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While the price of Bitcoin and Ethereum is still struggling with heightened volatility in the crypto market, the balance of trading activity among the two leading digital assets is quietly shifting. This current pivot is sighted across cryptocurrency exchanges as the number of trades displaying a distinct action.

Traders Pivoting From Bitcoin To Ethereum

Amid the ongoing volatile market phase, a growing disparity has been observed among traders of Bitcoin and Ethereum, the largest cryptocurrency assets. In the report from Alphractal, an advanced investment and on-chain data analytics platform, it appears BTC traders are gradually considering ETH.

After examining the action of investors, Alphractal revealed that the number of perpetual market trades completed for BTC across major crypto exchanges has dropped drastically, which indicates a drop in short-term activity. At the same time, the number of trades for ETH has increased as the altcoin grabs a growing share of overall trade flow, signaling renewed involvement from traders and on-chain players.

According to the platform, more trades are now being processed in ETH, putting the altcoin ahead of Bitcoin in terms of traders’ conviction. This difference reveals a shifting market dynamic in which focus and liquidity are slowly shifting from the consolidation phase of Bitcoin to the growing ecosystem and use-driven activities of Ethereum.

It is worth noting that the market experienced the highest number of leveraged trades in the history of BTC between August and November. During the period, over 19 crypto exchanges, including BitMEX and HyperLiquid, recorded up to 80 million trades in a single day, marking their highest level. However, this activity has remarkably decreased, and the 7-day average is now positioned at just 13 million trades. Such a trend implies a drastic contraction in leveraged trading activity.

On the other hand, Ethereum also experienced a surge in 2025, reaching a peak of nearly 50 million trades. What is noteworthy is that the number of recent Ethereum trades is still far higher than that of BTC. Data shows that the 7-day average for ETH is about 17.5 million trades, indicating a clear divergence between the two crypto leaders.

BTC Now In A Reset Phase Following Reduced Trades

Furthermore, this demonstrates that in the perpetual futures market, BTC and ETH exhibit distinct behavioral patterns. Following the massive liquidation event in October, the market turned extremely cautious toward Bitcoin and leverage itself. 

Alphractal noted that the impact of this divergence is evident in the largest Open Interest (OI) drawdown in the history of Bitcoin. In the meantime, the platform believes that Bitcoin is currently in a reset phase. Meanwhile, it will take a long time before conditions go back to normal and institutional and whale interest resumes.

At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price was trading at $88,875, demonstrating a 1.33% rise in the last 24 hours. Its trading volume has also followed suit, attracting a more than 43% increase over the same time period.

A pundit has stirred conversation in the crypto community by suggesting that XRP holders could see unprecedented wealth, potentially reaching millionaire or billionaire status. He cites the evolving crypto regulatory landscape in the United States (US) and XRP’s potential to play a significant financial role in the economy, which could drive strong demand and value growth for the altcoin. 

Why XRP Holders Are Poised For Extraordinary Wealth

Joshua Dalton, the founder of Triblu, an unfunded IT services company, predicted in an X post that XRP holders could become millionaires, billionaires, trillionaires, and even quadrillionaires. He stated that while Bitcoin enthusiasts, including Strategy founder Michael Saylor, may see little to no gains from the token in the future, community members are uniquely positioned to achieve extraordinary wealth. 

In his post, Dalton characterized the altcoin as a unique opportunity for financial growth, potentially surpassing what Bitcoin offers. Trading at just $1.86 compared with Bitcoin’s value of more than $88,000, XRP’s low price gives its investors a notable advantage. This affordability could prove especially beneficial to creating wealth if the cryptocurrency experiences a major price surge in the future. 

In Dalton’s case, the focus is not on price differences but on the potential impact the token could have on the US economy if it becomes a reserve currency. He argued that Bitcoin cannot serve as the official currency for the US reserves because its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, remains unknown. He also suggested that Bitcoin could potentially be controlled or operated by China, making it untrustworthy and unreliable for national financial purposes.

On the other hand, the Triblu founder noted that the government can fully trust XRP because it is operated by Ripple and entirely based in the United States. Dalton emphasized that, unlike Bitcoin, the altcoin has the capacity to address the national challenges, including the roughly $38 trillion debt crisis. He framed it as a more reliable and strategically valuable asset for the country, highlighting its capacity to support large-scale economic stability in ways that Bitcoin cannot. 

XRP’s Potential Amid Evolving US Regulations

Dalton’s remarks about XRP being a better reserve currency than Bitcoin for the US come amid evolving regulatory developments in the country. In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a national reserve for Bitcoin and other altcoins, fueling rumors that the token could be included in the reserve. 

Additionally, this year, the US House of Representatives has passed multiple crypto-related bills, including the CLARITY ACT, GENIUS ACT, and the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act. These legislative measures are expected to positively influence the regulatory landscape for cryptocurrencies, potentially fostering wider adoption, increasing investor confidence, and creating a more stable environment for digital assets. 

This is particularly significant for XRP, especially following the resolution of its legal battle with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which has strengthened its legitimacy and growth prospects.

The XRP Ledger (XRPL) continues to evolve as Ripple pushes forward with new technical upgrades to strengthen network reliability, expand future use cases, and improve overall network performance. A recently released amendment report highlights several key developments that investors may want to track closely, as these could spark significant changes for the network by 2026. 

Upcoming XRP Ledger Developments

Ripple rolled out the XRPL version 3.0.0 earlier this month, introducing five new amendments currently under review by validators. These proposed changes directly address issues related to price-oracle sorting, token-escrow accounting errors, missing ledger-entry files, Automated Market Maker (AMM) rounding issues, and more. 

Investors are paying close attention to these amendments, as they directly affect asset pricing, accounting, and tracking on the XRP Ledger. These areas can also influence risk assessment and confidence among market participants.

The five active amendments in Rippled 3.0.0, currently open for voting by January 2026, include:

• fixAMMClawbackRounding
• fixIncludeKeyletFields
• fixMPTDeliveredAmount
• fixPriceOracleOrder
• fixTokenEscrowV1

Firstly, the fixAMMClawbackRounding amendment resolves an accounting issue that can occur during AMM clawback transactions involving the final Liquidity Provider (LP) token holder. Previously, rounding errors could create mismatches between AMM balances and trust lines. The newly proposed update ensures these balances remain aligned, allowing invariant checks to function correctly. 

The second amendment, fixIncludeKeyletFields, adds missing identifying fields to several ledger entries. This includes escrow and payment channel sequence numbers, owner fields for signer lists, and document IDs for Oracle entries. The update makes it easier to reference and manage objects within the XRP Ledger. 

The fixMPTDeliveredAmount amendment restores missing DeliveredAmount metadata for direct Multi-Purpose Tokens (MPT) payment transactions. While payments already deliver the correct amounts, the added metadata from the proposed update makes it easier for investors and developers to see and verify what was actually delivered.

To ensure more reliable price data, the fixPriceOracleOrder amendment addresses inconsistencies in how asset pairs are ordered in price oracle entries. By enforcing a consistent order, the change allows applications and users to look up asset prices seamlessly. 

The final amendment, fixTokenEscrowV1, aims to improve accounting accuracy. It corrects an error affecting MPT escrows that include transfer fees. The update ensures that issuer-locked balances and the total supply are reduced by the correct net amounts when escrowed tokens are unlocked, improving the transparency of XRPL. 

XRPL Plans New Institutional Lending Protocol By 2026

Edward Hennis, a software engineer at Ripple, has announced an upcoming XRPL Lending Protocol that is set to transform on-ledger lending. According to Hennis, the protocol will offer fixed-term, fixed-rate, and underwritten credit designed for institutions. 

In his post on X, the Ripple engineer revealed that each loan on the ledger will operate within a Single Asset Vault that isolates risks and allows either private or public contributions. He stated that the protocol is expected to be available for voting by January 2026. Hennis also revealed that Market Makers, PSPs, and fintech lenders will be able to access XRP and RLUSD for a range of institutional use cases through the upcoming lending protocol.

Ongoing volatility across the cryptocurrency market continues to hamper XRP from posting a rally, as recent upward attempts face significant resistance at the $2 price level. However, this persistent downward trend has not entirely crushed the sentiment of investors, especially whale holders.

Large Holders Of XRP Are Stepping Back In

XRP has been in a downward trend for the past few weeks due to a market drawdown in October. After several weeks of subdued price performance and failed upward attempts, key investors are beginning to exhibit positive sentiment towards the leading altcoin.

As observed in the report from Steph is Crypto, a market expert and trader, large investors, also known as whale holders, are making their presence felt once again. Despite the ongoing bearish action of the XRP’s price, there is a steady resurgence in accumulation among the cohort.

While this shift signals growing confidence of deep-pocket investors, it also suggests that they are likely repositioning themselves in anticipation of a broader market move upward. When whale investors start to buy again, it often precedes upward spikes, which raises the question of whether the accumulation could serve as the foundation for the altcoin’s next major direction.

According to the expert, the renewed buying pressure is triggered by large investors holding between 100 million XRP and 1 billion XRP. After days of significant adoption from the group, the total number of coins held by them grew from 8.11 billion to 8.23 billion XRP, valued at approximately $150 million.

A similar resurgence in sentiment and investor activity is also observed among those holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP. Data from the chart shows that these investors now hold about 10.90 billion compared to the 10.88 billion a few days ago. 

Despite large investors buying again, Steph is Crypto believes that the renewed accumulation is more of a cautious move than a bullish move. However, should the trend continue over the following days or weeks, the altcoin may attract enough momentum for an upward move.

Nearly Half Of The Supply In Loss

With XRP’s price declining and trading below the $2 mark, a lot of coins are starting to show major losses. According to on-chain data, the profitability of holders has sharply declined amid the ongoing bearish phase. In a previous post, Steph is Crypto highlighted that nearly 50% of the altcoin’s total supply is now underwater, suggesting a shift in attitude where patience and selectivity are replacing optimism.

The chart shared by the expert shows that the share of XRP supply currently in profit has dropped to 52% following weeks of consistent declines. While nearly half of the total supply held by investors is sitting at a loss, this development increases the risk of panic-driven selling pressure during periods of weakness, as seen in the past. 

However, this cooling in profitability often marks a pivotal phase, as it could still act as a trigger for a notable rally in the upcoming days or weeks. According to the expert, the last time profitability dropped to this level was in November 2024, just before a major upside expansion.

Developers on Ripple’s XRP Ledger (XRPL) have revealed progress on making the network quantum-resistant. This comes as some Bitcoin advocates and developers downplay the imminent risk posed by quantum computing, stating that it is unlikely to be a concern anytime soon. 

Ripple’s XRP Ledger Works On Quantum-Resistant Code

In an X post, Ripple’s XRP Ledger validator Vet revealed that developers are already working on quantum-resistant code on the network. This came as he drew attention to a fully quantum-proof XRPL, including consensus, which is currently in testnet. This marks progress for the network, even as it achieves something that networks like Bitcoin still lag on. 

Vet indicated that creating a quantum-proof XRP Ledger is likely to come with some disadvantages for the network. He stated that one of the downsides of these encryptions is the size of the signatures. He shared a video showing that transaction signatures for payment on the quantum XRPL are much longer than on the XRPL mainnet. 

Vet’s post followed the revelation by XRPL Labs engineer Dennis Angell that the AlphaNet, the developer network for XRPL, is now fully quantum-secure. Angell mentioned that the testnet now has quantum consensus, quantum accounts, quantum transactions, and dilithium cryptography. He further remarked that they had added native smart contracts while declaring that the quantum-resistant future of blockchain is live. 

Notably, this move comes as Ripple and the XRP Ledger look to onboard more institutions onto the network. Concerns about quantum computing are on the rise, with Bitcoin in the spotlight at the moment, as developers have yet to make meaningful progress on making the flagship crypto quantum-resistant. 

Following the XRP Ledger’s progress on making the network quantum-resistant, crypto pundit Jenna questioned the possibility of Bitcoin investors selling their BTC because it’s not quantum-resistant and then buying XRP because it is safer. Another pundit, Mickle, also noted how the XRP Ledger is already pretty much quantum-proof while Bitcoiners argue over whether quantum computing is real or not. 

Why Working Towards Quantum-Resistant Transactions Matters

In an X post, crypto pundit Sandip noted that blockchains such as Bitcoin, XRP Ledger, and Ethereum rely on ECDSA cryptography. This puts them at risk, as a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could theoretically break them in the future. He then remarked that testing this early ensures the network is future-proofed against the time when quantum computers become powerful enough to break these networks.

Meanwhile, Sandip explained that these XRP Ledger developers are testing optional and upgradeable signature schemes. This will ensure that wallets and validators can later support post-quantum keys. It also enables a smooth migration before quantum risk becomes real. The pundit added that this is long-term infrastructure planning, not price manipulation, as it puts the XRPL ahead of many competitors, including Bitcoin. 

Venture capitalist Nic Carter, who has been very vocal about the quantum risk to Bitcoin, has explained why it is important to start preparing against this risk from now. He highlighted how there are several decisions to be made and processes to be taken if developers are to successfully make the flagship crypto quantum-resistant. 

Trust Wallet says a “security incident” hit only one slice of its product stack: the Chrome browser extension on version 2.68. If you are a mobile-only user, the company says you’re not affected. If you are on any other extension version, the company says you’re not affected either. The problem, per Trust Wallet’s own wording, is tightly scoped, even if the fallout doesn’t feel that way when you’re staring at an emptied address.

The first public flare went up on Dec. 25 via on-chain investigator ZachXBT, who posted a Telegram warning that “a number of Trust Wallet users have reported that funds were drained from wallet addresses within the past couple of hours.”

He stressed that “the exact root cause has not been determined,” then pointed out an uncomfortable coincidence: “the Trust Wallet Chrome extension pushed a new update yesterday.” In the same message, he asked victims to DM him on X so he could “update the list of theft addresses below as I verify more,” and he began publishing alleged theft destinations across multiple chains. His list included multiple EVM addresses and a Solana address.

NEW: @zachxbt SAYS “A NUMBER OF TRUST WALLET USERS HAVE REPORTED THAT FUNDS WERE DRAINED FROM WALLET ADDRESSES WITHIN THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS”

SOURCE: https://t.co/4shDweZnJF pic.twitter.com/MkbQWZKGCc

— DEGEN NEWS (@DegenerateNews) December 25, 2025

Trust Wallet Confirms The Hack

The wallet firm later confirmed the incident on X. “We’ve identified a security incident affecting Trust Wallet Browser Extension version 2.68 only. Users with Browser Extension 2.68 should disable and upgrade to 2.69,” the company wrote, linking users to the official Chrome Web Store listing.

It added: “Please note: Mobile-only users and all other browser extension versions are not impacted.” The post closed with the kind of line every security team ends up typing sooner or later: “We understand how concerning this is and our team is actively working on the issue. We’ll keep sharing updates as soon as possible.”

Then the guidance got more urgent, and more specific. Trust Wallet warned users who hadn’t updated to 2.69: “please do not open the Browser Extension until you have updated. This may help to ensure the security of your wallet and prevent further issues.”

We’ve identified a security incident affecting Trust Wallet Browser Extension version 2.68 only. Users with Browser Extension 2.68 should disable and upgrade to 2.69.

Please refer to the official Chrome Webstore link here: https://t.co/V3vMq31TKb

Please note: Mobile-only users…

— Trust Wallet (@TrustWallet) December 25, 2025

In a follow-up, it spelled out a step-by-step that boils down to: don’t open the extension, go to Chrome’s extensions page for Trust Wallet, toggle it off if it’s still on, enable Developer mode, hit “Update,” and confirm you’re on version 2.69 before doing anything else. It’s not glamorous, but it’s actionable, which is what matters when you’re in incident mode.

As the claims and counterclaims swirled, cybersecurity firm PeckShield put an early dollar figure on the damage. “The Trust Wallet exploit has drained >$6M worth of cryptos from victims,” PeckShield wrote, adding that while about “~$2.8M of the stolen funds remain in the hacker’s wallets (Bitcoin/EVM/Solana), the bulk – >$4M in cryptos – has been sent to CEXs,” with a breakdown of “~$3.3M to ChangeNOW, ~$340K to Fixed Float, & ~$447K to Kucoin.”

One more pressure point surfaced quickly: compensation. ZachXBT said, “I currently have many concerned victims contacting me via DM so can your team please clarify if you will be offering any compensation for Trust Wallet Browser Extension users.” Trust Wallet did not answer that directly in public. Instead, it replied that its customer support team was already in touch with impacted users regarding next steps and directed people to reach out via its support channel.

So what should users do now, in plain terms? If you are on extension version 2.68, Trust Wallet’s instruction is to stop using it as-is: disable it and upgrade to 2.69 before you open it again. If you think you were affected, the company is routing users to support, while independent investigator ZachXBT is asking for reports to help map theft flows.

UPDATE: Binance founder Changpeng Zhao confirmed via X that user will be compensated for the hack. “So far, $7m affected by this hack. Trust Wallet will cover. User funds are SAFU. Appreciate your understanding for any inconveniences caused. The team is still investigating how hackers were able to submit a new version,” Zhao wrote today.

At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $2.95 trillion.

According to a report by liquidation tracker CoinGlass, cryptocurrency derivatives trading hit roughly $85.7 trillion in 2025, an average of about $264 billion a day. That surge put derivatives back at the center of crypto activity and left a clear imprint on markets worldwide.

Market Concentration And Exchange Share

Binance handled roughly $25 trillion of that volume, or about 29% of global derivatives trading. OKX, Bybit and Bitget each posted between $8 trillion and $10 trillion, and the four of them together controlled about 62% of the market.

Based on reports, that level of concentration means a handful of platforms still drive most of the action, and any major hiccup at one of them can ripple through other venues fast.

Crypto: Institutional Pathways Expanded

Trading moved beyond retail bets. Spot ETFs listed in the US, options desks and compliant futures helped mainstream venues such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange gain ground. The CME had already overtaken Binance in Bitcoin futures open interest in 2024, and it consolidated that position through 2025.

More institutions started using derivatives for hedging and basis trades rather than pure speculation. That change pushed pricing patterns to look more like traditional markets, even as new risks built up under the surface.

Open Interest And Market Swings

Open interest began the year near a low of about $87 billion after a broad round of deleveraging in the first quarter. It then climbed through the middle of the year and reached a record $236 billion on October 7.

An abrupt reset in early Q4 wiped out more than $70 billion in positions — roughly one-third of the open interest at the time. Even after that shock, year-end open interest stood at $145 billion, a 17% rise from where the year began.

Bitcoin Price Action

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s price has yet to breach the $90k level, trading at $89,950 at the time of writing. US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs, on the other hand, recorded net outflows, weakening what some had called the institutional bid. A record-sized Bitcoin options expiry landed on Friday, Dec 26, and several analysts argued it kept price pinned in a tighter band — at least for a while.

Sentiment gauges stayed on the gloomy side, with many investors showing caution despite broader product access and more regulated routes to trade.

Forced Liquidations

Total forced liquidations across the year were estimated at about $150 billion. A big portion of the pain came on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, when more than $19 billion was erased in just two days.

The data for 2025 shows a market that has grown in size and in institutional involvement, while also carrying structural tensions. Trading volumes and product variety have increased, but so have the paths that can transmit shocks.

Featured image from FXLeaders, chart from TradingView

Changpeng “CZ” Zhao pushed back after a screenshot showing bitcoin at roughly $24,111 on Binance went viral on X, arguing the move was a microstructure glitch on a thin, newly listed BTC/USD1 pair rather than a broader market crash and that the exchange itself “is NOT involved in trades.”

Did Bitcoin Really Crash To $24,000?

The sharp wick appeared isolated to BTC/USD1, a market quoted in USD1, a stablecoin launched by Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial. Within seconds, the pair snapped back toward prevailing bitcoin prices above $87,000, according to exchange data cited by traders sharing the screenshot.

CZ’s explanation was straightforward: on an illiquid order book, a single aggressive order can print an extreme price before arbitrage closes the gap. “This actually shows the exchange is NOT involved in trades. Low liquidity on new pairs means one large market order can spike prices, but arbitrageurs quickly corrected it. No liquidations occurred, as this pair isn’t included in any index.”

The Binance founder shared a breakdown from Head of Business Development of Solv Protocol Catherine Chan who said the move was “a liquidity event,” not a bitcoin collapse. She tied the dislocation to a Binance-and-USD1 promotion offering a 20% fixed APY deposit deal that, she claimed, pushed users to swap USDT into USD1 and briefly drove USD1 to a premium.

“Many users swapped USDT → USD1, pushing USD1 to a 0.39% premium: huge for a stablecoin. Smart money borrowed USD1 on @lista_dao against SolvBTC or SolvBTC-BTCB smart lending markets (~0.5% APY). They either deposited USD1 directly or sold it slowly on spot to meet demand. Then someone thought: ‘Why not just sell via BTC/USD1?’ They used a market order. Problem: BTC/USD1 has very thin liquidity. That market order wiped out most buy orders, briefly causing a very low price,” Catherine explained.

“Arbitrage bots instantly bought it back,” she wrote. “No fundamentals changed. No mass liquidations.”

The episode also picked up a familiar edge of crypto paranoia. One user, Bera (@doomsdart), framed it as a coordinated signal: “Cz and Trump family are telling us what they’re gonna do to our coins. Get ready.” CZ’s reply, by contrast, suggested the opposite — that the speed of arbitrage, and the absence of cascading liquidations, is evidence the venue wasn’t “printing” a market-wide price at all.

For traders, the takeaway is less dramatic than the screenshot implied, but still relevant: new quote-asset pairs can be structurally fragile, and promotions that rapidly concentrate flow into a single stablecoin can leave unusually thin order books in their wake. In that kind of market, a single market order can create a headline before it creates a trend.

At press time, Bitcoin traded at $89,298.

US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs have shown net outflows in recent days, and that pull of money has added pressure to a market already under strain. According to CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin traded around $88,750 at the time of recent reports, down about 27% from its all-time high of $125,100 hit on Oct. 5.

Reports have disclosed that a record-sized Bitcoin options expiry landed on Friday, Dec. 26, and several analysts say that event effectively “pinned” price into a narrow range — at least until volatility returns.

Market Flows And Options Pressure

According to multiple sources, outflows from major spot ETFs removed a key support for price that helped push Bitcoin higher earlier this year. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has been in “Extreme Fear” since Dec. 12, which shows how fragile sentiment remains despite product and policy gains.

Options expiries of this size can concentrate bets and push price toward strike clusters. When those contracts roll off, the market often needs a new catalyst to move beyond the band it’s been stuck in.

Strong Fundamentals

Executives managing large Bitcoin treasuries argue fundamentals are solid even as price drops. Strategy CEO Phong Le told a podcast that the market’s long-term picture looks strong and that short-term moves “do what they do.”

“The fundamentals of the market for Bitcoin couldn’t be better this year,” Le said, pointing out that he doesn’t care too much about its short-term performance.

Reports note that Strategy’s market value relative to its Bitcoin holdings, mNAV, has fallen below 1 and sits at 0.93 according to Saylor Tracker. The company’s balance shows 671,268 Bitcoin, with an estimated value of about $58 billion. Those figures underline how a decline in spot price can quickly reshape the math for firms that hold Bitcoin on their books.

Traditional Banks Trying To Catch Up

Le and Strategy’s executive chairman Michael Saylor have been meeting with banks across the US and the UAE, based on his comments, as institutions seek how to adjust to growing client demand and new product types.

According to reports, Galaxy Digital researcher Alex Thorn had said earlier in the year there was a “strong chance” the US government would signal a formal reserve move. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a US Digital Asset Stockpile, although a fully detailed plan has not been released.

Policy Signals And Market Reaction

Policy support is a clear positive, yet markets do not always respond immediately to regulatory shifts. Signals can lower legal risk and widen access, but they do not always create instant buying. The mNAV reading below 1, plus ETF outflows and a fear reading stuck at “Extreme Fear,” shows there is skepticism about when that demand will arrive. Some players remain methodical, building dollar and Bitcoin treasuries and relying on model-based rules rather than emotion.

Based on reports and market indicators, the picture is mixed. Long-term commitments from firms and clearer policy language point to stronger structural backing. At the same time, short-term flows, options dynamics, and entrenched fear mean price can stay volatile and range-bound. Investors watching both the fund flows and policy calendar will likely decide which signal matters more next.

Featured image from World, chart from TradingView

XRP’s price has spent recent weeks moving without a clear directional breakout. The price action has been mostly bearish, but activity beneath the surface is telling a more interesting story. 

On-chain data shows XRP leaving Binance at a rapid pace, pushing the exchange’s reserves down to around 2.66 billion XRP, the lowest level recorded this year. This movement has garnered the interest of market participants because it is not reflective of the current price action of XRP. Insights from market commentator Stellar Rippler on X help explain why investors should pay attention to the netflows.

XRP Leaving Binance Means Positioning, Not Panic

Exchange netflows often give a clearer picture of market intent than short-term price movements. When reserves drop consistently, it usually reflects strategic decisions by holders. This month, XRP’s netflows are flashing signals that are worth watching closely. 

The steady decline in Binance’s XRP reserves points to deliberate withdrawals instead of emotional reactions. According to commentary shared on X by Stellar Rippler, this type of movement does not correspond with retail panic selling. 

Retail-based fear typically shows up as sudden deposits to exchanges as traders rush to exit positions. What the data shows instead is a controlled and sustained reduction in available exchange liquidity.

This pattern points to holders choosing custody outside exchanges, a behavior commonly associated with long-term allocations. Crypto history has shown that prolonged exchange outflows often occur when investors are confident in long-term demand, not when they anticipate a prolonged downward price action. 

You don’t drain liquidity before bad news. In this context, XRP’s exchange netflows suggest preparation, not speculation.

Why Falling Binance Reserves Matter For Market Structure

Binance is the largest crypto exchange in the world, meaning its XRP reserves represent the most readily available supply for a large portion of active traders. As more and more XRP continues to leave the exchange, the amount of XRP immediately available for spot trading keeps shrinking, gradually tightening liquidity even though the price has not reacted yet. 

Speaking of price not reacting, XRP’s price action has struggled over the past few weeks, repeatedly failing to hold above the $2.00 price level and spending most of the period trading lower around the $1.80 to $1.95 range. Despite this, the data shows that the weak price performance is largely due to broader market outflows across every crypto, not a surge in XRP-specific selling. 

The outflows in XRP exchange reserves are more meaningful when viewed alongside the steady inflows into Spot XRP ETFs, which are yet to record a day of net outflows since their launch. Those ETF inflows suggest institutional demand is increasing under the surface, even though it has so far been outweighed by capital leaving the wider crypto market.

Data shows Bitcoin has seen a shift in Correlation, with the cryptocurrency now being independent of Nasdaq and negatively correlated to Gold.

Bitcoin Correlation To Nasdaq & Gold Has Changed Recently

In a new post on X, CryptoQuant community analyst Maartunn has talked about the latest trend in the Correlation that Bitcoin has to the Nasdaq and Gold. The “Correlation” here refers to an indicator that basically tells us about how tied together the prices of any two given assets are.

When the value of the metric is positive, it means the price of one asset is responding to movements in the other by moving in the same direction. The closer the value is to 1, the stronger this relationship is.

On the other hand, the indicator being under the zero mark suggests a negative correlation exists between the assets. That is, the two are going in the opposite directions. The extreme level for this region lies at -1. A third case also exists for the metric, where its value becomes exactly equal to zero. When this happens, the prices don’t hold any relationship with each other whatsoever. In statistics, the variables are said to be “independent” under this condition.

Now, here is the chart shared by Maartunn that shows the trend in the Bitcoin Correlation to Nasdaq and Gold over the last few years:

As displayed in the above graph, the Bitcoin Correlation indicator was at notable positive levels for both Nasdaq and Gold in mid-2025, implying the cryptocurrency was strongly bound to traditional markets. As the year went on, however, a shift began to take shape, with the indicator declining for both assets. Today, the metric is sitting at a nearly neutral level for Nasdaq, a sign that Bitcoin is now trading independently from the US stock market.

The story is a bit different when it comes to Gold, however, as the Correlation has actually plummeted into the negative territory. With an indicator value of about -0.5, BTC can be considered to have a significant inverse relationship to Gold. Bitcoin is popularly thought of as the digital analogue to Gold’s “safe haven,” but given the latest Correlation, the cryptocurrency doesn’t appear to be behaving like one right now.

“BTC is no longer trading like a tech stock or a safe haven,” noted the analyst. “It’s carving out its own market regime.” It now remains to be seen whether the new Correlation behavior will maintain or if the cryptocurrency will face another shift soon.

BTC Price

Bitcoin has been consolidating sideways since its decline at the start of the week as its price is still trading around $87,500.

According to data from Farside Investors, institutional money flowed out of US spot Bitcoin ETFs right through the last full trading day before Christmas.

Net outflows on Christmas Eve reached a little over $175 million. That was part of a string of weak sessions: total net outflows for the prior five trading days added close to $826 million. Since December 15, every trading day closed with net selling except December 17, which drew inflows of $457 million.

Institutional Outflows

Market participants pointed to routine year-end moves as a major factor. Reports have disclosed that tax-loss harvesting — where traders sell positions to realize losses for tax purposes — has been heavy this month.

One trader on X, using the name Alek, said most selling is tied to tax reasons and may fade within a week. Traders also flagged a record options expiry on Friday as a force that can sap appetite for risk ahead of large settlements.

Pressure In US Trading Hours

Data showed downside was strongest during US trading sessions. The Coinbase Premium — a measure comparing Coinbase’s BTC/USD price to Binance’s BTC/USDT — spent much of December below zero, signaling weaker buying in the US market.

Crypto analyst Ted Pillows summed up the flow pattern, saying the US had become the biggest seller while Asia played the role of the main buyer. That split can limit how high Bitcoin holds during rallies if US demand doesn’t return.

Liquidity Inactive

Other traders contend that negative ETF flow numbers don’t mean the cycle is over. Based on reports shared on social channels, the path back usually goes price first, flows then.

Price finds a base and then flows flatten, before fresh inflows appear. In this view, current liquidity looks inactive rather than broken. That leaves room for a bounce once seasonal selling subsides.

Since early November, the 30-day moving average of US spot ETF net flows has stayed negative for both Bitcoin and Ethereum.

This means that, on average, more capital has been leaving these ETFs than entering them for several weeks in a row.

This is important because ETFs are… pic.twitter.com/qR1bMQNqxe

— BitBull (@AkaBull_) December 24, 2025

On-Chain Signals

On-chain metrics offer some comfort. Long-term holders are not rushing to sell at once. Realized gains show some profit-taking, but not the kind of extreme that marks a terminal peak. That pattern fits the idea that selling is being absorbed by other hands. If selling is near exhaustion, larger buyers could step in when ETFs turn neutral or positive.

Outlook For The Coming Months

Investors will watch ETF flows closely after the holidays. If flows move toward neutral, price could stabilize and then climb without needing huge new demand. The mix of tax selling and options-related positioning suggests some of the current weakness may be temporary. Still, traders should expect choppy moves while US buyers remain sidelined.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

A crypto analyst has raised concerns about XRP’s underperformance, citing the cryptocurrency’s prolonged consolidation at lower price levels and its failure to reclaim former highs. Despite these struggles, the analyst notes that the altcoin is still positioned around its best potential recovery level since 2022. He suggests that the cryptocurrency could be on the verge of a price rally, potentially paving the way for a recovery to new levels. 

XRP Approaches Strongest Recovery Zone Since 2022

Skipper, a crypto market expert on X, has released a new XRP update outlining the cryptocurrency’s potential recovery. He stated that the token has struggled in recent weeks, remaining stuck in a prolonged slump, marked by low trading activity and minimal price movement. Despite this sluggish performance, the analyst highlighted that the altcoin is now near its best potential recovery level since 2022.

Skipper explained that the most significant factor supporting this recovery potential is the decline in bubble risk. According to his chart analysis, XRP’s bubble risk is now at one of its lowest points in years, indicating that excessive speculation and risky bets have largely been removed from the market. He stated that this cleanup makes a sudden price crash far less likely and establishes a more stable foundation for a recovery. 

The analyst made it clear that a low bubble risk does not guarantee an immediate price rally for XRP. Instead, he explained that this low-risk environment often creates the ideal conditions for a market bottom to form.

Skipper also commented on its current dynamics, highlighting that conditions currently favor buyers waiting on the sidelines, as sellers are not aggressively driving prices lower. The analyst referenced historical performance, noting that the altcoin has often delivered stronger returns following extended periods of quiet price action. 

Another key point highlighted by the analyst is that when fewer traders are actively committed to XRP, price action becomes more responsive to positive developments. Under such conditions, factors such as improved liquidity or heightened network usage can exert a stronger influence on XRP, increasing its potential for a recovery. 

The analyst further stressed that a low bubble risk should not be confused with a promise of short-term gains. He stated that a surge should not be expected tomorrow or next week. However, he highlighted that the cryptocurrency is no longer sitting in a danger zone. 

Analyst Sets XRP Next Upside Target At $2.58

In another XRP update, market analyst Crypto King has stated that the cryptocurrency is holding firm above a critical support area around $1.85. He emphasized that a strong bounce at this support and a reclaim of the $1.98 level would signal a momentum shift for XRP. 

If the cryptocurrency breaks above this level, Crypto King predicts its next upside target is $2.58, which aligns with the Resistance 1 level on the price chart. Should bullish momentum persist, the analyst believes this could open the door to a powerful rally toward $3.18 at Resistance 2, followed by $3.66 at Resistance 3. 

It’s the holiday season, and Bitcoin (BTC) is trading downwards after plunging toward the $87,000 region. Although the cryptocurrency has struggled for months, failing to reclaim key resistance levels, a crypto analyst believes Bitcoin could still stage a major Christmas rally. As the analyst outlines a potential roadmap for this projected upswing, he cautions that a further price crash to $80,000, or even lower, remains a strong possibility. 

Bitcoin Risks Crash To $80,000

Crypto analyst RBswingtrader shared a Bitcoin market outlook on X the day before Christmas, outlining multiple scenarios that could determine whether the cryptocurrency resumes an upward trend or faces further downside. The analyst noted that smart money is currently buying Bitcoin in a new zone and also cautioned that a final price crash, potentially driven by market manipulation, could occur before a trend reversal. 

According to his analysis, Bitcoin could still decline to a fresh local low around $80,000 before strong buyers enter the market. The analyst stressed the importance of patience, viewing this potential dip as part of a broader accumulation strategy. 

He shared a chart highlighting BTC trading under a declining orange Moving Average (MA) after a sharp selloff from the $108,519 resistance zone.  The analyst noted that the cryptocurrency’s price had previously failed at the upper range and rolled over into a strong downtrend that has persisted for weeks. 

RBswingtrader further pinpointed a clear Elliott Wave structure on the BTC chart, with waves labeled from one through five, followed by an ABC corrective pattern. Wave 3 accelerated Bitcoin’s selloff, while Wave 5 appears to be developing, with downside targets still open. Multiple key support levels were also highlighted, including $87,106, $86,169, and $83,986. 

The analyst warned that a deeper breakdown from these support levels could open the door to a potential crash toward $80,427, with an extended lower target near $74,185 if Bitcoin’s selling pressure intensifies. He also plotted multiple Fibonacci retracement levels that align with the lower support zones for the BTC price.  

Notably, the volume data at the bottom of the chart indicates a large accumulation trend through December. Increased trading activity supports the view that large players are taking advantage of dips and building positions despite Bitcoin’s weak price action. 

Is A Christmas Rally Still Possible For BTC?

In RBswingtrader’s chart, a potential Christmas rally for Bitcoin was illustrated with an upward projection targeting the $108,519 region if the price recovers from its current lows. The chart indicated that growing accumulation volume this December and the Bullish Divergence in the Relative Strength Index (RSI) could support upward momentum. 

RBswingtrader also noted that reclaiming key technical levels, including the 0.5 Fibonacci Retracement near $96,690-$96,836, could support Bitcoin’s potential upward move. At the time of writing, the leading cryptocurrency is trading around $87,669. 

The Bitcoin and Ethereum prices are crashing again, with the crypto market failing to record a ‘Santa rally’ like other major assets. This comes as BTC and ETH continue to face significant selling pressure from the crypto ETFs, which are facing sustained outflows. 

Why The Bitcoin And Ethereum Prices Are Crashing

The Bitcoin and Ethereum prices are down again amid selling pressure from the BTC and ETH ETFs. According to Arkham data, BlackRock deposited 2,292 BTC ($200 million) and 9,976 ETH ($29 million) into Coinbase yesterday, likely to sell these coins. This marked the second time this week that the world’s largest asset manager had sent BTC and ETH to Coinbase in a bid to offload these coins. 

Further data from Arkham shows that BlackRock deposited 2,838.78 Bitcoin ($255 million) and 29,928 Ethereum ($91.29 million) into Coinbase on December 22. These sell-offs come as the crypto ETFs continue to record significant outflows. The BTC ETFs have seen a total net outflow of $330 million this week, while the ETH ETFs have a weekly net outflow of $11 million. 

This indicates that the institutional interest in Bitcoin and Ethereum is fading at the moment, which provides a bearish outlook for the largest crypto assets by market cap. A CoinShares report released earlier this week revealed that Bitcoin ETFs saw outflows of $460 million last week, while Ethereum ETPs saw outflows of $555 million. 

From a macro perspective, the Bitcoin and Ethereum prices have also continued to decline as the Fed looks unlikely to cut interest rates at the January FOMC meeting. The recent U.S. GDP and jobless claims reports have sparked a surge in the odds that the Fed will hold rates steady next month. 

The Bear Market Risk Is Becoming More Relevant

A CryptoQuant analysis revealed that the bear market risk is becoming more relevant based on the Bitcoin Combined Market Index (BCMI). The BCMI is said to be below equilibrium at the moment but well above historical bottom zones. This suggests that there is still more room for the BTC price to drop to the downside.  

The CryptoQuant analysis stated that from a data-driven perspective, this opens the possibility that Bitcoin is transitioning into a bear phase and not just experiencing a pullback. If history repeats itself, BTC is expected to form a more durable bottom if the BCMI revisits the 2019 to 2023 levels. The analysis added that this is a scenario worth considering, as at this stage, the market appears to be in a downward transition rather than a completed reset. 

Related Reading: Major Ethereum Metric Just Hit A New All-Time High – Can Price Reclaim $3,000?

At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $87,700, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

A new report from CoinGlass has shed light on the annual numbers related to the crypto derivatives market for the year 2025.

Crypto Averaged $400 To $500 Million Liquidations Every Day

CoinGlass has released a new annual crypto derivatives market report, carrying insights about how the sector changed in 2025. When it comes to the derivatives market, one thing that stood out in the year was the infamous liquidation squeeze that occurred back in October.

The massive liquidation event occurred on October 10th, as Bitcoin crashed just a few days after setting a new all-time high (ATH) above $126,000. The combined short and long derivatives flush hit the $19 billion mark alongside the volatility, which is the largest single-day liquidation squeeze in the sector’s history.

Below is a chart that shows all the liquidation events of 2025, putting into perspective just how big the October 10th round was.

In total, the nominal value of crypto liquidations exceeded the $150 billion mark in the year, implying an average of $400 to $500 million liquidations occurred every day.

Many of these liquidation events had limited impact on the market structure, however, as the report explained:

On the vast majority of trading days, the scale of long/short liquidations remained within the range of tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, primarily reflecting daily margin adjustments and the clearing of short-term positions in a high-leverage environment.

Naturally, among the events that did have effects beyond the short-term, the clearest example was the October 10th deleveraging. The actual scale of this event may have been even larger than $19 billion, as CoinGlass noted:

When factoring in the disclosure timing of certain platforms and feedback from market makers, the actual nominal liquidation scale likely approached $30–40 billion, representing a multiple of the second-highest event in the previous cycle.

Longs were the party affected the most by the derivatives squeeze, with approximately 85% to 90% of the positions involved in the event being bullish crypto bets.

The derivatives trading volume on the centralized exchanges also responded to the volatility, assuming a value significantly above the average.

From the above chart, it’s visible that the crypto derivatives volume surged to $748.3 billion alongside the October 10th deleveraging, nearly three times the average of $264.5 billion for the year.

Unlike the liquidation map, though, where October 10th stands out as the clear spike, there were other big spikes in the volume throughout 2025 that broke above the average (represented by the dashed orange line). “This reflects that during phases of market acceleration, derivatives have become the core battlefield for price discovery and leveraged speculation,” said the report.

In total, 2025 saw a whopping $85.70 trillion in crypto derivatives trading volume.

Bitcoin Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $88,200, up over 2% in the last week.

Evernorth’s decision to build one of the largest known XRP treasuries has become one of the most closely watched institutional crypto experiments of 2025. What began as a high-conviction accumulation strategy has since evolved into a stress test of timing, volatility management, and long-term positioning in a market that has repeatedly punished short-term optimism.

A High-Conviction XRP Treasury Meets Market Reality

Evernorth accumulated approximately 388.7 million XRP between late October and late December 2025, deploying capital aggressively as XRP traded in a strong uptrend. At its peak, the position was valued at roughly $947 million and briefly generated a gain of about $71 million. This early performance reinforced the thesis that institutional-scale XRP exposure could deliver meaningful upside if market momentum held.

However, that momentum did not persist. As XRP’s price slid from the $2.60 region toward the $1.80 range, Evernorth’s treasury position moved decisively below its aggregate cost basis. What was once a profitable allocation quickly turned into a substantial unrealized drawdown. By late December, the paper loss had expanded to roughly $220–225 million, according to on-chain and price-based estimates.

Importantly, this outcome was not driven by forced selling or liquidation. The losses remain unrealized, meaning Evernorth has not exited its position. Instead, the situation reflects a classic mark-to-market recalibration, where exposure size and price volatility intersect unfavorably. Moreover, a chart shared by market watcher JA_Maartun in relation to Evernorth’s treasury illustrates a clear progression, with early profit zones giving way to sustained loss territory as XRP’s price trend weakened over time.

What Evernorth’s Performance Signals For Institutional Strategy

Beyond the headline loss figure, Evernorth’s 2025 performance highlights several structural realities about institutional crypto exposure. First, concentration risk is non-trivial. A treasury strategy centered on a single volatile asset amplifies sensitivity to short- and medium-term price swings, regardless of long-term conviction. Even disciplined accumulation can be undermined by unfavorable macro and market timing.

Second, Evernorth’s experience underscores the disconnect that can exist between price action and broader institutional interest. While the altcoin’s spot price declined, XRP-linked exchange-traded products reportedly continued to attract steady inflows, pushing total ETF-held XRP value to around $1.25 billion. This divergence suggests that some institutional participants are expressing exposure through structured vehicles rather than direct balance-sheet holdings, potentially mitigating volatility risk.

In practical terms, Evernorth’s XRP treasury has so far delivered a sobering outcome in 2025: large-scale exposure, significant paper losses, and heightened scrutiny. Yet, the case reframes how success and failure are measured in crypto treasury strategies. The current unrealized loss does not automatically invalidate the strategy, but it does reset expectations. The ability to withstand prolonged drawdowns without triggering exits will determine whether this treasury move is remembered as a misstep or a long-duration bet that simply endured early turbulence.

The Ethereum (ETH) network is gearing up for a key year ahead, with significant upgrades in the pipeline that promise to enhance its functionality and efficiency. Among the most anticipated updates are the Glamsterdam and Hegota forks, which are integral to the developers’ roadmap for the Ethereum ecosystem.

Key Decisions Ahead For Ethereum’s Hegota Fork

Hegota aligns with Ethereum’s newly established upgrade schedule, which aims to facilitate smoother, incremental updates twice a year. 

Hegota is distinctive as it effectively merges two critical components of Ethereum’s architecture: the execution layer, known as “Bogota,” and the consensus layer called “Heze.” 

A pivotal decision for the Hegota update is selecting the key feature that will take center stage. Developers are expected to make this choice in early 2026, and front-runners such as Verkle Trees and state/history expiry are currently under consideration. 

While these terms may seem technical, they focus on a pressing issue: Ethereum’s data storage is becoming excessively large and resource-intensive.

The continuous influx of transactions, non-fungible token (NFT) mints, decentralized finance (DeFi) trades, and memecoins has contributed to Ethereum’s “state,” which is the live database maintained by nodes. 

During a recent call discussing the urgency for Hegota, the need for action became clear. As ETH approaches its target of 180 million gas by late 2026, the current Merkle Patricia tree structure will struggle to support the network’s demands. 

The Path Forward

The integration of Verkle Trees is not merely a desirable enhancement; it is essential for maintaining viable solo staking as Ethereum’s throughput is expected to triple.

The implementation of Verkle Trees and mechanisms for state/history expiry aim to compress or archive older data, preventing the city hall from collapsing under the weight of paperwork. 

Reports suggest that if developers can execute these changes effectively, Ethereum will become more streamlined and better suited for an influx of new users in DeFi, NFTs, and gaming applications.

Following Glamsterdam, which will address features such as proposer-builder separation (ePBS), access lists, and gas repricing, Hegota will further refine Ethereum’s data storage systems instead of starting the fee structure from scratch. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Dragonfly general partner Rob Hadick struck an upbeat tone on crypto’s medium-term setup, arguing that recent volatility has obscured a broader trend of adoption, especially in stablecoins and prediction markets, that he expects to accelerate into 2026.

Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Dec. 24, Hadick pushed back on the idea that crypto has entered a new “winter,” framing the year’s disappointment as a function of recency bias rather than a clean break in market structure.

“It hasn’t had a great year. But I think it’s important to zoom out,” Hadick said. “If you look at the returns for bitcoin relative to the day before the election in ’24, bitcoin is up about 26%, Nasdaq is up about 28%… even further than that two years, bitcoin’s doubled, Nasdaq is up 50%.”

Hadick emphasized he’s not trading chart patterns. “I’m not a technical investor. I’m a long-term investor. We’re a VC fund,” he said, adding that he “continue[s] to see a strong and constructive 2026.

2026 predictions are… another positive year for the industry (zoom out), especially for continued innovation in prediction markets, stablecoins and tokenized assets, and scalability and infrastructure for financial marketshttps://t.co/SIm1rCkiv9

— Rob Hadick ＞|＜ (@HadickM) December 24, 2025

2026 Crypto Predictions

Pressed on what “a good 2026” means in practice for the crypto market, Hadick tied his outlook to macro conditions and what he sees as compounding real-world usage. “For the token prices themselves—bitcoin, ethereum—there’s likely to be continued momentum,” he said. “I think from a macroeconomic perspective… we’ll have better monetary policy. And then we’re going to have more and more adoption of tokenized assets.”

One data point he said: “McKinsey just said that they think 3% of all cross-border payments is happening in stablecoins right now. That’s up from basically 0% a year ago,” Hadick said, adding that he expects “another tenfold increase.”

Hadick described Dragonfly as deliberately non-ideological across chains and sectors, positioning the firm less as a “bitcoin vs. ethereum” shop and more as a bet on market-structure innovation. “We invest in everybody that’s doing anything that’s interesting in tokenized digital assets,” he said. “We’re not what I would say ideological about crypto. What we are is investing in the future of innovation in financial markets.”

When the conversation turned from majors to categories, Hadick leaned into two themes: stablecoins and prediction markets. “Stablecoins I think are here to stay. I think it’s going to grow tenfold,” he said. “I think prediction markets are here to stay. I think they’re going to grow tenfold.”

On prediction markets specifically, Hadick argued the addressable market extends well beyond sports betting, despite the current overlap. He pointed to Polymarket’s growth as evidence of expanding use cases. “If you look at Polymarket volume today, they’ve gone from $50 million a month in early ’24… they’re now going to do probably about $4 billion of volume this month,” he said, adding that “only about 35% of that is sports,” putting Polymarket in contrast with Kalshi, which he characterized as “more of a sports platform because they’re infrastructure for Robinhood.”

Hadick also invoked Intercontinental Exchange CEO Jeff Sprecher’s long-running tokenization thesis to argue prediction markets may converge with broader financial infrastructure rather than remain a niche wagering product. “If you talk to Jeff Sprecher over at ICE… he’ll tell you he believes in the tokenization of all markets,” Hadick said. “I talked to him before he made the investment in Polymarket… his perspective is that this is going to be as big as ICE itself. Probably.”

He suggested the functional framing is less “bets” and more programmable risk transfer. “I talked to an insurance company maybe a month ago that was thinking about how they can hedge out risk in weather related activities,” Hadick said. “That’s just one use case… every single thing and every single market and outcome that can be put [into] a market—or really just a binary option, which is what it is.”

Ethereum Vs. Solana

Asked to pick sides in the Ethereum–Solana debate, Hadick refused the “MySpace vs. Facebook” framing. “No, they’re both Facebook,” he said, arguing the market will require multiple settlement environments if tokenization becomes mainstream. In his view, Ethereum’s advantage is where value and stablecoin liquidity already sit, while Solana’s edge is high-throughput, low-cost flow.

“Most stablecoins today are on Ethereum,” Hadick said. “Ethereum is where a large amount of… economic activity exists… but if you look at the trading volume, it’s happening more on Solana, which is more optimized for that type of transaction flow and for low cost transactions.”

Still, Hadick conceded the platform layer is not frozen. He said Dragonfly is invested in a newer chain, Monad, describing it as “trying to be a Solana killer,” and cited figures he said reflected early-stage market positioning: a roughly $2 billion valuation and a token price around $0.002.

At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $2.92 trillion.

隨著 2025 年末加密貨幣市場進入高度選擇性的強勢期，Solana 鏈上的 AI 迷因幣再次成為全場焦點。根據最新的市場監測顯示，由 AI 驅動的指標性代幣 PIPPIN 在過去 24 小時內錄得超過 35% 的驚人漲幅，市值一度逼近 5 億美元大關。這波漲勢並非單純的投機炒作，而是標誌著「AI 代理（AI Agents）」與區塊鏈技術深度融合的新趨勢。PIPPIN 作為由 BabyAGI 創辦人開發的自主 AI 實體，其成功背後隱含著市場對具備技術底蘊之另類資產的強烈渴望。

從純投機到技術溢價：AI 與 RWA 雙引擎帶動市場重估

在這一波行情中，2025 年末的市場贏家輪廓日益清晰。除了 PIPPIN 表現亮眼外，Solana 生態系中的多個項目也紛紛上揚，例如 snowball 在短時間內錄得超過 50% 的漲幅，顯示出投資者對於結合語言模型與社群互動之新型資產的追捧。同時，強調隱私與受監管金融應用的 Layer-1 區塊鏈 Canton，亦展現出穩定的機構級走勢。這反映出資金正從純粹的投機性資產，轉向更具公用價值與技術基建支撐的協議，市場參與者開始意識到，唯有具備實際解決問題能力的項目，才能在波動中保持生命力。

這種尋找「高性能基建」的資金流向，也讓敏銳的投資者開始將目光轉回加密世界的基石——比特幣。市場分析師觀察到，隨著比特幣 Layer2 技術的成熟，原本僅能作為價值儲存的 BTC，現在也能像 Solana 一樣承載高效的智能合約與 AI 應用。在這一波技術轉型浪潮中，資金正悄悄佈局具備高擴張性的比特幣生態項目，試圖在主流幣回檔時，尋找下一個具備技術溢價的投資標的。

革命性技術進場：Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) 如何重新定義比特幣 Layer2？

在眾多比特幣擴容方案中，Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) 展現了驚人的市場號召力。與傳統的 Layer2 不同，Bitcoin Hyper 引入了強大的 Solana 虛擬機 (SVM) 作為其執行引擎。這意味著它能將比特幣主網僅有 7 TPS 的處理能力，瞬間提升至數萬 TPS 的超高性能級別。透過這種技術整合，比特幣不再只是「數位黃金」，而是一個能夠支持複雜 DeFi 協議、去中心化 AI 代理與高頻交易的現代化網路。

此外，Bitcoin Hyper 採用了領先的 規範橋 (Canonical Bridge) 與 零知識證明 (ZK-Proofs) 技術。這確保了每一筆在 Layer2 進行的極速交易，最終都能安全地錨定在比特幣主網的不可篡改帳本上。對於開發者而言，Bitcoin Hyper 兼容 Rust 開發套件，讓原本在 Solana 上的優秀應用能無縫遷移至比特幣生態，這正是為何它能在短時間內吸引大量「聰明錢」湧入的核心原因。

預售金額突破 2,970 萬美元：全球散戶與巨鯨的集體狂歡

根據官方最新數據，Bitcoin Hyper 的預售活動已進入最後的衝刺階段，募資總額正式突破 2,970 萬美元。這一數字不僅代表了市場對其 L2 敘事的認可，更反映出投資者對「高性能比特幣」的強烈需求。目前的預售價格定在 $0.013475，這被視為項目正式掛牌前的最後低價入場視窗。

除了技術優勢，Bitcoin Hyper 的 經濟模型 也是一大亮點。目前平台已開放質押功能，年化收益率（APY）表現極具競爭力。數據顯示，已有超過 13 億枚 $HYPER 代幣被鎖定於質押池中，這顯示投資者普遍採取長期持有策略。

於錯過 Solana 早期暴漲紅利的玩家來說，佈局尚未正式上線、具備深厚技術護城河的 Bitcoin Hyper，無疑是優化 2026 年投資組合的最佳選擇。

如果您想在下一波比特幣生態爆發前搶占先機，可以了解更多深度解析：如何購買 Bitcoin Hyper 完整指南

Bitcoin Hyper 官方預售

結論：2026 年的贏家將屬於「技術驅動型」資產

綜觀 2025 年底的行情趨勢，從 PIPPIN 的瘋漲到實體資產代幣化的推進，訊息已非常明確：人工智慧與機構級應用已成為推動區塊鏈產業增長的核心。單純依賴情緒驅動的時代正在結束，未來屬於那些能像 Bitcoin Hyper 一樣，將頂級安全性與創新效能相結合的實力派項目。在變幻莫測的加密市場中，學會將資金配置於具備強大募資支撐與真實技術敘事的新興 L2 代幣，將是散戶在下一波浪潮中脫穎而出的關鍵策略。