Key facts
- US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $3.52 billion in net inflows in August.
- Bitcoin experienced a 25% price increase in August.
- Core DAO is implementing an emergency hard fork to address validator reward discrepancies.
- New Jersey is seeking Supreme Court intervention on the regulation of prediction markets.
- Multiple exchanges temporarily halted CORE transactions following the protocol incident.
In the cryptocurrency space, US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) experienced their most successful month of 2026 in August, attracting $3.52 billion in net inflows. This surge coincided with Bitcoin's own significant monthly gain of approximately 25%.
Separately, the Core DAO protocol is planning an emergency hard fork to address an issue where certain validators allegedly claimed more CORE rewards than the protocol intended to issue. This incident led several cryptocurrency exchanges, including Coinbase, Bithumb, Coinone, Bitget, and LBank, to temporarily restrict or suspend transactions related to CORE, citing security concerns or project requirements.
In a separate development, New Jersey has petitioned the US Supreme Court to rule on whether states have the authority to regulate sports betting offered through prediction markets like Kalshi. This move escalates a legal battle over regulatory jurisdiction, with Kalshi asserting its contracts are federally regulated financial products, while New Jersey argues they are effectively wagers subject to state gambling laws.