Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) has reclaimed its 200-week simple moving average after falling to an early-summer low near $57,000.
Crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen though argues the recovery does not yet signal the end of the bear market.
BTC’s “Date With Destiny“A July 2026 Bitcoin Cycle Memo by Cowen, released on July 16, explained that the current setup continues to favor a Q4 bottom, citing historical cycle patterns, on-chain data and macroeconomic conditions.
Bitcoin is trading around $64,400, roughly 45% below its October 2025 peak, after recovering from a breakdown below the 200-week SMA.
Cowen terms the reclaim as Bitcoin’s long-awaited “date with destiny” but cautioned that a similar break-and-reclaim pattern occurred in 2022 before the market eventually printed its cycle low.
Instead, the analyst believes this cycle may complete its reset through an extended period of consolidation rather than a sharp final selloff.
On-Chain Data Suggests Bottoming Process, Not ConfirmationCowen pointed to several long-term accumulation metrics that have entered historically favorable territory.
Risk indicators have fallen into zones that previously coincided with major buying opportunities, while the percentage of Bitcoin supply in profit versus loss crossed at the early-summer low. This is a condition historically associated with bottoming periods.
However, the analyst said several key indicators have yet to fully reset.
The MVRV Z-Score remains above the levels typically seen at major cycle lows, Bitcoin has not revisited its realized price near $53,000, and previous bear markets bottomed below balanced price rather than above it.
The report also highlighted weakening market breadth and slowing ETF accumulation despite Bitcoin’s recent recovery.
For July 2026 till date, BTC ETFs witnessed net outflows of $11.3 million while June saw net outflow of $4.5 billion.
What’s Next?Cowen identifies a sustained weekly move above the 50-week SMA near $86,500 as the key level that would invalidate the current bear-market thesis.
Until then, Bitcoin’s cycle low is likely “a matter of months rather than weeks away.”
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A London-listed Bitcoin company faces a shareholder rebellion@Satsuma_UK (LSE: SATS), one of the few $BTC treasury companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, is heading toward a critical shareholder vote on Monday, July 20. The decision on the table: whether to sell the company's entire Bitcoin holding and cancel its LSE listing entirely.
Satsuma Technology passed its final proxy deadline today for its proposal to sell its entire Bitcoin treasury and cancel its London Stock Exchange listing, leaving the July 20 general meeting as the next decision point. Proxy submissions closed at 2:00 p.m. on July 16, 2026.
The company held 668.48 BTC as of June 30. According to the original copy, those coins were acquired at an average price of roughly $113,000 per coin, placing the current stack more than 40% below the company's cost basis. Shares have traded at a discount to net asset value and trading in Satsuma shares was suspended on 1 July 2026 due to delays in releasing financial statements.
Board divided, 75% threshold requiredThe shareholder push originated with a sizeable bloc of investors. On 6 May 2026, the company announced it had received representations from a group of shareholders representing in excess of 20% of the issued share capital, requesting that a resolution be put to shareholders to return substantially all of the company's capital to them in cash.
The board is not united on the question. A four-director majority of the six-member board recommends rejection, while two directors support the resolutions. Satsuma Technology has clarified its board's recommendation to shareholders to vote against resolutions for a return of capital and delisting from the London Stock Exchange, correcting previous misinterpretations.
Both special resolutions require at least 75% of the votes cast and are interdependent, meaning that failure of either would block both the capital return and the delisting. If both pass, the Bitcoin is expected to be sold by early August. Approval of both resolutions would start a process to sell all its Bitcoin, return net cash, and cancel its London Stock Exchange listing.
If the vote fails, the suspension of trading is likely to persist. The board expects to publish financial statements by the end of July 2026, following which it expects trading in the company's shares to be restored. Shareholders who did not submit a proxy in time may still attend and vote in person at the July 20 meeting.
Sources:
Satsuma Technology corporate update, Investegate (RNS)
Bitcoin treasury troubles reach London, CryptoSlate
Proposed Return of Capital and Delisting, Investegate (RNS)
A long-inactive Bitcoin wallet has transferred 5,908 BTC, valued at approximately $383 million, after more than eight years of dormancy. Blockchain analytics firms Lookonchain and Arkham identified the significant movement, which has garnered attention across the cryptocurrency market for the longevity of the wallet’s inactivity and the scale of funds involved.
Historic wallet activation triggers large transferOn July 16, a legacy Bitcoin wallet, inactive since December 2017, initiated a single transaction sending its entire balance to a new address. The amount—5,908 BTC—has not yet reached any exchange deposit address, as indicated by onchain records reviewed by Arkham. Instead, the entire balance remains at the newly created recipient wallet.
Lookonchain highlighted that the wallet originally acquired its Bitcoin holdings about eight years ago when Bitcoin traded near $16,865. Since then, the value of its position has risen by $283 million, reflecting a 284% gain.
Despite the enormous appreciation, the holder opted to keep the Bitcoin untouched through dramatic market cycles, including the 2018 crash, the peak above $69,000 in 2021, the 2022 bear market, and the all-time high surpassing $122,000 in 2025.
Date AcquiredBTC Price at AcquisitionBTC AmountValue ThenCurrent ValueUnrealized Gain2017$16,8655,908 BTC~$100 million$383 million+$283 millionMini dictionary: Lookonchain is a blockchain analytics platform that monitors large transactions, wallet activity, and onchain trends to provide transparency into cryptocurrency markets.
Whale movements raise speculation but selling unconfirmedThis sizable transfer follows a similar move by another dormant Bitcoin investor earlier in the week. That separate address, also inactive for seven years, sent 2,931 BTC—worth about $188 million—after remaining untouched for years.
Analysts frequently monitor such large shifts from long-dormant wallets, as these could signal preparatory steps for selling. Nonetheless, moving funds to a new wallet does not necessarily indicate an imminent sale. Industry experts note that whale holders often relocate assets to enhance security, upgrade to modern wallet structures, rotate private keys, or prepare for over-the-counter transactions.
In the latest event, the Bitcoin left a legacy “1”-prefix address and moved to a SegWit format beginning with “bc1q.” This change is typically associated with efforts to improve transaction speed and lower fees.
Mini dictionary: SegWit (Segregated Witness) is a Bitcoin protocol upgrade that increases block capacity and reduces transaction fees by separating transaction signatures from transaction data.
Meanwhile, CryptoQuant reported that its exchange whale ratio is currently near 0.99. This metric shows that recent large Bitcoin transfers represent nearly all assets moving to exchanges. Historically, periods of high whale ratio have sometimes been followed by increased selling activity.
No new transactions from the recipient address have been observed, and there is no onchain evidence of a sale. Market participants continue to watch wallets linked to whale movements for hints on future trading behavior.
Despite speculation, the current transfer remains inactive, with attention now focused on whether the coins will be moved onto exchanges for possible liquidation in the coming days.
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.
US military strikes on Bandar Abbas, Iran’s strategically critical southern port city, killed two people and wounded eight others. The attacks, which began around July 12, mark a significant escalation in hostilities that has already started rattling crypto markets.
Bitcoin briefly traded below $73,000 as news of the strikes filtered through markets.
What happened in Bandar Abbas The strikes targeted key Iranian naval facilities in and around Bandar Abbas, a port city that sits at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through that narrow waterway every single day.
Reports from Iranian state media described explosions near bridges and infrastructure west of the city. The two fatalities and eight injuries came from these blasts, though the full extent of damage to military installations remains unclear.
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Bandar Abbas wasn’t the only target. The strikes were part of a broader, coordinated US military campaign hitting facilities across multiple Iranian port cities, including Bushehr and Chabahar. US forces reportedly deployed sea drones to strike maintenance facilities used for submarines and ships, aiming to degrade Iran’s naval capabilities across its entire southern coastline.
Multiple rounds of strikes occurred across early to mid-July, suggesting this isn’t a one-off retaliation but a sustained campaign.
The crypto market reaction Bitcoin’s dip below $73,000 triggered liquidations of leveraged positions and stop-losses across major exchanges. Volatility spiked sharply in the hours following initial reports, with trading volumes surging as both panic sellers and opportunistic dip-buyers flooded order books.
The US has been actively freezing Iranian-linked digital assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, running parallel to the kinetic military operations. That campaign puts direct pressure on the intersection of state actors and decentralized finance.
Why this matters beyond the headlines Previous flare-ups around the Strait, including the 2019 tanker seizures and the January 2020 Soleimani strike, produced similar patterns in crypto markets. The 2020 episode saw Bitcoin drop roughly 5% before recovering within a week.
Privacy-focused tokens saw modest upticks during the initial chaos, consistent with increased demand for financial tools that operate outside government oversight.
Traders running leveraged positions should be especially cautious given the combination of military escalation, active sanctions enforcement against Iranian-linked wallets, and uncertain energy market dynamics.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
TLDR: The Bitcoin outlook shows encouraging signs as institutional futures demand improves while Strategy increases its cash holdings to $3 billion. Strategy’s larger dollar reserve covers about 20 months of preferred dividend payments, lowering near-term concerns over forced Bitcoin sales. CME Bitcoin futures and perpetual contracts record positive flows despite inconsistent demand across U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Strategy holds 843,775 BTC and plans to use future capital raises for additional Bitcoin purchases and further reserve expansion. JPMorgan sees an improving Bitcoin outlook as Strategy expands its dollar reserve and institutional demand returns to derivatives markets. The bank’s analysts point to two shifts beneath Bitcoin’s uneven spot performance.
Strategy now holds $3 billion in cash, easing concerns that dividend obligations could force large Bitcoin sales. Meanwhile, positive flows have appeared in CME Bitcoin futures and perpetual contracts, even as spot exchange-traded fund activity stays volatile.
Bitcoin trades near $64,125, down about 1% over the past day. The mixed market picture suggests futures positioning and corporate liquidity now offer stronger support than headline ETF flows alone.
Bitcoin Outlook Improves as Futures Demand Rebuilds Spot Bitcoin ETF flows have moved sharply between inflows and redemptions during recent weeks. JPMorgan analysts led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou say the futures market presents a steadier picture.
Positive flow momentum appeared in CME Bitcoin futures and perpetual futures this week. These products often attract institutions and professional trading firms rather than only short-term retail buyers.
That distinction matters for the Bitcoin outlook. Futures demand can show how larger traders position through volatility without requiring direct spot purchases.
The latest pattern suggests some institutions are rebuilding exposure despite weak and inconsistent ETF demand. JPMorgan views the divergence as an encouraging market signal.
Flows into leveraged ETFs linked to Strategy have also stayed positive for seven weeks. JPMorgan attributes much of that buying to retail investors.
The demand has likely supported Strategy shares and helped keep the stock above the net asset value of its Bitcoin holdings. A sustained premium gives Strategy more flexibility to raise money through equity sales.
The company can then meet corporate obligations without relying on Bitcoin disposals. That funding route reduces a risk that has weighed on market sentiment during Bitcoin’s decline.
Strategy Cash Reserve Eases Bitcoin Selling Concerns Strategy raised its U.S. dollar reserve by $450 million to $3 billion on July 12. The company generated $466.7 million through the sale of about 4.82 million common shares during the week.
The expanded Strategy cash reserve covers roughly 20 months of preferred dividend payments. JPMorgan previously said reserves covering two to three years would offer greater protection against forced Bitcoin sales.
Although the latest figure falls below that range, analysts still call the increase encouraging. The reserve gives Strategy more time to manage dividends, interest costs, and market volatility without immediately tapping its digital asset holdings.
Strategy ended the period with 843,775 BTC and made no Bitcoin purchase or sale during the week. Its holdings carry an aggregate purchase cost of about $63.69 billion, according to the company’s filing.
Chief Executive Phong Le says Strategy plans to remain a major long-term Bitcoin buyer. He also describes the balance sheet as secure and says debt pressure would become a concern only if Bitcoin fell toward $8,000 to $10,000.
The company may issue additional STRC preferred shares once they return to their $100 par value. Proceeds could support new Bitcoin purchases and add more dollars to the reserve.
JPMorgan says it cannot isolate how much the cash buildup has changed Bitcoin sentiment. Still, stronger Bitcoin futures demand and a larger liquidity cushion reduce two immediate pressure points.
Spot ETF demand remains unstable, but the derivatives market and Strategy cash reserve now provide more constructive signals for the Bitcoin outlook.
JPMorgan analysts report improved prospects for Bitcoin as financial services company Strategy has expanded its dollar reserves and institutional demand strengthens in futures markets. The analysts point to these developments as key factors shaping recent shifts in the cryptocurrency’s environment.
Institutional futures demand strengthensFutures and perpetual contract flows have turned positive at the CME, signaling renewed interest from institutional and professional traders. This uptick contrasts with the volatility seen in US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, where inflows and redemptions have marked recent weeks.
JPMorgan, a global banking giant, notes that institutional positioning through derivatives often provides a more stable outlook for Bitcoin, even when direct spot purchases fluctuate. This trend suggests that some large market participants are gradually increasing their exposure in spite of inconsistent demand from spot Bitcoin ETF investors.
Flows into leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to Strategy have also remained positive over the past seven weeks, with retail investors believed to be major contributors. As a result, Strategy’s stock continues to trade at a premium compared with the underlying value of its Bitcoin holdings.
Flows into CME Bitcoin futures and perpetual contracts have turned positive, indicating that some institutions are rebuilding their Bitcoin exposure despite weak and uneven interest on spot ETFs, according to JPMorgan’s analysis.
This premium allows Strategy more flexibility in raising new capital through equity sales, reducing pressure to sell Bitcoin and thereby providing an extra buffer against market downturns.
Strategy’s cash reserve expansionStrategy announced a $450 million increase in its US dollar reserve, raising the total to $3 billion as of July 12. This influx was accomplished by selling approximately 4.82 million common shares in just one week, generating $466.7 million in proceeds.
The company, which is publicly listed and known for its extensive Bitcoin treasury strategy, now holds enough cash to cover about 20 months of preferred dividend payments. While JPMorgan’s analysts maintain that reserves covering two to three years would deliver more robust protection, they recognize the current increase as a positive measure for short-term obligations.
With these additional reserves in place, Strategy may avoid selling digital assets to meet commitments, instead managing dividends and interest expenses during periods of price volatility.
At the end of the latest reporting period, Strategy maintained its Bitcoin holdings at 843,775 BTC, representing a total purchase cost of approximately $63.69 billion. The company made neither additional Bitcoin purchases nor sales during the reported week.
Chief Executive Phong Le emphasizes that Strategy intends to continue as a significant long-term Bitcoin acquirer, describing the company’s balance sheet as secure. He further states that debt-related pressure would only become problematic if Bitcoin’s price fell sharply to the $8,000 to $10,000 range.
The company has also indicated that it may issue more preferred shares if their value returns to target levels, using the proceeds to purchase additional Bitcoin or to further grow its dollar reserves.
JPMorgan analysts say that, although it is difficult to determine how the recent reserve increase has impacted overall Bitcoin sentiment, these moves have alleviated immediate concerns about forced Bitcoin sales. For now, the derivatives market and robust cash holdings provide more supportive signals for Bitcoin compared to spot ETF flows.
Mini dictionary: Strategy refers to a company publicly known for holding significant amounts of Bitcoin on its balance sheet as part of its treasury strategy, often issuing new shares to raise capital for further Bitcoin purchases.
MetricPrevious LevelCurrent LevelStrategy cash reserve$2.55 billion$3 billionStrategy BTC holdings843,775 BTC843,775 BTCAggregate BTC purchase cost–$63.69 billionDisclaimer: 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.
Iran’s Army launched Arash explosive drones at the US Al-Sakhir base in Bahrain on Friday, marking one of the most direct military confrontations between Tehran and Washington in years. The base hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, making this far more than a symbolic gesture.
Bahraini and US defense forces reportedly intercepted the drones, with only minor damage to a nearby residential structure and no confirmed military casualties.
What happened and why it matters The strike was part of what Iranian state media dubbed “Operation Lightning,” framed as retaliation for previous US airstrikes on Iranian missile and drone installations. The tit-for-tat escalation has been building since late June, with both sides ratcheting up military actions across the Gulf region throughout early July 2026.
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The crypto angle runs deeper than volatility Bitcoin experienced short-term volatility during earlier phases of this escalation, dipping to around $63,000 during February and March 2026 as geopolitical tensions in the region first started heating up.
Analysis from 2025 and 2026 has shown Iran’s increasing reliance on cryptocurrency for sanctions evasion and military procurement. Tehran has reportedly advertised military goods via crypto channels, using digital assets to circumvent the traditional financial system that Western sanctions have largely locked them out of.
Iran has been mining Bitcoin and using digital currencies to work around sanctions for years, and on-chain analyses have indicated Iran utilizes digital assets for financing procurement networks that support its military activities and proxy forces in the region.
What investors should actually watch If the US responds with expanded sanctions that specifically target crypto infrastructure tied to Iranian military financing, the ripple effects could be substantial, including potential new compliance requirements for exchanges, enhanced KYC protocols for transactions originating from or routed through sanctioned jurisdictions, and possibly new designations of specific wallet addresses or networks. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has already been expanding its crypto sanctions toolkit.
Ethereum and other major altcoins typically amplify whatever Bitcoin does during geopolitical shocks. If Bitcoin drops 5%, expect ETH to drop 7-10%.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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.
Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones toward US-linked targets in Kuwait over a multi-day window in mid-July, marking one of the most significant escalations in the Gulf since the 2026 Iran war began in late February. Bitcoin responded the way Bitcoin tends to respond when things get scary: it sold off, briefly sliding below the $100K mark before bouncing back.
The attacks, which took place around July 13-16, involved approximately 32 drones and additional missiles directed at locations associated with American military interests in Kuwait. Kuwaiti forces intercepted many of the incoming projectiles. The strikes caused material damage to infrastructure, though confirmed casualties remained limited.
What happened on the ground This wasn’t the first time Kuwait found itself in the crosshairs. Back in June, Iranian drone strikes hit Kuwait’s international airport, killing one person and injuring dozens more. That attack alone reshaped the security calculus for the entire Gulf region.
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The latest wave of strikes represents a continuation of hostilities that kicked off on February 28, 2026, and have steadily escalated throughout the year. Iran has characterized its actions as retaliatory, fitting them into the broader framework of an ongoing conflict with the United States and its regional partners.
How crypto markets reacted Bitcoin dipped to around $99,500 as the strikes unfolded, briefly breaching the psychologically significant $100K level. It recovered to approximately $102,000 shortly after, but the volatility told its own story.
The Iran crypto connection that regulators are watching There’s another dimension to this story that doesn’t get enough attention. Iran’s domestic digital asset ecosystem was valued at over $7.8 billion as of 2025, and a noteworthy portion of that activity has been linked to addresses associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. Any crypto flows tied to its operations put exchanges, OTC desks, and DeFi protocols in potential legal jeopardy under US sanctions law. As the conflict escalates, regulatory scrutiny on these connections is almost certain to intensify.
For exchanges operating globally, this means enhanced compliance costs and potential delisting of addresses or tokens that touch Iranian-linked wallets. For DeFi protocols with no KYC mechanisms, it means renewed political pressure from lawmakers who already view the space with suspicion.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
SEC Chair advocates for new electronic delivery rules: In the era of AI and blockchain, paper-based delivery should become a relic of the past.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has formally proposed the new "Regulation E-Delivery", significantly expanding the authority of entities including issuers, broker-dealers, and investment advisers to deliver information electronically. The rule aims to meet disclosure and delivery requirements under federal securities laws, and promote electronic delivery as a more mainstream, flexible option to replace traditional paper-based delivery. SEC Chair Paul Atkins noted that this is another step toward building a modern-era regulatory framework and a key pillar of his agenda since taking office. "In the age of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, default paper delivery should be a historical relic, not the standard." Earlier, Atkins launched "Project Crypto" to modernize on-chain markets, and the electronic delivery rule aligns with his broader regulatory modernization agenda. The proposal will subsequently enter a public comment period.
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BONK treasury attacker transfers approximately $4.11 million worth of tokens to Binance.
According to EmberCN’s monitoring, the address that drained the BONK treasury via a governance attack transferred 1.186 trillion BONK tokens (valued at approximately $4.11 million) to Binance three hours ago. This address spent roughly $4.4 million to acquire enough BONK tokens 10 days ago to meet the governance vote approval threshold, then submitted a governance proposal that was forcibly passed, siphoning 4.426 trillion BONK from the BONK treasury, worth around $21.2 million. On the day of the incident, it had already transferred 40 billion BONK (about $190,000) to OKX, with the remaining tokens held on-chain. As of press time, approximately 3.2 trillion BONK (valued at roughly $10.98 million) still remains from the amount drained from the treasury. The incident has caused BONK’s price to drop by a cumulative 28% since the event.
4 minutes ago
Japanese storage firm Kioxia saw intraday limit-down, while US-listed storage stocks SanDisk, Western Digital, and Micron extended their losses in after-hours trading.
According to Bitget market data, Japanese storage stock Kioxia hit its daily limit during intraday trading, currently down 15.55%, with its market capitalization halved from the June peak. The Nikkei 225 index extended its intraday decline to over 4%. Per BIT (bit.com) market data, US storage-related stocks SanDisk and Western Digital extended losses by over 4% in after-hours trading, while Micron Technology fell nearly 4%.
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Japan launches domestic AI project "Noetra": NVIDIA will supply 27,500 Rubin GPUs, with 44 corporate groups including Sony and SoftBank participating.
The Japanese domestic multimodal foundation model development project "Noetra" officially launched on July 16. Core enterprises include Sony Group, SoftBank, NEC, and Honda, with a total of 44 companies and groups contributing to the initiative, covering a wide range of industries such as manufacturing, finance, logistics, and communications. Engineers from institutions including the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and Preferred Networks will also join the R&D. This project is part of the "Multimodal Foundation Model Development Project for AI Robots and Physical AI" promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), officially named the FRONTia Project by NVIDIA. Its goal is to build a Japanese domestic foundation model for physical AI scenarios like manufacturing sites and robots, rather than just a Japanese-language conversational AI. At the hardware level, Noetra will collaborate with NVIDIA to build a computing platform equipped with approximately 27,500 latest Rubin GPUs and 13,750 Vera CPUs, adopting NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 racks and DSX platform architecture, with a designed power capacity of 140 megawatts. Construction is scheduled to start in April 2027 and operations to launch in June 2028, when it will become Japan’s largest AI computing infrastructure. The R&D roadmap is divided into three phases: starting from fiscal 2026, developing an inference foundation model centered on AI agents and natural language processing; achieving a full multimodal foundation model that seamlessly integrates text, images, video, and audio in fiscal 2028; and realizing real-world native AI that understands spatial and physical attributes in fiscal 2030, with final applications spanning manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and communications.
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Predict.fun launches Up/Down markets with maker rebates, offering higher rebate rates than Polymarket and real-time payouts.
Prediction market platform Predict.fun has announced that all its Up/Down markets are now live with a Maker order rebate mechanism. Users who complete trades via limit orders will receive a 25% rebate on Maker fees. Compared to Polymarket, Predict.fun’s latest Maker rebate offers two core, more straightforward advantages: a higher rebate rate, and real-time rebate disbursement immediately after trade execution, with no need to wait for market settlement. For high-frequency traders, professional market makers, and users who regularly use limit orders, real-time rebates enable faster capital release, reducing the ongoing erosion of trading profits by fees; the higher rebate rate also means that as trading frequency and volume grow, the actual cost savings will become more pronounced. This mechanism currently covers all of Predict.fun’s Up/Down markets. Users do not need to register or submit additional applications—rebates will be automatically credited to their accounts once eligible limit orders are filled.
4 minutes ago
Apple closed up 1.76% to hit another all-time high, with positive momentum from Apple Intelligence's China localization continuing to build.
According to market data from BIT (bit.com), Apple closed 1.76% higher in U.S. stock trading, hitting a record high of $333.26 per share, and rose an additional 0.47% in after-hours trading. On the news front, on July 15, Apple Intelligence completed its first domestic generative AI filing in China. Alibaba’s Qianwen AI will be integrated into Apple Intelligence as its AI capability, providing Chinese users of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS with services including text and image understanding, content generation, and more—allowing users to experience these features directly without switching between apps. In addition to Alibaba’s Qianwen AI, Baidu’s AI capabilities will also be integrated into Apple Intelligence, marking the official implementation of Apple’s localized AI strategy in the Chinese market.
Increased activity across Bitcoin’s (BTC) futures markets is playing the dominant role in its short-term price action, which keeps tracing back to where leveraged positions are stacked. Prices tend to gravitate toward where liquidity is most concentrated, and as Bitcoin battles to hold above $64,000, reviewing current liquidation scenarios may provide insight into BTC’s next move.
Liquidation heatmap data shows a cluster of short positions concentrated between $65,500 and $66,000, roughly 3% away from current market pricing. A push through $65,600 may put that shelf in play and could accelerate a larger rally toward $67,000.
Below market pricing, support is layered in the $63,500 to $63,750 range, with the closest cluster 1% away, and larger liquidity pools are found at $63,000-$63,250 (about 1.5% down) and $62,500-$62,750 (about 2.3% down).
Combined, long-side liquidity across the tracked window outweighs short-side liquidity by nearly two to one, potentially signaling that the bulk of a leverage built up over the past month hasn’t fully closed out.
In the most bearish scenario, a wide liquidation band near $55,000 (which has built up over the full month lookback) is visible and stands out more than almost anything else on the chart. This magnet could exert its pull on price if support in the $62,500 to $63,750 were to give way.
The last few weeks of price action suggest that Bitcoin may remain rangebound between $60,000 and $67,000, and BTC’s aggregate open interest and funding rate back this view.
BTC spot and cumulative volume flows. Source: Hyblock
While OI has come down more than 3% from Tuesday’s peak, BTC price has barely moved, and as funding cooled toward neutral, spot and futures flows have favored the buy side over the past week.
This article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph's Editorial Policy and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or recommendations. All investments and trades carry risk; readers are encouraged to conduct independent research.
US airstrikes targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure in mid-July 2026 have knocked out power across parts of the country and sent shockwaves through crypto markets. Bitcoin dropped over 2% to approximately $62,000 as traders scrambled to de-risk, with roughly $350 million in liquidations hitting the market in short order.
The strikes hit the Bandar Abbas-Khorstan-Lar bridge and surrounding facilities, causing localized power outages in Kahorstan. Iran’s response was blunt: the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war status, with warnings of retaliation if further attacks occur.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most consequential chokepoints in global energy. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through it on any given day.
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Trading activity around gold-backed tokens and oil derivatives on decentralized platforms surged in the wake of the strikes.
Iran’s crypto entanglement runs deeper than most realize Iran has been collecting transit tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz in cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, USDT, and yuan.
That dynamic became even more pronounced in June 2026, when the US Treasury sanctioned Nobitex, Iran’s largest digital asset exchange. The rationale: ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and facilitation of sanctions evasion. Nobitex had functioned as a critical on-ramp for Iranians accessing digital assets, and its sanctioning effectively put Washington on record saying that crypto infrastructure serving hostile state actors is a legitimate target for financial warfare.
What this means for investors The $350 million liquidation event wasn’t catastrophic by crypto standards, but it was a reminder that geopolitical risk doesn’t politely wait for the market to be ready. Leveraged traders got caught leaning the wrong direction, and the cascade was swift.
Iran’s declaration that the Strait of Hormuz won’t return to pre-war conditions suggests this isn’t a short-term disruption.
The Nobitex sanctions were a warning shot. If Iran continues using crypto to collect tolls and circumvent financial restrictions, expect the Treasury to expand its targeting of exchanges, wallets, and protocols that facilitate those flows. That creates compliance risk for any platform that touches Iranian-linked transactions, even inadvertently.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
SEC Chair advocates for new electronic delivery rules: In the era of AI and blockchain, paper-based delivery should become a relic of the past.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has formally proposed the new "Regulation E-Delivery", significantly expanding the authority of entities including issuers, broker-dealers, and investment advisers to deliver information electronically. The rule aims to meet disclosure and delivery requirements under federal securities laws, and promote electronic delivery as a more mainstream, flexible option to replace traditional paper-based delivery. SEC Chair Paul Atkins noted that this is another step toward building a modern-era regulatory framework and a key pillar of his agenda since taking office. "In the age of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, default paper delivery should be a historical relic, not the standard." Earlier, Atkins launched "Project Crypto" to modernize on-chain markets, and the electronic delivery rule aligns with his broader regulatory modernization agenda. The proposal will subsequently enter a public comment period.
4 minutes ago
BONK treasury attacker transfers approximately $4.11 million worth of tokens to Binance.
According to EmberCN’s monitoring, the address that drained the BONK treasury via a governance attack transferred 1.186 trillion BONK tokens (valued at approximately $4.11 million) to Binance three hours ago. This address spent roughly $4.4 million to acquire enough BONK tokens 10 days ago to meet the governance vote approval threshold, then submitted a governance proposal that was forcibly passed, siphoning 4.426 trillion BONK from the BONK treasury, worth around $21.2 million. On the day of the incident, it had already transferred 40 billion BONK (about $190,000) to OKX, with the remaining tokens held on-chain. As of press time, approximately 3.2 trillion BONK (valued at roughly $10.98 million) still remains from the amount drained from the treasury. The incident has caused BONK’s price to drop by a cumulative 28% since the event.
4 minutes ago
Japanese storage firm Kioxia saw intraday limit-down, while US-listed storage stocks SanDisk, Western Digital, and Micron extended their losses in after-hours trading.
According to Bitget market data, Japanese storage stock Kioxia hit its daily limit during intraday trading, currently down 15.55%, with its market capitalization halved from the June peak. The Nikkei 225 index extended its intraday decline to over 4%. Per BIT (bit.com) market data, US storage-related stocks SanDisk and Western Digital extended losses by over 4% in after-hours trading, while Micron Technology fell nearly 4%.
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Japan launches domestic AI project "Noetra": NVIDIA will supply 27,500 Rubin GPUs, with 44 corporate groups including Sony and SoftBank participating.
The Japanese domestic multimodal foundation model development project "Noetra" officially launched on July 16. Core enterprises include Sony Group, SoftBank, NEC, and Honda, with a total of 44 companies and groups contributing to the initiative, covering a wide range of industries such as manufacturing, finance, logistics, and communications. Engineers from institutions including the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and Preferred Networks will also join the R&D. This project is part of the "Multimodal Foundation Model Development Project for AI Robots and Physical AI" promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), officially named the FRONTia Project by NVIDIA. Its goal is to build a Japanese domestic foundation model for physical AI scenarios like manufacturing sites and robots, rather than just a Japanese-language conversational AI. At the hardware level, Noetra will collaborate with NVIDIA to build a computing platform equipped with approximately 27,500 latest Rubin GPUs and 13,750 Vera CPUs, adopting NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 racks and DSX platform architecture, with a designed power capacity of 140 megawatts. Construction is scheduled to start in April 2027 and operations to launch in June 2028, when it will become Japan’s largest AI computing infrastructure. The R&D roadmap is divided into three phases: starting from fiscal 2026, developing an inference foundation model centered on AI agents and natural language processing; achieving a full multimodal foundation model that seamlessly integrates text, images, video, and audio in fiscal 2028; and realizing real-world native AI that understands spatial and physical attributes in fiscal 2030, with final applications spanning manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and communications.
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Predict.fun launches Up/Down markets with maker rebates, offering higher rebate rates than Polymarket and real-time payouts.
Prediction market platform Predict.fun has announced that all its Up/Down markets are now live with a Maker order rebate mechanism. Users who complete trades via limit orders will receive a 25% rebate on Maker fees. Compared to Polymarket, Predict.fun’s latest Maker rebate offers two core, more straightforward advantages: a higher rebate rate, and real-time rebate disbursement immediately after trade execution, with no need to wait for market settlement. For high-frequency traders, professional market makers, and users who regularly use limit orders, real-time rebates enable faster capital release, reducing the ongoing erosion of trading profits by fees; the higher rebate rate also means that as trading frequency and volume grow, the actual cost savings will become more pronounced. This mechanism currently covers all of Predict.fun’s Up/Down markets. Users do not need to register or submit additional applications—rebates will be automatically credited to their accounts once eligible limit orders are filled.
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Apple closed up 1.76% to hit another all-time high, with positive momentum from Apple Intelligence's China localization continuing to build.
According to market data from BIT (bit.com), Apple closed 1.76% higher in U.S. stock trading, hitting a record high of $333.26 per share, and rose an additional 0.47% in after-hours trading. On the news front, on July 15, Apple Intelligence completed its first domestic generative AI filing in China. Alibaba’s Qianwen AI will be integrated into Apple Intelligence as its AI capability, providing Chinese users of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS with services including text and image understanding, content generation, and more—allowing users to experience these features directly without switching between apps. In addition to Alibaba’s Qianwen AI, Baidu’s AI capabilities will also be integrated into Apple Intelligence, marking the official implementation of Apple’s localized AI strategy in the Chinese market.
Bitcoin‘s short-term price action is closely tied to growing activity in its futures markets, where traders are positioning around key liquidity zones. At present, the market is observing how leveraged positions might influence BTC’s next significant move, especially as the price attempts to hold above $64,000.
Key liquidity zones around current BTC priceAnalysis of the current liquidation heatmap reveals a large group of short positions concentrated between $65,500 and $66,000, representing an area roughly 3% higher than current BTC trading levels. A surge above $65,600 could activate these positions, potentially triggering an accelerated rally toward the $67,000 level as stop-loss orders get triggered and shorts are forced to close.
To the downside, significant support clusters are established between $63,500 and $63,750, which is just 1% below the market price. Further layers of liquidity and support are visible in the $63,000 to $63,250 and $62,500 to $62,750 ranges, approximately 1.5% and 2.3% lower, respectively. These areas could act as buffers in the event of selling pressure.
Main LevelDirectionDistance from Current PricePotential Impact$65,500–$66,000Short liquidation+3%Possible rally if breached$63,500–$63,750Long support-1%Potential bounce zone$62,500–$62,750Long support-2.3%Stronger support layer$55,000Bears target-14%Major risk zone if support failsData indicates that the liquidity on the long side outweighs the short side by nearly two to one within the main trading window. This suggests that much of the leverage accumulated over the previous month is still in play and has not yet been unwound.
Bigger picture and risk factorsThe most pronounced bearish risk appears in the form of a broad liquidation zone near $55,000, which has emerged over the last month. Should BTC break down below the $62,500 to $63,750 range, this lower band could come into focus as a potential target for liquidations, particularly if current supports fail.
Recent price movement indicates that Bitcoin remains largely rangebound between $60,000 and $67,000. This sideways trend is further supported by aggregate open interest (OI) and the prevailing funding rate, both of which align with the view of a consolidation phase.
Open interest has dropped by more than 3% since Tuesday’s peak, yet Bitcoin’s spot price has shown little change. At the same time, funding rates have cooled toward neutral, and both spot and futures volume flows have favored buying over the past week.
Market analysts note that, with liquidity heavily clustered above and below the current range, Bitcoin traders are closely watching support and resistance levels to anticipate a breakout or further consolidation.
Current market dynamics suggest that leveraged trading and concentration around liquidation levels are likely to remain key determinants of Bitcoin’s short-term direction.
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.
In brief Bitcoin cleared $65K and Ethereum surged nearly 6% this week on softer inflation data. Thursday's pullback is orderly—most top 50 coins are off less than 3%, with Ondo the sole standout at +14%. XRP is trading at $1.10, down 0.54%, with an overall indicator score of -42% and a confirmed death cross on the daily chart. XRP's biggest near-term catalyst—a Senate floor vote on the Clarity Act—has slipped past July 4 and now looks likely to land in late July or August at the earliest. Markets are taking a breath Thursday after one of the cleaner macro-driven crypto pumps of 2026. The June Consumer Price Index fell 0.4%—the steepest single-month drop since April 2020—collapsing Fed rate hike odds for July from 31% to single digits, lifting equities, and giving crypto a reason to run.
Wall Street delivered too: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, and Citi all posted Q2 earnings that beat expectations. As Decrypt covered Tuesday, Bitcoin broke the $64K resistance that had capped it for weeks. Ethereum went further—nearly 6% in a single day, touching $1,900.
Today's dip, with most top 50 coins off less than 3%, is consolidation. Ondo is the one exception, up over 14% and leading the entire top 100 by market capitalization on tokenization momentum.
But not everyone is breathing hopium: XRP's version of the rally was underwhelming. The coin created by Ripple co-founders opened Thursday at $1.11257, touched a high of $1.11722, and is now at $1.10650—down 0.54%. It didn't crash. But it didn't run either, not during the good days and not even now when the comparison is flattered by a market that's already pulling back.
Overall, XRP failed to break the price resistance set by the Crypto Winter (the dotted line) when it was time. Now that markets are slowing down, the XRP Army doesn’t look as optimistic as other altcoins.
XRP price data. Image: TradingviewWhy? When money cautiously re-enters crypto after a risk-off period, it doesn't spread evenly. Bitcoin absorbs it first. Ethereum goes next—and ETH historically leads broader crypto recoveries, which is exactly what happened this week.
Overall, Ethereum looks more bullish than Bitcoin in the short term. It suffered a more painful crash, which explains why the recovery may have stronger momentum.
XRP price data. Image: TradingviewThe Altcoin Season Index at 45 (below 50 signals BTC/ETH dominance) confirms capital hasn't rotated down the risk curve to altcoins yet. That dynamic was visible in early July too: When a $602 million short liquidation event sent Bitcoin back toward $62K, XRP managed just 3% while Ethereum and Solana nearly doubled that move.
The other missing piece is XRP's own. The Clarity Act—U.S. legislation that could classify XRP as a commodity and unlock institutional ETF demand—missed its expected July 4 Senate floor vote. Without a date on the calendar, XRP is trading on macro sentiment alone—and losing that fight to Ethereum.
XRP price: Running out of Fibonacci roomXRP opened today’s candlestick at $1.11 and is currently trading hands at $1.10, with a market cap of roughly $69 billion, for a small dip of half a percent. Ripple’s token is currently testing a weak support zone of its most recent bearish leg—a move that ran from $1.18 down to $1.05.
That puts price at a decision point: hold here and push for $1.13, or lose the $1.08 level and reopen the path toward $1.06 and the critical $1.02 floor.
XRP price data. Image: TradingviewThe ADX—Average Directional Index—reads 13.3, well below the 25 threshold that confirms a real trend is in place. ADX measures trend strength on a 0–100 scale, direction agnostic. Think of a car running in neutral: The engine's on but going nowhere. Below 20 is the range traders associate with choppy, directionless markets where false breakouts are common. There is one mildly hopeful read: The directional indicator is shifting from DI- (bearish dominance) toward DI+ (bullish dominance). At ADX 13.3, though, "shifting" is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
The Exponential Moving Averages—or EMAs, which give traders a view of price trends over time—tell the clearest story. The average price of the last 50 days is trading well below the average price of the last 200 days in a formation called the death cross.
A death cross is the most widely recognized bearish trend signal in crypto, and XRP has been stuck in it since its slide from the $3.65 all-time high set in July 2025. As Decrypt reported on Tuesday, Bitcoin is fighting its own death cross right now. For XRP, there's no sign yet of the two averages beginning to converge.
The RSI—Relative Strength Index, a 0–100 momentum gauge where above 70 is overbought and below 30 is oversold—sits at 48.5. Right in the middle, no pressure in either direction. The Squeeze Momentum indicator is “off” with a momentum reading of 0.81v: slightly positive but weak—enough to say energy is building, not enough to say where it's going. Looking at the charts, it seems XRP may soon flash signals of price compression. Whether it breaks up or down will likely depend on Bitcoin holding $64K and news out of the Senate on the Clarity Act schedule.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.
Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
In brief Bitcoin cleared $65K and Ethereum surged nearly 6% this week on softer inflation data. Thursday's pullback is orderly—most top 50 coins are off less than 3%, with Ondo the sole standout at +14%. XRP is trading at $1.10, down 0.54%, with an overall indicator score of -42% and a confirmed death cross on the daily chart. XRP's biggest near-term catalyst—a Senate floor vote on the Clarity Act—has slipped past July 4 and now looks likely to land in late July or August at the earliest. Markets are taking a breath Thursday after one of the cleaner macro-driven crypto pumps of 2026. The June Consumer Price Index fell 0.4%—the steepest single-month drop since April 2020—collapsing Fed rate hike odds for July from 31% to single digits, lifting equities, and giving crypto a reason to run.
Wall Street delivered too: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, and Citi all posted Q2 earnings that beat expectations. As Decrypt covered Tuesday, Bitcoin broke the $64K resistance that had capped it for weeks. Ethereum went further—nearly 6% in a single day, touching $1,900.
Today's dip, with most top 50 coins off less than 3%, is consolidation. Ondo is the one exception, up over 14% and leading the entire top 100 by market capitalization on tokenization momentum.
But not everyone is breathing hopium: XRP's version of the rally was underwhelming. The coin created by Ripple co-founders opened Thursday at $1.11257, touched a high of $1.11722, and is now at $1.10650—down 0.54%. It didn't crash. But it didn't run either, not during the good days and not even now when the comparison is flattered by a market that's already pulling back.
Overall, XRP failed to break the price resistance set by the Crypto Winter (the dotted line) when it was time. Now that markets are slowing down, the XRP Army doesn’t look as optimistic as other altcoins.
XRP price data. Image: TradingviewWhy? When money cautiously re-enters crypto after a risk-off period, it doesn't spread evenly. Bitcoin absorbs it first. Ethereum goes next—and ETH historically leads broader crypto recoveries, which is exactly what happened this week.
Overall, Ethereum looks more bullish than Bitcoin in the short term. It suffered a more painful crash, which explains why the recovery may have stronger momentum.
XRP price data. Image: TradingviewThe Altcoin Season Index at 45 (below 50 signals BTC/ETH dominance) confirms capital hasn't rotated down the risk curve to altcoins yet. That dynamic was visible in early July too: When a $602 million short liquidation event sent Bitcoin back toward $62K, XRP managed just 3% while Ethereum and Solana nearly doubled that move.
The other missing piece is XRP's own. The Clarity Act—U.S. legislation that could classify XRP as a commodity and unlock institutional ETF demand—missed its expected July 4 Senate floor vote. Without a date on the calendar, XRP is trading on macro sentiment alone—and losing that fight to Ethereum.
XRP price: Running out of Fibonacci roomXRP opened today’s candlestick at $1.11 and is currently trading hands at $1.10, with a market cap of roughly $69 billion, for a small dip of half a percent. Ripple’s token is currently testing a weak support zone of its most recent bearish leg—a move that ran from $1.18 down to $1.05.
That puts price at a decision point: hold here and push for $1.13, or lose the $1.08 level and reopen the path toward $1.06 and the critical $1.02 floor.
XRP price data. Image: TradingviewThe ADX—Average Directional Index—reads 13.3, well below the 25 threshold that confirms a real trend is in place. ADX measures trend strength on a 0–100 scale, direction agnostic. Think of a car running in neutral: The engine's on but going nowhere. Below 20 is the range traders associate with choppy, directionless markets where false breakouts are common. There is one mildly hopeful read: The directional indicator is shifting from DI- (bearish dominance) toward DI+ (bullish dominance). At ADX 13.3, though, "shifting" is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
The Exponential Moving Averages—or EMAs, which give traders a view of price trends over time—tell the clearest story. The average price of the last 50 days is trading well below the average price of the last 200 days in a formation called the death cross.
A death cross is the most widely recognized bearish trend signal in crypto, and XRP has been stuck in it since its slide from the $3.65 all-time high set in July 2025. As Decrypt reported on Tuesday, Bitcoin is fighting its own death cross right now. For XRP, there's no sign yet of the two averages beginning to converge.
The RSI—Relative Strength Index, a 0–100 momentum gauge where above 70 is overbought and below 30 is oversold—sits at 48.5. Right in the middle, no pressure in either direction. The Squeeze Momentum indicator is “off” with a momentum reading of 0.81v: slightly positive but weak—enough to say energy is building, not enough to say where it's going. Looking at the charts, it seems XRP may soon flash signals of price compression. Whether it breaks up or down will likely depend on Bitcoin holding $64K and news out of the Senate on the Clarity Act schedule.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.
Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
Updated figures from the XRP Ledger have revealed that the amounts required to join the upper tiers of XRP holders have recently declined, drawing new attention to the network’s rich list. Crypto commentator BagMan, known online as @XRPBags, shared the latest distribution data and highlighted how the threshold for attaining elite status among XRP holders is now more accessible.
Current thresholds for top XRP holdersThe latest data shows that to be ranked among the top 10% of XRP holders, a wallet currently needs at least 2,155.87 XRP. This represents a decrease from the 2,161.81 XRP required at the beginning of July. The threshold for the top 5% now sits at 7,507.39 XRP, while entering the top 1% tier requires holding 45,000 XRP.
XRP is a digital asset developed by Ripple Labs, a company focused on facilitating fast, low-cost global payments. The XRP Ledger is a decentralized blockchain that supports XRP transactions across its network.
BagMan stated that these figures indicate more wallets have reached the previously higher thresholds, causing the bar for entry into each group to drop.
BagMan pointed out that the XRP rich list numbers are “falling again”, meaning that the barrier to entry among top-tier holders has become somewhat less steep compared to earlier in the month.
Below is a table summarizing the current XRP requirements for each major holder tier:
TierXRP RequiredApprox. USD Value (at $1.10/XRP)Top 10%2,155.87$2,371Top 5%7,507.39$8,258Top 1%45,000$49,500Top 0.5%80,203.15$88,223Top 0.2%159,385.33$175,324Top 0.1%277,098.12$304,808Top 0.01%3,714,074.61$4,085,482Dollars needed for each tierAt XRP’s current market price of $1.10, reaching the top 10% bracket would set an investor back about $2,371. Entry to the top 5% requires approximately $8,258, while securing a spot among the top 1% demands about $49,500. Higher tiers such as the top 0.5% and 0.1% require $88,223 and $304,808, respectively. The elite 0.01%, which comprises only 800 wallets, requires a minimum of 3.7 million XRP—equivalent to over $4 million per wallet at today’s prices.
Mini dictionary: XRP Ledger, a decentralized public blockchain for XRP transactions, operated independently of Ripple Labs.
XRP’s ownership distribution remains concentratedStatistics show that ownership of XRP continues to be heavily concentrated among a small number of wallets. About 79,985 accounts hold enough to be counted in the top 1%, with the top 0.1% consisting of just under 8,000 accounts. The exclusive 0.01% covers less than 1,000 wallets.
Recent data indicate that over 74% of all circulating XRP is controlled by wallets that hold more than 1 million coins. Analysts note that this high concentration gives large holders considerable influence over the token’s distribution within the ecosystem.
Recent figures suggest that more than 74% of XRP’s circulating supply is accumulated in wallets with over 1 million XRP, highlighting the dominance of large holders in the network.
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.
XRP is showing a significant divergence in trading patterns between major investors and retail participants across cryptocurrency exchanges, as recent on-chain data highlights contrasting behaviors within the market.
Whale-retail activity on Binance aligns with May levelsData provided by CryptoQuant, a leading crypto analytics platform, reveals that the gap between whale and retail trading in XRP on Binance has narrowed sharply, reaching 35.1% as of July 16. This level closely tracks the 35.6% mark observed on May 3, indicating a return to dynamics seen two months ago.
With XRP trading close to the $1.1 range, the Whale vs. Retail Gap on Binance stands at its lowest in about two months, mirroring early May results.
The Whale-Retail Spread metric measures the behavioral differences between large-scale traders, commonly referred to as whales, and smaller retail traders. A declining gap generally signals that both groups are executing similar trading strategies, potentially indicating higher market consensus on the platform.
On Binance, this narrowing spread points to a period of convergence, with whales and retail traders acting in a more synchronized manner compared to previous periods when their strategies diverged more prominently.
CryptoQuant is recognized for delivering on-chain and market data insights to digital asset investors, traders, and institutions globally.
Mini dictionary: Whale vs. Retail Gap — A metric comparing the activity of large holders (whales) versus smaller, individual investors (retail) for a particular crypto asset. The percentage difference indicates whether these groups are trading in tandem or displaying divergent behaviors.
Broader market reveals widening whale-retail spreadWhile Binance is seeing convergence, the Whale vs. Retail Gap for XRP remains considerably more pronounced across other exchanges. The gap across the broader market stands at 38.4%, up from 26% on May 6. This marks a substantial increase, signaling growing divergence in trading activity between large and small traders outside Binance.
This higher gap suggests that whales and retail traders on other platforms are not acting in unison. An increasing spread usually points to whales adopting markedly different strategies—such as significant buying or selling—while retail traders may be moving in the opposite direction.
Analysts point out that although the exact intentions of whales are unclear, sharp rises in the Whale-Retail Spread often signal impending price volatility or major shifts in market sentiment.
ExchangeWhale vs. Retail Gap (May)Whale vs. Retail Gap (July 16)Binance35.6%35.1%Other Exchanges (Aggregate)26%38.4%Market participants are closely tracking these developments, as significant differences in trading behavior between exchange platforms may precede notable moves in the price and liquidity of XRP.
The persistently high gap outside Binance shows that whales and retail traders are adopting different positions, with on-chain metrics indicating a marked divergence since early May.
Overall, these trends underscore the evolving dynamics of XRP markets, with Binance reflecting more harmony between whales and retail traders, and the wider market displaying the opposite.
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.
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the primary clearing and settlement provider for U.S. securities and custodian of $114 trillion in assets, has advanced its tokenization initiative into live production. This marks a significant milestone in the modernization of U.S. financial infrastructure, bridging the gap between traditional and digital assets.
DTCC’s tokenization strategy enters live operationOn July 15, DTCC confirmed that live production trading had commenced for tokenized versions of Russell 1000 stocks, major exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and U.S. Treasuries. More than 30 firms participated in these trades, bringing together established banking institutions and digital market leaders in a landmark demonstration of cross-industry collaboration.
The full commercial launch of the platform is expected to occur in October 2026. DTCC’s media outreach distilled the initiative’s progress in four words: “From experimentation to production.” The step signals a decisive move beyond pilot programs and towards large-scale adoption of blockchain-based solutions within financial markets.
DTCC’s transition from test phase to live production covers a broad range of assets and includes over 30 participating firms, aligning established financial entities with digital market innovators.
The company’s approach centers on integrating tokenized assets into established clearing rails, aiming to improve speed, transparency, and efficiency across the trading ecosystem.
Nadine Chakar leads DTCC’s digital agendaNadine Chakar, Managing Director and Global Head of DTCC Digital Assets, has played a pivotal role in the institution’s transition to digital securities and tokenization at scale. In December 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) granted DTCC a no-action letter, enabling the firm to tokenize institutional-grade assets spanning the Russell 1000, top ETFs, and government securities without requiring immediate legislative clarity under the CLARITY Act.
Chakar described the milestone as “just the beginning,” emphasizing that July 15 marks the shift from strategic planning to real-world execution for DTCC’s roadmap.
Mini dictionary: No-action letter, a formal assurance from the SEC that it will not take enforcement action against an entity’s actions, provided certain guidelines are followed.
Ripple’s integration and Prime brokerage ambitionsRipple Prime, a subsidiary formed after Ripple’s acquisition and rebranding of Hidden Road in April 2025, now holds membership in DTCC’s 50-firm Industry Working Group. This group also includes influential names such as Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and BlackRock. As part of its integration, Ripple Prime has gained direct access to DTCC’s clearing network, setting the stage for elevated participation in future developments.
With the October launch, Ripple Prime is positioned to connect tokenized assets settled via DTCC with the XRP Ledger’s liquidity pools as service expansion continues globally. The infrastructure to bridge traditional securities with the blockchain is moving from concept to operational reality.
Mini dictionary: Ripple Prime, the prime brokerage and institutional trading division of Ripple, enables advanced access to market infrastructure and clearing services for digital and tokenized assets.
InitiativeAsset CoverageGo-live DateDTCC TokenizationRussell 1000, ETFs, TreasuriesJuly 15, 2026 (pilot), October 2026 (full launch)Ripple Prime x DTCC PartnershipInstitutional digital assetsApril 2025 (acquisition), October 2026 (full launch)The XRP community responded quickly to DTCC’s announcements, filling official social channels and related content with discussion and analysis. Enthusiasts highlighted DTCC’s video on tokenization, noting the prominent presence of XRP advocates and interpreting it as an acknowledgment of Ripple’s longstanding involvement in the system.
Observers within the XRP community emphasized that July 15 marks a transition point, as tokenized assets move from experimental pilots to industry adoption across more than 50 organizations.
A number of posts emphasized the scale, describing the shift as “the moment the roadmap becomes reality” and underscoring the significance of 24/7 on-chain settlement for major asset classes.
Looking ahead to October 2026With the October rollout, Ripple Prime will gain unprecedented access to settlement infrastructure, with the opportunity to merge DTCC-handled assets and XRP Ledger liquidity on a global level. Industry leaders say the technology is now operational rather than theoretical, positioning the sector for accelerated innovation in securities clearance and tokenized trading.
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.
Have the largest XRP holders just sent a signal that the market has not yet fully integrated? While cryptos are evolving in a climate of uncertainty, a closely monitored on-chain indicator by analysts has just shifted on Binance to its lowest level in two months. Behind this movement, there may be a strategic change among whales, those investors capable of influencing trends. Imminent selling, simple redistribution, or preparation of a new cycle? The data opens several leads.
In brief The flow gap between XRP whales and small holders on Binance collapses to its lowest level in two months. The Whale vs. Retail Spread indicator stagnates at 88.3%, confirming that this market rebalancing is long-lasting. Despite the drop in XRP price, massive deposits on Binance dry up, a sign that large investors firmly keep their tokens off platforms. This scarcity of available supply on exchanges makes the order book very sensitive to the slightest buying wave. A historic reduction in the gap between whales and retail on Binance While XRP ETFs have just recorded a strong outflow, recent analyses of the withdrawal flow structure of Ripple’s crypto on Binance reveal an unprecedented mutation in market dynamics. According to data provided by the blockchain analytics platform CryptoQuant, the key metric called “Binance Whale vs. Retail Spread” indicates several major factual changes :
A drop in the activity gap : the difference between withdrawals over 10,000 XRP (belonging to whales) and those below this threshold (belonging to retail investors) has fallen to a level of 88.3 % ; The historic contrast : this number marks a sharp decline compared to periods of intense activity at the end of 2025 and early 2026, when this metric regularly fluctuated between 92 % and 94 % ; A lasting transformation : the low gap level appearing twice in the same month establishes that this change is structural rather than momentary, ruling out the hypothesis of a simple temporary technical anomaly. This decrease in the relative dominance of large holders shows a temporary rebalancing of powers on one of the biggest global exchanges. While whales continue to represent the absolute majority of outgoing flows in volume, their hegemony temporarily weakens in face of the constancy of small investors.
This unexpected alignment of behaviors between different categories of holders constitutes an extremely rare event for XRP on Binance, potentially signaling a paradigm shift in token distribution in the short and medium term.
Fewer deposits on Binance : towards a scarcity of XRP supply? Beyond withdrawal flows, the analysis of XRP deposits to Binance shows an equally marked trend linked to the slowdown in the activity of large holders. Large transfers, especially those exceeding one million XRP, have recorded a significant volume decrease compared to previous years.
Unlike historical correction phases where panicked investors flooded exchanges to liquidate their positions, the recent drop of the XRP price below $1.15 was not accompanied by a massive influx on Binance. Such drying up underscores that whales deliberately choose to keep their assets off traditional exchange platforms.
Analysts believe this decrease in inbound flows on Binance reflects increased long-term confidence by large XRP holders, strengthened by the arrival of new institutional financial products. Thus, data show that nearly 68% of the total XRP supply is firmly held by long-term investors who refuse to capitulate despite downward market pressure. As the technical analysis by CryptoQuant summarizes: “if inbound flows to Binance remain moderate, the supply available for sale could continue to decline. Combined with a rebound in demand, this would facilitate XRP’s return to the $1.8 to $2.0 range.”
Towards a liquidity shock or a lasting consolidation? This dynamic of scarcity of supply available for sale on trading platforms could have significant medium-term repercussions. On the market structure front, the decrease in immediate liquidity on Binance makes the order book more sensitive, meaning that any return of buying pressure could trigger a quick and violent price increase.
However, investors must contend with a general decrease in overall on-chain activity and a slowdown in transaction volumes across the network. Thus, the outcome of this silent consolidation phase will depend on the market’s ability to generate a new demand catalyst to break investors’ waiting stance.
Moreover, XRP’s trajectory will depend on resolving this divergence between the inactivity of whales and the resilience of small investors. On one side, proponents of an imminent rise consider that this withdrawal in exchange flows to private wallets reduces the risk of a massive sell-off in the short term. On the other, more cautious analysts warn that in the absence of clear institutional buying volumes, the absence of whales could simply extend a phase of price monotony, while crypto has just slipped behind BNB.
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Luc Jose A.
Diplômé de Sciences Po Toulouse et titulaire d'une certification consultant blockchain délivrée par Alyra, j'ai rejoint l'aventure Cointribune en 2019. Convaincu du potentiel de la blockchain pour transformer de nombreux secteurs de l'économie, j'ai pris l'engagement de sensibiliser et d'informer le grand public sur cet écosystème en constante évolution. Mon objectif est de permettre à chacun de mieux comprendre la blockchain et de saisir les opportunités qu'elle offre. Je m'efforce chaque jour de fournir une analyse objective de l'actualité, de décrypter les tendances du marché, de relayer les dernières innovations technologiques et de mettre en perspective les enjeux économiques et sociétaux de cette révolution en marche.
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.
The price of XRP, the native token of the Ripple payment protocol, has shown signs of renewed strength as it reclaims key support levels, while indicators suggest traders are closely monitoring the $1.12 resistance zone for a possible breakout. Recent technical momentum, a decline in exchange reserves, and steady accumulation by large holders have improved the short-term outlook, though the broader trend remains undetermined.
XRP price holds key support, eyes $1.12 breakoutXRP is currently trading around $1.107 on the Bitstamp exchange. Recent price action reveals that the token successfully regained support between $1.0777 and $1.0700, which includes the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level at $1.0761. This area, once strong resistance, is now a critical support zone being tested by bullish traders.
Market analyst DukesMarketAnalysis observed that XRP has rebounded to challenge the $1.12 resistance area, but so far, buyers have not yet managed a decisive move above this point.
A clear breakout above resistance would significantly reinforce bullish sentiment, though even a continued consolidation above $1.070 could support a positive outlook, according to DukesMarketAnalysis.
If XRP manages to push above $1.12 in the near term, trader focus could shift toward the July 4 swing high at $1.1843. An inability to clear the resistance, however, may lead to continued range-bound trading just below this critical level.
Whale accumulation and falling exchange balances boost sentimentOn-chain data adds a bullish undertone to recent XRP market developments. Ali Martinez, a crypto analyst, referenced Santiment figures showing that wallets holding large positions in XRP accumulated nearly 70 million XRP last week, raising their combined holdings from roughly 3.71 billion to 3.83 billion XRP between July 11 and July 15.
This surge in accumulation by large holders, often referred to as whales in the cryptocurrency industry, has coincided with decreasing exchange balances on major platforms.
CryptoQuant, an on-chain analytics platform, reported that Binance’s XRP reserves dropped to about 2.61 billion XRP, the lowest level observed since February 2026. Previously, exchange reserves were above 3 billion XRP at the end of 2025.
Generally, lower exchange balances suggest a potential decrease in immediate selling pressure, particularly when coupled with net accumulation by whales.
Mini dictionary: CryptoQuant is a digital asset market analytics platform that provides data and insights on on-chain activity for cryptocurrencies, including exchange balances and whale movement statistics.
MetricLate 2025July 2026Whale XRP Holdings3.71 billion3.83 billionBinance XRP ReservesOver 3 billion2.61 billionTechnical indicators and moving averages send mixed signalsTechnical analysis from TradingView currently rates XRP/USD as neutral, reflecting mixed sentiment among traders and investors. The 14-period Relative Strength Index (RSI) stands at 48.57, suggesting neither overbought nor oversold conditions, with most oscillator readings also pointing to a balanced outlook. The Average Directional Index (ADX), at 13.29, indicates weak trend strength at this time.
Momentum and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicators are beginning to suggest modest bullish momentum, but the Bull Bear Power gauge continues to signal mild selling pressure. DukesMarketAnalysis also noted that RSI has recently climbed above 50, reflecting a short-term improvement, but the Stochastic RSI now sits in overbought territory, hinting that XRP could see further consolidation before any major move.
Short-term moving averages, such as the 10-period Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $1.101 and 10-period Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $1.098, generate buy signals with the current price trading above these levels. Conversely, the longer-term 50-, 100-, and 200-period EMAs and SMAs—ranging from approximately $1.14 to $1.46—continue to recommend selling, indicating ongoing resistance on the path to higher prices.
TradingView has identified the classic pivot point at $1.128, just above current market prices. Resistance sits near $1.249, while initial technical support is at $0.918.
Near-term outlook and areas to watchThe immediate outlook for XRP now depends on whether bulls can flip the $1.12 resistance into a support level. The token’s recovery from the $1.070 zone, combined with ongoing whale buying and the drop in major exchange reserves, are contributing factors that traders are watching closely.
Despite these constructive trends, neutral technical signals and longer time-frame moving averages highlight the need for further confirmation before a clear uptrend is established. As such, market participants are expected to monitor the $1.10 to $1.13 range, where a decisive break above $1.12 could see momentum extend toward $1.1843. An unresolved challenge at resistance may keep XRP trading sideways until a stronger catalyst emerges.
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.
There is a fatigue among XRP traders due to the price crash, Google Trends shows.
XRP, the world's sixth largest cryptocurrency, has lost more than 60% of its value in a year and is currently trading at $1.09.
The cryptocurrency has been trading at the level for a few weeks now—the last time it hit this level was in November 2024.
XRP has a long and tumultuous history as it became the face of the battle regarding the regulatory status of cryptocurrencies in the United States when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Ripple in December 2020 for selling unregistered securities via the sale of XRP tokens. Ripple argued XRP is a digital currency, not a security.
In July 2023, Judge Analisa Torres ruled that Ripple’s programmatic sales of XRP on crypto exchanges didn't constitute securities violations, but the sale of these tokens to institutions violated securities laws.
As both parties appealed the judgement, the case went on for years until Donald Trump returned to the White House and Ripple and the SEC reached a settlement in August 2025.
Around the same time, XRP hit the all-time high (ATH) of $3.65 on July 18, 2025.
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But the Oct. 10 crypto flash crash had XRP sinking and yet failing to recover past gains.
Trending on TheStreet RoundtableCathie Wood's ARK issues bold prediction on U.S. digital dollarU.S. government moves $8.8M of Bitcoin that Trump said would never sellNew York ban threatens Bitcoin miners' new revenue streamGoogle searches for XRP 91% lower than peakAs XRP's price crashed more than 60% in a year, the interest of traders also faded.
Latest data from Google Trends shows that worldwide searches for "XRP" peaked during the July 13-20, 2025, week when the cryptocurrency hit its ATH.
XRP worldwide interest in a year, Source: Google Trends
Since then, the figure has only declined and stood at 9 during the July 12-19, 2026, week.
It means the current search interest is 91% lower than the peak, reflecting a fatigue among XRP traders.
Crypto analyst Ali Martinez has drawn attention to XRP’s monthly chart after a TD Sequential buy signal emerged on the July candle. This development appeared at the $1.109 level, sparking fresh debate among traders about the potential for a reversal after a prolonged decline.
The chart signals a shiftThe monthly price chart of XRP presents a clear record of persistent downward momentum that began after XRP reached its all-time high of $3.65 in July 2025. Since that peak, XRP experienced a steady slide, declining for several consecutive months throughout 2025 and extending into the early part of 2026.
In the spring months of March, April, and May this year, price candles became notably compressed, stabilizing with small price bodies below $1.50. When June arrived, XRP suffered another sharp loss, bringing the price close to the $1 mark. As the July candle opened, XRP traded at $1.109, and it was here that the TD Sequential indicator printed its ninth consecutive count, historically known as a buy signal.
The chart of $XRP generated a monthly TD Sequential buy signal, highlighting potential exhaustion in selling pressure and suggesting traders should monitor the coin closely for a possible reversal.
Understanding the TD Sequential indicatorThe TD Sequential is a popular technical tool created to help traders identify periods when a prevailing trend may be losing momentum. For a bullish setup, the indicator requires nine consecutive closes where each is lower than the close four periods earlier. On completion of this count, the indicator signals that the downtrend could be approaching exhaustion, possibly paving the way for stabilization or an upcoming reversal.
While not a definitive predictor of a trend change, analysts often watch monthly signals with heightened attention because they aggregate several months of price behavior. Martinez, who has frequently referenced this indicator in his market commentary, acknowledged that a monthly TD Sequential buy signal carries considerable weight in evaluating market sentiment for XRP.
Mini dictionary: TD Sequential, developed by Tom DeMark, is a technical indicator designed to identify potential trend exhaustion and reversal points by analyzing price patterns over a specific series of candles.
Key levels and current outlookXRP entered July trading near $1, a level widely regarded as a key support zone. Some market participants maintain that XRP could fall below this point, but the formation of the TD Sequential signal has led others to suggest that downward pressure may be ending soon.
If the rebound materializes, resistance is likely at the $1.18 to $1.20 range. A definitive move above this level may be interpreted by traders as evidence of a trend reversal and renewed bullish momentum. July is historically one of the stronger months for XRP, with average gains close to 10%, which could add weight to traders’ cautious optimism. Nevertheless, analysts continue to note that technical indicators like the TD Sequential signal are not guarantees of future price action, particularly in volatile cryptocurrency markets.
Support/Resistance LevelSignificance$1.00Key support level$1.109TD Sequential 9-count buy signal$1.18 – $1.20Resistance zone to watch$3.65All-time high (July 2025)As the market continues to react to technical signals and historical tendencies, many traders are closely monitoring XRP’s performance in the coming weeks for confirmation of any significant shift in direction.
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.
SWIFT has unveiled its blockchain-based shared ledger, aiming to streamline coordination of tokenized deposits across banks and financial institutions around the clock. While the new infrastructure brings 24/7 processing to cross-institutional transactions, it continues to rely on legacy settlement systems for the final transfer of value, leaving some in the XRP community questioning whether this approach fully meets the demands of modern finance.
SWIFT responds to evolving global payment needsAvalon Ingram, SWIFT’s Digital Assets Business Lead for Asia Pacific, highlighted the changing expectations among customers, especially regarding the timing and availability of cross-border payments. Ingram explained that financial clients now routinely expect payment services to be “24/7 and real-time,” a notable shift from the limitations of traditional banking hours.
Ingram has emphasized that customer expectations are changing, with cross-border payments increasingly needing to be available at any time and settled instantly.
SWIFT’s blockchain ledger is designed to act as an orchestration layer. It coordinates payment instructions between participating entities without moving funds on-chain, providing improved transparency and reduced friction in the payment process. However, actual settlement of value frequently reverts to established financial rails, resulting in delays that can last hours or days for some cross-border transactions.
XRP’s settlement advantage gains attentionRipple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) solution, using its native digital asset XRP, directly addresses these settlement delays. As a neutral bridge asset, XRP enables transactions to settle nearly instantly, bypassing the need for banks to hold pre-funded nostro and vostro accounts in various currencies. This can allow financial institutions to operate with greater efficiency and less capital tied up in international accounts.
The XRP Ledger is an open-source, decentralized blockchain purpose-built for fast and cost-effective cross-border payments. By using XRP as a bridge asset, it allows instant conversion and settlement between different fiat currencies.
Ingram’s comments regarding demand for speed and constant availability closely mirror Ripple’s position: while messaging and coordination provided by networks like SWIFT improve communication between counterparties, only true digital settlement mechanisms such as XRP can address the liquidity challenges that delay the actual movement of value.
Mini dictionary: Nostro and vostro accounts are bank accounts used to facilitate international transactions. A nostro account is operated by a bank in a foreign country and kept in the foreign currency, while a vostro account refers to an account that another bank holds in the domestic currency.
Future of payment infrastructure: Hybrid models emergeSeveral banks involved in SWIFT’s pilot programs already maintain connections or partnerships with Ripple, pointing toward a possible hybrid approach for the future. In such a setup, SWIFT’s blockchain infrastructure could coordinate payment instructions, while settlement might occur on digital asset networks such as the XRP Ledger to meet the increasing expectation for continuous, real-time settlement.
As demands for instant and always-available international transfers grow louder, institutions appear increasingly receptive to both orchestration solutions like SWIFT’s shared ledger and specialized digital settlement layers such as XRP.
Ingram’s push to update SWIFT’s services echoes the challenges that have motivated digital asset solutions from the start. While SWIFT is upgrading coordination and communication, XRP continues to position itself as a viable solution for the settlement gap.
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 and XRP Price movements remained cautious as traders awaited signals from Washington about the CLARITY Act. The broader crypto market fell 1.35% over 24 hours, reducing its value to about $2.2 trillion. Bitcoin hovered near $64,000, while XRP traded above $1.10 and eyed further recovery.
Trump To Attend Key Meeting For Clarity Act President Donald Trump will meet Republican senators and senior advisers on Thursday to discuss the crypto market structure bill. The meeting will focus on unresolved ethics concerns and progress surrounding the CLARITY Act.
Expected attendees include Senators Bernie Moreno and Cynthia Lummis, alongside White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt.
Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Solana Policy Institute President Kristin Smith are expected to attend. The negotiations coincide with the resistance amplified by Senate Democrats after Trump has been found to have cryptocurrency earnings and financial interests.
HUGE: 🇺🇸 President Trump is set to meet with U.S. senators today to discuss the crypto market structure bill, better known as the CLARITY Act. https://t.co/SxeSNkMYzZ pic.twitter.com/P7cewbrVdn
— Crypto Rover (@cryptorover) July 16, 2026
Critics are demanding greater protection against federal officials who are enriching themselves with digital assets and are controlling industry regulation.
The current prediction markets have an estimated 41% probability that the law will be presented into law by 2026. These odds have decreased by nearly 25% points due to political differences and congressional time issues.
Bitcoin and XRP Price Prediction: Key Levels To Watch Bitcoin and XRP Price trends remain cautious as traders await fresh developments surrounding upcoming CLARITY Act discussions in Washington.
The Bitcoin remains trading close to the important support of $64,100 as larger weakness strained major cryptocurrencies in the most recent market session.
Source: Tradingview Holding this level could allow BTC to stabilize before challenging resistance around $65,500. The recovery can continue to reach $66,000 in the near term due to sustained buying momentum as per the full Bitcoin forecast report.
Nonetheless, a daily close of less than $64,000 may result in losses to the support zone of $61,800 to $62,000.
Over 24 hours, the XRP price fell 1.37% to $1.10 as the market declined. Defending 1.10 may help in a recovery to 1.15. Stronger demand may push XRP above $1.20. A failure at less than $1.10 would reveal the support at about 1.06 during the ensuing sessions.
Bitcoin ETFs Attract $108M While XRP Funds Record No Inflows U.S. spot XRP ETFs had no net inflows as of July 15, with cumulative inflows of $1.48 billion. XRP funds headed by Bitwise had assets amounting to $312.85 million. Canary and Franklin were the next to follow Bitwise, but all the listed XRP funds were closed lower.
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded total net inflows of USD 108 million on July 15, with BlackRock’s IBIT posting the largest single-day inflow at USD 80.82 million.
According to SoSoValue data, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded total net inflows of USD 108 million on July 15, with BlackRock’s IBIT posting the largest single-day inflow at USD 80.82 million. Spot Ethereum ETFs drew USD 53.83 million, led by BlackRock’s ETHA with USD 45.29… pic.twitter.com/4YrMd19EDs
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 16, 2026
Spot Ethereum ETFs drew USD 53.83 million, led by BlackRock’s ETHA with USD 45.29 million in net inflows. BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager and operates the largest U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF by assets.
The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), a major financial market infrastructure provider responsible for clearing and settlement of nearly all US stock and bond trades, has initiated its first equity conversions and tokenized infrastructure in live production. Citadel Securities, a leading market maker overseeing approximately $69 billion in assets under management, will be the first to participate in this rollout.
Citadel’s role and ties to RippleCitadel’s involvement draws particular attention due to its notable connections with Ripple and the XRP Ledger. In October 2025, Citadel joined Fortress in a $500 million strategic investment in Ripple. This move aligns with Ripple’s ongoing efforts to expand the institutional adoption of blockchain technology.
As detailed by blockchain analyst SMQKE, Citadel’s partnership with Ripple coincides with a series of major milestones for the fintech company, including high-profile acquisitions and the integration of RLUSD, Ripple’s stablecoin for on-chain settlement.
DTCC’s traditional infrastructure underpins an estimated $114 trillion in securities. This enormous volume is fueling speculation about how much liquidity proven blockchain platforms, such as the XRP Ledger, could provide for instant settlement of tokenized assets.
InstitutionAssets in ScopeKey Blockchain TieDTCC$114 trillion (traditional securities)Tokenized settlement railsCitadel$69 billion AUMRipple/XRP LedgerMini dictionary: DTCC — The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation is a central player in US markets, streamlining the clearing and settlement process for equities, bonds, and other assets. It is critical to maintaining financial stability and efficiency on Wall Street.
Tokenization and market implicationsThe initial phase of DTCC’s tokenized trades has now commenced, but the broader impact on the real world asset (RWA) market remains to be seen. Citadel’s investment in Ripple has positioned XRP’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) solution as a foundational component of this evolving ecosystem. Meanwhile, SWIFT’s recent introduction of a multi-chain digital ledger allows for interoperability across a range of blockchains, potentially expanding the field to several networks beyond XRP Ledger for such infrastructure projects.
Ripple’s influence has grown through regulatory victories and expanded use among institutions. The acquisition of GTreasury in 2023 helped Ripple process $13 trillion in transaction volume without direct involvement with cryptocurrencies. Observers expect that as tokenization of traditional assets progresses, blockchain networks like the XRP Ledger could capture a greater share of new financial flows.
RLUSD, Ripple’s own US dollar stablecoin, has crossed $1.5 billion in market capitalization just a year after launch. Its role in the swiftly changing regulatory environment could become even more prominent if the Clarity Act — a key digital asset policy proposal — gains approval.
Mini dictionary: RLUSD — RLUSD is Ripple’s stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, designed for fast and reliable transactions across the XRP Ledger, supporting both traditional and crypto-native payment flows.
Ripple’s legal battles and Wall Street integrationRecent regulatory developments have energized the XRP community after Ripple secured a significant victory against the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). David ‘JoelKatz’ Schwartz, Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, emphasized the far-reaching consequences of this legal battle through a widely shared post on X, clarifying the complex treatment of XRP sales in relation to securities regulations and referencing statements by former SEC Chair Gary Gensler.
David Schwartz highlighted that all XRP transactions were handled as securities by regulators, challenging the notion that only specific unregistered sales were under scrutiny and pointing to prior comments by Gary Gensler for context.
The DTCC described its partnership with Citadel as a “notable milestone that marks the largest tokenization production initiative in breadth of use cases, asset classes and number of participants.” This has generated speculation regarding the capacity of XRP Ledger to scale and process a substantial share of the $114 trillion tokenization opportunity, building on its track record of supporting multi-billion dollar daily volumes.
Citadel, a private financial services firm, does not publicly disclose its full valuation, which can vary by source. However, its direct collaboration with Ripple signals an active pursuit of a greater stake in the tokenized financial infrastructure now emerging around DTCC’s backbone.
Market participants are closely watching how much of the immense tokenization opportunity will fall to established blockchain networks such as the XRP Ledger as Wall Street continues to bring assets on-chain.
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.
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.
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Ethereum [ETH] is showing early signs that investor appetite is rotating in its favor, with capital flowing toward the asset and away from rivals, most notably Bitcoin [BTC].
At press time, ETH was now closing in on the $2,000 mark, having climbed 2.32% over the past 24 hours as steady capital inflows continue to push its price higher.
ETH/BTC ratio breaks a 301-day resistance line Notably, the ETH/BTC ratio has breached a descending resistance line that had capped it for 301 days. The ETH/BTC ratio measures the flow of capital between Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency, and Bitcoin.
When the ratio climbs, it typically signals that investors are rotating capital into Ethereum, preferring Bitcoin. This marked a shift in relative demand between the two assets.
Source: TradingView A closer look at the chart shows the breakout has been building for roughly twenty days.
Over that stretch, sixteen bullish candles have formed against just four sessions that closed below their opening price, a spread that leans heavily toward buyers.
That balance points to sustained momentum rather than a single, one-off move, and it suggests the rally has room to extend further. Should the surge hold its current path, the ratio still needs to clear a resistance hurdle at the 0.032 level before it can press on.
What’s driving Ethereum’s surge The clearest driver traces back to spot U.S. Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which have now recorded two consecutive trading days of net inflows.
SoSoValue data shows that between the 14th and 15th of July, these funds pulled in a combined $112 million, split across $58.34 million and $53.83 million, respectively.
Source: CoinGlass The inflows follow a softer-than-expected Consumer Price Index (CPI) reading of 3.5%, below the projected 3.8%, a cooler print that has encouraged capital back into risk assets such as Ethereum. Away from the ETFs, on-chain accumulation has been quietly building on a broader scale.
Ethereum Exchange Reserves, which track how much of the asset sits in exchange wallets and is readily available to sell, have fallen by roughly 225,000 ETH over the twelve days since the 4th of July. It slid from a high of 15.565 million ETH to 15.340 million at press time.
In dollars, investors have moved roughly $428.85 million off exchanges and into private wallets, a shift that reflects the depth of the accumulation.
Is altcoin season setting in? The larger question is whether the market is now edging into an altcoin phase, the stretch in which altcoins begin recording outsized gains against the majors.
That question matters because the ETH/BTC chart often doubles as a proxy for altcoin momentum, and a sharp climb in the ratio has historically tended to precede a broader altcoin run.
Source: CoinGlass For now, CoinGlass’s Altcoin Season Index suggests the market has yet to enter that phase. A reading of 52 points to moderate flows and offers no firm confirmation of a major altcoin rally.
Final Summary Money is quietly moving into Ethereum ahead of rivals, pushing its price back toward $2,000. There are signs that investors are positioning for further gains rather than looking to sell.
Ethereum has had a notable recovery from its June lows, reclaiming an important resistance zone while testing a major descending trendline on the higher timeframe. Although the latest rally has strengthened short-term sentiment, ETH is still approaching a cluster of technical barriers that could determine whether the recovery extends above $2K or transitions into another corrective phase.
Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart On the daily timeframe, ETH has been trading within a broad descending channel that has defined price action for several months. The recent rebound from the $1.5K demand zone allowed the asset to reclaim the $1.8K support region.
The price is also on the verge of breaking above the channel’s upper boundary, which is closely followed by the descending 100-day moving average near the $2K area. This confluence has already attracted selling pressure, suggesting that sellers remain active around this technical barrier.
The next major resistance sits between $2K and $2.2K, where the 200-day moving average also converges from above. A confirmed breakout above the channel and a sustained move beyond $2.2K would represent a meaningful structural shift and could open the door toward higher recovery targets.
On the downside, the recently reclaimed $1.8K zone now acts as the first key support. Losing this level would once again expose the broader demand region around $1.5K, which previously triggered the latest bullish reversal.
ETH/USDT 4-Hour Chart The lower timeframe shows a much stronger bullish structure. ETH advanced inside a well-defined ascending channel after forming a clear double bottom near $1.5k and has been consistently printing higher highs and higher lows throughout the recovery.
The recent rally pushed the price above the $1.8K resistance zone before reaching the channel’s upper boundary around $1.95K. However, sellers defended this area, leading to a modest rejection from local highs.
As long as ETH holds above the $1.8K breakout zone, the current pullback appears more consistent with profit-taking than a confirmed trend reversal. Maintaining this support could allow buyers to attempt another move toward the major daily resistance cluster between $2K and $2.2K.
Conversely, a decisive breakdown below $1.8K would weaken the short-term structure and could trigger a deeper retracement toward the intermediate support around $1.72K, or even the order block located around $1.62K to $1.64K, where buyers previously stepped in.
On-Chain Analysis The Exchange Reserve chart continues to paint a constructive longer-term picture. Ethereum reserves held across centralized exchanges have declined steadily, reaching approximately 15.3 million ETH, which is arguably the lowest reading over the past few years.
A persistent decline in exchange balances generally indicates that investors are withdrawing coins into self-custody or long-term storage rather than preparing to sell them immediately. This reduces the amount of readily available supply on exchanges and can provide a supportive backdrop if demand continues to recover.
While the falling exchange reserve does not guarantee immediate upside, the continued reduction in available supply complements the improving technical structure. If ETH successfully clears the overhead resistance between $2K and $2.2K while exchange balances remain on their current downtrend, the broader recovery could gain additional strength. Conversely, failure to overcome the higher-timeframe resistance may still result in a short-term correction despite the favorable on-chain backdrop.
One of the EF's most versatile protocol researchers just left for Ethlabs, saying serious protocol work now has "a credible shot" outside the Foundation.
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Francesco D'Amato, a five-year veteran of Ethereum Foundation Research, announced today he's joining Ethlabs, the independent nonprofit R&D lab founded last month by his former EF colleagues.
Status update: I am moving from the Ethereum Foundation to Ethlabs @ethlabs_org, joining the team to accelerate protocol work in the age of Ethereum adoption.
In 5 years at EF Research, I have worked on research and specification of a wide range of Protocol R&D: mev, consensus,…
— Francesco (@fradamt) July 16, 2026 What's the Scoop?A heavyweight hire: D'Amato's fingerprints are on much of Ethereum's consensus-layer roadmap, e.g. single slot finality research, PeerDAS, MEV work, and censorship-resistance mechanisms like FOCIL. He's known for ranging across hard protocol problems. In his words: On the move, D'Amato wrote that for the first time in his Ethereum research career, there's "a credible shot" at serious protocol work happening outside the EF, which is a big statement from someone who spent half a decade inside the Foundation.Ethlabs' bench deepens: The lab was founded by senior ex-EF researchers including Ansgar Dietrichs and Barnabé Monnot, with backing from Bitmine, Sharplink, and Joe Lubin (the same trio anchoring this week's EthSystems launch). Their aim is to accelerate Ethereum as the settlement layer for the global economy while publishing research openly.The bigger migration: The move continues a talent flow out of the EF amid its downsizing and refocus this year, with spin-outs like Ethlabs, EthSystems, and Ethereum Institutional each claiming a lane that the leaner Foundation is vacating. As such, Ethereum's R&D scene is quietly restructuring from a single foundation into a network of specialized, well-funded nodes.
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Wall Street heavyweight T. Rowe Price, which boasts a staggering$7 trillion in assets under management, has entered the cryptocurrency ETF market with the launch of its first actively managed multi-token fund.
The much-anticipated product provides exposure to Bitcoin as well as to altcoins such as Ethereum and XRP.
The new ETF began trading on Thursday under the TKNZ ticker, according to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.
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The launch is particularly noteworthy given T. Rowe Price's long history as an active stock manager dating back to before World War II.
The fund debuted with approximately $15 million in assets with a 0.75% management fee.
Balchunas opined earlier this week that T. Rowe Price appeared to be waiting until the recent crypto market selloff had subsided before bringing the product to market.
Yet another giant embracing crypto T. Rowe Price is one of the world's largest asset managers, which makes the recent launch particularly significant. The Baltimore-based financial institution oversees retirement savings, pension assets, mutual funds, and institutional portfolios for millions of investors around the globe.
The financial titan has spent decades building its stellar reputation, so its entry into the crypto space is yet another sign of crypto reaching broad mainstream acceptance.
The firm's arrival also follows similar moves by other Wall Street firms, such as BlackRock and Fidelity.
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Long before launching a crypto ETF, T. Rowe Price was investing indirectly in the sector through private markets.
The firm participated in funding rounds for major crypto companies, including Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, and Bullish, the digital asset exchange backed by Block.one. It also held stakes in Coinbase around the time of the exchange's public listing through various growth-oriented funds.
Solana and XRP are among the fund's top holdings Bitcoin remains the largest holding with a 40.75% weighting. Ethereum accounts for 18.42%, followed by BNB at 11.01%.
Solana represents 9.44% of assets, narrowly ahead of XRP, which makes up 9.37% of the portfolio.
The remaining allocations include Hyperliquid (HYPE) with 6.45%, Stellar (XLM) with 3.00%, Dogecoin (DOGE) with 1.28%, and USD Coin (USDC) with 0.16%.
Balchunas noted that the ETF is "underweight Bitcoin and overweight most of the rest, especially HYPE."
Bitcoin retreated from a three-week high as escalating U.S.-Iran geopolitical tensions weighed on risk sentiment.
Notable Statistics:
Coinglass data shows 65,125 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $223.54 million. SoSoValue data shows net inflows of $107.8 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs on Wednesday. Spot Ethereum ETFs saw net inflows of $53.8 million. In the past 24 hours, top gainers include Ondo, Lido DAO and Pyth Network. Notable Developments:
Trader Notes:
Macro economist Seth argues that selling BTC in the $60,000–$64,000 range is a mistake, contending that retail investors are avoiding the asset despite strong institutional conviction.
He pointed to Wall Street spot Bitcoin ETFs collectively holding about 1.21 million BTC as evidence of sustained institutional accumulation.
Trader KillaXBT says Bitcoin has continued to follow a recurring mid-month seasonal pattern, declining about 2% since the 14th.
Historically, BTC has posted a roughly 5% pullback after the 14th in 11 of the past 12 instances, suggesting that if the pattern repeats, Bitcoin could revisit the $60,000–$62,000 range later this month.
Crypto chart analyst Ali Martinez noted that Bitcoin whales used the recent rally from $62,000 to $65,600 to take profits, selling an estimated 12,555 BTC during the rebound. The activity suggests large holders capitalized on higher prices rather than adding to their positions.
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Cardano has fallen 1.39% to $0.1628 as rising short positions have outweighed whale demand two days before the Van Rossem hard fork.
Summary
ADA fell to $0.1628 as traders increased short positions before the Van Rossem fork. Cardano whales accumulated ADA despite negative funding rates and rising futures open interest. Liquidity clusters at $0.160 and $0.170 could shape ADA’s next major move. According to data from crypto.news, from July 16 showed ADA traded between an intraday low of $0.1611 and a high of $0.1664, extending its retreat from an early-July peak near $0.195. The decline came even as large holders accumulated ADA and Cardano prepared to activate its most important network update in years.
CoinGlass data placed ADA’s weighted funding rate at -0.0067%, indicating that traders holding short positions were paying those betting on a price increase. The long-to-short ratio stood at 0.58, while open interest rose 4% to $421 million as traders added new leveraged positions.
Those readings show that derivatives traders remained positioned for further losses before the upgrade, according to CoinGlass. However, the concentration of short bets also raises the risk of liquidations if ADA moves sharply higher.
Whale demand collides with bearish futures bets Notably, wallets holding between 100,000 and 100 million ADA had increased their balances to the highest level since 2023. The accumulation is possible positioning by large investors before Van Rossem goes live.
Cardano’s governance approved the hard fork on July 13, according to Intersect, with activation scheduled for July 18. Intersect has also urged infrastructure providers to update their software before the network crosses the hard fork boundary.
van Rossem hard fork update 🍴
Following ratification on July 13, 2026, the van Rossem hard fork will be enacted on:
🗓️ Date: July 18, 2026
🕤️ Time: 21:44:51 UTC
🎰 Slot: 192,844,800
Once again, any infrastructure providers still needing to upgrade in order to safely cross…
— Intersect (@IntersectMBO) July 15, 2026 Van Rossem is expected to lower execution costs, which would make transactions and applications cheaper to run on Cardano, according to Intersect. The update will also prepare the network for Leios, a later scaling upgrade intended to increase transaction capacity before the end of 2026.
The upgrade follows Vasil, which improved Cardano’s network performance and smart-contract efficiency when it activated on Sept. 22, 2022, according to Cardano’s official hard-fork record.
Despite the whale purchases, TradingView’s daily chart showed ADA holding below the Murrey Math resistance at $0.1709. Chaikin Money Flow remained slightly positive at 0.04, suggesting that buying pressure had not disappeared even as the token lost ground.
Cardano daily price chart — July 17 | Source: crypto.news ADA faces liquidity pressure near $0.160 On the 4-hour chart, ADA had crossed above a descending trendline drawn from its July peak, but the move had not produced a sustained rally. TradingView’s Relative Strength Index stood at 46.92, below its moving average of 50.95, placing momentum on the bearish side of neutral without showing oversold conditions.
Cardano 4-hour price chart — July 17 | Source: crypto.news The same chart placed the nearest major Murrey Math support at $0.1465. A daily close above $0.1709 would instead clear the bottom of the indicated trading range and leave the $0.1953 pivot as the next visible resistance.
CoinGlass’s three-day liquidation heatmap showed the nearest dense liquidity pool between $0.160 and $0.161, directly below ADA’s market price. A larger concentration appeared around $0.170, closely matching the resistance shown on the daily chart.
Cardano liquidation heatmap | Source: CoinGlass Based on the heatmap, a drop below $0.160 could trigger leveraged long liquidations and expose the $0.1465 support. A move through $0.170, however, could force short sellers to close positions and strengthen the recovery attempt as Van Rossem goes live.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
Astralis, the Danish esports dynasty that has dominated Counter-Strike for the better part of a decade, just made a hire that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Filip “NEO” Kubski, a Polish legend of the game, is stepping in as the organization’s new head coach for its CS2 roster. He replaces Casper “ruggah” Due and becomes the first non-Danish head coach in the org’s history.
Why NEO, and why now The timing tells the story. Astralis suffered an early exit at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, a result that clearly didn’t sit well with leadership. NEO most recently served as head coach of FaZe Clan until March 2026, where he managed a multinational roster at the highest level of competition. The org is keeping its current player lineup intact, betting that the problem wasn’t the talent on the server but the strategy guiding it.
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The appointment was confirmed around July 1, 2026, with reports from HLTV and other esports outlets corroborating the move. NEO’s playing career, which spanned over 15 years and included some of the most iconic moments in Counter-Strike history, gives him a deep reservoir of tactical knowledge.
The esports industry’s globalization moment Astralis has historically been an outlier in its commitment to an all-Danish identity, having been founded in January 2016 by a coalition of Danish players. Most top-tier CS2 teams, including FaZe Clan, have operated with international rosters for years. The coaching staff was the last bastion of Danish exclusivity at Astralis, and that wall just came down.
Sponsorship dynamics, team valuations, and fan engagement strategies all shift when organizations demonstrate willingness to prioritize results over tradition. The Astralis Group became the first esports entity to pursue an IPO, and any improvement in competitive results directly impacts the commercial value of its partnerships.
What this means for the competitive landscape NEO inherits a roster that has the raw talent to compete at the highest level but has clearly struggled with consistency. Keeping the player lineup intact while changing the coaching structure is a calculated bet: Astralis believes the pieces are right, but the puzzle was being assembled wrong.
Astralis at its peak won four Majors and established a level of tactical dominance that redefined how the game was played. NEO coached FaZe Clan for nearly three years before his departure in March 2026, giving him direct experience managing players from multiple countries at the elite level.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
U.S. Sanctions Four Central Bank of Iran Crypto Wallets, Tether Freezes $131 Million In USDT
English日本語한국어ไทย繁體中文PortuguêsDeutschItalianoFrançaisEspañol The U.S. Treasury has expanded its sanctions campaign against Iran by designating four cryptocurrency wallets linked to the Central Bank of Iran, prompting stablecoin issuer Tether to freeze approximately $131 million in USDT held at the sanctioned addresses.
The action follows a designation update by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which added the four wallet addresses with over $165 million in stablecoin collections, and roughly $131 million in USDT remaining in the wallets when Tether froze the funds. The latest enforcement action brings the total amount of USDT frozen in wallets tied to Iran’s central bank to approximately $475 million, following an earlier $344 million freeze in April.
Press release by the OFAC.
Investor Takeaway The freeze is another reminder that stablecoin issuers can effectively act as gatekeepers, with the ability to lock hundreds of millions of dollars at regulators’ request.
OFAC Expands Sanctions to Crypto Infrastructure The newly designated wallets are part of Washington’s broader effort to restrict Iran’s access to the international financial system through digital assets.
Announcing the action, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said:
“The U.S. Treasury is committed to disrupting and deterring Iran’s illicit financial activity, including the misuse of digital assets.” The sanctions form part of the Treasury’s broader enforcement campaign targeting cryptocurrency infrastructure that U.S. officials allege has been used to facilitate sanctions evasion and finance activities linked to the Iranian government.
Rather than sanctioning new entities, OFAC updated its designation for the Central Bank of Iran by adding four cryptocurrency wallet addresses that U.S. authorities say are controlled by or associated with the institution.
Once the addresses appeared on the sanctions list, Tether exercised its ability as the issuer of USDT to freeze the tokens held in those wallets, preventing them from being transferred or redeemed.
The wallets are hosted on the TRON blockchain, one of the most popular networks for USDT transfers due to its low transaction costs and fast transaction speed.
Investor Takeaway As stablecoins become embedded in cross-border finance, regulatory compliance is emerging as a defining feature of issuer credibility and institutional adoption.
Stablecoin Issuers Are Becoming Geopolitical Players Asset sanctions related to the Central Bank of Iran also highlight how stablecoin issuers are becoming more entangled in geopolitical conflicts.
Centrally issued stablecoins like USDT allow issuers to freeze wallets linked to sanctioned entities. That capability has turned companies like Tether into important enforcement partners for governments seeking to restrict the movement of funds across borders.
The timing of this particular freeze related to the Central Bank of Iran is notable, as it comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump declared the U.S.-Iran ceasefire over.
For Tether, the episode of power tussle between the U.S. and the Central Bank of Iran shows the growing tension between operating the world’s largest stablecoin and complying with global sanctions. USDT has become a key payment rail across emerging markets and cross-border commerce, yet the company is also expected to act swiftly when wallets are designated by the OFAC.
As stablecoins become more deeply embedded in global finance, issuers may find themselves playing a much larger role in international diplomacy, where decisions to freeze wallets carry not only regulatory consequences but also geopolitical significance.
The largest stablecoin highway in crypto just got tinted windows. Private swap and transfer features for USDT are now live on the TRON network, courtesy of Symbiosis Finance, giving users the ability to execute cross-chain transactions with significantly reduced on-chain visibility.
The launch, which went live on July 16, targets one of the most active corridors in decentralized finance: Ethereum-to-TRON transfers. For a network that handles over $23.8 billion in average daily USDT transfers, adding a privacy layer isn’t a novelty feature. It’s infrastructure.
What the privacy features actually do Symbiosis Finance rolled out two distinct products: Private Swap and Private Send. The distinction matters.
Private Swap lets users exchange tokens across chains while obscuring the connection between the source and destination wallets. Think of it like paying for coffee with cash instead of a credit card. The transaction still happens, but the paper trail gets a lot harder to follow.
Private Send, meanwhile, is a direct transfer tool. Users can move USDT (or other supported tokens) from one wallet to another with enhanced privacy protections. In English: you can send stablecoins without broadcasting your entire financial history to anyone watching the blockchain.
Symbiosis has noted that Private Swap mode works particularly well with privacy-oriented or semi-centralized providers, suggesting the system is designed to layer on top of existing infrastructure rather than replace it entirely.
Both features are accessible through the Symbiosis Finance platform, which offers a dedicated app for these transactions. The initial focus on the Ethereum-to-TRON corridor makes strategic sense given the sheer volume of stablecoin activity flowing between these two networks.
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TRON’s stablecoin dominance by the numbers Here’s the thing about TRON: it quietly became the backbone of global USDT activity while most of crypto Twitter was debating which Layer 2 would win Ethereum’s scaling wars.
TRON’s circulating supply of USDT now exceeds $90 billion. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly the GDP of Kenya sitting on a single blockchain network in the form of one stablecoin.
The transfer volume is even more staggering. TRON has processed approximately $4.2 trillion in USDT transfers year-to-date as of July 2026. That’s not a typo. Trillion, with a T. The network handles over 12 million transactions daily and supports hundreds of millions of accounts.
These aren’t speculative DeFi trades or NFT mints. The bulk of TRON’s USDT activity is real-world value transfer: remittances, payments, peer-to-peer settlements. The kind of transactions where privacy isn’t a luxury but a legitimate concern.
The privacy launch also builds on a growing ecosystem of cross-chain tools connecting to TRON. THORChain integrated native TRX and USDT-TRC20 swaps back in October 2025, establishing another bridge between TRON and the broader DeFi universe. Symbiosis Finance’s privacy layer adds a new dimension to that interoperability story.
Why privacy on stablecoin rails matters now Privacy in crypto has always been a loaded topic. Regulators see it as a potential compliance headache. Users see it as a fundamental right. The reality, as usual, lives somewhere in between.
What’s changed is the scale of on-chain activity. When TRON is moving nearly $24 billion in USDT per day, every single one of those transactions is visible to anyone with a block explorer. That’s the equivalent of publishing every wire transfer, Venmo payment, and cash handoff on a public billboard.
For individuals sending remittances home, for small businesses settling invoices, for traders managing positions across exchanges, that level of transparency creates real risks. Front-running, targeted phishing, competitive intelligence gathering. The list of ways transparent transactions can be exploited grows longer as on-chain analytics tools get more sophisticated.
Symbiosis Finance’s approach sidesteps the most contentious aspects of the privacy debate by focusing on practical usability rather than ideological purity. These aren’t privacy coins with their own token economics and regulatory baggage. They’re privacy features layered on top of the world’s most widely used stablecoin, on the network that moves the most of it.
That’s a meaningful distinction. Privacy-focused blockchains like Monero and Zcash have faced delistings from major exchanges and regulatory scrutiny in multiple jurisdictions. Adding optional privacy to USDT transfers on TRON is a subtler play, one that gives users choice without forcing the entire network into a regulatory gray zone.
Look, whether regulators will see it that way is another question entirely. The global regulatory landscape for privacy-enhancing technologies remains fragmented and evolving. But the demand signal is clear: users want more control over who can see their transactions.
For investors watching the TRON ecosystem, the privacy launch reinforces the network’s positioning as the dominant stablecoin settlement layer. TRON already had the volume, the low fees, and the speed. Now it has a privacy option that competitors on Ethereum’s Layer 2s haven’t matched at this scale.
The competitive implications extend beyond just TRON versus other networks. DeFi protocols that fail to offer privacy features may find themselves losing users to platforms that do, particularly in regions where financial surveillance is a genuine concern. Symbiosis Finance is betting that privacy will become a standard expectation rather than a niche feature, and TRON’s massive user base gives that bet a substantial runway to prove out.
Whether this attracts institutional interest is the bigger question. Large players have historically been wary of privacy tools due to compliance obligations. But optional privacy, where users can choose enhanced confidentiality for legitimate purposes while still maintaining the ability to prove transaction history when needed, could thread that needle. The stablecoin settlement layer that figures out compliant privacy first will have a significant competitive moat, and TRON just took a visible step in that direction.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Apple closed up 1.76% to hit another all-time high, with positive momentum from Apple Intelligence's China localization continuing to build.
According to market data from BIT (bit.com), Apple closed 1.76% higher in U.S. stock trading, hitting a record high of $333.26 per share, and rose an additional 0.47% in after-hours trading. On the news front, on July 15, Apple Intelligence completed its first domestic generative AI filing in China. Alibaba’s Qianwen AI will be integrated into Apple Intelligence as its AI capability, providing Chinese users of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS with services including text and image understanding, content generation, and more—allowing users to experience these features directly without switching between apps. In addition to Alibaba’s Qianwen AI, Baidu’s AI capabilities will also be integrated into Apple Intelligence, marking the official implementation of Apple’s localized AI strategy in the Chinese market.
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Japanese storage chip firm Kioxia dropped over 10% intraday, with its market capitalization now halved from its June peak.
According to Bitget market data, Japanese storage stock Kioxia plunged more than 10% intraday, its market capitalization has halved from the June peak, and the Nikkei 225 index is currently down 2.18% intraday.
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The first Federal Reserve official to call for interest rate hikes since Powell took office has emerged, with Lorie Logan backing rate increases to combat high inflation.
The first Federal Reserve official to call for a rate hike since Walsh assumed office has emerged. Earlier today, Fed official Logan said the central bank should raise interest rates to tackle high inflation – a remark signaling she may be prepared to vote against keeping rates unchanged later this month. Logan added that June inflation data released Tuesday shows price growth is moderating, but not enough to convince her inflation has returned to the Fed’s 2% target trajectory.
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Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase will provide $50 billion in acquisition financing and serve as advisors for the PayPal acquisition deal.
Sources say JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley will provide $50 billion in acquisition financing and act as advisors for the PayPal (PYPL.O) takeover. Fifteen days prior, Stripe — the world’s largest private payments company — and U.S. private equity firm Advent International jointly proposed to acquire the long-standing online payments giant PayPal at $60.5 per share, valuing the company at over $530 billion total, a roughly 28% premium over PayPal’s Tuesday closing price, backed by approximately $50 billion in financing commitments from multiple banks. Under the deal terms, Stripe and Advent will each hold a 50% stake in PayPal.
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JPMorgan: Strategy’s increased cash reserves send a positive signal, and demand for Bitcoin futures has also improved.
JPMorgan analysts noted in a recent report that Strategy has recently increased its U.S. dollar reserves from $2.55 billion to $3 billion, enough to cover roughly 20 months of preferred stock dividend payments, an encouraging sign for Bitcoin’s outlook. If Strategy can rebuild its U.S. dollar reserves to a level covering two to three years of dividends, it will ease market concerns that the company may be forced to sell Bitcoin in the future to cover preferred stock dividend payments. Meanwhile, despite sharp recent volatility in spot Bitcoin ETF flows, both Bitcoin futures and perpetual contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) recorded net inflows this week—flows typically driven by institutional investors rather than retail, in contrast to the outflows seen in spot ETFs. Additionally, leveraged ETFs linked to Strategy have seen relatively stable, positive net flows over the past seven weeks, driven mainly by retail buying, which has supported Strategy’s common stock price and prevented it from falling below the net asset value of its Bitcoin holdings. Strategy President and CEO Phong Le stated earlier this week that the company’s balance sheet is very secure; it will only begin to worry about debt-related risks if Bitcoin falls to roughly the $8,000–$10,000 range, and plans to issue more shares after STRC preferred stock returns to its $100 par value to further accumulate Bitcoin and expand its U.S. dollar reserves. JPMorgan also reiterated that Strategy is not a major structural threat to Bitcoin; a larger risk lies in the promotion of blockchain technology through permissioned systems, which does not benefit public blockchains or their tokens.
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The Nikkei 225 index opened sharply down 3.00%.
According to Bitget market data, the Nikkei 225 index plunged 3.00% at opening and is currently trading at 64,828.46 points. South Korean stock markets are closed today for Constitution Day.
Payments giant MoneyGram has announced that it has joined the Stellar network as a Tier 1 validator.
The news comes five years after the Dallas, Texas-headquartered company first partnered with the organization.
Apart from MoneyGram, borrowing platform Figure Markets and wealth management platform Range will begin operating Tier 1 validators.
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The new roster of validators will become activated by mid-August, according to the announcement.
Becoming a validator Validators are responsible for maintaining the blockchain's integrity by verifying transactions and participating in network consensus.
On Stellar, Tier 1 validators are particularly important. They operate multiple geographically distributed validator nodes and participate in the Stellar Consensus Protocol. Each validator independently selects the trusted participants it relies on to reach agreement on the ledger's state.
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Stellar's consensus model does not reward validators with newly issued tokens, which is typical for proof-of-work and proof-of-stake networks. Instead, organizations run validators primarily to improve security and decentralisation.
Tier 1 validators must operate three geographically dispersed full validator nodes and maintain at least 99.9% uptime on top of some other requirements.
MoneyGram's crypto journey Before embracing Stellar, MoneyGram was one of Ripple's highest-profile enterprise partners. In 2019, Ripple invested $50 million in MoneyGram, and the companies launched a partnership centered on On-Demand Liquidity (ODL), which is Ripple's cross-border settlement product that uses XRP.
The partnership, which was viewed as one of Ripple's biggest commercial wins, came to an abrupt halt after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Ripple in December 2020. MoneyGram suspended its use of Ripple's ODL service in early 2021 and pivoted to its rival.
MoneyGram and the Stellar Development Foundation first joined forces back in 2021 to create one of the first large-scale blockchain-powered cash on- and off-ramp networks. The service eventually went live in 2022. Since then, the partnership has broadened beyond remittances.
Today, Stellar powers MoneyGram Ramps, the company's blockchain infrastructure for cash access. It also serves as the exclusive blockchain behind MoneyGram's consumer digital dollar balance feature.
"We have recently decided to become a validator on the Stellar network, and the reason why that's so important to us is that we vividly see the benefits of crypto, the benefits of stables," Josh Gordon-Blake, the executive vice president and general manager of MoneyGram Online, said in a statement. He has stressed that MoneyGram does not want to be sidelined.
@MoneyGram, @Figure, and @range_org are set to run Tier 1 validators on the Stellar network, with all three expected to plug into the quorum by mid-August. The move marks a significant step for each organisation, shifting from building products on Stellar to actively anchoring its consensus layer.
What Tier 1 Actually Means Tier 1 organisations are a group that bears the safety and liveness of the Stellar network on their shoulders. Together, they bear the safety and liveness of the network given that most other validators require their agreement under the Stellar Consensus Protocol, with SDF acting as coordinator to ensure network health while each Tier 1 organisation maintains control over its own quorum set.
Since April 2025, there have been seven Tier 1 organisations, each operating three full validators, for a total of 21 Tier 1 validators. Those organisations are Blockdaemon, Creit Technologies, Franklin Templeton, LOBSTR, Public Node, SatoshiPay, and SDF. The addition of MoneyGram, Figure Markets, and Range would materially expand that group, in line with a broader push by the Stellar Development Foundation to grow the Tier 1 roster and improve fault tolerance across the network.
From Builder to Operator In 2021, MoneyGram partnered with the Stellar Development Foundation to enable cash-to-stablecoin conversion. MoneyGram Ramps supports cash deposits from local currency to USDC on Stellar across 40 countries and cash withdrawals from USDC on Stellar to local currency in more than 170 countries across nearly 500,000 locations. Now the payments company moves from operating on top of the chain to helping run it at the protocol level.
Stellar's stablecoin footprint in 2026 includes USDC from Circle, EURC, YLDS from Figure (a yield-bearing dollar stablecoin), and MGUSD, issued by Bridge for MoneyGram and launched on June 2, 2026. Figure Markets' involvement in the validator set is a natural extension of its existing asset issuance on the network. Range brings a security-focused infrastructure stack to the quorum.
The timing fits a broader pattern. The Stellar Development Foundation has targeted raising the roster of Tier 1 validators from 7 to 13, which would double fault-tolerance from two organisational failures to four. The urgency is clear: smart-contract volume has grown sharply since Soroban's launch, and institutional asset issuers will not commit capital to a network that can freeze if three entities go dark.
With three heavyweight names joining the quorum simultaneously, Stellar's payment rails gain both institutional credibility and a more resilient consensus foundation ahead of what is shaping up to be a pivotal period for on-chain payments infrastructure.
Sources:
Stellar.org: MoneyGram, Figure Markets, and Range to Help Secure the Stellar Network
Stellar Docs: Tier 1 Organizations
Stellar.org: MoneyGram Ramps
Tokenization platform Tradable plans to bring up to $1 billion in private credit assets onto the Stellar blockchain, expanding institutional access to tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) as demand for onchain private markets continues to grow.
Tradable said Thursday that $500 million in notional value is expected to be available when the initiative launches, and it will increase the amount to $1 billion over time. The company will use Stellar’s network to support institutional functions, including compliance, investor onboarding and asset lifecycle management.
The timing of the initiative’s launch was not disclosed.
Stellar Development Foundation CEO Denelle Dixon said the agreement reflects growing institutional interest in using the network for tokenized real-world assets.
The move builds on Tradable’s existing business. The company said it has already tokenized $1.7 billion in private credit assets across nearly 30 institutional-grade private credit positions, with the Stellar integration expanding the availability of those assets.
Stellar, one of the oldest public blockchains, has increasingly focused on tokenized real-world assets. The strategy has attracted institutional partners, including the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, which plans to connect its tokenization service to the network.
The developments reflect broader momentum in the tokenized RWA market, where institutional adoption has helped drive the sector’s value above $34 billion, according to RWA.xyz.
The tokenized RWA market has expanded rapidly since early 2025. Source: RWA.xyz
Private credit dominates the tokenized RWA marketPrivate credit has emerged as the largest segment of the tokenized RWA market, accounting for roughly 44% of the sector’s value, according to Bernstein analysts.
The segment has grown as financial institutions increasingly use blockchain technology to originate, service and settle private loans more efficiently. In a research note published in May, Bernstein cited Figure Technology Solutions as a key driver of that expansion, pointing to the company’s blockchain-based lending platform and loan settlement infrastructure.
Token Terminal recently highlighted the role of private credit in fueling the tokenization boom, attributing the expansion to the continued migration of traditional financial assets onto blockchain infrastructure.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
Tokenization platform Tradable plans to bring up to $1 billion in private credit assets onto the Stellar blockchain, expanding institutional access to tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) as demand for onchain private markets continues to grow.
Tradable said Thursday that $500 million in notional value is expected to be available when the initiative launches, and it will increase the amount to $1 billion over time. The company will use Stellar’s network to support institutional functions, including compliance, investor onboarding and asset lifecycle management.
The timing of the initiative’s launch was not disclosed.
Stellar Development Foundation CEO Denelle Dixon said the agreement reflects growing institutional interest in using the network for tokenized real-world assets.
The move builds on Tradable’s existing business. The company said it has already tokenized $1.7 billion in private credit assets across nearly 30 institutional-grade private credit positions, with the Stellar integration expanding the availability of those assets.
Stellar, one of the oldest public blockchains, has increasingly focused on tokenized real-world assets. The strategy has attracted institutional partners, including the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, which plans to connect its tokenization service to the network.
The developments reflect broader momentum in the tokenized RWA market, where institutional adoption has helped drive the sector’s value above $34 billion, according to RWA.xyz.
The tokenized RWA market has expanded rapidly since early 2025. Source: RWA.xyz
Private credit dominates the tokenized RWA marketPrivate credit has emerged as the largest segment of the tokenized RWA market, accounting for roughly 44% of the sector’s value, according to Bernstein analysts.
The segment has grown as financial institutions increasingly use blockchain technology to originate, service and settle private loans more efficiently. In a research note published in May, Bernstein cited Figure Technology Solutions as a key driver of that expansion, pointing to the company’s blockchain-based lending platform and loan settlement infrastructure.
Token Terminal recently highlighted the role of private credit in fueling the tokenization boom, attributing the expansion to the continued migration of traditional financial assets onto blockchain infrastructure.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
Why Should I MonitorIn the blockchain space, attacks can happen quickly, exploits can drain funds, and unidentified anomalies can become losses in the span of one block. Active monitoring helps to identify those anomalies, alert on them, and take action on them before they have a chance to become the next catastrophic loss. You wouldn't drive your car without a speedometer, you wouldn't fly a plane without instruments, and you shouldn't run a protocol onchain without active monitoring.
What Should I MonitorOnce we've established that we need monitoring, the common next question is “what do I monitor.” We call this “what to monitor and how” a “monitoring plan.” We have a tutorial available here to show how to stand one up in detail, but the monitoring plan follows directly from the threat model. A threat model asks the questions “What can go wrong?” and “What do we do about it?” The monitoring plan asks “How do we detect if something does go wrong?” and “What actions should we take?” So answering these questions is like building a model with building blocks.
STRIDE ModelWhat are we working on?What can go wrong?What are we going to do about it?Did we do a good job?Monitoring PlanHow do we detect if something goes wrong?How do we action in that event?What Does This All Look LikeWhile every STRIDE model and monitoring plan are unique to the project and risk appetite for the project, we can show how to set up monitors that can meet your requirements. Below are two examples that show how to set up a monitor in Hypernative, how to set up alerting, and what those alerts actually look like in real life.
Setting Up a Large XLM Transfer MonitorScenarioYou have established a wallet on Stellar and set it as the source for all project-related fund transfers. You want to be notified any time a significant number of Lumens are transferred from that wallet for accounting and tracking purposes.
SetupFor this monitor, we will configure a custom agent in Hypernative and we'll choose “Address Transfer Activity” as the monitor type under “Address monitoring”.
On the following screen:
Add the name of the monitorAssign a severitySet the chain to “Stellar”Set the monitored address “is one of” to your wallet addressSet the counter-party to “is any”Set the token “is” to XLM (notice you can do any token, not just native here)Then set the filters to be what you consider “significant”The end result should look something like this:
Click Next and configure your alerting actions. Here you can see I've chosen to set an email alert. After that choose Save.
While we have chosen to use email delivery as the alerting method, there are many more options including Slack, Discord, and Telegram notifications, kicking off incident.io incidents, and even contract invocations to run onchain events.
I ran a test transaction of 6 XLM to a test account to show the alert email that gets fired:
Setting Up Pool Utilization Monitoring on BlendSetting up a basic monitor in Hypernative like large native transfers is relatively straightforward. But arguably it is a simple event. Hypernative also allows for monitoring higher complexity onchain events.
ScenarioYou have established a position in a Blend lending pool. Your internal risk tolerance requires that you exit a pool with significantly high utilization to limit exposure to large swings in token valuation.
SetupWe will be configuring another custom agent, but this time, using the blank agent builder.
First, we need to select a trigger, which will tell our agent to run. Here, I chose a time-based trigger and fire this calculation at every block.
In order to calculate the utilization of a Blend pool, Blend's documentation directs that we calculate utilization with the formula:
Each of these values needs to be read from the contract state at each invocation time.
We set up four “Read Contract” blocks, all reading the lending pool contract and extracting out the different variables needed for this formula.
For each of the four variables:
Select Stellar for the chainSelect the contract address of the lending poolFetch the ABI for the contractSet the function to get_reserve()Select the address of the asset to monitor forSet the Block Offset to 0Look at the output parameters from the function call to identify the value you need for the formula (in this case we grabbed d_supply).Set the output variable name for this value that you will use later in the agent.Repeat the “Read Contract” block process for each of the four variables in the formula.
Next, connect all four of those to a calculation block.
This is where we implement the formula.
Notice I set my output variable of that calculation to “myUtil”. We'll use that in the next step.
Next we add an alert condition block. This filters the alerting to only what concerns me. Note that we scaled the “myUtil” number to be a percentage, since the calculation renders “1” as full utilization.
Finally, we use a send alert block to publish this event with our calculated values if this passes our filter.
ConclusionMonitoring assets, positions, and actions onchain is important and beneficial. Hypernative enables deep level monitoring at scale on Stellar. While this document covered several different example scenarios, these monitors and documentation are provided for educational purposes only. Do your own research for contracts, monitors, triggers, and event conditions specific to your company and risk appetite. Hypernative has provided Stellar-specific documentation for how to implement monitoring and controls, available (authenticated) at https://docs.hypernative.xyz/hypernative-product-docs/hypernative-web-application/chain-specific-considerations/stellar.
Payments company MoneyGram revealed that it has joined the Stellar network as a Tier 1 validator, marking a significant expansion in its ongoing collaboration with the blockchain-focused organization. Based in Dallas, Texas, MoneyGram first partnered with Stellar in 2019 as it moved to integrate blockchain solutions into its global financial services.
New validators strengthen Stellar networkIn addition to MoneyGram, Figure Markets, a lending platform specializing in crypto-backed loans, and Range, a digital wealth management provider, will also begin operating as Tier 1 validators on the Stellar network. These new validators are expected to become fully operational by mid-August, according to the latest announcement from the Stellar Development Foundation.
Validators are a crucial component of blockchain networks, as they verify transactions and play a key role in network consensus. On the Stellar network, Tier 1 validators have heightened responsibilities. They are required to run multiple full validator nodes that are dispersed across different geographic regions, contributing directly to the Stellar Consensus Protocol. This design helps ensure both resilience and decentralization in the Stellar ecosystem.
Unlike many proof-of-work or proof-of-stake blockchains, Stellar’s consensus model does not provide financial rewards in the form of new tokens to its validators. Instead, organizations like MoneyGram choose to operate validators to support network security and the overall decentralization of the system.
To qualify as a Tier 1 validator, organizations must maintain at least 99.9% uptime and oversee three geographically distributed full validator nodes, among other technical requirements.
Mini dictionary: Stellar Consensus Protocol, a unique agreement mechanism used by the Stellar network to enable decentralized and trustworthy validation of transactions without relying on mining or traditional staking incentives.
MoneyGram’s path from Ripple to StellarBefore its engagement with Stellar, MoneyGram was notably one of Ripple’s top enterprise partners. In 2019, Ripple, the company behind the cryptocurrency XRP, invested $50 million in MoneyGram, which led to a partnership centered around On-Demand Liquidity (ODL). ODL is Ripple’s product for instant cross-border settlements utilizing XRP.
This collaboration came to an abrupt end after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Ripple in December 2020. In response, MoneyGram halted its use of Ripple’s ODL service in early 2021 and subsequently turned to alternative blockchain solutions.
MoneyGram later entered into a strategic relationship with the Stellar Development Foundation in 2021. The partnership aimed to build one of the first large-scale blockchain-powered on- and off-ramp services for cash, with the initiative officially launching in 2022. Over time, the scope has extended beyond remittances to include a wider range of digital financial products.
InitiativeMoneyGram & RippleMoneyGram & StellarStart Year20192021Main FocusOn-Demand Liquidity with XRPBlockchain Ramps and Cash AccessStatusEnded (2021)OngoingStellar powers new MoneyGram infrastructureCurrently, Stellar serves as the backbone for MoneyGram Ramps, the company’s blockchain-based service facilitating access to cash. Stellar is also the exclusive provider for MoneyGram’s consumer digital dollar balance feature, extending the scope of their technological partnership.
Josh Gordon-Blake, executive vice president and general manager of MoneyGram Online, explained the significance of becoming a validator on the Stellar network. He noted, “We have recently decided to become a validator on the Stellar network, and the reason why that’s so important to us is that we vividly see the benefits of crypto, the benefits of stables.” Gordon-Blake emphasized MoneyGram’s intention to remain at the forefront of technological innovation within the rapidly evolving digital asset landscape.
“We have recently decided to become a validator on the Stellar network, and the reason why that’s so important to us is that we vividly see the benefits of crypto, the benefits of stables,” said Josh Gordon-Blake, executive vice president and general manager of MoneyGram Online.
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.
Tradable, a platform specializing in tokenization, plans to transfer up to $1 billion in private credit assets onto the Stellar blockchain. This initiative aims to enhance institutional access to tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), responding to a growing trend among investors seeking onchain opportunities in private markets.
Major push for tokenized private creditTradable announced that it expects to have $500 million in private credit assets ready at launch, with the goal of increasing that figure to $1 billion over time. The company did not specify the launch date for this new offering.
The integration will leverage Stellar’s network for a range of institutional functions, including compliance procedures, onboarding of investors, and managing the asset lifecycle. This move is designed to streamline the process of bringing traditional finance products onto blockchain-based infrastructure.
Denelle Dixon, CEO of the Stellar Development Foundation, stated that this agreement illustrates the growing interest among institutions in using Stellar for tokenized real-world assets.
Denelle Dixon, CEO of Stellar Development Foundation, highlighted that increased institutional activity on Stellar reflects a broader shift toward blockchain-based tokenized assets.
Tradable has already established itself in the sector, with $1.7 billion in private credit assets tokenized across nearly 30 institutional-grade positions. The collaboration with Stellar will further expand access to these tokenized assets for a wider range of institutional participants.
Stellar’s broader real-world asset strategyStellar is one of the longest-standing public blockchains, and in recent years has intensified its focus on tokenized real-world assets. The network’s strategy has attracted institutional partners globally, including the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC). The DTCC, a leading provider of clearing and settlement services, is preparing to connect its own tokenization service to the Stellar network.
Recent developments point to strong growth and rising adoption of tokenized RWAs. Data from RWA.xyz shows that the overall value of the sector has grown above $34 billion, driven largely by institutional participation and increasing confidence in blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
Mini dictionary: RWA.xyz is a data analytics platform that tracks the growth and composition of the tokenized real-world asset market, providing up-to-date statistics on sector valuation and adoption trends.
MetricValueSourceTotal tokenized RWA market$34 billion+RWA.xyzTradable private credit assets$1.7 billionTradableInitial Stellar launch amount$500 millionTradableTarget Stellar launch amount$1 billionTradablePrivate credit drives market expansionPrivate credit has become the largest segment within the tokenized RWA market, reportedly accounting for around 44% of the sector’s value, according to analysts at Bernstein. The segment has grown as more financial institutions leverage blockchain technology to originate, service, and settle private loans efficiently.
In a research note released in May, Bernstein analysts cited Figure Technology Solutions, a provider of blockchain-based lending platforms and settlement solutions, as a significant driver of growth in this market.
Research firm Token Terminal has also pointed to the critical role of private credit in the broader tokenization trend, highlighting the continuing transfer of traditional financial assets to blockchain infrastructure.
The rapid expansion of tokenized private credit mirrors an accelerating migration of legacy assets into the blockchain ecosystem, as institutions pursue improved efficiency and access in private capital markets.
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.
Sentora brings curated vaults to StellarInstitutional DeFi platform @SentoraHQ has launched its curated vault product on @StellarOrg, making it live now through Ultrastellar's Stellar DeFi Hub and yield.xyz. It marks Sentora's first integration with the Stellar network, aimed squarely at fintechs and financial institutions looking to access onchain yield without sacrificing risk controls.
The timing is deliberate. The total market cap of tokenized real-world assets on Stellar has surpassed $3 billion, representing roughly a 300% increase from where the network stood in early 2025. That growth has been driven by a range of institutional issuers, with Spiko accounting for over $1 billion in assets on the network, Franklin Templeton's BENJI token sitting at approximately $654 million, and Ondo Finance's USDY contributing around $529 million.
Sentora describes itself as a DeFi infrastructure and strategy partner for institutional capital allocators. Its vault platform is built around the idea that risk controls come first, with yield as the output rather than the starting point. The firm has allocated over $2 billion across onchain strategies and shaped more than 300 strategies across multiple market cycles.
Risk-first design for regulated institutionsThe Stellar integration is specifically structured for institutions and fintechs that need onchain yield with compliance and risk management baked in from the start. Sentora's vaults operate through audited smart contracts on a non-custodial basis, meaning client assets remain under their own control throughout. The platform also incorporates KYC, AML, and jurisdictional screening as standard parts of the onboarding process.
The Stellar network itself has characteristics that make it a practical fit for this kind of institutional product. The network has maintained 99.99% uptime and kept average fees at around one hundredth of a penny, while its architecture includes built-in compliance tools such as controlled access accounts and clawback capabilities that regulated institutions require.
Sentora says this is the first step in a broader @StellarOrg roadmap, with additional DeFi and RWA strategies planned. The integration positions the firm at the intersection of two converging trends: rising institutional demand for compliant onchain yield products, and Stellar's rapid growth as a primary settlement layer for tokenized real-world assets.
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