The anatomy of market manipulation in DeFi

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Latest Insights
DEX
31/03/2025 Data Debrief
DeFi faces new test as low-liquidity token gets manipulatedBitcoin fell alongside equities as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data and weak sentiment indicators fueled stagflation fears on Friday. Meanwhile, Crypto.com announced that it will support Trump Media’s upcoming ETF offerings, and GameStop experienced volatility after doubling down on Bitcoin.
Written by The Kaiko Research TeamCEX
24/03/2025 Data Debrief
SOL Institutional Demand Tested.Risk assets, including crypto, experienced gains in the early hours of Monday as concerns over the upcoming April 2nd tariffs eased. In other news, Kraken acquired a futures exchange for $1.5 billion, the U.S. Treasury lifted economic sanctions on Tornado Cash, and the SEC dropped its appeal against Ripple.
Written by The Kaiko Research TeamDeFi
17/03/2025 Data Debrief
Anatomy of market manipulation in DeFiBitcoin bucked its downtrend last week adding 3% while the S&P 500 briefly entered correction. Binance secured its first institutional investment from Abu Dhabi’s MGX group, the largest ever single investment in a crypto firm at over $2bn. Elsewhere, Coinbase prepares for 24/7 BTC and ETH futures trading, as traditional platforms jostle to offer round the clock services.
Written by The Kaiko Research TeamStablecoin
10/03/2025 Data Debrief
Stablecoin Adoption Amid New RulesBitcoin experienced sharp swings last week after President Trump announced a less ambitious-than-expected strategic crypto reserve. Meanwhile, the U.S. imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico but later granted temporary partial exemptions until next month. In another development, the SEC dropped its case against Kraken, potentially paving the way for its IPO.
Written by The Kaiko Research Team
Latest Analyst Calls
08/10/2024
October Analyst Call: Forecasting Crypto Markets with IVWatchIn our October analyst call, we explored how to leverage implied volatility (IV) to assess market sentiment during stressful market periods and gave a market outlook heading into Q4.
17/09/2024
September Analyst Call: Breaking Down the Summer Sell-OffWatchIn our September analyst call, we explored the state of crypto market liquidity and volatility following this summer’s market sell-off, and took a look at ETH’s price dynamics since the launch of the ETH ETF.
18/06/2024
June Analyst Call: The State of Crypto ETFsWatchIn our June analyst call, we explore the state of crypto ETFS and take a look at Euro stablecoin market structure, regional market trends, and Kaiko’s crypto exchange liquidity report.
Latest REPORTS
Quarterly Market Report
03/10/2024
Quarterly Report: Q3 2024DownloadThe past few months in financial markets have been punctuated by short periods of volatility. In August, crypto prices plunged as traders grappled with shifting macroeconomic conditions around the globe. Despite the intermittent volatility and the typical lower volumes over the summer months, there were some bright spots. Altcoins gained traction towards the end of the quarter as liquidity conditions improved. Meanwhile, BTC ETFs’ trade volumes and inflows remained robust amid market uncertainty and large liquidations.
Partner Report
04/07/2024
The State of the Japanese Crypto MarketDownloadDespite its early adoption advantage, Japan’s crypto market faces unique challenges. This report explores regional crypto market trends and examines the historical factors that have influenced the development of Japan’s domestic exchanges and key players over time.
Regional Report
20/06/2024
The State of LATAM Crypto MarketsDownloadIn 2021, El Salvador became the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender, cementing Latin America’s crypto-friendly reputation. In this report we will explore trends in trading activity across LATAM, looking into the leading exchanges, most popular crypto assets, and major developments for this region on the rise.
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