Saylor’s STRC Faulters, Uniswap Gets a Boost, And More – Week In Review

FeaturedPublished:Jun 20, 2026, 4:30 PMThis week’s crypto stories cut across market structure, adoption, sentiment, and policy. STRC’s sharp drop stress-tested Saylor’s bitcoin credit machine, UNI rallied on fresh long-term optimism, and Latin America extended its lead in stablecoin use for payments. Ethereum also came under fire from critics, calling it a lost-decade asset, while Illinois approved a new crypto transfer tax that is already drawing industry backlash.WRITTEN BYSHAREPublished: Jun 20, 2026, 4:30 PMKey TakeawaysSTRC hit $82.53, testing Michael Saylor’s credit structure as analysts warn of deeper stress.UNI rose 23% as Standard Chartered’s 37x DeFi forecast renewed institutional interest.Illinois’ 0.2% crypto transfer tax starts Jan. 1, 2027, raising fears of startup flight. WEEK IN REVIEW $82.53 Intraday Low: How STRC’s Drop Tests Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin Credit Machine STRC, Strategy Inc.’s variable-rate preferred stock built to hover near $100, instead flirted with the basement Thursday, printing a fresh intraday low… read more Editor’s comment: Considering Saylor built STRC with ChatGPT in a few hours, no one is shocked that it may have some unresolved quirks. The market is going to have to go up rather quickly to save Saylor and silence the growing list of analysts predicting a massive LUNA-esque meltdown. UNI Climbs 23% in a Day as Standard Chartered Forecast Sparks Fresh Interest The Uniswap utility token (UNI) jumped over 23% in 24 hours to pass $3.60, pushing its seven-day gains to nearly 50% and its market cap to $2.2 billion… read more Editor’s comment: Standard Chartered essentially thinks that because tokenization will drive up the amount of assets in DeFi by 37x, which would then theoretically pump UNI by a similar amount. On the latest episode of Token Narratives, we talked about some of the things we felt were wrong about that forecast. Nonetheless, it’s good to see big institutions become more interested in DeFi. 71% of Latam Institutions Are Now Using Stablecoins for Cross-Border Payments, Report Finds According to The Digital Chamber, this high level of adoption will be further driven by incoming regulations that integrate crypto into traditional financial solutions… read more Editor’s comment: Brent Johnson’s stablecoin-powered dollar milkshake theory appears to be slowly coming true, dollar by dollar, country by country. The next phase to watch for will be whether or not these stablecoins can prop up treasuries, and then later in the future, go out the risk curve into tokenized stocks and other assets, completing the loop of exporting dollars only to have them come right back to US markets. Ethereum Trades Flat Over 9 Years, 14% Below Its 2017 High Once Inflation Is Counted Pseudonymous trader Pentoshi has branded ether a cursed asset stuck in a lost decade, arguing the token sits near the same level it traded nine years ago… read more Editor’s comment: We already know ETH is struggling, but it’s sobering to see laid out in plain numbers. If you had held this entire way through without taking profits on the bull market tops, you would’ve been outperformed by nearly everything. This is what is driving the conversation over token value accrual and the difference between Ethereum the network and ETH the asset. They are sadly not the same thing. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Greenlights Crypto Tax of 0.2% on Every Transfer Starting 2027 Illinois has enacted a 0.2% tax on digital asset transfers that will apply whether a trade ends in profit or loss, beginning Jan. 1, 2027… read more Editor’s comment: As Mert put it, this is essentially like moving cash from your left pocket to your right pocket and being taxed on that. Unfortunately, illogical tax laws like this have been very effective at driving wealth, startups, and jobs away from many jurisdictions in Europe, Canada, and elsewhere. The US cannot afford to make the same mistake.