🔴 Cryptocurrency markets logged another week in the red, despite significant acquisitions by the leading crypto treasury firms and reports of growing crypto exposure by Wall Street giants.

The week started on a bullish note, after Michael Saylor’s Strategy announced a $2 billion Bitcoin investment near the $81,000 mark, recording the corporate holder’s third-largest acquisition for 2026.

Later in the week, investors rejoiced following JPMorgan’s latest quarterly filing, which showed a 174% increase in the investment banking giant’s Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) exposure.

However, Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs reported a mixed digital asset strategy, after its filing showed it cuts its XRP and Solana investments while maintaining most of its Bitcoin exposure despite the crypto market downturn.

Lastly, Bitcoin is starting to gain a growing role in the US 🇺🇸 -Israeli 🇮🇱 war with Iran 🇮🇷, after reports started circulating of a new insurance platform that would offer ships safe access through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for BTC payments.

Together, the developments highlight that Bitcoin and cryptocurrency adoption are no longer affected by the bear market downturns, as large corporations, Wall Street giants, and entire governments continue seeking exposure to the technology 🌍.

In this week’s CoinStats Scoop, you’ll find:

📊 Crypto Market Analysis And The Most Important News In Web3

💵 Strategy Buys $2 Billion In Bitcoin Near $81,000

🏛️ JPMorgan Increases Bitcoin ETF Exposure By 174% In Q1

📉 Goldman Sachs Cuts XRP And SOL Investments Amid Market Downturn

⚓ Iran Plans “Hormuz Safe” With Bitcoin Payments

🔮 Analysis And Key Events That Will Shape The Crypto Market Next Week

Strategy Buys $2 Billion In Bitcoin Near $81,000 💰

Strategy, the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, made another eye-watering acquisition, as it continues to raise fiat capital to fuel its BTC accumulation 🐋.

Michael Saylor’s Strategy acquired 24,869 Bitcoin for over $2 billion during the past week, at an average aggregate price of $80,985 per BTC, according to a filing with the US 🇺🇸 Securities and Exchange Commission.

The latest purchase lifts Strategy’s total holdings to 843,738 BTC, bought for $63.7 billion at an average cost basis of $75,700 per BTC.

Over 95% of the latest acquisition was funded with proceeds from the sale of its STRC perpetual preferred stock, which has financed some of Strategy’s largest acquisitions to date 💼.

The $2 billion purchase marks Strategy’s third-largest acquisition year-to-date in 2026, signaling that the largest corporate holder is continuing its BTC acquisitions during the current bear market and positioning for more long-term upside in the world’s first cryptocurrency.

JPMorgan Increases Bitcoin ETF Exposure By 174% In Q1 💹

JPMorgan Chase added to its Bitcoin exposure during the first quarter of the year, signaling more institutional appetite for spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The investment banking giant increased its exposure to BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) by 174%, from 3 million shares in Q4 2025 to 8.3 million reported in Q1 2026, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

JPMorgan also reported adding to its investments in other crypto funds related to Ethereum and Solana, along with some investments in Bitcoin mining stocks.

The growing Bitcoin exposure marks a strong sign of institutional confidence from JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank controlling over $4.4 trillion in total assets.

The banking giant’s growing investments occurred despite Bitcoin’s value falling by about 22% during Q1 2026, presenting a better entry opportunity for institutions seeking long-term BTC exposure 💎.

🔻 However, the spot Bitcoin ETFs still closed the quarter in the red, recording about $500 million in outflows, before starting their rebound in April, according to Sosovalue.

Goldman Sachs Cuts XRP And SOL Investments Amid Market Downturn 🥀

U.S. 🇺🇸 investment banking giant Goldman Sachs has sold off its XRP and Solana positions, as the latest company to rotate out of digital assets amid the crypto bear market.

Goldman Sachs sold all its XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) and Solana ETF holdings, according to the bank’s 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for Q1 2026, published earlier this week.

The filing came as a surprise for crypto investors, considering that Goldman Sachs previously reported about $154 million in XRP ETF holdings in Q4 2025, as the largest corporate XRP ETF holder.

Despite the exit from the altcoin positions, Goldman Sachs continued to hold about $700 million worth of spot Bitcoin ETFs through BlackRock’s and Fidelity’s funds, reporting a marginal decrease of about 10% in the position 🛡️.

The filing shows that the banking giant is gradually cutting its exposure to altcoins, but continues to show confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term price trajectory, while large Bitcoin treasury firms continue accumulating amid the bear market discount.

🥇 Goldman Sachs ranks as the 5th largest bank in the US, controlling over $1.8 trillion in total assets. The firm often ranks as the most prestigious investment banking firm on Wall Street, and its corporate holdings are closely followed by investors.

🇮🇷 Iran Plans “Hormuz Safe” With Bitcoin Payments

Iran is reportedly considering plans to launch an insurance scheme allowing ships to pay for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz 🚢 via digital methods such as Bitcoin.

Iran’s Ministry of Economic Affairs is considering an “insurance-based model” that would have ships pay for an “insurance in Bitcoin through a platform called ‘Hormuz Safe,” according to a state document obtained by Far News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Leaked screenshots of the Iranian platform showed the option to buy “Secure Digital insurance for Maritime Cargo” via BTC.

The report shows how Bitcoin is gaining a growing role in global military conflicts, illustrating another side of the growing BTC adoption.

As the only non-sovereign, non-governmental financial asset, Bitcoin’s decentralized nature makes it the perfect asset for the platform, as neither central banks nor intermediaries can stop transactions or seize funds on the Bitcoin network 🔓.

Access through the Strait of Hormuz remains the central issue in the ongoing war, as over 20% of the global oil trade flows through the strait. The shrinking passage is reducing the global oil supply, leading to sharp increases in fuel and consumer goods prices 🛢️.

Market Overview: Bitcoin ETFs See $1 Billion In Outflows In 2 Days, As Iran Threatens War Escalations

Cryptocurrency markets staged another week of decline, amid stagnation with the United States market structure bill and investor concerns over ongoing geopolitical conflicts.

📌 After losing the $80,000 psychological support zone last week, Bitcoin’s price slid by 2.4% during the past week, to find its footing above the $77,000 mark, data from CoinStats shows.

Investor appetite for risk assets was drastically deteriorated by escalations in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened to escalate the conflict “beyond the region” if the U.S. or Israel resumed attacks against Tehran, reported CNBC on Wednesday, May 20.

The faltering demand was also visible in spot Bitcoin exchange–traded fund (ETF) flows, which recorded 3 days of consecutive outflows, with a major $648 million sold on Monday, May 18, according to Farside.

Looking at the first two trading days of the week, the ETFs sold over $979 million worth of total BTC.

These declining inflows were a significant contributing factor for Bitcoin’s decline, wrote analytics firm Glassnode, adding:

🗣️ “BTC rolled over from a local peak above $82K into the mid-$76Ks, with spot demand, ETF flows, and speculative positioning weakening. Long-term holder strength remains a key source of support.”

As for the most important price levels to watch, $79,500 is emerging as the next major resistance with $900 million worth of cumulative leveraged short liquidations for the bulls to push through.

Conversely, Bitcoin holds a strong support level at $75,700, a price mark that holds nearly $900 million in leveraged long liquidations that could open the door for more cascading downside, if broken 🪜.

🐻 Looking at the other top cryptocurrencies, Ether’s price confirmed a bearish breakdown from the current levels, wrote CryptoQuant analyst Pelin Ay, based on technical trading patterns:

💬 “If Ethereum fails to reclaim the broken triangle structure, selling pressure could accelerate further, and price may target the $1,350 support level.”

🐦 Tweets & Memes

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Did bears take back control of the cryptocurrency market❓

The supply overhang from those who bought the cycle top is still limiting the chances of a sustained Bitcoin recovery 📦 .

💊 Pump.fun resumes Solana token sales after 9 months. More SOL selling pressure?

Military insiders are making a killing on Polymarket and other prediction markets…🎖️

The blockchain’s transparency can be a double-edged sword for the crypto industry 🗡️.

🕵️ For investigators, the blockchain offers new tools to fight cybercrime!

The Ethereum Foundation saw some of its key staff leave over the past few months. What’s going on?

Thank you for reading the weekly CoinStats Scoop Newsletter.

CoinStats will continue to guide you through the world of crypto and DeFi. We’ll see you next week for another edition of CoinStats Scoop! 😎