Из жизни альткоинов

A7A5 задуман как инструмент работы с рублевой ликвидностью в криптоиндустрии: его можно хранить в личном кошельке, переводить между адресами и использовать внутри сервисов на блокчейне без обращения к банковской инфраструктуре.

Компания Meta, возглавляемая Марком Цукербергом (Mark Zuckerberg), готовится к возвращению на рынок стейблкоинов во второй половине года, сообщают СМИ со ссылкой на источники.

В Южной Корее 30-летнего мужчину обвиняют в попытке отравить бизнес‑партнера: по версии следствия, подозреваемый добавил в кофе компаньона пестицид. Причина — большие убытки в криптовалютных инвестициях.

The crypto market remains under pressure as Bitcoin and major altcoins continue to lose key support levels, reinforcing a cautious tone across digital assets. Momentum has weakened in recent weeks, with price action struggling to stabilize after the correction that began in October 2025. While intermittent rebounds have occurred, they have largely failed to restore confidence, leaving sentiment fragile and volatility elevated. Investors appear increasingly selective, deploying capital carefully rather than aggressively accumulating risk assets.

A recent CryptoQuant report highlights a critical structural factor behind this weakness: limited incoming liquidity. According to the analysis, the absence of sustained capital inflows has prevented the market from transitioning into a clear recovery phase. Broader macro conditions also appear unsupportive in the near term. Federal Reserve member Christopher Waller noted that strong February labor market data could justify maintaining the current interest rate stance, an environment that historically constrains risk-on capital flows.

As liquidity tightens, capital rotation dynamics are becoming more pronounced. Funds are increasingly shifting toward equities and commodities, partly driven by continued expansion in the artificial intelligence sector and the persistent strength of precious metals. This redistribution of capital suggests crypto markets may remain in a defensive posture until broader liquidity conditions improve.

Stablecoin Outflows Signal Liquidity Drain Across Crypto Markets

The report explains that liquidity dynamics within crypto markets are often reflected through stablecoin flows, which act as a proxy for deployable capital. When stablecoin reserves rise on exchanges, it typically signals increasing readiness to enter risk positions. Conversely, sustained outflows tend to indicate capital withdrawal or reduced trading appetite.

On Binance, stablecoin reserves have been declining steadily since November 13, with nearly $10 billion withdrawn as investors gradually reduce market exposure. These reserves, which generally fluctuate based on investor demand, have fallen from approximately $50.9 billion to $41.4 billion — a contraction of about 18.6%. This shift suggests a measurable reduction in immediately available liquidity across one of the industry’s largest trading venues.

As stablecoins continue to flow out, Binance’s reserve levels have now returned to those last observed around October 2024. Although the platform still accounts for roughly 64% of total stablecoin reserves across centralized exchanges, changes at this scale tend to influence broader market liquidity conditions.

If this trend persists, price stability may remain elusive. Historically, renewed stablecoin inflows have coincided with improving risk appetite and stronger price support. Therefore, a sustained reversal in stablecoin flows will likely be necessary before a more durable recovery phase can develop.

Total Crypto Market Cap Tests Key Structural Support

The total crypto market capitalization chart shows a clear transition from expansion to consolidation following the peak reached during the 2025 rally. After climbing toward the $4 trillion region, total market cap entered a sustained corrective phase, gradually compressing toward the $2.1–$2.2 trillion zone. This decline reflects broad risk-off behavior affecting both Bitcoin and altcoins, rather than an isolated asset-specific retracement.

From a structural perspective, the market has recently broken below the 50-week moving average and is now approaching the 100-week average, while the 200-week moving average continues to trend upward beneath price. Historically, this configuration often characterizes mid-cycle corrections rather than full structural reversals, although confirmation requires stabilization above longer-term support levels.

Volume patterns also suggest distribution rather than aggressive accumulation. Selling spikes during declines appear more pronounced than buying reactions, indicating persistent caution among market participants. The absence of strong follow-through rallies reinforces the idea that liquidity remains constrained.

If the $2 trillion region fails to hold, downside volatility could increase due to thinner liquidity conditions. Conversely, stabilization above current levels combined with renewed inflows — particularly through stablecoins — would be the first indication that broader market confidence is gradually returning.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

Майнер-одиночка добыл блок №938092 в сети Биткоина, получив награду 3,125 BTC (более $200 000). На аренду вычислительной мощности он потратил около $75, сообщили в майнинговой компании Braiins.

Jameson Lopp is escalating his criticism of BIP-110, arguing the proposal could trigger a disruptive Bitcoin chain split while failing to stop the behavior it is meant to curb. In a Feb. 23 post, Lopp frames the plan as a consensus-layer response to a policy and cultural dispute around transaction “spam,” with risks that extend well beyond mempool debates.

BIP-110 is pitched as a soft fork led by Luke Dashjr that would temporarily restrict arbitrary data in transactions. Lopp summarizes it as adding seven new transaction-validity restrictions, including limits on where data can be placed and constraints on certain script behavior, but says the tradeoffs are far more severe than supporters admit. He calls the proposal “reckless and doomed to fail,” setting the tone for a post that is less a technical explainer than a warning about governance and coordination risk.

Why Lopp Thinks The Activation Path Is Dangerous For Bitcoin

The core of Lopp’s argument is not just what BIP-110 changes, but how it tries to activate. He points to the proposal’s 55% miner-signaling threshold for a user-activated soft fork and says that low bar materially increases the probability of two competing chains if the ecosystem is not aligned.

He also stresses that BIP-110 nodes would reject non-compliant blocks outright, which raises coordination risk compared with soft forks that old nodes can continue to follow without enforcement conflicts.

Lopp is especially pointed on the mandatory activation posture at block height 961,632. In one of the sharpest passages, he writes: “This is not a neutral, low-drama deployment posture. It’s dogmatic bullying. […] you cannot pretend it’s low-risk.” He ties that warning to a broader point: even if one views UASF tactics as legitimate, the proposal’s design increases the odds of a messy failure mode if miners, exchanges, wallets, and infrastructure providers do not converge in time.

He also pushes back on comparisons to 2017, noting that the UASF many people cite in the SegWit era never actually had to run to the edge because SegWit activated via miner signaling instead. That distinction matters in Lopp’s framing, because BIP-110 proponents are, in his view, leaning on a historical precedent that did not test the exact scenario they now describe as manageable.

Another major section of Lopp’s post targets the claim that BIP-110 has meaningful grassroots momentum. He argues that raw node counts (roughly 20% run Knots) are a weak proxy for consensus because signaling is cheap, node operation can be low-cost, and Tor addresses are “effectively zero” cost to create at scale. He publishes a breakdown of reachable nodes and highlights the higher Tor-to-IPv4 ratio among Knots and BIP-110 signaling nodes as a reason to treat node-count narratives cautiously.

On mining support, Lopp says the gap is more straightforward. At the time of publication, he writes miner signaling was “precisely […] zero,” and he cites public opposition from F2Pool while arguing miners have limited incentive to back a proposal that could reduce fee revenue. That point reinforces his broader thesis that BIP-110 supporters are overestimating social signaling and underestimating the role of economically significant actors in Bitcoin upgrade politics.

Lopp’s post ultimately reads as a warning that the immediate issue is not simply whether BIP-110 activates, but what the campaign reveals about where Bitcoin’s internal dispute over neutrality, censorship resistance, and block-space usage is heading. Even a failed fork push, in his framing, can still impose real costs by forcing operators and businesses to plan around low-probability but high-impact coordination failure.

At press time, Bitcoin traded at $62,791.

Bitcoin has remained under sustained pressure since losing the $70,000 level, entering a corrective phase that has gradually pushed price lower while defining a consolidation range just above the $63,000 zone. Momentum has weakened noticeably, with buyers struggling to regain control and volatility compressing as the market searches for direction. This range-bound behavior reflects a transitional phase rather than a confirmed trend reversal, as traders weigh macro uncertainty, liquidity conditions, and broader risk sentiment across digital assets.

Amid this backdrop, Bitcoin mining difficulty has recently rebounded following a brief dip. Mining difficulty adjusts roughly every two weeks to maintain consistent block production timing. When difficulty rises, it typically signals that more computational power — or hashrate — has returned to the network. Temporary drops can occur when external factors, such as weather disruptions, energy constraints, or operational shutdowns, force some miners offline.

The recent rebound, therefore, suggests renewed miner participation and sustained network resilience. Greater difficulty often indicates confidence among miners in Bitcoin’s long-term viability, as maintaining operations becomes more competitive and capital-intensive. However, it can also increase cost pressure on less efficient miners, potentially influencing short-term supply dynamics if some are forced to liquidate holdings to cover expenses.

Mining Difficulty Rebound Signals Network Resilience

The recent dip in mining difficulty was largely weather-driven rather than structurally bearish. Severe winter storms temporarily disrupted energy supply in key mining regions, forcing portions of the network’s hashrate offline. As a result, the previous difficulty adjustment registered a short-lived decline, reflecting reduced computational power securing the network at that moment.

However, the disruption proved brief. According to on-chain data, the latest adjustment reversed the drop and pushed difficulty back to new highs, confirming that miners rapidly restored operations. Network hashrate has rebounded toward its prior range, signaling that the infrastructure impact was temporary rather than systemic. Block production times, which had briefly slowed, normalized quickly as computational power returned.

This rebound carries structural implications. Mining difficulty rising after a shock indicates that capital remains committed to the network despite price weakness below $70,000. It also suggests that the broader mining ecosystem retains operational resilience, even under adverse conditions.

At the same time, greater difficulty increases production costs, particularly for less efficient operators. If Bitcoin’s price remains compressed near the $63,000–$65,000 range, margin pressure could intensify for high-cost miners. Nonetheless, the swift recovery in difficulty reinforces the view that network fundamentals remain intact despite short-term volatility.

Bitcoin Tests Key Support As Downtrend Pressure Persists

Bitcoin’s weekly chart shows a clear deterioration in momentum after losing the $70,000 level, with price now consolidating near the $63,000 zone. The structure reflects a sequence of lower highs since the late-2025 peak above $120,000, indicating that sellers remain dominant despite intermittent stabilization attempts.

Technically, Bitcoin is trading below the 50-week and 100-week moving averages, both of which have shifted from support into dynamic resistance. This configuration typically signals a transitional or corrective phase rather than a confirmed bullish continuation. Meanwhile, the 200-week moving average — currently much lower — remains the long-term structural support reference.

Volume patterns also suggest caution. Selling activity increased during the latest decline, pointing to distribution rather than simple low-liquidity drift. However, recent candles show some compression in volatility, implying that the market may be attempting to establish a short-term base around current levels.

From a structural perspective, the $60,000–$63,000 region now acts as immediate support. A sustained break below it could expose deeper retracement zones toward the mid-$50,000 area. Conversely, reclaiming the $70,000 threshold would be necessary to restore bullish momentum and shift sentiment toward recovery.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

Market jitters over a futuristic risk met a calm reply this week. Some voices warn that quantum machines could one day threaten the keys that protect Bitcoin and other cryptos. Other leaders say the danger is distant and that systems can be fixed well before disaster strikes.

Saylor’s View On Timing And Response

According to a recent interview, Michael Saylor argued that a true quantum threat is probably more than 10 years away and that the tech world would notice any real leap in time.

He said upgrades would follow naturally when a credible danger showed up. His point: the same signals that warn banks and cloud providers would also alert the crypto sector.

Strategy has acquired 592 BTC for ~$39.8 million at ~$67,286 per bitcoin. As of 2/22/2026, we hodl 717,722 $BTC acquired for ~$54.56 billion at ~$76,020 per bitcoin. $MSTR $STRC https://t.co/jSQroB4LnE

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) February 23, 2026

Strategy’s Holdings And Industry Signal

Strategy remains heavily invested in Bitcoin, and that context matters when a company leader downplays a remote risk. The firm has been buying and holding large amounts of the asset for years, a fact that shapes how comments are framed.

Markets may react to tone as much as to facts. A calm remark from a high-profile buyer can soothe some traders, while others will want hard timelines and technical road maps.

Where Caution Comes From

Reports say that not everyone agrees with a distant-timeline view. Vitalik Buterin has urged more urgency, citing probability models and scheduling a faster push toward quantum-safe tools.

The Ethereum Foundation has added post-quantum work to its security plans, showing a shift from talk to action in parts of the industry. That split is worth noting: some groups are preparing now, while others expect more warning.

The Technical Middle Ground

Quantum computers threaten certain math problems that underpin signatures and keys used across the internet. Breaking a private key would let an attacker move funds from exposed addresses.

But two points matter: first, not all addresses reveal the same information; second, moving an entire system to new algorithms is slow and social as much as it is technical.

A staged upgrade is possible. It would take years of testing, broad software updates, and coordination among node operators, wallet makers, exchanges, and regulators.

What Investors Should Watch

Watch for clear signals, not headlines. Evidence could show up as public research breakthroughs, large-scale error-corrected machines appearing in labs, or coordinated alerts from government agencies and major tech firms.

“You’ll see it coming. We’ll all see it coming,” Saylor said.

Bitcoin’s software, he pointed out, is designed to change over time, with nodes and hardware capable of upgrading in reaction to emerging threats.

Featured image from Vecteezy, chart from TradingView

The founder of Capriole Investments has highlighted how Bitcoin is currently facing the most net selling pressure from institutions in history.

Bitcoin Is Observing An Exit From Institutional Entities

In a new post on X, Capriole Investments founder Charles Edwards has discussed the latest trend in the behavior of institutional entities on the Bitcoin network. To gauge institutional activity, Edwards has used the spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and treasury companies as a proxy.

Spot ETFs are investment vehicles that trade in traditional markets and allow for indirect exposure to BTC. Similarly, treasury companies hold BTC on their balance sheet, making their stock price tied to the cryptocurrency’s movements. Traditional institutional entities are typically wary of blockchain infrastructure, so they tend to take one of the regulated, indirect routes into the asset.

Now, here is the chart shared by the analyst that shows how the monthly rate-of-change (ROC) in the combined ETF and treasury holdings has fluctuated over the last few years:

As displayed in the above graph, the monthly ROC for these entities has plummeted into the negative territory recently, indicating an outflow of capital has been taking place. Treasury companies alone are still just inside the positive territory, likely due to the continued accumulation from Strategy, but spot ETFs have sunk deep into the red zone.

In the same chart, Edwards has also attached the data of another indicator: Net Institutional Buying. This metric compares the combined ROC in the balance of the spot ETFs and treasury companies against the Bitcoin being mined by the blockchain’s validators.

During the January recovery, this indicator saw a brief turn to green, implying that institutional entities were accumulating faster than miners could produce new supply. With the capital exit that has occurred recently, however, the Net Institutional Buying has plummeted to a highly negative value of -319%.

Such a low level in the indicator hasn’t been witnessed before in the cryptocurrency’s history. “Most aggressive institutional net selling of Bitcoin EVER this last week,” noted the Capriole founder.

As for the reason behind this shift among institutional investors, Edwards has pointed to the Quantum threat to Bitcoin. Quantum Computing is an upcoming technology that could be used to break into old, vulnerable BTC wallets, at least in theory. The analyst published a research piece last week talking about how this risk could “discount” the value of the digital asset.

“When you consider the statistics for when Q-Day is expected to occur, the rational investor is discounting the fair value of Bitcoin by 20% today,” explained Edwards. Below is a chart that showcases how this discount will go up each year the BTC network isn’t upgraded against the Quantum threat.

BTC Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is floating around $62,300, down nearly 7% in the last seven days.

Following its continued price decline in 2026, reports confirmed that Bitcoin (BTC) had officially entered its cyclical bear market phase. The world’s largest cryptocurrency has been trading sideways for months, with analysts predicting further volatility and price declines despite its recent drop below $65,000. Amid the downturn, market expert Crypto Patel has revealed the number of days left before Bitcoin officially reaches a price bottom. 

Bitcoin Bottom May Be 253 Days Away

On February 21, Crypto Patel announced that Bitcoin’s real bottom could still be roughly 253 days away. Sharing a multi-cycle BTC Bull/Bear market chart on X, the analyst based his outlook on the depth and duration of previous bear market cycles. 

Crypto Patel’s analysis begins with the historic 2018 BTC collapse. After peaking near $20,000 in late 2017, the price of Bitcoin fell 84.22% from its all-time high. The decline spanned 396 days, forming a long red zone on the chart, before the price finally stabilized and reversed near a rising macro trendline. 

A similar pattern also occurred in the 2022 market cycle. After reaching a $69,000 peak in 2021, Bitcoin dropped by roughly 77.57%. That downturn lasted 395 days, almost identical in length to the 2018 bear market. This reinforces the analyst’s view that timing plays a critical role in determining when Bitcoin hits a bottom and its cycle resets.

The analyst’s multi-cycle chart also shows that both bear markets ended near an upward-sloping support line that guided BTC’s long-term structure. In each case, the market was dominated by extreme fear and panic as BTC’s price declined to new lows. Crypto Patel has highlighted these moments on the chart, suggesting that negative sentiment tends to peak just as the market approaches exhaustion. 

BTC Projected To Crash 68% Before Recovering

Using the 84% and 77% crashes from 2018 and 2022 as reference points, Crypto Patel projects that Bitcoin’s current bear market could trigger a smaller but still significant correction. On the right side of the chart, the analyst shows that BTC has already reached a cycle top above $126,000.  

The cryptocurrency has since pulled back from that peak and is trading slightly above $63,000 at the time of writing. Crypto Patel predicts that BTC could see another 68% decline, potentially lasting close to 395 days, matching the duration of the previous cycles’ bear market phases. If this bearish scenario unfolds, Bitcoin could hit a final market bottom around $40,000 from its all-time high. 

Following this crash, Crypto Patel expects a price recovery before an explosive rally. He predicts that BTC could surge by approximately 609.96% from the bottom level to reach $303,758. The analyst has also identified the $38,000 level as a potential support or entry zone for investors.

The broader cryptocurrency market saw a sharp drop today, and the price of XRP took a big hit, falling to the $1.35 level. After a period of downside action, current on-chain activity is weakening, which is hinting at a continuation of the current bearish environment for the leading altcoin.

A Spike In XRP Whale Transfers

XRP’s price is facing heightened bearish pressure following a sharp market pullback on Monday, capping its upward attempts. In the meantime, the activity of large holders is once again drawing attention to the altcoin’s short-term price outlook. 

According to a verified CryptoQuant author and analyst, Darkfost, these investors’ activity currently raises short-term risk for the altcoin as data shows a noticeable uptick in whale transactions and sizable wallet movements. Significant capital repositioning by major holders frequently precedes times of increased volatility, particularly in a market already dealing with brittle sentiment.

Darkfost has mainly attributed the ongoing waning of investors’ performance to Bitcoin’s sideways price action. BTC continues to range, triggering limited directional clarity in the short term. This lack of momentum is putting pressure on the broader market, with altcoins like XRP persistently underperforming in the absence of a clear trend.

In addition, this week was notably marked by a significant inflow of the token to the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance. Since the market turned extremely bearish, the platform has remained the go-to exchange for large transactions due to its robust liquidity.

Looking at the data from the chart, more than 31 million XRP were seen being moved to the exchange in a single day, particularly on Sunday. Interestingly, these inflows were primarily spearheaded by activity from the largest investor group.

Wallet addresses holding less than 1,000 XRP and 1,000 to 10,000 holders sent 6,543 and 73,630 of the token, respectively, to Binance. 10,000 to 100,000 holders transferred 2,938,809, those holding between 100,000 and 1 million move 14,236,825, and those above 1 million sent 14,494,865 XRP to the Binance platform.

When taken as a whole, this indicates a sudden potential sell-side pressure of about $45 million that needs to be closely watched. Should this selling pressure persist, the expert believes that the altcoin may struggle to recover from its ongoing correction in the near term.

Spot ETFs Have Not Lost Their Momentum Yet

Even in a volatile environment, the XRP Spot Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are still displaying momentum. Xaif Crypto, a market expert, shared on X that the newly launched funds are quietly stacking, suggesting underlying strength and confidence.

Over the past 3 months alone, Bitwise added more than $258.97 million of XRP, Franklin Templeton recorded over $329.86 million, and Canary Capital saw inflows of over $105.32 million. While the price seems uninteresting, hundreds of millions are pouring into the altcoin’s exposure. Currently, smart money is positioning early, and this activity could play a role in shaping the altcoin’s next price trajectory.

Operating within the Solana ecosystem, the platform had become a familiar tool for tracking DeFi activity before events took a sudden turn.

Step Finance’s sudden shutdown is a sharp example of how a single security failure can end a project’s life faster than many thought possible.

Reports say the team decided to stop all work after what it called an unrecoverable breach of treasury accounts. The move covers the main dashboard and several linked businesses, and token holders are left sorting out the fallout.

Security Breach Shuts Down Services

Based on reports, the treasury loss involved coins that had been unstaked and then moved off-platform. CertiK flagged that 261,854 SOL was taken during the incident, a sum worth roughly $27 million at the time.

That kind of hit is not the same as a user-level contract exploit; this was a direct blow to the group’s cash and reserves. The team explored options, including outside funding and potential sales, but did not find a deal that would keep operations running.

Today we are announcing that Step Finance, SolanaFloor, and Remora Markets will be winding down all operations.

Following the hack at the end of January we explored every possible path forward, including financing and acquisition opportunities.

Unfortunately, we were unable to…

— Step (@StepFinance_) February 23, 2026

Tokens And Teams Face Immediate Pain

The shutdown covers more than one product. Reports note that the closure extends to the analytics outlet and a lending arm that had been tied into the same corporate structure.

SolanaFloor and Remora Markets are among the units now listed as winding down. People who relied on those tools will need alternatives, and some work that tied into Solana dashboards will disappear overnight.

Today we are announcing that Remora Markets will be winding down operations, effective immediately.

All Remora rTokens remain fully backed 1:1, as they always have. We are currently working on a redemption process to allow holders to redeem their tokens for USDC, and will share…

— Remora Markets (@RemoraMarkets) February 23, 2026

Buybacks, Snapshots, And Liquidity Problems

There will be a token buyback based on a snapshot taken before the incident, the team says. Reports say holders of the native STEP token can expect a redemption plan, while Remora rToken owners will have a separate process.

Market reaction was brutal. STEP’s price fell steeply in the days after the breach and slumped further on the shutdown announcement. Liquidity that once existed around STEP has largely evaporated, making any recovery a steep climb.

Solana’s Ecosystem Loses Momentum

Reports note that overall DeFi activity on the Solana network has been shrinking since its last peak. DeFiLlama lists Total Value Locked as far lower than it was months ago. SOL itself has been weaker, trading at much lower levels than during high-flying market stretches.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Банк России и Минфин разработали законопроект, который облегчает доступ госорганов к сведениям о криптокошельках и транзакциях. Авторы документа предлагают всем частным инвесторам, желающим легально инвестировать в криптовалюту, проходить тестирование.

Performance among meme coins has been abysmal over the past few months, and the likes of Shiba Inu have suffered especially during this time. Currently sitting at over 92% lower than its all-time high levels from 2021, all hope seems to be lost for the meme coins as more than 60% of all holders have plunged into losses. However, even amid this disturbing trend, expectations still remain that the Shiba Inu price could see a reversal and move upward again.

Shiba Inu Could Hit New All-Time Highs?

In an analysis shared earlier this month, crypto analyst Shib Spain highlights the possibility of the Shiba Inu price seeing a major price increase. This comes as the meme coin has entered what looks to be an accumulation phase, after coming out of a retracement period.

With the current downtrend, the analyst expects that the Shiba Inu price is setting up a bear trap, tricking traders into thinking the price will continue to fall and then doing the reverse. If this happens, then the analyst is expecting the meme coin’s price to rise 22x from the bottom of the bear trap, sitting around $0.0000045.

A 2,200% increase from here would put the price well above its all-time high of $0.00008, setting it on a course to new peaks. Shib Spain’s chart puts the top somewhere around $0.00018, essentially double its current peak levels.

SHIB Still On Track To Recover

In the shorter term, the CoinCodex algorithm has also predicted a possible increase in the Shiba Inu price. The 1-3 month predictions show a tendency for a reversal, although the scale of this reversal seems to be severely limited in how high it could go.

Even with the Shiba Inu Fear & Greed Index reading in the Extreme Fear territory, the algorithm predicts that Shiba Inu will see a 14.26% increase in the next three months, putting it well above $0.000007. Despite this, sentiment remains incredibly bearish, and volatility is still tethering on the high side at 8.89%, the website shows.

Ethereum’s price was rocked by the market drawdown on Monday, causing it to lose the $1,900 support level once again, which has triggered speculations about its near-term market outlook. Following the pullback, investors’ sentiment is shifting towards a more cautious state, keeping its market dynamics firmly bearish.

Bearish Momentum Persists in The Ethereum Market

Just as the broader cryptocurrency environment has flipped highly bearish, Ethereum market dynamics remain strongly tilted to the downside. Some of the indications of this scenario include signs of capitulation across the leading altcoin and network.

Joao Wedson, an author and the founder of on-chain data analytics platform Alphractal, has shed light on ETH’s current market state after examining multiple metrics. Key indications, such as realized/unrealized losses and declining demand metrics, point to an increasing number of investors pulling out of positions due to pressure.

Data from Alpha AI shows that there is an increase in long positions while the Coinbase Premium Index is demonstrating a decline. The increase in leveraged longs indicates that traders are wagering that recent weakness will give way to upward momentum and are setting up for a rebound.

At the same time, on-chain data is flashing signs of capitulation. Current flows indicate defensive behavior from investors and waning conviction rather than new accumulation. Wedson also underlined other key areas and metrics that reinforce this idea of bearish market dynamics for ETH.

The first metric is the Whale vs Retail Delta, which is now showing that the retail investors are positioning heavily on the long side. The Liquidation Level Heatmap is reflecting high leverage in the system. ETH’s Open Interest (OI) has been declining, with active addresses persistently vanishing. 

On-chain volume is flashing caution as active drops, and the NUPL is currently exhibiting capitulation signals. Given these bearish signals, Wedson highlighted that the next drop could spur the formation of a base with strong probability. This implies that Ethereum might start its accumulation phase in the short term.

A Move Back To Lower Bollinger Bands

In the current market state, Ethereum’s price appears to be moving in the same direction as Bitcoin’s price. According to market analyst and investor Cantonese Cat, both cryptocurrency assets just hit their lower Bollinger Bands as they contract as support. However, the direction has not yet been determined for the Bollinger Band squeeze.

As a result, Cantonese Cat noted that bulls may want more sideways to turn the 20-day SMA flatter, which would present a better chance to flip it as support. Meanwhile, the bears would be looking for more follow-through of the current price action and for a lower low occurring soon, but it has not yet happened.

At the time of writing, the ETH price was trading at $1,826 after dropping by over 3% in the last 24 hours. Despite the waning price action, its trading volume has turned bullish again, rising by more than 29% within the same period.

Institutional investors are improving exposure to smart contract platforms amid ongoing market volatility, with Cardano (ADA) increasingly becoming a central focus. Recent portfolio adjustments by major crypto asset managers suggest long-term positioning is gaining priority over short-term price movements.

Related Reading: Strategy Makes 100th Bitcoin Purchase, Total Holdings Reach 717,722 BTC

Digital asset manager Grayscale Investments has steadily increased its allocation to Cardano’s ADA token within its Smart Contract Fund, signaling growing institutional interest in the network’s evolving ecosystem and infrastructure strategy.

Institutional ADA Allocation Expands Despite Market Weakness

Grayscale’s latest rebalancing shows ADA accounting for roughly 20.2% of the Smart Contract Platform Select Capped Index (SCPXC), up from about 18.55% at the start of the year. The increase makes Cardano the third-largest holding in the fund, behind Ethereum and Solana, which each command allocations above 28%.

The fund maintains diversified exposure across several smart contract networks, including Hedera, Avalanche, and Sui, while managing approximately $1.8 million in assets under management with a net asset value of $5.81 per share.

The rising allocation comes amid macro-driven pressure on crypto markets, with risk sentiment weakening across major tokens. Despite the downturn, institutional positioning suggests investors are reassessing long-term blockchain infrastructure plays rather than reducing exposure entirely.

Cardano-LayerZero Integration Strengthens Ecosystem Outlook

Alongside institutional accumulation, Cardano (ADA) has introduced technical developments to expand its interoperability. The network recently integrated with LayerZero, enabling cross-chain messaging and asset transfers across more than 80 blockchain networks.

The upgrade allows dApps on Cardano to interact directly with ecosystems such as Ethereum and Solana, addressing long-standing liquidity fragmentation challenges. Developers can now move assets and data across chains without relying heavily on wrapped tokens or centralized bridges, potentially widening DeFi access.

Additional roadmap initiatives, including protocol upgrades, privacy-focused sidechains, and stablecoin integrations, are designed to improve scalability and attract institutional-grade use cases over the coming year.

Price Structure Remains Fragile Near Key Support

While institutional signals have strengthened, ADA’s market structure remains under pressure. The token is trading around $0.25 after a prolonged downtrend from January highs around $0.42.

Analysts are closely monitoring the $0.24 level, a long-standing demand zone that has historically attracted buyers during periods of heavy selling.

Related Reading: CZ Eyes Binance US Expansion Following Withdrawal Of SEC’s Lawsuit – Report

Technical indicators remain cautious, with resistance forming near the $0.30–$0.31 range. A sustained move above that zone could shift short-term sentiment, while a breakdown below support may expose lower historical price areas.

Cover image from ChatGPT, ADAUSD chart on Tradingview

Крупные криптовалюты вот уже полгода падают в цене. Напряженность в мире нарастает, кредиты отказываются дешеветь, вероятность новых военных конфликтов и экономических потрясений высокая. Криптовалютные компании, как и все другие, обязаны отчитываться о своей деятельности перед акционерами. Как свежие отчеты повлияли на курс акций?

Crypto pundit Jay Nisbett has drawn attention to an important development in the XRP ecosystem that isn’t talked about enough. He further declared that this might be the most significant development for adoption at the moment. 

Pundit Highlights Key Development For XRP’s Adoption

In an X post, Jay mentioned that SBI is issuing bonds on-chain, which almost immediately gives the holder an equivalent amount of XRP. Furthermore, the company will pay interest over the next three years. The pundit added that this move is “absolutely massive” if one understands the Yen carry trade and the altcoin and the relationship between the two. 

The pundit opined that this move is effectively a “carry trade easing.” He explained that firms have been capturing a few points spread and that Japan is where this has been predominantly occurring. However, these firms are now getting squeezed. Jay believes that this is where XRP provides a way out for these firms, which would result in them owning the token. 

The pundit reiterated that these investors in SBI’s bonds receive an amount of the token equivalent to their bond purchase price. At the same time, they get a few points of interest for doing so. He acknowledged that SBI’s offering is relatively small, totaling $65 million, since it is for retail investors in Japan. 

Jay stated that he will be thoroughly surprised if this move doesn’t result in larger offerings for institutions. He added that the yen spread going down can be mitigated with bond interest of A-credit rating, with almost immediate XRP exposure. It is worth noting that the Yen carry trade continues to unwind as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) moves to hike rates. 

Why This Mechanism Works Better Than Buying The Cryptocurrency Outright

Jay stated that for institutions making an investment decision, buying XRP is risky if purely for investment. However, he noted that buying an A-rated bond that earns a couple of points of interest to offset yen inflation and receiving the altcoin in the process is objectively better than holding yen. 

The pundit also mentioned that this mechanism uses the carry trade as a distribution channel to build out liquidity. He noted that worldwide, Japan is used for its cheap Yen and repatriated primarily to the U.S. Meanwhile, Jay also highlighted how institutions could take advantage of these tokenized bonds and earn XRP. 

He stated that all places utilizing Yen credit could take advantage of these bonds, and everyone taking advantage of the world’s largest creditor nation would demand deeper liquidity pools for their associated currency. Jay stated that they could either create or join an AMM to earn yield and compound their bond interest. 

At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.32, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is reportedly preparing to reenter the digital payments arena—this time through stablecoins. 

The social media giant, which serves more than 3 billion users globally, is reportedly exploring the integration of stablecoin-based payments across its platforms, with a potential rollout targeted for the second half of 2026. 

Meta Eyes Stablecoin Comeback 

According to market expert Milk Road, Meta has issued a request for product (RFP) to outside firms capable of supporting stablecoin payment infrastructure. In practical terms, that indicates the company is seeking a third-party partner to help facilitate crypto-denominated transactions. 

For context of the company’s history with crypto, the development carries a sense of déjà vu. In 2019, Meta unveiled Libra, a proposed global digital currency that was later rebranded as Diem. 

The initiative immediately drew intense scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers. Congress summoned CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify, and mounting political resistance ultimately forced the project’s closure in 2022. 

This time, however, Meta’s strategy appears markedly different. Instead of creating its own stablecoin, the company is reportedly considering partnerships with firms that already operate in the space. Stripe has emerged as a leading candidate. 

The payments company strengthened its position in the stablecoin ecosystem when it acquired Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure platform, in late 2024. Further aligning the two companies, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison joined Meta’s board of directors in April 2025.

Major Milestone For Mainstream Adoption?

If implemented, crypto payments across WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook could meaningfully reshape how money moves within Meta’s ecosystem. 

Ultimately, Milk Road believes that users could potentially send funds across borders instantly, bypassing traditional banking intermediaries and associated fees. 

At the same time, the industry would gain exposure to a user base of more than 3 billion people—an expansion that could dramatically accelerate mainstream adoption.

Featured image from Reuters, chart from TradingView.com 

Nearly four years after one of crypto’s most destructive failures erased tens of billions of dollars in value, the collapse of Terraform Labs has returned to the courtroom.

A new lawsuit filed in a U.S. federal court accuses trading giant Jane Street of insider trading tied to the 2022 downfall of the Terra ecosystem, a case that could reshape how institutional trading activity in digital asset markets is scrutinized.

The complaint was filed by the court-appointed administrator overseeing Terraform Labs’ bankruptcy, alleging the firm used confidential information to trade ahead of key market events, avoid losses, and hasten the collapse of its algorithmic stablecoin system.

Allegations of Insider Trading During Terra’s Final Days

According to the lawsuit, Jane Street obtained material non-public information through contacts within Terraform. The filing claims that a former Terraform intern working at the trading firm helped establish private communication channels that allegedly became a source of sensitive operational details.

Central to the case is a series of transactions on May 7, 2022, days before TerraUSD lost its dollar peg. Terraform quietly removed 150 million TerraUSD from Curve’s 3pool liquidity pool, a move that had not yet been disclosed publicly. Less than ten minutes later, a wallet linked to Jane Street allegedly withdrew 85 million TerraUSD from the same pool.

The administrator argues that this timing allowed the firm to unwind large exposures and position trades before panic spread across the market. The lawsuit claims these actions intensified liquidity stress and contributed to the rapid loss of confidence that followed.

Jane Street has strongly denied the accusations, describing the lawsuit as baseless and arguing that Terraform’s own management, not outside traders, was responsible for investor losses.

Revisiting the $40 Billion Crypto Meltdown

Terraform’s collapse remains one of the defining crises in cryptocurrency history. When TerraUSD lost its peg in May 2022, its sister token Luna entered a death spiral that wiped out roughly $40 billion in market value within days.

The fallout triggered widespread liquidations and contributed to broader industry instability, later exposing weaknesses across several crypto firms.

Terraform filed for bankruptcy in 2024, while Kwon later pleaded guilty to criminal charges and received a prison sentence. The current lawsuit follows earlier legal action against another trading firm, signaling an ongoing effort to recover funds for creditors.

Broader Implications for Crypto Market Oversight

The case spotlights growing concerns about information asymmetry in markets often promoted as decentralized. Regulators have increasingly focused on trading practices, market manipulation, and the role of large liquidity providers in digital assets.

If the allegations are proven, the lawsuit could set an important precedent for how proprietary trading firms interact with crypto projects and handle non-public information. Even if unsuccessful, the legal battle reopens unresolved questions about accountability during major crypto failures.

Cover image from ChatGPT, BTCUSD on Tradingview