Hodl Up! Your weekly crypto catch up: Week 24 '25
Unrest in middle east leads to market crash, is Bitcoin under the risk of being completely in centralized hands and why degen gambling just sounds cool and actually isn't.
Just when we thought $BTC would break the all time high and Ethereum would finally pump into the 3,000s, what we have seen in the last 48 hours: It seems like a difficult time ahead for tech based financial markets. War is never good - neither for the people nor for the economy and this one looks bad. Hopefully it gets resolved sooner rather than later.
Gemini’s report on Bitcoin holdings brought up the same old debate on whether Bitcoin can still be considered decentralized and fair if institutions/nations hold so much of it.
And finally a post I saw on X that I think should definitely be shared with and discussed with as many people in the community as possible on why memecoin riches are not that easy.
NOTE: NOTHING EVER MENTIONED IN ANY OF OUR CRYPTO TALK’s POSTS/NEWSLETTERS/CONTENT IS FINANCIAL ADVICE. ALWAYS DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.
Israel–Iran Escalation: Can Bitcoin Stand Its Ground?
Over the past 48 hours, global markets have been rattled by sudden escalations in the Israel- Iran conflict. The fallout has been swift and widespread, across traditional markets and crypto alike.
Wall Street reacted sharply, with major indexes posting notable losses. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all saw red, driven by investor unease, rising energy prices, and fears of broader conflict. Volatility spiked, defense stocks surged, and travel-related sectors took a hit.
Asian markets followed suit, with equities dipping and oil prices surging on supply disruption fears. Gold climbed as investors sought safety, reminding everyone that in times of chaos, the old shiny metal is still the king.
Bitcoin and the broader crypto market weren't spared. Bitcoin dropped below $104K at one point, dragging the rest of the market with it. Roughly $200 billion in crypto market cap evaporated almost overnight. So much for the "digital gold" label, for now.
Can Bitcoin Rise Through the Smoke?
This moment, though painful , may still be formative. Bitcoin didn’t behave like a safe haven this time, but it's showing signs of developing resilience. The dip was brief, and large holders appeared to buy the weakness. It held key technical levels and bounced quickly - an encouraging, if early, sign.
This shouldn’t be surprising. True safe-haven status isn’t earned overnight. Gold took centuries. Bitcoin is still in its teens. But these stress-tests are the proving grounds for its evolution into a credible, global asset.
What to Take Away
Bitcoin isn't there yet, but it’s holding up better than many risk assets did in past crises.
Market panic is indiscriminate - early moves are often emotion-driven. Bitcoin’s reaction fits that pattern.
Decentralized assets still matter in uncertain times. But conviction needs to be matched with proper custody, long-term perspective, and emotional discipline.
⚠️ 30% of All Bitcoin Is Now in Centralized Hands
A new report from Gemini reveals that around 30% of all Bitcoin is now held by centralized entities including exchanges, ETFs, government treasuries, and large public companies. That’s over 6 million BTC sitting in the hands of just a few hundred organizations.
On the surface, this may seem like a natural evolution. As Bitcoin matures and enters the mainstream, institutions and sovereigns want exposure. ETFs and corporate treasuries offer easier access for big money, and as demand rises, so does institutional control. But beneath that surface lies a concerning trend: power and custody are concentrating, fast.
Some of the largest holders now include BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF, Binance, and Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy. Together, just a handful of players control a significant portion of the total supply. Meanwhile, governments also hold large reserves, much of it from seized funds - adding a layer of unpredictability to future market moves.
This kind of centralization isn’t shocking. In fact, it was always going to happen if Bitcoin was ever going to be taken seriously as a global reserve asset. Big players need guardrails and control structures. But that doesn’t mean it’s entirely positive. Bitcoin was built to be decentralized, permissionless, and resilient against any single point of failure (and control). If too much influence falls into too few hands, we risk undermining the very thing that makes Bitcoin revolutionary.
The good news? The Bitcoin protocol itself hasn’t changed. It’s still accessible, open, and designed for anyone to use without asking permission. But as Bitcoin continues its march toward mainstream financial dominance, it's more important than ever for individual users to self-custody, stay educated, and support decentralization.
Adoption doesn't have to mean surrender. Let the institutions come, but let the people stay sovereign as we definitely don’t want to create another “Bitcoin“.
The meme trenches are not cool: Change My Mind
I’ve never been a fan of memecoins. Yes, it is a decentralized and free industry and I’ve never hated them either. I’ve never personally traded them (I have held DOGE for some time though) and I don’t find the idea of losing tons of money on memes “cool“.
So when I saw this post on X by vohVohh, I knew I had to share it.
Take a look at this month’s data on Pump.fun traders:
Nearly half of all wallets (48.7%) are sitting on realized losses under $500.
Add in those who made less than $500 and over 95% of wallets are either underwater or barely profitable.
Only 0.15% of wallets made between $10K and $50K.
And a mere 0.0004% made between $200K and $500K (just 4 wallets total).
Let that sink in: you are statistically more likely to lose money than make even $1K, and your chances of serious profit are almost zero.
The memecoin trading game has become a high-speed casino, powered by narratives, timing, and blind luck, not strategy or fundamentals. The meme trenches aren’t "early-stage opportunities," they’re traps disguised as trends. Liquidity is thin, most tokens are dead in a day, and your exit depends on convincing someone else to buy your bag. That’s not investing , it’s just FOMO-fueled speculation.
And on top of that there is a narrative on Crypto X that losing money in meme trenches is cool, no it is not. People who bet high and lose don’t find it cool and I hope you don’t find it the hard way.
A Look At The Markets
We were so close this week, the market had pumped to $3.48T in TOTAL market cap. Even Ethereum had finally crossed and held $2,800 for a day before the black swan even discussed above and so it all came back. Back to $3.28T at the time of writing.
Biggest Winner
$SPX: Crazy but yes, $SPX has just made history by becoming the winner of the week twice in a row. Another 34% pump even in this economic climate and that too at a market cap of nearly $1.4B.
Biggest Loser
$S: One of the most hyped ecosystems on X unfortunately not being able to replicate it with its price as Sonic falls 12.3% this week and a massive 40% over the last 30d.
This is it for this week’s HODL UP! guys. Praying for everyone caught in the middle east in this difficult situation and we’ll catch up next week! Stay Safu.