Bitcoin started the week of August 24–30 above $77,000. BTC gained more than 21% last week, while investors shifted their attention to US inflation, the Jackson Hole symposium and comments from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh.
On the crypto calendar, network upgrades for BNB Chain and Zano stand out. New tokens from DGAI, PROPR and TMX will enter the market, while the circulating supplies of SIGN and ZORA will expand.
PCE data will shape interest rate expectations
The week’s most important data will be released simultaneously on Wednesday, August 26, at 3:30 p.m. Türkiye time. The US Bureau of Economic Analysis’ official calendar includes the July personal income and spending report and the second estimate of second-quarter economic growth.
The market expects headline PCE inflation, which the Fed closely monitors, to rise 0.1% month over month. The annual rate is forecast to decline from 3.7% to 3.6%.
Core PCE is expected to increase 0.2% monthly and 3.3% annually. A higher-than-expected reading could raise the possibility of an interest rate hike in September and push long-term Treasury yields higher.
No revision is expected to the initial estimate showing that the US economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.5% in the second quarter. Durable goods orders are forecast to rise 0.5% in July.
Jackson Hole’s theme directly concerns the crypto market
The Kansas City Fed’s annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium will take place in Wyoming from August 27 to 29. This year’s theme is “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy.”
The theme matters for stablecoins, tokenized assets, digital payments and central banks’ approach to financial innovation. Central bank officials, economists and policymakers will attend the event.
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh will deliver the symposium’s keynote address on Friday, August 28, at 5:00 p.m. Türkiye time. The time of the speech has been confirmed on the Fed’s events calendar.
Markets currently assign an approximately 40% probability to an interest rate hike in September. Futures pricing has largely factored in at least one increase by December.
Oil prices keep inflation risks alive for crypto
Tensions involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz are increasing the impact of energy costs on central bank decisions. Brent crude fell 1.5% on Monday but remained near $93 per barrel.
According to Reuters, investors are awaiting details of new US sanctions against Iran. Iran’s threat to disrupt energy exports from the Gulf is keeping the risk of another increase in oil prices alive.
Higher energy prices could fuel PCE inflation and make it more difficult for the Fed to move toward rate cuts. This outlook represents one of the week’s main risks for Bitcoin and altcoins, which remain sensitive to liquidity conditions.
Two Asian central banks will announce rate decisions
The Bank of Thailand will announce its interest rate decision on Wednesday, August 26, at 10:00 a.m. Türkiye time. The bank’s meeting schedule confirms the date, while the current policy rate stands at 1%.
The Bank of Korea will announce its decision on Thursday, August 27, at 4:00 a.m. Türkiye time. The bank raised its rate by 25 basis points to 2.75% in July.
South Korean policymakers have indicated that further tightening could remain on the agenda due to high inflation and strong economic growth. The decision could affect Asian currencies and regional risk appetite.
BNB Chain and Zano networks will receive upgrades
BNB Smart Chain’s Pasteur upgrade will activate on the mainnet on Tuesday, August 25, at 5:30 a.m. Türkiye time. According to BNB Chain’s announcement, node operators must upgrade their client software to version v1.7.7 before the activation.
Pasteur will strengthen bridge transaction verification and validator key security. Tests on the testnet reportedly increased transaction capacity from 1,237 to 2,324 transactions per second.
Privacy-focused network Zano will also activate Hard Fork 6 at block 3,833,000. According to the project, the network is expected to reach this block between August 25 and 27.
The upgrade will introduce Gateway Addresses, making it easier for exchanges and cross-chain applications to connect with Zano. Wallet users, mining pools and node operators must update their software before the network reaches the target block height.
Three tokens are entering the market
DGrid AI’s DGAI token will begin trading on Bitget on Monday, August 24, at 11:00 a.m. Türkiye time. The exchange confirmed the launch time for the DGAI/USDT pair in its official listing announcement.
Propr, a proprietary trading platform built on Hyperliquid, will also launch the PROPR token on August 24. The project’s roadmap places the token generation event and the start of spot trading on the same date, although it does not provide an exact time.
Fixed-rate lending protocol TermMax will hold its TMX token generation event on August 25. TMX is designed as the protocol’s governance and utility token.
SIGN and ZORA token unlocks will be closely watched
A total of 207.78 million SIGN tokens will enter circulation. The project’s calendar lists the event for August 28 at midnight Beijing time, meaning the unlock will occur on Thursday, August 27, at 7:00 p.m. Türkiye time.
At the current price, the SIGN unlock is worth approximately $3.63 million. The value will change alongside movements in the spot price.
ZORA will unlock 166.67 million tokens on Sunday, August 30, at 8:30 a.m. Türkiye time. The unlock represents approximately 1.67% of the total supply and is worth around $1.1 million at the current price.
Of the unlocked tokens, 72.5 million will go to investors, 52.5 million to the team and 41.67 million to the treasury. The latest distribution figures and approximate dollar value are available on ZORA’s unlock calendar.
IREN will report its financial results
IREN, which is shifting from Bitcoin mining toward artificial intelligence cloud infrastructure, will release its fiscal 2026 results on August 27. Due to the time difference, the company’s conference call will begin on Friday, August 28, at midnight Türkiye time.
IREN’s investor announcement shows that the report will cover the fiscal year ending June 30. Mining revenue, energy expenses and investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure will be among the main items to watch.
Bitcoin Asia will take place in Hong Kong
Bitcoin Asia 2026 will take place in Hong Kong on August 27 and 28. The organizer’s event page says more than 150 speakers and over 10,000 attendees are expected.
The program will focus on Bitcoin infrastructure, institutional capital, adoption across Asia and regulation. CZ, Balaji Srinivasan and Hong Kong Legislative Council member Johnny Ng are among the announced speakers.
The full calendar of 24 developments for the week is as follows:
- August 24: PROPR token generation event.
- August 24, 11:00 a.m. Türkiye time: DGAI/USDT trading begins on Bitget.
- August 25, 5:30 a.m. Türkiye time: BNB Smart Chain Pasteur upgrade.
- August 25: TMX token generation event.
- August 25–27: Zano Hard Fork 6 activation.
- August 25, 5:00 p.m. Türkiye time: US July new home sales; forecast 619,000, previous 628,000.
- August 25, 5:00 p.m. Türkiye time: US consumer confidence; forecast 90.1, previous 90.8.
- August 26, 4:30 a.m. Türkiye time: Australia’s July inflation data.
- August 26, 10:00 a.m. Türkiye time: Bank of Thailand interest rate decision.
- August 26, 3:30 p.m. Türkiye time: US durable goods orders; forecast 0.5%, previous 0.3%.
- August 26, 3:30 p.m. Türkiye time: Second estimate of US second-quarter growth; forecast 1.5%.
- August 26, 3:30 p.m. Türkiye time: US July PCE inflation.
- August 27, 4:00 a.m. Türkiye time: Bank of Korea interest rate decision.
- August 27, 3:30 p.m. Türkiye time: US weekly jobless claims; forecast and previous reading 206,000.
- August 27, 7:00 p.m. Türkiye time: SIGN token unlock worth approximately $3.63 million.
- August 27–29: Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium.
- August 27–28: Bitcoin Asia 2026.
- August 28, midnight Türkiye time: IREN financial results conference call.
- August 28, 2:30 a.m. Türkiye time: Japan’s July unemployment rate.
- August 28, 3:30 p.m. Türkiye time: Canada’s June and second-quarter GDP data.
- August 28, 4:45 p.m. Türkiye time: Chicago PMI; forecast 57.9, previous 57.6.
- August 28, 5:00 p.m. Türkiye time: University of Michigan final consumer sentiment reading; forecast 51.
- August 28, 5:00 p.m. Türkiye time: Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech.
- August 30, 8:30 a.m. Türkiye time: ZORA token unlock worth approximately $1.1 million.
