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Chainlink has announced that it now offers price reference data for more than 25 trading pairs. These kinds of feeds are vital for decentralized finance applications.

As of today, Chainlink’s list includes data on 16 Ethereum trading pairs and nine USD trading pairs. Notable trading pairs include ETH/USD, BTC/USD, and EUR/USD.

So far, three sites have integrated Chainlink’s data. Synthetix, an asset backing platform, is supporting USD trading pairs. Meanwhile, the lending platform Aave is supporting ETH pairs. Loopring has also added support for one pair in each category.

This development marks a significant expansion for Chainlink: until recently, the platform only offered price data for seven trading pairs.

Now, Chainlink’s data collection is the largest of its type, according to the project itself.

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How It Works Unlike CoinMarketCap and other market aggregators, Chainlink does not gather its data from exchanges. Instead, it gathers data from independent node operators.

These node operators are given incentives to provide accurate data. They also undergo security reviews and are resistant to Sybil attacks that could disrupt reporting.

This means that the data can be audited and verified for accuracy and integrity. It is possible to do so simply by visiting the project’s website.

In the image below, Chainlink shows which data sources are online and displays the time of the next update. Ethereum’s average price is shown in the center:

Via Chainlink The Importance of Oracles As Chainlink has noted, decentralized finance (DeFi) services require reliable access to market data in order to execute transactions and to swap assets.

Though some DeFi services can make use of basic on-chain data, that option is not practical for the vast majority of services. “Obtaining the most reliable price for an asset requires aggregation from multiple off-chain data sources,” Chainlink explains.

That is precisely the role that Chainlink provides as an oracle provider, along with other comparable platforms such as Aeternity and Band Protocol.

Of course, the fact that oracles require strict data handling means that they are not comprehensive. Though Chainlink may be the largest oracle platform, it offers far less data than market aggregators, which track price data for thousands of assets.

However, as demand for DeFi grows, it is likely that demand for oracles will grow along with it — and Chainlink is by far the top-performing project in its category.

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

This week, NEO joined Microsoft’s .NET Foundation, serving as a major asset to Microsoft’s blockchain efforts.

Mainline Blockchain Efforts From Microsoft Following the integration, NEO will be able to introduce a new set of tools for Microsoft Visual Studio, making it easier for mainstream developers to create NEO dApps. This news comes just months after NEO expressed interest in the .NET stack.

This isn’t Microsoft’s first time using blockchain. Over the past few years, Microsoft has allowed enterprises to make use of various blockchains through its Azure services. Azure provides access to popular chains like Ethereum, Quorum, and Corda, as well as obscure blockchains like SIMBA Chain, Rootstock, Stratis, and more.

Microsoft’s most frequent collaborator, though, is JPMorgan. This year, Microsoft introduced Quorum as Azure’s first fully-managed blockchain, offering a more simplified blockchain experience. Microsoft also uses Quorum in-house to manage XBOX royalties. A strategic partnership is ongoing, so there may be more to come.

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Microsoft’s blockchain efforts don’t stop there: the company is also a member of several blockchain groups, such as the Hyperledger Foundation, the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, and the Token Taxonomy Initiative. Microsoft hasn’t produced much in the way of products with these groups; rather, it is contributing to standards.

The company has also developed ION, a Bitcoin-based decentralized identity system, covering the costs of the project through its Identity Division.

Funding, Acceptance, and Other Efforts Microsoft is also pouring funding into blockchain projects. Notably, it has contributed funds to events like the Ethereal Virtual Hackathon, which took place in April.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Research’s blockchain division has contributed to a handful of research papers over the years. Microsoft Research was responsible for Microsoft’s first foray into blockchain: in 2012, the group published “On Blockchain and Red Balloons” with Cornell University, describing a Bitcoin information propagation system.

Finally, casual crypto users might be interested to know that Microsoft accepts Bitcoin in its stores. You can deposit Bitcoin into your account and receive credit in return.

Are Microsoft’s Blockchain Efforts Overrated? Blockchain endeavors are sometimes exaggerated in the media, and Microsoft is no exception. In 2017, a Microsoft representative mentioned a partnership with IOTA before both companies denied it. Although Microsoft was indeed participating in IOTA’s IoT marketplace, there was no formal partnership.

Likewise, Microsoft may never live down Bill Gates’ attacks on Bitcoin: he has called it a “greater fool” investment. Gates is now only minimally involved in Microsoft, and current reps have made more positive comments. Some have even said that blockchain is “at a tipping point.”

Despite a few disappointments, Microsoft’s blockchain efforts make it one of the most pro-blockchain companies. Ultimately, the company must change with the times: other tech giants like IBM and Amazon have made their own blockchain breakthroughs, while Microsoft is just getting started.

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

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If you are a follower of the many popular crypto accounts on Twitter you would be hard-pushed to have not seen posts about Tezos.

While many cryptocurrencies – Bitcoin included – have been performing well since the start of the year, Tezos is likely to be the one you hear about the most.

Is there a particular reason for the recent bullishness for Tezos or is this part of a wider trend in the cryptocurrency industry? Let’s start with the basics…

What is Tezos? Tezos completed its ICO in the boom of the cycle raising $232 million in the summer of 2017. Created by husband-and-wife team Arthur and Kathleen Breitman.

Tezos shares similarities to smart contract platform Ethereum. The key difference between the two lays in Arthur Breitman’s belief that Ethereum was beholding to the core developers – an argument that was prescient during the DAO hardfork – and therefore Tezos bases itself upon a self amending nature.

Holders of Tezos can vote for changes to the cryptocurrency and, should the community reach a majority decision, the changes are processed.

The launch of Tezos didn’t go very smoothly though. Issues surrounding lawsuits between members of the Tezos foundation and the Breitmans created headlines. Tezos also had to deal with the issue of whether the cryptocurrency should be classed as a security. This is a common issue with many including Siacoin and EOS which have both recently settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US. For now, Tezos seems to be safe in this regard.

What is Tezos baking? One of the key selling points for Tezos holders is the passive profits that can be achieved by “baking” – a process similar to ‘staking’. In essence, this is equivalent to earning interest in a traditional bank account.

With Tezos being based on a ‘proof of stake’ protocol it allows for users with more than 8,000 Tezos to ‘bake’ Tezos and earn more in return. This process can be achieved by setting up your own node.

Alternatively, Tezos holders can delegate their baking rights with big cryptocurrency platforms such as Coinbase and Ledger offering the service. Ledger is offering an approximate 6% annual yield for baking Tezos through its system.

For many Tezos enthusiasts the ability to ‘bake’ on some of the largest cryptocurrency platforms is one of the key reasons that they see a positive future for the cryptocurrency.

Recent Tezos price rise Tezos has been making waves recently as the cryptocurrency has proven strong in the tumultuous market. Many of the popular traders on Twitter have shown their support for the cryptocurrency and suggested the price is only just beginning to show its true nature.

Since the start of the year Tezos has more than doubled and even got close to the lofty heights of $4 before struggling this week – much the same as the rest of the markets. Unlike many ICOs though, Tezos is intriguing because the price hasn’t struggled comparatively with the other failed projects.

Members of the community believe the option of baking on sites such as Coinbase could prove to be key if new members arrive into the cryptocurrency market, much like they did in 2017. The offer to make passive income, particularly at a time when banks are increasingly offering low interest rates, is an attractive alternative.

Conclusion As supporters of Bitcoin, Ethereum and many others continue to bicker with each other online proclaiming their chosen cryptocurrency is going to change the world, Tezos has quietly gone about it’s own business. Whether it can detach fully from other cryptocurrencies and rise when the market is falling permanently is unlikely though. Bitcoin still plays the leading role as the price signal for the rest of the cryptocurrency market.

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

Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

Eli Ben-Sasson, a Zcash founding scientist who helped create the cryptocurrency, shared his unfiltered take on Ethereum, in light of recent Ethereum Foundation concerns.

Ben-Sasson's comments come amid a string of high-profile exits at the Ethereum Foundation, with co-executive director and board member Hsiao-Wei Wang stepping down in the latest development.

At least eight senior figures have departed the Ethereum Foundation over the past five months, raising concerns even as Ethereum faces increased competition from rival blockchains.

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Adding to recent concerns, former Ethereum Foundation contributor Trent Van Epps said Ethereum could face a "slow-burning funding crisis" for core development within the next 3–9 months, citing the Ethereum Foundation's spending reductions and the expiration of the Client Incentive Program (CIP).

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Ethereum bull Tom Lee waved off these concerns, highlighting a zero chance of a funding crisis happening for Ethereum.

Zcash cofounder weighs inIn a lengthy post on X, Eli Ben-Sasson, Zcash co-creator, shared his own view on the current turmoil at the Ethereum Foundation.

My view on the Ethereum Foundation turmoil:

I'm not here to join those bashing EF, or saying this is the end of Ethereum. I’m also not here to defend it and say all is rosy. Ethereum has many strengths, and it also has its politics.
I'm here to share my point of view as a friend…

— Eli Ben-Sasson | Starknet.io (@EliBenSasson) June 21, 2026 Ben-Sasson maintains a neutral perspective, saying his post was not meant to criticize the Ethereum Foundation or join naysayers saying it was the end of Ethereum. He also does not intend to defend it and say all is rosy.

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"I'm here to share my point of view as a friend of Ethereum and head of an L2 that has been scaling it for quite a few years now," Ben-Sasson said.

The Zcash co-creator, who is also StarkWare's co-founder, highlighted Ethereum as having many strengths but also its politics. He cited an instance when StarkWare developed a post-quantum ZK-STARK system to scale Ethereum and make it quantum-ready; this was way back in 2019/2020.

The choice to build with STARKs and zkVM was unpopular and hence considered 'misaligned' at the time. Amid the criticism, Ben-Sasson expressed joy in making those choices, despite their being unpopular at the time.

Ben-Sasson expressed optimism about what lies ahead: "As part of the ecosystem and a supporter of all things crypto, I hope the new system that will arise will give a lot of weight to merit and technology, and less to alignment."

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In March, NewsBTC sat down with Max Kordek, the founder of Lisk, to pick his brain about his project, the broader crypto and blockchain industry, and the future of Bitcoin.

Related Reading: HTC Exec: Facebook Coin is like the Intranet, Bitcoin is like the Internet The Latest On Lisk NewsBTC: Thanks for sitting down with us. For those who don’t know Lisk, can you give us a 30 second to a one-minute explanation of your project in general?

Max Kordek: Lisk is a blockchain application platform with its own crypto asset, LSK. We aim to enable devs and entrepreneurs to create their own blockchain, which is fully independent and customizable to a large degree. The second step will be interoperability, so that these independent blockchains become sidechains, which then interact with the mainchain and each other, becoming an independent part of the bigger internal ecosystem of Lisk. Our tools are based on JavaScript which taps into a fast evolving programming language, rich developer base, and open source culture. We’ve also recently diversified a section of our code to TypeScript, which will support larger application building.

NewsBTC: Cool. So why did Lisk decide to go with DPoS instead of PoW? Were there centralization risks?

Max: My journey in blockchain first began with the purchase of a Litecoin miner in 2012. Back then, I was living in this very small student apartment in Germany, which was only about 20 square meters. The small space made the miner run super hot, and after two months I had enough. Through this experience, I’ve started to develop a dislike against the kind of inefficiency and this waste of electricity that Proof of Work systems create. I then began to look into alternatives to mining. I stumbled across NXT, then Peercoin, the first viable Proof of Stake coin in existence, which I fell in love with. It was amazing to have a server, which cost $10 to $20 a month to maintain and run the network from. I got really active in that community. Eventually, Peercoin fell apart, mainly because they failed to establish an organization to actually push the technology forward.

After Peercoin, I found Crypti, which provided that central business pushing the protocol forward. It was also the first organization where I discovered the Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS). However, Crypti also had its own issues with a very small team and even lower levels of funding. I decided to create something new with my partner Oliver Beddows. From the get-go, we knew it shouldn’t have anything to do with PoW. That’s how Lisk and Lightcurve came about. There are many benefits of our form of DPoS, but one of the main ones is that it is beneficial to what we specifically are building. If you want to create a blockchain platform where people can just spin up their own chains, DPoS is much easier to kickstart and safer to maintain than normal PoS. If you rely only on pure PoS, it may not be very secure, so it’s better to have delegates you can trust.

Max Kordek Delegates on the Lisk network know the codebase and the network through and through. Many of them build open source solutions and products, spot bugs on our Testnet, or migrate to critical releases in an extremely timely manner! It depends on what use case you want to implement, but having a secure network is what most of our stakeholders can agree on. As to centralization risks, there is a degree of fluidity to our network with some individuals entering and falling out of the delegated 101. We’ve also recently opened up the Lisk Improvement Proposals where both Lightcurve and community authors can submit their own proposals for how to make our consensus algorithm even better.

NewsBTC: With DPoS, EOS enlists 21 delegates and Ark, 51 delegates. So how did you come with the 101 delegate number?

Max: Dan Larimer runs EOS. Before EOS he ran Steemit and Bitshares, which utilized 101 delegates. We took the same number, which both he and Charles Hoskinson used back in the day, because it is a good balance between centralization and decentralization. 21 delegates are too few. Sure, the network is high-performance, but 21 entities controlling the network could be dangerous. 500 or 1,000, on the other hand, is too much, as such a number of delegates would cause too many inefficiencies in the network. So to put it simply, for us 101 delegates sits right in the sweet spot of the number of nodes necessary to move our blockchain forward, while the odd number gets rid of the ties by ensuring there’s always a majority on the network.

NewsBTC: What’s your vision for Lisk Academy? Do you guys want to spark adoption through education?

Max: Even after the bull market of 2017, only a few people on the street know what Bitcoin is, let alone the underlying technology of blockchain. We need to educate those who have the power to interact with blockchain, whether its building or investing. Right now, it’s not even about Lisk, but just blockchain as a technology. The next step is accessibility, meaning that we should ramp down the complexity of the blockchain ecosystem to aid the user experience. Once you educate people and they have access to the ecosystem, then you onboard them onto projects like Lisk and our SDK.

This is why we don’t attend as many conferences as Token2049 anymore. It sounds a bit bad, but we don’t want to constantly be in this kind of a crypto bubble. We need people from outside of the industry to enter. But they won’t enter without education. We just need to have a go-to place for people to learn about blockchain and Lisk. We also provide educational marketing content and documentation for developers wanting to take the next step and experiment with our technology.

Kordek’s Thoughts On The Crypto Industry NewsBTC: So do you think that education is the one thing holding back crypto adoption right now?

Max: I think many things are holding it back currently. One is definitely education. If we just don’t know or understand what it is, we won’t adopt it. Right now we need builders, who harness this technology to come up with viable use cases. And they, of course, need to know how this technology works. My mother doesn’t need to know about blockchain. But my developer colleagues who actually have the power to build need to know the ins and outs of not only blockchain technology, but also blockchain building and everything else needed to get them coding.  Another problem is use cases. People still ask, ‘what can we really achieve with this technology?’ People have no clue yet. Building on Ethereum is tough right now, but it’s the best experience in the industry by far. It isn’t optimal, so we need much better tooling and use case inspiration for developers. That, in my opinion, is why adoption has been pretty much slow.

NewsBTC: What is your end vision for this ecosystem? Do you see a world where everything is based on these technologies?

Max: I don’t think that everything will be based on blockchain. Yesterday I was on a panel discussion covering a very interesting topic — Web 3.0. It was said that blockchain is one technological level above texting (Web 3.0 v.s. 2.0). The Internet as a whole still has Web 1.0 applications, including simple internet pages and so on. Those don’t go away. And why should they? We have Web 2.0 pages, like Facebook, Twitter, etc. They will not disappear because of blockchain. So not everything will be run on blockchain, but there are quite a few processes that can be optimized with this technology. I’m a strong advocate for sure, but I just don’t see it as the golden technology that will disrupt absolutely everything. Right now, we don’t even have one use case that has reached 100,000 daily active users. Facebook, on the other hand, has one billion active users. So in the end, I see a world where blockchain really helps people in very specific industries and solutions.

NewsBTC: So you’re saying that I guess there have been there’s been very little adoption right now, but what’s one application for one use case that you think has a lot of potential?

Max: Right now, we’re still heavy in the R&D regarding which use case will be most suitable for our technology. One industry we want to start off with is definitely gaming. That’s an obvious use case right there, given opportunities for tokenization and so forth. Governmental work like notarization or traveling documentation is a pain right now that could easily be improved by blockchain. These processes can be optimized with a digital identity system that automatically checks you and is stored on the blockchain for secure and cross-border access. There are many use cases out there. In the end, we are creating technology that is customizable and scalable enough to allow many of these to be explored.

NewsBTC: How has this bear market been compared to ones seen previously?

Max: The previous ones were much worse. Bitcoin went from like $1,000 to $150, and people were saying that you should pack your bags and say your goodbyes. At that time, there was no development happening. There weren’t these global conference chains with thousands of attendees. It was really dark on Reddit. And now, we’re potentially just coming out of another crypto winter, but there are 20 to 30 meetups happening in Hong Kong this week, even more across the world. If you go on our GitHub, subscribe to Crypto Twitter, or check out big crypto publications, you can see there’s a wide range of activity going on amongst the projects that survived this crash.

There’s so much that is happening. There’s seriously much more development than any other point in blockchain’s history. So for me, the ones before were much worse economics-wise, activity-wise, and sentiment-wise. The thing is, we are patient because we see a big future ahead of this technology. This is just part of normal market cycles. The companies are getting more serious, and the first iterations of products are beginning to pop up. For example, we’re about to release our Alpha SDK, the first version of our blockchain-building toolkit that will allow developers to create proof-of-concept applications aligned with our codebase.

NewsBTC: Do you think that the crypto market is oversaturated at the moment?

Max: Well, I made my own altcoin, so it’s very hard to comment on that one. What I think is that the market overall regulates itself, especially when it feels oversaturated. You see crypto assets that are dropping lower and lower on CMC, as they have no activity, no trading volume, and that’s totally fine by me. That’s a sign that it’s oversaturated. And I assume that is why projects are dying as the market stabilizes and matures. There’s still potential for thousands and thousands more crypto assets and projects around them. I just want to see projects with an actual use case and a true focus on development. In our case, Lisk will be used for registering a sidechain. In Ethereum’s case, it can be used for smart contract execution. But why do all these other apps need a token? Status, for example, a messenger project, doesn’t really need a token. I have not looked into it in-depth, but that raises a question mark. So yeah, I think it’s saturated, but it’s regulating itself in time and legitimate technology with a good business backing stays afloat.

NewsBTC: How has the Lisk team been doing in this market cycle?

Max: Lisk is always progressing at a sustainable pace. The technology is going forward as I mentioned before with the upcoming release of our Alpha SDK. Things on the business side are playing support to the constant development – we were lucky enough to have a professionalized financial team to help us diversify our holdings. This gave us a healthy balance of fiat and crypto, which resulted in extra stability throughout this bear market. We’re also continuing to grow our business and fostering a global developer community. Our community members actually started physical developer spaces across the globe, including the Netherlands, Japan, and China. There’s a lot of activity happening on GitHub and real life!

The Future Of Bitcoin  NewsBTC: How do you expect for the crypto market to play out over 2019?

Max: I really have no idea. It could go up or down. But right now, it seems to be stabilizing very slowly. Eventually, though, there could be another, let’s call it, wick lower. I assume personally that it will continue to go up towards the end of next year. In 1.5 years is the Bitcoin halving, so the market could go up because of that. But I don’t care really. It’s not only about the money.

NewsBTC: What do you see Bitcoin as? Is it an SoV, MoE, or anything else?

Max: I think of it mainly as a store of value with complete independence of any other market. That means you can just fill up your portfolio with 1% to 2% with it, and it can act as a secure investment next to gold. I also tend to see it as a means of exchange, I bought some stuff online with BTC recently. Yesterday, I went to the Lotus Bar in Hong Kong, which accepts Bitcoin. It’s a nice thing, but I’m not going to go there every time just to use BTC. So in end, it’s more of a store of value. It’s important to add that I also see it as a stepping stone for blockchain technology overall. It may not be the most scalable, but it’s inspiring. It may not be a world currency, but it should become a means of exchange in one way or another.

NewsBTC: What do you think of the whole JP Morgan Coin or FBCoin? Do you like what they bring to the table?

Max: I know many many people who hate Mark Zuckerberg in the industry, but it’s important to remember Facebook is a tech company at the end of the day. When your company grows as large as Facebook did, it’s hard to stay true to your original ethos. Many things can go wrong. And maybe Facebook had many things go wrong this year, but it isn’t the fault of Mark Zuckerberg alone. I still think Zuckerberg has the best things in mind. I see FBCoin as an interesting concept. I’m not too sure how scalable it will be, as WhatsApp or Facebook itself has billions of users. But why not? I think it will be pretty cool, no matter if it’s decentralized, centralized, etc. As long as it uses blockchain technology, that is exactly what we want and need. JP Morgan Coin, on the other hand, is something I hate. First, they say Bitcoin is a scam, then they were revealed to have participated in the Bitcoin market, and then they suddenly come up with their own coin. At the end of the day, JP Morgan isn’t a technology company, so they shouldn’t do that. This project is just for their monetary gain. They should stick with the old economy and do their crap there. They don’t really belong here.

NewsBTC: It’s my final question. Can crypto succeed without institutional involvement, like investments from those on Wall Street?

Max: Yeah definitely. I think people are more powerful than institutions. With blockchain and Bitcoin, we’re going towards true peer-to-peer transactions and exchanges. On a global scale, this will be much more powerful than any institution in the world. Still, financial institutions are great leverage, as they can give people the power to make this whole movement. We can utilize those institutions, but we don’t need them in the end.

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Peter Brandt: 99% of Altcoins Will Be Forgotten in Five Years

Posted: October 28, 2019

Staking services for digital currencies are a tool for new and upcoming digital tokens, a tool through which they garner some interest and userbase by incentivizing the latter for holding their funds. Staking was first introduced on the Peercoin network as a feature for a hybrid of Proof-of-stake and Proof-of-work based networks, but the feature later transpired for only Proof-of-stake based networks.

These staking services have become a parameter to decide the validator of the next block on Proof-of-stake based chains. In PoS-based networks, a validator is chosen by a vote, one where the validator with better on-chain behavior and performance is selected to validate the next block on the network. In Delegated PoS (DPoS), the choice of the validator is directly proportional to the number of coins held by the participant. Thus, staking is becoming a mean to define on-chain consensus as well.

A recent report by Binance highlighted how staking as a service has evolved from a promotional gimmick in its early days to a consensus defining parameter. The report highlighted that the staking services on the top 10 chains accounted for a $25.8 billion in market cap.

The report categorized stackable coins into 5 core groups based on the on-chain consensus which included,

Pure Proof of Stake (PoS) based staking as seen on Algorand where the user can earn direct staking rewards without any intermediaries. Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) based staking with assets like EOS, where the staking reward is provided from the 5% fixed annual inflation rate Distribution model-based staking with assets like Stellar. Dual-coin systems with assets like NEO/GAS where the staking reward are issued in Gas tokens Masternode with assets like Dash, TomoChain, and ZCoin. Ethereum’s switch to Proof-of-Stake would only make the staking services more popular and increase the market capitalization by many folds, the report added.

How is staking rewards different from block rewards?

Block rewards are awarded as per the participating miner’s contribution of hash power in mining the block, but the staking rewards have a completely different rewarding structure which varies from network to network and comes in different reward caps and lock-up periods.

Staking services aid the governance process and make it more transparent and allow equal opportunity to participants for staking their claims in becoming the next validator for the block.

A recent report by Binance Research shows that $6.4 billion worth of cryptocurrency is being staked. As staking systems have grown, more and more people have been drawn to them because of the potential rewards. However, it’s worth noting that staking has some hidden risks as well.

The Proof of Stake Situation Some of the most notable cryptocurrencies are based on a Proof of Stake algorithm, and they have drawn a significant amount of cryptocurrency to be staked on their networks, according to a recent Binance report. As of the 24th of October, $6.4 billion was reportedly being staked out of $11.2 billion, which is the total cumulative staking market capitalization. That number could increase when Ethereum’s long-anticipated transition to PoS is finally executed.

Some of the most popular cryptocurrencies that are based on PoS are EOS (market cap: $2.6B), Stellar ($1.2B), and TRON ($1.0B). Each of them requires a different amount of coins to be staked, and their yield percentages vary as well. According to the report, Synthetix Network and Energi had the highest yields, 61.9% and 31.4% respectively.

Staking Yields. Source: Binance Research However, higher yield percentages could also mean a higher inflation rate across the network and more risks.

It’s worth noting that the report accounts for numbers up until October 24th. Since then, the cryptocurrency market has surged and the market capitalization of these currencies has increased.

Staking: How Does It Work? The two major hashing algorithms are Proof of Work (with Bitcoin as the most notable example) and Proof of Stake. The governance of these network types are particularly different, as the latter requires users to “stake” a certain amount of crypto in order to participate in the decision-making process.

In other words, an investor “locks” a specific amount of PoS-based coins to support the operations of that blockchain network with the promise of receiving rewards. Those rewards are usually distributed proportionately among all participants who have “staked” tokens on the network. It actually resembles the traditional financial markets, as PoS relates to concepts such as interest rates and currency risks.

You may also like: Binance Makes a New Push to Secure EU Approval Pushing Back at Reuters: Inside Binance’s Fight for Its European Future Beyond Speculation: Binance Reveals How Crypto Is Transforming Emerging Markets Some of the risks to be considered include the possibility of technical failure, restrictions, payout timings, and each network’s unique requirements.

Initially, PoS was implemented by Peercoin years ago and has since evolved into variations such as Delegated Proof of Stake. DPoS was introduced in BitShares and is currently used by projects like Atom and EOS. Other variations include the distribution model (Stellar) and dual-coin systems (NEO/GAS).

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Will 2020 Be The Year of Staking? Leading Crypt-Assets & Wild Predictions of Staking Space

Bitcoin dropped from $47,300 to $45,900 this week, while Ethereum fell 4.2%, trading near $2,940. Many altcoins followed with muted or negative moves. In these conditions, price stalls often come from one factor: supply pressure. Early token unlocks, venture capital exits, and foundation distributions quietly weigh on prices long before momentum can take hold.

Not all projects carry this burden. Some are designed to avoid it completely. Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) is one of them. Its presale auction is live, token prices are climbing, and early participants join a system with no insider sell pressure. Established projects like Monero, Stellar, and EOS follow very different supply paths that can limit upside.

Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) is currently in a live presale auction, with the system fully built and active from day one. The project launched without private rounds, venture capital, or early token unlocks. Over $100 million was self-funded by the founding team to cover infrastructure, compute systems, Proof Pod hardware, and the auction framework.

This structure is crucial because insider supply is one of the main reasons prices fail to move after launch. ZKP eliminates that risk entirely. Every participant joins through the same public auction, distributing 200 million tokens daily under a fixed formula. No discounts. No hidden allocations. No preferred access.

The auction is capped at 450 days, releasing supply steadily and transparently. Each day’s allocation is final. Miss a day, and that supply is gone. Rising demand has already pushed token prices higher, creating momentum from participation rather than speculation.

For early investors, this creates asymmetric upside. With no early sellers and utility launching alongside the token, ZKP is often discussed as a best crypto investment with potential 15,000x ROI if the network scales. The difference is clear: price discovery happens publicly, not behind closed doors.

Monero (XMR) Monero is known for its privacy-focused design, using stealth addresses and ring signatures to anonymize transactions. While it has a dedicated user base, its supply structure introduces constant selling pressure through mining rewards.

Liquidity is also limited. Regulatory challenges have led to delistings on major exchanges, restricting new capital inflow. While Monero avoids VC unlocks, its emission schedule still releases new tokens daily. In strong markets, this pressure can be absorbed, but in cautious markets, it often weighs on price action.

Stellar (XLM) Stellar has established partnerships in cross-border payments and worked with institutions on settlement and CBDC pilots. Its technology is efficient, and goals are clear. Yet price performance has struggled to remain consistent.

A major factor is supply overhang. Large token reserves held by the Stellar Development Foundation create uncertainty about future distribution. Even earmarked tokens can affect market expectations, limiting upside, especially for new investors entering later cycles.

EOS raised over $4 billion during its ICO, making it one of the most heavily funded crypto projects. Despite this, governance issues, developer turnover, and declining engagement created structural problems.

Early token holders bought at very low prices, creating long-term selling pressure as the network grew. This mismatch between early and later participants limited momentum. EOS remains active but has not recovered its earlier gains, showing how heavy early funding can distort incentives over time.

Why Structure Matters More Than Hype Hidden supply pressure often determines which projects advance and which stall. Mining emissions, foundation reserves, and early investor unlocks all affect price action. Monero, Stellar, and EOS face these pressures in different ways.

Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) avoided them entirely. With no insiders, no unlock schedules, and infrastructure already funded, the market sees a clean supply curve and rising demand. As the presale auction continues and prices move higher, ZKP stands out as the best crypto investment built on a strong structure rather than hype, giving early participants the chance for outsized returns instead of diluted gains.

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Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

After failing to sustain its recent recovery, Ethereum is in troublesome state again. Near the $2,300-$2,400 resistance zone, where a declining trendline continues to limit upside attempts, price action clearly rejects the idea. ETH has begun to roll over rather than break out, returning to short-term support while trading below important moving averages. The structure is not strong.

Ethereum is still below the 200-day and 100-day averages, both of which are declining and supporting the overall negative trend. A brief base was created by the recent recovery from below-$2,000 levels, but it did not develop into a long-term uptrend. 

ETH/USDT Chart by TradingViewA string of lower highs within a tightening range ensued, which usually resolves to the downside if buyers do not intervene with more conviction.

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A bullish scenario is not supported by volume behavior. Participation was inconsistent during the recovery phase, and recent declines are more active than upward trends. Even if the market is not in a complete capitulation phase, this imbalance implies that sellers are still more aggressive than buyers.

The focus has returned to the $2,000 level. Losing it would probably cause a change in attitude, because it served as a pivot during the previous rebound. Ethereum could move deeper toward the $1,800 area, which is where the next significant support is located, if it breaks below that threshold.

However, the market has not yet collapsed. Momentum indicators show that the price is not in oversold territory, and it is still holding above short-term local support around $2,200. This makes it possible to try stabilizing or even retesting resistance. But the upside is still constrained in the absence of a clear move above $2,400.

Ethereum is in a precarious position in terms of expectations. There is a greater chance that $2,000 will be revisited, particularly if the current structure keeps deteriorating. The way the market responds to the subsequent test will determine whether it breaks that level.

Dogecoin ready to break throughWith recent price action suggesting a possible psychological milestone, Dogecoin is gradually emerging from its protracted downtrend. DOGE has begun to stabilize above the $0.09 area after months of consistent decline, and it is currently moving toward the $0.10 threshold, which has both technical and sentimental significance. The structure is now better.

In contrast to the earlier series of lower highs and lower lows, the price is forming higher lows along a rising support line, resulting in a mild ascending trend. The move is consistent enough to imply that selling pressure is waning, even though it is not aggressive. The early phases of a trend transition are usually indicated by short-term moving averages flattening and starting to rise.

DOGE/USDT Chart by TradingViewThe larger context is still cautious, though. Dogecoin continues to trade below its main long-term moving averages. This indicates that the current movement is still a recovery phase rather than a confirmed uptrend, and the macro trend has not yet reversed.

The $0.10 level is a crucial test, since it is directly below a number of resistance zones, including the 100-day average. In keeping with the current narrative, the volume is moderate rather than explosive. The market is not experiencing heavy distribution, but it is also not seeing aggressive accumulation. This equilibrium encourages steady price growth as opposed to abrupt changes in either direction.

The concept of removing a zero is more perceptual than fundamental. A change in sentiment would be indicated by crossing above $0.10, which might pique retail interest once more. Particularly for highly narrative-driven assets like DOGE, that kind of attention frequently influences price action.

Dogecoin is getting close to a decision point in terms of expectations. A persistent rise above $0.10, supported by increasing volume, would strengthen the recovery structure and pave the way for higher resistance levels. If a breakthrough is not achieved, the current range will probably continue to be consolidated.

Shiba Inu's bounce is questionableNear $0.0000063, where price action is beginning to compress within a narrow ascending channel, Shiba Inu is getting closer to a technically significant zone. This structure indicates an attempt to stabilize following a protracted downtrend, but the overall context is still weak and reduces the likelihood of a significant breakout.

As of right now, SHIB is facing steady resistance just above the $0.0000065-$0.0000066 range, with higher lows forming along a rising support line. A breakout attempt usually follows this kind of formation, as the price tightens and volatility decreases. But the structure's quality counts, and in this instance, the underlying trend is still negative.

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The current price is below all major moving averages, which are still sloping downward. This produces a layered resistance environment where higher time frame levels will immediately put pressure on SHIB, even if it breaks out of the local channel. This considerably lowers the likelihood of long-term upside continuation.

Additionally, a strong bullish case is not supported by volume. Relatively low participation has coincided with recent upward movements, suggesting a lack of buyer conviction. Breakout attempts typically fail or produce brief spikes rather than trend reversals in the absence of a significant increase in volume.

However, the $0.000006 level is crucial structural and psychological support. This area has seen price reactions in the past, and the current structure may lead to a brief increase. The scope of such a move would be constrained, since it would probably be motivated by technical positioning rather than actual demand.

A small bounce is the most likely outcome from a probabilistic perspective, but there is little chance that it will turn into a long-term rally. Any upward movement is probably going to be limited unless there is a change in volume and momentum, because the overall trend is still intact.

The crypto market is consolidating after months of bearish price action, with participants navigating an environment defined by geopolitical tension, macro uncertainty, and a price structure that has yet to confirm a clear direction. In this context, top analyst Darkfost has identified a behavioral shift that cuts across the usual boundaries between crypto and traditional finance — and what it reveals about where market participants are directing their attention is worth understanding.

Since Binance launched gold futures trading in January, the platform has recorded more than $100 billion in trading volume. That figure, accumulated in under four months, is not a product success story. It is a behavioral signal. The participants who typically live in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and altcoins have collectively directed nine figures into the world’s oldest safe-haven asset — and the environment driving that demand is the same one currently suppressing crypto prices.

Ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States continue to limit market visibility and sustain demand for assets that hold value through uncertainty. Gold has been the primary beneficiary of that dynamic, posting gains of approximately 210% since October 2023 before the correction that began in late January.

That correction has since brought gold 16.5% below its all-time high. The safe-haven trade has not reversed — it has pulled back. And in markets, 16.5% corrections after 210% rallies tend to attract a specific kind of attention.

$6.6 Billion in a Single Day — and the Demand Has Not Gone Away The volume evolution on Binance’s gold futures tells the story of a market that found its audience faster than almost anyone anticipated. Standard sessions now regularly record between $500 million and $1 billion in trading activity — a baseline that would have been considered extraordinary for a product that did not exist four months ago.

During the February correction and again in late March, that baseline was left behind entirely. Multiple sessions exceeded $3 billion, and on March 23 the platform recorded $6.6 billion in a single day — a figure that reflects institutional-scale participation, not retail curiosity.

Crypto Perp Volume XAU (Binance) | Source: CryptoQuant Darkfost frames the current consolidation in gold’s price as structurally natural rather than structurally concerning. After a 210% rally over two years, a 16.5% correction represents the kind of profit-taking that follows any sustained advance — and the persistence of Binance gold futures volume through that correction suggests the underlying demand has not reversed alongside the price.

The structural advantage Binance introduced is worth naming directly. Traditional gold markets close on weekends. Binance does not. For a market participant whose primary trading environment operates continuously — where geopolitical developments on a Saturday morning can move prices before any traditional venue opens — permanent access to gold exposure is not a convenience. It is a capability that did not previously exist for this audience.

Darkfost’s assessment is that Binance made the right call. The $100 billion in volume and the $6.6 billion single-day record suggest the market agrees.

BTC/XAU Ratio Tests Structural Support After Sharp Breakdown The BTC/XAU ratio is attempting to stabilize after a decisive breakdown that shifted the relative strength balance back in favor of gold. After topping near the 35–37 zone, the ratio entered a sustained downtrend. Losing both its short-term and medium-term moving averages in sequence — a clear signal that Bitcoin has been underperforming gold across this phase of the market.

Bitcoin Gold correlation showing relief | Source: BTC/XAU chart on TradingView The recent move lower into the 13–15 range marked a significant reset. That level aligns with prior consolidation zones from 2023, suggesting the market has returned to a historically relevant demand area. The reaction so far has been constructive but not yet convincing. Price has bounced modestly and is now attempting to reclaim the 17 level, but it remains below the declining 50-week and 100-week moving averages, which continue to act as dynamic resistance.

Volume expanded notably during the selloff, indicating that the move was driven by strong conviction rather than thin liquidity. The subsequent rebound, by contrast, has occurred on lighter participation — a detail that raises questions about its durability.

Structurally, the ratio remains in a corrective phase. A sustained reclaim of the 20–23 region would be required to suggest a shift back toward Bitcoin outperformance. Until then, the trend continues to favor gold.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

During the peak of the 2017 crypto-mania, Litecoin founder Charlie Lee announced that he had sold all of his LTC holdings. Lee, who founded Litecoin in 2011, cited the conflict of interest as the main reason for that move. Despite this explanation, Lee’s decision to sell-off his LTC holdings still does not sit well with so many in the cryptocurrency community. Some still believe he dumped his LTC due to some knowledge that was not divulged to the wider community.

In mid-December 2019, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin revealed that, under his instruction, the Ethereum Foundation sold 70,000 ETH during the 2017 parabolic bull market. This sale resulted in $100 million liquidity which according to Vitalik, extended the runway for the Ethereum Foundation. Funnily enough, Vitalik admitted this two years later after ETH hit its $1,432 all-time high.

His admission was met with strong criticism with many claiming that it was no different from what Charlie Lee did. In a recent episode of the Magical Crypto Friends podcast, Charlie Lee explains why he thinks his LTC sell-off was different from Ethereum Foundation’s ETH sell-off.

Charlie Lee cited a couple of differences during his discussion with Riccardo Spagni. For starters, he noted that Vitalik only made that revelation two years later. Further quipping that Buterin transferred ETH to an exchange which does not necessarily mean he sold it and he could be trading it.

Secondly, ETH coins were pre-mined for Buterin and for the Ethereum Foundation, which is quite different from Charlie Lee. Another important difference that Lee noted is the Ethereum Foundation’s lack of transparency. He opined:

 

“The Ethereum Foundation, it’s not very transparent at all, right. As a Foundation kind of centralized, where they pre-mined coins, they should be very transparent about how many coins they’re selling. At least Ripple is pretty transparent about how many XRP they are dumping every month or every year.”

Riccardo Spagni chimed in on the topic of lack of transparency, saying that even ZCash’s reward model is more transparent compared to ethereum’s pre-mine model, adding:

“I mean, you know everything’s suboptimal but certainly like the ZCash crowd has at least tried to make some effort of transparency to their detriment in some instances.”

Charlie Lee also pointed out that the Ethereum Foundation lacks transparency to the extent that the wider community has no idea how it allocates its funds, how much funds it currently owns, its processes and all the people that are part of it.

Currently, Litecoin Foundation has officially started the development of the Mimblewimble privacy protocol. Litecoin Foundation has donated $18,500 worth of cryptocurrency to the dedicated development fund meant to sponsor Grin developer David Burkett. This fund is intended to expand to $72,000.

Although 2019 did not end well for LTC, this year has started on a brighter note. So far this year, LTC has gained over 35 percent over the last few days. It has, however, retraced to $56 at press time amidst a market-wide correction.

HodlX Guest Post  Submit Your Post   A core ideology in the cryptocurrency space is a consistent commitment to privacy. But until privacy coins deliver easy-to-use, efficient solutions at scale, privacy will remain a privilege reserved for the crypto-savvy.

For individuals seeking to reject government or other third-party surveillance in their financial and business dealings, end-to-end encryption is a must. However, privacy coins universally lack a comprehensive approach that can aid users in performing other necessary functions like private messaging, file sharing, and data messaging.

Monero is routinely seen as the gold standard of the privacy niche, and for good reason. It’s the longest running of the major contenders, boasts the largest market cap, and has successfully protected XMR transactions from unwanted eyes for years. But that hasn’t stopped Monero users from being identified and reprimanded, over and over again.

Now, the purpose is not to condone criminal behavior, or argue over what constitutes a crime – criminals should be arrested. But the fact that individuals using Monero for illicit purposes are routinely uncovered and detained suggests that XMR isn’t adequately serving its users. By tracking on-ramps in and out of Monero, channels of communication, web activity, and so on, Monero users can forfeit their anonymity even if they use the coin exactly as intended.

The recent Monero website hack, in which a malicious actor planted a coin stealer on the site, proves that anyone can be tampered with, despite how knowledgeable they are of crypto. Centralized solutions in use alongside Monero and other privacy coins aren’t perfect, as the massive, recent NordVPN hack highlights.

And if we take a step further back, how accessible is Monero itself to the average individual? Despite over a decade of existence, cryptocurrency across the board is incredibly inaccessible for the average individual. XMR and coins like it carry an even larger learning curve. Realistically, what percentage of the population is equipped to properly utilize Monero and supplementary services to adequately protect their anonymity? I’d argue the figure is well below 1%. And with the ongoing trend of exchanges delisting the “purely privacy” coins, that figure may continue to dip lower still.

For privacy coins to carry out their intended purpose, they need to build out comprehensive, user-friendly applications that average Joe can wrap his head around.

Opal Coin: Before Its Time

A holistic approach to privacy isn’t a foreign concept to the niche. Once upon a time, there was a little known privacy coin by the name of Opal. Launched in 2014, Opal was situated as a suite of privacy utilities that were all housed in the Opal wallet. Alongside hidden addresses and shielded transactions typical of most privacy coins, you could also partake in on-chain private messaging. From a single location, you could negotiate dealings and settle transactions in a completely decentralized, secure manner.

Unfortunately, this philosophy wasn’t widely regarded as necessary for the privacy space. Although there were other intended features to encompass within the wallet, development largely dried up within the next year as the team and community pursued different ventures. For all intents and purposes, Opal and “holistic privacy” were good as dead.

Broadening Utility

Either in response to Monero, or as a reflection of the growth of the industry as a whole, there are a number of competing privacy coins that do emphasize greater utillity. Zcash is perhaps the most appropriate example. Like Monero, Zcash is sufficiently private for users looking to deal in encrypted currency transactions.

However, Zcash broadens the scope of its “transactions” through the incorporation of private smart contracts. Smart contracts are the industry standard for the nuanced transaction of data on-chain. When applied to a privacy coin, this means users can deal in much more than just units of currency: they can store files, lock currency, establish escrow, alongside more nuanced potential applications like decentralized autonomous organizations.

Zcash also employs “flexible privacy”. Users can opt for public transactions, which may be necessary for auditing and compliance purposes. They can similarly verify activity through zk-SNARKs without revealing contents. In order for privacy coins to see legitimate usage at the global scale, they must encompass these broader functionalities.

Overcoming the Impossible Trinity

There is currently an “impossible trinity” of utility, sufficient privacy, and scalability that privacy coins across the boards are succumbing to. Most projects are building out under the preconceived notion that only two of these qualities can be appeased.

Monero is sufficiently private and scales well enough, but lacks utility for more comprehensive use per the possibilities suggested above. Grin has taken the same approach. Verge is quick and offers several features, but does so at the sacrifice of the adequacy of the privacy it encompasses. Zcash is pushing towards utility, and many will agree ZEC is sufficiently private, but the resources required for various privacy activities, like contracts, suggests the network won’t succeed at worldwide scale.

Enigma is one project looking to overcome this “impossible trinity” at the application layer. The functionality of Enigma reflects the ability to use “secret contracts” across existing blockchain networks. In essence, this will allow users to transmit and interact with data on-chain in a secure, untraceable manner.

Essentially, Enigma is providing the “privacy” for networks that otherwise embody utility and scalability. As major chains like Ethereum and Bitcoin continue to improve and evolve, the impact Engima enables as its underlying chains become more capable similarly grows.

At the protocol level, Beam is also taking on a more comprehensive approach. Like Grin, Beam is constricted by its MimbleWimble architecture, which confines network activity as solely currency transactions. Unlike Grin, however, Beam has placed ample resources and capital to broaden the utility and usability of the project.

While Grin continues to be very barebones, with users relying on a spartan command line wallet, Beam is putting a major emphasis on usability. They’ve built interactive wallets on a number of platforms, and atomic swap capabilities provide users more autonomy in bringing funds on-and-off Beam, without as much reliance on exchange offerings. Additional features like tokenized assets in the pipeline, combined with interoperability initiatives, further expand the utility of the coin.

Lastly, a newer contender, Stegos, has an ambitious bottom-up approach that may prove fruitful for the broader niche. Like Grin and Beam, Stegos utilizes aggressive transaction pruning for a far more lightweight, scalable blockchain. But beyond that, Stegos approach is a direct opposite: instead of completely restricting the functionality of transactions, Stegos expands network activity to broaden transactions as a system for fast data messaging.

In the same capacity that an amount of tokens can be sent, users can similarly send messages, like Opal, alongside media, data, and whatever else. The team is looking to create a one-stop mobile app that will allow users to participate in encrypted, on-chain messaging, and interact with network dapps. This is only possible because the network is lightweight enough for smartphones to act as full nodes, which enables them to whichever functionalities are available for desktop alternatives.

An Innovative Future

The above coins, along with other initiatives that make up the privacy players of the current generation of “blockchain 3.0”, suggest that the usability solution in the niche is a matter of “when,” rather than “if”. The future should be private. Down the road, everyone will be able to maintain complete digital anonymity through the utilization of privacy coins.

How far out we are will only be revealed with time. All will depend on when projects across the board shift their approach to focusing on how to build a platform that can do it all properly. The current philosophy of figuring out the best way to do what is possible through existing infrastructure is a fruitless endeavor.

 

PANews reported on September 19th that, according to SoSoValue data, the crypto market saw three consecutive days of gains. The GameFi sector saw a 24-hour gain of 5.45%. Within the sector, ImmutableX (IMX) surged 26.32%, while GALA and Beam (BEAM) rose 3.74% and 9.14%, respectively. Additionally, Bitcoin (BTC) rose 0.37%, breaking through $117,000, while Ethereum (ETH) fell 0.40%, fluctuating in a narrow range around $4,600.

Other sectors with outstanding performance include: the Layer2 sector rose 4.71% in 24 hours. Within the sector, Optimism (OP) and Mantle (MNT) rose 3.93% and 6.33% respectively; the NFT sector rose 2.35%, and Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) rose 3.42%; the DeFi sector rose 1.31%, and Chainlink (LINK) rose 3.25%; the Layer1 sector rose 0.70%, and Avalanche (AVAX) rose 9.14%.

In other sectors, the PayFi sector fell 0.20%, but Trust Wallet (TWT) rose against the trend by 19.13%; the CeFi sector fell 0.30%, and ApolloX (APX) rose 30.73%; the Meme sector fell 1.43%, and Pump.fun (PUMP) and MemeCore (M), which had previously risen significantly, fell 10.80% and 12.06% respectively.

Aayush Jindal

Author

Aayush Jindal

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Jan 2018

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Last updated: 

June 26, 2023

Bitcoin price is consolidating above $20,000.Ethereum is struggling near $1,600, XRP is well below $0.35.CEL surged nearly 20%, and RVN is again pumping.Bitcoin price found support near the $20,000 level after a strong decline. BTC is currently (11:10 UTC) consolidating above $20,000. It could start a fresh increase if there is a clear move above $20,800.

Similarly, most major altcoins are consolidating near support zones. ETH is struggling to stay above the $1,600. XRP might decline and test the $0.32 support. ADA is facing resistance near $0.48 and $0.482.

Bitcoin priceAfter a strong decline, bitcoin price found support near the $20,000 zone. BTC remained well bid above the $20,000 zone and recently started a consolidation phase. It managed to correct a few points above the $20,250 level. On the upside, the price is facing resistance near the $20,500 level. The next major resistance is now near the $20,800 level, above which the price could start a decent increase.

On the downside, an initial support is near the $20,050 level. The next major support is near the $20,000 zone, below which the price could start another strong decline.

Ethereum priceEthereum price managed to stay above the $1,550 support zone. ETH started an upside correction and traded above the $1,580 level. It even climbed above $1,600, but it is struggling to gain bullish momentum. The first major resistance is near $1,620. The next major resistance is near $1,650, above which the price may perhaps rise to $1,700.

If not, the price might start another decline towards the $1,550 level. The next major support is $1,500, below which price could gain bearish momentum.

ADA, BNB, SOL, DOGE, and XRP priceCardano (ADA) settled well below the $0.50 level. The price is now struggling to recover above the $0.48 level. If there is no upside break, the price may perhaps decline towards the $0.45 level.

BNB is slowly recovering losses and trading near the $280 level. An immediate resistance is near the $282 level. The first major resistance is near $288, above which the price could rise towards the $300 level.

Solana (SOL) declined over 12% and tested the $32.65 level. It is now trading near $33.50 level. The next major support sits near the $32.50 level. On the upside, the bears might remain active near the $35.00 level.

DOGE is consolidating above the $0.060 level. A downside break and close below the $0.060 level could spark a sharp decline. In the stated case, the price might slide towards the $0.0565 level.

XRP price is consolidating near the $0.335 level. If there are more downsides, the price could slide and test the $0.32 support. The next major support is $0.305.

Other altcoins market todayMany altcoins are down over 10%, including LUNA, USTC, LUNC, HNT, APE, AVAX, EOS, NEAR, FTT, GMT, and ATOM. Out of these, LUNA dived over 30% and traded below the $3.0 level.

To sum up, bitcoin price is consolidating above the $20,000 level. If BTC stays above $20,000, it could recover towards $21,200. If not, it might dive to $18,500.

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After the Ethereum (ETH) ecosystem went through the long-awaited Merge update that officially marked its transition from the Proof-of-Work (PoW) to the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm, it has led to some interesting developments in the crypto space as miners start to look for alternatives.

Indeed, interest in Ravencoin (RVN) has soared, placing it at the top of the cryptocurrency trending list, ahead of Ethereum, Ethereum Classic (ETC), Bitcoin (BTC), and Shiba Inu (SHIB), according to data retrieved from CoinMarketCap on September 15.

Top 5 trending cryptos in the last 24 hours. Source: CoinMarketCap As the data shows, miners have flocked to the alternative chain en masse in this major mining shift, leading to the explosion of Ravencoin’s hash rate, which soared 541% in the two weeks leading up to the Merge – between September 1 and September 15.

Ravencoin hash rate. Source: CoinWarz Merge helps Ravencoin soar In addition, CoinMarketCap data demonstrates that the value of Ravencoin has increased nearly 75% over the previous seven days, as miners increasingly see RVN as an adequate substitute for ETH mining in the post-Merge environment.

This environment is leaving PoW ETH miners with increasingly fewer options – switching to other chains (like Ravencoin) or stopping mining altogether and becoming Ethereum stakers – earning staking rewards under the new PoS process.

The success of Ravencoin can also be attributed to the announcement by the crypto exchange FTX of the listing of RVN perpetual futures on September 12. These futures allow people to speculate on where RVN will go from the current point in time and hold their positions.

It is also worth noting that Ravencoin, which was established in 2018, uses a PoW consensus algorithm and the RVN tokens issued on it can be used for many different things, just like ETH, such as decentralized applications (DApps) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Ravencoin (RVN) price analysis Meanwhile, the Ravencoin token is trading at $0.06293 at press time, down 0.77% on the day, but up a whopping 74.77% across the previous seven days. 

Ravencoin 7-day price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap As per CoinMarketCap data, the market capitalization of RVN currently stands at $704.32 million, placing the decentralized finance (DeFi) token in 60th place among all cryptocurrencies according to this indicator.

Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk. 

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