The ETH/BTC ratio prices Ethereum in Bitcoin instead of dollars, stripping out the market-wide move so you can see which of the two is actually winning. Here is what the ratio measures, how to read it, what drives it, and why it has fallen to multi-year lows.
Summary
The ETH/BTC ratio is the price of one ether expressed in bitcoin, a single number that shows whether Ethereum is outperforming or underperforming Bitcoin regardless of what the dollar price of either is doing. A rising ratio means ether is gaining on bitcoin, often a sign of risk appetite and a healthier environment for altcoins; a falling ratio means bitcoin is winning, usually a sign of caution and bitcoin dominance. As of mid-2026, the ratio sits near multi-year lows around 0.026, reflecting Ethereum’s deep underperformance against Bitcoin, down sharply from levels near 0.08 in 2021 and 0.15 in 2017. The ratio is driven by the tug-of-war between Ethereum-specific forces (ETF flows, staking, layer-2 activity, supply dynamics, competition from other chains) and Bitcoin-specific forces (halving cycles, ETF and treasury demand). It is a relative-strength gauge and a regime signal, not a price target, and it can stay depressed or elevated for years, so it should inform context rather than dictate trades. Table of Contents
What the ratio actually measuresWhy traders watch itHow to read a rising or falling ratioA worked exampleWhere the ratio has been, and where it is nowWhat drives the ratio up and downHow to use the ratio without overreading itFrequently Asked Questions The ETH/BTC ratio is the price of one ether (ETH) measured in bitcoin (BTC) rather than in dollars, and it is one of the most useful single numbers in crypto for understanding which of the two largest assets is actually winning. When you look at Ethereum’s price in dollars, you are seeing two things mixed together: how Ethereum is doing, and how the entire crypto market is doing, because almost everything in crypto moves loosely with Bitcoin and with the broad risk environment.
The ETH/BTC ratio removes the second factor. By pricing Ethereum directly in Bitcoin, it cancels out the market-wide move that both assets share and isolates Ethereum’s performance relative to Bitcoin alone. If both assets rise 20% in dollars, the ratio does not move, because neither outperformed the other. If Ethereum rises while Bitcoin is flat, the ratio rises, and you learn something the dollar chart obscured: capital is favoring Ethereum over Bitcoin right now.
That makes the ratio a lens, not just a number, and learning to read it changes how you see the market. This guide explains what the ETH/BTC ratio is and how it is calculated, why traders watch it, how to interpret a rising or falling ratio, what the ratio has done historically and where it sits now, the forces on each side that push it up or down, a worked example you can follow step by step, and how to use it sensibly without overreading it.
The aim is to give you a durable mental model rather than a snapshot, because the specific level will change, but the way the ratio works will not. None of this is trading advice; the ratio is an analytical tool, and like any tool, it can mislead if used in isolation. Used well, though, it is one of the clearest windows into the single most important relationship in the asset class, the one between its two dominant coins.
What the ratio actually measures Start with the mechanics, because they are simple and the simplicity is the point. The ETH/BTC ratio is calculated by dividing the price of ether by the price of bitcoin, using the same currency for both, so the units cancel and you are left with a pure ratio. If ether trades at $1,550 and bitcoin trades at $60,000, the ratio is 1,550 divided by 60,000, which is about 0.0258, usually written as 0.026. That number tells you that one ether is currently worth about 2.6% of one bitcoin. You can read it directly: at a ratio of 0.026, it takes roughly 38 ether to equal one bitcoin in value.
Most charting platforms quote the pair as ETHBTC or ETH/BTC, and many crypto exchanges let you trade the pair directly, buying ether with bitcoin or the reverse, which is part of why the ratio is so closely watched, it is a live, tradable market, not just a derived statistic.
What the ratio measures, conceptually, is relative strength. It answers a question the dollar price cannot: between the two largest assets in crypto, which is the market choosing right now? Because Bitcoin and Ethereum share most of the same macro drivers, interest rates, risk appetite, regulatory news, dollar liquidity, comparing them to each other holds those shared factors roughly constant and exposes the difference that is specific to each asset. A dollar chart of Ethereum during a broad sell-off shows Ethereum falling, but it cannot tell you whether Ethereum fell more or less than Bitcoin.
The ratio can. If Ethereum fell harder than Bitcoin, the ratio dropped even as both went down, revealing that within the decline, capital preferred the relative safety of Bitcoin. That is the core value of the metric: it separates Ethereum’s own story from the market’s story, and in doing so it often reveals the direction of capital rotation that the dollar price hides.
Why traders watch it The ratio matters because it functions as a regime indicator for the broader market, not just for Ethereum. In crypto, there is a long-observed pattern in which capital rotates in a rough sequence: money flows into Bitcoin first during the early, cautious phase of a rally, then rotates into Ethereum as confidence grows, and then spreads out into smaller altcoins as risk appetite peaks.
Because Ethereum sits in the middle of that sequence, the largest and most established asset after Bitcoin, the ETH/BTC ratio often acts as a barometer for where the market is in that cycle. A rising ratio, with Ethereum gaining on Bitcoin, frequently signals that risk appetite is building and that the environment is turning favorable for altcoins broadly, since Ethereum tends to lead the alt market. A falling ratio, with Bitcoin winning, usually signals the opposite: caution, a flight toward the relative safety of Bitcoin, and a harder environment for smaller tokens.
This is why traders treat the ratio as a piece of market-structure information instead of just a fact about two coins. When the ratio is trending up, many interpret it as confirmation of an “altcoin season” or “ETH season,” a period when capital is willing to move out the risk curve and non-Bitcoin assets outperform. When it is trending down, the read is “Bitcoin season” or rising “Bitcoin dominance,” a period when Bitcoin absorbs the market’s attention and capital while alts bleed against it. Portfolio decisions follow from this framing: a trader who believes the ratio is turning up might tilt toward Ethereum and altcoins, while one who sees it falling might rotate toward Bitcoin or cash.
The ratio also serves as a sanity check on narratives. If commentators are loudly predicting an Ethereum breakout but the ETH/BTC ratio keeps falling, the market is voting against the narrative in the most direct way available, by pricing Ethereum lower against Bitcoin quarter after quarter. Watching the ratio keeps a trader honest about what is actually happening versus what is being talked about.
How to read a rising or falling ratio Reading the ratio is mostly about direction and context instead of any single absolute level. A rising ETH/BTC ratio means ether is appreciating relative to bitcoin, whether because ether is rising faster than bitcoin, falling more slowly, or rising while bitcoin falls. In all of those cases the message is the same: on a relative basis, the market is favoring Ethereum.
Sustained increases in the ratio tend to coincide with periods of broad risk appetite, strong Ethereum-specific catalysts, and outperformance across the altcoin complex, since Ethereum often pulls the alts along with it. A falling ratio carries the opposite message: bitcoin is winning the relative contest, the market is leaning toward caution and Bitcoin dominance, and altcoins are generally struggling against bitcoin even if they are flat or rising in dollar terms.
The crucial discipline is to read the ratio in context instead of as a standalone buy or sell signal. The same ratio level can mean very different things depending on the trend and the backdrop. A ratio of 0.026 reached on the way down, after months of Ethereum underperformance, signals weakness and momentum against Ethereum. The same 0.026 reached on the way up, after a period of Ethereum gaining, would signal the opposite, recovering relative strength.
Direction and trend matter more than the absolute figure. It also helps to watch the ratio across multiple timeframes: a short-term bounce in the ratio within a long-term downtrend is a different and weaker signal than a multi-month trend change. And because the ratio is relative, it is silent about absolute price. The ratio can rise while both assets fall in dollars, if Ethereum falls less, which is relative outperformance during an absolute loss, useful to know but not the same as a gain. Reading the ratio well means always holding two questions at once: which asset is winning the relative contest, and what is the absolute market doing underneath that contest.
A worked example Make it concrete with numbers you can follow. Suppose ether is trading at $1,550 and bitcoin at $60,000. Divide 1,550 by 60,000 and you get 0.0258, so the ETH/BTC ratio is about 0.026, and one ether is worth roughly 2.6% of one bitcoin, or equivalently it takes about 38 ether to equal one bitcoin. Now run three scenarios from that starting point to see how the ratio responds to relative moves.
In the first scenario, both assets rise 25% in dollars: ether to about $1,938 and bitcoin to $75,000. The ratio is 1,938 divided by 75,000, which is still about 0.0258. Despite a large dollar gain in both, the ratio did not move, because neither outperformed the other, exactly the information the dollar chart would have hidden.
In the second scenario, ether outperforms: ether doubles to $3,100 while bitcoin stays at $60,000. The ratio becomes 3,100 divided by 60,000, or about 0.052, a doubling of the ratio. This is the signature of Ethereum outperformance, and a trader watching only the ratio would see it climb from 0.026 to 0.052 and read a strong shift of capital toward Ethereum, the kind of move associated with an ETH-led alt rally. In the third scenario, the market falls but Ethereum falls harder: bitcoin drops to $48,000 (down 20%) while ether drops to $1,085 (down 30%).
The ratio is 1,085 divided by 48,000, or about 0.0226, a decline from 0.026. Here both assets lost money in dollars, but the ratio fell, telling you that within the sell-off, capital preferred bitcoin and Ethereum bore more of the damage. These three cases show the ratio’s whole purpose in miniature: it ignores the shared move and reports only the relative winner, which is the piece of information that dollar prices alone cannot give you.
Where the ratio has been, and where it is now History gives the current level its meaning, and the history of ETH/BTC is a story of a long round trip. In Ethereum’s earlier years the ratio climbed dramatically as Ethereum established itself as the clear number-two asset and the home of smart contracts, decentralized finance, and much of crypto’s developer activity. It reached its highest levels around mid-2017, near 0.15, when one ether was worth about 15% of a bitcoin, a peak of Ethereum’s relative strength driven by the initial-coin-offering boom that ran on Ethereum.
The ratio then fell sharply, recovered into the 2021 cycle to peak around 0.08 as decentralized finance and non-fungible tokens drove enormous activity on Ethereum, and has since entered a prolonged decline. As of mid-2026, the ratio sits near multi-year lows around 0.026, with ether near $1,550 against bitcoin near $60,000, a level that reflects a sustained stretch of Ethereum underperforming Bitcoin.
The reasons for the long decline are worth understanding because they explain why the ratio is where it is instead of simply that it is low. Several forces have weighed on Ethereum’s relative strength. Bitcoin has captured an enormous wave of institutional demand through spot ETFs and corporate-treasury adoption, a clean, simple “digital gold” narrative that has pulled capital toward Bitcoin specifically. Ethereum, meanwhile, has faced intensifying competition from faster, cheaper chains, with much of the speculative and developer energy that once flowed to Ethereum moving to rivals, which has diluted the “Ethereum is the only smart-contract platform that matters” thesis that powered its earlier outperformance.
Ethereum’s own narrative has also been harder to summarize than Bitcoin’s, shifting across staking, scaling through layer-2 networks, and supply dynamics in ways that are powerful but complex, and complexity is a disadvantage in a market that rewards simple stories. The result is a ratio that has spent a long time grinding lower, which is the context any reader should hold when they see the current figure: it is not a momentary dip but the late stage of a multi-year trend, which is exactly why it is so closely watched for signs of a turn.
What drives the ratio up and down To anticipate the ratio instead of just observe it, you have to understand the forces on each side, because the ratio is a tug-of-war between Ethereum-specific and Bitcoin-specific drivers. On the Ethereum side, the factors that tend to push the ratio up include strong inflows into Ethereum ETFs, which signal institutional demand specifically for ether; growth in staking, which locks up supply and can tighten the available float; rising activity on Ethereum and its layer-2 networks, which supports the case that the network is being used; and periods when Ethereum’s supply dynamics turn deflationary, reducing net issuance. Broadly, anything that strengthens Ethereum’s relative narrative or tightens its supply relative to Bitcoin tends to lift the ratio. When these forces are strong and Bitcoin lacks an equally strong catalyst, capital rotates toward Ethereum and the ratio climbs.
On the Bitcoin side, the factors that push the ratio down include the four-year halving cycle and its associated demand narratives, large institutional inflows into Bitcoin ETFs, corporate-treasury accumulation of Bitcoin, and any environment in which the market wants the relative safety and simplicity of Bitcoin over the complexity of Ethereum and altcoins. Risk-off conditions generally favor Bitcoin and pull the ratio down, because in a cautious market capital concentrates in the most established, most liquid, most narratively simple asset, which is Bitcoin.
The overall risk environment is the backdrop to both sides: in risk-on periods, capital is willing to move out the curve toward Ethereum and the ratio tends to rise, while in risk-off periods it retreats toward Bitcoin and the ratio tends to fall. This framework explains why the ratio has been weak: Bitcoin has enjoyed powerful, simple, institution-friendly catalysts in ETFs and treasuries, while Ethereum’s catalysts have been real but more diffuse, and much of the market has been in a cautious, Bitcoin-favoring posture. A durable turn in the ratio would require Ethereum-specific demand to outweigh Bitcoin’s, which is exactly what traders watch the ratio to detect.
How to use the ratio without overreading it For all its usefulness, the ratio is easy to misuse, and using it well means respecting its limits. The most important discipline is to remember that the ratio is a relative-strength gauge, not a price target or a guaranteed mean-reverting signal. A common error is to look at a depressed ratio and assume it must bounce back toward old levels, treating the multi-year average as a magnet.
There is no rule that forces the ratio to revert. It can stay depressed for years if Ethereum continues to underperform, just as it can stay elevated during a strong Ethereum cycle, and betting on reversion simply because the ratio looks low has cost many traders dearly through long stretches of continued underperformance. The ratio describes the current balance of relative strength; it does not promise that the balance will swing back on any particular schedule.
The second discipline is to never trade the ratio in isolation. It is one input among many, most powerful when combined with an understanding of the absolute market environment, the specific catalysts on each side, and your own time horizon. The ratio tells you which asset is winning the relative contest, but it says nothing about whether the whole market is heading up or down in dollars, which is what actually determines whether you make or lose money in absolute terms.
A rising ratio in a collapsing market still means losses; a falling ratio in a soaring market can still mean gains. The ratio is best used to inform allocation tilts and to read market structure, for example to judge whether the environment favors Ethereum and alts or Bitcoin, instead of as a standalone entry or exit trigger. Treat it as a compass that shows direction of relative capital flow, not a clock that tells you when to act, and it becomes one of the more reliable instruments in a crypto analyst’s toolkit. Misread as a precise timing signal or a guaranteed reversion bet, it becomes a trap. The metric is honest; the overreading is the danger.
Frequently Asked Questions What is a good ETH/BTC ratio? There is no single “good” level, because the ratio is a relative measure whose meaning depends on trend and context instead of any fixed number. Historically the ratio has ranged from highs near 0.15 in 2017 and 0.08 in 2021 down to multi-year lows around 0.026 in 2026. A higher ratio reflects stronger Ethereum performance against Bitcoin, and a lower one reflects Bitcoin dominance, but neither is inherently “good” or “bad,” it depends on which asset you favor and where you are in the cycle. What matters more than the absolute level is the direction: a rising ratio signals Ethereum gaining, a falling ratio signals Bitcoin winning. Read the trend and the backdrop, not a target number.
How do you calculate the ETH/BTC ratio? Divide the price of ether by the price of bitcoin, using the same currency for both so the units cancel. For example, if ether is $1,550 and bitcoin is $60,000, the ratio is 1,550 divided by 60,000, which equals about 0.0258, usually written as 0.026. That means one ether is worth roughly 2.6% of one bitcoin, or that it takes about 38 ether to equal one bitcoin. Most charting platforms display the pair directly as ETHBTC or ETH/BTC, so you rarely need to calculate it by hand, and many exchanges let you trade the pair directly, which is why it behaves as a live market instead of just a derived statistic.
What does a rising ETH/BTC ratio mean? A rising ratio means ether is appreciating relative to bitcoin, whether because ether is rising faster, falling more slowly, or rising while bitcoin is flat or falling. The shared message is that the market is favoring Ethereum over Bitcoin on a relative basis. Sustained increases often coincide with broad risk appetite and outperformance across altcoins, since Ethereum tends to lead the alt market, which is why a rising ratio is frequently read as a signal of “ETH season” or a building altcoin rally. The key caveat is that a rising ratio describes relative strength only; it says nothing about whether the overall market is going up or down in dollar terms.
Why has the ETH/BTC ratio been falling? The long decline reflects a tug-of-war that Bitcoin has been winning. Bitcoin has captured a powerful wave of institutional demand through spot ETFs and corporate treasuries, supported by a simple “digital gold” narrative. Ethereum has faced intensifying competition from faster, cheaper chains that drew away speculative and developer activity, while its own narrative, spanning staking, layer-2 scaling, and supply dynamics, has been harder to summarize than Bitcoin’s. A generally cautious, risk-off market has also favored Bitcoin’s relative safety. The combination pushed the ratio to multi-year lows near 0.026 by mid-2026. A durable turn would require Ethereum-specific demand to outweigh Bitcoin’s catalysts.
Can the ETH/BTC ratio predict altcoin season? It is one of the more useful indicators for it, but not a precise predictor. Because Ethereum sits between Bitcoin and smaller altcoins in the typical rotation of capital, the ETH/BTC ratio often acts as a barometer: a rising ratio suggests capital is moving out the risk curve toward Ethereum and, by extension, toward altcoins, while a falling ratio suggests retreat toward Bitcoin. Many traders treat a sustained uptrend in the ratio as confirmation that an altcoin season is building. However, it is a relative-strength gauge, not a guarantee, and it should be combined with other signals and an understanding of the absolute market, instead of treated as a standalone forecast of when alts will run.
Should I trade based on the ETH/BTC ratio? The ratio is best used as an analytical and allocation tool instead of a standalone trading trigger, and this is not trading advice. It is most valuable for understanding market structure, judging whether the environment favors Ethereum and altcoins or Bitcoin, and informing how you tilt a portfolio, instead of as a precise entry or exit signal. Two cautions matter most: do not assume a low ratio must revert to old highs, because it can stay depressed for years, and never read it in isolation, because it says nothing about whether the overall market is rising or falling in dollars. A rising ratio in a falling market still means losses. Use it as a compass for relative strength, combined with other analyses.
This article is educational information, not financial or investment advice. Price levels and ratio figures reflect approximate values as of June 2026 and change continuously. Cryptocurrency is volatile, and you can lose money. Do your own research and consult a qualified financial professional before making any investment decision.
The Ethereum treasury firm Sharplink (SBET) is once again drawing attention from market participants amid its latest ETH bets. According to a recent report, the firm has acquired 10,000 Ethereum recently, valued at around $16.1 million.
Simultaneously, the company has also accelerated its stock buyback program, signaling confidence in its long-term capital strategy. However, despite the aggressive bet, the ETH price has continued to struggle and is set to end the third consecutive quarter in the red for the first time.
Sharplink Continues to Make Aggressive Bet on Ethereum The leading ETH treasury firm Sharplink has continued its aggressive bets on Ethereum with another recent purchase. According to the company’s press release, the firm has acquired 10,000 ETH at an average price of $1,611 per token recently.
Meanwhile, this latest purchase has lifted its total Ethereum holdings to 886,725 ETH. Notably, the latest acquisition comes after a $75 million capital raise through a registered stock offering.
In addition, Sharplink also repurchased over 2.13 million shares of its common stock, SBET, at an average price of $4.69 per share. Since August 2025, the company has now bought back more than 4.07 million shares. However, despite the bet, the SBET stock was down 2.5% to $4.79 at the time of writing.
Source: Yahoo Finance Meanwhile, this latest share buyback and Ethereum purchase comes after the firm recently joined the Russell 2000 and 3000 indexes this week.
Ethereum Price to End Third Straight Quarter in Red The latest bet from Sharplink comes as Ethereum (ETH) price has continued to struggle to break through the $1,600 mark. At the time of writing, the ETH price was down 1.2% to $1,555, and its quarter-to-date (QTD) losses were recorded at around 25%.
Source: CoinGlass Meanwhile, ETH is also about to close the third straight quarter in the red for the first time, which has also fueled concerns among traders. Despite that, some analysts remain bullish amid the continuing bets from the Ethereum treasury firms like Sharplink.
Besides, Bitmine has also aggressively bet on ETH, as evidenced by its latest purchase of 27,084 Ethereum. Amid this, market expert Ted Pillows said that ETH price may witness a relief rally next month if it manages to hold the $1,500 support.
Source: Ted Pillows, X On the other hand, his chart showed that losing the $1,500 support could extend its fall to $1,400 or even lower. Having said that, investors should tread cautiously while putting their bets amid the ongoing volatile scenario in the broader crypto market.
Survey: 88% of enterprises plan to adopt stablecoins within the next year, with cross-border payment costs reduced by an average of 35%.
Payment infrastructure company Cybrid has released a new survey report indicating stablecoins are rapidly gaining traction in enterprise payment scenarios. The survey found that 42% of participating enterprises already use stablecoins for cross-border payments, while 88% said they are likely or very likely to adopt stablecoins within the next 12 months—only 2% of firms stated they will continue to rely entirely on traditional payment systems. According to the report, enterprises using stablecoins save an average of 35% on cross-border payment costs, with firms processing over $100 million in monthly payments achieving an average cost reduction of 47%. Payroll and contractor payments represent the most prominent use case, followed by supplier payments, customer payments, investment and revenue management, and treasury management, among others. Additionally, 71% of respondents identified a clear regulatory framework as the primary factor driving further mainstream adoption of stablecoins, outranking considerations such as infrastructure provider credibility and system integration. The survey was conducted from April to May this year, covering 468 senior executives from tech, financial services, and e-commerce sectors in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
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FalconX secures EU MiCA license, allowing it to offer compliant crypto services to institutional clients in Europe.
Institutional digital asset broker FalconX announced it has obtained the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license issued by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), enabling it to provide compliant digital asset trading, custody, liquidity and related institutional services across the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA). FalconX stated that this license allows it to operate across EU member states under a unified regulatory framework, eliminating the need for individual country-specific licenses. Currently, the firm serves over 2,000 institutional clients worldwide, including asset management firms, hedge funds, banks and family offices, with cumulative transaction volumes exceeding $2.5 trillion and over $8 billion in institutional financing disbursed. FalconX noted that as the MiCA regulatory framework is fully implemented, institutional clients’ demand for compliant trading, custody and liquidity services continues to grow, and regulatory credentials are becoming a key competitive advantage in Europe’s digital asset market.
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Guo Wengui sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection with a fraud case involving over $1 billion.
A US court has sentenced Miles Guo (also known as Ho Wan Kwok) to 30 years in prison. In 2024, a jury convicted Guo on multiple charges including racketeering, fraud, and money laundering, with his formal sentencing now issued. Prosecutors stated that Guo defrauded over $1 billion from global victims through a series of related scam schemes spanning five years. Notably, in 2021, he promoted the cryptocurrency project Himalaya Coin (H-Coin), claiming the tokens were backed by 20% gold reserves and promising to cover all investors’ losses, raising approximately $500 million in total. Additionally, the court previously ordered the forfeiture of nearly $900 million in Guo’s illegal proceeds, as well as his luxury mansion in New Jersey and multiple high-end vehicles. Guo had close ties to Steve Bannon, a former senior advisor to US President Donald Trump; Bannon was arrested in 2020 aboard Guo’s yacht.
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The first-half 2026 funding rankings have been released, with Kalshi and Polymarket raising a combined $1.8 billion.
According to statistics, the 14 largest global funding rounds in the first half of 2026 raised a total of $4.3 billion, with prediction markets, AI, and payment sectors drawing the most investor interest. Specifically, prediction market platform Kalshi topped the list with a $1.2 billion funding round, while Polymarket secured $600 million—together, the two raised $1.8 billion, accounting for over 40% of the total capital of the top 14 rounds. In the AI space, Replit, Exa AI, and OpenRouter closed funding rounds of $400 million, $250 million, and $113 million respectively. For blockchain projects, Canton Network, Arc, and Morpho raised $355 million, $222 million, and $175 million respectively. Meanwhile, payment, RWA, infrastructure, and compliance projects including Rain, Slash, Goldcom, Alpaca, and Elliptic also featured on the list.
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Open Standard launches stablecoin Open USD, with over 140 institutions including Visa, BlackRock, and Coinbase participating.
Open Standard has announced the launch of Open USD (OUSD), a new stablecoin for global fund flows, noting that over 140 enterprises have joined its ecosystem, including financial, payment, and crypto industry players such as Visa, Stripe, Mastercard, American Express, BlackRock, BNY, DBS, Coinbase, OKX, MetaMask, Aave, Ripple, Fireblocks, Solana, and Polygon. According to the introduction, Open USD follows three core design principles: supporting zero-cost, large-scale minting and redemption for enterprises; returning all reserve asset yields to partners after deducting a small management fee; and being governed by a board of directors composed of independent firm Open Standard and its partners, rather than controlled by a single issuer. Open Standard states that Open USD will officially launch later this year, with the goal of building an open, low-cost, high-throughput stablecoin infrastructure with a sharing economy mechanism to meet the needs of the internet economy and global enterprise-level payments.
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Pump.fun is discontinuing support for its tokenized agent issuance feature, stating it will focus on optimizing retail user trading experience.
Pump.fun announced it will immediately cease support for its Tokenized Agent token issuance feature. The feature will no longer be available for new token launches, though projects that have already activated it will remain unaffected. The platform noted that over recent months, consistent community feedback has pointed out that excessive issuance options have sparked unnecessary user vs. user (PVP) competition. Moving forward, Pump.fun will prioritize issuance models and product features that explicitly enhance retail trading experiences.
Ethereum continues to trade within a firmly bearish market structure despite showing signs of stabilization around a major support zone. While buyers have managed to defend the recent lows, both the daily and 4-hour charts suggest that any recovery attempt still faces significant overhead resistance. Meanwhile, exchange price data indicates that institutional demand through Coinbase remains weak, reinforcing the cautious outlook.
Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart The daily chart shows ETH extending its broader downtrend inside a well-defined descending channel. Price remains below the major moving averages, with the 100-day and 200-day averages both sloping lower overhead.
Following the sharp breakdown below the $1.85K support and a decisive retest and rejection, ETH is trading range-bound around the $1.5K support zone, which currently spans roughly $1.45K to $1.55K. This area has once again attracted buying interest and prevented further downside, making it the most important support for the buyers in the near term.
On the upside, the first notable resistance sits around $1.85K, which previously acted as support before turning into resistance after the breakdown. Above that, sellers are likely to defend the $2K to $2.2K supply zone, which also aligns with the declining moving averages and the upper boundary of the descending channel.
Source: TradingView ETH/USDT 4-Hour Chart On the 4-hour timeframe, Ethereum has finally broken above the descending trendline that had capped price action throughout last week’s decline. This is the first meaningful improvement in its short-term market structure. The price is now retracing for a potential retest, and if buyers successfully defend, it will increase the credibility of an upward move.
Despite this constructive development, ETH continues to trade below the key horizontal resistance at $1.75K, which remains the primary obstacle before a larger recovery can unfold. A decisive break above this supply zone could pave the way for a move toward the $1.85K resistance, where sellers are expected to become active once again.
Momentum has also improved following the breakout, with the RSI recovering toward the neutral 50 level after previously emerging from oversold conditions. While this suggests selling pressure has eased, buyers still need to reclaim the nearby resistance cluster to fully confirm a short-term bullish reversal.
As long as Ethereum holds above the broken trendline and the $1.5K support region, the probability of an extended relief rally remains elevated. However, losing these support levels would invalidate the breakout and shift momentum back in favor of the sellers.
Source: TradingView Sentiment Analysis The Coinbase Premium Index continues to paint a cautious picture for Ethereum. The metric has remained predominantly below the neutral line and recently dropped deeper into negative territory, indicating that ETH is trading at a discount on Coinbase relative to other exchanges.
This generally reflects weaker buying pressure from U.S.-based institutional and large-scale investors, a group that has historically played an important role during sustained recoveries. Although occasional rebounds in the premium have appeared throughout the past several months, they have failed to develop into persistent positive readings.
As long as the Coinbase Premium Index remains negative, institutional demand appears subdued, limiting the probability of a strong bullish reversal. A sustained recovery in the premium back above zero would be an early indication that larger buyers are returning to the market and could provide additional confirmation for any technical breakout.
Confirmed that the 25-delta put-call options skew has shifted positive for early July expiries, showing options traders are paying more for short-term downside protection. The key caveat: Avoid claiming options skew guarantees a price decline; portray it as a gauge of trader sentiment and hedging. For traders, the story matters because it affects how capital, liquidity or confidence is being priced across crypto right now. What Happened Ethereum Options Traders Pay Up For Downside Protection As Skew Turns Cautious. The update comes from Tokenpost, with the core claim checked against Deribit Options Metrics Dashboard / Block Scholes reports. That matters because this is the sort of story that can quickly become noisy if it is treated as a simple price headline rather than a market-structure development.
Confirmed that the 25-delta put-call options skew has shifted positive for early July expiries, showing options traders are paying more for short-term downside protection. The clean read is not that one data point should dominate the whole market, but that the latest signal gives traders a better sense of where risk appetite is shifting. In a market still being driven by ETF flows, leverage, treasury decisions and rotating altcoin liquidity, context is doing a lot of work.
Why It Matters For Crypto Traders Options markets are useful because they show what traders are willing to pay to protect against specific outcomes. When short-dated Ether skew moves toward puts, it says desks are paying up for near-term downside cover. It does not predict the future, but it does show where the market feels exposed right now.
The practical takeaway is that this is not just about the headline asset. These stories tend to spill across related trades: Bitcoin treasury names can affect altcoin sentiment, ETF flow data can shape institutional positioning, and token-specific network metrics can change how traders think about support, demand and supply. When liquidity is thin, those second-order effects can matter almost as much as the original news.
The Caveat To Keep In Mind Avoid claiming options skew guarantees a price decline; portray it as a gauge of trader sentiment and hedging. That is the line readers should keep front and center. Crypto markets are very good at taking a narrow data point and turning it into a sweeping narrative within minutes. The better read is usually more measured: this is a signal, not a guarantee.
For example, an outflow does not automatically mean long-term holders have lost conviction. A governance warning does not mean a network is broken. A token unlock does not mean every released coin is being dumped at market. And a derivatives shift does not mean price must follow in a straight line. The useful part is understanding what the signal says about positioning, confidence and incentives.
What To Watch Next The next step is to watch whether the data keeps confirming the story. If the same pattern appears across follow-up flows, on-chain metrics, open interest, governance dashboards or official filings, it becomes a more durable market theme. If it fades quickly, it may end up looking like a short-term positioning scare rather than a structural shift.
That distinction is especially important in the current market. Traders are still trying to work out whether capital is truly leaving crypto, rotating into safer crypto assets, or simply sitting in stablecoins waiting for a cleaner entry. This story adds one more piece to that puzzle, but it should be read alongside broader liquidity, macro and derivatives conditions.
This report is based on information from Tokenpost and Deribit Options Metrics Dashboard / Block Scholes reports.
This article was written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.
XRP (XRP) is holding above the $1.00 support zone amid a broader downturn. Yet, on-chain activity is rising.
New wallet, whale, and exchange-traded fund (ETF) activity suggest users are stepping in while the price looks fragile, pointing to demand below the surface.
XRP Price Slump Meets Steady DemandXRP, like the broader market, has seen notable declines this month. The altcoin touched a 19-month low of $1.01 on June 25. It now trades near $1.05, down 0.18% over the past day.
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XRP Price Performance. Source: BeInCrypto MarketsYet, on-chain data paint a different picture. Santiment reported that the XRP Ledger added 4,941 new wallets in a single day, marking its strongest network growth in more than three months.
Social sentiment has also flipped bullish. The positive/negative social ratio reached 3.7 positive comments for every bearish one, a three-month high in FOMO, according to Santiment. Traders appear to treat the $1.00 to $1.05 band as a dip-buy area.
“Part of this optimism comes from XRP’s familiar rebound history, ongoing ETF and institutional narratives, and the idea that larger holders have continued building exposure even during ugly price action,” the firm said.
XRP New Wallet and Social Sentiment. Source: X/SantimentOn-Chain Signals Point to AccumulationOn-chain data support that view. Santiment data shows accumulation across all three large cohorts in June despite a 21% price dip. The 10 million to 100 million XRP tier led with 160 million XRP added, the strongest bullish signal of the group.
Smaller cohorts followed. Wallets holding 100,000 to 1 million XRP added 30 million tokens, while those holding 1 million to 10 million XRP gained 20 million tokens. This suggested that large holders continued to accumulate despite the decline.
XRP Whale Accumulation in June. Source: SantimentInstitutional demand has also remained resilient. US spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) attracted $22.99 million in net inflows last week, extending their inflow streak to eight consecutive weeks.
The new week also began on a positive note, with the funds recording $15.34 million in net inflows on Monday. This trend stands in sharp contrast to Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs.
Bitcoin ETFs have recorded seven consecutive weeks of net outflows totaling approximately $7.7 billion. Investors pulled another $231 million on Monday.
Ethereum ETFs have also experienced consecutive weekly outflows. XRP ETFs, by contrast, have not recorded a single day of net outflows since June 3, although several sessions have ended with flat flows.
Santiment said the open question is whether this wallet surge converts into sustained buying pressure or fades as short-term FOMO. With XRP sitting so close to $1.00, the coming sessions should reveal which way the on-chain demand breaks.
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SharpLink has expanded its Ethereum treasury with another 10,000 ETH purchase even as the cryptocurrency has remained on course for its third consecutive quarterly decline.
Summary
SharpLink bought another 10,000 ETH for $16.1 million, increasing its Ethereum holdings to 886,725 ETH. Ethereum is on track for its first-ever third consecutive quarterly loss despite continued treasury accumulation. Bitmine now holds more than 5.7 million ETH, adding to institutional buying as analysts watch the $1,500 support level. According to a company press release, SharpLink acquired the latest 10,000 ETH at an average price of $1,611 per token, spending approximately $16.1 million on the purchase.
The transaction increases the company’s total Ethereum holdings to 886,725 ETH and follows a $75 million capital raise completed through a registered stock offering.
SharpLink continues building its Ethereum treasury Alongside the latest crypto purchase, SharpLink stepped up its capital management efforts by repurchasing more than 2.13 million shares of its common stock, SBET, at an average price of $4.69 per share.
The company said it has now bought back over 4.07 million shares since August 2025. Despite those moves, SBET shares were trading around $4.72 at the time of writing, down nearly 4% on the day.
Source: Yahoo Finance Recent corporate developments have also added to the company’s profile. Earlier this week, SharpLink joined the Russell 2000 and Russell 3000 indexes, extending its presence in major U.S. equity benchmarks while continuing to increase its Ethereum reserves.
SharpLink is not the only listed company expanding its exposure to Ethereum. As crypto.news reported on Monday, Ethereum treasury firm Bitmine purchased another 27,084 ETH during the past week, lifting its holdings to more than 5.7 million ETH.
Based on the company’s figures, those reserves now account for about 4.7% of Ethereum’s estimated circulating supply of 120.7 million ETH, bringing Bitmine closer to its previously stated target of holding 5% of the network’s supply.
Earlier this month, crypto.news also examined the implications of treasury companies accumulating increasingly large portions of Ethereum. The report noted that sustained buying could reduce the amount of ETH available for trading, although concentrated ownership may create additional risks if companies later need to fund operations through debt, equity issuance, or asset sales during weaker market conditions.
Ethereum remains under pressure despite corporate buying Even as treasury companies continue adding to their holdings, Ethereum (ETH) has struggled to regain upward momentum. At the time of writing, ETH traded near $1,560, down about 1% on the day and roughly 25% for the quarter.
Ethereum price chart — June 30 | Source: crypto.news Current market performance also places Ethereum on track to record its third straight quarterly loss, a result that would be the first such streak in the asset’s history if the quarter closes at current levels.
Some analysts nevertheless see the recent weakness as a key technical test rather than a definitive breakdown. According to crypto analyst Ted Pillows, Ethereum could stage a relief rally next month if it manages to hold support around $1,500.
The analyst’s chart also outlined the downside risk if that level fails. Under that scenario, Ted Pillows said Ethereum could fall toward $1,400 or lower, underscoring that price direction in the coming weeks may depend on whether buyers continue defending the current support zone despite ongoing accumulation by treasury firms.
In brief Ethereum treasury firm Sharplink acquired 10,000 ETH last week in its first buy of the year. The firm also repurchased another 2 million shares of SBET, which are down around 3% on Tuesday. Shares have now fallen more than 88% off their 52-week high. Publicly traded Ethereum treasury firm Sharplink added 10,000 ETH for around $16 million last week, marking its first acquisition since October.
The firm now maintains holdings of 886,725 ETH worth $1.38 billion, as Ethereum changes hands around $1,562 on Tuesday.
“Our capital allocation philosophy is disciplined and straightforward: Every financing decision we make is based on our long-term objective to increase ETH per share,” said Sharplink CEO Joseph Chalom in a statement.
Last week, the firm completed a $75 million registered direct offering, raising funds that Chalom said “provided the capital to support our active ETH treasury management strategy.”
In addition to adding to its Ethereum stack, the firm also bought back more than 2.1 million shares of SBET, which it believes is “significantly undervalued.” Since creating its share buyback program last year, Sharplink has now bought back more than 4 million shares of SBET.
Despite the announcement, shares of SBET are down around 3% on Tuesday shortly after market open, trading around $4.76. At that mark, shares have now fallen nearly 22% in the last month of trading and are 88% off SBET’s 52-week high of $40.46.
Sharplink’s primary treasury asset has suffered, too, with Ethereum falling 22% in the last month of trading. It’s now more than 68% off its August all-time high price of $4,946.
Nevertheless, Sharplink remains committed to ETH and its future. Last week, the firm joined with Ethereum treasury rival BitMine Immersion Technologies to help back the founding of Ethlabs, a new nonprofit research and development organization aimed at championing the network and its native asset.
Last month, Sharplink also announced a $125 million fund built in collaboration with Galaxy Research as it seeks to gain access to on-chain yields.
A representative for the firm did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.
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In brief Ethereum treasury firm Sharplink acquired 10,000 ETH last week in its first buy of the year. The firm also repurchased another 2 million shares of SBET, which are down around 3% on Tuesday. Shares have now fallen more than 88% off their 52-week high. Publicly traded Ethereum treasury firm Sharplink added 10,000 ETH for around $16 million last week, marking its first acquisition since October.
The firm now maintains holdings of 886,725 ETH worth $1.38 billion, as Ethereum changes hands around $1,562 on Tuesday.
“Our capital allocation philosophy is disciplined and straightforward: Every financing decision we make is based on our long-term objective to increase ETH per share,” said Sharplink CEO Joseph Chalom in a statement.
Last week, the firm completed a $75 million registered direct offering, raising funds that Chalom said “provided the capital to support our active ETH treasury management strategy.”
In addition to adding to its Ethereum stack, the firm also bought back more than 2.1 million shares of SBET, which it believes is “significantly undervalued.” Since creating its share buyback program last year, Sharplink has now bought back more than 4 million shares of SBET.
Despite the announcement, shares of SBET are down around 3% on Tuesday shortly after market open, trading around $4.76. At that mark, shares have now fallen nearly 22% in the last month of trading and are 88% off SBET’s 52-week high of $40.46.
Sharplink’s primary treasury asset has suffered, too, with Ethereum falling 22% in the last month of trading. It’s now more than 68% off its August all-time high price of $4,946.
Nevertheless, Sharplink remains committed to ETH and its future. Last week, the firm joined with Ethereum treasury rival BitMine Immersion Technologies to help back the founding of Ethlabs, a new nonprofit research and development organization aimed at championing the network and its native asset.
Last month, Sharplink also announced a $125 million fund built in collaboration with Galaxy Research as it seeks to gain access to on-chain yields.
A representative for the firm did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.
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Two days before the end of June, the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF complex hemorrhaged $231 million, while spot Ether funds shed another $30 million, per data tracked by SoSoValue. The combined $261 million departure on June 29 did not hit all products equally. According to the original report, Ark Invest and 21Shares’ ARKB drew $49.97 million in net inflows on the same day—the largest single inflow among Bitcoin funds. BlackRock’s ETHA pulled in $5.87 million, bucking the Ether outflow trend.
The divergence between overall outflows and individual fund inflows is the kind of microstructure that institutional desks watch closely. It suggests that while the broader cohort of ETF holders may have been reducing exposure—perhaps due to end-of-quarter rebalancing, profit-taking after a strong Q2, or caution ahead of U.S. regulatory developments—certain large allocators were still accumulating. The timing is notable. A landmark crypto regulatory bill faces a cliffhanger Senate vote, with banking interests pushing for last-minute changes, as covered in BlockchainReporter’s recent coverage.
Meanwhile, institutional appetite for digital asset infrastructure remains robust. Just this week, tokenization hit a milestone with on-chain RWAs crossing $20 billion, as detailed in a separate roundup. That persistent demand stands in contrast to the day’s ETF outflows, hinting that capital is being deployed selectively rather than leaving the space altogether.
Quarter-End Flows and the ARKB Outlier Late June often produces choppy flow data as fund managers square positions. The $49.97 million inflow into ARKB on a down day stood out. It could reflect a single large mandate or a reallocation within a multi-fund strategy. Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood has long been a vocal Bitcoin bull, and the product she co-sponsors with 21Shares continues to attract attention when others lag.
Ether ETFs have struggled to match Bitcoin’s institutional pull since their launch, but BlackRock’s ETHA continues to attract steady, if modest, capital. The $5.87 million inflow was modest but stood against the $30 million total bleed. Some market participants may be rotating into ETHA for its perceived safety as a BlackRock product, or accumulating ahead of potential staking yield developments if regulatory clarity improves. For now, that remains a matter of speculation.
What the Flows Don’t Tell Us Single-day flow data is noisy. Outflows on one day do not signal a trend reversal. Bitcoin ETFs have seen record net inflows in previous months, and Ether products have slowly built assets. The $261 million combined outflow is a fraction of total assets under management in spot crypto ETFs, which remain above $50 billion.
What is more telling is where the inflows landed. ARKB and ETHA represent products from two of the largest asset managers in the world. Their ability to attract capital even on a down day suggests brand and distribution still matter enormously in the ETF race. Without disaggregated data, it is impossible to know whether the flows reflect genuine long-only demand or tactical trading by authorized participants. But that ambiguity itself characterizes the market’s current state: participants are positioning, not fleeing.
The Regulatory Shadow The crypto ETF market operates in constant dialogue with Washington. The bipartisan bill moving through the Senate—and the last-minute banking push to reshape it—has added a layer of uncertainty that cannot be ignored. While no direct link can be drawn between a single day’s outflows and legislative wrangling, the overhang is real. Asset managers and institutional investors often adopt a risk-off posture when the regulatory path is unclear.
For now, the ETF market is delivering mixed signals. Large outflows at the top line, selective inflows underneath, and an industry watching Capitol Hill. That is not a narrative of retreat, but of recalibration.
AUTHOR
Max delves deep into the cryptocurrency realm, with a passion for altcoins and NFTs. Convinced of crypto's transformative potential, he envisions a decentralized financial future. Max's background in the financial sector grants him unique insights into global monetary systems. In his leisure, Max embraces the thrill of adventures and is an avid sports enthusiast, finding balance and rejuvenation away from work.
BitMine did not take advantage of the drop to slow down. On the contrary. Tom Lee’s company injected an additional $43 million into Ethereum while Strategy suspended its Bitcoin purchases. Two radically different approaches that rekindle a question: does ETH finally have the necessary catalysts to establish itself sustainably?
In brief BitMine invests an additional $43 million in Ethereum despite the market downturn. Tom Lee remains convinced that Ethereum’s fundamentals justify a long-term accumulation strategy. BitMine’s purchases alone won’t be enough: ETH’s future will mainly depend on the real adoption of the network. Why does Tom Lee keep purchasing Ethereum despite the decline? BitMine increases its stake in the crypto While many investors reduce their crypto exposure, BitMine follows its roadmap without deviating. Indeed, the company chaired by Tom Lee added nearly $43 million of Ethereum to its treasury over the past week, bringing its reserves to more than 5.7 million ETH, valued around $9 billion. Meanwhile, Strategy, a global benchmark for Bitcoin treasuries, changes strategy and has made no new purchases. For Tom Lee, the current Ethereum correction does not call into question its long-term prospects.
Additionally, he attributes the current pressure to end-of-quarter adjustments, the famous “window dressing”, which prompts some managers to lighten their positions on the least performing assets. This view fits into a broader context. Indeed, a recent study by Anthropic shows that Americans see artificial intelligence as a source of job concerns, but also as a formidable lever for innovation. Tom Lee shares this long-term logic when quoting:
Payments between AI agents (agentic payments); The growth of stablecoins; Institutional adoption of crypto infrastructures, among the drivers likely to support Ethereum. For BitMine, the current decline therefore represents more of an accumulation opportunity than a warning signal. Why does an additional $43 million in ETH not ensure a price spike in 2026? BitMine’s purchase impresses by its scale, but it mainly reminds a reality that the market sometimes seems to forget: accumulating more Ethereum is no longer enough to trigger a sustained price increase. Despite this offensive strategy, ETH is still far from its all-time high and goes through a period where investors expect proof of adoption more than spectacular announcements. The real challenge for Ethereum now exceeds purchases made by a few listed companies. In 2026, its potential will depend primarily on the growth of real-world use cases.
Moreover, the growth of stablecoins, tokenization of financial assets, rise of decentralized applications, and development of automated payments must generate more activity on the network. Without this momentum, even acquisitions worth several tens of millions of dollars are likely to have a limited effect on the crypto market. In 2026, investors will no longer be content with promises. They will expect concrete results before rewarding digital assets.
By buying $43 million more of Ethereum, BitMine confirms that Tom Lee remains convinced of ETH’s potential despite a hesitant market. But this strategy alone will not be enough to revive the price. Will Ethereum’s fundamentals eventually convince investors as much as the companies that continue to accumulate?
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Eddy S.
The world is evolving and adaptation is the best weapon to survive in this undulating universe. Originally a crypto community manager, I am interested in anything that is directly or indirectly related to blockchain and its derivatives. To share my experience and promote a field that I am passionate about, nothing is better than writing informative and relaxed articles.
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
Ethereum price remained near $1,560 as bearish pressure returned across the crypto market. ETH stayed below $1,600 after Bitcoin-led selling weakened broader investor sentiment. Robert Kiyosaki’s optimistic sentiment was emphasized by his forecast that Ethereum could climb to $95,000 by mid-2027, suggesting a potential long-term bull market scenario.
The overall crypto market decreased 1.75% to $2.03 trillion within a span of 24 hours. Bitcoin price declined 2.74% mainly due to the continuing outflows from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs. Other major altcoins were mostly weak, with XRP, Dogecoin and Cardano falling.
Robert Kiyosaki Predicts Ethereum Price Could Reach $95,000 by Mid-2027 Ethereum price returned to the spotlight after Robert Kiyosaki’s bold $95,000 forecast resurfaced online. The “Rich Dad Poor Dad” author first shared the prediction in March, but it has gained fresh attention across crypto social media.
Kiyosaki believes that after the next major global financial crisis, Ethereum will hit the price of $95,000 within one year. His comment was accompanied by the warning that the world is on the verge of the “biggest bubble burst in history”.
🚨 BREAKING:
RICH DAD POOR DAD ROBERT KIYOSAKI JUST SAID LIVE:
“ONE YEAR AFTER “THE BIGGEST BUBBLE IN HISTORY” BURSTS, WE COULD SEE:
The projection has split investors as ETH plummets under pressure in the market. Some traders view the forecast as a very long-term objective. Some see it as an extension of Kiyosaki’s stance on hard assets and crypto.
Kiyosaki also forecasted that Bitcoin will reach $750,000 following the crash in the same forecast. He also predicted that gold could hit the price of $35,000 per ounce, and silver could touch $200.
With the reemerged Ethereum prediction, the debate has been energized again concerning the future of ETH’s position in a possible financial rebalancing.
Ethereum Price Near Key Zone as Bitmine, SharpLink Add ETH Ethereum gained renewed attention as Bitmine expanded its ETH position with another 27,084 tokens last week. The acquisition now puts Bitmine’s ETH stockpile at nearly $9 billion, or 5.7 million tokens.
The company currently holds approximately 4.7% of the total supply of Ethereum, and continues to stake. SharpLink also picked up 10,000 ETH, adding an average of $1,611, to bring its total to 886,725 ETH.
Bitmine has bought 27,084 $ETH ($42.95M), now holds 5,700,040 $ETH worth $9.03B, currently facing a loss of $10.25M.https://t.co/MslqH6khBT pic.twitter.com/bXfcJKtSX8
— Onchain Lens (@OnchainLens) June 29, 2026
The company repurchased 2.13 million shares and raised $75 million last week. Crypto analyst Ted said ETH has returned to a key demand zone. He said the $1,500 would help fuel a relief rally next month.
Will ETH Price Bounce or Fall Below Key Support? As of the writing, the ETH price trades at $1,562 on 4-hour chart. Ethereum is still trading below $1,600 and bulls are holding the $1,500 support area.
A break above $1,600 will clear the way for the next break at $1,700. Detailed ETH price analysis can then head for $1,760 and $1,850 if the buying pressure is seen to improve.
Source: ETH/USDT 4-hour chart: Tradingview The downside risk, however, remains in place while the price of ETH remains under $1,600. A break under $1,500 could expose $1,450 and then $1,400.
Large wallets and whales rotated capital out of high-risk altcoins into BTC and ETH, treating them as safe collateral during the altcoin leverage flush. The key caveat: Note that this is portfolio rotation rather than net new fiat buying; it indicates a risk-off rotation within the crypto asset class. For traders, the story matters because it affects how capital, liquidity or confidence is being priced across crypto right now. What Happened Whales Rotate Back To Bitcoin And Ethereum As Altcoin Risk Cools. The update comes from Tokenpost, with the core claim checked against Glassnode exchange flows / IntoTheBlock address statistics. That matters because this is the sort of story that can quickly become noisy if it is treated as a simple price headline rather than a market-structure development.
Large wallets and whales rotated capital out of high-risk altcoins into BTC and ETH, treating them as safe collateral during the altcoin leverage flush. The clean read is not that one data point should dominate the whole market, but that the latest signal gives traders a better sense of where risk appetite is shifting. In a market still being driven by ETF flows, leverage, treasury decisions and rotating altcoin liquidity, context is doing a lot of work.
Why It Matters For Crypto Traders Rotation back into BTC and ETH is a classic risk-off move inside crypto. It does not necessarily mean fresh money is flooding into the market. It can simply mean large wallets prefer the deepest collateral assets while smaller altcoins digest leverage and volatility.
The practical takeaway is that this is not just about the headline asset. These stories tend to spill across related trades: Bitcoin treasury names can affect altcoin sentiment, ETF flow data can shape institutional positioning, and token-specific network metrics can change how traders think about support, demand and supply. When liquidity is thin, those second-order effects can matter almost as much as the original news.
The Caveat To Keep In Mind Note that this is portfolio rotation rather than net new fiat buying; it indicates a risk-off rotation within the crypto asset class. That is the line readers should keep front and center. Crypto markets are very good at taking a narrow data point and turning it into a sweeping narrative within minutes. The better read is usually more measured: this is a signal, not a guarantee.
For example, an outflow does not automatically mean long-term holders have lost conviction. A governance warning does not mean a network is broken. A token unlock does not mean every released coin is being dumped at market. And a derivatives shift does not mean price must follow in a straight line. The useful part is understanding what the signal says about positioning, confidence and incentives.
What To Watch Next The next step is to watch whether the data keeps confirming the story. If the same pattern appears across follow-up flows, on-chain metrics, open interest, governance dashboards or official filings, it becomes a more durable market theme. If it fades quickly, it may end up looking like a short-term positioning scare rather than a structural shift.
That distinction is especially important in the current market. Traders are still trying to work out whether capital is truly leaving crypto, rotating into safer crypto assets, or simply sitting in stablecoins waiting for a cleaner entry. This story adds one more piece to that puzzle, but it should be read alongside broader liquidity, macro and derivatives conditions.
This report is based on information from Tokenpost and Glassnode exchange flows / IntoTheBlock address statistics.
This article was written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.
Ethereum has remained under pressure near $1,560 as Robert Kiyosaki’s long-term $95,000 price forecast has returned to focus while the cryptocurrency continues testing a key support zone.
Summary
Robert Kiyosaki’s $95,000 Ethereum forecast has resurfaced as ETH trades near key support around $1,560. Bitmine and SharpLink continued buying Ethereum despite the token remaining on track for a historic third straight quarterly loss. Technical indicators keep favoring sellers, with analysts watching the $1,500 level for the next major move. According to data from crypto.news, Ethereum (ETH) traded around $1,560 on June 30, down about 1% over the past day as selling returned across the crypto market. The total crypto market capitalization slipped 1% to $2.11 trillion, while Bitcoin fell 1.6% amid continued outflows from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs. XRP, Dogecoin, and Cardano also traded lower during the session.
🚨 BREAKING:
RICH DAD POOR DAD ROBERT KIYOSAKI JUST SAID LIVE:
"ONE YEAR AFTER “THE BIGGEST BUBBLE IN HISTORY” BURSTS, WE COULD SEE:
— Rekt Fencer (@rektfencer) June 30, 2026 The weakness comes despite renewed attention around comments made by Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, whose March prediction that Ethereum could reach $95,000 by mid-2027 has resurfaced across crypto social media.
Kiyosaki argued that a major global financial crisis would trigger a sharp repricing of alternative assets, adding that Ethereum could climb to $95,000 within a year of such an event.
His outlook extended beyond Ethereum. Kiyosaki also projected Bitcoin could reach $750,000 after the same financial reset, while forecasting gold at $35,000 per ounce and silver at $200. Those projections have renewed debate over Ethereum’s long-term valuation even as its current market performance remains weak.
Institutional buying continues despite weak price action Corporate treasury activity has continued to favor Ethereum even as the token struggles to recover.
Bitmine disclosed that it purchased another 27,084 ETH during the past week, increasing its holdings to roughly 5.7 million ETH valued at nearly $9 billion. According to the company, that represents approximately 4.7% of Ethereum’s circulating supply, with most of those holdings remaining staked.
SharpLink also expanded its position by acquiring another 10,000 ETH at an average purchase price of about $1,611. The company said its total holdings have reached 886,725 ETH after the purchase. During the same period, SharpLink repurchased 2.13 million shares and raised $75 million.
Even with treasury firms continuing to accumulate Ethereum, the token has failed to build sustained upside momentum. At current prices, ETH is down roughly 25% for the quarter and remains on track to record its third consecutive quarterly decline, which would be the first such streak in the asset’s history if the quarter closes at current levels.
Technical levels leave Ethereum at a critical support zone Technical indicators continue to favor sellers despite Ethereum stabilizing around the $1,500-$1,560 range.
As crypto.news reported earlier, ETH remains below a descending trendline that has capped rallies since mid-May while also trading beneath the Supertrend indicator. Any recovery would first require a break above that trendline before buyers could challenge Supertrend resistance near $1,650, followed by Fibonacci resistance levels around $1,680 and $1,720. A move through those barriers would bring the $1,750 level into view.
Offering a shorter-term outlook, analysts at Unknown.Ai said Ethereum recently rebounded after sweeping liquidity around the $1,550 support zone before rallying into the $1,630-$1,640 resistance area.
According to the analyst, ETH has since pulled back toward support, and buyers now need to reclaim the $1,580-$1,590 region, where the 1-hour and 4-hour EMA20 indicators sit, to reopen the path toward $1,630-$1,640 and potentially $1,660.
Another absolute masterclass on $ETH.
Our last playbook went exactly as scripted. price rolled right back into our $1,550 – $1,570 support zone, swept the liquidity to a tee tapping $1,550, and fired off a massive pump straight into our first major resistance target at $1,630 -… https://t.co/nyiP2mArLg pic.twitter.com/obY3EAbVA5
— Unknown.Ai (@UnknowTraderAi) June 30, 2026 The analyst added that a four-hour close below $1,550 would invalidate that bullish setup and increase the probability of a decline toward $1,500. Separately, analyst Ted identified the $1,500 area as a key demand zone and said holding that level could support a relief rally next month.
Macro conditions continue to weigh on sentiment. Sticky U.S. inflation has reduced expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts, keeping Treasury yields elevated and limiting liquidity flowing into risk assets. Bitcoin’s move below $60,000 has also drawn capital toward the largest cryptocurrency instead of major altcoins.
If Ethereum loses the $1,500 support that has held throughout the latest consolidation, then another wave of selling could follow as leveraged long positions unwind and bearish momentum accelerates.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
Digital asset markets have come under fresh strain lately, as relatively large market-cap cryptocurrencies register meaningful losses. Dogecoin (DOGE) and Hyperliquid’s HYPE token stand out for their substantial drops during this period of broader weakness across Bitcoin and the overall crypto space.
Meanwhile, investor interest has increasingly turned toward stocks connected to artificial intelligence developments, creating a noticeable contrast in capital allocation preferences.
This environment points to a rotation in market focus. As participants seek exposure to various technology sectors promising rapid advancement, many digital assets have faced reduced demand.
Dogecoin, which benefits from a vibrant community and cultural relevance, has not been immune to these shifts.
Similarly, HYPE, associated with advanced decentralized trading capabilities on the Hyperliquid platform, has experienced pronounced selling pressure.
These movements reflect how sentiment can quickly adjust when competing opportunities arise in equities.
Bitcoin, serving as the foundational asset in the cryptocurrency world, has also navigated challenges, though its performance has varied relative to smaller tokens.
The general struggle in crypto highlights ongoing sensitivities to external influences, including liquidity conditions and broader economic signals.
When funds flow more readily into AI-related shares—driven by expectations of transformative impacts on industries—alternative investments like cryptocurrencies can see tempered enthusiasm.
Compounding these dynamics is activity in traditional safe-haven markets.
A selloff involving precious metals such as gold and silver appears linked to additional negative effects on Bitcoin pricing.
Gold and silver often attract flows during times of uncertainty or as inflation hedges, and their recent weakness may signal shifting investor priorities or responses to macroeconomic data.
This correlation can intensify movements in crypto, as traders adjust portfolios holistically across asset types that share risk characteristics or hedging roles.
Several elements likely contribute to the current picture.
A strong US dollar, policy expectations from central banks, or profit-taking in previously strong performers can all steer capital away from higher-volatility areas.
AI stocks, by comparison, draw support from narratives of long-term productivity gains and corporate earnings potential in tech.
This selective risk appetite leaves parts of the crypto market vulnerable to extended consolidation phases.
For holders and traders, the situation emphasizes the need for vigilance regarding cross-market relationships.
Dogecoin’s price action often ties closely to retail sentiment and social trends, rendering it susceptible to swift changes.
HYPE’s fortunes connect to decentralized finance activity and platform usage, which can fluctuate with overall market conditions.
When precious metals face selling, it may prompt leveraged position adjustments that spill into Bitcoin and altcoins.
Potential stabilization could emerge if commodity markets find support or if positive crypto-specific developments capture attention.
However, until AI enthusiasm or other growth stories begin to overlap more directly with digital assets, pressures may persist.
This period illustrates the highly interconnected nature of modern investing.
Movements in equities, commodities, and cryptocurrencies rarely occur in isolation, and understanding these links helps in forming balanced strategies.
Participants are monitoring key levels for support while assessing whether the current rotation represents a short-term phenomenon or a more sustained reallocation. The recent performance of Dogecoin, HYPE, and the wider crypto arena underscores a market in transition, influenced by competing asset classes and external economic factors.
Film director Carl Rinsch was sentenced after misusing Netflix production funds connected to his sci-fi project.Prosecutors said part of the money was ultimately placed into Dogecoin, producing a large paper win during the 2021 rally.The story is not a trading success story; it is a fraud case that happens to intersect with crypto mania. Dogecoin has appeared in plenty of strange market stories over the years, but this one belongs in a different category. A federal case involving film director Carl Rinsch has ended with a 30-month prison sentence after prosecutors said he diverted Netflix production funds, gambled with the money, and then put what remained into Dogecoin during one of the wildest crypto cycles on record.
The case was handled in the Southern District of New York, with official announcements and case material available through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. According to the validated source pack, Rinsch was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $11 million in restitution to Netflix.
A Crypto Mania Story With A Legal Core The headline number is hard to ignore. Prosecutors said Rinsch diverted $11 million in production funds for the sci-fi series Conquest, lost money trading options, and then put roughly $4 million into Dogecoin. During DOGE’s 2021 surge, that position reportedly turned into about $27 million.
That kind of return would usually be the centre of a crypto bull-market legend. Here, it is the background to a sentencing. The court was not judging whether Dogecoin was a clever trade. It was dealing with the alleged misuse of production money that was supposed to fund a television project. That distinction matters, especially in a market where people are quick to turn dramatic gains into mythology.
Dogecoin’s role in the case also says something about the 2021 cycle. DOGE was not just another token moving on a chart. It became a cultural object, pulled along by memes, celebrity attention, retail speculation, and a sense that almost anything could go vertical if enough people believed in it at once. That atmosphere attracted ordinary traders, but it also became a tempting arena for reckless decisions.
Why This Matters Beyond Dogecoin The case lands at an awkward time for crypto’s public image. The industry is trying to push institutional adoption, ETF flows, tokenized assets, and on-chain finance. Then a story like this arrives and reminds mainstream readers of the manic side of the last cycle: sudden wealth, blurred judgment, and money moving into volatile tokens for reasons that had little to do with fundamentals.
That does not mean Dogecoin itself caused the misconduct. DOGE was the vehicle that happened to produce the gain after the alleged diversion had already occurred. The legal problem was the source and use of the funds, not the existence of a meme coin market. Still, when a court case ties Netflix money, options losses, Dogecoin gains, and prison time into one narrative, it becomes a powerful reminder of how speculative markets can amplify bad decisions.
There is another detail worth handling carefully: the defense raised mental health arguments, and those should not be treated as a throwaway line. The sentencing sits at the intersection of finance, entertainment, crypto speculation, and personal circumstances. Reducing it to “director made millions on DOGE” misses the entire point.
For crypto readers, the takeaway is blunt. A massive Dogecoin win does not clean up how the capital was obtained. The market can reward a trade while the legal system still punishes the conduct around it. That is not a contradiction. It is the difference between a price chart and a courtroom.
This article was written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.
Dogecoin’s price slipped by 0.68% over the past 24 hours, trading near $0.07228 on Tuesday. The cryptocurrency continued to hover around its daily lows, and a drop below its previous trading range has brought a more cautious, short-term outlook to the market.
Key price level: $0.073 holds short-term significanceThe $0.073 level is now seen as a critical threshold in Dogecoin’s price action. According to analyst Ali Charts, a TD Sequential buy signal has appeared on the daily chart, making the preservation of this support vital for a potential short-term rebound.
Mini glossary: The TD Sequential is a technical indicator used to detect trend exhaustion and possible turning points in markets. It does not serve as a standalone trading signal but is often combined with support and resistance levels for analysis.
Ali Charts notes that if Dogecoin maintains support at $0.073, it could stage a rebound toward $0.081, but losing this level would likely weaken the short-term bullish scenario.
A move toward the $0.081 mark could signal renewed buying interest. Should this resistance break, further upside barriers are projected at $0.084, $0.087, and $0.090. However, any price action below $0.081 would likely keep rebound attempts subdued and lacking momentum.
Drop below previous range fuels selling pressureAnalyst Umair Orakzai draws attention to Dogecoin’s fall below $0.08161, the Point of Control (POC) for its 2023 trading range. The POC is the price level with the highest traded volume over a certain period and is often considered an important equilibrium zone in market analysis.
Umair Orakzai emphasizes that $0.08161 is now the primary resistance that must be reclaimed for a sustainable recovery. If Dogecoin fails to surpass this level, continued selling pressure is likely.
On the downside, $0.06556 is emerging as the next vital support. Should this break, the market could see a deeper retreat toward the $0.060–$0.058 band. More broadly, analysts warn that the base zone between $0.0572 and $0.0550 may be retested if bearish sentiment persists.
On-chain data underscores persisting weaknessSigns of fragility are also apparent in on-chain metrics. Cryptollica reports that only 17% of the circulating Dogecoin supply remains in profit, highlighting a rise in the proportion of holders in loss and suggesting that the psychological weight of potential selling could deepen.
While this situation does not guarantee an immediate bottom, holding the $0.073 support and a recovery back above $0.081 could create the groundwork for a short-term bounce, given the current on-chain congestion. Otherwise, the market may continue searching for a new, lower base.
In summary, the $0.073 level has become the focal point for traders watching near-term Dogecoin moves. Maintaining support at this price could prompt a response from buyers and instill some short-term optimism, though technical hurdles remain pronounced.
Meanwhile, the loss of support zones such as $0.073 and $0.06556 keeps the risk of further declines on the table. Analysts continue to monitor whether bulls can reclaim key resistance points to ease the ongoing selling pressure.
Observers caution that Dogecoin’s current technical structure remains vulnerable unless it manages to reverse recent losses, with sentiment likely to remain fragile amid on-chain weakness and falling price momentum.
Market participants will be closely watching for signs of stabilization in the coming days as Dogecoin tests critical support and resistance levels, seeking any indications of a trend reversal or further downside ahead.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Dogecoin (DOGE) recorded another daily decline, drawing renewed attention to long-term technical signals. As of June 30, 2026, the memecoin dropped 1.61% to trade at $0.07097. Trading volume for the day stood at $1.16 billion, while the market capitalization was reported at $10.87 billion.
Crypto analyst Trader Tardigrade highlighted in a recent weekly chart that Dogecoin’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) has once again entered oversold territory. According to Tardigrade, the last time this technical signal appeared was in 2022, a period that preceded a significant rebound in price after DOGE established a bottom.
Trader Tardigrade points out that, similar to the 2022 lows, Dogecoin’s RSI has re-entered the oversold range. He emphasizes that historically, this setup did not obstruct a sharp recovery but instead accompanied such a move.
The analyst recalls that the prior RSI signal was followed by an 886% rally in DOGE, taking the price up to $0.48. Basing his assessment on this previous scenario, Trader Tardigrade now suggests that $0.70 could represent a potential future target for Dogecoin.
Glossary: RSI, or the Relative Strength Index, is a technical indicator measuring the speed and direction of price movements. Readings below 30 are considered oversold, while levels above 70 indicate overbought conditions.
IndicatorLevelMeaningDOGE price$0.07097Weak daily performancePrevious Rally886%Increase following 2022 signalAnalyst target$0.70Expectation based on historical precedentShort-term pressure weighs on DogecoinHowever, technical indicators suggest that DOGE has yet to find short-term strength. The coin continues to trade below the middle Bollinger band at $0.08106, signaling ongoing selling pressure. Meanwhile, the lower Bollinger band at $0.06950 has emerged as a key support level to watch in the near term.
A look at the MACD indicator further confirms this weak outlook. The MACD line currently sits at -0.00534, with the signal line at -0.00478. The histogram, posted at -0.00056, indicates that any buying momentum remains limited for now.
Despite a long-term signal that stands out on the technical chart, current conditions do not confirm that downside pressure has fully dissipated in the short run.
Support level takes center stage in the coming weeksThe next several weeks could prove decisive for Dogecoin. Market participants will be watching closely to see if the renewed RSI signal kicks off a strong rebound, as it did in 2022. Should buyers manage to defend key support regions and momentum indicators start to improve, confidence may gradually return to the market.
Conversely, if selling pressure persists and the $0.06950 support fails, the price could face renewed downward momentum. While the comparison to 2022 is fueling market expectations, analysts caution that additional technical confirmation is needed before the ambitious $0.70 target becomes credible.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Bitcoin on Tuesday dropped below $59,000 amid sustained ETF selling and lingering extreme fear sentiment in the cryptocurrency market.
Notable Statistics:
Coinglass data shows 82,520 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $269.92 million. SoSoValue data shows net outflows of $231.1 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs on Monday. Spot Ethereum ETFs saw net outflows of $30.04 million. In the past 24 hours, top gainers include MemeCore, Lighter and Pyth Network. Notable Developments:
Trader Notes:
Trader Rekt Capital highlighted that Bitcoin appears to be setting up for a mid-summer relief rally after plunging 21% this month. He added that sharp monthly selloffs have historically been followed by short-term rebounds.
However, the trader cautioned that any gains in July could be erased in August, mirroring Bitcoin’s price action during the 2022 bear market.
Political economist Seth said Bitcoin’s drop to around $58,000 has already triggered a wave of long liquidations, but leveraged traders are quickly re-entering, adding roughly $1.16 billion in long liquidation exposure near $57,800.
He argued that if those new bullish positions are flushed out, market makers could then target the much larger $4.14 billion cluster of short liquidations around the $62,000 level.
Industry expert Follis noted Bitcoin bulls have successfully defended the $59,000 support level 10 times during June despite repeated selling attempts, underscoring strong buying interest at that price.
However, he warned that if the support finally breaks and buyers step aside, Bitcoin could quickly fall another 3% to 4% as downside momentum accelerates.
Image: Shutterstock
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Dogecoin has remained one of crypto’s most recognizable meme assets for years, but recent market conditions have become increasingly challenging.
Slowing momentum, weak market sentiment, and technical resistance have made it difficult for DOGE to regain the strong rallies seen during previous cycles.
At the same time, investor attention is gradually shifting toward AI-powered ecosystems that combine meme culture with broader blockchain utility. MemeToro ($MT) is one of the projects benefiting from that transition, as more participants evaluate early-stage AI platforms alongside traditional meme coins.
The comparison reflects a broader change in how investors approach the memecoin market in 2026.
Dogecoin Continues Facing Technical Resistance Dogecoin remains under pressure despite stabilizing around the $0.07 level.
Current market data places the token within a neutral momentum range based on its 14-day Relative Strength Index, suggesting neither buyers nor sellers have complete control. However, longer-term technical indicators remain more cautious.
The 200-day moving average continues sloping downward, creating a significant resistance level that bulls must overcome before any sustained recovery can develop.
Short-term projections remain mixed.
Some market models estimate an average July price near $0.102, with stronger bullish scenarios reaching approximately $0.19. Those forecasts, however, depend heavily on broader market conditions improving during the coming months.
For now, sentiment remains restrained.
The wider crypto market continues operating under an Extreme Fear reading, reflecting the cautious outlook shared by many retail investors.
Investors Are Looking Beyond Traditional Memecoins Dogecoin’s recent struggles have encouraged many investors to broaden their search.
Rather than focusing exclusively on established meme assets, attention is increasingly moving toward projects that combine community participation with artificial intelligence and blockchain utility.
This shift reflects changing market preferences.
Investors now want ecosystems capable of generating continuous engagement rather than relying entirely on price speculation. Artificial intelligence has become one of the strongest narratives supporting that transition.
Projects integrating AI directly into their products are attracting growing interest despite broader market uncertainty.
Why MemeToro Is Receiving More Attention MemeToro ($MT) enters the discussion from a very different position than Dogecoin.
Instead of functioning solely as a memecoin, the project operates as an AI-powered SocialFi ecosystem that combines automated token creation, behavioral finance, prediction markets, and staking into one platform.
This broader structure allows the project to participate in multiple growing sectors simultaneously.
Because MemeToro remains in its presale phase, investors are evaluating it as an early-stage ecosystem rather than a mature cryptocurrency. That creates higher risk, but it also explains why some analysts see greater upside potential if adoption continues expanding.
The comparison with Dogecoin is therefore less about replacing an established asset and more about contrasting two different stages of crypto development.
The MemeToro Ecosystem Goes Beyond Memecoins Artificial intelligence sits at the center of the platform.
The MemeToro AI Agent continuously analyzes social conversations, online trends, market narratives, and cultural developments to identify emerging opportunities. Those insights support an automated no-code memecoin creation engine that allows users to launch blockchain assets without technical expertise.
The ecosystem also includes decentralized prediction markets where participants can forecast outcomes across cryptocurrency, sports, entertainment, politics, and major global events using both $MT and BNB.
Users can further participate through staking opportunities offering rewards of up to 35% APR.
Together, these products create multiple utility layers designed to encourage ongoing engagement rather than passive ownership.
MemeToro Price Prediction Depends on Ecosystem Adoption Any MemeToro price prediction should be viewed in the context of ecosystem growth rather than short-term speculation.
MemeToro’s Stage 3 presale is currently 33.83% filled, with $27,284.54 raised out of an $80,644.11 cap. This represents the current window to purchase $MT tokens at the $0.00154 valuation before the price adjusts to $0.00171 for the next round.
The BNB Chain project serves as a utility hub for four distinct applications: AI automated memecoin generation, event-based prediction markets, a crypto casino, and staking rewards up to 35% APR.
Of the 1.2 billion total supply, 71% is unlocked and allocated directly to presale participants. Those interested in the current round can find purchasing options, including card payments, ETH, BNB, USDT, and USDC, at memetoro.com.
What’s Ahead for DOGE and Other Memecoins Dogecoin remains one of crypto’s most recognizable memecoins, but technical resistance and cautious market sentiment continue limiting its near-term momentum.
MemeToro represents a different investment thesis built around AI-powered memecoin creation, decentralized prediction markets, staking rewards, and SocialFi participation.
As investors continue comparing established meme assets with emerging AI ecosystems, both projects illustrate how the memecoin market is evolving beyond speculation toward broader utility and engagement.
More Information on MemeToro ($MT) Presale Here:
Website: https://memetoro.com/
X: https://x.com/memetoro_mt
Telegram: https://t.me/memetoro_mt
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Charles Hoskinson has reaffirmed his commitment to leading Cardano through its next phase of growth.
His remarks come amid growing criticism from parts of the community, with some critics urging him to step down following a series of ecosystem setbacks, including project shutdowns and governance disputes.
In the commentary, Hoskinson dismissed those calls and insisted that millions of community members still look to him for guidance and leadership. According to him, these supporters represent the “silent overwhelming majority” of the Cardano ecosystem.
The majority, in his view, include users, developers, and stakeholders, who believe he can help solve problems, provide direction, and guide the network through difficult periods.
“I’m the guy who’s been here since day one and before,” Hoskinson said, adding that this long-standing involvement is a key reason he continues to lead Cardano.
Governance Enhancement Emerges as Cardano’s Next Priority Meanwhile, Hoskinson identified governance reform as Cardano’s most important objective moving forward. In his view, the ecosystem has reached a stage where stronger governance structures are essential for long-term sustainability and growth.
As the creator of the protocol and one of the key figures behind its launch, community expansion, and fundraising efforts, Hoskinson believes he has both the experience and responsibility to push these reforms forward.
His call for governance improvements follows weeks of disputes surrounding treasury allocations and strategic priorities within the ecosystem. Several governance disagreements have highlighted growing tensions within Cardano’s decentralized decision-making system.
For example, some DReps, including some Iagon execs, opposed key proposals backed by IOG. In addition, the community failed to approve funding for the 2026 Cardano Summit, further exposing divisions over spending priorities.
Proposed Reforms In response, Hoskinson has proposed several changes aimed at improving coordination and accountability across the ecosystem. Among them is a proposal to move the Cardano community’s governance-related discussions from X to a moderated Discord environment. However, critics argue that such a move could conflict with Cardano’s decentralization principles by introducing greater moderation over community discussions.
Hoskinson also indicated that he may become a DRep himself to vote on funding proposals directly. He described the potential move as an accountability mechanism rather than an attempt to consolidate power.
Furthermore, he has advocated for a revised Cardano constitution featuring clearer executive responsibilities, elected authority structures, and measurable growth objectives.
Unity Will Determine Cardano’s Future Despite the ongoing disputes, Hoskinson believes governance reform represents the next logical step in Cardano’s evolution, particularly as the network continues its transition toward greater decentralization and community participation.
He also emphasized the importance of unity across the ecosystem, warning that internal divisions could undermine Cardano’s ambitions and slow progress during a critical stage of development.
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.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has outlined what he considers the ultimate measure of success for the Cardano ecosystem and its native token, ADA.
The Cardano founder has repeatedly emphasized his determination to see the blockchain succeed, describing that mission as his life’s work. In his recent commentary, Hoskinson offered fresh insight into how he defines success for the ecosystem he created.
Success Means Returning to Previous Highs and Moving Beyond Them: Hoskinson According to Hoskinson, success involves returning Cardano to its former highs before pushing the network far beyond those levels. He argued that the blockchain’s true achievement would come when Cardano emerges as the world’s leading blockchain protocol.
In his view, reaching that position would fulfill Cardano’s long-term vision while validating the strength of its technology, community, and broader ecosystem. Hoskinson further stressed that becoming the dominant blockchain network would allow Cardano to drive meaningful global change. He believes the platform can transform industries and positively influence society on a global scale.
For him, success is not simply a matter of price appreciation or market capitalization. Instead, it centers on building technology capable of changing the world through decentralization and innovation.
Bear Market Challenges Weigh on ADA Performance Despite ongoing market difficulties, Hoskinson has not softened his ambitions for Cardano. The prolonged bear market has affected investors across the industry, including himself.
For context, ADA currently trades around $0.1441, representing a decline of 95.34% from its previous all-time high of $3.10 reached in September 2021. Additionally, the asset has fallen 5.55% over the past week and 39.1% over the past month, highlighting the intense bearish pressure facing the ecosystem.
At the same time, Cardano has slipped out of the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. After spending years among the industry’s largest assets, ADA currently occupies the 18th position in the global cryptocurrency rankings.
For ADA to revisit its previous all-time high of $3.10, the asset would need to rally approximately 2,052% from current levels. Such a move would theoretically increase Cardano’s market cap to roughly $112.84 billion.
Assuming competing assets remain relatively unchanged, that valuation would likely propel Cardano to the fourth-largest position in the global cryptocurrency rankings, surpassing BNB, which is valued at $74 billion.
Hoskinson Believes Cardano Can Surpass Bitcoin Although many observers consider the target ambitious, Hoskinson continues to insist that Cardano can eventually become the leading cryptocurrency network, even surpassing Bitcoin. He argues that sustained investment and continued ecosystem growth could make that objective achievable over time.
Critics, however, have dismissed Hoskinson’s projections as overly optimistic. Some highlighted his previous warnings about a potential wave of failures among Cardano-based projects as evidence that the ecosystem still faces substantial challenges.
As a result, they argue that overtaking Bitcoin and becoming the industry’s dominant blockchain remains an unrealistic objective.
Hoskinson Continues to Back Cardano’s Technology Nevertheless, Hoskinson remains unwavering in his confidence. He maintains that Cardano will eventually surpass its previous highs while delivering transformative global impact through its decentralized infrastructure.
In addition, he pointed to the network’s core technologies, including the Extended UTXO (EUTXO) accounting model, its proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, decentralized on-chain governance, and the Midnight project, as key drivers that could reduce the global cost of trust.
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.
A ghost chain is a blockchain that is technically running but has very little on-chain activity and development activity.
Over the past decade, there have been many shiny new blockchains that have burst onto the scene. They managed to capture the public’s attention, attracting capital inflows, but have fizzled away eventually.
This fizzle can be due to a lack of funding, community conviction, or the failure to address real issues.
A decline in upgrades and communication regarding the future vision, a failure to keep hold of the influx of initial users due to questionable utility, or a security mishap that leads to a significant loss due to hacks and exploits can devastate investor sentiment.
Compounded over time, a steady decline in usage and trading volume can see a functional chain that is hardly being used at scale.
The chains that have stood the test of time are the ones high up in the crypto assets list. None of the dozens of so-called Ethereum killers that seized the public imagination have managed to knock Ethereum off its pedestal in the crypto ecosystem.
A closer look at the current top Layer 1 tokens Owing to its reliability and security, and combined with Layer-2 solutions that address speed, Ethereum is the dominant base layer blockchain. It dominates the DeFi sectors due to liquidity and security and also processes over half of all stablecoin activity.
XRP is optimized to be a cross-border settlement layer by using its On-Demand Liquidity network to convert fiat into XRP, send it globally, and convert it back to fiat within seconds.
Solana has exceptional throughput and is a hub for trading. Low-cost, high-speed settlements mean that Solana is a leader in real-world asset tokenization.
TRON is the primary Tether [USDT] settlement layer, with over 75% of USDT transfers occurring on this network. TRON’s high throughput also makes it a highly active DeFi chain by transaction volume.
And of course, the Bitcoin network has the strongest security among them all. The asset itself is primarily used as a store of value and a hedge against inflation and also acts as institutional-grade collateral.
Cardano has a more unique role in the crypto ecosystem. Its focus is on sustainability, security, and rigorous, peer-reviewed development methodology. As a result, it is well-suited for institutional compliance and enterprise requirements.
Factors critics point at to throw “ghost chain” shade at Cardano Earlier in June, TapTools, the Cardano ecosystem’s primary blockchain explorer, began shutting down. The exit of senior executives took valuable technical know-how away.
This knowledge could not be replaced quickly enough to allow the platform to continue to be operated responsibly. It was worrisome.
Founder Charles Hoskinson warned that more dApps and DeFi on Cardano would die in the second half of the year. Treasury and community governance systems were unable to react fast enough to help save struggling projects.
Amid worsening market sentiment, the pressure on smaller projects with limited revenue could add to the concerns swirling around the Cardano ecosystem.
Source: Santiment On the bright side, the developmental activity statistics for Cardano were strong. Santiment data showed that it was only second on the list of the prominent Layer 1 networks discussed earlier, in terms of developmental activity.
Yet, Cardano has far fewer dApps, numbering only 34, compared to Solana’s 442 and Ethereum’s 1564, according to blockchain data platform Moralis.
Source: Token Terminal Yet, the transaction count comparison between Ethereum and Cardano showed a massive gulf. Solana was one of the leaders on this front, with 103.2 billion transactions over the past year, according to Token Terminal data.
Source: Token Terminal Similarly, the daily active users also showcased a giant gap in the numbers on the two chains. On this front, TRON was the winner, with 3.9 million active users, much higher even than Ethereum.
Explaining the vast gulf between Cardano and the other leading blockchains While the extreme difference in on-chain activity can be alarming at first, it is not reason enough to conclude Cardano is a ghost chain. The network uses an Extended Unspent Transaction Output (EUTXO) model.
Batcher protocols scoop up the open orders on the blockchain, aggregating them into an optimized transaction that can be submitted to the Cardano ledger.
Effectively, the difference of a factor of 50 that we saw in a couple of metrics examined can be explained by the EUTXO model. Batching capabilities of the network offer advantages in determinism and security, but also underestimate on-chain activity.
In the past, blockchains that failed to fill a niche and dominate a segment of the market have withered away. The established survivors were doing relatively well, but it remains to be seen if they can keep their status in the years to come.
Final Summary The blockchain trilemma means that various Layer 1s have to make their own tradeoffs. The dominant chains have managed to seize a niche for themselves. The Cardano network activity was much lower than its peers, but this alone was not reason enough for critics to brand it a “ghost chain.”
Updated Jun 30, 2026, 7:09 a.m. Published Jun 30, 2026, 4:59 a.m.
3 min read
Indian flag (Naveed Ahmed/Unsplash)Summary
Tether’s USDT stablecoin has surged to an unusually high premium on Indian crypto exchanges.Executives at major platforms CoinDCX and CoinSwitch say the premium reflects a demand-supply imbalance and thin local liquidity, not exchange-set pricing or hidden fees.USDT, the world's largest dollar-pegged stablecoin, is trading well above face value on Indian crypto platforms. While local reports attribute the premium to a recent enforcement action, exchanges explain it as a simple demand-supply dynamic.
The stablecoin's premium rose to 7%–10% above its dollar value on Indian platforms over the weekend. At one point, USDT traded around ₹102.88 against an official dollar-rupee rate of about 94.65 per USD. USDT's market cap stood at $184.68 billion as of this writing, making it the world's largest dollar-pegged stablecoin.
That gap, known as the USDT premium, normally runs between 3% and 4%. Put simply, it's the extra rupees buyers pay for dollar exposure via USDT instead of through a bank. The premium widens whenever local demand outpaces the supply of tokens actually available to trade.
The spike followed action by India's Enforcement Directorate related to USDT payments, the country's financial-crime agency said, CoinDesk reported Monday.
Now, exchanges are responding to the premium spike, and their explanations line up closely with that supply-side account.
The market clears higherMinal Thukral, executive vice president of the Mumbai-based CoinDCX, called the premium as a function of local order-book depth relative to the global dollar reference price.
"The INR price of USDT is set by local order-book depth and the global dollar reference. India has structurally been a net buyer of crypto, so local INR demand often runs ahead of available sell-side liquidity. When that liquidity is thinner near the global reference price, the market clears higher," Thukral told CoinDesk. "The premium then becomes a signal of the local arbitrage band: how expensive or slow it is for liquidity providers to replenish supply and close the gap," he added.
In plain terms, India has more people wanting to buy USDT than there are sellers willing to part with it near the global price. When that imbalance grows, the price Indian buyers pay rises until the market finds a new equilibrium.
Not unique to any single platformCoinSwitch co-founder and CEO Ashish Singhal gave a more detailed account, stressing that the premium isn't something exchanges are setting themselves.
"As with any actively traded asset, when demand outpaces available supply, prices adjust accordingly. The [USDT] premium is therefore not unique to any single platform; it reflects broader market dynamics, including liquidity conditions and the availability of dollar-backed digital assets.
This phenomenon is not unique to India. Stablecoins have traded at premiums in several markets during periods of elevated demand or liquidity constraints.
It is important to note that exchanges do not manually set the price of USDT. Prices are determined by buyers and sellers trading on the platform.
In recent days, USDT has traded at a premium across several Indian exchanges, with premiums generally ranging between 7% and 10%, depending on liquidity and market activity.
On CoinSwitch, USDT has traded at around a 9% premium over the past few days.
"At CoinSwitch, users always see the live buy and sell price before placing an order. We do not charge any hidden fees beyond our disclosed brokerage. The premium reflects prevailing market conditions rather than any platform-imposed markup," Singhal said. Both CoinDCX and CoinSwitch attribute the premium entirely to organic supply-and-demand dynamics: more buyers than sellers, thinner liquidity near the global reference price, and a market mechanism — not platform pricing decisions — setting the rate.
Neither executive directly addressed the ED's enforcement action or its effect on token supply in their statements, however.
Nevertheless, the supply squeeze that drove the premium unusually higher could be linked to the enforcement action.
Market makers and liquidity provides could have scaled back from sourcing USDT overseas after the ED's action, which would show up exactly as a supply-side liquidity shortage, the same mechanism both Thukral and Singhal describe in general terms.
Operating on Indian exchanges has been relatively tougher for market makers because of a flat 30% tax on gains, no allowance to offset losses, and a restrictive 1% tax deducted at source (TDS). These rules have long contributed to market dislocations.
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Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness
Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness
Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.
9 hours ago
Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.
Why it matters:
Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.
As Bitcoin continues to trade at less than half of its all-time high, major traditional assets such as the S&P 500, the QQQ (which tracks the Nasdaq 100), and gold are hitting fresh record levels. Tether advisor Gabor Gurbacs has pointed to a declining quality of debate within the crypto industry as a key reason behind this growing divergence. According to Gurbacs, Bitcoin is struggling under the pressure of weak, speculative products and short-term hype, rather than building infrastructure and fostering broader distribution.
The evolving culture in crypto: from cypherpunks to speculatorsGurbacs drew a clear distinction between today’s crypto market and the pre-2017 community. In the early years, the ecosystem was shaped by the cypherpunk spirit, the concept of sound money, and the active participation of seasoned capital market professionals. Now, a large part of the sector has become exposed to actors chasing rapid attention rather than aiming to create lasting value.
Glossary: Cypherpunks are advocates of using cryptography to empower individual privacy and resist censorship. The tokenization of real-world assets refers to representing traditional assets like bonds, funds, and real estate as digital tokens on a blockchain.
Gabor Gurbacs observed that the earlier crypto community operated on stronger principles and a clearer mission. He personally wishes that, instead of the 2017 ICO wave, the tokenization of real-world assets had come to the forefront.
According to Gurbacs, the root contradiction in today’s cycle is that Bitcoin has lost its synchronization with traditional safe havens and tech stocks. Although institutional capital continues to enter the market, the overwhelming speculative noise in the ecosystem is making it difficult for true long-term value to take hold.
Supply pressures and weakened institutional flowsThe pressure on Bitcoin’s price is not only a matter of narrative—data also shows it has a supply-side dimension. A model tracking the balance between institutional absorption and early-investor distribution revealed that last week saw the weakest net capital inflow of the entire cycle. Since the peak in October 2025, the cumulative balance has plunged to minus 154,169 BTC.
IndicatorStatusBitcoin price outlookBelow half of all time highS&P 500, QQQ, and goldTesting new record highsInstitutional absorption and early investor distribution modelWeakest result of the cycle last weekCumulative balanceDown 154,169 BTC since October 2025’s peakThese figures highlight both Bitcoin’s relative underperformance against external markets and the growing imbalance of capital within the ecosystem. Yet, Gurbacs remains optimistic about the long-term outlook. He emphasizes that the problem does not lie in Bitcoin’s technology itself, but in the culture of short-term speculation that has grown up around it.
Gurbacs insists that Bitcoin will ultimately regain its strength and argues that today’s issues stem from the quality of market participants, not the design of the network.
Tether is recognized as the largest stablecoin issuer in the crypto market. Gurbacs’s critical view has gained traction among industry insiders wondering why Bitcoin has been unable to keep pace with the momentum seen in other major asset classes, despite growing institutional interest.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Bitcoin, which started June above $70,000, fell to $58,000 during the month. While factors such as ongoing spot ETF outflows, a more hawkish Fed, and continuing US-Iran tensions were cited as reasons for the decline, Gabor Gurbacs, an advisor at VanEck and Tether, offered a different perspective.
Gabor Gurbacs, strategic advisor to asset management company VanEck and stablecoin issuer Tether, claimed that Bitcoin failed to reach a new all-time high because of extremely irresponsible people.
Gabor Gurbacs, in a post from his X account, argued that the market is being diluted by those who prioritize copying existing products and reusing old narratives instead of building lasting infrastructure and belief systems.
Gurbacs argued that highly unserious individuals have hijacked a large part of the Bitcoin discourse.
He criticized these individuals for copying and selling substandard products and stale narratives instead of focusing on building long-term beliefs, infrastructure, and distribution networks.
Gurbacs stated that this is one of the main reasons why Bitcoin is currently unable to surpass its all-time high (ATH).
According to the expert, although Bitcoin experienced gains in the last two years and reached an all-time high of $126,000, it traded below its peak of approximately $69,000 in November 2021 for much of the past two years.
Gurbacs argues that this is not just a macroeconomic problem, but also a reflection of structural problems in the sector.
At this point, he emphasizes that the fundamental structure of the market lost its seriousness with the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) boom of 2017. Gurbacs notes that the crypto community before 2017 was sharper and acted with clear principles and a mission, adding that almost a decade has passed since the market changed.
The celebrity concluded by saying that if he had one wish, he would wish the Real World Asset (RWA) tokenization boom had happened before the 2017 ICO boom disrupted the market.
*This is not investment advice.
Follow our Telegram and Twitter account now for exclusive news, analytics and on-chain data!
Bitcoin, which started June above $70,000, fell to $58,000 during the month. While factors such as ongoing spot ETF outflows, a more hawkish Fed, and continuing US-Iran tensions were cited as reasons for the decline, Gabor Gurbacs, an advisor at VanEck and Tether, offered a different perspective.
Gabor Gurbacs, strategic advisor to asset management company VanEck and stablecoin issuer Tether, claimed that Bitcoin failed to reach a new all-time high because of extremely irresponsible people.
Gabor Gurbacs, in a post from his X account, argued that the market is being diluted by those who prioritize copying existing products and reusing old narratives instead of building lasting infrastructure and belief systems.
Gurbacs argued that highly unserious individuals have hijacked a large part of the Bitcoin discourse.
He criticized these individuals for copying and selling substandard products and stale narratives instead of focusing on building long-term beliefs, infrastructure, and distribution networks.
Gurbacs stated that this is one of the main reasons why Bitcoin is currently unable to surpass its all-time high (ATH).
According to the expert, although Bitcoin experienced gains in the last two years and reached an all-time high of $126,000, it traded below its peak of approximately $69,000 in November 2021 for much of the past two years.
Gurbacs argues that this is not just a macroeconomic problem, but also a reflection of structural problems in the sector.
At this point, he emphasizes that the fundamental structure of the market lost its seriousness with the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) boom of 2017. Gurbacs notes that the crypto community before 2017 was sharper and acted with clear principles and a mission, adding that almost a decade has passed since the market changed.
The celebrity concluded by saying that if he had one wish, he would wish the Real World Asset (RWA) tokenization boom had happened before the 2017 ICO boom disrupted the market.
*This is not investment advice.
Follow our Telegram and Twitter account now for exclusive news, analytics and on-chain data!
More than 140 companies are lining up behind Open USD, a forthcoming dollar stablecoin that would hand reserve earnings to its partners and let businesses mint and redeem for free.
Posted June 30, 2026 at 12:52 pm EST.
More than 140 companies, including Coinbase, Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, and BNY, have lined up behind a new dollar stablecoin called Open USD, in one of the broadest corporate alliances yet assembled around digital money.
Open Standard, the independent company building the token, announced the project on Tuesday. The release states that the stablecoin is set to go live later this year.
Open Standard is led by founding CEO Zach Abrams, co-founder of Bridge, the stablecoin startup acquired by Stripe for $1.1 billion in 2024. The company pitched Open USD as infrastructure for businesses rather than a consumer product, pointing to the high fees to mint and redeem most stablecoins, the reserve revenue that issuers keep for themselves, and developers’ limited say over third-party roadmaps.
To address those points, Open Standard said businesses will be able to mint and redeem Open USD at no cost and with no volume limits, and that partners will receive all of the earnings from the token’s reserves, less a small management fee. Governance will sit with a board made up of partners rather than a single issuer.
“Existing stablecoins have great strengths, but to use them at scale, businesses need something that’s open, low-cost, high-throughput, broadly accessible, and aligned to their interests,” Abrams said.
The model is a direct challenge to market leaders Circle and Tether, which typically retain the interest earned on their reserves. Circle shares fell about 13% on Tuesday, to around $66, their weakest level since late February.
Coinbase, which earns a share of USDC’s reserve revenue under its agreement with Circle, slipped about 4% even as it signed on to Open USD. Circle Chief Executive Jeremy Allaire played down the threat, saying the company welcomed “continued innovation and competition in the space.”
The partner roster spans payments, banking, fintech and crypto, from American Express, Klarna and Western Union to Google, Shopify, DoorDash, Solana and Ripple. Stripe said Open USD would become the default stablecoin for businesses running on its platform. Open Standard said many of the partners have signed up to use the token, though it did not detail how binding each commitment is, and it has yet to name a reserve custodian or the blockchains Open USD will run on.
What HappenedThe group will launch Open Standard, a new stablecoin venture designed to broaden access to digital money-movement infrastructure.
Open Standard will issue its own U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, called Open USD, which partners plan to integrate into their platforms once it launches later this year.
Other backers include Klarna, Chime Financial, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and several fintech, crypto, banking and payment companies.
The effort will be led on an interim basis by Zach Abrams, co-founder and CEO of Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure company owned by Stripe, reported Bloomberg on Tuesday.
Abrams said existing stablecoins have strengths, but businesses need an option that is open, low-cost, high-throughput, accessible and aligned with their interests.
Neutral Governance, Shared EconomicsOpen Standard aims to differentiate itself through neutral governance and shared economics.
Most stablecoin issuers profit from interest earned on reserves. However, earnings from Open USD reserves will be shared among partners, after a small management fee to cover operating costs.
BNY chief product and innovation officer Carolyn Weinberg said a stablecoin with neutral governance and shared economics could help unlock the next phase of digital asset growth, as reported by Bloomberg.
Image: Shutterstock
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Ethereum has ranked first for on-chain user retention among all major blockchains, according to a new cohort study published by CoinGecko. Across 11 major blockchains, Ethereum recorded the highest on-chain user retention rate of 26.2% in CoinGecko's Q1 2025 to Q1 2026 cohort study. That means roughly 1 in 4 Ethereum users who were active in Q1 2025 were still transacting on the network a year later in Q1 2026.
BNB Chain Leads on Absolute Numbers$BNB Chain followed in second place with a 20.5% retention rate, retaining over 1.49 million users in absolute terms, the highest absolute retained user count of any chain in the study. Despite Ethereum's superior retention rate, it does not top the leaderboard when measuring raw retained users. BNB Chain retained 1,494,233 users in absolute terms, followed by Solana at 1,394,873. Both blockchains are significantly ahead of Ethereum's 682,240 retained wallets.
Ronin (@Ronin_Network), the gaming-focused blockchain behind Axie Infinity and Pixels, placed third at 19.1%, a notable result for a chain with a narrower use case, likely reflecting the habitual daily activity that on-chain gaming creates.
Methodology and ContextCoinGecko's methodology tracked wallets that completed at least five successful transactions during Q1 2025, then checked whether those same wallets were still transacting in Q1 2026. That filter is designed to capture genuinely engaged users rather than one-off participants, making the retention figures a more meaningful measure of network stickiness.
Solana appears to have a low user retention rate at 7.9%, losing more than 16 million users in a year. However, this can be explained by the comparison period of Q1 2025, when memecoins were at their peak, making it an unfair comparison. Tron was excluded after data validation confirmed that top addresses exhibited automated transaction patterns inconsistent with human wallet activity, with individual addresses recording over 10 million transactions per quarter. Including Tron would measure infrastructure uptime rather than user retention.
The findings point to a clear split between retention rate and raw scale. Ethereum's long-established user base and deep DeFi ecosystem appear to keep a higher share of users engaged year over year, while @BNBCHAIN and Solana attract larger absolute audiences, even if those audiences churn at a faster rate.
Sources
CoinGecko: Blockchain User Retention Rate Analysis, Q1 2026
Crypto Briefing: Ethereum leads blockchain user retention at 26% in Q1 2026 study
Let me tell you about the most overlooked coin in the top five. While everyone argues about Bitcoin and obsesses over XRP, BNB just quietly sits there as the fourth-largest cryptocurrency in the world, rarely making headlines. But right now, BNB is at an interesting crossroads, caught between a genuine technical upgrade and a real regulatory cloud. Let me walk you through it.
First, the price. BNB is trading at $552.49, down a touch on the day and about 5.5% on the week, holding up slightly better than Bitcoin and Ethereum through the broad selloff (live BNB price on CoinGecko). It is well off its 2025 highs, but it has not crumbled the way some altcoins have. There is a reason for that resilience, and there is a reason for caution too.
What makes BNB different Here is the thing to understand about BNB. It is not like most cryptocurrencies, because its value is tied directly to the largest crypto exchange in the world: Binance. BNB is the native token of BNB Chain and the Binance ecosystem. People use it to pay trading fees at a discount, to power activity on BNB Chain, and to access Binance services.
That tie is BNB’s superpower and its weakness, both at once. When Binance does well, BNB has real, built-in demand that most tokens can only dream of. There are also regular token burns, where Binance permanently removes BNB from supply, which supports the price over time. That combination of genuine utility and shrinking supply is why BNB tends to hold up better than purely speculative coins in a downturn. It is doing exactly that this week.
The good news: the Maxwell upgrade Now for what is genuinely working in BNB’s favor. BNB Chain recently rolled out its Maxwell upgrade, aimed at improving the network’s scalability and performance. Faster, smoother blockchain performance matters because it makes BNB Chain more attractive for developers and applications, which drives more activity, which drives more BNB demand.
On top of that, the ecosystem keeps adding integrations, including things like Tether Gold coming to BNB Chain, expanding what people can actually do on the network. For long-term believers, these are the kinds of steady improvements that build durable value beneath the price noise. The Maxwell upgrade is the sort of unglamorous, important progress that does not make front-page headlines but genuinely strengthens the network.
The cloud: Europe and MiCA Here is where I have to give you the other side, because BNB’s unique strength is also its unique risk. Because BNB is so tied to Binance, anything that affects Binance hits BNB directly, and right now there is a real regulatory concern in Europe.
Binance is facing a looming rejection of its MiCA license application in the European Union. MiCA is Europe’s comprehensive crypto regulation framework, and a license is essentially permission to operate cleanly across the EU. Binance has said it is seeking alternative ways to maintain its European presence despite the potential rejection, but the situation is a genuine overhang. This is exactly the kind of concentrated, Binance-specific risk that other major coins simply do not carry. When you own BNB, you are partly betting on Binance navigating its regulatory challenges around the world.
So how do you read BNB right now? This is the balance. On one side, BNB has real utility, deflationary burns, the Maxwell upgrade improving the network, and better resilience than most altcoins in this downturn. On the other, it carries a concentrated risk tied to Binance’s regulatory standing, with the EU MiCA situation as the current example.
That makes BNB a genuinely different kind of hold than something like Bitcoin. It is a bet on the continued dominance of the world’s largest exchange, with all the upside and the specific risk that comes with that. Neither the strength nor the risk should be ignored.
The levels worth watching On the downside, the $540 area is immediate support, with $520 below it as the level that has held through recent pressure. Holding $520 keeps the structure intact. On the upside, BNB needs to reclaim $580 to ease the pressure, then the $600 to $620 zone to signal a stronger recovery is taking shape.
Where this leaves us BNB at $552 is the quiet giant of crypto, holding up better than most through a rough week thanks to its real utility and deflationary burns, with the Maxwell upgrade strengthening the network underneath. But it sits under a genuine cloud: the looming EU MiCA rejection is a reminder that BNB’s fortunes are tied tightly to Binance’s regulatory path.
So watch both sides. The $520 support and the $580 reclaim are the levels to track on the chart. And keep an eye on the Binance regulatory story, because for BNB more than almost any other major coin, the company and the token rise and fall together. That is what makes BNB both stronger and riskier than it looks.
FAQ What is the BNB price today?
BNB is trading at $552.49 on June 30, 2026, down about 5.5% on the week but holding up slightly better than Bitcoin and Ethereum through the broad selloff. It remains the fourth-largest cryptocurrency.
What is the Maxwell upgrade?
The Maxwell upgrade is a recent BNB Chain improvement aimed at boosting the network’s scalability and performance. Better performance makes BNB Chain more attractive to developers and applications, which can drive more network activity and BNB demand.
Why does BNB hold up better than other altcoins?
BNB has real utility tied to Binance, the largest crypto exchange, including fee discounts and BNB Chain activity, plus regular token burns that shrink supply. This combination of genuine demand and deflationary supply tends to make it more resilient than purely speculative coins.
What is the MiCA risk for BNB?
Binance faces a looming rejection of its MiCA license application in the EU. Since BNB is tied closely to Binance, this regulatory uncertainty is a concentrated risk for the token that other major coins do not carry, though Binance is seeking alternatives to maintain its European presence.
What are the key BNB levels to watch?
Immediate support is $540, with $520 below it. Holding $520 keeps the structure intact. On the upside, BNB needs to reclaim $580, then the $600 to $620 zone to signal a stronger recovery.
This is not investment advice. Cryptocurrency is highly volatile. Always do your own research.
The crypto market ahead of EU MiCA’s July 1 deadline remains under pressure, with total value down 0.69% to $2.05 trillion. Traders are watching BTC, ETH, XRP, and BNB Prices as Europe prepares for stricter crypto enforcement.
EU MiCA Deadline Raises Pressure on Crypto Firms The Markets in Crypto Assets (MCA) regulation is at the final stage of enforcement tomorrow. The rules stipulate that exchanges will be required to cease operations throughout the European Union if those exchanges are not approved.
MiCA provides a common ground for crypto trading, custody, and market behaviour. It’s also regarded as the initial wide crypto rulebook of the globe.
The deadline for crypto firms to be approved by MiCA has been reached and only 244 of them have obtained approval so far. Europe previously had more than 3,000 registered crypto companies.
🚨 #Crypto Firms Turn to Dubai as EU Grants Only 244 MiCA Licenses
With just 244 #MiCA licenses issued out of nearly 3,000 applicants, crypto firms are increasingly turning to Dubai as the UAE emerges as a key hub for digital asset businesses.
This will cause a disruption in service for many operators, and possibly even result in operators having to suspend or withdraw from the region. The change may impact user access and Europe’s liquidity in the future.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said the company’s Greece license application failed due to political interference. However, analysts say that euro trading only accounts for a small part of Binance’s spot volume.
The regulatory change is also driving some of the founders to the UAE. European crypto companies are increasingly interested in Dubai’s faster licensing procedures.
Bitcoin price Bitcoin price dropped 1.49% to $59,257 on Tuesday as traders awaited the due date for the EU MiCA. The pressure was largely attributed to the withdrawal of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs. June was the month for more than $4.1 billion in outflows for these funds, which dampened investor enthusiasm among institutional buyers.
Source: BTC/USDT chart Tradingview Bitcoin price now faces a decisive test around the $58,000 support zone. If bulls do a defence of that area, then the the Future Bitcoin outlook may trade sideways and regain strength. However, a break below $58,000 could open a move toward $56,000.
Ethereum (ETH) Ethereum price rebounded from $1,500 support level on Tuesday following its failure to hold above it yesterday. The token is recovering from the recent market correction in preparation for EU MiCA.
$ETH is back into its high demand zone.
As long as the $1,500 level holds, Ethereum could have a relief rally next month. pic.twitter.com/aZAB5kt6Ez
— Ted (@TedPillows) June 30, 2026
The initial major selling resistance is around $1,600, where they may test out short-term demand. If the bounce off is stronger, it could propel Ethereum back up to $2,000 and then $2,010. If selling resumes, traders will watch the $1,500 level closely. A further decline may penetrate $1,385 that is still a medium-term support level.
XRP Price XRP price dropped by 0.80% to $1.04 as sentiment in the crypto market softened. The decline came as the Fear and Greed Index stayed at 17, signaling extreme fear. However, fresh inflows into spot ETFs helped support XRP prior to the EU’s MiCA deadline.
Source: Sosovalue data XRP spot ETFs recorded $15.34 million in net inflows on June 29. Bitwise led the flow with $11.94-million, followed by Canary XRPC’s $3.40-million. Cumulative net inflows have now climbed to $1.485 billion. If the price of XRP continues to hold above $1.00, it might try to push towards $1.15. A close below $1.00 could raise the risk of further declines to $0.95.
Binance Coin (BNB) BNB Coin fell 0.92% to $549 amid broader market weakness. However, macro pressure brought by stronger U.S. dollar and geopolitical uncertainty, kept the buyers cautious. The $540-$550 range continues to be a crucial area of support in the lead up to EU MiCA enforcement.
BNB price As long as BNB remains in this range, the token could continue to hold its ground. A failure to break above the range will bring this price to the forefront of consideration at $520.
On June 30, Bitrue became the first platform anywhere to offer 3x leveraged SpaceX exposure in either direction, long (SPCX3L) or short (SPCX3S). No traditional brokerage currently offers leveraged SpaceX exposure in any form, making this one of the most distinctive products to emerge from crypto’s tokenized equity wave so far. SpaceX anchors a broader launch of 10 leveraged tokens, built on top of Bitrue’s multi-issuer spot offering and powered in part by Binance bToken liquidity.
Real Assets on Chain The crypto landscape is shifting. For years, the industry moved in cycles defined by its own assets, Bitcoin, altcoins, DeFi protocols, perpetual futures. But in 2026, a different story is taking shape. The on-chain market for tokenized real-world assets has hit a fresh record near $34 billion, more than tripling from roughly $5.4 billion at the start of 2025, and that growth is no longer being led by institutions alone. After years of flat activity from 2022 to late 2024, new wallet data shows an explosive growth curve sharply accelerating into 2026, with retail participation driving a meaningful share of that expansion. The infrastructure that once existed to trade crypto is increasingly being used to trade everything else.
Tokenized Stocks TVL Growth 2025-2026
Tokenized US stocks have been among the fastest-growing segments of that wave. Ondo Global Markets, which offers tokenized US stocks and ETFs, recently crossed $1 billion in total value locked, one of the fastest-growing real-world asset tokenization products in crypto history. The demand driving those numbers is structural: millions of investors outside the United States want access to US equities, and the traditional system, brokerage restrictions, FX conversion costs, and a market that closes at 4pm New York time, has never served them well.
A Multi-Issuer Foundation, Powered by Binance Liquidity Bitrue’s leveraged launch builds on a broader move it made days earlier: listing 20 spot tokenized US stocks sourced from three separate providers, Ondo, xStocks, and Binance BStocks, all aggregated onto one platform. Where Binance’s BStocks/bTokens product offers a clean, ecosystem-native experience within BNB Chain, Bitrue’s approach pulls that same liquidity and credibility into a multi-issuer structure, giving traders broader asset coverage and issuer optionality without the friction of managing multiple services. Binance bToken liquidity effectively becomes one of three pillars underpinning Bitrue’s aggregated offering, a structural difference that meaningfully widens the playing field for global retail investors.
Why AI and Tech Stocks Are the Real Prize The asset selection Bitrue has gravitated toward is not coincidental. AI and technology stocks now account for roughly 50% of total S&P 500 market capitalization, making names like NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, and AMD the most sought-after equity exposure on the planet. Yet for investors outside the United States, these remain among the hardest to access through traditional channels. Regional restrictions, FX conversion costs, and the hard boundary of New York trading hours have kept a significant share of global retail locked out of the very names driving the current market cycle. Tokenized stocks change that equation, tradeable 24/7, settled in USDT, with no brokerage account required.
Bitrue’s 20 spot tokenized stocks cover this ground directly, with AI and technology names forming the core: NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Tesla rounding out the Magnificent Seven, alongside AMD and Broadcom from the semiconductor space, and MicroStrategy and Palantir, two of the most AI-exposed names in the crypto-native equity space. For investors who want broader coverage, SPY and QQQ offer index-level exposure to the same theme, with SpaceX completing the lineup as the marquee newly listed mega-cap.
There is, however, a dynamic that both exchanges are navigating. Crypto-native traders span a wide spectrum of risk appetites, and the audience that comes to tokenized equities isn’t monolithic. Some investors want the steadier, longer-horizon characteristics that spot stock exposure naturally offers; others are looking for a way to size their conviction more aggressively and want a structured path to amplified exposure. Leveraged tokens exist precisely to serve that second group, a complement to spot, not a replacement for it, giving traders across the risk spectrum a product that actually fits their profile.
Amplifying Conviction With Bitrue’s 3x Leveraged Tokens This is where Bitrue’s June 30 launch takes the product a step further. Rather than simply mirroring the spot lineup, Bitrue curated 10 assets for its 3x Leveraged Token offering around the names where trader conviction tends to run highest, grouped across four categories:
AI and semiconductors: NVIDIA (NVDA3L/NVDA3S), Tesla (TSLA3L/TSLA3S), and AMD (AMD3L/AMD3S) Deeper chip exposure: Micron (MU3L/MU3S), Intel (INTC3L/INTC3S), and SanDisk (SNDK3L/SNDK3S) Crypto-native AI: Circle (CRCL3L/CRCL3S) and MicroStrategy (MSTR3L/MSTR3S) Index and frontier exposure: the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY3L/EWY3S) for Asian technology market breadth, and SpaceX (SPCX3L/SPCX3S), the standout first-of-its-kind addition, the only name on this list with no equivalent leveraged product at any traditional broker. What sets these tokens apart is the risk structure. Unlike perpetual futures, there are no margin requirements, no liquidation events, and no funding rates quietly eroding returns. Each token moves at 3x the underlying asset’s daily return, long or short, settled in USDT, giving traders a more direct, conviction-sized way to amplify exposure to AI and technology names without the complexity of derivatives.
Crypto Tokenization Assets Evolution
Built on BNB Chain for a Reason The decision to build on the BNB Chain is deliberate rather than incidental. BStocks, backed by Binance, brings the liquidity depth and ecosystem credibility of the world’s largest exchange to the underlying token infrastructure. For a product category where liquidity and trust are foundational, that backing provides a meaningful foundation for both platforms, and it is a key reason Bitrue chose BNB Chain as the infrastructure layer for its own leveraged token products.
What This Week Actually Means Taken together, what Binance and Bitrue have each done this week reflects the same underlying conclusion: the demand for tokenized AI and technology stock assets is real, the infrastructure is ready, and the products being built on top of it are beginning to do things that traditional finance simply can’t match. Two major exchanges arriving at the same market in the same week isn’t coincidence, it’s an industry converging on what the data has been pointing to for some time.
About Bitrue Launched in July 2018, Bitrue is a global crypto exchange offering diversified digital financial services across spot trading, futures, OTC, staking, copy trading, and alpha trading. The platform supports over 700 cryptocurrencies and ranks among the top exchanges globally for XRP trading volume, with staking and investment products offering annualized rates of up to 30%.
Official Channels: Website | X / Twitter | LinkedIn | Telegram
Key Highlights Fiscal Q4 revenue at AeroVironment reached $641.6 million, representing a year-over-year increase exceeding 100%. The company’s adjusted EPS of $1.84 surpassed Wall Street’s consensus forecast of approximately $1.47. Defense sector peers including Kratos Defense, Vishay Precision, and Unusual Machines experienced sympathetic gains. The Autonomous Systems division generated $492 million, comprising roughly three-quarters of overall revenue. Forward guidance for fiscal 2027 exceeded revenue projections while falling short on earnings estimates. AeroVironment experienced a significant stock price surge Tuesday following the release of exceptional fiscal fourth quarter performance metrics. The unmanned aircraft systems manufacturer delivered revenue totaling $641.6 million, representing more than a 100% increase compared to the prior year period.
This performance substantially exceeded analyst projections, which had clustered around $557 million. On the profitability front, adjusted earnings per share reached $1.84, comfortably surpassing the consensus range of $1.47 to $1.48.
The impressive quarterly results created positive momentum throughout the defense technology sector. Multiple companies operating in adjacent drone and military technology markets experienced stock price appreciation in tandem with AeroVironment.
Sector-Wide Market Response Kratos Defense recorded an 8% advance during Tuesday’s trading session. Vishay Precision Group posted a 5% gain, and Unusual Machines similarly trended upward.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., KTOS
These movements came on the heels of AeroVironment’s remarkable 32% pre-market jump following its earnings announcement. Market participants interpreted the results as an encouraging indicator for the broader unmanned systems and defense technology landscape.
Red Cat Holdings registered a 3% increase in extended hours trading Monday after the announcement. Ondas climbed approximately 2%, while Kratos added nearly 3.5% during the same after-hours period.
The positive sentiment extended to specialized exchange-traded funds focused on this sector. The ARK Space and Defense Innovation ETF has accumulated gains exceeding 10% year-to-date.
The Defiance Drone and Modern Warfare ETF has similarly recorded positive returns in 2026. The REX Drone ETF, conversely, has experienced declines this year notwithstanding Tuesday’s sector-wide rally.
Detailed Performance Analysis The Autonomous Systems segment served as the primary catalyst for AeroVironment’s growth trajectory. This division produced $492 million in quarterly revenue, significantly exceeding analyst expectations of approximately $402 million.
This business unit represented roughly 76% of consolidated quarterly sales. Product offerings include the Switchblade family of loitering munition systems.
During the quarterly earnings conference call, the company’s chief executive highlighted that AeroVironment’s counter-unmanned aircraft systems business remains in early development phases. He indicated this division could potentially expand to two or three times the scale of the company’s existing core operations within a three to five year timeframe.
Funded backlog climbed to $1.2 billion, marking a 65% year-over-year increase. Total order bookings for the quarter reached $2.7 billion.
Regarding future expectations, AeroVironment provided fiscal 2027 revenue guidance spanning $2.13 billion to $2.23 billion. This forecast range exceeds the analyst consensus of $2.19 billion.
However, projected adjusted earnings per share of $3.02 to $3.34 fell short of the $3.98 analyst estimate. One portfolio manager observed that AeroVironment has traditionally issued conservative guidance at the beginning of each fiscal year.
Following Monday’s market close, AeroVironment shares had appreciated 0.76% to $139. The stock subsequently surged more than 20% during pre-market trading Tuesday after the earnings disclosure.
Despite the recent rally, the company’s momentum metrics remain subdued according to certain analytical frameworks. Price trends across various timeframes had been negative heading into this quarterly report.
Market observers will monitor whether the gains registered by AeroVironment and sector peers persist throughout the remainder of the week. Upcoming earnings releases from companies such as Kratos Defense will provide additional data points regarding the sustainability of this momentum across the defense technology sector.
LINK’s price still hovers near local lows, but the network’s holder base is telling a different story. According to the Santiment update, the number of non-empty wallets holding Chainlink on Ethereum has jumped to 892.8K, adding more than 8,000 holders in just five days. That pace puts the network on track to cross 900,000 holders by the end of the week and potentially hit one million before the summer is out if the trend holds.
The acceleration itself is the signal. Holder count isn’t a direct gauge of demand strength—some wallets can belong to the same entity—but sustained growth in non-empty addresses during a period of price weakness often suggests accumulation that hasn’t yet been reflected in the charts. Traders tend to watch for these divergences when on-chain behavior runs ahead of price action. Right now, LINK’s price is still depressed, which means the new wallets are not being opened by euphoric retail chasing a rally. That gives the metric a different weight than if it were spiking alongside a sharp price move.
Holder Growth Runs Counter to Price Action Sharp jumps in holder counts can occasionally track airdrop farming or protocol migrations, but Chainlink’s staking mechanism and validator economics are still relatively contained compared to newer L1 ecosystems. The current bump doesn’t appear to be a one-off event either; the Santiment chart shows a steepening curve rather than an isolated step change. If the majority of these new wallets represent genuine new entrants, then quiet positioning is underway while speculative capital remains elsewhere.
What makes the timing curious is that Chainlink’s narrative around real-world assets and institutional finance has been building for months. Project Pangea, DTCC’s collateral work, tokenized asset feeds, and the rollout of 24/5 equity data streams have all pointed toward a utility layer being repriced slowly rather than suddenly repriced. The holder data doesn’t confirm institutional buying—that would show up differently via large-entity wallet clusters—but it does suggest that a broader base of market participants is starting to act on the same themes.
The Broader Tokenization Picture The quiet accumulation coincides with a week in which real-world asset tokenization hit a fresh milestone, crossing $20 billion on-chain, as covered in a recent tokenization roundup. That context isn’t incidental. Chainlink’s oracle infrastructure underpins a large share of the data feeds that make tokenized securities, private credit, and institutional settlement rails functional. When capital flows into tokenization, attention eventually turns back to the infrastructure that keeps those markets running, even if the repricing happens with a lag.
Still, holder count alone doesn’t tell you when or even if price will follow. A lot depends on whether the accumulation pattern converts into on-chain activity that generates fee revenue, staking demand, or more visible protocol usage. The number of non-empty wallets is a breadth signal, not a depth signal. It indicates participation is widening, but it says nothing about whether the average wallet size is increasing or whether large holders are distributing. That nuance is why traders will likely cross-reference this Santiment data with exchange flow metrics and whale transaction counts before drawing conclusions about a sustained trend.
For now, the takeaway is straightforward: Chainlink’s holder base is growing at a rate that doesn’t match the price tape. That gap is something market watchers will monitor as the summer progresses, especially if the tokenized asset narrative continues to attract institutional attention.
AUTHOR
Mushumir Butt is a seasoned crypto journalist with over three years of experience reporting on the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency. At Blockchain Reporter, he delivers insightful news, in‐depth project reviews, and precise price analysis and predictions. With a strong background in SEO and digital marketing, Mushumir excels at breaking down complex trends into clear, accessible content, ensuring readers stay ahead in the fast‐paced crypto space.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
@Theo_network has executed a $20 million investment into $FILQ, Fidelity International's USD Digital Liquidity Fund, through the @Sygnumofficial institutional gateway. The move makes Theo the first crypto-native platform to allocate capital to Fidelity International's tokenized fund.
A First for Crypto-Native Platforms Executed through Sygnum, a Swiss digital asset bank that provides regulated banking, custody, and tokenization services for institutional clients, the allocation adds FILQ to Theo's institutional tokenized Treasury product, thBILL.
FILQ is a Moody's Aaa-mf-rated tokenized US dollar liquidity fund built on Sygnum's Desygnate platform that invests in diversified short-term money market instruments designed to preserve capital and liquidity. That rating places it among the most creditworthy classifications available for money market-style products, signaling confidence in the fund's liquidity quality and credit profile, and suggesting these products are starting to meet the standards traditional investors expect before allocating serious capital.
Chainlink Powers the Data Layer @Chainlink provides on-chain net asset value and distribution data for the fund through its Runtime Environment, while @jpmorgan receives and approves the daily NAV data. Rather than relying on delayed reporting cycles common in traditional finance, Chainlink's oracle network pushes fund NAV and distribution data directly on-chain in near real time, allowing investors to interact with the product continuously rather than waiting for standard market-hour settlement windows.
Fidelity, Sygnum, and Chainlink had already worked together in 2024 to bring NAV data for a $6.9 billion Institutional Liquidity Fund on-chain, and FILQ now turns that earlier collaboration into a fully live tokenized fund.
The launch arrives as treasury-focused tokenized money market funds near $15 billion in assets under management, attracting participation from the world's largest asset managers, digital asset exchanges, stablecoin issuers, and DeFi protocols. Fidelity's move comes as institutional demand for blockchain-based financial products continues to grow, with BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and JPMorgan expanding their tokenized treasury and money market offerings.
Sources:
Theo becomes first crypto-native investor in Fidelity tokenized fund – CoinTelegraph via TradingView
Fidelity International launches first tokenized USD liquidity fund powered by Chainlink – FXStreet
FILQ – Sygnum Bank
Onchain capital markets platform Theo has announced a $20 million investment in Fidelity International’s USD Digital Liquidity Fund. With this move, Theo has become the first crypto-native platform to allocate capital to the asset manager’s tokenized fund, marking a notable step in connecting digital asset investors with traditional finance products.
Structure of the Investment and About FILQThe transaction was executed via Sygnum, a Switzerland-based digital asset bank known for providing regulated banking, custody, and tokenization services to institutional clients. As part of this allocation, FILQ has been added to the structure of thBILL, Theo’s institutional-grade tokenized Treasury product.
FILQ stands out as a tokenized US dollar liquidity fund built on Sygnum’s Desygnate platform and holds an Aaa mf rating from Moody’s. The fund invests in a diversified basket of short-term money market instruments, aiming to preserve capital and maintain liquidity for its investors.
Glossary: A tokenized fund is a digital representation of a traditional financial product on the blockchain. Net asset value refers to the unit value calculated by subtracting a fund’s liabilities from the total value of its portfolio holdings.
Theo noted that the $20 million investment makes it the first crypto-native platform to allocate capital to Fidelity International’s tokenized fund.
According to published data, Chainlink delivers the onchain net asset value and distribution figures for the fund through its Runtime Environment infrastructure. Meanwhile, JPMorgan assumes the role of receiving and verifying the fund’s daily net asset value data.
Fund Size and Company MetricsFidelity International reported that, as of March 31, it managed $1.06 trillion in total assets. Theo, on the other hand, stated its products have generated more than $1 billion in cumulative trading volume through over 80,000 users across more than 60 countries.
Data from RWA.xyz indicates that FILQ currently holds approximately $55.1 million in onchain assets. This shows that Theo’s $20 million investment represents a significant share of the fund’s total assets.
ItemDataTheo’s FILQ investment$20 millionFILQ onchain asset size$55.1 millionFidelity International total assets under management$1.06 trillionTheo user countOver 80,000Rapid Growth of Tokenized Treasury ProductsTokenized US Treasury products have become the largest segment in the real-world asset tokenization market. According to RWA.xyz, this segment has more than doubled over the past year, with issued value rising from approximately $6.9 billion at the end of June 2025 to about $14.6 billion by the end of June 2026.
RWA.xyz tracks 83 tokenized Treasury products held by over 64,000 investors. Each of the offerings from Circle, BlackRock, Ondo, Franklin Templeton, and Securitize has surpassed $2 billion in distributed value.
RWA.xyz data indicates that tokenized US Treasury products are now the largest segment in the real-world assets market, having grown from $6.9 billion to $14.6 billion over the past year.
Traditional Financial Institutions Launch New ProductsThis market expansion has coincided with new product launches and distribution partnerships from established financial institutions. In May, JPMorgan introduced JLTXX, a tokenized government money market fund operating on Ethereum, with investments in US Treasury bills and overnight repurchase agreements.
The following month, Franklin Templeton partnered with MoonPay to further expand institutional access to its BENJI tokenized money market fund. This partnership enables eligible institutional investors to seamlessly transition between supported stablecoins and the tokenized fund onchain.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Chainlink’s [LINK] holder base accelerated sharply, reaching 892.8K non-empty wallets after adding more than 8,000 holders over the past five days. The growth unfolded while LINK remained below its local highs, highlighting continued user adoption despite lingering price weakness.
Fresh interest around real-world asset tokenization and institutional blockchain initiatives appeared to support the expanding wallet count. Rather than reflecting speculative activity alone, the steady rise in holders suggested broader participation across the network.
As a result, Chainlink strengthened its on-chain foundation even though price action remained under pressure.
Source: Santiment/X Why did exchange outflows remain dominant? Exchange activity continued favoring withdrawals despite LINK’s recent consolidation. At press time, CoinGlass data recorded a daily spot netflow of -$479.49K, showing that more tokens left exchanges than entered them.
Such outflows often reflected reduced immediate selling availability as investors shifted holdings into private wallets or long-term storage. However, price failed to respond with an immediate recovery because broader market sentiment remained cautious.
Selling pressure eased compared to previous periods of heavier exchange inflows, yet buyers had not generated enough conviction to reverse the prevailing trend. Even so, persistent negative netflows aligned with the expanding holder count, suggesting accumulation continued beneath the surface instead of aggressive distribution.
Source: CoinGlass Can buyers protect the demand zone? Chainlink continued trading inside a well-defined descending channel after failing to reclaim higher resistance levels.
Price repeatedly defended the $7.00 demand zone, preventing sellers from extending the broader decline despite several downside attempts. Buyers managed to stabilize the price above that support, although recovery lacked sufficient strength to challenge the channel’s upper boundary near $8.31.
Meanwhile, the RSI hovered around 34.6 as of writing, remaining below the neutral 50 level and reflecting weak buying participation rather than renewed bullish strength. Even so, the indicator stayed above deeply oversold territory, indicating selling pressure had moderated instead of accelerating.
Until LINK escapes the descending channel with stronger buying volume, the broader technical structure would likely remain cautious despite continued support around the current demand area.
Source: TradingView Long traders refused to abandon bullish conviction Derivatives positioning continued favoring buyers despite the prolonged corrective structure.
At press time, the OI-Weighted Funding Rate reached 0.0077%, remaining firmly in positive territory and showing that long traders still paid premiums to maintain leveraged exposure.
That positioning suggested participants continued expecting higher prices even while LINK traded inside its descending channel. However, optimistic funding alone had not delivered a decisive breakout because spot demand remained relatively restrained.
Even so, sustained positive funding reflected confidence that the current support region could eventually produce a stronger recovery. If leveraged sentiment stays constructive while on-chain accumulation continues expanding, derivatives positioning could reinforce buying interest once technical resistance levels start giving way.
Source: CoinGlass To sum up, Chainlink combined accelerating network growth, continued exchange outflows, and positive funding despite remaining inside a falling channel. Buyers successfully defended the $7.00 demand zone, but they had not reclaimed higher resistance yet.
If wallet growth continues and accumulation strengthens further, LINK could eventually challenge the prevailing downtrend once stronger spot demand returns.
Final Summary Chainlink adoption keeps expanding while exchange outflows suggest investors continue accumulating LINK. LINK holds key support despite weak RSI as bullish funding reflects trader confidence.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Tomorrow marks the end of USDT’s run on regulated European crypto platforms. July 1, 2026, is the hard deadline for the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, and Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin with a market capitalization between $175 billion and $186 billion, never bothered to apply for authorization.
MiCA requires stablecoin issuers to obtain e-money token authorization to operate within the European Economic Area. Without it, exchanges can’t legally offer the token to EEA clients.
Tether has not applied for MiCA authorization as of June 2026, a decision that aligns with its broader posture of focusing on markets outside Europe rather than complying with the bloc’s stringent bank reserve mandates.
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Coinbase Europe delisted USDT back in December 2024. Crypto.com followed in January 2025. Binance’s EEA entity restricted USDT trading pairs in March 2025. Major platforms have already started converting or limiting USDT balances for their European users in anticipation of the final deadline.
Tether also discontinued its euro-denominated stablecoin, EURT, back in 2024, walking away from the European market entirely.
Circle’s USDC and EURC tokens have secured MiCA compliance and remain available across EU-licensed platforms, making Circle’s products the default stablecoin option on regulated exchanges for European traders.
A retail investor using Binance’s European entity will need to switch to USDC or another authorized alternative. A DeFi user interacting directly with smart contracts through a self-custody wallet can keep using USDT, as the regulation targets service providers, not the token itself. No legal actions against Tether itself have been reported in connection with MiCA compliance.
USDT has long been the dominant trading pair denomination across crypto markets globally. When European platforms remove it, trading volumes on those platforms will shift to USDC-denominated pairs or other compliant alternatives.
Tether’s calculus appears to be that the cost of MiCA compliance, particularly the reserve requirements mandating funds be held in European banks, outweighs the revenue from European platform activity. Institutional players and regulated funds operating within the EEA don’t have the option of routing around compliance requirements by switching to non-custodial wallets, making USDC the only compliant option for that segment of the market.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Updated Jun 30, 2026, 3:03 p.m. Published Jun 30, 2026, 2:32 p.m.
3 min read
Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Circle Speaks at Hong Kong Fintech Week in 2024 (HK Fintech Week)Summary
Circle shares fell more than 12% Tuesday to a 4-month low after a consortium of more than 140 companies unveiled Open USD.Stripe, Coinbase, Mastercard, Visa and BlackRock are among the project's launch partners.The new stablecoin will let partners retain reserve earnings, striking at one of the key economics of today's stablecoin issuers.Circle (CRCL) shares tumbled more than 12% in Tuesday morning trading after a consortium backed by some of the biggest names in payments, banking and crypto unveiled Open USD, a new stablecoin designed to challenge incumbents such as USDC.
The new digital dollar is launched by Open Standard, an independent company whose founding partners include Stripe, Coinbase, Mastercard, Visa and BlackRock alongside more than 140 businesses spanning payments, banking, fintech and crypto.
The initiative is led by Zach Abrams, co-founder of stablecoin infrastructure firm Bridge, which Stripe acquired in 2024.
"Existing stablecoins have great strengths, but to use them at scale, businesses need something that’s open, low-cost, high-throughput, broadly accessible, and aligned to their interests," he said.
The announcement follows a CoinDesk report earlier this month that Stripe, Visa and Mastercard were among the companies backing a new stablecoin platform, with Coinbase also weighing participation.
Recently, CRCL shares traded $66, at its weakest price since late February.
Stablecoin consortiumThe launch comes as stablecoins move further into mainstream finance. Once used primarily by crypto traders, dollar-pegged tokens are increasingly powering cross-border payments, merchant settlements and corporate treasury operations. The market has grown to more than $300 billion and Citi projected it to grow to $4 trillion by 2030, attracting banks, payment companies and fintech firms eager to issue their own digital dollars.
With more institutions embracing stablecoins, the competition is increasingly shifting from issuing tokens to determining who controls the underlying infrastructure and network.
Unlike most existing stablecoins, Open USD will allow businesses to mint and redeem tokens without fees while returning reserve income to participating partners, less a management fee. Governance will also be shared among members rather than controlled by a single issuer.
The model targets one of the core economics of today's stablecoin market. Issuers such as Circle earn revenue by investing reserves backing their tokens in short-term U.S. Treasuries and retaining most of the interest generated by those assets. Open USD instead plans to distribute that yield to participating businesses.
The approach resembles the Global Dollar Network (USDG), a stablecoin consortium led by Paxos that shares reserve income with participating firms. That network is backed by companies including Robinhood, Kraken and Galaxy Digital, and was designed to encourage broader adoption by aligning incentives between the issuer and distribution partners.
In Europe, a group of banks and payment providers launched Qivalis, a venture to develop a euro-denominated stablecoin as financial institutions seek to build shared digital payment infrastructure.
The breadth of Open USD's backing reflects that shift. Beyond Stripe, Coinbase, Mastercard and Visa, launch partners include BNY, Standard Chartered, DBS, U.S. Bank, Shopify, Google, IBM, Mercado Pago, Fireblocks, Anchorage Digital, MetaMask, Aave, Solana, Polygon and Ripple.
Growing competition for CircleFor Circle, the announcement underscores how competition in stablecoins is evolving.
USDC, with a market capitalization of roughly $73 billion, has positioned itself as the regulated stablecoin for institutions, building partnerships with banks, payment firms and asset managers while securing regulatory approvals in jurisdictions including the U.S. and European Union.
By contrast, market leader Tether's USDT, with about $145 billion in circulation, has built its dominance largely through crypto trading and emerging-market payments.
Open USD takes aim at a different part of Circle's strategy. Rather than competing solely on distribution, it offers banks, payment companies and fintechs a share of the interest income generated on U.S Treasuries in reserve, a revenue stream that has become central to the business.
Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, downplayed Open USD's threat and pointed to the fast-growing stablecoin market.
"Stablecoins represent one of the largest market opportunities in the world as the internet transforms the infrastructure for storing and moving money," he said in an X post.
"We welcome continued innovation and competition in the space and look forward to remaining laser-focused on building the best stablecoin infrastructure possible and driving more customer and partner success," he added.
UPDATE (June 30, 15:00 UTC): Adds Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire's remark and updates CRCL share price performance.
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Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness
Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness
Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.
8 hours ago
Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.
Why it matters:
Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.
Shares of Circle Internet Group (CRCL) fell on Tuesday after Open Standard unveiled Open USD (OUSD), a dollar stablecoin backed by more than 140 companies, including Visa, Mastercard, and Coinbase, that targets the market its USD Coin (USDC) token leads.
The launch puts payment networks, banks, and crypto firms behind a single token. It lands as Circle’s USDC and Tether’s USDT control most of the stablecoin market.
Circle (CRCL) Stock Performance. Source: TradingViewWhy Circle’s USDC Faces PressureOpen USD goes after the enterprise users that drive USDC adoption. Businesses can mint and redeem it for free, and partners keep the earnings on its reserves after a small fee.
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That model strikes at how Circle makes money. Reserve interest produced 99% of its revenue in 2024, its filing shows.
Circle paid Coinbase $908 million that year to distribute USDC. Now Coinbase has joined a rival that lets partners keep those reserve earnings.
Circle stock fell nearly 15% on the news, touching its lowest level of the session. It extended a weak run after Circle’s stock rally from $50 to $129 in six weeks earlier this year.
The bigger risk is distribution. Circle gained ground as USDC overtook Tether in corporate transfers. Yet Open USD’s backers include the networks that move most of that money.
Circle still holds advantages. Its USDC carries regulatory standing in the US and Europe and deep exchange liquidity.
A Consortium Stands Behind Open USDOpen Standard will run the token through an independent board of its partners. Zach Abrams leads the company on an interim basis. He co-founded Bridge, the stablecoin firm Stripe bought for $1.1 billion in 2025.
The backers span finance and technology, from BlackRock and BNY to Google and Shopify. Many already run their own stablecoins or build stablecoin infrastructure firms, echoing Mastercard’s recent stablecoin payment integrations.
Stripe tied its payments business directly to the token.
“Open USD will be the default stablecoin for businesses running on Stripe…” read an excerpt in the announcement, citing Will Gaybrick, president of technology and business at Stripe.
Circle, Tether, and PayPal all sat out the venture. Tether’s USDT leads at about $185 billion and Circle’s USDC follows near $74 billion.
Total Stablecoin Market Cap. Source: DefiLlamaAll these notwithstanding, the history is not encouraging for consortiums. Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe each backed Facebook’s Libra stablecoin in 2019, then abandoned it within months under regulatory pressure.
Open USD goes live later this year on Plasma and other chains built for stablecoin payments.
The timing matters for Circle, whose USDC revenue-sharing deal with Coinbase comes up for renewal in August.
Survey: 88% of enterprises plan to adopt stablecoins within the next year, with cross-border payment costs reduced by an average of 35%.
Payment infrastructure company Cybrid has released a new survey report indicating stablecoins are rapidly gaining traction in enterprise payment scenarios. The survey found that 42% of participating enterprises already use stablecoins for cross-border payments, while 88% said they are likely or very likely to adopt stablecoins within the next 12 months—only 2% of firms stated they will continue to rely entirely on traditional payment systems. According to the report, enterprises using stablecoins save an average of 35% on cross-border payment costs, with firms processing over $100 million in monthly payments achieving an average cost reduction of 47%. Payroll and contractor payments represent the most prominent use case, followed by supplier payments, customer payments, investment and revenue management, and treasury management, among others. Additionally, 71% of respondents identified a clear regulatory framework as the primary factor driving further mainstream adoption of stablecoins, outranking considerations such as infrastructure provider credibility and system integration. The survey was conducted from April to May this year, covering 468 senior executives from tech, financial services, and e-commerce sectors in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
2 hours ago
FalconX secures EU MiCA license, allowing it to offer compliant crypto services to institutional clients in Europe.
Institutional digital asset broker FalconX announced it has obtained the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license issued by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), enabling it to provide compliant digital asset trading, custody, liquidity and related institutional services across the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA). FalconX stated that this license allows it to operate across EU member states under a unified regulatory framework, eliminating the need for individual country-specific licenses. Currently, the firm serves over 2,000 institutional clients worldwide, including asset management firms, hedge funds, banks and family offices, with cumulative transaction volumes exceeding $2.5 trillion and over $8 billion in institutional financing disbursed. FalconX noted that as the MiCA regulatory framework is fully implemented, institutional clients’ demand for compliant trading, custody and liquidity services continues to grow, and regulatory credentials are becoming a key competitive advantage in Europe’s digital asset market.
2 hours ago
Guo Wengui sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection with a fraud case involving over $1 billion.
A US court has sentenced Miles Guo (also known as Ho Wan Kwok) to 30 years in prison. In 2024, a jury convicted Guo on multiple charges including racketeering, fraud, and money laundering, with his formal sentencing now issued. Prosecutors stated that Guo defrauded over $1 billion from global victims through a series of related scam schemes spanning five years. Notably, in 2021, he promoted the cryptocurrency project Himalaya Coin (H-Coin), claiming the tokens were backed by 20% gold reserves and promising to cover all investors’ losses, raising approximately $500 million in total. Additionally, the court previously ordered the forfeiture of nearly $900 million in Guo’s illegal proceeds, as well as his luxury mansion in New Jersey and multiple high-end vehicles. Guo had close ties to Steve Bannon, a former senior advisor to US President Donald Trump; Bannon was arrested in 2020 aboard Guo’s yacht.
2 hours ago
The first-half 2026 funding rankings have been released, with Kalshi and Polymarket raising a combined $1.8 billion.
According to statistics, the 14 largest global funding rounds in the first half of 2026 raised a total of $4.3 billion, with prediction markets, AI, and payment sectors drawing the most investor interest. Specifically, prediction market platform Kalshi topped the list with a $1.2 billion funding round, while Polymarket secured $600 million—together, the two raised $1.8 billion, accounting for over 40% of the total capital of the top 14 rounds. In the AI space, Replit, Exa AI, and OpenRouter closed funding rounds of $400 million, $250 million, and $113 million respectively. For blockchain projects, Canton Network, Arc, and Morpho raised $355 million, $222 million, and $175 million respectively. Meanwhile, payment, RWA, infrastructure, and compliance projects including Rain, Slash, Goldcom, Alpaca, and Elliptic also featured on the list.
2 hours ago
Open Standard launches stablecoin Open USD, with over 140 institutions including Visa, BlackRock, and Coinbase participating.
Open Standard has announced the launch of Open USD (OUSD), a new stablecoin for global fund flows, noting that over 140 enterprises have joined its ecosystem, including financial, payment, and crypto industry players such as Visa, Stripe, Mastercard, American Express, BlackRock, BNY, DBS, Coinbase, OKX, MetaMask, Aave, Ripple, Fireblocks, Solana, and Polygon. According to the introduction, Open USD follows three core design principles: supporting zero-cost, large-scale minting and redemption for enterprises; returning all reserve asset yields to partners after deducting a small management fee; and being governed by a board of directors composed of independent firm Open Standard and its partners, rather than controlled by a single issuer. Open Standard states that Open USD will officially launch later this year, with the goal of building an open, low-cost, high-throughput stablecoin infrastructure with a sharing economy mechanism to meet the needs of the internet economy and global enterprise-level payments.
2 hours ago
Pump.fun is discontinuing support for its tokenized agent issuance feature, stating it will focus on optimizing retail user trading experience.
Pump.fun announced it will immediately cease support for its Tokenized Agent token issuance feature. The feature will no longer be available for new token launches, though projects that have already activated it will remain unaffected. The platform noted that over recent months, consistent community feedback has pointed out that excessive issuance options have sparked unnecessary user vs. user (PVP) competition. Moving forward, Pump.fun will prioritize issuance models and product features that explicitly enhance retail trading experiences.
In brief More than 140 companies have teamed up and revealed Open USD, a new stablecoin run by an independent operator called Open Standard. It promises free, uncapped minting/redemption, reserve earnings shared with partner businesses (minus a small fee), and governance by a board of partner companies. Circle's stock price has plunged nearly 16% on the day following the announcement. Coinbase, Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, and more than 140 other companies have banded together to launch a new stablecoin called Open USD (OUSD), in a bid to create shared digital payments infrastructure that no single firm controls.
The news appears to have rocked the stock price of USDC stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL), with shares falling nearly 16% on the day to a recent price of $63.99, per Yahoo Finance. That’s pushed the firm’s plunge to 39% in the last month. Coinbase is a key ally of Circle, but has also thrown its weight behind Open USD.
The coin, unveiled Tuesday by a newly formed independent operator called Open Standard, is designed to address complaints that have dogged the stablecoin industry as it has grown: high fees for minting and redeeming tokens at scale, issuers that pocket the interest earned on reserves, and a lack of input from the businesses actually using the coins.
Open Standard—which is led by founding CEO Zach Abrams, who previously founded Stripe-acquired stablecoin company, Bridge—said that businesses will be able to mint and redeem Open USD for free with no volume caps. Partners, rather than the issuer alone, will collect the earnings on reserves, minus a management fee.
Governance will sit with a board drawn from Open USD's partner companies rather than a single corporate parent, an arrangement organizers describe as essential to winning broad adoption.
"Existing stablecoins have great strengths, but to use them at scale, businesses need something that's open, low-cost, high-throughput, broadly accessible, and aligned to their interests," said Abrams, in a statement.
The backer list spans payments giants such as Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, banks including BlackRock, BNY, and Standard Chartered, tech firms such as Google and Shopify, and crypto players like Coinbase and Ripple.
Executives framed the effort as an attempt to build neutral infrastructure akin to the early internet. BlackRock's Samara Cohen called it "a constructive step toward giving businesses more choice," while BNY projected the broader stablecoin market could swell to $1.5 trillion by 2030.
Open USD is expected to go live later this year.
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The decline reflects investor concerns that the new entrant could challenge the adoption and enterprise market share of Circle’s USD Coin (CRYPTO: USDC).
Open USD Launch Raises Competitive Pressure Open Standard said Tuesday that Open USD is designed for global money movement. Businesses can mint and redeem the stablecoin without fees or volume limits.
The organization said partners will receive reserve earnings after management fees. An independent board representing participating partners will oversee governance of the stablecoin.
Major Companies Back New StablecoinMore than 140 companies have committed to supporting Open USD, including Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc., Stripe, Shopify Inc. and Coinbase Global Inc.
“What sets Open USD apart is that it’s genuinely open,” said Andy Fang, co-founder of DoorDash Inc.
Visa Chief Product and Strategy Officer Jack Forestell added that Visa is applying its operational rigor to help build the trust layer for the stablecoin.
Circle Internet Group Already Facing Supply HeadwindsThe competitive launch comes as Circle was already facing pressure. Data released June 27 showed CRCL stock trading near its lowest level since February.
According to CoinMarketCap, USDC’s market capitalization has fallen to $73.7 billion from a year-to-date high of $80 billion.
Circle’s business model relies on investing reserves into short-term government bonds, leaving it vulnerable to declining asset supplies and falling U.S. bond yields.
Technical Picture Remains WeakCircle continues to trade well below key moving averages. The stock sits 19.6% below its 20-day simple moving average, 34.1% below its 50-day average and 34.3% below its 200-day average.
The moving-average setup also remains bearish. The 20-day average is below the 50-day average, while the 50-day average moved below the 200-day average in June, forming a “death cross.” Technical analysts often view that pattern as a sign that selling pressure could persist.
Momentum indicators also remain negative. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator is below its signal line, suggesting bullish momentum continues to weaken.
The next key resistance level is around $77, where previous rebounds have struggled.
Circle Internet Group Price ActionCRCL Stock Price Activity: Circle Internet Group shares were down 16.30% at $63.57 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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Key Takeaways Circle (CRCL) shares plummeted over 13% to approximately $65, reaching their lowest point in four months following the rival stablecoin announcement. More than 140 major corporations, including Visa, Stripe, Mastercard, BlackRock, and Coinbase, have unveiled Open USD, a new stablecoin project. Open Standard, the organization managing Open USD, is headed by Zach Abrams, who previously co-founded Bridge before its acquisition by Stripe in 2024. Open USD distinguishes itself from Circle’s USDC by offering zero-fee minting and redemption, plus shared reserve income distribution among consortium members. Circle’s CEO Jeremy Allaire dismissed concerns about the competition, asserting that USDC maintains its position as the most reliable stablecoin in the market. Shares of Circle Internet Group experienced a significant decline on Tuesday. The stock plummeted as much as 14% during trading before closing down approximately 13%, hovering around $65—marking its weakest performance since the end of February.
Circle Internet Group, CRCL
The sharp decline came after news emerged that a consortium exceeding 140 corporations intends to introduce a rival stablecoin. This new digital asset, dubbed Open USD, represents a direct challenge to Circle’s flagship USDC token.
Coinbase shares also experienced downward pressure from the announcement, declining roughly 6% to $142.37. This decline carries particular significance given that Coinbase partnered with Circle to create USDC and has historically shared in its revenue stream.
The Consortium Behind Open USD The alliance backing this initiative includes an impressive roster of industry leaders. Among the founding partners are payment giants Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe, alongside financial powerhouses BlackRock and Coinbase, plus banking institutions including BNY, Standard Chartered, and U.S. Bank.
Major technology corporations have also joined the effort. Google and IBM are both participants, along with prominent blockchain projects such as Ripple, Solana, Polygon, and Aave.
An independent entity named Open Standard oversees the project. Zach Abrams serves as its leader, bringing experience from co-founding Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure company that Stripe purchased in 2024.
Abrams positioned the initiative as addressing market needs, stating that while current stablecoins have merits, the business community requires a solution that’s open, affordable, and structured to serve their interests at enterprise scale.
Industry observers weren’t completely caught off guard. CoinDesk had previously reported earlier this month that Stripe, Visa, and Mastercard were developing a competing stablecoin platform, with indications that Coinbase might participate.
Open USD’s Competitive Advantages Over USDC The economic model represents the most significant challenge to Circle’s revenue stream. Open USD will allow businesses to create and redeem tokens without any associated fees.
The distribution of reserve income follows a similar collaborative approach. Rather than concentrating interest earnings from reserves within a single entity, Open USD intends to distribute yields among all participating partners following operational expense deductions.
This directly threatens Circle’s primary revenue source. Circle generates income by investing USDC reserves in short-duration Treasury securities and retaining the majority of interest generated—a model that Open USD explicitly aims to disrupt.
Governance authority will be distributed among consortium members instead of residing with a sole issuer. This approach resembles USDG, another consortium-based stablecoin supported by Paxos, Robinhood, Kraken, and Galaxy Digital.
USDC presently maintains approximately $73.6 billion in circulation, positioning it as the dominant U.S.-originated stablecoin. Tether’s USDT holds a larger global presence with roughly $145 billion in circulation, though it focuses primarily on cryptocurrency trading and developing economies.
The implications for Coinbase are substantial. Revenue connected to USDC accounted for 44% of Coinbase’s subscription and services division during the first quarter.
Circle’s CEO Jeremy Allaire took to X on Tuesday to defend his company’s position, characterizing USDC as “the most trusted, widely adopted, institutional-ready stablecoin in the world.” He emphasized that Circle collaborates with thousands of institutional partners.
A Coinbase representative maintained an optimistic perspective, suggesting that additional stablecoin issuers and applications ultimately expand the total addressable market, while affirming that USDC continues to be central to their platform strategy.
According to Open Standard’s official statement, Open USD is scheduled to debut later this year.
Google DeepMind just dropped a new family of image generation models with a name that sounds like it was coined during a late-night brainstorming session fueled by actual bananas. The Nano Banana 2 Lite, officially branded as Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image, has landed at the fifth spot on text-to-image leaderboards with an Elo score of 1,255 in evaluations from Artificial Analysis.
It also placed ninth in Multi-Image Edit rankings. For a model designed to be the budget-friendly option in the lineup, that’s a surprisingly strong showing.
What the Nano Banana 2 series actually does The Nano Banana 2 family launched around February 26, 2026, and it comes in multiple variants. The Lite version is positioned as the fastest and most affordable option, aimed squarely at developers and businesses running high-volume image generation tasks.
The feature set across the series is genuinely comprehensive. Conversational multi-turn editing lets users refine images through back-and-forth dialogue rather than starting from scratch each time. Variable aspect ratios mean you’re not locked into square outputs. And upscaling goes all the way to 4K resolution, which puts it in the range of production-quality visual content.
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Text rendering, historically one of the weakest points for AI image generators, is listed among the supported capabilities. Anyone who has watched an AI model butcher the word “restaurant” on a storefront sign knows why this matters.
Every generated image gets an invisible SynthID watermark baked in. This is Google’s approach to the growing concern around AI-generated content being passed off as authentic photography or artwork.
On the pricing front, the main variant uses a token-based system. Generating a standard 1K output image requires approximately 1,120 tokens.
The competitive landscape in AI image generation The Pro version of Nano Banana 2 has also been appearing in the top five to seven positions on these same benchmarks, suggesting Google has managed to build a lineup where even the economy option punches above its weight.
The series also integrates real-world knowledge through web search functionalities, allowing the model to pull in contextual information from the web to improve how accurately it represents real-world subjects, landmarks, or concepts.
Subject consistency and instruction adherence were explicitly targeted for improvement in this generation.
And before anyone gets confused: no, this has nothing to do with the meme token called Nano-Banana (NANOBANANA) on the Solana blockchain. The naming overlap is purely coincidental.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin is under renewed scrutiny after blockchain investigator ZachXBT made new allegations. According to ZachXBT, some deposit addresses allegedly linked to KuCoin were used in a $250 thousand crypto theft tied to the malicious software, Atomic Stealer, on August 18, 2025.
Deposit addresses at the heart of the controversyIn research shared via Telegram, ZachXBT pinpointed one wallet involved in the theft and identified five deposit addresses he claims are tied to KuCoin. He suggested that purchased intermediary KYC (Know Your Customer) verification might have been used on these accounts, where personal identification was acquired from third parties. However, these claims have not been independently verified in court or acknowledged in any official KuCoin statement.
Mini glossary: KYC is the customer identification process required by financial platforms. AML refers to regulatory controls to prevent money laundering.
The documents shared by ZachXBT also include a message reportedly from KuCoin Customer Service and Support Team. The message stresses that users have the right to legal and regulatory recourse but warns that false or unlawful claims could themselves be subject to legal action.
The message attributed to KuCoin emphasizes respect for users’ right to legal recourse, yet cautions that unfounded or unlawful statements can trigger legal consequences.
The debate broadened after crypto community member DNBWIZARD posted screenshots about the case on the X platform. DNBWIZARD accused KuCoin of threatening legal action. KuCoin has not issued a public response, nor has it confirmed the authenticity of the circulated message.
KuCoin has long operated as a major global centralized crypto exchange. The company was already in headlines earlier in 2025 due to its involvement in a legal case in the United States.
Spotlight returns to US legal battlesThe US Department of Justice revealed in January 2025 that KuCoin admitted to unlicensed money transmission and agreed to pay penalties exceeding $297 million. Prosecutors allege KuCoin’s lack of robust AML and KYC controls enabled suspicious transactions to pass through its platform.
This emerged following criminal charges brought against KuCoin and two of its founders in March 2024. Authorities argued the exchange had processed billions of dollars in suspicious and illicit funds between 2017 and 2024.
IssueDateDetailsNew theft allegationAugust 18, 2025$250 thousand lost, 5 addresses allegedly linked to KuCoinUS settlementJanuary 2025Penalty exceeding $297 millionFirst wave of chargesMarch 2024Alleged suspicious fund flows from 2017 to 2024Echoes of earlier investigationsThe new claims draw parallels with previous cases, where stolen crypto assets have been traced through KuCoin deposit addresses. Earlier this year, ZachXBT revealed that a fake Ledger Live app was used to steal at least $9.5 million from over 50 victims, with more than 150 KuCoin deposit addresses cited in the laundering of those assets.
ZachXBT previously stated that in the fake Ledger Live app theft of at least $9.5 million, the funds were traced through over 150 KuCoin-linked deposit addresses.
In a separate probe, assets allegedly stolen by an entity identified as AudiA6 also ended up in KuCoin-associated addresses. According to ZachXBT, recovering such funds typically requires coordination between law enforcement and crypto exchanges.
At the close of 2025, KuCoin expanded its regulatory footprint in Europe by securing a MiCA license via its Austrian subsidiary. However, Austrian regulators later barred the subsidiary from onboarding new clients due to compliance staffing concerns.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
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