US President Donald Trump is set to meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing from May 13 to 15. The visit, which will be Trump’s first return to China since 2017, will reportedly touch on issues such as AI, semiconductors, new trades and investments, as well as Middle East tensions, but for Bitcoin (BTC) and digital asset markets, it also carries some implications. The Crypto Angle Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese imports in his first term and did the same when he came back to the Oval Office in 2025, creating pressure for Chinese mining equipment manufacturers such as Bitmain, Canaan, and MicroBT. The trade tensions also led to a constant see-sawing in BTC’s price, with the flagship cryptocurrency reacting negatively to almost all the threats Trump made to China and several other countries. With all eyes on the upcoming Trump-Xi summit, many in the crypto space are hoping it could lead to China softening its stance on BTC and digital assets in general. There are indeed crypto undertones to the meeting, with several of the 17 executives traveling with the US president having meaningful digital asset exposure. For instance, the CEO of BlackRock, Larry Fink, manages the largest spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund; meanwhile, Tesla, represented by Elon Musk, owns 11,509 BTC. Visa’s Ryan McInerney and Mastercard’s Michael Miebach are both scaling stablecoin settlement infrastructure, while David Solomon, whose Goldman Sachs recently expanded its crypto trading operations, also made the cut. If the summit eases US-China financial flows, those institutions stand to benefit, and markets would likely price that in quickly. However, according to a May 12 analysis from XWIN Japan, the hopes that the Chinese government may rethink its crypto policy are misguided, considering Chinese authorities recently reinforced restrictions on crypto-related activities, real-world asset tokenization, and yuan-linked stablecoins. As such, direct expansion of mainland Chinese Bitcoin demand remains off the table for now. How It Could Move Bitcoin Mining Another sector that could profit from this meeting includes the Bitcoin mining supply chains, which, although North America dominates in terms of global hashrate growth, are still supplied to a great extent by China. Were the meeting to result in the easing of tensions, it could speed up mining investments and hashrate expansion, which could positively affect the price of BTC. On the other hand, a breakdown would possibly put more pressure on equipment costs and create supply delays for miners globally, hitting Bitcoin in ways that go beyond simple sentiment shifts. At the time of writing, BTC was trading near $81,000, having gained less than 1% in the last seven days, per data from CoinGecko. However, the 30-day picture was much better, as the cryptocurrency was up around 13% in that period. Meanwhile, the macro background heading into the summit is not clean, with oil prices going up by as much as 4% to $105.50 on Monday after US-Iran peace talks stalled. Higher oil feeds inflation expectations, which in turn reduce the probability of Federal Reserve rate cuts, tightening financial conditions for risk assets, including Bitcoin. The post Trump Heads to Beijing for High-Stakes Xi Summit: What It Means for Bitcoin appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-05-12 12:44

Bitcoin initiated another breakout attempt in the past 12 hours or so, only to be rejected once again at $82,000 and driven south by more than a grand. Most larger-cap alts have remained relatively flat on a daily scale, aside from ETH, which is under $2,300 once again. XRP and BNB keep fighting for the fourth spot in terms of market cap. BTC Stopped at $82K The previous business week saw a notable price surge from the larger cryptocurrency to a three-month peak of almost $83,000. Thus, the asset had added $8,000 from the previous Wednesday, and it seemed primed for a correction as many analysts warned about the rally’s structure. BTC indeed slipped to $79,000 by Friday before the bulls stepped up and didn’t allow another breakdown. Instead, bitcoin started to recover some ground and quickly returned to over $80,000 during the weekend. More volatility ensued on Monday morning when BTC first dipped to $80,250, before it shot up to $82,500, but it was rejected and dropped by two grand immediately when US President Trump deemed Iran’s latest peace proposal “totally unacceptable.” It bounced again yesterday, but this time, its attempt was halted at $82,000. The subsequent rejection brought it south to a familiar territory of under $81,000, where it currently sits. Its market cap remains sideways at $1.620 trillion on CG, while its dominance over the alts is up to 58.3%. BTCUSD May 12. Source: TradingView BUILDon Enters Top 100, PI Exits Top 50 Today’s top performer from the largest 100 alts is BUILDon (B). The token is up a mind-blowing 44% to $0.63, making it the 93rd-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. In contrast, PI’s continuous declines have pushed the asset out of the top 50 alts by the same metric, after a 6% weekly decline. CRO, STABLE, TON, and CC follow suit in terms of daily gains, while JUP, VVV, and PUMP have declined the most. Ethereum has slipped by 2% daily and now trades well below $2,300. XRP, BNB, SOL, and DOGE have posted minor gains, while HYPE, ZEC, and LINK are down by over 1%. The total crypto market cap has remained at the same level as yesterday, at around $2.8 trillion on CG. Cryptocurrency Market Overview May 12. Source: QuantifyCrypto The post Pi Network’s PI Token Falls Out of Top 50 Alts, Bitcoin (BTC) Stopped at $82K: Market Watch appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-05-12 11:28

The Senate Banking Committee has moved forward with revised language under the CLARITY Act framework to build a US crypto market structure. The move could affect how digital assets are classified and handled within regulated financial systems, depending on how the final rules are shaped and adopted. While the draft continues to face unresolved political hurdles, including controversial ethics provisions and debate over the scope of regulatory oversight, market participants are increasingly focused on what clearer classification rules could mean for major crypto assets such as XRP. XRP Institutional Outlook The discussion has been amplified by expectations that, under a scenario where XRP is treated as a commodity, institutional demand could increase significantly through exchange-traded products. Standard Chartered has projected that XRP ETF inflows could range between $4 billion and $8 billion by the end of the year if such regulatory conditions materialize. This has led to renewed focus on how XRP-linked capital would be deployed once it enters institutional channels. The asset has not developed the same level of native programmable finance infrastructure seen in other major blockchain ecosystems. As a result, questions are emerging around where large-scale XRP capital would flow for purposes such as yield generation, lending, or structured deployment beyond simple holding or secondary trading activity. One of the most active areas attempting to address this gap is the emerging XRPFi ecosystem built on Flare, which enables XRP to be deployed into decentralized finance applications through FXRP. According to data cited from DeFiLlama, Flare’s total value locked has reached approximately $457 million, out of which around $200 million is attributed specifically to XRP-related activity. FXRP allows XRP to be used in lending, staking, trading, collateralization, and vault-based strategies across Flare applications. Since its introduction, XRPFi activity has recorded more than 3.4 million transactions across roughly 16,500 users. Infrastructure development around XRPFi is also being supported by distribution and protocol-level changes to reduce friction between XRP holdings and DeFi participation. Uphold has announced plans to support direct FXRP minting during the summer, which would allow XRP to be converted into FXRP through exchange-level integration rather than separate bridging interfaces. Flare Targets Vault and Yield Growth At the protocol level, Flare is undergoing a governance and economic overhaul that includes a reported 40% reduction in emissions, updated mechanisms for protocol-level MEV capture, and revised burn mechanics as part of its ongoing design changes. Further developments include planned upgrades to XRPFi infrastructure to expand vault availability and improve access to yield strategies, along with the introduction of FAssets v1.3. The update enables direct minting of FXRP using XRPL destination tags. A separate application layer built on Flare Smart Accounts is also being developed to simplify user interaction with XRPFi systems by enabling XRPL wallet-based access to vaults and strategies while abstracting transaction processes across the Flare execution layer. The post CLARITY Act Momentum Revives XRP ETF Narrative as Flare XRPFi Sees Growing Institutional Attention appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-05-12 10:23

Bitcoin has spent the last week grinding higher from around $78,000 to top $82,000 twice, with buyers “continuing to absorb pullbacks even as momentum started to cool near local highs,” reported Glassnode on Monday. The asset dipped below $81,000 briefly in early trading in Asia on Tuesday, but there has been “strong bullish sentiment” and “heightened conviction” in upward price movements, it added . The analytics provider noted that spot trading volume has increased, suggesting recent price movements are “gaining traction with stronger investor participation.” Bullish Undertones Are Building This means that BTC’s market structure continues to improve, supported by stronger on-chain activity, healthier profitability, and more stable holder positioning, the analysts concluded. “While bullish undertones are building, softer capital inflows and cautious sentiment indicate the market remains sensitive to shifts in risk appetite.” Swissblock reported on Tuesday that Bitcoin is “still at full momentum” with the latest reset looking similar to previous failed ignition attempts. “Bitcoin has now consolidated inside the cost-basis battlefield while momentum remains structurally strong. As long as momentum stays above the transition area, bulls retain control.” Bitcoin is still at full momentum. The latest reset looked similar to previous failed ignition attempts: → Momentum briefly recovered → Failed to sustain above the transition zone → Rolled back into negative momentum But this time was different. Momentum successfully… pic.twitter.com/EBZdNLW0rD — Swissblock (@swissblock__) May 11, 2026 Alphractal founder and CEO Joao Wedson observed that the 30-day change in exchange reserves paints a different picture, with BTC falling every time this metric turns positive. Bitcoin entering exchanges is usually a sign of investors preparing to sell or short the asset. Meanwhile, permabull ‘Sykodelic’ remained upbeat as ever, saying that there have been no hard rejections, no massive sell-offs, and no weak price action. “What we have had are small rejections and then higher highs.” They observed that BTC is now above the bull market support band, the true market mean, and the short-term holder cost basis for ten days, including a daily close above the 200-day exponential moving average. “The wider market is fully risk on, and I am expecting $85,000 to be breached, likely this week,” they predicted. BTC Price Outlook The asset had taken a dip on the day, falling from another retest of $82,000 to $81,100 at the time of writing. The asset has been sideways for the past seven days, but has gained more than 13% over the past month. It has been in a slow but steady upward trend for the past six weeks. The post Bitcoin Market Structure Continues to Improve as Bullish Undertones Build: Glassnode appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-05-12 08:13

Pi Network’s PI has seen a few sporadic bursts of momentum in recent months, but its price has remained in a steep downtrend since February last year. The token’s performance is among the most-talked-about topics in the crypto space, and we asked three of the most popular AI-powered chatbots to weigh in on what seems more likely for the rest of 2026: a collapse to $0 or a major revival to $1. Unanimous Decision According to ChatGPT, a crash to $0 is less plausible because assets typically plummet so much only when they lose all liquidity, community interest, and exchange access simultaneously. “As long as millions of people still hold the token, speculate on it, mine it, discuss it online, and hope for future adoption, there is usually some market demand preventing a total wipeout,” it stated. The chatbot claimed that a rise to $1 is more realistic but is far from guaranteed and would depend on several strong catalysts, including a Binance listing rumor becoming reality, significant ecosystem progress, a broader altcoin bull run, and renewed retail FOMO. At the same time, ChatGPT is rather skeptical that all of these elements could align and trigger such a massive pump this year. It argued that the most realistic upper target for PI in 2026 is around $0.80. Perplexity also estimated that a meltdown to $0 is out of the equation, noting that even the bearish analysts on X don’t foresee such a catastrophe. An ascent to $1 is possible but would require stronger exchange liquidity, real app usage, and a sustained crypto bull market, it added. The chatbot stated that the most likely path for PI this year is to trade in the $0.12-$0.25 range, unless Protocol 23 and subsequent ecosystem upgrades drive real usage growth. Lastly, we consulted Google’s Gemini, which largely supported the aforementioned predictions. It dismissed the possibility of a collapse to zero, given that there are millions of Pioneers, and outlined the project’s progress over the years. “A crash to $0 is mathematically and socially unlikely for Pi Network in 2026. While many “hype” projects vanish PI has transitioned from a simple mobile app into a functional Layer-1 blockchain with several structural “safety nets” that prevent its value from hitting zero.” Moreover, the chatbot noted that well-known exchanges like Kraken, Bitget, and MEXC have embraced the asset, providing a baseline level of liquidity and strengthening PI’s reputation. Similar to ChatGPT, Gemini estimated that PI’s “golden ticket” for $1 and beyond is an official listing on Binance. The world’s biggest crypto exchange has been rumored to allow trading services with the asset for almost a year and even asked its users whether it should do so. The majority of the voters supported that step, yet Binance remains silent on the matter. The Analysts’ Take PI currently trades at around $0.17, and some analysts say this might be a good buying opportunity. Last month, X user JAVON MARKS envisioned a 1,400% price explosion to $2.80, while several months ago, they called for a triple-digit surge to $1.23. According to A2Z BOSS, PI has been seeking balance below $0.40 and consolidating beneath $0.20. “Let the value continue to develop and consolidate below $0.20 for the next few weeks,” they added . Of course, some believe PI could skyrocket to $10 or even $20 in the coming months, but such predictions seem unrealistic (to put it mildly) given the current price levels. The post Pi Network Price Crash to $0 or Jump to $1: 3 AIs Speculate What Is More Likely for PI This Year appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-05-12 07:50

Digital asset investment products posted inflows of $857.9 million, and extended six straight weeks of positive flows – the highest weekly figure since April 24. CoinShares stated that the increase is likely tied to improving sentiment around the CLARITY Act, as Senators Thom Tillis and Angela Alsobrooks released the final compromise text related to stablecoin yield on May 1 and continued to support it despite pushback from the banking industry on May 4. Global Crypto Investment Comeback Bitcoin attracted over $706.1 million during the week, pushing its year-to-date total to $4.9 billion. On the other hand, products tied to short-bitcoin positions recorded $14.4 million in exits, marking the category’s biggest weekly decline this year. In the latest edition of Digital Asset Fund Flows Weekly Report, CoinShares explained that the shift indicates investors are reducing hedge positions amid strengthening market confidence. Ethereum added $77.1 million after seeing $81.6 million leave the previous week. Solana and XRP also posted strong activity with $47.6 million and $39.6 million, respectively. Meanwhile, Chainlink, Sui, and Litecoin saw smaller gains of $1.4 million, $1 million, and $0.1 million. Multi-asset was the only major category to post losses at $5.5 million. The US accounted for the largest regional total at $776.6 million after rebounding sharply from $47.5 million the previous week. Germany saw $50.6 million, marginally higher than before, while Switzerland recorded $21.1 million and the Netherlands $5 million, demonstrating broader European activity alongside the stronger recovery in the US. High-Stakes Week Ahead Analysts are now turning their focus to the important economic and geopolitical developments lined up this week. QCP Capital said macroeconomic and geopolitical developments are expected to dominate market attention as US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping prepare to meet in Beijing for talks covering trade, national security, rare earth supply chains, and the Middle East conflict. The firm noted that markets will closely watch for any progress on tariffs following last week’s US trade court ruling against Trump’s 10% global tariffs. QCP also highlighted upcoming inflation data as another major focus, as investors monitor whether price pressures are stabilizing or continuing to rise. Easing inflation could support lower real yields and improve conditions for crypto assets, while persistent inflation may keep monetary policy tighter for longer. Bitcoin, meanwhile, has remained above $80,000. QCP added that crypto volatility remains near yearly lows, as BTC faces resistance around the $84,000 level. The post Bitcoin Pulls In $706M as Traders Abandon Short Positions in Massive Sentiment Shift appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-05-12 00:43

Tron’s (TRX) performance so far in 2026 has been solid. In the past five months alone, the crypto asset has climbed more than 23%. Despite this, new data suggests that it faces correction risks. According to CryptoQuant, TRX is showing a “glaring divergence” between its price and on-chain activity despite recently climbing back toward the $0.35 level. Lack of Fundamental Support The analytics platform found that while TRX has posted strong price gains over the past month, rising 10%, the network’s “Tokens Transferred (Total)” metric has moved sharply in the opposite direction. Data revealed that the total volume of transferred tokens declined from nearly 17.3 billion to around 12.2 billion during the same period, even as the asset continued to rally. CryptoQuant said this disconnect has sparked concerns about the sustainability of TRX’s current upward momentum, as healthy price increases are typically accompanied by stronger network usage and utility. The firm described the divergence as a sign that the latest rally may be driven more by speculation or token hoarding than by genuine user activity on the Tron network. It further warned that the absence of stronger transactional support could leave the $0.35 price level vulnerable if buying pressure weakens. This, in turn, could potentially increase the risk of a correction in the near term. Justin Sun’s Troubles TRX’s price has been largely immune to the growing dispute surrounding Tron founder Justin Sun and the Trump-linked crypto project World Liberty Financial, even as the conflict escalated into multiple lawsuits and public accusations. The tensions began in mid-April after WLFI proposed converting more than 62 billion locked tokens into a fixed vesting structure, while holders who rejected the terms risked having their assets remain locked indefinitely. Sun described the proposal as coercive and argued that dissenting token holders were effectively being punished. He also alleged that his own WLFI tokens, which represented around 4% of the voting power, had been frozen, preventing him from participating in governance decisions. WLFI was also accused of operating through centralized controls hidden behind a decentralized governance structure, and the Tron founder claimed that anonymous parties could freeze assets and override decisions. Days later, Sun filed a lawsuit in California seeking restoration of his voting rights and token access. WLFI, on the other hand, rejected the allegations and accused Sun of misconduct and spreading false claims. WLFI filed a defamation lawsuit against Sun in Florida this month for allegedly orchestrating a smear campaign against the project and its backers. The post Tron in Trouble? ‘Glaring Divergence’ Flagged Behind TRX’s Latest Surge appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-05-11 23:06

Pseudonymous crypto analyst Doctor Profit is predicting a steep Bitcoin (BTC) correction after the asset reclaimed the $82,000 level, warning that retail buyers flooding back into the market are walking into a trap. In a lengthy post on X, they laid out a detailed short strategy targeting the $82,000-$85,000 zone, with a price target of $50,000 or below for the eventual downside move. The Setup, According to Doctor Profit Doctor Profit’s core argument is that the current bounce off the $71,000 low is not a new bull run. It is, in his words, “a beautiful trap, to tap as many retails as possible before the next downside move.” He said the thesis has been in place since February, when he publicly predicted Bitcoin would recover to the $79,000-$85,000 range before rolling over, with the move playing out in May or June. “Most people forget my words from February,” he wrote. “I gave the exact plan on what to do.” He credits the same analytical framework he used to short Bitcoin at what he describes as the $115,000-$125,000 top in 2025. On sentiment, he is blunt: “I can see a lot of low IQ content on X, many altcoin calls, and accounts shouting for $100K or more right now. The fear is gone, retail has been piling back in since 76K at a very strong pace, and soon they will realize it was a big mistake.” That retail re-entry, he argued, is exactly the fuel a distribution top requires. What the Charts and Broader Market Are Saying Not everyone shares the bearish read. Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor posted three words on X Sunday morning: No More Bears,” with Doctor Profit replying directly, telling Saylor he warned him to sell at $120,000, and was met with a laughing emoji. “Now I’m telling you that the days for BTC above 80K are numbered,” he wrote. “You are lucky if we see 85K, and overall the crash will start from this region.” Meanwhile, crypto analyst Ash Crypto noted on Sunday that Bitcoin had just closed its first weekly candle above $82,000 since January 26, with the weekly MACD printing a bullish crossover and the RSI climbing to 52, back in neutral-to-bullish territory. He also drew a structural comparison to Google’s stock, which broke above its 2021 highs, retested the breakout zone, and then entered an expansion phase. According to him, Bitcoin may be following the same sequence, one cycle behind. Another technical analyst, Ali Martinez, added that the breakout above the 200-day simple moving average near $82,500 will open room for gains towards $94,000, whereas failure to do so may lead to declines towards $75,000, where the 50-day SMA is located. BTC hit $82,500 early Monday before pulling back below $81,000 after President Donald Trump publicly rejected Iran’s latest nuclear proposal as “totally unacceptable,” reintroducing geopolitical risk that had briefly faded from traders’ minds. The post Is Bitcoin’s Rally Fake? Analyst Sees Massive Downside Ahead appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-05-11 21:18

A comparative analysis published on May 11 by XWIN Japan tracked how Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, BNB, and Solana held up during the six months of market stress between October 2025 and April 2026. According to the report, that downturn was less about panic selling alone and more about “internal selection,” with investors separating Bitcoin from the broader altcoin market amid macro stress and shrinking liquidity. Bitcoin Stayed Ahead While Altcoins Took Deeper Losses Going by XWIN’s data, BTC dropped 52.5% in that period, going from a peak of around $126,000 to roughly $60,000. And while that was a brutal fall in absolute terms, compared to the rest of the group, the flagship crypto held up better. Solana got battered the most. It fell 71.6% from its highest level of $238 to $67. At the same time, Ethereum and XRP declined by 63%, while Binance Coin dropped 59%. In terms of recovery from their bottom prices, SOL enjoyed the biggest bounce at 38%, with Bitcoin the second-best at 34.7%. XWIN Japan’s analysis divided the six-month period into three phases, namely a derivatives-driven unwind in late 2025, a macro fear and liquidity contraction phase in early 2026, and an institutional-led recovery this spring. What it found, broadly, is that BTC’s relative resilience wasn’t accidental, with the report pointing to ETF inflows, corporate treasury buying , and demand as a geopolitical hedge as ongoing sources of support through the worst of the selling. “Even during market stress, capital consistently returned to Bitcoin,” the analysis stated, describing BTC as having become a global macro asset rather than just a crypto token. ETH, by contrast, saw its price collapse despite network activity holding up. The report noted that staking growth, Layer-2 usage, and stablecoin settlement stayed strong throughout the drawdown period, even as the price fell from around $4,700 to below $1,800. On the other hand, XRP’s relative performance was tied mostly to regulatory narrative and ETF expectations around cross-border payment themes, while BNB stayed somewhat steadier due to activity within the Binance ecosystem. Where Things Stand We can get an indication of how much progress has been made so far by looking at present-day prices for the assets XWIN quoted in its research. For instance, Bitcoin is trading at around $81,000, which is an 11% increase from the previous month. ETH is around $2,300, up about 4% on the month, while XRP gained some 7.5% in the same period and was changing hands near $1.45 at the time of writing. Solana, however, has had the strongest performance of them all, up more than 12% in the past month and about 12% on the week, and is currently trading near $95. The post How Bitcoin Outperformed ETH, XRP, BNB, and SOL During 2025-2026 Market Stress appeared first on CryptoPotato .

2026-05-11 19:37