Ethereum Gains Institutional Traction as AI Agents Seek Crypto Integration

Ethereum (ETH) is gaining significant institutional momentum, now accounting for 45% of perpetual futures volume, surpassing Bitcoin (BTC) at 38.1%, according to OKX Chief Commercial Officer Lennix Lai. ETH is trading at $2,770, up 11% this month, while BTC rose only 5%. Lai attributes this to ETH's role as a bridge between decentralized finance (DeFi) and traditional finance (TradFi).

• Glassnode reports (link) show long-term BTC holders realized $930M daily profits during rallies, yet supply grew, indicating accumulation outweighs distribution.
• ETH's rise is fueled by regulated DeFi access, while BTC benefits from ETF inflows.
• Macro risks remain, but Lai predicts $3,000 ETH is likely.

The stablecoin market hit an all-time high of $228B, with Tron leading inflows ($6B in May). Ethereum and Solana saw outflows as capital rotated to faster chains like Base and Solana.

• a16z Crypto (link) argues AI agents require blockchain for cross-platform transactions.

• Projects like Halliday and Catena are building protocols for agent-to-agent payments.

• DappRadar (link) reports gaming dominance fell to 19.4% due to lack of engaging gameplay.

• Venture funding dropped to $9M in May from $220M in late 2024.

• BTC: Fell 2% to $108.5K amid geopolitical tensions.

• ETH: Rose 5% to $2,800 on $815M ETF inflows.

• Gold: Up 0.97% to $3,363 on cooling U.S. inflation.

• Nikkei 225: Down 0.22% on yen strength.

Disclaimer: Parts of this article were AI-assisted and reviewed by CoinDesk's editorial team.