Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Efforts to recover and persistent macroeconomic worries are causing the price of Bitcoin to oscillate.

The top token's price is in a sensitive stage within its broader market framework.

Currently, the market is in a stage of transition, having moved away from a period of exuberant expansion but not yet entering a condition of complete surrender. The price of Bitcoin was unable to maintain its position above $70,000 and has begun to experience another downturn.

BTC is currently positioned under the $69,200 support zone and could potentially experience further declines in the short term.

Source: CoinGeckoThe current dynamics of the market show how those driven by short-term, speculative objectives are competing with others who have longer-term, conviction-based views.

The top cryptocurrency, nevertheless, may be about to see further losses, according to onchain data.

According to market researcher Ali Martinez's latest chart on social platform X, the Cumulative Value - Days Destroyed (CVDD) has identified Bitcoin's lowest point since 2012.

— Ali Charts (@alicharts) February 14, 2026 This measure, which is now valued at $45,225 according to the expert, is highly regarded for its ability to identify structural lows over the long term on the blockchain.

Satoshi Nakamoto introduced CVDD in 2009 as a way to value Bitcoin over the long run.

Its goal is to identify major market bottoms by analysing how holders behave over the long term.

The idea of Coin Days Destroyed (CDD) must be understood in order to understand the CVDD measure of Bitcoin. The total amount of Bitcoin that has been collected but is still in a wallet is called CDD.

To determine a price that has historically matched the important Bitcoin cycle bottom, CVDD now tracks the entire historical value of destroyed coin days and uses this information in its valuation model.

As far back as 2012, CVDD has consistently and remarkably pinpointed major Bitcoin price bottoms.

At its core, the model evaluates when older, long-held coins are spent. When the market is doing well, long-term investors will sell. When the market is doing poorly, they will purchase.

In light of market volatility, CVDD has consistently provided a safety net during price declines. During the lows of various market cycles, including those in 2015, 2018, and 2022, Bitcoin's price occasionally fell beneath the CVDD line before initiating significant long-term recovery.

Experts think existing market conditions present a significant opportunity at $45,225 for CVDD.

Understanding this level as a historically important structural support is essential if market conditions deteriorate, though it does not guarantee that the price will fall to this level.

The overall market tends to be in a stronger macro position when BTC consistently trades above CVDD. Conversely, when Bitcoin's price approaches a decline, individuals often experience negative sentiments and are inclined to gather more coins for future gains.

While Bitcoin continues to find its footing in its present range, it could be instructive to watch if the price remains enough above the $45,225 CVDD mark.

Although a change in tactics in this direction might mean more correctional pressure, the fact that the cycle has been consistently strong above this level suggests it is still fundamentally solid.

Bitcoin Dips Below Key Level

Once it surpassed the $70,000 mark, the price of Bitcoin couldn't stay there. After breaking below the $69,200 support level, Bitcoin has begun a fresh decline.

Something changed below the $69,000 level.

According to TradingView, the price has dropped below the $70,935 high, which is the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement mark of the rise from the $65,072 swing low.

Support for the hourly BTC/USD pair is at $69,500, and a negative trend line underneath it. The current price of Bitcoin, at around $68,600, is quite close to the 100-hour simple moving average.

If the price remains stable over $68,000, a fresh upward trend would be possible. Approximately $68,800 is the current level to keep an eye on.

Source: TradingViewRoughly speaking, the $69,500 milestone is the first major obstacle.

Price escalation is possible if the $69,500 resistance level is broken. The price might rise and test the $70,000 level of resistance in this case. The price might reach $70,500 if there are more hikes. Potentially approaching levels of resistance for the bulls are $72,000 and $72,500.

However, Bitcoin can start a new decline if it can't break over the $69,500 barrier mark.

Nearby support is available for about $68,200. Starting from the $65,000 swing low and working its way up to the $70,935 peak, the 50% Fibonacci retracement level and the first major support level are both located around $68,000.

Currently, the $67,350 mark is where the next level of support is located.

If the price continues to fall, it may hit the $67,350 support level. Bitcoin may see difficulties in its near-term recovery if it drops below the current key support level of $66,500.

The Ethereum ecosystem witnessed the largest losses in 2024 amid a massive rise in crypto hacks.

According to a Cyvers report, the Web3 ecosystem suffered staggering financial losses in 2024, with over $6 billion drained through hacks, exploits, and cyberattacks, with Web3 hacks resulting in $2.3 billion loss.

Among the affected blockchains, Ethereum emerged as the hardest hit, accounting for 51% of these losses. Notably, as the backbone of decentralized finance (DeFi), Ethereum’s widespread adoption and liquidity made it a primary target for cybercriminals.  

Alarming Growth in Web3 Security Breaches   The numbers highlight a troubling trend. Losses soared by 40% compared to 2023, showing how hackers are evolving faster than ever. The year saw $2.3 billion siphoned from blockchain projects, exchanges, and DeFi platforms, with Ethereum users bearing the brunt.  

According to Cyvers, the quarterly breakdown showed consistent financial damage, with Q1 losses reaching $517 million, Q2 rising to $587 million and Q3 peaking at $669 million. Interestingly, in Q4 2024, losses slowed to $130 million.  

Although 2024’s total remained below the $3.78 billion record set in 2022, the upward trajectory signals worsening vulnerabilities in the Web3 space.  

Why Ethereum Was a Prime Target   Ethereum’s dominance in the DeFi ecosystem made it particularly vulnerable. Its extensive user base and massive liquidity pools presented hackers abundant opportunities. From smart contract flaws to access control weaknesses, attackers leveraged every vulnerability.  

While Ethereum suffered the most significant financial damage, other blockchains also endured heavy hits. The BNB Chain accounted for 24% of losses, while Bitcoin, XRP, and Arbitrum each faced smaller but substantial breaches.

Access Control Failures   Security lapses involving access controls were the primary culprit behind the year’s crypto losses, contributing to 81% of the stolen funds. Weak authentication and poor permission management left users and projects exposed.  

The remaining 19% stemmed from smart contract exploits. Hackers exploited coding errors to manipulate systems, drain funds, and compromise platforms. Together, these vulnerabilities showed the pressing need for better security practices across the industry.  

Major 2024 Hacks The Cyvers report also called attention to some of the most high-profile incidents of 2024. For instance, DMM Bitcoin lost $305 million, while PlayDapp saw $290 million vanish. Other notable breaches included WazirX, which lost $235 million, and Radiant Capital, which suffered a $55 million theft.  

While some funds were recovered, success rates declined sharply as the year progressed. Early 2024 saw promising recoveries, with $620 million reclaimed in Q1 and $562 million in Q2. However, this momentum faded by Q4, with only $25 million recovered during the final months.  

DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.

Power Ledger (POWR) is a project that has seen quite a bit of interest lately. This has resulted in increased demand and trading for its POWR token.

The project was one of the first to introduce blockchain based P2P power trading. They want to not only decentralise the process but also democratize it and give users a platform to sell their excess electricity. It also aims to optimise trading and eliminate waste that comes from centralised grids and providers.

Ambitious goals, but can it realistically achieve it?

In this Power Ledger Review I will attempt to answer that. I will also take a look at the long term use cases and adoption potential of the POWR token.

What is Power Ledger?Power Ledger was the very first ICO conducted in Australia, and as a blockchain company it is somewhat unique in being non-financial in the field of financial blockchain projects.

Power Ledger has a goal of decentralizing the renewable energy markets and placing it into the hands of the users, and out of the control of centralized energy companies.

Key Areas of Focus for Power Ledger. Image via Website

Power Ledger wants to make it possible for the end user to buy renewable energy, as well as selling their own unused renewable energy, by using the Ethereum blockchain to record energy consumption, usage, and creation.

When you consider the shift to renewable energies such as solar by industry, business, and residential users it seems common sense to have a system in place that allows these new renewable energy systems to sell their excess power back into the grid rather than simply letting it go to waste.

It’s an ambitious idea, but when you consider the vast usage of energy across the globe, could Power Ledger represent a new gold rush? Could this be a project that will become as valuable as the original coal, oil, gas, and nuclear power industries have become?

Let’s take a deeper look into Power Ledger and see the potential it has for the future.

Overview of Power LedgerPower Ledger token holders are empowered to sell their surplus renewable energy through Power Ledger’s blockchain based platform. It’s possible to transmit this privately generated energy through the existing electricity distribution networks, or through micro-grids created on the Power Ledger platform.

The platform is empowering for consumers because it allows them to manage their own energy production, usage, and distribution. This is something novel in today’s world, allowing consumers to also become producers and distributors of energy products.

Overview of Decentralised Electricity Market

Power Ledger facilitates the sale and trading of energy, and consumers can receive payments for their excess renewable energy production in real-time through the decentralized, trustless, automated, and totally secure Power Ledger platform.

Buyers are able to choose only clean, green energy sources, and both buyers and sellers leverage blockchain technology. This means settlement costs are significantly lower than in the traditional energy markets, and translates to significantly higher returns for consumers who choose to invest in renewable energy.

There are a number of applications already running on Power Ledger, with more planned for the future. Current applications allow for micro-transactions, data acquisition, grid management, power metering, and more.

Key Applications on Power LedgerThe Power Ledger platform has been designed to handle most aspects of renewable energy transfer, including such things as carbon trading and market price management. Below are the current six applications that have been developed and released for PowerLedger.

xGridThe xGrid application allows individuals to sell the energy they generate from their own solar panels to other households on the electricity grid.

In the 21st century consumers are increasingly aware of, and concerned with, their impact on the environment. Many are now aware of their carbon footprint and are seeking ways to reduce it, but not everyone has the money or the space to install solar panels.

xGrid Solving the Current Market Challenges

Power Ledger believes everyone should have access to low cost renewable energy sources, and the peer-to-peer trading capabilities of the xGrid application makes that possible. As an added benefit is also ensures that the investment value of installed solar panels remains in the community where that investment is made.

With xGrid it’s possible for users to sell their excess electricity to their neighbors. This also allows electric companies to add new consumers and prosumers to their roles. If the prosumer also has batteries to store energy they can help the energy retailer manage price risk through the Power Ledger VPP 2.0 product we will discuss later.

µGridWhere xGrid works for residential users, µGrid is meant for larger applications, such as shopping centers or apartment buildings. It allows these spaces to monetize their roof space, or allows the tenants to take control of their energy supply.

One barrier to installing solar in larger complexes such as apartment buildings has been convincing all the tenants to share the cost of installing solar panels. It’s just been too difficult to find a way to make sure everyone is being equally compensated in such a situation.

How µGrid addressees challenges

Now Power Ledger has made it possible to install solar in commercial spaces and monetize the often large rooftop spaces. Tenants and residents can use their share of the energy produced, or they can sell it, often to those who are closest to them. This keeps all the investment and proceeds from the renewable energy right within the same community.

This even benefits the building developers and managers because they can offer tenants more attractive energy rates compared with the traditional energy companies. And the detailed usage statistics allows building managers to track usage at a granular level, allowing for better energy efficiency in common areas and across the entire community.

VPP 2.0The VPP 2.0 application allows those renewable energy producers with batteries to sell the stored electricity during peak demand periods to achieve the best returns of their investment. It also helps to solve the demand shortages and price spikes that are so common within the electricity delivery industry.

VPP 2.0 And its Solutions

In the current system energy companies can offer incentives ahead of time when they anticipate demand will spike, but there’s been no way to account for the energy contribution that customers might be likely to make.

With the Power Ledger VPP 2.0 application it’s now possible for energy companies to track the contributions being made by customers in near real-time. This provides energy companies with readily available capacity and energy when they need it, and provides returns to customers more quickly.

PPA VisionPPA Vision is Power Ledger’s energy data management and settlement system for energy asset owners and operators, It provides greater visibility for energy that’s sold on the spot market or to offtakers.

With PPA Vision members in a Power Purchase Agreement can receive billing and settlement functionality for energy generated and sold to offtakers or on the wholesale energy market, as well as measurement tools.

The PPA Vision application was designed specifically for co-located renewable energy assets and PPA supply arrangements.

Data collected from onsite metering is then presented in an accessible dashboard with the following features:

Matching of coincidental generation and consumption.Showing energy transactions between buyers and sellers.Simple and in-depth analysis of the usage and transaction data by both parties.Settlements for the energy supplied from the generator to the offtaker.Reports to individual consumers of their energy transactions.Remittance of any energy sold to the wholesale market.In traditional metering and billing systems inaccuracies often exist, especially when multiple power providers are in the mix. This leads to delayed payments to power producers, and possibly even a loss of revenue.

C6The C6 application is used in the verification, reporting and measuring of carbon credits and renewable energy credits. It is blockchain based, and integrates with outside data management systems and smart meters to provide crucial information regarding carbon and renewable energy credits.

C6 can generate reports for small electric vehicle infrastructure trying to track carbon credits, or it can let a massive petrochemical plant know how many carbon credits they need to purchase.

C6 Features and Use Cases

C6 also makes it a simple task for owners of wind and solar farms to track their carbon credits, as well as monitoring and obtaining carbon and renewable energy credits. The carbon credit reporting procedures are complex, but C6 automates much of the work, reducing the time and effort spent in producing paperwork and reconciling data.

C6 has also been seamlessly integrated with C6+ to create an end-to-end system for the carbon and renewable energy credit ecosystem.

C6+C6+ also resides on the blockchain and it creates a digital exchange and marketplace for renewable energy credits and carbon credits. It does this by tokenizing credits which allows for the transfer and sale of carbon credits and renewable energy credits in a decentralized marketplace.

In the U.S. alone a majority of stats require electric companies to supply a portion of their electricity from renewable sources. Many electricity companies simply purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to meet these requirements. As countries around the world begin to implement programs to meet their Paris Accord targets the demand for RECs will increase dramatically.

So far most of these REC programs are paper-based and broker-driven, but Power Ledger hopes to change that by allowing RECs to be traded on an intuitive digital exchange.

Major Product Features of C6 Plus

Most have been excluded from the carbon credit and renewable energy markets due to a lack of transparency and extreme complexity. This has led to the concentration of power in the hands of a few large players and brokers. C6+ will give energy players a new paradigm that is composed of transparency, efficiency, and relative simplicity.

Buyers will be able to log into the platform and easily begin buying, and sellers will be able to log in and easily begin selling. The platform itself will handle all the details and complexity behind the scenes.

Even more importantly for those involved in the energy markets will be a drop in costs. Sellers of renewable energy and carbon credits will face lower transaction costs and faster sales, while buyers will get better pricing in a fair and open marketplace.

What are POWR Tokens?Access and permissions on the Power Ledger platform are controlled by POWR tokens. They can be used for trading on the platform, but they also have real world uses.

Those hosting applications on the Power Ledger platform are required to purchase and hold a minimum number of POWR tokens to allow their users to interact in the marketplace.

All transactions are conducted in a deregulated and decentralized marketplace, without the need for third-party intermediaries. This is one of the top reasons for using blockchain technology and tokens in a marketplace system.

ERC20 POWR Tokens on Etherscan

The market’s customers can also convert their POWR tokens to Sparkz tokens from within the platform. No intermediary is needed for this, which keeps the applications working without any outside interference.

POWR tokens are similar to a software license in that they grant access to the platform and its features. They are also valid anywhere in the world, which will encourage wider participation in the Power Ledger ecosystem.

Sparkz and Smart BondsAll that is required to have access to the smart bond functionality is possession of POWR tokens. In addition to the initial tokens acquired to host an application, the application hosts also receive additional tokens from a growth pool as an incentive to spread the usage of their application, and to create new applications. All the POWR tokens can be held as surety for Sparkz.

The POWR tokens are kept in an Ethereum smart bond contract that was designed specifically for Sparkz. These Sparkz are the internal currency used for the Power Ledger platform and are the medium of exchange for buying and selling energy on Power Ledger.

Once they are done using Sparkz they can unlock their POWR by returning the Sparkz to the smart bond contract.

The Power Ledger team has been referred to as remarkable. It was co-founded by Dr. Jemma Green, Dr. Govert Van Ek, John Bulich, and David Martin. These four co-founders have extensive experience in renewable and sustainable energy, blockchain technology, and risk management.

Dr. Green remains the Chairman of Power Ledger, guiding it in accordance with the vision initially set when the company was launched in 2016. She spent a decade with JPMorgan Chase, following which she completed her Ph.D in Electricity Market Disruption.

The Power Ledger Team. Image via Power Ledger

John Bulich is the technical director of the project and provides strategic direction for the project. He was a co-founder of Power Ledger and a pioneer in Australia’s blockchain scene.

The founders of Power Ledger created the company with a hope that they could facilitate increased green energy production and usage through blockchain technology.

It's also worth mentioning Bill Tai recently joined their advisory board. A venture capitalist since 1991, Bill Tai has served on the advisory boards of 7 publicly listed companies where he joined in the initial stages and helped guide the companies to where they are today.

Power Ledger PartnershipsPower Ledger is engaged in partnerships with international energy companies and government around the world, including a number in Australia and Japan. They have also begun trials in the U.S., in Thailand, Italy, India and Malaysia.

Power Ledger Project Distribution and Footprint

In Australia they are working with Australian National Energy Market retailer Powerclub, and have inked a deal with EPC Solar Canberra. They are also involved in a peer-to-peer solar energy trading project in the Kanto region of Japan, and have recently entered a trial to bring a blockchain based REC marketplace to the Midwestern U.S.

Other recent developments include an agreement with Thailand’s largest renewable energy developer BCPG to bring the Power Ledger technology to Thailand. They are also trialing a peer-to-peer solar energy trading marketplace in Malaysia.

POWR PerformancePower Ledger held their ICO in September/October 2017, raising $13.2 million and selling 350 million POWR tokens for $0.0838 each. The token began trading on November 1, 2017 at a price of $0.052671, which must have been disappointing for early investors.

They didn’t remain disappointed however since the ICO occurred just before the parabolic rise of the cryptocurrency markets in December 2017. POWR rose along with the broader market, hitting an all-time high of $2.01 on January 4, 2018.

POWR Price Performance. Image via CoinMarketCap

It also followed the broader market lower in the cryptowinter of 2018, and nearly two years later on December 18, 2019 it hit its all-time low of $0.034268.

2020 has been kinder to the POWR token as it began the year with a gradual move higher from its start at $0.035, and then in February it exploded to a high of $0.128305 in mid-February. It has since pulled off those highs and as of late February 2020 trades at $0.086, which is roughly where it began at its ICO.

Trading & Storing POWRWhen it comes to the markets for POWR, it has pretty broad exchange support. Your best bet for trading the token is perhaps Binance that has pretty strong Bitcoin order books. However, there are also pretty well established markets on BitHumb and Upbit.

Register at Binance and Buy POWR Tokens

In terms of volume and liquidity, it is well spread out across these exchanges. This bodes well for the price discovery of the token as it means that traders are able to quickly and effectively arbitrage out any sort of mispricings. It also means that they can trade with large block orders without too much slippage.

For storage, given that POWR is an ERC20 token you should not have too much difficulty. You can use any wallet that will support Ethereum such as MyEtherWallet, Metamask etc. Although, your best bet is probably to get your hands on a hardware device like a ledger or a Trezor.

Power Ledger vs Grid+ vs WePowerGrid+ is similar to Power Ledger, although there are some key difference. On the similarity side both are blockchain based, and both allow consumers to buy renewable energy directly. Both utilize a token based system.

Power Ledger Compared to Others

On the differences, Power Ledger is P2P focused, while Grid+ offers wholesale sales and pockets the profits. Grid+ has its own hardware for figuring out energy pricing, while Power Ledger uses local metering. Grid+ is relatively new, and Power Ledger has been around since 2016.

WePower and Power Ledger are pretty similar in that they both allow for selling solar energy, they’re both blockchain based, and they both use tokens. Power Ledger uses a straight-forward P2P selling setup, while WePower uses an auction based system. Power Ledger and WePower have both developed global partnerships.

ConclusionPower Ledger has an admirable vision in looking to improve the energy sector by making renewable energy cheaper and more easily accessible. The system they’ve developed could eventually see even those in large developments obtaining electricity from local providers working on micro-grids and PAAs.

Since its beginnings in 2016 Power Ledger has been continually developing new services, and improving their existing services, which is exactly what we like to see from blockchain projects.

As the platform gains in adoption it becomes more likely that it will disrupt the entire energy production and distribution system. That could drive down prices for consumers dramatically given the current state of electricity generation and distribution. The growing adoption also makes people begin to change the way they view the means for purchasing and consuming energy.

If Power Ledger has its way renewable energy sources will become far more feasible and widespread in usage, which is something that can only be good for the world.

Disclaimer: These are the writer’s opinions and should not be considered investment advice. Readers should do their own research.

Welcome to BeInCrypto’s first daily news roundup. We plan on making these a regular feature on the site to help you quickly catch up with the latest happenings in the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

The top stories from March 4 (Wed) include:

#1 Bitcoin’s Growth Likely to be Spurred by 2020 Economic Stimulus EffortsThe cryptocurrency market already started the week on a positive note against the backdrop of a stock market rebound and various stimulus measures adopted by central banks to stop the economy from collapsing. With the Bitcoin narrative consistently growing, odds are high the asset class could emerge a big winner once the panic over the coronavirus outbreak subsides.

Read the Full Article

#2 Buy Bitcoin and Be Prepared to Lose Your Shirt, Says Incoming Bank of England GovernorAndrew Bailey is back with his anti-crypto rhetorics. In a recent Treasury Select Committee hearing, the incoming Bank of England Governor stated that investors who plan on buying Bitcoin may well be prepared to lose all their money.

Read the Full Article

#3 BitMEX Users in the UK are Worried Over a Possible FCA CrackdownThe United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said that BitMEX may be operating there without a valid license. The exchange was, however, not the only digital assets trading venue to have found itself in the crosshairs of the regulatory body.

Read the Full Article

#4 Kraken Receives a Warning From Top UK RegulatorSaying that Kraken was unauthorized to operate in the country, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the United Kingdom, likened the exchange to “scammers” in a new announcement. The announcement, however, fails to specify why Kraken users could be ‘at risk.’ Nonetheless, Kraken users in the UK are now fearing for a looming FCA crackdown.

Read the Full Article

#5 A Massive Win for Crypto in IndiaFollowing months of uncertainty, Indian cryptocurrency investors can finally breathe a huge sigh of relief as the country’s top court has struck down the Reserve Bank of India’s banking ban for cryptocurrency entities. Following the judgment, several homegrown crypto exchanges in the country are reportedly preparing to offer direct bank transfers.

Read the Full Article

#6 Binance is Down and People Are Freaking OutBinance users suffered yet another massive setback on Wednesday after most of the exchange’s services (including spot trading) went down abruptly. There were widespread reports of users failing to cancel their trades. At least on one occasion, a user alleged that they saw unauthorized transactions taking place on their Binance account.

Read the Full Story

#7 Did a Delayed Tether Chain Swap Cause the Binance Outage?Tether notified the community that there would be a delay in its planned chain swap with a third party. The delay coincided with the massive Binance outage that has left many users disgruntled and worried about the safety of their funds. Some analysts are suggesting that the two events could be related.

Read the Full Article

#8 CME Bitcoin Futures Volume Collapse Raises Uncomfortable QuestionsWith the coronavirus-induced global market panic going on a full swing, there has been a significant decline in CME’s Bitcoin futures volume. It’s a borderline collapse for the platform, the more skeptical among us might argue. But exactly what triggered this downward spiral? Did we prematurely put too much faith in institutional interest in the asset class? Has Bitcoin failed to prove its worth as a reliable hedge? Some uncomfortable questions are being raised.

Read the Full Article

#9 A New Digital Economy of CBDCs and Stablecoins Looming on the Horizon and Banks Seem to Have Accepted itNot only are several major economies around the world preparing to launch their own Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC), but most major banks are also mulling over implementing distributed ledger technology (DLT) solutions. The implicants of these changing dynamics could be enormous for the cryptocurrency space.

Read the Full Article

#10 Four Altcoins That Have Considerable Upside PotentialOur technical analyst Valdrin has dug up four relatively unknown, but promising altcoins that you might be interested in. These are Chiliz (CHZ), Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR), THETA (THETA), and Power Ledger (POWR).

Read the Full Article

#11 Technical Analysis for the Day [BTC, LINK, EOS, MATIC]MATIC broke out above key resistance area, Link reached an all-time high, and Bitcoin continues to hover around the high-$8,000s with an eye on the next major resistance area at $9,150.

Read Full Analysis: BTC, MATIC, EOS, LINK

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Australian energy exchange platform Power Ledger has partnered with green energy retailer ekWateur to revolutionise France’s electricity market, according to a press release.

The partnership will enable French citizens customise their source of electricity for the first time using Power Ledger’s blockchain-based system.

More than 220,000 electricity meters across France will gain access to Power Ledger’s new blockchain-enabled product Vision, which certifies the origin and source of renewable energy.

We get a lot of questions about how our POWR tokens work within our Power Ledger ecosystem. So we developed a short "POWR Explained" summary.

If you still have questions, please DM us and we will compile all the answers in the coming days for everyone. https://t.co/6e6M7tL1qn

— Powerledger (@PowerLedger_io) March 31, 2020

Households will be able to choose their own energy mix and track it in thirty minute intervals, as well as choose a certified source and origin of the renewable energy purchased.

“Power Ledger has proven the technology works and now we’re ready for a full scale country rollout in what will be our largest project to date. This also marks a world-first in energy trading, with customers able to select their energy mix, knowing it’s certified via an immutable blockchain platform,” said Power Ledger executive chairman Dr Jemma Green.

The platform’s token (POWR) has responded as expected to the announcement with a 7.88% move to the upside against its USD trading pair while rallying by 10% against Bitcoin.

The project now has a market cap of $25 million, up significantly from the turn of the year when it was just $15 million.

For more blockchain news and guides, click here.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. We do not give advice on financial products.

Crypto Investor Positions for Possible Altcoin Season with These 6 Tokens

This week in the crypto market, Bitcoin’s price surpassed $68,000, and the market capitalization returned to over $2.28 trillion.

BeInCrypto noted special investor interest in events such as Grayscale’s review of 35 altcoins for potential investment products and investors’ expectations of an altcoin season ahead of the US elections.

Additionally, Miles Deutscher has suggested several altcoins, claiming they might have a strong growth potential. The community is also paying attention to Craig Wright’s legal plans and Tesla’s Bitcoin movements.

Grayscale Unveils 35 Potential AltcoinsEarlier this week, Grayscale announced a list of 35 altcoins under consideration for future investment products. Following the announcement, many of these altcoins experienced significant price increases over the week. The top 10 altcoins on the list saw gains ranging from 13% to 49%.

Read more: 11 Cryptos To Add To Your Portfolio Before Altcoin Season

The Top 10 Best-Performing Altcoins of the Week are part of Grayscale’s Potential Candidates. Source: DropstabThirty of the 35 altcoins enjoyed a green week, with only Kaspa (KAS) and Helium (HNT) facing notable declines of -4% and -7.4%, respectively.

“Assets Under Consideration lists digital assets not currently included in a Grayscale investment product but identified by our team as possible candidates for inclusion in a future product,” Grayscale explained.

Additionally, Grayscale filed with the SEC to convert its Digital Large Cap Fund into an ETF, following the success of transforming Bitcoin Trust and Ethereum Trust into spot ETFs.

Miles Deutscher Highlights 4 Altcoins Investor Miles Deutscher introduced four altcoins that he believes could deliver 10x returns. These altcoins focus on GameFi, artificial intelligence (AI), Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN), and real-world assets (RWA) sectors, including:

SuperVerse (SUPER) Bittensor (TAO) Mantra (OM) Render (RNDR) Read more: 7 Hot Meme Coins and Altcoins that are Trending in 2024

Price Performance of Altcoins Suggested by Deutscher. Source: TradingViewSince his announcement, the prices of these altcoins have slightly declined, which occurred as Bitcoin Dominance reached a three-year high. Deutscher also commented on meme coins, suggesting they are at a crossroads and may face a short-term correction.

Craig Wright Plans to Sue Bitcoin CoreOn October 11, a tracker from the UK High Court revealed that Craig Wright is taking legal action against Bitcoin Core and Square.

Wright, representing himself in the case as a “direct claimant,” is seeking £911 billion ( ~$1.18 trillion) from Bitcoin Core and Square, alleging they misrepresented Bitcoin (BTC) as the true version of the digital asset created by Satoshi Nakamoto.

Additionally, Wright threatened to sue MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor for allegedly misrepresenting Bitcoin. The Australian computer scientist is also filing three other legal appeals in the UK, two against the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) and one targeting Peter McCormack.

Read more: Satoshi Nakamoto – Who is the Founder of Bitcoin?

Altcoin Season Ahead of US Presidential Election?Throughout the week, several crypto industry experts expressed optimism for altcoin’s price ahead of the US presidential election. Ki Young Ju, CEO of CryptoQuant, suggested that a Trump victory could spur regulatory changes that would trigger an altcoin season.

“If Trump wins, expect regulatory changes, including fee switches enabling token burns for revenue-generating projects,” Ki Young Ju said.

Technical analysts Michaël van de Poppe and CRG also predicted that the altcoin season could begin next month. Echoing these views, Crypto Rover forecasted an impending altcoin season by monitoring Bitcoin Dominance’s movements. Bitcoin Dominance (BTC.D) represents Bitcoin’s share of total market capitalization. Its adjustments often signal an altcoin rally.

Read more: Bitcoin Dominance Chart: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Bitcoin Dominance fluctuations. Source: Crypto Rover.Tesla Moves Bitcoin Worth Up to $760 MillionThis week, Elon Musk’s Tesla unexpectedly moved nearly all of the Bitcoin it had held for the past three years to new wallet addresses. Initially, investors feared Tesla might be preparing to sell the BTC through OTC, but those concerns quickly dissipated as Bitcoin’s price remained unaffected.

“No proof it’s an OTC deal yet. Even if it was, that means someone else bought it so it’s not entirely bearish. Who knows,” Sir Doge of the Coin said.

Read more: Who Owns the Most Bitcoin in 2024?

Many now believe the move was a simple reallocation. In 2021, Musk had stated that Bitcoin payments made to Tesla would be held as Bitcoin, not converted into fiat.

Aayush Jindal

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June 26, 2023

Bitcoin price is testing the USD 19,500 support.Ethereum is consolidating near USD 1,050, XRP is stable near USD 0.312.SRM and QNT are the best performers today.Bitcoin price followed a bearish path below the USD 20,500 level and even declined below the USD 19,500 support zone before moving higher again. It is currently (04:00 UTC) consolidating near USD 19,500 and is down 2% in a day and 3% in a week.

Similarly, most major altcoins are showing bearish signs. ETH traded below the USD 1,070 support zone and tested USD 1,050. XRP is consolidating near USD 0.312. ADA tested the USD 0.420 support zone.

Total market capitalization

Source: CoincodexLearn more: Crypto Falls Ahead of US Inflation Figure as Bitcoin On-Chain Metrics Signal ‘Oversold Conditions’ 

Bitcoin priceIn the past three sessions, bitcoin price saw bearish moves below the USD 21,200 level. BTC traded below the USD 20,500 support and even settled below USD 20,000. There was a spike below the USD 19,500 level before the bulls appeared. The next major support is near the USD 19,200 zone, below which the price could decline towards the USD 18,800 support.

On the upside, the price might struggle near the USD 20,000 level. The next major resistance could be USD 20,500, above which bitcoin could start a recovery wave.

Ethereum priceEthereum price declined further below the USD 1,070 level. ETH even spiked below the USD 1,050 level before moving back. It is now consolidating near the USD 1,050 level and is down 3% in a day and 7% in a week. On the upside, the price might face resistance near USD 1,100. The next major resistance is at USD 1,120, above which the price could aim for a steady recovery.

If there is no upward move, the price might even test the USD 1,000 support. The next major support is near USD 950, below which the price could revisit the USD 900 support zone.

ADA, BNB, SOL, DOGE, and XRP priceCardano (ADA) declined below the USD 0.434 support zone. It even spiked below the USD 0.42 support zone before recovering. Any more losses might send the price towards the USD 0.40 level.

BNB extended decline below the USD 225 support zone. The next major support is near the USD 220 level. A downside break below the USD 220 level might send the price towards the USD 200 level.

Solana (SOL) is moving lower towards the USD 32 support zone. If there is a break below the USD 32 level, the price might continue to move down towards the USD 30 level.

DOGE is down almost 3% and there was a brief spike below the USD 0.060 support level. The next key support is near USD 0.0585, below which the bears might aim for a move towards USD 0.0550 in the near term.

XRP price is now consolidating near the USD 0.312 level. The main support is still near the USD 0.302 zone, below which the price might drop towards USD 0.288.

Other altcoins market todayMany altcoins are in the red zone, including DOT, SHIB, AVAX, MATIC, LTC, FTT, CRO, ATOM, VET, ICP, and XTZ. Conversely, SRM and QNT are the two best performers among the top 100 cryptoassets by market capitalization today as they both jumped almost 8%. SRM trades above USD 1 and is also up 37% in a week, while QNT moved above USD 83, increasing its weekly gains to 41%. 

Overall, bitcoin price is showing bearish signs below the USD 20,000 level. If BTC settles below the USD 19,500 support, it could decline further in the coming sessions.

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Find the best price to buy/sell cryptocurrency:

Kraken Secures $800 Million Capital Led by Jane Street and Citadel Securities at $20 Billion Valuation

**Crypto Market Selloff: Bitcoin Drops Below $84k, $974M in Liquidations; BOJ Hike Hints Cited** On Dec 2, Bitcoin briefly fell below $84,000, dropping more than 8% at one point. The total crypto market cap dipped below $3 trillion, with $974 million in liquidations across the network over the past 24 hours—including $851 million in long positions and over 260,000 liquidated accounts. Arthur Hayes attributed the crash to the Bank of Japan (BOJ) hinting at a possible December rate hike. The USD/JPY pair traded in the 155-160 range, signaling the BOJ’s hawkish stance. Threshold Network co-founder Maclane Wilkison noted: “The BOJ’s impending rate hike signal has tightened global liquidity expectations and shaken risk assets.” Strategy CEO Phong Le stated the firm would only sell Bitcoin if its stock price falls below net asset value (NAV) and it can’t secure new funding. Markets are concerned Strategy may be forced to offload Bitcoin to cover dividends if Bitcoin’s price continues to weaken. Previously, S&P Global Ratings downgraded Tether’s USDT stablecoin from “Restricted” to “Weak,” warning a Bitcoin price drop could expose USDT to under-collateralization risks. Hayes added that a ~30% decline in the “gold + BTC position” would wipe out equity, making USDT theoretically insolvent. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino pushed back against “Tether FUD,” saying the group’s equity is nearly $30 billion. He noted S&P ignored additional group equity and ~$500 million in monthly base profits from U.S. Treasury yields alone. Tribe Capital General Partner Boris Revsin called the move a “leverage washout” triggering a market-wide chain reaction. The macro backdrop has grown less favorable: short-term rate cut expectations have faded, inflation remains sticky, the labor market is weakening, geopolitical risks are rising, and consumer pressures are mounting—weighing on most risk assets over the past two months. Cardiff founder William Stern said: “With less than a week until the Fed meeting and unclear inflation data, institutional investors are actively cutting risk. They’re unwilling to hold volatile assets like Bitcoin to avoid any hawkish comments from Powell.”

Relevant content

BCA Research raises its S&P 500 target to 8,100 points, with AI remaining a core variable.

BCA Research has become the latest strategy firm to raise its US stock market target, reflecting Wall Street’s growing optimism about earnings support for US equities in the second half of the year. The institution lifted its year-end S&P 500 target from 7,700 points to 8,100 points. BCA’s core view is that first-quarter corporate earnings exceeded expectations in both strength and breadth, and the US economy has re-entered an expansion phase. Similar to JPMorgan Chase, BCA believes this stock rally is not only driven by valuation expansion—earnings themselves are delivering the index’s gains. AI remains the core variable in this assessment. Large tech firms including Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Oracle continue to increase capital spending on data centers and AI infrastructure, driving growth in orders for chips, servers, construction, power and related industrial chains. This provides a clearer fundamental basis for upward revisions to 2026 and 2027 earnings. The institution points out that risks exist: the earnings expansion brought by AI investments has already been quickly priced into the market. If subsequent returns on capital spending are questioned, or interest rates remain elevated, further upside for the index will require more earnings confirmation rather than relying solely on investor risk appetite.

5 minutes ago

Tom Lee: Markets have nearly priced in two interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve this year, and the rise in US Treasury yields is weighing on market sentiment.

Tom Lee said the market is still digesting Kevin Warsh’s remarks from his first press conference last week and repricing the macro environment. Over the past week, oil prices have pulled back, with war premiums contracting. Current oil prices are not far from the roughly $65 level seen before the conflict, indicating the market views related war risks as declining. On the other hand, 10-year U.S. Treasury yields continue to rise, now around 4.5%, higher than the pre-conflict level of roughly 4.2%. The main headwind the market has faced recently has shifted from oil prices to yields. Tom Lee noted that the market is not only focused on 10-year U.S. Treasury yields but also starting to price in potential additional interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. According to federal funds futures, the market is currently pricing in nearly two rate hikes this year. Bank of America further projected today that the Fed will raise rates three times this year, in September, October, and December respectively. Jeffrey Gundlach often emphasizes the importance of monitoring 2-year U.S. Treasury yields, as they typically lead the Fed and signal the central bank’s policy direction. Between 2023 and 2025, the relationship between 2-year U.S. Treasury yields and the federal funds rate indicated that the Fed’s policy was overly tight, requiring interest rate cuts. However, this relationship has recently reversed, meaning the Fed would need two rate hikes to catch up with 2-year U.S. Treasury yields. He believes that, at least for now, yields have become a headwind for the market.

5 minutes ago

Japan and South Korea's stock markets closed higher across the board, with Japan's stock market hitting a new closing high.

According to Bitget market data, the Nikkei 225 index closed up 3,191.37 points, or 4.61%, at 72,366.34 points on Thursday, June 25, hitting a new all-time closing high. South Korea’s KOSPI index rose 459.76 points (5.43%) to end at 8,930.78 points; SK Hynix surged 13% while Samsung Electronics gained more than 5%.

5 minutes ago

A newly created wallet withdrew 17,675 ETH from Binance, valued at $28.58 million.

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, a newly created wallet withdrew 17,675 ETH from Binance, valued at $28.58 million.

5 minutes ago

JPMorgan Chase raised its S&P 500 target to 7,800 points, while warning of an overcrowded AI trade.

JPMorgan Chase has raised its year-end outlook for U.S. stocks, while cautioning investors that the overcrowding in AI-related momentum stocks is becoming the market’s most vulnerable segment. The JPMorgan strategy team led by Dubravko Lakos-Bujas lifted its 2026 year-end target for the S&P 500 from 7,600 to 7,800 points, citing continued upward revisions to corporate earnings expectations and nearly doubling of AI-related capital expenditures. The bank noted that consensus earnings expectations for both 2026 and 2027 have been revised up by roughly 10% since the start of the year, a magnitude typically only seen in the recovery phase after a recession or major shock. However, JPMorgan does not interpret this upward revision as a risk-free rally. The bank pointed out that low-quality growth stocks, speculative growth stocks, and second- and third-tier AI-related concept stocks have become "extremely overcrowded," and a pullout of capital could trigger a rapid correction. The strategists also noted that rising equity supply in the coming quarters and potentially tight monetary policy could cap further valuation expansion. On the allocation front, JPMorgan recommends a barbell strategy: holding high-quality growth stocks and stocks directly benefiting from AI on one end, and low-volatility, high-quality stocks as a portfolio buffer on the other. The bank remains bullish on tech, select industrials, utilities, defense, banks, and some healthcare growth stocks, but believes the market’s upward trajectory will not be linear.

5 minutes ago

Preview: The U.S. May core PCE data will be released at 20:30 tonight, and is projected to hit its highest level since October 2023.

The Fed’s key inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, will be released at 20:30 tonight, with markets expecting a sharp rise in May inflation that could reignite rate hike bets. The headline PCE year-over-year growth rate is projected to hit 4.1% in May, up from 3.8% in April and marking its highest level since 2023. Core PCE, which excludes food and energy, is forecast to rise to 3.4% year-over-year, up from 3.3% in April and its highest reading since October 2023. Core PCE has remained above the Fed’s 2% inflation target since 2021. The recent short-term inflation uptick was driven mainly by surging gasoline prices amid the Iran conflict in May. Oil prices have since edged lower following the signing of a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran, but core inflation has strengthened in tandem, indicating that price pressures are not solely tied to geopolitical oil shocks. Data from the CME FedWatch Tool shows that as of Wednesday, markets are pricing in a 34% probability of a 25 basis point rate hike in July. Aditya Bhave, U.S. economist at Bank of America Securities, noted that the recent inflation rebound stems in part from tariffs and one-off disruptions, but successive supply shocks have eroded the Fed’s patience, while deflationary room in the housing sector has largely been exhausted. Data shows that core PCE dipped to 2.6% in April, its lowest level since 2022, but annualized core PCE growth over the past three and six months has hovered near 3.8%.

5 minutes ago

Global investment bank TD Cowen has predicted a slowdown in the advancement of cryptocurrency legislation, even as presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris try to court supporters of the asset class through their election campaigns.

What Happened: In a note released on Monday, TD Cowen stated that definitive legislation is unlikely to progress before the end of 2024, according to a report by The Block.

The prediction comes at a time when lawmakers are on a break until the post-election period, leaving a limited window for the passage of bills during the lame-duck session.

Jaret Seiberg from TD Cowen’s Washington Research Group expressed doubts about significant action during this session due to the limited timeframe and the need to pass other crucial legislation, including the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

See Also: Edward Snowden Cautions Crypto Industry Not To Dilute Principles: ‘We Should Defy Bureaucracy’

Seiberg, however, suggested that a stablecoin bill, which has been under development since 2022 by House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), and top Democrat of the committee, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), could potentially pass under a “best case scenario”.

Why It Matters: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) underlined the significance of “sensible and long-lasting” regulation for the cryptocurrency industry earlier in August, vowing to get “something passed out of the Senate and into law” by the end of the year.

Earlier this year, the FIT21 legislation passed the House in a wave of bipartisan support, marking a pivotal step toward establishing a clear regulatory framework for digital assets in the U.S. Since then, the bill has stalled in the Senate.

As for the stablecoin bill, Walters stated last week the need to strike a “grand bargain” before the end of this year.

Price Action: At the time of writing, Bitcoin was exchanging hands at $63,275.79, down 1.52% in the last 24 hours, according to data from Benzinga Pro. 

Photo by Igor Faun on Shutterstock

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What to Know:

BlackRock’s stance remains constructive: adoption curves, liquidity depth, and regulated rails underscore a long-term bet on Bitcoin, despite sluggish price movements. Institutional flows remain sticky, with IBIT’s rapid AUM ascent reinforcing the ‘allocators aren’t leaving’ narrative during macro turbulence. In sideways majors, capital is watching utility-first plays where tokens power real-world activity (content, payments, or AI), and not just emissions. SUBBD Token is a project that tokenizes content in the first AI agent creator platform that uses blockchain technology. The presale has currently raised over $1.3M. Bitcoin’s cooled off after ripping to six figures, and macro noise from Washington’s prolonged shutdown hasn’t helped risk appetite.

Yet the world’s largest asset manager (BlackRock) isn’t blinking. Instead, it frames Bitcoin as a long-duration, structural bet anchored by network adoption, deeper liquidity, and the slow erosion of legacy money systems.

That’s not the tone you hear during a flash dump, but the pitch you use when you’re allocating for years to come, not weeks.

And flows back it up. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) became the fastest U.S. ETF to surpass roughly $80B in assets and has since solidified its position at the top of the spot $BTC ETF stack.

Translation: despite choppier price action, institutions are still dollar-cost-averaging Bitcoin via regulated rails. And with the U.S. shutdown now trudging toward a resolution, the policy overhang looks more like a speed bump than a trend shift.

And over a week ago, BlackRock’s IBIT surpassed Coinbase’s Deribit platform and became the largest Bitcoin options venue in the world.

For traders watching risk rotations, that matters. When majors grind sideways but the strategic case remains intact, capital looks at early-stage projects with promising utility.

We’re talking about a bid on the best altcoins, and that’s where SUBBD Token ($SUBBD) is trying to earn attention: a content-and-AI play that leans into content tokenization and the creator commerce industry, with fan engagement mechanics.

SUBBD Token ($SUBBD): AI-Powered Creator Monetization & Access SUBBD Token ($SUBBD) isn’t just another presale pitch; it’s a creator toolkit built to do real work. The platform integrates AI assistants, voice cloning, and automated livestreaming into a single workflow, allowing you to script, produce, and publish with fewer tabs and fewer late nights.

Fans receive clean, token-gated access to premium drops and livestreams, while you set flexible pricing, bundles, and perks that align with how your audience engages.

On-platform mechanics keep the loop tight. Discounts on subscriptions, tipping, and pay-per-view unlocks let you experiment with revenue without rebuilding your stack.

Engagement feeds XP multipliers slot into raffles and simple games, turning passive viewers into committed members. You spend less time juggling calendars and more time shipping content: the AI helpers handle repetitive admin, so a larger share of each subscriber dollar lands where it should.

The payoff is practical: faster production cycles, smoother paywalls, and stickier communities that come back for access, not hype. In a market tired of promises, a platform that saves time and deepens fan relationships is the utility that travels in any cycle.

Plus, there’s a lot to look forward to, like strategic partnerships for marketing, enhanced AI image generation, the HoneyHive, and the release of the Creators mobile app.

In a market that’s increasingly allergic to vapor, this is the kind of utility-first framing that can still resonate even when $BTC cools off.

Visit the $SUBBD presale page to join.

Presale Is Burning Red-Hot with $1.3M Raised & 20% Fixed APY Presales live or die on incentives and clarity. In $SUBBD’s case, transparency is evident – over $1.3M has been raised so far, with the current stage pricing at $0.0569.

Staking is another hook: tokens staked during the sale earn a fixed 20% APY for the first year per the whitepaper, shifting to platform-benefit staking thereafter. That’s high, but as always, view it as an early-stage incentive to bootstrap participation rather than a permanent yield regime.

To join the presale, follow our $SUBBD buying guide. The presale accepts $USDT, $BNB, $ETH, $USDC, and fiat via a debit card.

If BlackRock’s steady-hand view maintains a constructive backdrop while $BTC fluctuates, presales with immediate product hooks, such as $SUBBD, have a cleaner path to narrative alignment.

➡️ Grab your $SUBBD now.

This article is informational only, not financial advice. Presales are high-risk; tokens may be illiquid and their values are volatile. Do your own research.

Authored by Aaron Walker, NewsBTC – https://www.newsbtc.com/news/blackrock-bullish-bitcoin-best-altcoins-like-subbd-token-soar/

Jun 16, 2026, 10:29 a.m.

3 min read

Bitcoin price chart (CoinDesk)Summary

Bitcoin climbed above $66,500 after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates, lifting the token about 1.5% in 24 hours.Derivatives data show risk appetite returning, with crypto trading volumes, open interest and liquidations of short positions all rising, and funding rates and implied volatility suggesting a more balanced, less fearful market.Sentiment has turned negative on Avalanche and its AVAX token as attention shifts to rivals like Solana and Sui, though some analysts see the pessimism as a potential contrarian signal.Bitcoin BTC$61,506.76 rose after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates to a 31-year high, pushing the price from around $65,600 in Asian trading to more than $66,500 during European hours.

The largest cryptocurrency has added 1.5% over the past 24 hours, continuing its recovery from a June 5 low below $60,000. Several altcoins posted even stronger gains.

Stellar’s XLM, Injective’s INJ and Uniswap’s UNI rose between 13% and 16%, ranking among the best performers in the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. UNI's gain comes after Standard Chartered initiated coverage of Uniswap and set a long-term price target for the token of $100 by 2030.

Memecoin SIREN extended its decline, falling another 21% in 24 hours. The token has now lost a staggering 77% month-to-date. Blockchain data trackers on X pointed to a large holder, or whale, offloading coins representing 92% of the token’s supply as the main driver behind the collapse.

Derivatives PositioningCrypto markets are showing renewed risk appetite. Total 24-hour trading volume jumped 51% to $207 billion, open interest rose 2.4% to $113.41 billion and liquidations have surged 64% to $561 million, with shorts accounting for the bulk of the forced exits.Leverage is coming back too. BTC futures open interest (OI) has risen to 747,000 BTC, a third straight daily increase and the highest since June 4. The steady climb suggests investors are willing to take on risk again, a message reinforced by annualized perpetual funding rates holding near zero and a positive 24-hour OI-adjusted cumulative volume delta (CVD). Both point to a balanced, recovering market rather than speculative excess.Ether futures OI ticked up to 14.20 million ETH from a recent low of 13.64 million, a modest but directionally encouraging move.Among the major cryptocurrencies, LTC$41.80 is the standout. Its OI has risen 6.6% to 6.86 million tokens in 24 hours. While impressive in relative terms, the absolute level tells a more cautious story. It is still just a one-week high and remains well below January's peak of 9.29 million tokens. Overall positioning, therefore, remains light. On the losing side, TON, BCH and HBAR all saw OI decline over the past 24 hours, signaling capital outflows. TON is the most notable; its rebranding to GRAM has done nothing for trader sentiment and 24-hour CVD is the most negative among the majors, a sign the market is being driven by sellers hitting bids at market rather than passive limit orders. The volatility picture offers bulls some comfort. Both BVIV and EVIV — the 30-day implied volatility indexes for BTC and ETH, respectively — have nearly fully reversed the spike seen in the first week of the month. The fear that drove that spike has ebbed, and the implied volatility retreat supports the case for a continued recovery.On Deribit, BTC puts at strikes between $58,000 and $64,000 are among the most active of the past 24 hours. Block flows featured put condors, a non-directional strategy designed to profit from a specific range of volatility rather than a directional bet.Token talkAvalanche was the most-discussed token on Monday as crypto broadly rallied, though in AVAX's case, the conversation turned sharply negative. The ratio of positive to negative commentary has fallen to about 0.85, according to Santiment, meaning bearish posts now outnumber bullish ones, down from one of its most optimistic readings back in January.The negative chatter is about mindshare. It centers on whether Avalanche can keep pace with faster-growing rivals, with developer activity and user growth seen shifting toward Solana and Sui, Santiment said.Price backs the mood. AVAX trades around $6.88, near the low end of its recent range and well below the near-$10 level it held a month ago.There's a contrarian flip angle, however. Santiment notes that extreme negative sentiment has often marked opportunities rather than tops. Markets can reverse when the crowd turns overwhelmingly bearish. It made the same case on XRP days earlier.The fundamentals haven't vanished. Avalanche still holds institutional partnerships, government-linked projects and its subnet design, which lets teams launch custom app-specific blockchains. The bear case is about momentum, not a business falling apart.Related Assets

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Crypto Exchange Altsbit Hacked By LulzSec, Will Be Forced To Close Exchange

A recent MEXC Q3 report highlighted the strong performance of the crypto market during the last quarter, which saw active traders surge as the total crypto market capitalization climbed to the $4 trillion mark.

Spot Market Sees Strong Q3 Performance On Wednesday, crypto exchange MEXC published its Q3 2025 Ecosystem & Growth Report, highlighting sustained expansion, robust user activity, and security from the previous quarter.

According to the report, the exchange experienced strong activity and trading momentum during the market run between July and September, with over 680 new tokens added to the crypto exchange in Q3, representing a 17% increase from Q2.

Moreover, the number of active users trading new listings in the exchange increased 16%, while the trading volume for these tokens surged 97%. The report also noted that the spot market had a “particularly robust” performance last quarter, with the top 10 highest-volume tokens recording an average peak gain of 2,933%, a 158% jump from Q2.

Notably, memecoins, AI + Web3, Perpetual Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs), and stablecoin protocols were among the dominant narratives, with tokens like STBL, Chainbase (C), and DeAgentAI (AIA) showing remarkable 500% to 12,00% performances.

Meanwhile, the BSC ecosystem outperformed all other ecosystems, taking six of the top 10 tokens by growth in the crypto exchange. The report detailed that BSC projects produced an average return of over 9,000%, including TALE, BAS, and MEAL.

It’s worth noting that the BSC outperformed other networks in DEX activity earlier this month, with data showing that it recently ranked first across all chains, surpassing Ethereum and Solana on DEX daily trading and chain fees. Additionally, BSC reached a new all-time high (ATH) of 5.02 trillion gas used in a single day two weeks ago.

MEXC also highlighted that BSC’s strength was matched by the Ethereum and Base ecosystems, which recorded strong performance with GAIA, ERA, and Avantis (AVNT), “representing the growing cross-chain vitality of Layer-2 and DeFi derivative protocols.”

Crypto Losses Trend Slows Down The report revealed that the crypto exchange intercepted 48 fraud cases last quarter, freezing nearly $5 million in illicit funds. As part of its efforts to prevent fraud, it also restricted more than 19,000 suspicious accounts, including 17,000 collusive accounts and over 2,000 bot-trading accounts.

Notably, a concerning trend that has been developing this year, which could drive theft from digital asset services to a new milestone by the end of 2025.

According to Chainalysis, crypto theft this year has been “more devastating” than the entirety of 2024, with over $2.7 billion worth of funds stolen from crypto services in the first half of 2025.

As reported by NewsBTC, hacks significantly increase at the start of Q3, driving over $100 million in losses for exchanges. Q2 showed a diminishing trend in total crypto losses, with May and June recording 40% and 56% month-on-month (MoM) declines, respectively.

This trend briefly shifted in July as the total value of stolen funds surged 27.2% from the previous month. Nonetheless, recent reports show that total funds lost to crypto hacks and exploits dropped around 37% in Q3, despite the market rally and initial trend.

Total crypto market capitalization is at $3.6 trillion on the one-week chart. Source: TOTAL on TradingView Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

7 Underrated Bear Market Signs That Smart Traders Catch Early

Threshold Network has proposed to acquire BitGo‘s Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) product, offering $36.4 million worth of their native T tokens.

The move aims to transition WBTC from centralized custody to Threshold's decentralized model, merging it with their tBTC Bitcoin (BTC) bridge.

The proposal was presented by NuCypher's co-founder and Threshold contributor MacLane Wilkison and involves minting additional T tokens, equivalent to 15% of its current fully diluted supply, as a grant to BitGo.

This would make BitGo the largest stakeholder in the Threshold Network while maintaining the bridge's decentralized nature.

Moreover, the proposed acquisition would combine WBTC's $9 billion market cap and widespread adoption with tBTC's permissionless bridging mechanism. Wilkinson argues this approach better achieves BitGo's goal of multi-jurisdictional and multi-institutional custody.

If accepted, the merger would be implemented in stages. Threshold would gain merchant privileges for WBTC and gradually transfer the existing WBTC supply to decentralized custody, with deposits spread across multiple wallets to ensure security.

Should BitGo decline, Wilkison claims that the DeFi ecosystem will “require a safe and orderly offboarding of WBTC.”

In this case, the additional minting of the T token could be used to subsidize the costs of offboarding WBTC from the ecosystem and migration to alternatives like tBTC and cbBTC.

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Addressing the controversyNotably, the proposal comes following BitGo's recent announcement that it would adopt a multi-jurisdictional custody model to accelerate its global expansion plan. This would be achieved by transferring WBTC's control to a joint venture with BiT Global.

This movement raised concerns in the crypto community due to TRON founder Justin Sun‘s involvement, especially after 12,000 BTC were removed from USDD's backing. USDD is the stablecoin tied to the Tron ecosystem.

Despite BitGo's CEO Mike Belshe assuring the market that Sun would not be able to move funds, major DeFi protocols, including MakerDAO and Aave, have already taken steps to limit their exposure to WBTC.

Threshold's proposal aims to address these concerns and ensure the continued stability of WBTC in the crypto ecosystem.

Mentioned in this articlePosted in

Terra Luna Classic (LUNC) Price Soared 30%: Why a Reversal May Follow

Bitcoin (BTC) has beaten nearly all of the top 100 altcoins since 2020, and chart data now points to almost 50% more downside for the broad altcoin market.

The total altcoin market cap, tracked as TOTAL2, trades near $864 billion after a steep weekly drop. Two charts explain why the pressure could continue.

Bitcoin Beat the 2020 Top 100 Altcoins by a Wide MarginThe first chart indexes the 2020 top 100 coins to a value of 100. It prices Bitcoin in US dollars and each altcoin in Bitcoin terms.

From that base, the BTC line climbed toward 1,000 on a logarithmic scale. Most altcoins, instead, fell from 100 to 10, 1, or lower. That gap means many former leaders lost 90% to 99% of their value against Bitcoin. Terra Luna Classic (LUNC) marked the most extreme collapse on the chart.

The framing matters because it measures opportunity cost. Holding most altcoins meant underperforming a simple Bitcoin position for more than five years. The chart also shows why coin selection rarely helped. Even well-known projects struggled to hold value once measured against Bitcoin.

BTC vs TOP100 coins since 2020. Source: RedditA few names held near the starting line. However, the broad set shows years of losses for holders who skipped BTC and chose these survivors instead.

The current downturn has not reversed the trend. Bitcoin trades near $61,228, down about 2% on the day and roughly 44% over the past year. Meanwhile, altcoins have fallen harder. Over the past 30 days, BTC dropped about 24% while Ethereum (ETH) lost roughly 31%.

Total Market Cap Points to $436 Billion by JulyThe second chart shows TOTAL2 on a weekly timeframe with three cycle peaks. The most recent top printed at $1.77 trillion.

History gives two reference declines. The 2018 bear market fell 92% over 49 weeks, while the 2021 to 2022 drop fell 75% over 31 weeks.

Those moves average about 40 weeks in duration. Applying the more recent 75% decline to the $1.77 trillion, the top projects point to a bottom near $436 billion.

TOTAL2 currently sits at $864.73 billion, below the $942.62 billion level it just lost. The green support shelf near $494.05 billion held the prior cycle low.

A move to $436 billion would break that shelf and retest the $427.57 billion bottom from 2022. That target implies nearly 50% more downside from current prices.

TOTAL2 weekly chart. Source: TradingviewThe timing lines up with mid-July 2026, roughly 40 weeks from the peak. Rising Bitcoin dominance remains the main catalyst pulling capital away from altcoins.

Past cycles do not guarantee future outcomes. Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund flows, and broader macro conditions could shorten or deepen the move.

A weekly reclaim of $942.62 billion would weaken this bearish case. Until then, the structure favors lower prices and a delayed altseason.

Crypto analyst Ali Martinez has voiced concerns about how Strategy’s STRC preferred stock is structured as it has a feedback loop. He believes it could further strain the company’s finances if Bitcoin experiences a long period of decline. His comments come as Strategy keeps relying on capital market products to fuel its Bitcoin accumulation spree.

Strategy’s STRC Structure Compared To Traditional Bonds Martinez says the distinction is in how STRC reacts in times of market pressure. Standard corporate bonds have predetermined interest rates, and investors suffer losses as the bond values drop. Meanwhile, the interest rate obligations stay the same for the bond issuers.

In contrast, STRC has an adjustable dividend mechanism to assist in maintaining its market value. If the Bitcoin price is in a downward trend and investor demand is dropping, Martinez said that Strategy might have to raise payouts to draw buyers and to keep the STRC price from falling.

This scenario may increase the company’s financing expenses while the price of Bitcoin is dropping.

STRC Depicts Similarity To Terra-Luna’s Downward Spiral To highlight the similarities between the May 2022 crash of the Terra token (LUNA) and STRC’s recent drop, Martinez presented a chart. The graph revealed that LUNA has dropped by 99.95% during the crisis, while the STRC price has fallen 17.45% since its launch.

Strategy’s STRC vs. Terra Luna chart. Source: Ali Martinez | X Further, Strategy’s STRC structure has some conceptual similarities to what caused Terra-Luna’s collapse in 2022, Martinez said. He said that Strategy is quite different from Terra, and doesn’t have algorithmic tokens, but it can become a lot more cumbersome when it is in stress.

“It is conceptually similar to the Terra/Luna collapse,” Martinez wrote.

If Bitcoin price falls, it may mean that more cash will have to be allocated toward STRC to stabilize it around the $100 par. He cautioned that such a situation could create what he described as a “dangerous loop” in which falling asset values are accompanied by rising financial obligations

“While MicroStrategy isn’t printing tokens out of thin air, both systems use a mechanism that forces the issuer to take on more financial burden as things get worse,” he said.

The analyst added that “instead of acting as a safety net, the structure risks amplifying the pressure during a market downturn.”

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Steven Pu, co-founder of layer-1 blockchain Taraxa, released a report on Feb. 24 highlighting a significant gap between claimed and actual blockchain performance.

Analyzing 22 networks using data from Chainspect, the study found that theoretical transactions per second (TPS) are overstated by an average of 20 times compared to real-world results. According to the findings, this discrepancy stems from lab-based metrics that fail to hold up on live mainnets.

The report introduces a new metric: TPS per dollar spent on a validator node (TPS/$), aiming to measure cost-efficiency rather than just raw speed. Across the 22 chains, theoretical TPS averaged 20 times higher than observed mainnet performance, with only four networks achieving double-digit TPS/$ ratios.

Pu argues this shows many blockchains require costly hardware for modest transaction rates, challenging claims of scalability and decentralization. 

“We should all stick with transparent, verifiable, on-chain performance metrics,” per the study.

Source: Chainspect Blockchain scalability questioned Pu’s findings suggest the industry’s focus on high TPS misleads stakeholders. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), for example, prioritize security over speed, while newer chains tout big numbers that rarely materialize. The TPS/$ metric could shift how developers assess networks for practical use cases like payments or supply chain tracking. The report states that,

Max observed mainnet TPS for included networks, across a 100-block window (tx/s)
It’s worth noting that Chainspect specifically excludes transactions that may unfairly inflate this Max TPS metric, such as voting transactions

Taraxa pushes for transparency Taraxa, a proof-of-stake layer-1 focused on audit logging, frames this as a wake-up call. Pu, a Stanford-educated entrepreneur, urges reliance on verifiable mainnet data over whitepaper hype.

This comes as the crypto space grapples with adoption hurdles. Inflated statistics could distort investment and development decisions, particularly in decentralized finance and supply chain use cases that demand reliable performance. Pu suggests that cost-efficiency metrics like TPS/$ could redefine how blockchain sustainability is evaluated, shifting focus toward networks that deliver practical value rather than just high theoretical speeds.

Widely followed trader Inmortal says this year will see massive rallies for Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL) and one additional altcoin.

The pseudonymous trader tells his 214,000 followers on the social media platform X that API3 (API3), a decentralized data oracle network that aims to connect traditional APIs with blockchain applications, is ready to “get sent” after a long consolidation period.

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Inmortal mentions API3’s recent strategic funding round led by digital asset investment firm DWF labs and the bullish technicals on the altcoin’s chart.

“API3 about to get sent.

API3 has successfully concluded a strategic funding round, allocating treasury assets in exchange for four million USDC.

About the chart? nothing more to add, it’s just hyper bullish.

> +600 days accumulation over
> Clean retest of acc zone.

Send it.”

Source: Inmortal/X Looking at the trader’s chart, he seems to predict that the Ethereum-based altcoins will hit $6. At time of writing, API3 is trading at $3.37, up over 9% in the past day.

Looking at the broader markets, Inmortal is predicting strong 2024 finishes for BTC, ETH and SOL. According to the analyst, the next couple of months will likely be uneventful for much of the digital asset markets but expects a full-blown “parabolic uptrend” in Q4.

“> Boring June-July (chop + some traps for both sides)
> Uptrend resume in August
> Parabolic trend all Q4

BTC goes above $100,000, ETH above $10,000, $SOL above $500.
Altcoins do a x2-x5

Charts never lie.”

On-chain detective ZachXBT has shared details of the massive crypto Ponzi scheme that took over $150 million from unsuspecting victims before collapsing last week.

The Mechanics Behind The $150M Crypto Ponzi In a series of X posts, ZachXBT unveiled the details of a Ponzi scheme that had been operating under the DSJ Exchange (DSJEX), a fake trading platform, and BG Wealth Sharing, a fraudulent investment scheme, since 2025. The scam involved a fake CEO named Stephen Beard, a self-proclaimed professor who represented the platform to the public.

According to the Tuesday thread, DSJEX and BG Wealth advertised daily returns of 1.3%–2.6%, with referral commissions and rank-based bonuses. In addition, Beard pushed recruitment and fake trading signals through a group on Hong Kong messaging app BonChat.

BG Wealth’s member recruitment posts. Source: ZachXBT The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) recently explained that investors used these trading signals on the DSJ exchange and were led to believe that the crypto investments were generating returns.

BG Wealth and DSJ claimed to be licensed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but the DFI found that neither of the forms filed by these companies indicated that they were registered with the SEC.

Thirteen regulators across five continents had issued public fraud warnings about the firms, including the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Philippines’ SEC, and Washington’s DFI.

On April 23, US law enforcement seized one of BG Wealth’s domains as part of a joint operation conducted by Operation Level Up and the Scam Center Strike Force. However, the scam continued to operate for roughly another week.

Last Saturday, Beard posted a video affirming that DSJEX would soon go public and demanded a 12% “tax” on account balances as a prerequisite for the regulatory process. But the scammers had already disabled withdrawals by this point.

Tether, Exchanges Freeze $41.5M After the US authorities’ involvement, the malicious actors laundered over $92 million in crypto assets across chains. ZachXBT noted that the scammers regularly rotated between domains and hot wallets to evade law enforcement.

Between April 27 and May 3, the crypto funds were laundered through token swaps, bridging via Bridgers, Butter Network, and USDT0, wrapping and unwrapping USDD, and consolidation of transactions across hundreds of addresses.

The crypto sleuth traced the millions in outflows through a timing analysis, located Solana/Tron deposits to Binance, and found matching Tron withdrawals. Then, he provided details to the relevant parties, including Tether, the Binance security team, OKX, and US law enforcement.

As a result, Tether froze $38.4 million on May 4, while another $3.1 million was frozen at various crypto services and exchanges, bringing the total to $41.5 million.

Despite the significant recovery, the on-chain detective noted that the scam’s $150 million assessment is “likely significantly higher since the scheme has been operating since 2025, with thousands of victim exchange withdrawals identified.”

Ultimately, he advised victims of DSJEX and BG Wealth’s scheme to file a police report in their jurisdiction to aid global investigations and potential restitution from laundered proceeds.

The total crypto market capitalization is at $2.65 trillion in the one-week chart. Source: TOTAL on TradingView Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

It’s been a good month for Bitcoin (BTC) holders, but it’s not yet clear what the latest movements mean for the rest of the market. While the leading virtual currency has gone from strength to strength – up more than 200% since the bottom in December – altcoin values have lagged behind.

Since the latest ‘bitcoin boom’ began in early April, the best-performing large cap currencies have been Binance Coin (BNB), with a modest gain of 50% , and Ether (ETH), whose price roughly doubled during that timeframe.

Prices for XRP grew by around 50% by the end of June, before reversing almost all of their gains. Similar losses befell Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), EOS and TRON (TRX), each of which has slid back to the prices of early April.

Bitcoin dominance has also grown, indicating that BTC widened its lead over the rest of the market. After comprising roughly 51% of the crypto market in April, BTC now accounts for 66% of total market capitalization.

Source: CoinMarketCap “When these buyers enter the market, one of the first assets they go to – because of its brand, its liquidity, and its accessibility – is Bitcoin,” explained Kevin Murcko, CEO of CoinMetro. As the most famous digital asset, new investors are most likely to acquire BTC.

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A recent report by U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley found a declining correlation between Bitcoin and other virtual currencies, which analysts suggested could be a result of “slowing technological development and adoption of these altcoins.”

Some tokens are rising against the ebbing tide. Chainlink (LINK) saw significant growth in the past few months, with prices rising sixfold since the beginning of May. Favorable headlines, like the Coinbase listing and Google integration, may have helped the token beat the market.

But sentiment data suggest that an altcoin rally is still far off. Figures from analytics site TheTIE, which aggregates the number and positivity of crypto-related tweets, found that favorable mentions of the top ten altcoins peaked in late May and has been falling ever since.

Via TheTIE By comparison, Bitcoin sentiment is booming. BTC tweet volume is at its highest level since December 2017, accounting for 64% of cryptocurrency mentions on Twitter. After seventeen months without crossing the 60% mark, Bitcoin tweet volume reached that level at least three times last month.

Via TheTIE Long-term Bitcoin sentiment – which measures positive conversations on Twitter on a 50-day vs. 200-day moving average – is also increasing, despite the latest downturn.

Source: TheTIE “This is still Bitcoin season,” explained Joshua Frank, co-founder of TheTIE. “Bitcoin is continuing to dominate. While Bitcoin’s tweet volume dominance…is volatile, it does appear to be increasing along with market cap dominance.”

A change in sentiment does not necessitate a change in prices, but in a speculative market it’s an easy metric to determine which way the herd is moving. As a case in point, the 2017 ICO boom galvanized interest in altcoins, thereby spreading capital among a wide range of digital assets.

IEOs have failed to attract anywhere near the same level of investment. As the Morgan Stanley report highlights, exchange-launched tokens attracted only $0.2bn of investment in May – a pittance compared to figures raised even at the end of the ICO boom.

Unlike most altcoins, Bitcoin is unique in that it already has a well-established use case: it’s the main currency for crypto exchanges, and acts as a store of value which is not correlated with traditional markets.

With a few exceptions, most altcoins do not have the same appeal for the wider market. For the time being, the original digital cash is likely to remain investors’ plat du jour.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Paddy Baker. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

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