Articles
Neutral, dated analysis and explainers across Iran’s markets.
What Is a Money Corridor? How Hawala, the Dirham and Tether Move Money
A money corridor is the route value, not necessarily cash, takes from one country to another. This lesson explains how hawala works, why the UAE dirham anchors so many of these routes, and why Tether has become the "digital dollar" on them, along with their real risks, with no advice on whether to use them.
Bitcoin Reached About $79,650 Today, Its Strongest Month in Over a Year, But It's Still Well Below Its All-Time Record (Thursday, August 27, 2026)
Bitcoin traded around $79,650 today, Thursday, August 27, 2026, per CoinGecko, ArzDigital and TradingEconomics. The world's largest cryptocurrency is having its best monthly performance in over a year, but it remains clearly below its October 2025 all-time record. The main driver has been the US Treasury's August 19 decision to roughly double its long-dated bond buybacks.
Bitcoin Tops $72,000 to Its Highest Since Early June as the US Treasury Doubles Long-Term Bond Buybacks (Thursday, 20 August 2026)
Bitcoin climbed about 5.3% on Thursday, 20 August 2026, pushing past $72,000 to $72,415, its highest level since early June, according to CoinGecko and Sahmino data. The jump accelerated after the US Treasury said it would double buybacks of old long-term government bonds, a move markets read as indirect quantitative easing that weakens the dollar and lifts scarce assets like bitcoin. Around $1.5 billion of short positions were forced to cover.
Trump to Host Coinbase, Ripple and Kraken CEOs at the White House on Wednesday, August 19; CFTC's New Crypto Innovation Committee Holds Its First Meeting the Next Day
President Trump is expected to meet the CEOs of Coinbase, Ripple, Gemini, Robinhood, Polymarket and Kraken at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, according to CoinDesk and Bitcoin.com News; the SEC and CFTC chairs are also on the guest list. The meeting precedes the CFTC's new crypto Innovation Advisory Committee's first session on Thursday, while the CLARITY Act remains stalled in the Senate until Congress returns in September.
The List of Iran-Linked Crypto Exchanges Sanctioned by the US Has Reached Six; Aban Tether and Shelbit Added on Mordad 16
The US Treasury (OFAC) sanctioned two more Iran-linked crypto exchanges, Aban Tether and Shelbit, on Friday, Mordad 16, 1405 (August 7, 2026). The count of Iran-linked crypto exchanges under US sanctions since Khordad 12, 1405 has now reached six, up from four.
Bitcoin Stalls Near $64,500; Friday's US Jobs Report Set to Decide the Next Move
Bitcoin traded near $64,469 on the evening of Thursday, August 6, 2026, after two days of failed attempts to clear $65,000. The market is watching Friday's US jobs report, which could shift the odds of a September Fed rate hike and decide Bitcoin's next move. Iran's domestic Tether rate is trading at a similarly elevated level.
Who Actually Holds Your Crypto? Private Keys, Wallets, and Centralized vs Decentralized Exchanges
This lesson explains what owning crypto actually means: what a private key and a recovery phrase do, why a balance on an exchange and a balance in your own wallet are two completely different things, where centralized and decentralized exchanges part ways, and which legal and security risks are specific to Iran's market, with a labelled hypothetical example and several dated facts.
The Tether vs. Cash-Dollar Spread: A Signal That Matters More Than the Price Itself (Gap Near 39,000 Tomans, July 2026)
When the dollar hits records, a wave of retail buyers rushes into Tether. But professionals do not watch Tether's toman price. They read two spreads: Tether versus the free-market cash dollar, and the free dollar (around 190,000 tomans) versus the Exchange Center's "agreed" rate (near 150,900 tomans), a gap that reached about 39,000 tomans by Tuesday, 21 July 2026. This piece explains why the spread's direction and size matter more than the price.
Tether's Real Return After 83% Inflation: The Brutal 12-Month Math to July 2026
Over the twelve months to mid-July 2026, Tether roughly doubled Iranian holders' money (a nominal return near 117 to 121 percent). But after the central bank's 83 percent year-on-year inflation, its real gain shrank to about 18 percent. In the same window melted gold and the Emami coin returned more in real terms, while cash and bank deposits were heavy losers to inflation. A dated, brutal accounting.
Crypto from Scratch: What Bitcoin Is, What Tether Is, and Why Tether Became Iran's Digital Dollar
Learn from scratch what a blockchain is, how Bitcoin is a scarce but highly volatile asset, and why Tether, which is pegged to the dollar, has taken on the role of a "digital dollar" in Iran, with a labelled hypothetical example, a few dated real figures, and a list of the base risks.
Ethereum Unveils Four-Year Roadmap: Biggest Protocol Rebuild Since The Merge (Monday, July 6, 2026)
Vitalik Buterin unveiled the "Lean Ethereum" roadmap on Saturday, July 4, 2026: a three-to-four-year plan to cut transaction finality from 16 minutes to seconds and harden the network against quantum computers by 2029. Ether traded near $1,791 on Monday, July 6, up nearly 13% for the week.
US Bitcoin ETFs Turn Positive After 10-Day Outflow Streak; Bitcoin Tops $62,000 (Sunday, Tir 14, 1405 / July 5, 2026)
US spot Bitcoin ETFs posted a $221.72 million net inflow on Thursday, July 2, 2026, ending a 10-day, $2.7 billion outflow streak, the largest single-day intake in two months. Bitcoin rose 1.74% to $62,512 by Saturday, July 4, and BlackRock's new staked Ethereum fund pulled in $100 million on its debut day.
