The seemingly daily disruption of business models by advances in artificial intelligence continued Monday, sending stock market averages and crypto prices sharply lower. Tied at the hip in recent months to moves in software, crypto prices were under extreme pressure Monday, with many majors now within range of retouching their lows from the Feb. 5 panic.
Bitcoin was lower by 5% over the past 24 hours to $64,000, with ether (ETH) and solana (SOL) down similarly. Coinbase (COIN), Strategy (MSTR), Circle (CRCL) and Galaxy Digital (GLXY) were all down 4%-7%. The only names in the green were those bitcoin miners now running AI infrastructure business models, with IREN (IREN) ahead 5%, Cipher Mining (CIFR) up 3.4%, CleanSpark (CLSK) up 1.5%, and Hut 8 (HUT) gaining 0.7%.
Mystery Hong Kong investor in BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF breaks silence after a $436 million stake sparks controversy. Laurore Ltd., a little-known entity, disclosed a position of about $436 million in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), triggering speculation about the identity of a new bitcoin ETF holder. Hong Kong registry filings show the IBIT stake is linked through director Zhang Hui, a Mainland China passport holder who is also the sole director of Avecamour Advice Limited, a Hong Kong company owned by a British Virgin Islands entity. A spokesperson for Laurore said the $436 million IBIT stake “reflects personal investment conviction,” as records link it to a mainland China passport holder.
Bitcoin ETFs bleed $3.8 billion in historic five-week outflow streak. Ethereum’s cofounder Vitalik Buterin sells more ether while prices continue to slide. Artificial intelligence-driven disruption continues to unsettle markets, with stock indices and crypto prices moving sharply lower as AI headlines weigh on sentiment.
Crypto prices have been under pressure in recent sessions, with major assets near renewed support levels after a Feb. 5 panic. Bitcoin fell about 5% in the last 24 hours to roughly $64,000, with ether and solana also retreating. Several large names, including Coinbase, Marathon Digital, Circle, and Galaxy Digital, declined about 4–7%, while miners adopting AI infrastructure models led gains among a handful of players—IREN up about 5%, CIFR up 3.4%, CLSK up 1.5%, and HUT up 0.7%.
A mystery Hong Kong investor, Laurore Ltd., disclosed a roughly $436 million stake in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), triggering speculation about the identity of a new bitcoin ETF holder. Hong Kong registry filings link the IBIT stake through director Zhang Hui, a Mainland China passport holder who also serves as the sole director of Avecamour Advice Limited, a Hong Kong company owned by a British Virgin Islands entity. Laurore described the stake as reflecting personal investment conviction.
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