Commission is preparing a bill for won-based stablecoin.
Host
Yes, that news is important. They are aiming to disclose it in October. This will be included in the second phase of the virtual asset user protection law, which means creating a clear regulatory framework for the issuance and circulation of won-based stablecoins in our country.
TokenPost
So stablecoin regulations are finally coming out.
Host
Yes, since stablecoins have high utility in payments and DeFi, how this bill comes out will have a significant impact on the domestic digital asset market.
TokenPost
Yes, we'll have to watch how the regulatory environment becomes more concrete. There were also some news showing short-term market movements. There was news that 300 million USDT, which is $300 million worth of Tether, was moved from an anonymous address to the OKX exchange, and during the past 24 hours, futures positions worth $469 million were forcibly liquidated. That's right. This is a significant scale, and Bitcoin prices dropped below $115,000. These large-scale liquidations are a process of resolving excessive leverage that had accumulated in the market, but they can also cause additional price volatility. So caution is needed. Understood. We've covered various news today. Finally, if you could summarize and share what investors might want to consider?
Host
Yes, today there was news that institutional investors like the National Pension Service are increasing investments in cryptocurrency-related companies
TokenPost
To build on this
Host
We dealt with this respectfully, and in the long term, this is certainly a positive signal for the market. However
TokenPost
In this flow, immediately
Host
Mental
TokenPost
So for individual investors
Host
What points should we think about? For example, there are differences in expected returns and risks between directly holding cryptocurrencies and investing in related company stocks like the National Pension Service
TokenPost
In terms of management
Host
How will these indirect movements of institutions change
TokenPost
The overall market volatility
Host
It might be good to deeply consider these things. Beyond simply saying institutions are entering and that's good, try to find meaning beyond that fact. This will help guide investment direction.
TokenPost
Yes, thank you for the good advice. You're saying to ponder the meaning behind institutional movements. This has been an in-depth analysis time with TokenPost. Thank you for listening.
