Derivative marketplace CME Group will launch XRP Futures on May 19, citing growing demand for crypto investment products. The institutional appetite for XRP continues to soar in Q2 2025, as a possible spot ETF approval nears in the United States. On the flip side, crypto short-term volatility dragged down sentiments, although bulls target a new rally above the $6 mark. XRP Bags Major Booster In a recent announcement, the company rolled out plans to launch the XRP product. This year, several firms have turned to XRP, making the asset an institutional favorite . CME Group’s product will give traders the option of a micro-sized and a large-sized contract. The former will consist of 2,500 XRP while the latter includes 50,000 XRP. The product will be cash-settled, integrating the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate. This marks another addition to CME’s growing crypto suites. The firm currently has Bitcoin (BTC), Ether, and Solana (SOL) options as digital asset adoption hits new levels. Investor demand in Q1 2025 underscores the need for more products. Last quarter saw a 141% increase in daily contracts worth $11.8 billion. Average open interest is up 83% year-over-year, while 43,000 SOL futures have been traded since March 17. Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group’s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products, highlighted the impact of innovation on evolving markets and the need for more products. “ Interest in XRP and its underlying ledger (XRPL) has steadily increased as institutional and retail adoption for the network grows, and we are pleased to launch these new futures contracts to provide a capital-efficient toolset to support clients’ investment and hedging strategies, ” he added. Positive reactions from the crypto market trailed the news, with XRP bulls setting sights on a higher price point. This is hinged on new fund flows as well as present soaring sentiments. Market Execs Point to Growing Adoption Financial market executives have lauded the move, highlighting the need to expand retail access to futures. JB Mackenzie, Robinhood’s Futures VP, wrote that customers have shown increased demand for new products, pledging wider crypto futures in addition to spot offerings. Sal Gilberte, the CEO of Teucrium, stated that the proposed CME Group listing is another milestone in the XRP ecosystem. He added that the asset has real financial use cases, among which is facilitating global transfers through the efficient XRP Ledger. Recently, Gilberte doubled down on his positive XRP stance after the firm launched the 2x Daily Long XRP ETF.

2025-04-26 21:11

Digital asset holders are moving funds off centralized exchanges as the long-term price estimate spikes. Bitcoin (BTC) has experienced a significant upward trend over the last decade and is expected to continue rising due to heightened demand. These positive signals, alongside on-chain data, have fueled a new exodus from centralized exchanges. Public-Company Accumulations Behind Massive Outflows Crypto custodian Fidelity Digital Assets released a new report on centralized exchange Bitcoin reserves. The total supply on exchanges has dropped to a seven-year low, signaling potential long-term growth. Recent outflows to other custodians are at their lowest point since 2018. Traditionally, these outflows indicate bullish pressure on the market, as holders are less likely to sell in the short term. Currently, Bitcoin exchange reserves stand at 2.6 million assets after fresh outflows were recorded this week. While exits increased over the last seven years, movements from Q4 2024 are key to the current trader’s leaning due to U.S. macro trends. According to the report, over 425,000 BTC have been transferred since November 2024. The effects of President Trump’s win in the November polls affirmed upward projections due to his positive pledge to the sector. Several crypto executives and investors backed a return to the White House by Trump to usher in clear regulation, a shift from the Biden administration. It was argued that Trump’s return would reignite innovation in digital assets in the country. After the elections, publicly listed companies have amassed over 350,000 BTC, which has helped support a price rally. Meanwhile, public companies have been scooping up approximately 30,000 BTC each month this year. “ We have seen bitcoin supply on exchanges dropping due to public company purchases—something we anticipate accelerating in the near future,” Fidelity wrote. Simultaneously, altcoin reserves also declined due to the effects of the Bitcoin bull run. Institutional investors are calling for possible spot ETF approvals, drawing lines with BTC products. Bitcoin Bulls Press For Price Swing The last seven days have seen a significant surge in Bitcoin prices after recent exchange outflows. In a nutshell, whale sentiments spiked over the roof, taking the price above $90K. Furthermore, Strategy and other publicly listed companies increased accumulations , hinting at major leaps later this year. BTC price soared 10% this week while altcoins saw similar gains. In crypto spaces, bulls believe the asset could reclaim its all-time high on the heels of rising institutional demand. Bitcoin products posted a slight recovery after suffering heavy losses previously.

2025-04-26 21:02

Altcoin season, a period when alternative cryptocurrencies outperform the leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, is expected to kick off earlier than anticipated. In a post shared on X, a pseudonymous analyst has outlined the many factors that validate a buildup to the highly anticipated altcoin season. Although the previous altcoin season was expected to kick off in December 2024 and run into January 2025, onlookers may need to prepare for this week and the one ahead. “We’re deep into 2025, still awaiting that long-anticipated altcoin season. Hopes were high after Donald Trump’s inauguration last December and the 2024 Bitcoin halving.” He wrote , after noting that the shakeout phase—a period when investors exit the market- has come to an end. While the broader crypto market is critical of President Donald Trump’s tariff hike and its negative impact on the crypto market, the analyst is taking an interesting stance. Using economic pressure to influence the Feds, the President is likely staging “one last shakeout,” which could, in turn, result in record-breaking market highs for digital currencies and the traditional finance market. Altcoins sustain bullish momentum, weekly gains are intact Historically, BTC dominance typically reaches a key 70% zone before peaking for every market cycle. However, with the macro bearish waves persisting, the analyst observed that Bitcoin still has room to run before passing the torch to altcoins—a move that could kick off any moment now. Capitals are later expected to rotate to altcoins, thereby fueling an altcoin bull rally. The weekend has kicked off with the crypto market successfully shedding off weekly losses. Leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin sits above the $95,292 price levels—a critical position that places the asset on the path to $100,000. Meanwhile, leading altcoins XRP, ETH, and SOL, which have experienced a decent week, are closing with weekly gains of 6.87%, 13.67%, and 14.46%, respectively.

2025-04-26 20:55

Michael Saylor, the Executive Chairman of the world’s largest Bitcoin corporate holder Strategy, has predicted that in the next ten years, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which launched in January 2024 alongside 10 other US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs, will become the largest ETF in the world. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Accounts For Nearly 3% Of Entire BTC Supply It might be pocket change when considering BlackRock currently boasts trillions of dollars in assets under management, but it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the asset management giant’s Bitcoin ETF stash is closing in on 3% of Bitcoin’s total supply. “BlackRock is accumulating. They now hold 2.77% of the entire Bitcoin supply,” Arkham Intelligence wrote to X on Friday, noting the Wall Street behemoth had added a staggering $1.2 billion in BTC this week alone. As of April 26, BlackRock held approximately 582,000 BTC via IBIT, worth around $54 billion. That makes it the 33rd biggest exchange-traded fund by assets under management. In comparison, the largest ETF by market cap, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), boasts a market capitalization of $593.5 billion, more than ten times that of IBIT. However, speaking at the Bitcoin Standard Corporation’s Investor Day, Strategy’s Michael Saylor forecasted that “IBIT will be the biggest ETF in the world in ten years.” NEW: @saylor predicts that @BlackRock ’s $IBIT will be “the biggest ETF in the world in ten years.” pic.twitter.com/cyDDFf47FV — Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) April 24, 2025 Bloomberg’s senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas concurred with Saylor that IBIT could potentially become the world’s biggest ETF, though he stressed that it would be extraordinary. “It’s possible, especially if IBIT starts taking in more cash than VOO, but that would require inflows well north of $1 billion a day — more likely in the range of $3 to $4 billion daily, to gain ground. In short, some extraordinary things would have to happen, but it’s possible,” Balchunas said. It’s pertinent to note that this is not Saylor’s first insanely optimistic Bitcoin-related prediction. As ZyCrypto reported previously, the tech entrepreneur said he thinks the crypto will rocket to a price of $13 million per coin over a 21-year period. Saylor’s company currently holds 538,200 BTC , worth roughly $51 billion. Bitcoin recently changed hands at $94,969, up 1.5% over the past 24 hours. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is up 13.5% over the past 14 days.

2025-04-26 16:25

Swiss National Bank (SNB) President Martin Schlegel has rejected holding Bitcoin reserves , citing market liquidity and volatility as reasons for doing so. Schlegel concedes that Bitcoin can have a high level of liquidity at times, but during crises, this liquidity can become less stable. Schlegel further states that Bitcoin is well known for its volatility, experiencing wild swings in market prices, which prevents the digital asset from being used to preserve long-term value. Schlegel concluded that Bitcoin is not an appropriate asset for the SNB’s reserve at this time. The Bitcoin Initiative, a group advocating for an SNB reserve, argued that SNB investments grew by about 10% since 2015. Using a back-of-the-envelope analysis, if the SNB added 1% of Bitcoin to its reserve, it would have nearly doubled its returns. Moreover, the volatility of the SNB portfolio would have only increased slightly. The Bitcoin Initiative concluded that Bitcoin’s volatility should not be analyzed in isolation, but rather considered in conjunction with the other assets in the current portfolio. The Bitcoin Initiative further noted that Bitcoin was resilient to market stress, highly liquid even with large sums of capital, and remained available even on bank holidays. Schlegel, however, disagreed with the Bitcoin Initiative and said a reserve needs a high level of liquidity to buy and sell foreign currencies at a rapid rate. He also reiterates that Bitcoin has very high volatility, making it difficult for the SNB to include it in its portfolio. Schlegel states that SNB needs to maintain control over the reliability of the bank’s reserves. The extremely high volatility of Bitcoin makes the currency a risky asset for the bank. SNB, therefore, maintains a conservative stance regarding cryptocurrencies, despite many advocates pushing for a Bitcoin reserve. There is a lot of interest in adopting a Bitcoin reserve in Switzerland. Yet, at this point, SNB’s Schlegel is not convinced about the suitability of Bitcoin for the Swiss bank. The Bitcoin Initiative, meanwhile, believes that the SNB should urgently consider a Bitcoin reserve to offset the risks caused by Trump’s tariffs. They believe that the bank should consider diversifying its reserves and include a currency that has been referred to as digital gold. A referendum campaign has started to change the constitution and force the SNB to hold both Bitcoin and gold reserves. Schlegel, however, remains firm with his strategy, saying that liquidity and volatility are factors that discount Bitcoin. He claims that the bank should be able to buy and sell currencies at any time. Schlegel has opposed the idea of a Bitcoin reserve in the past. Last month, he stated that the SNB has no plans to buy cryptocurrencies. He argued that foreign exchange reserves are strictly for implementing monetary policy. Schlegel mentioned that crypto proves difficult to preserve value over time due to its significant price fluctuations. He also pointed out that crypto was software and could be prone to security risks such as data breaches and software bugs. Time will tell whether the SNB will change its strategy or maintain a conservative approach focused on implementing monetary policy.

2025-04-26 16:20

North Korean hackers have set up businesses in the United States, exposing clients to their websites and infecting their computers with crypto-stealing malware. The fake companies were registered under business names and even had rental properties associated with their registration. Three businesses have been identified, including Blocknovas, Softglide, and Angeloper Agency. This forms a sophisticated attack that incorporates elements of social engineering to lure potential targets into spreading crypto-stealing malware. Angeloper Agency was the one business that was not registered as a legal entity. The other two firms, Blocknovas and Softglide, were registered. The FBI seized Blocknovas’ website and stated that North Korean hackers created the site, which used fake job postings to distribute malware. The shell companies, Blocknovas, Angeloper, and Softglide, spread malware through fake job interviews. An extensive network of job postings was used to lure people into clicking on the website. Two of the companies, Blocknovas and Softglide, were registered as legal companies, thus making it easy for the fake recruiters to post job vacancies on third-party websites. The job postings targeted crypto developers. During the signup process, an error message occurred, requiring a manual fix, which then allowed the malware to be installed. Three types of Malware were used for the attack. These include BeaverTail, Invisible Ferret, and Otter Cookie. BeaverTail is used to steal information and to pave the way for further malware attacks. InvisibleFerret and OtterCookie are used to steal crypto keys and copy clipboard data. Blocknovas was the primary website for the attack. Most of the job applicants went through this website. This is why the FBI seized the Blocknovas site and warned visitors about what the site was doing. American officials claim that the hack forms a broader pattern of North Korean hackers stealing funds to raise hard currency. The hackers are stealing cryptocurrency because the proceeds can be easily anonymized. The hackers, further, need hard currencies to fund their nuclear programmes in North Korea. The strategy has been very successful, with many large-scale attacks occurring regularly. North Korea, allegedly, has dispatched thousands of IT workers to collect as much funding as possible to finance their expensive nuclear weapons research and development programme. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned North Korea for developing nuclear weapons. Any American business that works with North Korea is breaching the OFAC sanctions. Crypto investors, meanwhile, have just another security concern to contend with. Cryptocurrencies are very effective at sending funds across borders. Unfortunately, the exact mechanisms that can secure funds can also be used to secure a hacker’s stolen funds. There may be a greater demand for security experts in the crypto field to address the growing number of security breaches occurring.

2025-04-26 16:07

It’s not just MicroStrategy with its $51 billion in Bitcoin: Even smaller, Nasdaq-listed companies are bullish when it comes to stockpiling the premier cryptocurrency. Semler Scientific purchased an additional 111 Bitcoin, pushing its total holdings to 1,873 BTC as the Santa Clara, California-based healthcare tech firm continues to expand its Bitcoin treasury. Semler Scientific Now Holds $313M Worth Of BTC On Its Balance Sheet Semler Scientific paid an average of $90,124 per BTC in its latest buying spree between February 14 and April 24, bringing its total holdings to 3,303 BTC, Semler said Friday in a press release. The firm added that the Bitcoin stash was acquired at an aggregate cost of $290.4 million at an average purchase price of $87,929 apiece. The investment is worth around $313 million at current market prices. Bitcoin is up roughly 1.8% on the day, topping the $95,000 mark for the first time in two months. Semler has periodically added to its holdings throughout the year, most recently purchasing $88.5 million worth of Bitcoin between Jan. 11 and Feb. 3. The company funded its latest crypto investment using proceeds from an at-the-market offering and cash on hand. According to the press release, Semler Scientific’s BTC yield was 23.5% YTD through April 24, 2025. The yield is the percentage change in the ratio of its bitcoin holdings to its full-diluted shares outstanding over a given period. +111 ₿etter — Michael Saylor (@saylor) April 25, 2025 Semler’s Bitcoin Strategy Semler Scientific first announced plans to adopt Bitcoin as its primary treasury reserve asset in May 2024, acquiring 581 BTC for $40 million, inclusive of fees and expenses. At the time, the company’s CEO Eric Semler touted the leading crypto as “digital gold” and emphasized its potential to generate “outsize returns.” Semler Scientific is following closely in the footsteps of Michael Saylor’s software firm, Strategy, which has adopted an aggressive strategy of BTC purchases. The company started acquiring Bitcoin in 2020 and is now the largest corporate holder of the asset with 538,200 BTC in its treasury. Other companies have adopted the Microstrategy playbook, including Tokyo-listed real estate firm Metaplanet and Argentinian e-commerce company MercadoLibre . With its latest Bitcoin buy, Semler Scientific now holds the 14th largest Bitcoin treasury among publicly traded companies that hold BTC, according to data from BitcoinTreasuries.

2025-04-26 15:59

Cathie Wood’s billion-dollar investment manager Ark Invest has upped its bull-case Bitcoin price target to as high as $2.4 million by the end of this decade, up from a previous projection of $1.5 million, driven mainly by institutional investors and Bitcoin’s growing acceptance as “digital gold.” 2030 Bitcoin Bull Case In an April 24 report, Ark Research analyst David Puell wrote that the January 2024 bull case price projection for Bitcoin was around $1.5 million . But using the company’s latest experimental model, which is based on total addressable market and projected market penetration across multiple sectors, Ark has now forecasted a bull-case price of $2.4 million by 2030. The bull-case projection figure, which is 60% more than Ark’s initial estimate, is based on a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 72% from last December through the end of 2030. Using this new model, which Puell described as more “aggressive” than Ark’s official methodology, the report estimates a BTC price of $1.2 million in the base case and $500,000 in the bear case. “Institutional investment contributes the most to our bull case,” said Puell, who estimated that Bitcoin would reach a 6.5% penetration rate into the $200 trillion financial market in a best-case scenario (that figure does not include gold). Bitcoin’s acceptance as digital gold also contributed significantly to the ambitious estimate, with the Ark Invest strategist suggesting that the apex crypto could capture up to 60% of the precious metal’s market cap by the end of 2030 in a bull scenario. Bitcoin’s use as a haven in emerging markets was another major contributor to ARK’s $2.4 million bull case forecast. Ark Invest also factored adoption for nation-state and corporate treasury holdings into its Bitcoin price predictions. “We also believe that this more experimental exercise highlights that Bitcoin’s scarcity and lost supply are not reflected in most valuation models today,” Puell added. Will Bitcoin Rocket By 2,400% By 2030? At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $95,151, according to data from CoinGecko. Reaching the $2.4 million Bitcoin price tag would represent a 2,426% increase, which would put BTC’s market cap at a whopping $49 trillion. A $49 trillion valuation would be significantly larger than the combined gross domestic products of the United States and China. It would also position Bitcoin to usurp gold as the largest asset in the world, which currently boasts a market cap of $22 trillion. While Ark’s prediction reflects their strong belief in Bitcoin, it remains to be seen whether the apex crypto can indeed reach those lofty heights.

2025-04-26 15:56

Coinbase is collaborating with PayPal , offering additional benefits for customers using PayPal’s stablecoin, PYUSD, including fee waivers and direct transfers between PYUSD and USD. This is a major benefit for PayPal, as the company has been trying to expand into the cryptocurrency business, launching PYUSD in 2023. PayPal’s integration with Coinbase will allow the company to fulfill its vision of using PYUSD to make transfers worldwide, thus lowering fees and limiting currency exchange rates. Stablecoins are gaining popularity due to their utility as a way to transfer funds quickly, and in many cases, without incurring any fees. PayPal’s PYUSD has lagged behind other stablecoins on the market. This is probably because many crypto traders associate PayPal with the older way of making transactions. PYUSD only shares 1% of the stablecoin market, having a market cap of only $730 million. Tether’s USDT has a market share of about 66%. Circle’s USDC has a market share of about 28%. PayPal announced that its collaboration with Coinbase was not a one-way street, with added benefits for Coinbase, including access to PayPal’s extensive network, which enables wide-reaching, stablecoin-based solutions for businesses and remittances. PayPal said that the collaboration would enable further crypto adoption with PYUSD at the center of innovation and global trade. PYUSD has undergone various changes recently, with PayPal announcing a rewards program offering 3.7% annual rewards in PayPal and Venmo wallets. The new system also allows customers to collect daily rewards and receive monthly payouts. Reward systems are particularly popular during economic crises, such as with shopping vouchers and other types of tokenized value. “We’re demonstrating”, said Alex Chriss, PayPal CEO, “our commitment to an innovative, commerce-ready ecosystem by enabling it for the settlement of cross-border transfers, vendor payments, and in the future for additional payment use cases like payouts and bill pay”. Coinbase, moreover, said the collaboration would explore more on-chain options to increase the utilisation of stablecoins. With Coinbase’s expertise, they could try out other forms of digital payments for PYUSD and engage directly with DeFi ecosystems. Coinbase and PayPal collaborated back in 2021 when the exchange allowed users to buy and withdraw using PayPal. Coinbase seems to be positioning PYUSD as a major player in the stablecoin market, despite the token having only a 1% market share. However, it benefits from a wide-reaching network and a loyal user base.

2025-04-25 18:57