Pudgy Penguins remains the top NFT collection by market cap, holding over 123,000 ETH despite a 53% decline in daily trading volume. The collection’s floor price has risen to 14.05 ETH, and the average sale price increased by just over 2%, signaling continued holder confidence. This resilience contrasts with the broader market trend, where overall NFT sales have dropped 10% in the past week, with Pudgy Penguins and CryptoPunks experiencing declines of 43% and 42%, respectively[2].

Moonbirds posted the strongest performance in terms of liquidity, with trading volume increasing by nearly 19% to 201.2 ETH. The average sale price also rose by almost 11%, driven by 86 sales in a single day—the second-highest among the top five collections. This uptick highlights a shift in buyer behavior, with liquidity and active trading becoming more critical than volume alone[1].

Lil Pudgys maintained a market cap above 33,700 ETH, but its trading volume fell by 17%, and the average sale price dipped slightly. However, its floor price remained stable at 1.549 ETH, suggesting a degree of market confidence in the collection’s value. In contrast, No Bad Trippers saw the most significant price jump, with the average sale price rising nearly 58%, despite a drop in sales by over a third. The collection recorded over 460 transactions in the past 24 hours, the highest among the top five, indicating strong short-term interest[1].

Milady closed out the list with a 25% drop in daily trading volume and a 31% decline in sales. Nevertheless, its floor price and average sale price remained steady, reflecting a cautious but firm stance from current holders. Collectively, these collections illustrate a market in transition, where some blue-chip assets hold value while others struggle amid reduced trading activity and shifting investor priorities[1].

The broader NFT landscape is also witnessing a potential pivot, with gaming-related assets and AI-curated collections attracting renewed attention. Monthly sales reached $574 million, marking one of the strongest performances of the year and pointing to a possible realignment in the types of NFTs that are driving investor interest. This development challenges the traditional dominance of older collections and suggests a market still in the process of defining its new equilibrium[3].

While platforms like OpenSea continue to play a central role in facilitating NFT trading, the evolving nature of the market underscores the importance of platform adaptability and innovation. OpenSea’s ongoing support for token trading and onchain asset creation remains critical as collections and market dynamics shift[4].

Looking ahead, the SEED NFT Marketplace token has drawn speculative attention, with some analysts forecasting a rise to $1.29 by 2026 under a 5% annual growth assumption. These projections offer a potential framework for long-term strategy but remain speculative and should not be treated as guaranteed outcomes[5].

The mixed performance of top NFT collections reflects the sector’s current volatility and sensitivity to both macroeconomic factors and evolving investor preferences. While traditional benchmarks are losing relevance, niche areas like gaming and AI curation are emerging as new drivers of value. Investors must remain agile, continuously assessing the unique dynamics of each collection to navigate this rapidly changing market effectively.

[1] Coindoo, [https://coindoo.com/top-5-nft-collections-market-snapshot-and-performance-trends/](https://coindoo.com/top-5-nft-collections-market-snapshot-and-performance-trends/)

[2] AInvest, [https://www.ainvest.com/news/nft-sales-drop-10-cryptopunks-pudgy-penguins-decline-42-43-crypto-market-downturn-2508/](https://www.ainvest.com/news/nft-sales-drop-10-cryptopunks-pudgy-penguins-decline-42-43-crypto-market-downturn-2508/)

[3] Medium, [https://medium.com/@tonykenler/7-contemporary-digital-asset-trends-reshaping-global-wealth-5ad404306091](https://medium.com/@tonykenler/7-contemporary-digital-asset-trends-reshaping-global-wealth-5ad404306091)

[4] OpenSea, [https://opensea.io/](https://opensea.io/)

[5] Bitget, [https://www.bitget.com/price/seed.photo/price-prediction](https://www.bitget.com/price/seed.photo/price-prediction)

NFT sales experienced a noticeable increase in July 2025, signaling a temporary revival of interest in digital art and collectibles. This growth was attributed to limited-time offers, platform incentives, and heightened visibility on social media [1]. However, despite the surge, the volume of sales remained significantly below the all-time highs recorded in 2024 during the peak of the NFT boom. The rebound does not yet suggest a return to the market’s previous levels of enthusiasm or activity [1].

Market observers remain cautious about the sustainability of this upturn. The NFT market continues to be characterized by high volatility and speculative behavior. While the July spike is seen as a positive development, it has not been accompanied by broad price increases across most NFT categories. Analysts suggest that this indicates a short-term rebound rather than a long-term recovery [1].

The broader cryptocurrency market also reflected a mixed performance. Bitcoin, for example, fluctuated between $112,105 and $119,764 in the week leading up to July 25, 2025, showing minimal movement and relative stability [2]. This environment may have contributed to the renewed interest in NFTs, as investors sought alternative opportunities within the crypto space. However, the lack of significant price action in Bitcoin highlights the ongoing cautious sentiment in the market [2].

Notably, Jamie Dimon’s recent cautious approval of stablecoins did little to offset his continued skepticism toward Bitcoin [3]. His stance, while not directly impacting market mechanics, symbolizes broader institutional reluctance to fully embrace high-risk crypto assets. This hesitance could influence investor behavior, particularly when it comes to allocating capital to volatile assets like NFTs [3].

In response to these challenges, NFT creators and platforms are emphasizing innovation, utility, and community-driven value to attract and retain users. While these strategies may help sustain interest, it remains uncertain whether they will be sufficient to restore the market to its former levels. The July sales spike serves as both a sign of the NFT market’s resilience and a reminder of the challenges that still lie ahead [1].

Source:

[1] title: NFT Sales Spike in July—but Still Miles Below 2024’s Highs – Markets and Prices Bitcoin News, (https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/artificial-gooning-intelligence)

[2] title: Bitcoin (BTC) Price Today, News & Live Chart, (https://www.forbes.com/digital-assets/assets/bitcoin-btc/)

[3] title: Jamie Dimon just gave a thumbs up to stablecoins—but still won’t say anything nice about Bitcoin, (https://fortune.com/)

Annual percentage yield (APY) and annual percentage rate (APR) are key metrics used in the cryptocurrency space to describe the potential returns from staking, lending, or liquidity provision. APY factors in compounding, meaning that earnings generate additional earnings over time. This can significantly increase returns, especially when compounding occurs frequently, such as hourly or daily [1]. In contrast, APR represents simple interest and does not include the effects of compounding. As such, APY values are typically higher than APR for the same investment [1].

The compounding frequency can vary depending on the protocol. For example, rebase tokens such as Olympus and Klima allow users to earn rewards every few hours, leading to substantial APYs. However, the advertised returns are often contingent on the length of the investment and market conditions, including token price and incentive structures. Some protocols distribute rewards in other tokens, which users must manually claim and reinvest to realize the full APY [1].

Impermanent loss is a risk faced by liquidity providers on automated market makers (AMMs) like Uniswap or Sushiswap. It occurs when the price of deposited assets changes, altering the composition of the liquidity pool and resulting in a different ratio of assets upon withdrawal compared to the initial deposit. This can lead to a lower total value than if the assets had been held directly [1].

For example, if Alice deposits 1 ETH and 1,000 USDC into a liquidity pool at a price of 1 ETH = 1,000 USDC, and the price of ETH later rises to 4,000 USDC, arbitrageurs will adjust the pool until it reflects the new price. Upon withdrawal, Alice would receive a smaller amount of ETH and more USDC than she originally deposited, leading to an impermanent loss. If the price of ETH returns to 1,000 USDC, the loss may be reversed, but this depends on the ongoing trading fees collected from the pool [1].

Calculating impermanent loss involves comparing the value of the deposited assets at the time of withdrawal to the value if they had been held. For a 50:50 liquidity pair, a 100% price increase in one asset results in an impermanent loss of about 5.72%. The impact is greater for assets with unequal initial weights or in pools with more than two tokens [1].

The DeFi ecosystem offers high potential returns, but these are often accompanied by high risk. Protocols frequently launch incentive programs with high APYs to attract liquidity, particularly through newly issued governance tokens. While these tokens can experience rapid price appreciation, the high returns are often unsustainable, and liquidity mining campaigns can collapse quickly [1].

Investors should carefully consider both the compounding frequency and the volatility of the assets they are staking or providing liquidity for. In many cases, the fees earned from liquidity provision may not offset the impermanent loss, especially in highly volatile markets. Therefore, understanding the mechanics of APY, APR, and impermanent loss is essential for making informed decisions in the DeFi space [1].

Source:

[1] What Is APY, APR, and Impermanent Loss In Crypto? https://www.coingecko.com/learn/what-is-apy-apr-and-impermanent-loss

According to the latest market statistics, Ethereum-based collections dominate non-fungible token (NFT) sales during the observed period. Bored Ape Yacht Club ranked first with sales of 3.11 million, which is a gain of 308.09% although there were 37.50% fewer transactions. The collection had a record of 10 buyers and sellers, which were a decrease of 23.08% and 16.67%, respectively.

Another project based on Ethereum, the Mutant Ape Yacht Club, made it to second place with sales of $2.87 million, an increase by 483.10%, but the number of transactions and participants decreased by 50.00% and 44.44%, respectively.

Another project in Ethereum, Pudgy Penguins, saw a 124.22 percent growth, having made $1.71 million. This has been justified by an increase of 164.29% in the number of transactions and the occurrence of massive growth in the number of buyers (71.43%) and sellers (130%). CryptoPunks reported 28.24% increase to $1.53 million in transactions, with a moderate increase in transactions and a reduction in buyers of 40%.

Surge in Panini America and Niche Market Activity

Panini America stood out as the most striking increase of all, with 790,088 in sales, a 2455.34 percent increase. Still, transactions grew by 178.97%, buyers by 93.13%, and sellers by 61.47%. This is an indication of heightened operations within the Panini blockchain collectibles market.

The DMarket store (Mythos chain) had decreased sales by 14.98% to $635,196, and almost zero change in transaction volumes. The number of buyers has increased by 1.27, and sellers have decreased by a few units. The SpinNFTBox on BNB recorded a figure of 543,883 in sales figures, with minor drops in transaction levels recorded.

Mixed Results Across Other Chains

Yet other prominent names include Sorare on Ethereum, which generated $450,986 with a 28.35% decline in sales and a 27.77% fall in transactions. With no change in key metrics, $372,283 in sales was held by Solana-based Gib. Milady Maker recorded sales of 349,593, which is a 110.18% increase, with sales backed by 143.75% and 125% transactions and buyers, respectively.

ZK Zyra, a ZK (zero-knowledge) protocol, has announced a strategic partnership with Ispolink, an AI-driven Web3 gaming platform.

With this partnership, Ispolink aims to enhance the growth of its Web3 gaming network.

Current Web3 games are developed on the assumption that all game data is available to anybody who has access to the blockchain. But how do players play games where transparency and privacy are essential?

This explains why this partnership is important. ZK Zyra enables Ispolink to create confidential game mechanics that ensure user experiences are both private and personal.

Ispolink Taps ZK Zyra                        

Ispolink partnered with ZK Zyra to advance its AI-powered Web3 gaming through ZK technology.

With this alliance, Ispolink wants to build safe, AI-driven Web3 games that emphasize data protection and user privacy by leveraging the strengths of the two firms to offer innovative solutions.

The alliance addresses major challenges in blockchain and artificial intelligence by pushing for enhanced advancement in scalability and user privacy protection.

Ispolink will integrate its AI-powered web3 games with Zyra’s ZK technology. Zyra’s ZKPs will enable Ispolink’s information to be verifiable without disclosing the underlying data, like confidential user data, gaming mechanics, and other sensitive information.

With this alliance, Ispolink brings an encrypted knowledge layer for its AI infrastructure to function effectively without infringing on user data and to lay the foundation for the AI-powered Web3 gaming ecosystem that maintains data privacy and integrity.

How ZK Proofs Is Redefining Web3 Gaming

As blockchain gaming continues to advance, the demand for security, equity, and privacy is becoming more crucial than before. Players and gaming development companies increasingly focus on decentralized ownership of assets, user data protection, and fair play.

This is where ZK proofs come in. Zero-knowledge proofs are not only redefining the world of Web3 applications, but they are also reshaping gaming and AI impacts, ensuring verifiable transactions, player privacy, and transparency.

This technology is immensely crucial in blockchain gaming where DApps rely on transparency, but gamers may not want every transaction or activity interaction to be public.

For game development firms (like Ispolink), zero-knowledge proofs unleash new opportunities for building games where fairness, transparency, and competitive privacy coexist. For players, this tech helps them govern their in-game assets and interact with Web3 environments without infringing their confidentiality.

After experiencing a significant 40% price surge in July 2025, Solana (SOL) has entered a period of consolidation and correction, with its price retreating from an all-time high of $205 to $160 by early August [1]. The rally, driven by surging DeFi activity and widespread enthusiasm among investors and developers, marked what many called “Solana Summer.” However, as the month progressed, key on-chain metrics began to signal a cooling off: daily active addresses and total value locked (TVL) in Solana’s DeFi protocols declined, reflecting a cautious shift in market sentiment [10].

The price decline has coincided with broader market dynamics, including investor flight to more established blockchains and stablecoins amid heightened uncertainty [1]. Solana’s fast-paced innovation, while a strength, has at times led to network congestion, causing temporary doubts among traders and developers. Despite these challenges, the blockchain continues to maintain strong fundamentals, including $87 million in network revenue and a highly engaged developer community [3].

Technical indicators suggest that the current support level at $178 is critical for the near-term price outlook. A successful hold above this level could pave the way for a potential rebound, while a break below it might lead to further downward pressure toward $150 [10]. On the upside, a reversal above $190 could reignite bullish momentum and potentially push the price toward $200. Analysts are also watching for signs of a reversal near $220, although this remains speculative and is not a confirmed outcome [2].

Institutional interest in Solana remains a key positive factor. Multiple funds tracking blockchain performance have seen net inflows into Solana products, and several projects are leveraging the current lull to implement upgrades and roll out new DeFi protocols [1]. Notably, the filing of updated paperwork by seven major asset managers for spot Solana ETFs has added to the optimism, with some analysts viewing this as a potential catalyst for further price appreciation [7].

The broader cryptocurrency market is also undergoing a shift in investor attention, with Bitcoin’s dominance dropping from 65% to 60%, signaling increased interest in altcoins [9]. Solana, with its recent momentum and institutional traction, is positioned as one of the key altcoin stories to watch.

Despite a 10% decline in the past week, the price remains 22% below its six-month high and trades near $177 [6]. While the recent volatility has led to $43.8 million in long position liquidations, mostly above $166 [10], some market observers view the dip as a buying opportunity for investors who believe in Solana’s long-term fundamentals and growth potential.

Looking ahead, the coming weeks will be crucial for Solana’s price trajectory. Upcoming network upgrades expected later in August could enhance throughput and stability, potentially attracting more developers and users back to the platform [1]. With a resilient ecosystem and ongoing innovation, Solana remains a focal point in the crypto space, though the next phase of its journey will depend as much on technical execution as it does on broader market sentiment.

Source:

[1] Coinpedia (https://coinpedia.org/price-analysis/solana-sees-370-jump-in-open-interest-can-sol-price-rebound/amp/)

[2] Brave New Coin (https://bravenewcoin.com/insights/solana-price-prediction-harmonic-pattern-and-buy-signal-hint-at-220-reversal)

[3] Bitrue (https://www.bitrue.com/blog/solana-revenue-surges-despite-price-drop)

[4] Coindoo (https://coindoo.com/solana-price-prediction-sol-slips-below-190-after-rate-cut-disappointment-while-unilabs-explodes/)

[5] AInvest (https://www.ainvest.com/news/solana-news-today-hyperliquid-gains-momentum-eyes-80-price-surge-sui-solana-2508/)

[6] Mitrade (https://www.mitrade.com/au/insights/news/live-news/article-3-1000286-20250731)

[7] The Tradable (https://thetradable.com/crypto/solana-sol-price-set-for-potential-boost-as-seven-firms-file-updated-etf-applications-1–v)

[9] XT.com (https://www.xt.com/en/blog/post/altcoin-momentum-builds-as-btc-dominance-continues-to-drop)

[10] CoinJournal (https://coinjournal.net/news/solana-price-forecast-as-sol-bulls-look-to-buy-the-dip/)

The Web3 gaming sector’s combined market cap dips to $18 billion.

• The Web3 gaming sector’s combined market cap dips to $18 billion.
• Bitcoin holds the $115K line, making a historic monthly close.
• Yooldo outperforms the sector after going live on Binance Futures.

But the altcoin market, including the top GameFi tokens, wasn’t as fortunate. There were some winners, but the gains were not as pronounced as during the July rally. However, ESPORTS gained over 60% after it started trading on Binance Futures with up to 50x leverage.

Despite the dip, the GameFi sector expanded its footprint to tap into China.

Here is what happened in GameFi this week.

The combined market cap of the sector dipped 5%, falling below the $20 billion mark. Zooming out on the monthly chart, its market cap increased by 18% while the trading volume is up 33%.

Translation: that full-blown altcoin season has been delayed. Again!

Top Gainers

Top Decliners

The GameFi sector fell from seventh to 18th place on DeFiLlama’s narrative tracker this week, as capital rotated from one sector to another.

The following is not an endorsement of the mentioned projects of any kind, but aims to explain some emerging GameFi projects for the benefit of our readers. None of it is financial advice.

From drafting the whitepaper to launching the mainnet and navigating the ICO era, the game presents Ethereum’s history in a chaotic, interactive format. Released just after Ethereum’s 10th anniversary, the game blends storytelling with fast-paced action and crypto-themed challenges.

GaFin Teams Up With PEPE GAMES for Meme-Fueled Web3 Fun

GaFin has partnered with PEPE GAMES, the first meme-themed Web3 gaming hub on Solana, to deliver free-to-play, play-to-earn games with meme coin rewards, staking, and $PPG airdrops. This collaboration blends meme culture, gaming, and community rewards into a vibrant ecosystem.

Wilder World Launches Wiami.Fun

Wilder World has introduced Wiami.Fun, an AI-powered platform that lets players create custom in-game skins, each generating its own ERC-20 token on Z Chain. These tradeable tokens act like meme coins but unlock playable content, turning creative hype into real, utility-backed value.

What You Can Do Now

• Protect your trades as altcoins bleed.
• Try out Vitalik.Run to experience Ethereum’s early days.

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