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BlackRock’s New $94M Crypto Buy: What It Signals And What It Could Mean For Bitcoin
BlackRock has quietly added another chunk of crypto to its books – and the timing is anything but random. According to on-chain data shared by Coinfomania and Coin Bureau, the world’s largest asset manager recently acquired 477 BTC (≈$43.7M) and 16,629 ETH (≈$50.6M) via Coinbase Prime, for a combined $94 million allocation. This isn’t some degen punt. It’s a message. What Exactly Did BlackRock Do? Blockchain trackers show a BlackRock-linked entity receiving: 477 $BTC 16,629 $ETH Source: Coinbase Prime settlement flows highlighted by Coin Bureau and later covered by multiple crypto outlets.
The move lands just days after a stretch of volatility where Bitcoin briefly fell below key psychological levels and then bounced back. Recent data from several major price trackers puts BTC in the ~$92k–94k range, up strongly over the last 24 hours after a sharp drawdown earlier in the week.
So what you have is: A choppy, nervous marketRetail traders arguing about whether “the top is in”And the biggest asset manager on earth quietly accumulating spot BTC and ETH
That contrast is the entire story. Why This Buy Matters More Than The Dollar Amount In pure size, $94M is not earth-shattering compared to BlackRock’s trillions under management. But in signal value, it’s huge. 1. It reinforces Bitcoin and Ethereum as “core holdings” for institutions
BlackRock already runs the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), one of the dominant spot BTC ETFs, holding around 770k+ BTC as of early December 2025. This fresh, direct on-chain accumulation suggests: BTC = macro store-of-value + portfolio hedge ETH = infrastructure bet on the broader crypto economy In other words: they’re not treating these like meme coins, but as strategic, long-term assets. 2. It shows conviction into volatility, not after it Recent headlines have been all over the place: hacks, ETF outflows, macro jitters, sharp intraday swings, and articles debating whether Bitcoin has already peaked this cycle. Yet BlackRock is buying into this uncertainty, not after the dust settles. That usually means they see: Current prices as acceptable long-term entry pointsVolatility as an opportunity rather than a reason to flee.Institutions that operate on multi-year horizons love fear, because it gives them liquidity from short-term sellers.
3. It heats up the institutional “land grab” BlackRock isn’t alone. Other funds, banks, and asset managers are slowly building out:
Regulated products (ETFs, ETPs, funds)Custody and prime servicesInternal mandates allowing crypto exposure Each time a giant like BlackRock increases exposure, it pressures competitors to review their own allocations, or risk being left behind if BTC and ETH continue to integrate into mainstream portfolios.
How This Ties Into Bitcoin’s Current Market Structure Right now, Bitcoin is in a weird but familiar spot: Price hovering in the low-to-mid $90k range after intense volatility.Some analysts arguing the cycle top is already in.Others noting that ETF flows and institutional behavior don’t yet look like “full mania” peaks.
At the same time, we’ve seen: Large BlackRock-linked BTC transfers to and from Coinbase Prime, interpreted as routine ETF liquidity and settlement flows rather than pure “dumping.” This new $94M purchase where BlackRock receives BTC and ETH, signaling net accumulation.
Put together, it paints a picture of: An institutional base that is actively managing liquidity short term, but still structurally long Bitcoin and Ethereum. That’s very different from 2017 or early 2021, when institutions were barely involved and blow-off tops were almost entirely retail-driven. BTC Outlook: A Data-Backed, But Speculative, Prediction
Not financial advice. This is an educational, scenario-based view using current data and the BlackRock news as one key input.
Starting point Spot BTC price: roughly $92k–94k.
BlackRock: Running a massive spot ETF with ~770k+ BTC
Still accumulating via Coinbase Prime ($94M buy highlighted here)
1–3 month view: Range-bound but tilted bullish My base case: Range: roughly $90k–110k Bias: slight bullish skew Why? Institutional players are clearly buying dips rather than exiting en masse. BlackRock’s on-chain accumulation is a strong example.
However, the market is still digesting: Recent hacks/negative events ETF flow volatility Macro uncertainty All of which can trigger sharp drawdowns like the recent move below $86k.
So in the short term, I’d expect: Sudden shakeouts (liquidations, scary red days), but Strong demand emerging on deeper dips, especially from ETFs and big funds If BTC can hold above the low-80k region on future corrections, it strengthens the case that institutions are forming a higher long-term floor.
Base case (not guaranteed): Institutions like BlackRock continue to treat BTC as strategic inventory
Regulatory environments in the US and EU remain generally supportive or at least not hostile to spot ETFs and corporate holdings
No major “black swan” that destroys confidence in crypto infrastructure
Under those assumptions, a reasonable non-crazy trajectory could be:
BTC revisits and potentially exceeds prior highs of this cycle A probable band of ~$120k–$150k over the next 6–12 months, if: ETF net flows return to consistent inflowsMacro doesn’t slam risk assets across the board
Bull scenario: If we see:
Renewed, strong ETF inflows Other mega-institutions publicly increasing crypto allocationsRetail FOMO coming back in size
…then a more aggressive extension beyond $150k becomes possible. That would likely coincide with headlines about “pension funds buying BTC,” “corporate treasuries rotating into BTC,” etc.
Bear scenario: On the flip side, BTC could retrace to or below $80k if:
ETF products see sustained, heavy outflowsMacro shocks push investors into cash and bondsA major regulatory or security event hits confidence
Even in that scenario, BlackRock-style accumulation would tend to reappear at lower prices, which could still keep the long-term uptrend intact, but with a longer, more painful consolidation.
How To Think About This As An Investor Or Trader
Again, not advice, but some frameworks: Institutions are writing the long-term story. When BlackRock accumulates BTC and ETH during fearful markets, it’s a vote of confidence in the 10-year narrative, not the next 10 days.
Short-term noise vs long-term signal. Noise = hacks, one-day ETF outflows, social media panic
Signal = multi-hundred-million-dollar allocations and ETF holdings that remain massive over time.
$19.1 Billion Liquidated in 24 Hours: What Triggered the Crypto Bloodbath?
In an unprecedented cascade of liquidations, the crypto market has endured one of its most brutal episodes ever. According to Coinglass, within a single 24-hour span the total liquidation volume soared to USD 19.1 billion, impacting 1.62 million traders worldwide. The single largest forced position was on $ETH /USDT on Hyperliquid — a staggering USD 203 million liquidation.
Market Implosion: Widespread Carnage Across Assets $BTC and $ETH , which had earlier taken a beating, clawed back some losses, dropping roughly 7% and 11% respectively during the liquidation storm. Meanwhile, many altcoins weren’t so lucky — some plunged to near-zero levels. Several smaller projects lost over 90% of value. Even wrapped derivatives of major tokens, like WBETH and BETH, saw sharp declines. At one point, IOTX price collapsed entirely.
Further adding to the chaos, stablecoins didn’t escape unscathed: USDE briefly decoupled from its peg, falling to 0.62 before returning. As volatility surged, exchange infrastructure strained — Binance reportedly experienced downtime due to overwhelming traffic.
What Set It Off: Tariffs, Market Makers, and Fragile Liquidity One high-impact spark: former U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement. On October 10, he broached the idea of hiking tariffs on China — and by the early morning of October 11, he threatened a sweeping 100% tariff. The news precipitated sharp sell pressure, especially in risk assets. But geopolitical catalysts only tell part of the story. The deeper currents involved market makers and liquidity allocation. Crypto commentator @octopusycc pointed out that many market makers operate with constrained capital and can’t hedge sufficiently across the breadth of projects in today’s crowded field. Projects are often categorized into tiers (0, 1, 2, 3, 4) based on perceived liquidity and backing. Most funding and support traditionally flow to Tier 0 and Tier 1 projects, leaving smaller ones more vulnerable. After the collapse of prominent firms like Jump, many smaller tokens were left in precarious positions. When Trump’s tariff threat hit, market makers lacked the capacity to prop up all assets. In effect, capital was rerouted to secure bets in major projects, leaving lesser ones unsupported. The result: no counterparty interest, cascading liquidations, and a sharp downward spiral in many assets.
Through Chaos, Some Find Opportunity Even amid turmoil, crypto’s dual nature as a risk-laden playground remains. Some traders who timed it right exited shorts at profit. Others “bought the dip” in mainstream or wrapped tokens — one influencer reportedly converted an entry into USD 8 million in gains by trading USDE and BETH. Still, the broader market faces the task of rebuilding. The magnitude of the shakeout serves as a stark reminder: risk control matters more than ever. And as long as traders stay in the game, there will always be opportunities—though never without peril.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s views and is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Alex Atashkar: Bridging Traditional Photography with Web3 Innovation at NFC Lisbon 2025
Photography: The First Digital Art Movement At NFC Lisbon 2025, during the panel “Digital Ecosystems for a New Generation of Artists,” Alex Atashkar spotlighted an often-overlooked truth in tech and art circles: photography was the first widely embraced form of digital art. Long before blockchain and NFTs entered the mainstream, photographers were already pioneers in digital creation. Atashkar argued that this early transition gives photography a natural advantage in the Web3 era. While photographs freeze moments in time, blockchain technology gives those moments permanence—anchoring them in authenticity, ownership, and security. It's this interplay of the ephemeral and the immutable, he explained, that positions photography uniquely within the digital transformation. He emphasized how blockchain finally delivers what the digital age never could: verified ownership for photographers. In a world where digital images are easily copied and credited to no one, the ability to assign undeniable authorship on-chain marks a significant power shift—one that returns rights and royalties to the creators themselves. It’s a major rebalancing in an ecosystem that has historically prioritized platforms over artists.
Facing Resistance in the Early Web3 Days Reflecting on the inception of SEED.Photo, Atashkar candidly recalled the initial challenges. When the platform launched three years ago, the blockchain space was saturated with hype—focused on speculation, tokens, and fast profits. The concept of using NFTs for fine art and photography was widely dismissed or ignored. Despite skepticism, Atashkar and his team pressed forward. They engaged with global communities, collaborated with artists and developers, and continued to advocate for photography’s rightful place in the decentralized art world. This steady, values-driven approach laid the foundation for SEED.Photo’s emergence as a respected platform for photographic integrity and digital preservation.
From the Margins to the Main Stage What was once a bold vision has become an undeniable trend. As Atashkar noted, photographers are now key players in the NFT ecosystem, with a strong presence at events like NFC Lisbon 2025. This year, not only are photographers participating—they’re being celebrated. The shift, he said, validates what he believed all along: photography is not just compatible with Web3, it’s essential to it. Beyond creating content, photographers are increasingly shaping digital culture and the future of decentralized ownership. Atashkar foresees deeper integration between blockchain systems and visual storytelling, opening up transformative ways for photographic art to be created, distributed, and preserved. Prioritizing Infrastructure Over Hype Looking ahead, Atashkar stressed the need to move beyond momentary excitement and toward long-term infrastructure for digital artists. While interest in NFTs has skyrocketed, many creators still face critical challenges: complex onboarding, limited monetization paths, and a lack of platforms built with their needs in mind. To meet these demands, SEED.Photo is expanding its ecosystem—offering educational tools, simplified onboarding, and curated collections tailored to empower digital photographers. These initiatives, Atashkar believes, are crucial for ensuring the sustainable growth of art within the Web3 space. For him, the mission transcends technology. It’s about culture, equity, and reclaiming the digital narrative. He closed the panel with a powerful reminder: photography should no longer be treated as an afterthought in the tech world—it is a driving force in this new creative era. With its deep digital roots and increasing relevance on the blockchain, photography is poised to shape how the next generation engages with, experiences, and values art online.