19th August 2025 – (New York) The global cryptocurrency market slipped below $4 trillion on Monday, retreating from record highs reached last week. Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, dropped by as much as 2.5% to approximately $115,000, while Ether, the second-largest token, declined over 5% to dip below $4,300, according to CoinMarketCap.
The combined market capitalisation of cryptocurrencies fell to $3.9 trillion, a stark contrast to its peak of $4.2 trillion last week. Bitcoin had surged to an all-time high of $125,514 on 14 August, while Ether came within $100 of its November 2021 record.
The rally earlier this month was largely driven by institutional investors, particularly digital-asset treasury firms that accumulate cryptocurrency reserves. Michael Saylor’s Strategy, a pioneer in this space, has amassed over $72 billion worth of Bitcoin. On Monday, the company disclosed it had purchased an additional $51.4 billion in Bitcoin between 11 and 17 August.
Despite these bullish moves, market sentiment has shifted. “The market has experienced sustained profit-taking after last week’s record highs,” said Caroline Mauron, co-founder of Orbit Markets. She added that the enthusiasm surrounding crypto treasury investments appears to be tapering off.
Other major players in the crypto market have also faced challenges. Metaplanet Inc., a Japanese hotel operator with $2.2 billion in Bitcoin holdings, has seen its value drop by roughly 50% since its mid-June peak.
BitMine Immersion Technologies Inc., a Las Vegas-based company led by Thomas Lee, announced its cryptocurrency holdings exceeded $6.6 billion on Monday. The firm, which began accumulating Ether in June, has seen its shares skyrocket by more than 600% this year.