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Crypto Merchants Flip to Bots in Sideways Markets, HTX Says

Cryptocurrency merchants more and more leaned on automated methods in 2025 as unstable however largely range-bound markets made directional bets tougher to maintain, in response to a year-end recap from HTX.

The Seychelles-based alternate, previously often called Huobi, mentioned the pattern was most seen within the rising use of grid-based buying and selling bots on its spot platform. In keeping with HTX, grid buying and selling quantity rose 97% 12 months over 12 months in 2025, whereas capital allotted to grid methods doubled.

The rise was particularly pronounced in stablecoin pairs, the place grid buying and selling quantity rose 352% 12 months over 12 months, in contrast with 122% progress in main cryptocurrencies. HTX mentioned the bots had been usually used to seize smaller, repeated value swings reasonably than to guess on sustained market strikes.

In grid buying and selling, merchants set a value vary and let automated orders execute purchase and promote orders because the market strikes forwards and backwards.

HTX ranks among the many world’s 10 largest exchanges by buying and selling quantity, liquidity and platform site visitors, in response to CoinMarketCap.

Supply: CoinMarketCap

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Coinbase expands use of AI brokers throughout buying and selling instruments

Whereas grid buying and selling bots automate execution utilizing fastened guidelines, AI-powered brokers are constructed to make autonomous selections, work together by pure language and function immediately onchain. Coinbase has been among the many most energetic crypto exchanges exploring AI brokers.

As early as August 2024, CEO Brian Armstrong mentioned Coinbase had examined AI brokers, together with a transaction by which one automated bot used crypto tokens to work together with one other AI system and buy AI coaching information, a course of he described as “tokens shopping for tokens.”

In October of the identical 12 months, Coinbase rolled out “Based mostly Agent,” a software that lets customers create AI brokers linked to crypto wallets for automated onchain exercise, together with buying and selling, swaps and staking.

In October 2025 Coinbase launched Funds MCP, a software designed to let AI brokers work together immediately with onchain monetary providers with out requiring API keys. The system permits giant language fashions to entry wallets, onramps and stablecoin funds by pure language prompts utilizing the Mannequin Context Protocol.

Supply: Coinbase Developer Platform

Curiosity in AI-managed buying and selling seems to be rising, with an April CoinGecko survey exhibiting that about 36% of respondents would permit AI brokers to handle most of their crypto holdings.

Nonetheless, some consultants have warned concerning the dangers. Aaron Ratcliff, attributions lead at blockchain intelligence firm Merkle Science, advised Cointelegraph that giving AI brokers entry to crypto wallets provides a brand new layer of belief to programs designed to be trustless, shifting a lot of the safety duty again to customers.

Journal: One metric reveals crypto is now in a bear market: Carl ‘The Moon’