Bitcoin price today August 21 2025: BTC Pauses at $113K; XRP Tests $3, DOGE Finds Whales, DBS Goes On-Chain

TL;DR: The Bitcoin price today August 21 2025 is holding around $113.6K ahead of Powell’s Jackson Hole remarks. Altcoins led by SOL and DOGE pushed higher; XRP volume tripled into the $3 ceiling. DBS launched tokenized structured notes on Ethereum. Our sentiment gauge reads mildly positive with a “YZY/Kanye” burst in residuals.

1) The Market’s Main Character: Waiting on Powell

For traders tracking the Bitcoin price today August 21 2025, BTC hovered near $113.6K while risk assets waited for clarity from Jackson Hole. The tape felt like it was breathing through a straw: enough demand to keep Bitcoin above recent lows, but not enough conviction to mark a clean breakout. When macro is the main character, intraday narratives often fade into the background—today was one of those days.

Participants continue to lean on familiar levels. Support sits near $108K; if that breaks decisively, the door reopens to a psychological round-trip toward $100K. On the topside, bulls want a constructive close back above local supply so the market can resume trend rather than chop. While BTC hesitated, investors rotated into higher beta names, letting altcoins quietly steal the show.

Takeaway: Macro sets the tone; crypto is “breathing through a straw” until Powell speaks. Position sizing and patience matter more than hero trades on days like this.

2) Momentum Sub-Plots

XRP — Squeeze the $3 Lid

XRP was loud. Trading volume tripled its daily average as buyers tested $2.99–$3.00 repeatedly. Bulls point to $3.17 as a cleaner breakout that could invite momentum funds back in; skeptics counter that a failure at the round number could drag price back toward the $2.65 zone where liquidity has been stronger. Either way, participation is back, which is often the first ingredient for durable trend.

DOGE — Whales Show Up

On-chain wallets accumulated hundreds of millions of DOGE through August, turning a scary dip into a swift V-shaped recovery. The pivot we’re watching is $0.22. Holding that area keeps the higher-low structure intact and preserves the idea that whales are absorbing supply on dips rather than exiting into strength. For traders, DOGE remains a high-beta proxy when BTC stalls—tight risk management is non-negotiable.

SOL — Quiet Leader

SOL rallied with DOGE while Bitcoin moved sideways. The leadership baton passing to alts often signals a cautious-risk-on mood. If BTC stays rangebound, SOL can keep attracting flows from traders chasing relative strength; if BTC breaks lower, expect correlations to snap back fast.

3) Adoption You Can Touch: DBS on Ethereum

DBS, Singapore’s largest bank, launched tokenized structured notes on Ethereum. Breaking traditional notes into roughly $1,000 units and distributing via regulated platforms brings real-world assets to more investors without sacrificing guardrails. For more context, see DBS Bank’s official site. For crypto natives, the win isn’t just headlines—it’s a deeper liquidity stack, better secondary-market mechanics, and a clearer path for institutions that need compliance-friendly infrastructure.

Why traders should care: RWA rails create demand for block space and stable on-chain settlement. Over time, these products reduce the “crypto or TradFi” dichotomy and push us toward “crypto as the settlement layer,” which tends to be constructive for majors in risk-on regimes.

4) Security Coordination Levels Up: Beacon Network

A TRM Labs–led group unveiled Beacon Network, a coordination layer designed to identify and freeze illicit funds quickly across participating venues. This is less about marketing and more about muscle memory: the faster exchanges and payment providers can share indicators, the lower the attacker’s escape velocity. Tighter response loops usually translate to lower realized losses and fewer headlines that scare new capital away.

More on CoinDesk coverage of DBS tokenization.

5) Narrative Check: Is the 4-Year Cycle Dead?

Cycle debates resurfaced today. On-chain data still rhymes with prior halving eras: profit-taking from veteran holders, bursts of risk appetite in alts, and mood swings around macro events. None of this guarantees new highs tomorrow, but it argues that structure isn’t broken. In practical terms, it means dips into defended areas tend to find buyers, and euphoria needs fresh catalysts, not just hopium.

6) What the Crowd Felt (Relikon’s Analytics)

• Items processed today: 1,922
• Average sentiment: +0.014 | Peak: 0.026 | Trough: -0.009
• Residual spikes: YZY, Kanye, Powell — matching today’s headlines and social buzz.

The rolling line above shows sentiment warming through the Asia/early-Europe window before chopping into the U.S. morning. That pattern fits a market that wants to risk-on but respects the calendar. The residuals catch what the averages hide: celebrity-token chatter made a big, fast dent in attention, and “Powell” lifted as the speech cycle neared. These are the kind of undercurrents that move order flow before price catches up.

7) Levels & Setups (Not Financial Advice)

• BTC: $113.6K range; $108K support; loss risks $100K. Context: the Bitcoin price today August 21 2025 is neutral-to-firm but headline-sensitive.
• XRP: $2.99–$3.17 battleground; clean close above $3.17 strengthens the case for a push higher.
• DOGE: $0.22 as the pivot; sustained bid suggests whales are buying dips rather than distributing into strength.
• SOL: Relative-strength leader with DOGE; look for higher lows on pullbacks if BTC stays stable.

8) Quick FAQ

Q: What is the Bitcoin price today August 21 2025?
A: Around $113.6K at the time of writing, with rangebound action into Jackson Hole.

Q: What should I watch next?
A: Powell’s remarks, XRP’s close vs. $3.17, DOGE holding $0.22, and follow-through on the DBS tokenization theme.

9) Social Snippets

Twitter/X: Bitcoin price today August 21 2025 ~ $113.6K ahead of Powell. XRP 3× vol at $3, DOGE whales stack, DBS tokenizes notes. Sentiment mildly green; YZY spike. Charts ⤵️

LinkedIn: DBS tokenized notes on Ethereum ($1k units) = real RWA rails. Here’s how it lines up with today’s macro pause and our sentiment data.