🚀 It’s $PUMP Season?!

Everyone’s hyped to get VC-backed. You thought “Backed by a16z” meant safety? a16z isn't here to HODL with you, they’re here to get in early, hedge the crash, and exit clean. What if I told you... it actually means you're the exit?

Here’s what we got for you today:

• ⭐ 5 Things You Shouldn’t Miss

• ⚠️ What’s Next for ETH? Andrew Kang Says the Marke …

• 🕵️‍♂️ The Truth about a16z: Crypto’s Guardian Ang …

• 🤡 Meme Of The Day

⭐ 5 Things You Shouldn’t Miss

🚨 Wyoming just made history by officially launching $FRNT, the first-ever stablecoin issued directly by a U.S. state - not a private company like Tether or Circle. It runs on 7 major blockchains. This is state-backed, fully collateralized by USD and short-term U.S. treasuries. Used to be called WYST. Now it’s live as FRNT.

🧠 Tether ($USDT.X ( ▲ 0.03% ) ) just brought on Bo Hines, former head of the White House Crypto Council, to be its Strategic Advisor for U.S. Digital Asset Strategy. With pressure mounting for a compliant “US version” of USDT, Bo becomes Tether’s bridge to regulators. This comes as Tether invests $5B+ in the U.S.

🔥 In just two weeks, pump.fun jumped from 5% to 91% market share in the Solana memecoin launchpad game - completely dethroning LetsBonk ($BONK.X ( ▲ 4.61% ) ). Their recent PUMP token buyback is a psychological trigger. LetsBonk went from dominant to forgotten in 14 days. This could be a turning point for $PUMP.X ( ▼ 5.52% ) .

💰 In the past 4 days alone, SharpLink added 11,956 ETH (~$55.57M) to their reserves. That brings their total holdings to 740,760 ETH (~$3.19B) as of August 19, 2025. They're the 2nd largest ETH holder in the world, only behind BitMine (1.52M ETH / $6.57B). At this pace, a billion-dollar flippening with BitMine isn’t out of the question.

💥 Over $530M liquidated in just 24 hours. 90% were long positions, with $ETH.X ( ▼ 0.76% ) alone making up ~40%. No ceasefire reached in Russia–Ukraine talks. Steel & aluminum tariffs quietly expanded ahead of enforcement. U.S. stock market pulled back after record highs - wiped out $300B in 24 hours. If you’re still standing, respect!

⚠️ What’s Next for ETH? Andrew Kang Says the Market’s Not Ready…

“The market is not ready to find out what happens when that buying dissipates.” – Andrew Kang - Co-Founder, Mechanism Capital

If you’ve been in crypto long enough, you’ll notice a pattern:

• Every time a new financial product tied to crypto launches - from ETFs to derivatives - the market gets hyped.

• But not all “hype-fueled demand” is real demand.

Andrew Kang made headlines again on Aug 17, 2025, sharing a sobering thought:

He’s seen this movie before and even successfully dodged ETH’s crash from $4,000 to $1,500. His take: not all rallies are built to last.

The real test is whether the demand holds after the narrative cools off. Kang repeated this line twice: “The market is not ready.”

That alone should make any trader pause.

Even with real demand from DATs, the question isn’t “how high ETH can go,” but what happens when the buy pressure dries up. And based on past cycles, that’s when reality hits.

🎯 ETFs, DATs, and the Speculative Capital Trap

Let’s rewind a bit:

• In 2024, the BTC ETF pulled in ~$5B of real net inflows. Price jumped from $40K to $65K, but it wasn’t just the ETF that caused it → it was the lack of prior positioning, plus big buyers like MicroStrategy and Tether stepping in.

• The ETH ETF, by contrast, only attracted $0.8B–$1.5B.

Why? Because:

• ETH was already heavily held

• It had weaker appeal to TradFi

• Its tech narrative wasn’t strong enough for pension funds or macro players

Andrew Kang wrote a full breakdown of this in June 2024, worth a revisit:

Now enter: ETH DATs. Yes, DATs are different from ETFs. There's real demand this time - from staking, the Pectra upgrade, and institutional buyers like BitMine quietly stacking ETH.

But don’t get it twisted.

The majority of capital flowing into ETH right now is still momentum capital like hot money, speculative in nature.

→ That kind of capital? It never stays forever. Just because there’s inflow doesn’t mean it’s long-term conviction.

🤔 Why is Andrew Kang always cautious on ETH?

He’s not just being bearish, he has his reasons. And they’re worth understanding:

1. ETH lacks appeal to TradFi

• $BTC.X ( ▼ 3.17% ) is seen as “digital gold” - a macro asset.

• ETH? Still viewed as a tech play, more like a high-risk growth stock. It’s impressive, sure but not something big funds are eager to bet on.

2. Price is driven by leverage & speculation

• Open Interest across CME and CEX is near record highs.

• That means ETH’s recent rally is mostly leverage + speculation, not organic long-term buying.

3. ETH consistently underperforms BTC over cycles

• Kang has repeatedly said ETH/BTC makes lower highs every cycle and looking at the charts, he’s not wrong.

So what about ETH DATs?

• Yes, they’ve pulled in $3B+ in fresh inflows

• Yes, they’re doing better than ETH ETFs ever did

• And yes, Pectra upgrade hype adds fuel

But… it’s still short-term capital. And when $10B in hot money exits, the price could tumble fast.

Kang also retweeted a Wu Blockchain post showing a surge in ETH waiting to exit staking validators - currently 699,600 ETH, worth ~$3.29B. That’s a signal: even stakers are prepping to unlock.

Big wave incoming doesn’t mean it’s safe to ride. Stay sharp.

📉 Where does ETH go from here?

Andrew Kang predicts ETH to drop to $3,200–$3,600 soon and trigger $5B in liquidations. That’s the call he made. Sound reasonable to you?

As a trader or investor, you should know the difference:

• Short-term traders: Feel free to ride the DATs wave, but manage risk - momentum capital can reverse fast.

• Long-term investors: Ask yourself: Will ETH really be embraced by TradFi, or is it still stuck in a crypto-native echo chamber?

Many people still believe ETH can hit $5,000 this cycle, maybe even $10,000 long-term. If ETH dips, it’s a chance to DCA, not to all-in or rush-buy.

Respect the wave, but understand the tide. Trade smart. Invest smarter.

😅 FUN FACT: Andrew Kang has been right about ETH 3 times

Prediction #1: ETH Post-ETF Drop (June 2024)

• On June 23, 2024, ETH was around $3,400

• Kang predicted post-ETF approval, ETH would drop to $2,400–$3,000

• Reason: ETF demand would be weak — only $0.84B inflow, ~15% of BTC ETF

• Result: ETH fell to $2,300 by August 5, just 2 weeks after the ETF launch

Prediction #2: Pre-ETF Peak Cap (July 2024)

• On July 8, 2024, ETH was $2,900

• Kang warned: ETH may pump before ETF approval but won’t break $3,600

• Reason: Leverage risks + weak ETF inflows

• Result: ETH topped out just under $3,600 before turning down — exactly as Kang said. CoinShares later confirmed the ETF inflow was underwhelming.

Prediction #3: Election Season Range (Oct 2024)

• On October 15, 2024, with ETH at $2,600, Kang predicted ETH would range between $2,000–$2,700 ahead of the U.S. election.

• Result: Before the Nov 7 election results, ETH stayed exactly within that range.

(Note: Kang didn’t provide much reasoning here, but the call was still accurate.)

🕵️‍♂️ The Truth about a16z: Crypto’s Guardian Angel or Just a Narrative?

a16z (Andreessen Horowitz) is one of the most powerful names in crypto VC. They’ve backed some of the biggest names in Web3: Uniswap, OpenSea, Optimism, Lido...

With deep pockets and top-tier network access, many believe a16z guarantees success for projects. For some devs, “backed by a16z” is seen as the ultimate seal of approval.

But is the trust justified?

1️⃣ Why does the crypto community trust a16z so much?

Andreessen Horowitz (aka a16z) has a massive reputation in the crypto world and it’s not for nothing.

They’ve made some insane returns:

→ Solana (713x)
→ Uniswap (130x)
→ Polygon (97x)
→ Avalanche (46x)

They’re also the godfathers of top Layer 2s like Arbitrum and Optimism, both of which reached $20B+ FDV at their peak.

Coming from Silicon Valley, a16z already had a legendary Web2 track record (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest...). When they moved into Web3, that prestige followed.

Today, they manage $45B in AUM, with $7.6B dedicated to crypto - easily one of the most influential VCs in the space.

Because of that, many in the space automatically assume:

→ If a16z is backing a project, it must be safe
→ It’ll be easier to raise future rounds
→ It’ll get access to “top-tier” partners
→ And… it's definitely not a scam

But blind trust leads to bias and in investing, bias gets you wrecked. Just because a16z is in the cap table doesn’t mean you should turn off your brain.

2️⃣ How are we biased toward a16z without even realizing it?

🤡 Meme Of The Day

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The Crypto Fire

This newsletter is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. Traders should conduct thorough research, understand the risks, and carefully evaluate their decisions before investing in cryptocurrency.