A Manhattan judge modified a restraining notice to let Arbitrum DAO move $71 million in frozen Ether to Aave, while preserving terrorism victims’ legal claim on the funds.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs have logged six consecutive weeks of net inflows, the longest such streak since a seven-week run that drew in $7.57 billion in the summer of 2025.

Speechify's AI-driven text-to-speech app revolutionizes accessibility for millions, transforming reading for dyslexic and ADHD users.

The post Cliff Weitzman: Volume and leverage drive unexpected outcomes, Speechify transforms reading accessibility, and growth is an arbitrage game | 20VC appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The blockade exacerbates geopolitical tensions, impacting global trade and market confidence, with potential for prolonged economic disruption.

The post Iran blocks Strait of Hormuz, halting all commercial vessel transit appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has reacted to Flare founder Hugo Philion’s comments, in which Philion highlighted his network’s growth relative to Cardano. Notably, Flare has achieved this growth as one of the largest DeFi providers in the XRP ecosystem. 

Cardano Founder Reacts To Flare Founder’s Comments

In an X post, the Cardano founder remarked that attacking his network to get attention and media coverage is an old marketing tactic. He urged the Flare founder to update his marketing strategy and possibly try “TikTok reaction videos.” Hoskinson was reacting to an X post, in which Philion highlighted his network’s growth while criticizing Cardano. 

The Flare founder cited DeFiLlama data showing that the Cardano network has $132 million in total value locked in DeFi, while Flare has $159 million. Philion noted that the network launched in 2017, while Flare launched six years later. He added that ever since they launched, Cardano has been trying and “miserably failing” to copy their strategy. 

Philion further mentioned that the network has far lower statistics across the board in DeFi than Flare does, despite having a massive head start and a vast treasury at one point. With his network ahead now, the Flare founder declared that ADA will not win BTC. Instead, he believes that his network will win by creating a unified DeFi layer for FXRP, FBTC, FXLM, RWAs, and stables. 

The Flare network has notably gained ground in the XRP ecosystem, with Philion recently describing his network as the largest DeFi provider. CoinGecko data shows that FXRP currently has a market cap of just over $220 million, with 155 million tokens in circulation. 

Not An Attack On The Network

In another X post, the Flare founder said that he wasn’t attacking Cardano and was just simply stating numbers from DeFiLlama. However, he questioned how nothing has materially changed for ADA despite the attacks against the network in 2022. He teased the founder by asking if he would like an advance copy of Flare’s 2027 strategy, so that he could try to implement it. 

However, the Cardano founder indicated that he didn’t have time to go back and forth with the Flare founder. It is worth noting that, like Flare, Cardano aims to be the DeFi layer for Bitcoin. Hoskinson had previously said they wanted to make BTC programmable in ADA’s smart contracts. That way, market participants will be able to earn BTC yield on the network. 

The founder highlighted how this could be huge for his network, given that the U.S. government and top organizations currently hold BTC. By becoming the DeFi layer for Bitcoin, Cardano could enable companies such as BlackRock to deploy their holdings to generate yields. 

At the time of writing, the ADA price is trading at around $0.27, up over 5% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, disclosed on Friday that it has filed an application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) seeking approval for a National Trust Company charter. 

A national trust company charter would allow Payward to set up a federally regulated custody business under OCC oversight. The company said the purpose is to broaden access for institutional clients that require a federally regulated qualified custodian. 

What It Means For Kraken

In its release, Payward explained that if approved, the application would establish Payward National Trust Company (PNTC). Kraken’s parent company said it expects to serve both institutional clients and individual customers looking for regulated, trust-based custody and related services for digital assets. 

The company also stated that it plans to build on Payward’s existing infrastructure, along with its risk management, compliance programs, and regulated affiliates, positioning PNTC to deliver custody services in a secure and compliant manner.

Arjun Sethi, Co-CEO of Payward and Kraken, said the company’s long-standing view is that digital assets need robust and transparent regulation to grow responsibly. 

The executive described the national trust company model as the kind of certainty institutions look for and said the charter would help create the infrastructure required for “the next generation of custody.” 

Sethi emphasized that the effort is not about “being first,” but about getting the framework right so markets can scale with clarity, interoperability, and long-term expectations from clients as the technology matures.

Kraken’s co-CEO also linked the charter effort to Payward’s broader banking strategy. He described Kraken Financial and the work with the OCC as complementary parts of an initiative aimed at advancing a more “digitally native” financial system that is efficient and accessible. 

He pointed to Payward’s Wyoming SPDI and its Federal Reserve master account as the foundation for the company’s approach, and he said adding a national trust company would expand what Payward can offer clients.

Critics Question The OCC’s Crypto Approach

As previously reported by Bitcoinist, the OCC has conditionally approved national trust bank charters for six crypto firms: Circle, Ripple, BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Paxos. 

The last of those approvals came earlier last month, when Coinbase received conditional approval from the OCC to establish Coinbase National Trust Company. Still, the OCC’s approvals have faced criticism.

Since last year, banking lobbyist groups have pushed back against the OCC’s decision to approve crypto-related charters, arguing that the OCC is stretching the definition and historical purpose of the national trust bank charter. 

Rebeca Romero Rainey, president and CEO of the Independent Community Bankers of America, said the conditional approvals could endanger consumers and result in institutions that the OCC may not be able to manage effectively. 

She also argued that the new framework could allow stablecoin operators to access the federal banking system without the same level of capital and regulatory requirements that traditional banks must meet.

Featured image created with OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Bitcoin’s brief drop below $80,000 during the last 24 hours has exposed a more fragile market after weeks of gains, but options traders are not yet treating the pullback as the start of a deeper breakdown.

According to CryptoSlate data, the retreat erased part of a rally that had carried Bitcoin about 37% higher since early April, when traders began rebuilding exposure after a bruising first quarter. BTC has recovered to $80,360 as of press time.

Yet, a deep dive into options pricing, volatility metrics, and on-chain behavior reveals a market that is consolidating rather than capitulating.

Unlike the brutal drawdowns of the past, which were often catalyzed by macroeconomic headwinds, this week’s decline appears to be a mechanical byproduct of the cryptocurrency’s internal market structure.

With traditional equities like the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite lingering near record highs, Bitcoin’s localized weakness points to a combination of exhaustion, profit-taking, and the unwinding of over-leveraged long positions.

How Bitcoin’s market structure drove the break below $80,000

Bitcoin’s brief fall below $80,000 was driven less by a shift in macro sentiment than by pressure inside the crypto market itself.

The first source of stress came from profit-taking. After rallying about 37% from its April lows, Bitcoin pushed a large group of recent buyers back into profit, giving traders who had spent months underwater a reason to reduce exposure.

CryptoQuant data show investors realized profits on 14,600 Bitcoin on May 4, the largest one-day profit-taking event since December 2025. The Short-Term Holder Spent Output Profit Ratio, which tracks whether recent buyers are selling coins at a profit or loss, rose to 1.016 and has remained above 1 since mid-April.

That shift is significant because it shows that newer holders are no longer selling due to distress. Instead, they were selling into the market strength.

The behavior reflects the damage left by the first-quarter drawdown.

During February and March, many short-term traders held unrealized losses of 20% to 30%. April’s rebound repaired much of that damage, creating a natural exit point for investors who had been waiting to get back to breakeven or lock in a modest gain.

Meanwhile, the same pattern is visible in unrealized profits. Bitcoin traders are now sitting on an aggregate profit margin of about 18%, the highest since June 2025.

CryptoQuant said similar levels have historically coincided with heavier distribution, as traders use relief rallies to take money off the table.

Still, the selling has not yet developed into broadholder distribution. Exchange inflows remain muted, suggesting large holders are not aggressively moving coins onto centralized platforms. That limits the bearish signal from the latest profit-taking and points instead to a market digesting gains after a sharp rebound.

At the same time, the second source of pressure came from the derivatives market as Bitcoin’s early-May rally was powered by a rapid return of leverage to perpetual futures markets.

CryptoQuant data show BTC's open interest, or the total value of outstanding derivatives contracts, recorded its largest increase of 2026. The expansion was even larger than the build-up seen around Bitcoin’s 2025 all-time high.

Binance remained the center of that activity, accounting for roughly 34% of the market, with average monthly open interest reaching $2.5 billion. Gate.io and Bybit also saw elevated activity, reflecting a broader return of risk appetite across major trading venues.

That leverage helped drive the rally, but it also made the move more fragile.

CryptoQuant analyst IT Tech noted that BTC funding rates fell to -0.031% per hour between May 2 and 4, their lowest level since the post-COVID market stress in 2020. The deeply negative funding showed that traders had crowded into short positions just as liquidity was building above the market.

When Bitcoin broke through $78,600, those shorts were forced to unwind. From May 4 to May 6, about $535 million in short positions were liquidated, accelerating the move toward the $82,000 to $83,000 range.

Open interest surged from $26.5 billion to $29.1 billion during the squeeze, showing how much of the advance was driven by derivatives positioning rather than steady spot demand.

The move below $80,000 was the other side of that process.

As the squeeze faded, open interest cooled back to about $26.7 billion. That decline washed out part of the speculative buildup that had carried Bitcoin higher and reduced some of the immediate leverage risk.

Options traders shrug off the pullback

While spot markets digest the selling pressure, the options market was telling a decidedly more optimistic story. Volatility, which had been compressed to its lowest levels since October 2025, is violently repricing higher.

According to Glassnode data, this volatility surge is entirely driven by the front end of the curve. One-week implied volatility has jumped significantly from recent lows, indicating a renewed appetite for short-term optionality.

At the same time, the 25-delta skew, a metric that measures the cost difference between bullish call options and bearish put options, is aggressively normalizing. After briefly flashing a 5% premium for puts, the front-end skew is compressing back toward neutral.

The broader skew index, which evaluates the entirety of the options curve, paints an even clearer picture: downside hedges are being actively unwound, and demand for upside exposure is steadily building.

The market is effectively signaling that while traders are maintaining some baseline protection, they viewed the brief dip below $80,000 as a temporary deviation rather than a structural breakdown.

Further complicating the price action is a massive cluster of short gamma positioned near the $82,000 strike. With a total of nearly $2 billion, this concentration forces options dealers to hedge their books dynamically.

In practice, this means dealers are compelled to buy into market strength and sell into market weakness, a mechanical reflex that naturally amplifies price swings in this specific trading range.

Trading volumes support the thesis of renewed engagement. Blockscholes data shows that daily derivatives volumes, which had been languishing between $800 million and $1.2 billion, exploded to well over $4 billion during the push toward $83,000.

Despite the subsequent price drop, Blockscholes’ internal risk appetite index remains exceptionally strong, registering a +1.1720 reading.

The path to $88,000

Considering the above, the prevailing market question is whether this entire sequence marks the genesis of a sustained macroeconomic bull run or merely the final, euphoric gasp of a prolonged bear-market rally.

The answer likely lies in the behavior of cost-basis clusters.

Data from CryptoQuant shows that the age of unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs) provides a map of where different cohorts of buyers acquired their coins.

Currently, a highly bullish divergence is forming. The cost basis for the one-to-four-week holder cohort has surged from $67,000 to $76,000, recently surpassing the one-to-three-month cohort at $68,000.

In technical terms, this is a structural golden cross for on-chain sentiment. Short-term holders are the undisputed engine of market momentum.

When their aggregate position falls underwater, they generate relentless selling pressure. However, when their positions align in profit from the bottom up, they form the bedrock of a sustainable uptrend.

This foundational alignment is currently locking into place, setting the stage for the next major psychological and technical battleground: $88,000. This level represents the cost basis of the three-to-six-month holder cohort and stands as the ultimate resistance barrier.

If derivatives demand continues to absorb spot profit-taking and Bitcoin can successfully reclaim and hold $88,000, it would push every single short-term cohort into profit simultaneously.

Historically, that specific trigger has been the undeniable catalyst for a true trend reversal, turning cautious optimism into widespread retail euphoria.

The post Bitcoin briefly slips below $80,000, but options traders are betting the dip won’t last appeared first on CryptoSlate.

In a May 8 speech, SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the agency could consider a limited “innovation pathway” for on-chain trading systems in the near future.

Meanwhile, the agency will reserve formal notice-and-comment rulemaking to determine how crypto platforms fit inside the exchange definition. Atkins tied that idea directly to the SEC's handling of electronic trading in the 1990s.

The SEC spent years issuing ad hoc no-action letters as electronic trading challenged the exchange framework, then built Regulation ATS in 1998. The rule was a middle path that allowed alternative trading systems to operate as broker-dealers under specific conditions as the market matured.

The original adopting release described the framework as designed to “encourage market innovation” while preserving investor protections. Atkins is pointing at that sequence of targeted guidance first, fit-for-purpose architecture second, as a template for on-chain finance.

The two-step reading makes the speech different from generic crypto-policy rhetoric.

Atkins appears to be preparing the SEC to allow certain on-chain trading systems to operate inside the regulatory perimeter under conditions, while a longer rulemaking process settles how exchange, broker-dealer, clearing, and transfer-agent definitions apply to software-based markets.

For crypto firms that spent years facing enforcement before rules existed, that sequence would represent a genuine departure from recent agency posture.

Why on-chain markets force a new architecture

Traditional SEC rules were built around separate actors performing separate regulated functions, such as exchanges matching orders, broker-dealers routing and executing them, clearing agencies settling them, and transfer agents recording ownership.

A single on-chain protocol can perform all of those functions automatically, often within seconds, without distinct intermediaries at each step.

Applying a rulebook designed for that separation to software that collapses it produces legal uncertainty that firms and regulators alike are trying to escape, and Atkins acknowledged that friction directly.

Clean compliance requires the SEC to do more than declare existing rules apply. Some functions that appear to be exchange activity in on-chain form also resemble broker-dealer or clearing activity, or both simultaneously.

A limited pathway is intended to address this problem by giving firms a route to operate inside the perimeter before the more difficult definitional rewrites are complete.

This pathway could take the form of exemptive relief, conditional no-action letters, a pilot program, a tailored registration framework, or a registration-lite model for certain on-chain venues.

The sequence is near-term conditional access, then formal rulemaking to future-proof the framework.

The SEC has already been operating with temporary tools in this space. On Apr. 13, the Division of Trading and Markets issued a staff statement offering conditional relief to certain self-custodial crypto interfaces, calling it an “interim step” while broader regulatory questions are considered.

Between Mar. 17 and May 4, the SEC's Crypto@SEC page recorded five market structure or tokenization actions, and Atkins' speech serves as the policy frame that connects those operational moves into a coherent sequence.

Commissioner Hester Peirce pointed to specific design levers in December 2025, asking whether the SEC should tailor Form ATS for crypto alternative trading systems, revise public-versus-non-public disclosure requirements, and rethink ATS reporting in light of public blockchains.

The February FAQ clarified that pairs trading of securities and non-security crypto assets is permissible, confirmed that current ATS forms can accommodate crypto disclosures, and established that broker-dealer ATS operators may perform certain clearing and settlement functions under applicable law.

The pathway Atkins is hinting at appears to build on those components.

Bridge or funnel

The optimistic reading is that the SEC is preparing a true Reg ATS-style bridge, with formal conditional pathways for on-chain venues, purpose-built disclosure frameworks, and explicit recognition that some on-chain clearing and settlement can sit inside broker-dealer activity.

In that version, firms that have operated offshore or in legal ambiguity would have a practical route to register, disclose, and operate domestically.

The Nasdaq tokenized-securities approval, the NYSE tokenized-securities filing, and the HQLAx no-action relief are all operational evidence that the SEC can structure conditional accommodations without waiting for Congress.

Conditional accommodation and deregulation are distinct outcomes. The original Regulation ATS brought new trading venues inside the SEC's perimeter and imposed conditions on their operation.

A crypto equivalent would impose requirements on disclosure, recordkeeping, custody standards, routing transparency, and conflict-of-interest controls, with a framework built around how on-chain protocols actually function.

The practical benefit to the industry would be a compliance route built on an on-chain architecture.

The pessimistic reading is that the pathway materializes primarily for intermediated or hybrid actors, leaving autonomous protocols and decentralized systems in the same legal uncertainty they face today.

The conditional relief it offers applies only to providers that hold no customer assets, take no orders, route no transactions, execute no trades, and solicit no specific user activity. That exclusion list covers most of what makes an automated market-maker or lending protocol function.

A pathway designed around those parameters would help firms closest to the traditional broker-dealer model while doing little for parts of on-chain finance that have no obvious broker-dealer analog.

Atkins also used the speech to urge Congress to send the CLARITY Act to President Donald Trump's desk, and the legislative backdrop helps explain why SEC action carries independent weight.

CLARITY Act faced a February stalemate over stablecoin rewards provisions, an April push from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and a May 1 deal on a key provision that may restore Senate momentum.

That stop-start trajectory means the SEC must act with its own tools while Congress negotiates, and Atkins said in January that statute alone leaves operational questions for the agency to answer.

His FTX reference closed the political argument, noting that regulatory voids displace risk offshore, leaving American investors exposed.

FTX operated outside the US, yet American customers still lost money. A domestic pathway brings activity inside the system before the next structural failure makes the gaps undeniable.

The speech is best taken as a marker that the SEC appears to be moving from a classification argument about crypto fitting the old rulebook to a design exercise about what conditions a bridge for on-chain venues would actually require.

The post The SEC looks at a 1990s fix for crypto markets to allow true “innovation pathway” appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Chainlink (LINK) climbed 15.27% over the past week to an intraday peak of $10.6, marking its highest price in more than three months. 

At press time, the altcoin traded at $10.48, up 6.38% over the past 24 hours. The rally coincides with shrinking exchange reserves and a sharp uptick in social media chatter.

Why Is Chainlink Price Up? 

According to Santiment, roughly 13.5 million LINK, about 10.5% of exchange-held coins, have been withdrawn over the past five weeks, pointing to accumulation. Social volume has simultaneously surged to a three-month high, suggesting renewed trader attention is converging with shrinking sell-side liquidity.

“Crypto’s 15th largest market cap has had a resurgence in discussions across social media throughout this week, and this has likely contributed to this mini breakout,” the post read.

Whale holdings further corroborate the accumulation trend. Wallets holding between 1 million and 10 million LINK increased their holdings from 265.02 million to 288.04 million LINK over the past 30 days. That marks a 23-million-token increase, or 8.7%.

Wallets with 100,000 to 1 million LINK added another 9.83 million coins. Their stash rose from 163.08 million to 172.91 million tokens during the same period.

Combined, these two cohorts absorbed roughly 32.85 million LINK in one month. Their holdings expanded by 7.7%, reflecting consistent buy-side conviction from larger wallets.

Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens

LINK Outlook Remains Bullish

Several traders see further upside from the current breakout zone. Trader Quinten Francois flagged the altcoin’s breakout from the multi-year pennant in a post on X.

Trader Clifton highlighted that LINK’s daily chart is forming a descending broadening wedge. He noted measured targets that point to potential gains of 100% to 150% from breakout zones.

“A strong upside breakout from the upper trendline of this wedge, supported by a momentum candle and rising volume, could trigger a powerful bullish rally. Measured targets suggest potential gains of 100-150% from the breakout zone,” the analyst wrote.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights

The post Chainlink (LINK) Hits 3-Month High: What’s Driving The Rally? appeared first on BeInCrypto.

The share of profitable Pump.fun traders climbed to 73.28% in April 2026, the fourth consecutive month above 50%. CoinGecko data shows the metric has more than doubled from its low of 30.08% in June 2025.

Profitable wallets had collapsed steadily through 2025 as retail traders absorbed heavy losses on Solana meme coins.

Pump.fun Wallets Stage Historic Profitability Comeback

Pump.fun launched on Solana in January 2024 and quickly became the dominant meme coin launchpad. By late 2024, monthly active wallets had grown into the millions. Most of those traders walked away with realized losses each month.

Profitable traders accounted for less than 50% of active wallets each month from June 2024 through December 2025. The metric hit a low of 30.08% in June 2025. That month, roughly 70% of them booked monthly losses.

Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens

The trend changed in January 2026. The share of profitable traders climbed from 50.08% that month to 73.28% by April.

“While we cannot conclusively explain this reversal, we hypothesize it reflects a natural exodus of unprofitable traders from the platform. This is supported by the continuous decline in monthly active wallets from its peak of 5.2M in May 2025 to 1.8M in December 2025,” CoinGecko researcher Loke Choon Khei wrote.

Modest Gains Dominate the Comeback

In April 2026, 3.14 million active wallets transacted on Pump.fun. Of those, 2.30 million ended the month profitable. The wins, however, were heavily skewed toward small amounts.

“This study only accounts for Realized PnL; this means that it excludes bagholders who never sold their tokens even if it crashes to zero,” the report added. 

About 2.05 million wallets, or 65.14% of the total, recorded gains between $1 and $500. Meanwhile, another 87,127 wallets booked profits between $500 and $1,000. Only 168,795 wallets, or 5.37%, cleared more than $1,000.

Losses followed a similar small-size pattern. About 792,724 wallets lost between $1 and $500, while just 24,538 took realized losses above $1,000. 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights

The post 73% Pump.Fun Traders are in Profit, Best Month Since 2024 appeared first on BeInCrypto.

ETH, the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum ecosystem, rose 0.95% during Friday’s U.S. market hours to trade at $2,312. The buying pressure gained its current momentum following the traditional U.S. stock market as indices like S&P500 and NasDaq hit new high. The coin price gained additional momentum from the steady buying pressure from treasury firms like BitMine. After relentless buying the company is close to its self claimed target of owning 5% of all Ethereum in existence. Once achieved, will BitMine go silent in accumulation of more ETH and how it may impact Ethereum price.

Origin of the Strategy

BitMine’s Ethereum obsession began on a high note. The company has closed a $250 million private placement that it used to instantly invest in ETH, doubling its stake within days of closing. Thomas “Tom” Lee, a founder of the Fundstrat, is the architect behind this and has been chairman of BitMine, the public face of the Ethereum believers. 

Lee’s thesis was simple yet brave: copy the MicroStrategy Bitcoin, but this time with Ethereum. MicroStrategy’s continuous Bitcoin buying fueled its growth into what analysts described as a “sovereign put”: If a nation-state wanted to buy 5% of the Bitcoin network, it would find it easiest to purchase MSTR. 

Lee said that the same could happen for ETH as it did for Bitcoin, which he called the “Wall Street put.” For any institutional level exposure to Ethereum that could be meaningful, you would eventually have to go through BitMine.

The 5% Target and the Buying Machine

The number “5%” has never been a random figure. It was the tipping point that Lee and BitMine had determined their investments would become strategically significant enough for sovereign wealth funds, Wall Street institutions and nation-states to care about. Today, BitMine holds more than 4.29% of the total Ethereum circulating supply of 120.7 million tokens, and says it is 82% the way to the milestone.

The pace of buying has been staggering. The company alone has purchased 71,524 ETH during the past week, the highest single-week purchase since December 2025. At this rate, the 5% finish line isn’t far away. It’s just a matter of weeks.

BitMine Is Becoming Ethereum’s MicroStrategy

Markets are based on supply and demand and BitMine has been an amazing, reliable demand. The firm has been coming into the market week after week with hundreds of millions of dollars in buy orders, making it what traders call a “persistent bid,” or a known, recurring buyer that sets a floor under the price. 

This is no hypothetical scenario. The purchase of Bitcoin by MicroStrategy was largely responsible for setting a psychological and structural support level for BTC, during an accumulation period. For ETH, BitMine has done the same. In addition to the raw buying BitMine also debuted MAVAN, the Made in American Validator Network, an institutional-grade staking platform. 

Much of its ETH is already locked up, taken out of circulation and not available to be sold. Staking on this scale not only keeps price up, it actually constricts supply.

Ethereum’s Biggest Buyer Is About to Exit

Here is where the story gets complicated. When BitMine reaches 5% it will switch from accumulation to stewardship as per its mandate. The buying machine switches off. This presents a new challenge for the ETH market as its biggest recurring customer vanished suddenly. 

Such a pattern exists in financial markets and there’s no fun in any of the examples. The end of quantitative easing programs by central banks is almost always followed by volatility. Large rebalancing events in major index funds are correlated with stocks reverting a portion of their gains. 

The mechanism is the same here. ETH’s price has somewhat factored into BitMine’s buying schedule. Once that pace slows down, the market will have to work hard to fill the demand shortfall, and it is not certain they will be willing to pay the same price.

BitMine May Stop Buying — But Not Sell

The bear case theory is that when people stop purchasing, they start selling. However, that’s what BitMine has indicated. The firm’s claim is that it will keep and stake — and with 5% of the supply, staking rewards are a strong financial engine. 

At the current Ethereum network rates, 5% of the locked ETH will generate the passive income of hundreds of millions of dollars per year. That yield can be reinvested in the system, can be used to finance system operations, or can be returned to shareholders – all without the sale of any token. 

Further, the ownership of 5% could itself become a price catalyst. According to BitMine’s thesis, once this milestone is achieved, it will become the “Wall Street put”, meaning that institutional and sovereign buyers will likely buy the BMNR stock as the best way to gain exposure to ETH, increasing demand for BMNR shares and indirectly for ETH.

BitMine’s ETH Empire Carries Systemic Risk

However, Optimism must be tempered as it hasn’t been easy for BitMine. At one point during Ethereum’s 40% correction from its August 2025 peak, the company was sitting on roughly $4 billion in unrealized losses — a sobering reminder that holding 5% of an asset does not protect you from that asset’s volatility. 

The hold strategy could be overcome by the pressure from the shareholders to sell the shares if the share price dips far below the NAV of BitMine’s ETH position. This is exactly what has occurred with other crypto asset treasury firms as their stock fell below NAV and their only option was to repurpose funds from crypto sales for share repurchases. 

This is not going to be a soft landing for a forced BitMine, it’s a supply shock.

Ethereum Price Drives Steady Recovery Within Channel Pattern

Since early February 2026, the Ethereum price has witnessed a steady recovery within two parallel trendlines, indicating the formation of a rising channel pattern. These two trendlines act as dynamic resistance and support for traders, driving a series of higher high and higher low in daily chart.

Currently, the Ethereum price seeks stability above the $2,250 support and 50-day exponential moving average. If the support holds, the buyers could push a 10% surge to challenge the channel resistance at $2,573. A potential breakout from this barrier would further intensify the buying pressure and target $2,721 and $3,045 resistance.

Alternatively, if the sellers continue to defend the overhead trendline, the Ethereum price may revert for another pullback and seeks support at $2,150.

According to on-chain data, popular financial institutions like BlackRock and Fidelity are selling their Ethereum holdings despite the stability in the overall crypto market, raising questions about their motive. 

According to Lookonchain, BlackRock has reportedly deposited 11,475 Ethereum (Ether), worth of $26.27 million, on Coinbase Prime around 3 hours ago. On the same day, Fidelity has also moved 23,919 Ethereum, worth around $54.44 million, into Coinbase Prime just a few minutes ago.

Why are BlackRock and Fidelity Selling Ethereum?

This dumping of Ethereum tokens is raising questions about its intention as it is coming while the crypto market is giving positive signs with impressive performance in the last few days. 

These on-chain transactions come after U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs have recorded major outflows of around $104 million on May 7. In this major outflow, Fidelity’s Ethereum Fund (FETH) has experienced a withdrawal of around $62 million. On the other hand, BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) has witnessed an outflow of around $26 million. A similar trend of outflows was also witnessed in the other funds. This has created a reversal pattern after getting constant inflows in the last few days. 

The pattern of deposits of Ethereum tokens on Coinbase Prime by leading ETF issuers like BlackRock and Fidelity is part of their regular operations, as it is working as their major custodian for U.S. investors to balance investor outflows of funds. These kinds of transactions help them to keep their portfolio healthy, along with liquidity. 

BitMine Reduces the Speed of Accumulation of Ethereum

While BlackRock and Fidelity are selling their ETH holdings, the biggest Ethereum holding public company, BitMine, is rapidly growing its Ethereum treasury by buying ETH on a weekly basis. However, Tom Lee recently revealed that the company might reduce the speed of accumulation as it is now approaching to accumulte 5% of the total Ethereum supply.

“At our current buying pace of 100,000 ETH a week, we’re going to be there [at 5%] in like six weeks,” Lee said during a keynote presentation. “I think we’re deciding perhaps we want to accumulate at a somewhat slower pace.” 

While the overall cryptocurrency market is filled with positive sentiments, large outflows in ETH ETFs and growing geopolitical tension after fresh conflict between Iran and the U.S. have sparked fears about a potential downfall in the ETH price.

According to CoinMarketCap, Ethereum is currently trading at around $2,282.93 with an impressive market capitalization of around $275.66 billion. 

The cryptocurrency is expected to face resistance around $2,300. On the other hand, it has a strong support zone at around $2,200 to $2,250. According to the current price chart, the short-term price chart is giving a neutral to bearish signal. The reason behind this is that most of the moving averages are giving sell signals.

Quantum Threat Creates Panic Among Ethereum Investors

In the long run, there is a quantum threat looming over blockchains like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others. While keeping this in mind, Ethereum developers are actively working on methods to counter such quantum computing threats; still, users are looking at this threat as the quantum threat is approaching rapidly with every passing day, after impressive growth in the AI sector. 

According to the latest report, the quantum threat is expected to hit by 2030. The report stated, “This progress profile means quantum computing advancement may potentially follow a ‘nothing-and-then-all-at-once” exponential trajectory not unlike other emerging technologies such as AI. Our analysis suggests that, based on current trends, Q-Day is more likely to occur than not by 2033, and potentially even as soon as 2030.”

“This timeline is a consequence of the fact that small improvements in error correction efficiency, higher qubit connectivity, or better code design create potential feedback loops leading to order-of-magnitude reductions in the resources needed for cryptanalysis. What appears as incremental hardware progress today might rapidly converge to a CRQC with little warning. Waiting until that point is clearly on the horizon risks insufficient time for post-quantum cryptography to be selected, tested, and deployed,” stated in the report.

Last month, Ethereum’s co-founder Vitalik Buterin unveiled a detailed plan to take countermeasures against quantum threats. In this plan, he stated that Ethereum should integrate quantum-resistant cryptographic methods. This includes methods like Winternitz signatures and the zero-knowledge proof technology.

Also Read: LayerZero Risks Escalate as Developers Push Security Debate

Cardano is testing a key long-term support at $0.25 once again, a level that has repeatedly sparked strong upside reversals in past cycles. With historical reactions from this zone leading to major rallies, the current reaction could mark the early stages of another structural move higher if support continues to hold.  

$0.25 Emerges As Cardano’s Most Critical Support Level

According to analysis by Ali Charts, the $0.25 price point has emerged as the most critical support level for ADA. By examining the monthly chart, the analyst highlights that this specific price floor has historically functioned as a powerful launchpad for major market reversals. Whenever ADA tests this boundary, it tends to signal the end of a bearish phase and the beginning of a significant upward trend.

The historical evidence cited by Ali Charts begins with the price action in January 2023. During this period, Cardano successfully defended the $0.25 level, which triggered a robust 88.27% rally over the subsequent weeks, demonstrating the high density of buy orders and institutional interest concentrated at this psychological and technical floor.

A second, even more dramatic confirmation occurred in September 2023. Ali Charts pointed out that the level held firm once again, providing the necessary liquidity for a massive 243% surge. At present, Ali Charts observes that Cardano is once again interacting with this pivotal $0.25 support. The analyst suggests that this current bounce could be the early stage of a major structural rally. 

As long as the price remains above this floor, the technical outlook remains bullish, with initial price targets set at $0.36 and a more ambitious macro target identified at $0.53. However, Ali Charts maintains that a failure to hold the $0.25 support would signal a fundamental regime change in the market.

Bullish Bias Holds As Long As Green Box Support Remains Intact

In a recent ADA market update, Yusuf|Noon stated that Cardano still appears to be leaning toward further upside as long as price continues to hold above the highlighted green box support area. At the same time, the analyst noted that several intermediate resistance levels could create short-term obstacles for the ongoing move higher. 

Although ADA is currently pulling back to retest an important technical level, there is not yet a clean structure to justify entering the trade. Rather than chasing price action, the preference is to remain patient and wait for a stronger confirmation setup to develop.

Yusuf|Noon also explained that a pullback into the thin green box region could provide a more attractive entry opportunity if the price reacts positively from that area. In addition, the lower green box is being monitored closely as a potential sniper entry zone in the event of a sudden or extreme market dump.

Crypto pundit Remi has declared that an XRP rally to $1,000 is nothing big, indicating that the altcoin could easily reach this target. The pundit also revealed why he believes that XRP could rally much higher, outlining potential use cases for the token. 

Pundit Explains Why XRP Can Rally Well Above $1,000

In an X post, Remi remarked that those who think an XRP rally to $1,000 is something “big” haven’t been out in the real world. First, he alluded to the DTCC, stating that XRP can’t be less than $100 solely because of the DTCC utility, as this could drive in “quadrillions” of dollars. The pundit is alluding to the DTCC working with Ripple on its tokenization goals, which could be bullish for XRP. 

Furthermore, Remi noted that the inclusion of SWIFT, tokenization, U.S. debt, the Special Drawing Rights (SDR), and the entire banking system makes it impossible for XRP to support such use cases without slippage unless the token is worth over $1,000. In line with this, he declared that if the bull cycle ends quickly, then XRP is likely to have only a three-digit price tag. However, if the cycle extends, then the altcoin could rally above $1,000. 

The pundit also noted that XRP needs volume and adoption percentage, which he believes will only come with time. He declared that it will be a quick adoption. XRP is already seeing significant adoption with increased activity on the XRP Ledger. The total tokenized value on the network has surpassed $3 billion, according to data from RWA.xyz. 

The CLARITY Act Factor

Remi stated that if the CLARITY Act gets signed into law by July, and the bull cycle ends in September, then XRP won’t have time to mature before the cycle ends. However, he believes the token will keep rising while the economy tanks, and that it could rally above $1,000 at year-end 2027 rather than at the start of the year. 

Interestingly, the pundit also raised the possibility of XRP rallying to $100,000 in the near future, stating that this could happen when they make XRP an e-SDR. He declared that this would happen as the token becomes the settlement rail for the global financial system. He doubled down on the e-SDR angle, predicting that XRP could reach as high as $5,000 overnight if the 

International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) labels the token as an e-SDR. Remi also expressed confidence that this will eventually happen. 

At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.42, up over 3% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.