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Tag: Cryptocurrency

  • Sam Bankman-Fried is waging a social media campaign for a pardon—but President Trump will not give him one, says the White House | Fortune

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    Convicted crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried used to be a prolific donor to the Democratic Party, but these days his public statements have taken on a decidedly MAGA tone. “Clinton-appointed Judge Lewis Kaplan made his political bias very clear when sentencing me,” reads a recent screed on X. “I admire @realDonaldTrump for standing up to this ‘partisan and out of control activist’!”

    This is just one of dozens of tweets railing about the deep state and other MAGA villains that Bankman-Fried, one of the century’s most notorious financial criminals, has published in recent weeks despite being locked up for 25 years in federal prison.

    Though Bankman-Fried has not stated so explicitly, the goal of his social media spree is clear: persuade President Donald Trump to spring him from prison. The strategy makes sense given that Trump has been dispensing pardons to several high-profile figures convicted of financial crimes, including Binance founder and onetime Bankman-Fried archrival, Changpeng Zhao.

    Alas for Bankman-Fried, his petitions to Trump for mercy appear to be in vain. In response to a request for comment about the recent social media campaign, a White House spokesperson reiterated to Fortune that Trump has no intention of pardoning Bankman-Fried. 

    In an email, the spokesperson referred Fortune to comments by Trump in January, where the president stated that he did not plan to pardon Bankman-Fried, along with a number of other prominent inmates including former New Jersey senator Robert Menendez and ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. “The President is the ultimate decider on all pardons,” the spokesperson wrote. 

    An attorney for Bankman-Fried did not respond to a request for comment. 

    Unsuccessful bid

    Bankman-Fried was a longtime supporter of progressive causes and is the son of two Stanford law professors who carried considerable influence in the upper echelons of the Democratic Party. But as his fraudulent crypto empire crumbled in November 2022, the crypto founder plotted a rightward shift. In a personal document released as part of the trial, Bankman-Fried wrote that he planned to go on conservative TV host Tucker Carlson’s program and “come out as a Republican.” 

    On the surface, the tactic seems plausible, especially in today’s political environment. Trump entered office in January 2025 pledging to roll back the Biden administration’s crackdown on crypto. Under Trump, regulatory agencies have dismissed key cases against blockchain companies, and the Justice Department has undergone a reorganization of its approach to crypto enforcement. 

    Still, Bankman-Fried’s reputation as one of the top Biden donors has limited his appeal to the Trump administration. That, combined with Bankman-Fried’s still villainous status in the crypto industry, has always made his campaign for a pardon a long shot, according to D.C. insiders. That’s even with an unsanctioned appearance on Tucker Carlson last year, which reportedly landed Bankman-Fried in solitary confinement. 

    The tough odds haven’t curbed Bankman-Fried’s perseverance, as he is also fighting his conviction in federal appeals court. His X feed is filled with posts, which have been amplified by what critics describe as “sock-puppet” accounts, touting his new conservative bona fides. (In his bio, Bankman-Fried clarifies that he tells a proxy what to write through Bureau of Prisons–approved phone calls and emails.) 

    “Dems like censoring ‘misinfo’ on social media,” reads one recent post, before praising Trump’s own platform. “Truth Social & GETTR have always put free speech first.” 

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    Leo Schwartz

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  • Rate launches RateFi for borrowers using cryptocurrency – Houston Agent Magazine

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    Rate has introduced RateFi, a new mortgage product that allows qualified borrowers to use verified cryptocurrency as part of their income and asset qualification without requiring liquidation. Assets used for down payments or closing costs, however, must be converted. 

    RateFi charts a new path to homeownership for crypto-forward borrowers and is fully built, priced and operational within Rate’s digital mortgage platform. 

    “Digital assets are real assets, yet mortgage lending has treated them as invisible. RateFi changes that,” said Kate Amor, executive vice president and head of enterprise products at Rate. “We built this product to apply common sense underwriting to a modern financial reality, allowing qualified borrowers to use their crypto without selling it, without gimmicks, and without stepping outside established lending standards. RateFi represents the first phase of a broader digital asset lending strategy the company plans to expand over time.” 

    According to the company, RateFi is among the earliest institutional-grade mortgage programs offered by an independent mortgage bank and is designed to scale. The program operates within existing non-QM structures and applies standard AML and KYC verification processes, ensuring institutional-grade compliance. 

    “Crypto lending gets a lot of headlines,” said Shant Banosian, president of Rate. “But this business is about closing loans consistently, compliantly, and at scale. RateFi runs within our existing platform, providing the underwriting, pricing, and operational support our loan officers rely on every day. It gives them another way to say yes to qualified borrowers without adding complexity.” 

    Research from Rate indicates that digital asset holders are looking for practical ways to leverage existing wealth without triggering liquidation or unnecessary tax consequences.  

    “Digital assets represent real wealth,” Banosian added. “RateFi expands who our loan officers can help and strengthens our ability to serve today’s borrower, without adding friction to the process.” 

     

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    Jacqui Mueller

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  • Crypto VC Framework Ventures to take $45 million stake in Better.com as mortgage issuer plans to launch ‘Homecoin’ token | Fortune

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    A crypto investor is helping a publicly traded mortgage issuer dive into DeFi. Better.com announced on Monday that Framework Ventures has struck a deal to buy 10% of its stock, worth about $45 million at current prices. The move comes as Better.com plans to dive into tokenization, or the act of putting non-crypto assets like stocks in blockchain wrappers, and as the company plans to issue a token backed by $500 million worth of mortgages and other loans.

    The planned mortgage tokens, which propose to grant yield to their holders, will at first be available just for accredited investors. but Better.com plans to expand access to a broader set of participants. “We’re going to be issuing these, and then we’re figuring out how do we get this in the hands of consumers,” said Vishal Garg, founder and CEO of Better.com, in an interview. 

    Garg declined to say when the tokens will go live or what the tokens will be called. One possible name for the retail-focused cryptocurrency is “Home Token,” said a person familiar with the matter, who asked for anonymity to disclose non-public information. 

    Removing intermediaries

    The move from Better.com, which planned to go public at a $7.7 billion valuation in 2021, comes as the company combats a flagging stock price. The mortgage issuer brands itself as a digital-first housing finance provider and uses AI to evaluate potential homeowners. In 2023, when the company finally went public, it saw its shares dip more than 90% in its first day of trading. Better.com has a market capitalization of about $450 million as of Monday.

    The public mortgage issuer is also the latest financial firm to turn to crypto and tokenization. Financial giants like BlackRock and Fidelity have started to experiment with tokenization and have issued their own money-market funds on public blockchains. Proponents of putting real-world assets “on chain” say the process cuts out middlemen and reduces fees.

    That’s the same pitch Garg made when explaining the rationale behind Better.com’s push into DeFi, or decentralized finance. “There are so many different layers of intermediation that we’re going to be able to take out,” he said. “And if we’re able to finance at a much lower cost than anyone else in the mortgage market, we’re going to be able to offer consumers a much cheaper mortgage than anybody else in the market.”

    As part of its plan to tokenize mortgages, Better.com is working with Sky, a DeFi ecosystem that uses real-world assets like mortgages and other financial products to back stablecoins, or cryptocurrencies designed to stay stable as opposed to more volatile tokens like Bitcoin or Ethereum.

    Framework Ventures is one of the biggest backers of Sky, which has about $18 billion in capital in its ecosystem as of Monday afternoon. 

    “We’re bridging the crypto coin-denominated universe to the public equities universe, with a substrate of stablecoins,” said Vance Spencer, cofounder of Framework Ventures.

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    Ben Weiss

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  • Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Former FBI agent weighs in on tracking ransom money

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    AT THIS HOUR, AUTHORITIES IN ARIZONA ARE ASKING FOR ANY KIND OF VIDEO THAT COULD LEAD THEM TO NANCY GUTHRIE. ONE QUESTION IN THIS INVESTIGATION IS, WAS SHE KIDNAPED FOR RANSOM? THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF RANSOM NOTES, BUT IT’S NOT CLEAR IF THE GUTHRIE FAMILY HAS PAID ANYTHING AT THIS POINT. WESH 2’S LINDSEY TALKED WITH A FORMER FBI AGENT ON HOW THAT COULD BE A CRITICAL PART OF THE INVESTIGATION. VERY VALUABLE TO US, AND WE WILL PAY THE MAJORITY OF US. WATCH THAT VIDEO POSTED BY SAVANNAH GUTHRIE AND HER SIBLINGS SATURDAY. AND ALL WE COULD THINK IS THAT POOR FAMILY. BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TECH EXPERTS LIKE KYLE ARMSTRONG ALSO SEE AN OPPORTUNITY THERE TO BRING NANCY GUTHRIE HOME. THE PAYMENT IS MADE AND IT GOES THE BLOCKCHAIN WORLD. AT SOME POINT IT WILL BE CASHED OUT FOR FIAT CURRENCY. AND THAT’S THE OPPORTUNITY THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL LOOK FOR. WHAT IS THE BLOCKCHAIN? ARMSTRONG, A FORMER FBI AGENT, NOW WORKS FOR TRM LABS, WHICH SPECIALIZES IN BLOCKCHAIN INTELLIGENCE. ANYTIME THERE’S A BITCOIN TRANSACTION, THAT TRANSACTION IS PUBLISHED ON THE OPEN INTERNET, AND THE BLOCKCHAIN IS ESSENTIALLY THE RECORDING OF THAT TRANSACTION. TRANSACTIONS ARE FROM ONE ADDRESS TO ANOTHER. AND ANONYMOUS, OFTEN 20 PLUS CHARACTERS ALPHANUMERIC THAT ARE HARD TO CRACK. THEY ARE COMPANY WORKS TO US TO FOLLOW THOSE TRANSACTIONS, TO MAKE IT EASY TO GRAPH THOSE TRANSACTIONS, AND SIMPLER TO EXPLAIN. BUT HOW QUICKLY CAN YOU TRACK IT? ONCE A TRANSACTION IS HAS BEEN MADE AND THERE IS A RECIPIENT ADDRESS, THEN YOU CAN BASICALLY FLAG THAT ADDRESS. AND THEN ANYTIME THE ASSETS MOVE, THAT FLAG WILL CARRY WITH THEM IN THE IN OUR INTERNAL SOFTWARE. AND SO EVEN IF IT MOVES TEN TIMES IN A CIRCUITOUS MANNER, WHEN THE FUNDS EVENTUALLY HIT ONE OF THESE EXCHANGES, THEY WILL KNOW. SO KYLE ARMSTRONG SAYS IF A SUSPECT DOES TRY TO WITHDRAW THAT MONEY, THE EXCHANGE WOULD THEN FREEZE IT AND IMMEDIATELY CONTACT POLICE. THAT IS REALLY INTERESTING. BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY DON’T TRY TO WITHDRAW IT AND THEY TRY TO DO SOMETHING ELSE, OR BUY SOMETHING ELSE? REALLY GOOD QUESTION. BUT THINK ABOUT THIS. YOU CAN’T REALLY GO OUT RIGHT NOW AND BUY A CAR OR A HOME WITH BITCOIN. MAYBE THAT COULD HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. EVENTUALLY YOU HAVE TO CASH SOMETHING OUT. AND IN FACT, ARMSTRONG POINTED TO A 2016 NEW YORK CASE WHERE IT’S BELIEVED A COUPLE STOLE CRYPTO BUT COULD NOT ACTUALLY SPEND IT. SO THEY STARTED BUYING UP GIFT CARDS. THE MOMENT THEY DID THAT, THERE WAS A RECORD. AND HE SAYS, YOU WILL BE

    Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Former FBI agent weighs in on tracking ransom money

    Updated: 4:49 PM PST Feb 12, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    A former FBI agent who worked 14 years investigating illicit finance cases said the ransom note could be the opportunity to find “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy.It’s unclear if the Guthrie family has agreed to pay anyone, but there were reports of two ransom notes demanding payment in Bitcoin. Kyle Armstrong, who worked for the FBI, now works for a blockchain intelligence company called TRM Labs. “If a ransom is paid, I’m certain that there will be several investigators,” Armstrong said. “When money goes in, there’s not a lot of retail use of cryptocurrency, especially a sizable amount. You really can’t buy cars. You can’t go to fancy vacations. You can’t do a lot of retail things with crypto. Ultimately, you have to exchange the cryptocurrency, primarily for fiat currency, for regular U.S. dollars, euros, whatever it is. That presents, usually, the opportunity for law enforcement to learn who is controlling this account.”When there’s a transaction, it’s from one address to another that is anonymous, but TRM Labs has a tool that can help law enforcement decipher that. “Anytime there’s a Bitcoin transaction, that transaction is published on the open Internet, and the blockchain is essentially the recording of that transaction. Our company works to follow those transactions, to make it easy to graph those transactions and simpler to explain. And then ultimately, we try to identify who’s controlling the addresses,” Armstrong said. He said there are cases where they can even flag the transaction so it can follow multiple movements. “Anytime the assets move, that flag will carry with them in the internal software. So even if it moves 10 times in a circuitous manner, when the funds eventually hit one of these exchanges, and they will know those funds have been identified by law enforcement as illicit,” Armstrong said.

    A former FBI agent who worked 14 years investigating illicit finance cases said the ransom note could be the opportunity to find “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy.

    It’s unclear if the Guthrie family has agreed to pay anyone, but there were reports of two ransom notes demanding payment in Bitcoin.

    Kyle Armstrong, who worked for the FBI, now works for a blockchain intelligence company called TRM Labs.

    “If a ransom is paid, I’m certain that there will be several investigators,” Armstrong said. “When money goes in, there’s not a lot of retail use of cryptocurrency, especially a sizable amount. You really can’t buy cars. You can’t go to fancy vacations. You can’t do a lot of retail things with crypto. Ultimately, you have to exchange the cryptocurrency, primarily for fiat currency, for regular U.S. dollars, euros, whatever it is. That presents, usually, the opportunity for law enforcement to learn who is controlling this account.”

    When there’s a transaction, it’s from one address to another that is anonymous, but TRM Labs has a tool that can help law enforcement decipher that.

    “Anytime there’s a Bitcoin transaction, that transaction is published on the open Internet, and the blockchain is essentially the recording of that transaction. Our company works to follow those transactions, to make it easy to graph those transactions and simpler to explain. And then ultimately, we try to identify who’s controlling the addresses,” Armstrong said.

    He said there are cases where they can even flag the transaction so it can follow multiple movements.

    “Anytime the assets move, that flag will carry with them in the internal software. So even if it moves 10 times in a circuitous manner, when the funds eventually hit one of these exchanges, and they will know those funds have been identified by law enforcement as illicit,” Armstrong said.

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  • Crypto lender BlockFills suspends withdrawals for clients in latest blow to the blockchain sector | Fortune

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    BlockFills, a crypto trading platform, will temporarily prohibit customers from depositing and withdrawing funds. It is the latest sign of trouble for the digital assets industry, which has been beset by plunging prices and unease over its future. Chicago-based BlockFills announced the decision in a statement on Wednesday, saying that it was doing so to further the protection of clients and the firm. 

    A spokesperson for BlockFills declined to provide any further comment on the matter, in a note to Fortune. 

    BlockFills made the move in large part because of the current downturn in cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is down roughly 48% since its all-time high price in October to its current price of about $66,000 and is down roughly 29% in the last month, according to Binance. 

    BlockFills primarily functions as a crypto lending platform for hedge funds and other asset managers. This means that the company uses crypto as collateral and provides liquidity to these borrowers. BlockFills has over $60 billion in transaction volume and has more than 2,000 institutional clients, according to its website. 

    The move by BlockFills echoes activity during the crypto winter of 2022, when several prominent lenders like Celsius and BlockFi also halted customer deposits. The company, however, is less well known and it’s unclear if its troubles will affect the broader market.

    Many thought that President Donald’s Trump’s second term would usher in a golden era for cryptocurrencies. The first nine months of his presidency did bring Bitcoin to its record high price, but the downturn has been sharp since then, erasing all of those early gains and more. Trump signed crypto-friendly legislation in July and was expected to sign another landmark bill in January until it stalled. 

    Bitcoin isn’t the only cryptocurrency to sputter. Ethereum is down 40% in the last month to its current price of about $1,919, and Solana is down 45% during that time to its current price of about $78.

    Join us at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit May 19–20, 2026, in Atlanta. The next era of workplace innovation is here—and the old playbook is being rewritten. At this exclusive, high-energy event, the world’s most innovative leaders will convene to explore how AI, humanity, and strategy converge to redefine, again, the future of work. Register now.

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    Carlos Garcia

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  • Top Analyst Says ‘Paper Bitcoin’ Is Driving The Market, Not The 21 Million Supply Cap

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    A new theory circulating in the crypto market is challenging how investors interpret Bitcoin’s recent price decline. In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), market analyst Crypto Rover argued that Bitcoin is no longer trading as a simple supply-and-demand asset, and that this structural shift is a major reason behind the current sell-off.

    A ‘Parallel Financial Layer’

    Rover’s central claim is that although Bitcoin’s on-chain supply cap of 21 million coins has not changed, the way Bitcoin is traded in modern financial markets has effectively diluted its scarcity. 

    According to him, focusing only on spot buying and selling misses what is really driving price action today. BTC, he says, no longer moves primarily based on physical ownership of coins, but on activity in massive derivatives markets that now dominate price discovery.

    Related Reading

    As the analyst highlighted, in Bitcoin’s early years, its valuation rested on two fundamental principles: a strictly fixed supply of 21 million coins and the impossibility of duplicating that supply. 

    These features made Bitcoin uniquely scarce, with prices largely determined by real buyers and sellers exchanging coins in the spot market. However, over time, Rover asserts that a “parallel financial layer” developed on top of the blockchain itself.

    This financial layer includes cash‑settled futures, perpetual swaps, options contracts, prime brokerage lending, wrapped Bitcoin products such as WBTC, and total return swaps. 

    None of these instruments create new Bitcoin on the blockchain, but they do create synthetic exposure to Bitcoin’s price. According to Rover, this synthetic exposure now plays a central role in determining how Bitcoin trades.

    As derivatives trading volumes grew and eventually surpassed spot market activity, Rover argues that Bitcoin’s price stopped responding mainly to on‑chain coin movement. 

    Instead, prices increasingly reflect leverage, trader positioning, margin stress, and liquidation dynamics. In practical terms, this means Bitcoin can move sharply even when there is little actual buying or selling of real coins.

    Why Bitcoin Moves Without Spot Selling

    Rover also highlights the concept of synthetic supply, explaining that a single Bitcoin can now be used simultaneously across multiple financial products. 

    One coin may back an exchange-traded fund (ETF) share while also supporting a futures contract, a perpetual swap hedge, options exposure, a broker loan, or a structured investment product. 

    While this does not increase Bitcoin’s actual supply, it dramatically increases the amount of tradable exposure linked to that same coin. When this synthetic exposure grows large compared with the real supply of Bitcoin, the market’s perception of scarcity weakens. 

    This phenomenon, often described as synthetic float expansion, changes how prices behave. Rallies are more easily shorted using derivatives, leverage builds rapidly, liquidations become more frequent, and volatility increases. 

    According to Rover, this structural shift makes price movements feel disconnected from on‑chain fundamentals. Yet, the analyst notes that the leading cryptocurrency is not unique in this regard. 

    Similar transitions occurred in markets such as gold, silver, oil, and major equity indices. In each case, once derivatives markets overtook physical trading, price discovery moved away from supply alone and became increasingly influenced by financial positioning.

    This framework also helps explain why Bitcoin sometimes declines even in the absence of heavy spot selling. Price pressure can come from forced liquidations of leveraged long positions, aggressive futures shorting, options hedging activity, or ETF arbitrage trades. 

    Importantly, Rover emphasizes that Bitcoin’s hard cap has not changed at the protocol level. The 21 million limit remains intact on the blockchain. 

    What has changed, he argues, is the financial structure surrounding Bitcoin. He concluded his analysis by asserting that in today’s markets, “paper Bitcoin” has become more influential than physical ownership, and that dominance is playing a key role in the market’s recent instability.

    The 1-D chart shows BTC’s recovery above $70,000 on Friday. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView.com

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

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    Ronaldo Marquez

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  • Crypto market in free fall as Bitcoin plunges below $70,000 while shares in Coinbase and Circle tumble | Fortune

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    Some thought that Bitcoin’s nosedive couldn’t get any worse. They were wrong. The original cryptocurrency dipped to under $68,000, its lowest level since October 2024, just before President Donald Trump’s election. That marks a 46% decline since Bitcoin’s all-time high of $126,000 just four months ago, according to Binance. 

    Major crypto companies are being dragged down with it. Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., has seen its stock decline by 50% in the last three months and is currently trading around $151. The stock price of Strategy, a company whose raison d’être is to buy and hold Bitcoin, is also down 54% during that time. Meanwhile, the shares of stablecoin giant Circle, which traded as high as $263 following its IPO last June, are now trading at $52. 

    The plummeting of Bitcoin and these major stocks is the latest sign that cryptocurrencies are not living up to what was supposed to be a golden age under Trump’s second administration. The president adopted a much more crypto-friendly stance than his predecessor. Following his election, the digital asset industry experienced a surge, which now feels more like a sugar rush. The recent decline began on a fateful day in October when traders lost $19 billion in their crypto positions, and Bitcoin has only kept tumbling from there. 

    Crypto was supposed to be a safe haven asset during tough economic times. The tough times have come, but traders have invested elsewhere. Gold, for example, is up 43% in the past six months, as faith in the U.S. dollar weakens—though it too has incurred major setbacks in the last two weeks. Macroeconomic worries stem from stubborn inflation and a weakening job market, among other factors. 

    “Poltical uncertainty, including a high probability of a government shutdown in February and the nomination of a more tightening-oriented Fed Chair, encourages investors to delay returning to risk-on assets,” said Beto Aparicio, senior manager of strategic finance at Offchain Labs. 

    Bitcoin isn’t the only cryptocurrency to suffer losses. Ethereum is down roughly 42% in the last three months to its current price of about $1,970, and Solana has declined 49% during that time to its current price of about $83. 

    Things will only get worse from here, according to traders on prediction markets. On Kalshi, 58% of traders say that Bitcoin will dip below $60,000 at some point in February.  

    Join us at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit May 19–20, 2026, in Atlanta. The next era of workplace innovation is here—and the old playbook is being rewritten. At this exclusive, high-energy event, the world’s most innovative leaders will convene to explore how AI, humanity, and strategy converge to redefine, again, the future of work. Register now.

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    Carlos Garcia

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  • Famed startup incubator Y Combinator to let founders receive funds in stablecoins | Fortune

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    In the latest sign of digital currencies going mainstream, Silicon Valley’s most prominent startup incubator will allow its spring cohort of entrepreneurs to receive their funding in stablecoins. YCombinator, whose alumni include the founders of Airbnb and DoorDash, announced on Tuesday that founders can opt to receive their customary allotment—typically around $500,000—in the Circle-issued USDC. 

    Startups founders who choose stablecoins can choose to receive the tokens on various blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana, Nemil Dalal, a visiting partner at Y Combinator who focuses on crypto, told Fortune. He added that Y Combinator may expand to other stablecoins depending on demand.

    “Stablecoins is one of the key pillars for us,” Dalal said, referring to one of the areas where Y Combinator would like to see more startup ideas. “So we just want to live and breathe that as well.”

    Price agnostic

    While many crypto venture capitalists have let the startups in their portfolio take funding from stablecoins for some time, more traditional tech investors haven’t given that opportunity to founders. Dalal, for example, said he wasn’t aware of any legacy VCs who offer that option. “We’re excited for a world where, in the future, we think a lot of startups will eventually start raising capital on-chain,” he said. 

    Stablecoins have been around for more than a decade but, historically, their adoption was primarily limited to crypto traders seeking a non-volatile asset to park profits. In the last two years, however, stablecoins have burst into the headlines following a push by Wall Street and corporations that view the assets as a faster and more inexpensive way to move money around.

    Big tech has taken notice, especially after President Donald Trump signed into law in July a bill regulating the crypto assets. The fintech giant Stripe completed a $1.1 billion acquisition of the stablecoin startup Bridge in February 2025 and has since backed its own blockchain designed for stablecoin transactions. The cloud infrastructure company Cloudflare announced its intention to launch its own stablecoin in September. And the buy-now-pay-later firm Klarna has launched its own token as well in November.  

    Those announcements largely came during a more bullish crypto market that saw Bitcoin and other tokens notch all-time highs. Now, sentiment has soured as the world’s largest cryptocurrency nears monthslong lows. But, Dalal, the visiting partner at Y Combinator, said that bearish outlook doesn’t apply to stablecoins. “The excitement on stablecoins is just growing,” he said. “It’s actually agnostic of prices.”

    Join us at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit May 19–20, 2026, in Atlanta. The next era of workplace innovation is here—and the old playbook is being rewritten. At this exclusive, high-energy event, the world’s most innovative leaders will convene to explore how AI, humanity, and strategy converge to redefine, again, the future of work. Register now.

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    Ben Weiss

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  • Trump’s Profiteering Hits $4 Billion

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    In September, the company floated shares on the stock market, capitalizing in another way on the cachet of the Trump name. American Bitcoin merged with a penny-stock bitcoin miner as a way of going public without the cost—or scrutiny—of an initial public offering. And the stock market, as expected, has put a far higher price on the company, in part because it owns a stockpile of bitcoin. The brothers’ stake now appears to be worth around two hundred million dollars. A caveat: Eric Trump, as a large and active investor in American Bitcoin, must report any sale of shares, and that might trigger a selloff. So it seems excessive to add it all to the Presidential-profit ledger. I will add only the approximate value of Donald Trump, Jr.,’s stake: about a hundred million dollars.

    The number in August: $3.4 billion
    Additional profit: $100 million
    New total: $3.5 billion

    WORLD LIBERTY FINANCIAL, BINANCE, AND PAKISTAN

    The Trumps have made even more money since August through World Liberty Financial, a digital-finance startup heavily linked to the family. Its website lists the President as a “co-founder emeritus” and displays his photograph prominently; Eric, Donald, Jr., and Barron Trump are all listed as co-founders. Steven Witkoff, the President’s old friend and diplomatic envoy, is also listed as a co-founder emeritus, and his son Zach is C.E.O.

    In May, World Liberty began selling a form of crypto known as a stablecoin. Unlike digital currencies such as bitcoin, which rise and fall in price, a stablecoin is supposed to hold a fixed value in dollars. Before July, when President Trump signed the first legislation regulating stablecoin, some of the best-known examples, such as TerraUSD, had turned out to be Ponzi schemes. (In December, a New York court sentenced TerraUSD’s co-founder to fifteen years in prison.) But World Liberty promised that its stablecoin, USD1, will always be worth exactly one dollar. Buyers can transfer USD1 to move money or make payments, and any holder can redeem USD1 for dollars. In between, while USD1s are circulating, World Liberty invests the cash that it is holding in U.S. Treasury bonds, in much the same way a savings bank might invest deposits. At current interest rates, World Liberty can expect to earn more than four per cent annually on the volume of USD1 in circulation.

    Last spring, a company owned by the rulers of the United Arab Emirates bought two billion dollars’ worth of USD1. The transaction raised alarms about the appearance of a payoff—because the U.A.E. was simultaneously seeking approval from the Trump Administration to acquire sensitive American artificial-intelligence technology. (President Trump soon granted that approval.) The Emiratis immediately used the stablecoin to invest in Binance, the largest crypto exchange, which has its own interest in influencing Trump. In 2023, Binance’s founder, Changpeng Zhao, known as C.Z., pleaded guilty to violating anti-money-laundering laws, served a brief prison sentence, and agreed to stop running the company. At the time of the two-billion-dollar stablecoin payment from the U.A.E., he was petitioning Trump for a pardon. Binance, as the holder of the stablecoin, can determine how long World Liberty continues earning four per cent a year on that two billion dollars. In other words, Binance controls how much profit the Trumps will make from the two-billion-dollar stablecoin sale. In October, Trump granted C.Z.’s request for a pardon. (David Wachsman, a spokesman for World Liberty, told me that Binance cannot “exert control or influence over World Liberty Financial.”)

    Binance is currently seeking to end federal monitoring that had been imposed when he was convicted for violating anti-money-laundering laws. Now the company is goosing the Trumps’ stablecoin profits in another way. On December 11th, Binance dropped its fees for certain crypto trades if they were conducted in USD1. Then, on December 23rd, Binance began paying users of its platform to hold USD1: Binance announced that, for the next month, it would give users a bonus equal to about 1.7 per cent on up to fifty thousand dollars’ worth of USD1 holdings. If this return rate were annualized, it would yield an eye-popping twenty per cent. And, on January 23rd, Binance announced a combination of new giveaways to USD1 holders which roughly extended that offer. Many users leapt at these opportunities. In the months preceding Binance’s maneuvers, the total volume of USD1 in circulation had held steady at about two billion dollars. On December 25th, shortly after Binance announced its first giveaway, World Liberty announced that USD1’s volume had crossed three billion dollars. It has now climbed to roughly five billion, and most of that expansion appears to have taken place on the Binance platform.

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    David D. Kirkpatrick

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  • Altcoins Don’t Move Slowly: 6-Week Window Can Rewrite Years Of Price Action

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    Crypto traders often assume that meaningful gains need long timelines to take place, and they often give up during the wait and silence. However, crypto has a habit of shattering that belief without warning. History shows that when conditions line up, altcoins do not grind higher over years. They release and erase multiple years of drawdowns in a matter of weeks. 

    That memory was highlighted by a crypto commentator known as Waterman on the social media platform X, who noted a familiar seasonal window between February and late April to early May for an altcoin explosion.

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    Speed Matters More Than Time

    The most notable example of an altcoin rally season was in 2021, when the entire altcoin market went on a rally to new all-time highs, many of which are still unbroken for some cryptocurrencies. 

    The 2021 cycle delivered some of the clearest reminders of just how fast capital can rotate once momentum takes hold. Solana moved from roughly $20 to $200 in about 50 days, a clean tenfold run. Although Solana has since broken above this peak to register a new all-time high of $293 in January 2025, this was still Solana’s most explosive rally to date.

    Dogecoin followed an even sharper trajectory, climbing from $0.07 to a peak of $0.73 in under a month due to speculative interest that flowed into other memecoins like Shiba Inu. Unlike Solana, Dogecoin is yet to reclaim or surpass this peak price.

    Avalanche went further, rallying from around $3 to $60 in less than 40 days, a twentyfold expansion that unfolded faster than most long-term projections ever anticipate. None of these moves required years of development or prolonged accumulation.

    Total crypto market cap currently at $2.96 trillion. Chart: TradingView

    A Timeframe To Watch Closely

    Notably, February through late April or early May has more often than not been the period where altcoin performance increases the most. If that pattern repeats, the coming weeks may matter far more than the years that came before them.

    At the time of writing, the notion of an altcoin season is still impeded by strong Bitcoin dominance. Much of that comes down to how the entire crypto industry ecosystem has changed massively since 2021, especially after the launch of crypto-based ETFs. That steady demand has kept capital inflows concentrated around Bitcoin and slowed the usual rotation into altcoins.

    Meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu have struggled to keep up in terms of price action, even with the launch of Dogecoin ETFs. Although the ETF has boosted visibility, it has not yet resulted into sustained upside.

    At the same time, investors have become more selective, favoring cryptocurrencies tied to clearer utility. As a result, many crypto communities have been working to create utility for their meme coins.

    Related Reading

    Nonetheless, as noted by Waterman, you only need about four to six weeks for an altcoin to wipe out three to four years of suffering. You don’t need one to two years for altcoins to make massive gains.

    Featured image from YouHodler, chart from TradingView

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  • Analyst Says You’re Not Bullish Enough On Ethereum – What Does He Mean?

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    A growing number of analysts believe Ethereum’s current price action is being misunderstood. Although frustration is growing due to Ethereum’s inability to hold above $3,000, some technical analysts are quick to point out that the structure forming beneath the surface tells a very different story. According to one analyst, the real risk right now is not being bullish on Ethereum and trying to short in anticipation of a downside breakout.

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    Higher Lows And A Structure That Keeps Tightening

    The analyst’s technical view on Ethereum is focused less on short-term momentum and more on the structure developing on the chart, which he argues is even clearer than what is currently visible on Bitcoin’s chart.

    Notably, Ethereum’s price action is carving out a series of higher lows on the daily candlestick timeframe chart to form a tightening triangular pattern since December 2025. This kind of behavior shows that each pullback is being absorbed at progressively higher levels, which is how strong trends reset before continuation.

    Ethereum needs to avoid a breakdown below key support zones in order for this trend continuation setup to still be valid. According to the analyst, a dip under $2,860 would begin to weaken the pattern, while a close below $2,780 would invalidate the higher-low structure. 

    At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading around $2,950, which is dangerously close to the lower boundary of this setup. Therefore, some traders will be tempted to short Ethereum at this level, but the analyst called it the dumbest thing to do here.

    As long as those levels ($2,860 and $2,780) hold, the analyst sees no technical justification for betting against ETH, especially near the lower boundary of the channel where buyers have repeatedly stepped in. 

    ETHUSD now trading at $2,946. Chart: TradingView

    If support holds, the next move would be a gradual return to the upper trendline of the channel, which is just below $3,340. A move into that region would bring price back into direct contact with overhead resistance and set the stage for a breakout if buying pressure continues to increase.

    Ethereum Price Chart. Source: @Tryrexcrypto on X

    The Bigger Picture Behind Ethereum’s Price Action

    Ethereum is entering 2026 without clear bullish momentum, a reality that has dampened sentiment across the spot and derivatives markets. Spot ETF inflows into Ethereum and Bitcoin have slowed down, and issuers have been highlighted with consistent days of outflows.

    Nonetheless, major asset managers are still holding huge amounts of Ethereum and are working on diversifying their activities on Ethereum. BlackRock, for example, filed with the SEC in December to launch a staked Ethereum exchange-traded fund, a move that will bring in more institutional investors into the Ethereum ecosystem.

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    Speaking of staking, BitMine Technologies recently amped up its ETH staking to over $5.71 billion worth of Ethereum. On-chain data from Arkham Intelligence shows that the firm has staked an additional 171,264, worth $503.2 million, pushing its total stake to over 1.94 million ETH.

    Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

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  • Crypto startup ZBD raises $40 million to power video game payments | Fortune

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    Gamers have long bought and sold digital items like swords, jewels, and spaceship parts. Cryptocurrencies, which are inherently digital, seem like an obvious tie-in. In a bid to make good on that combination and build blockchain payments rails for video games, the Bitcoin payments startup ZBD has raised $40 million in a Series C fundraise.

    Based in New Jersey, the company sells access to video game payments software that can process a variety of transactions, including Bitcoin ones. Blockstream Capital, a crypto investment firm connected to early Bitcoiner Adam Back, led ZBD’s most recent funding round and put in $36 million, Simon Cowell, the startup’s cofounder and CEO, told Fortune. He declined to name the other investors and at what valuation ZBD raised its most recent round.

    “We’re talking about a payment solution for the entire industry that actually really enables them to have a direct financial relationship to the player,” Cowell added.

    Zebedee

    ZBD’s fundraise comes amid a climate of growing pessimism regarding the integration of crypto into video games. Long hailed as one of blockchain’s most obvious use cases, the combination hasn’t achieved the same mainstream adoption that boosters promised during crypto’s bull cycle in 2021 and 2022, when advocates said that NFTs were a clear evolution of in-game collectibles.

    ZBD, though, has never been in the business of NFTs or crypto-based gameplay, and the startup is piggybacking off a crypto use case that has seen adoption: payments. Especially with the rise of stablecoins, or cryptocurrencies pegged to real-world assets like the U.S. dollar, blockchains as payments rails have become a talking point from big fintechs like Stripe and even big banks like JPMorgan Chase.

    It’s apt, then, that Cowell’s background is in financial services, not games. Spending most of his career in asset management, he began working in 2016 for NXMH, a family office that would eventually acquire the crypto exchange Bitstamp. Three years later, the U.K.-native Cowell decided to team up with his other cofounders André Neves and Christian Moss to launch ZBD–named after a character called Zebedee from a French cartoon show. “It didn’t really mean anything,” Cowell said of the company’s name, adding that they just liked the sound of it.

    Rather than stablecoins, the trio focused on Bitcoin and built a company that lets games pay out users in the world’s largest cryptocurrency. But ZBD’s chief strategy officer, Ben Cousens, stressed that crypto payouts aren’t the company’s only area of expertise. Instead of relying on fintechs like Stripe, developers can integrate ZBD’s tech to let gamers more directly send money to each other as well as earn loyalty rewards for repeatedly loading up a video game, he added. “You retain that user because you don’t need to send them out to a third party, because we’re providing the rails,” said Cousens.

    While ZBD’s cofounder Cowell said the startup wasn’t yet profitable and declined to disclose revenue figures, he did say they’ve achieved traction among mobile game developers. The startup of 70 employees worked with 55 games in 2025, he said. And the $40 million the team raised will help it roll out a broader suite of payments products over the next year. “Where we’re moving to is expanding into a more fulsome payment suite,” said Cowell.

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  • Analyst Reveals How Far Bitcoin Price Will Crash If The Uptrend Doesn’t Continue

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    A warning signal is flashing on the charts, with market analysts predicting that the Bitcoin price could collapse again soon. According to technical analysis, if BTC fails to continue its uptrend, it could repeat the bear-market crash from past cycles, potentially dragging its price down by double-digit percentages. 

    Bitcoin Price To Repeat 2022 Bear Market Crash?

    Crypto analyst Tyrex believes that Bitcoin may be approaching a critical turning point if the current uptrend fails to hold. In his latest BTC price outlook on X, he compares the current market structure to the April 2022 cycle, when Bitcoin made an ATH and then crashed hard for weeks. 

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    Tyrex disclosed that Bitcoin dropped roughly 45% from its all-time high in 2022 before entering an extended consolidation phase that lasted nearly four months. The accompanying chart shows that during that period, prices respected clear horizontal boundaries, creating a false sense of strength and stability, all while underlying weakness continued to build. 

    That consolidation eventually led to an upside fakeout, with the Bitcoin price briefly breaking resistance before reversing sharply. Unfortunately, the rejection triggered a continuation of the broader downtrend that year, resulting in another aggressive price crash that wiped out remaining bullish confidence. 

    According to Tyrex, BTC’s current chart structure closely mirrors the same historical setup from 2022. Bitcoin has once again pulled back sharply after reaching an all-time high of over $126,000. Additionally, the cryptocurrency has spent roughly two months consolidating within a defined range, repeatedly stalling at resistance levels. 

    Tyrex warns that Bitcoin is barely holding above $95,000, which aligns with the resistance zone shown on the chart. If price fails to recover and continues to stall near this level, the move higher could turn out to be a fakeout, potentially leading to another sharp dump— just as it did in 2022. The red-shaded area on the chart shows how far BTC could crash if the uptrend breaks, with the analyst projecting an 11.04% drop to the $86,000-$84,000 range. 

    BTCUSD now trading at $95,259. Chart: TradingView

    Bitcoin Set For March ATH And May Flash Crash

    Another forecast from market expert CryptoXLarge outlines where Bitcoin could be headed over the next four months. The analyst bases the outlook on historical market behavior, suggesting the current cycle may be replicating past cycle peaks. 

    CryptoXLarge points to January 2026 as a phase of quiet accumulation with controlled price action and muted volatility. February is expected to bring a powerful rally as momentum builds rapidly and buyers push the BTC price higher. This surge could set the stage for Bitcoin to reach a new all-time high around $240,000 in March. 

    Related Reading

    After this projected peak, April will likely be a bull trap where the price appears strong but fails to sustain upward momentum. The forecast concludes with a warning of a flash crash in May 2026, during which prices could pull back to fresh lows. 

    Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

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  • Bitcoin’s journey in 2026 will depend on Trump, oil, and AI – MoneySense

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    2025 was a milestone year for BTC and other cryptocurrencies. The passing of the GENIUS Act in the U.S., which regulates U.S. dollar stablecoins, confirmed crypto’s status as a mainstream asset. Equally important was the proliferation of cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in Canada, the US, and other countries. Investors no longer need to jump through hoops or navigate the crypto ecosystem to invest in BTC, ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL) or other cryptocurrencies. Now, getting exposure to crypto is as easy as buying an S&P 500 Index ETF or a S&P/TSX Composite Index ETF. 

    How did BTC perform as an investment in 2025? Although it was down a relatively modest 7.32% from the beginning to the end of 2025, investors experienced wild up and down swings through the year.  Here’s how much BTC gained or lost in each quarter of 2025.

    What the Venezuela crisis means for BTC

    2026 is off to a wild start. The US special forces entered Venezuela, captured the country’s leader Nicholas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flew them to New York to face charges. 

    How does this affect BTC? BTC trades in two ways: sometimes as a safe haven asset like gold, and other times like a technology stock that rips higher in times of market optimism and exuberance. In the weeks since this year began, BTC has traded like a safe haven asset, gaining on the back of rising geopolitical tensions exemplified by the US military action in Venezuela. 

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    From the beginning of 2026 to now (mid January 2026) BTC has gained over 8% and gold is up about 5%. Why so? Much of the geopolitical uncertainty these days is caused by actions taken by, or statements made by the US government. As a result, investors are on the lookout for assets that are—at least partially—independent of US government influence. 

    Enter gold and BTC. They’re both globally traded assets that aren’t structurally controlled by the US—or any other country. Further, both are considered by many investors to be alternative forms of money. In fact, gold and BTC are often clubbed together as hard assets; that is, assets the value of which cannot easily be manipulated or inflated by governments, including the US.

    Does this mean that the price of BTC will continue to rise this year as long as geopolitical uncertainty persists? It’s not that simple.

    BTC’s fate in 2026 will depend on inflation and interest rates

    While BTC—like gold—does rise on the back of geopolitical uncertainty, it is also (somewhat paradoxically) considered a risk-on asset. In other words, just like stocks, it gains substantially in low-interest rate regimes when the market is flush with liquidity. Therefore, for BTC to gain substantially in 2026, inflation (especially in the US, which is the world’s largest capital market) would need to be soft and interest rates would need to remain low. 

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    US inflation data right now is encouraging, with the headline U.S. consumer price index (CPI) for December 2025 coming in at 2.7% on an annual basis. This is in line with expectations and within the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (the Fed’s) comfort zone—which means that the Fed may not be in a hurry to raise interest rates. This is positive news for BTC.

    The chart below shows the CPI trajectory from 2021 to the latest print for December 2025. As is clear from the chart, CPI has remained relatively low—within the 2% to 3% band—for well over a year on the back of soft crude oil prices and efficiency gains from the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). 

    Source: cnbc.com as of January 13, 2026

    Where BTC goes in 2026 will in no small part depend on the price of oil, the continued adoption of AI by large global companies, and the effect these will have on inflation.

    Crypto price swings are common

    Cryptocurrencies including BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, BNB, and others are speculative and highly volatile assets subject to significant price movements. Even stablecoins, which are seemingly “safe,” may be risky if not adequately backed by real-world assets.

    Investing in bitcoin and other crypto coins carries significant market, technological, and regulatory risks. Invest in crypto only if it aligns with your broader investment goals, time horizon, and risk profile, and always stay vigilant about crypto scams.

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    About Aditya Nain


    About Aditya Nain

    Aditya Nain is an author, speaker and educator who writes about Canadian investments, personal finance and crypto. He has co-authored two books and taught at universities for 12 years.

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  • Landmark crypto bill on knife’s edge as Coinbase CEO pulls support ahead of key Senate vote | Fortune

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    As the Senate Banking Committee prepares to debate long-anticipated legislation that would establish regulation for the crypto industry, the fate of the bill is in limbo after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong declared his opposition in a Wednesday night post on X. 

    “We’d rather have no bill than a bad bill,” Armstrong wrote, outlining several blockchain sector critiques, including a key battle with the banking industry over offering rewards for stablecoin holdings. “Hopefully we can all get to a better draft.” 

    The legislation, which focuses on market structure issues such as supervisory divisions between different federal agencies, has long been a priority for the crypto industry. The bill would address thorny questions that led to bruising lawsuits under previous administrations, including how to classify and regulate different types of cryptocurrencies. 

    After helping elect a wave of pro-blockchain candidates fueled by millions in campaign donations, the crypto industry notched a major win over the summer with the passage of the Genius Act, which established a regulatory framework for stablecoins, or a type of dollar-backed cryptocurrency. But market structure has proven trickier, especially after the banking lobby pushed back against provisions in the Genius Act that allows companies to offer customers yield on their stablecoin holdings, similar to savings accounts. 

    After the House of Representatives advanced their version of the market structure legislation, called the Clarity Act, in July, the Senate delayed in taking up the bill. But with the Senate Banking Committee finally set to debate amendments on Thursday morning in the markup process, arguments over the issue of yield, as well as conflict of interest ethics provisions targeted at the Trump administration, could stymie the bill’s progress. 

    “There’s a real chance this could blow up in committee,” one crypto lobbyist told Fortune, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive industry dynamics. “People are pretty fired up here.” 

    Lack of clarity

    For many in the crypto industry, the success of the stablecoin-focused Genius Act over the summer was just an appetizer to the main course: wide-ranging market structure legislation that would finally grant legitimacy to the renegade sector. But after years of fierce debate, the product coming out of the Senate might be worse than no bill at all. 

    The most significant wedge issue going into Thursday remains the battle over stablecoin yields. The bank lobby has argued that the Genius Act effectively created a loophole, preventing stablecoin issuers themselves from offering yield to users, but allowing partners and third parties to provide rewards. Those programs have been key to many crypto companies, such as Coinbase, which reported $355 million in stablecoin-related revenue in the third quarter of 2025 and offers yields to holders of its stablecoin, USDC. Bank lobbyists have argued that this could threaten the U.S. financial system by suctioning money out of bank deposits. 

    A bipartisan group of senators has offered a compromise in the Clarity Act, which would allow crypto companies to offer yield for stablecoin-related transactions, similar to credit cards, as well as other activity. But it remained unclear whether Coinbase, one of the most outspoken and deepest-pocketed crypto figures in Washington, would support the agreement, with Armstrong’s Wednesday post seeming to indicate it would take a hard-line approach. 

    “It’s still very much in negotiations right now,” said Ron Hammond, who serves as head of policy at the crypto trading firm Wintermute. “But it’s crypto and there’s always last-second drama, and so it seems to be one of the wedges here.” 

    Another debate pushed by Democrats is language that would prevent politicians, including the President, from profiting off of crypto holdings or interest. The issue has become a lightning rod due to the Trump family’s deep entanglement with the crypto industry, including its digital asset platform World Liberty Financial, which recently applied for a federal bank license. But Republicans have strongly pushed back against the possibility, with Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) telling CoinDesk on Wednesday that ethics provisions don’t belong in the Clarity Act. 

    But a letter sent to Scott and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) from a number of nonprofit watchdog groups, obtained by Fortune, describes the lack of provisions in the proposed bill addressing governmental conflicts of interest as “deeply concerning.” 

    If Democrats such as Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who has referred to an ethics provision as a “red line,” pull their support, the bill could be stuck in committee, which needs a simple majority vote, though Republicans hold the edge. 

    The lobbyist who spoke on the condition of anonymity lamented that the bill has lurched to the left in an effort to gain bipartisan support, including through additional provisions that would regulate DeFi, or decentralized finance, as well as the listing process for crypto tokens and oversight responsibilities handed to the Securities and Exchange Commission. “They’ve lost their north star,” the lobbyist told Fortune. 

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  • Analyst Outlines The Bull Case For XRP And Why Price Will Hit All-Time High Soon

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    XRP is now back to trading just above the $2 level after an early January rally briefly carried its price action into the $2.40 range. The pullback has so far been controlled, with price holding above former resistance that has now turned into short-term support.

    A technical analysis shared on X by crypto analyst Bird proposed that conditions are now right for a familiar macro setup that has preceded XRP’s largest historical rallies. The focus of this outlook is on XRP’s reaction with the US dollar index and what its next move could mean for the cryptocurrency.

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    How DXY Weakness Has Always Unlocked XRP Rallies

    Bird’s analysis is based on the US Dollar Index, or DXY, and its inverse relationship with XRP during important phases. The chart accompanying his post pointed to three previous periods, around 2017, 2021, and 2024, where sustained weakness in the dollar coincided with aggressive upside moves in XRP. 

    In each of those cycles, red candles on the DXY chart led to a loss of dollar strength, while XRP responded with strong upward expansion shortly after. This recurring pattern means that XRP’s largest moves tend to follow macro shifts, not just even events related to XRP. When dollar dominance fades, capital always rotates into crypto assets, and XRP has been one of the primary beneficiaries of that transition.

    Interestingly, the current setup shows that DXY has returned to a similar structural zone seen before past rollovers. As shown in the chart below, the DXY is now trending downwards.

    US Dollar Index, XRPUSD. Source: @Bird_XRPL On X 

    XRP To New All-Time Highs?

    The first highlighted phase captures the late-2017 to early-2018 cycle, when a weakening dollar backdrop lined up with XRP’s rally run into the cycle peak in the mid-$3 range.

    A similar relationship appeared around the 2020-2021 window, where dollar softness was followed by XRP surging to $1.90 at its cycle top. The latest was in H1 2025, which culminated in XRP reaching its current all-time high of $3.65 in July.

    XRPUSD currently trading at $2.09. Chart: TradingView

    The important context is why the current moment is a decision point. At the time of writing, the DXY is sitting around 99, and from here it can either turn lower and start printing red candles again or catch a bid and print green.

    If DXY starts printing red candles again and rolls over, the pattern Bird is pointing to suggests the macro backdrop becomes supportive for another strong XRP leg higher, which is why a new all-time high above $3.65 could come into view within the next few months. 

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    If DXY prints green and strengthens, that would be the opposite signal: it can tighten liquidity conditions and keep XRP’s price action capped in consolidation around $2 before any breakout attempt. Either way, the dollar’s next move will signal what comes next.

    Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

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  • How stablecoins could modernize Canada’s financial system – MoneySense

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    Speed is also a problem. Traditional payment systems can take days to process cross-border transfers. Reducing this friction could boost productivity and strengthen Canada’s economy at a time when both are desperately needed.

    Enter stablecoins: regulated digital currencies that combine the reliability of traditional money with the efficiency of modern technology.

    What is a stablecoin?

    A stablecoin is a digital currency pegged 1:1 to a traditional currency, such as the Canadian dollar. Unlike Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies whose values can vary wildly, stablecoins (true to their name) are designed to hold stable value. This makes them practical for everyday or recurring payments.

    Think of stablecoins as the digital equivalent of cash: familiar and stable in value, but built on blockchain technology. This allows money to move instantly, securely, and across borders without relying on slow intermediaries.

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    Why Canada needs faster, smarter payment solutions

    Stablecoins could change how Canadians send and receive money. Each year, Canadians send roughly US$8 billion abroad. Families that depend on remittances could save significant amounts annually, while businesses could recoup lost funds from cross-border transactions.

    Beyond individual savings, a more efficient payment system strengthens the economy; it supports innovation, improves competitiveness, and makes it easier for Canadian companies to engage in global trade.

    Trust through regulation

    Global regulators are taking notice. The U.S. is moving forward with the GENIUS Act, and the European Union has its Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. Canada is keeping pace with a recently announced national stablecoin framework that, when in place, will ensure stablecoins meet strict standards, similar to traditional financial tools.

    These regulations help ensure that stablecoins are backed by high-quality reserves, so each digital dollar equals a real one. Strong regulation builds confidence and allows Canadians to feel more secure using new payment tools. In 2023, Coinbase research showed that 72% of Canadians say regulation is important, and 29% of non-owners say they would purchase crypto if the industry were better regulated.

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    Canadian dollar-backed stablecoins like QCAD are already in development. With the regulatory framework in place, stablecoins could soon start showing up in everyday life—starting with business payment processors and e-commerce platforms.

    Canada’s chance to lead

    Canada has long been a hub for innovation, but it has lagged in integrating the advances into practical financial tools. Stablecoins give Canadians a chance to embrace faster, cheaper, and more efficient payments that are better suited to digital life and keep pace with trends in the global financial system.

    By modernizing the backbone of our financial system, stablecoins could help families and businesses save money, strengthen productivity, and expand participation in the digital economy. Faster, smarter payments aren’t just convenient—they’re essential for Canada’s economic future.

    Information is provided for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell a particular digital asset or to employ a particular investment strategy. Coinbase Canada, Inc. is registered as a Restricted Dealer in all provinces and territories of Canada. Trading in crypto assets may result in the loss of invested capital.

    Although the term “stablecoin” is commonly used, there is no guarantee that the asset will maintain a stable value in relation to the value of the reference asset when traded on secondary markets or that the reserve of assets, if there is one, will be adequate to satisfy all redemptions.

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    About Jessica Barrett


    About Jessica Barrett

    Jessica Barrett is the editor-in-chief of MoneySense. She has extensive experience in the fintech industry and personal finance journalism.

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  • GENIUS Act Key Provisions In Spotlight: XRP Attorney Deaton Alerts To Bankers’ Role

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    In the lead-up to the potential passage of the crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY Act, Faryar Shirzad, Chief Policy Officer at Coinbase, shed light on the ongoing discussions surrounding key provisions of the already enacted GENIUS Act. 

    GENIUS Act Under Fire

    Shirzad noted that the stablecoin rewards provisions of the GENIUS Act are currently a central topic of debate among lawmakers. Shiraz remarked, “reopening it now only creates uncertainty and risks the future of the US Dollar as commerce moves onchain.”

    Shirzad emphasized the importance of protecting the GENIUS Act, arguing that rewards benefit consumers without adversely affecting community banks.

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    He alleged that the motivation behind banks’ opposition to stablecoin rewards is evident. He claimed that US banks currently generate approximately $176 billion annually from the $3 trillion they hold at the Federal Reserve (Fed) and another $187 billion from card swipe fees, which averages to nearly $1,440 for each household. 

    This results in over $360 billion yearly from payments and deposits, in addition to substantial unused lending capacity, as the Federal Reserve incentivizes banks to maintain reserves rather than deploy them.

    According to Shirzad, stablecoin rewards pose a challenge to these financial margins—not by impeding banks’ ability to lend, but by introducing real competition in payment systems. 

    Shirzad further expressed alarm at how, during these Senate discussions, China has recognized the opportunity presented by the bank lobby. 

    The country has recently announced interest payments to users of its Digital Yuan, aiming to undermine the supremacy of the US dollar. He warned that banning rewards in the Senate would inadvertently aid China’s efforts to challenge the dollar’s dominance.

    Concluding his remarks, Shirzad asserted that the opposition from banks toward stablecoin rewards is not based on prudential concerns but stems from a desire to protect lucrative revenue streams threatened by competition. 

    Deaton Critiques ABA’s Threat To Stablecoin Rewards

    John E. Deaton — attorney for XRP holders in the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) lawsuit against Ripple Labs and a former Senate candidate — also reacted to these developments. He emphasized the importance of the situation as China officially began offering interest on the digital yuan. 

    He highlighted that the American Bankers Association (ABA) is exerting pressure on the Senate to close a “third-party loophole” in the GENIUS Act, which would restrict companies like Coinbase (COIN) and Kraken from offering rewards to consumers.

    Related Reading

    Deaton argued that banning American firms from providing yield to everyday citizens does not protect banks, as claimed by the ABA; rather, it risks forcing global reliance on China’s currency over the US dollar. 

    He emphasized that major banks are threatened by the concept of digital dollars because they are unable to “rent” that money back to consumers if individuals are earning yield themselves.

    The criticism also extended to banking officials, with Deaton asserting that the Banking Policy Institute, led by figures like Jamie Dimon, has crafted an anti-crypto bill last year that undermines the interests of average Americans. 

    He contended that if the Senate capitulates to the bank lobby, it effectively imposes a hidden tax on retail investors and customers nationwide to safeguard Wall Street’s profits.

    The daily chart shows the total crypto market cap valuation at $3.08 trillion. Source: TOTAL on TradingView.com

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

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  • Why The Ethereum Price Could Bounce Above $3,500 Soon

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    A crypto analyst has predicted that the Ethereum price could balloon to $3,500 soon, potentially breaking free of the bearish pressure that has suppressed its momentum for much of 2025. Although ETH is currently trading more than 37.5% below its all-time highs, the analyst has outlined technical indicators and market structure signals suggesting $3,500 is a realistic short-term target for the cryptocurrency.  

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    Ethereum Price Setup Points To $3,500 Rebound

    Crypto market analyst Tryrex has delivered a fresh outlook on the Ethereum price, pointing to conditions that could support a strong upside move to $3,500 in the coming months. In his post on X, the expert suggested that ETH may be approaching the end of its prolonged corrective phase and may be preparing for a decisive bounce. 

    Tryrex highlighted the possibility of a strong rebound developing in the first quarter of 2026, driven by Ethereum’s current hold of a critical liquidity zone between $2,800 and $3,000. He explained that while Bitcoin (BTC) bottomed out in 2025 and entered a range-bound period right after, Ethereum showed relative strength by firmly defending the liquidity region. 

    Based on the analyst’s weekly TradingView chart, this price area also represents a weekly demand zone that has absorbed repeated selling pressure. The fact that the price continues to hold this area indicates that market participants are buying ETH rather than distributing it. Volume behavior at the bottom of the chart also suggests that selling pressure has been weakening compared to earlier phases of Ethereum’s downtrend. 

    Tryrex expects an impulsive move to emerge as Ethereum continues to react to the $2,800 to $3,000 liquidity range. If momentum builds as anticipated, ETH could break out of its current structure and push toward higher resistance levels, with a move above $3,500 seen as an increasingly likely near-term target. With its price currently sitting above $3,000, this would represent a more than 13% increase. 

    ETHUSD currently trading at $3,103. Chart: TradingView

    The analyst has also revealed that his bullish forecast for ETH reflects broader conditions across the altcoin market. He highlighted that many major altcoins appear to be bottoming out after extended downtrends, increasing the possibility of coordinated upside moves if market sentiment and volatility improve. 

    Ethereum Shows Early Moves In 2026

    The market is just three days into 2026, and although major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin closed 2025 in the red, Ethereum appears to be showing early signs of recovery. Initially, the ETH started the year in a similar downtrend, but over the past 24 hours, its price has increased by approximately 2.5%.

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    CoinMarketCap data shows that from January 1 to date, Ethereum has declined by more than 9.5%. However, its trading volume in the last 24 hours has increased by over 100%, signaling strong trader interest despite the recent price dips. In addition, whales have been steadily accumulating ETH, taking advantage of lower prices to increase their positions.

    Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

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    Scott Matherson

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  • 2026 Crypto Market Prediction: Will Prices Soar Or Face Continued Declines?

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    With 2025 now closed, the crypto market is beginning 2026 with attempts to recover from one of its most challenging years. After a tumultuous period, total market capitalization has surged back above $3 trillion. However, many investors are left wondering what the new year has in store for digital assets.

    Institutions Forecast Bullish Crypto Prices For 2026

    According to a recent report by analysts at Bull Theory, the past year proved to be robust for traditional markets, particularly for metals, while cryptocurrencies fell short of expectations. Silver surged by 160%, and gold followed suit with a 66% increase. 

    In contrast, Bitcoin (BTC) wrapped up 2025 down approximately 5%, despite several positive indicators, such as consistent purchasing by Strategy, strong inflows into Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and growing institutional interest. 

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    Yet, when one asset class lags significantly while liquidity remains abundant, historical trends show that the gap typically narrows. In terms of specific projections, various major institutions and prominent investors have offered their forecasts for both Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH). 

    Standard Chartered targets Bitcoin to reach $150,000 by the end of 2026, and JPMorgan projects a price of $170,000. Meanwhile, Citi’s base case stands around $143,000, with a more aggressive bull case suggesting a potential rise to $189,000. 

    Cathie Wood of ARK Invest envisions a long-term scenario where Bitcoin could hit $500,000, contingent on widespread institutional adoption. Tom Lee from Fundstrat anticipates Ethereum will trade between $7,000 and $9,000 by early 2026, fueled by the tokenization of real-world assets.

    New Regulations And Economic Optimism

    The analysts further highlighted that, unlike previous years, this cycle looks distinct in several key aspects. For one, crypto is no longer encumbered by operating within a legal gray area. 

    New regulatory frameworks, particularly in the US, are poised to offer clearer guidelines, reducing uncertainty and facilitating easier access for institutional investors.

    The anticipated changes aim for simplified regulations that could enhance market structure while broadening institutional participation beyond just Bitcoin and Ethereum. 

    Moreover, several factors suggest that a sharp movement in the crypto markets could be on the horizon. The end of quantitative tightening on December 1, 2025, coupled with a growing GDP, signals a conducive environment for crypto. 

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    With inflation stabilized below 3% and unemployment at 4.6%, there are indications that the Federal Reserve (Fed) may adopt a more dovish stance, especially with a new Fed Chair expected to take office in May 2026. 

    Overall, as the new year begins, the crypto market finds itself in a position of underperformance rather than excess. This contrasting state often results in rapid repricings as gaps are closed in response to liquidity alignment. 

    As a result, Bull Theory analysts believe that 2026 could very well be the year when these disparities start to correct, leading to a potentially bullish environment for cryptocurrencies.

    The daily chart shows the total crypto market cap recovery above the $3 trillion mark. Source: TOTAL on TradingView.com

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

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    Ronaldo Marquez

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