The crypto market continues to demonstrate resilience amid global economic turbulence, with Bitcoin experiencing a notable uptick of 16% in April 2025. As traditional markets face pressure from new tariffs
Bankera, an ICO that raised $100 million in 2017 to build a blockchain bank, is now worth almost zero in crypto markets with the BNK token seeing just $400 in trading volumes.
Summary ⚈ XRP short positions hit a 1-month high amid rising recession concerns and bearish sentiment. ⚈ U.S. GDP shrank 0.3% in Q1 2025, missing expectations and fueling market fears. ⚈ Token unlock and ETF delay add to XRP’s downward pressure and investor uncertainty. The ratio of long and short XRP futures positions has reached a 1-month low of 0.8622 on April 30, according to the latest data retrieved by Finbold from crypto intelligence platform CoinGlass . In other words, XRP shorts are at a 1-month high, with 53.7% of positions opened within the last 24 hours being short sales . XRP long-short ratio chart. Source: CoinGlass Moreover, the increase in bearish bets is not a reaction to an overextended move to the upside. On the contrary, XRP has marked a 5.30% decline in price over the past 24 hours, and was last trading at $2.16 at press time on April 30. XRP price 1-day chart. Source: Finbold XRP shorts surge following GDP miss, token unlock, and ETF delay Multiple factors impacting the outlook of derivatives traders are at play. First and foremost are market-wide dynamics. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025 — marking the first such decline since Q2 2022. To make matters worse, consensus estimates were pegged at a GDP growth of 0.3% — so the rate of underperformance is quite substantial. Two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth are the rule of thumb for determining when an economy enters a recession. In addition, XRP is expected to face a significant shift in supply and demand dynamics, as 1 billion tokens is set to be unlocked on May 1 , potentially increasing sell pressure. Finally, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has postponed its decision on a spot XRP exchange-traded fund ( ETF ) approval, in a move that will serve to further delay the cryptocurrency’s adoption by institutional investors. Featured image from Shutterstock The post XRP short bets hit a 1-month high as recession fears loom appeared first on Finbold .
Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan believes that institutional investors’ access to Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is reaching a tipping point, predicting that the “big four” Wirehouse (Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and UBS) will “open up” to Bitcoin ETFs by the end of 2025. Bitwise CIO predicts major brokerages will adopt Bitcoin ETFs by the end of the year, with record inflows in 2025. The big four brokerages collectively control more than $10 trillion in client assets, and their adoption of Bitcoin ETFs could accelerate inflows into the asset class. Hougan’s comments come at a time when traditional asset management firms have been experiencing slower-than-expected adoption since the January 2024 launch of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, including Bitwise’s own BITB fund. Morgan Stanley took a partial step last August by allowing wealth advisors to offer Bitcoin ETFs from BlackRock and Fidelity to ultra-high-net-worth clients, but broad-based access remains limited. “In general, these platforms do not yet allow their advisors to easily access Bitcoin ETFs,” Hougan wrote in a recent note. Wirehouse Access Could Hit ETF Records in 2025 Hougan noted that despite a more modest start compared to 2024, 2025 could see record net inflows into Bitcoin ETFs. As of April 30 last year, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs had net inflows of $11.8 billion, closing the year at $35.4 billion. Hougan cited increasing institutional participation as a key driver: Coinbase, Fidelity and BNY Mellon now offer custody services, while trading firms such as Jane Street and DRW are also actively engaged in the space. Interest in Bitcoin has also spread to prominent investors and institutions such as Ray Dalio, Stan Druckenmiller, Emory University, and the Texas Teachers' Retirement System. “Even BlackRock recommends investing 2% in Bitcoin,” Hougan added, noting that over 80 public companies now own BTC and regulations are starting to become clearer. *This is not investment advice. Continue Reading: Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan Expects Record Inflows into Bitcoin ETFs by the End of 2025! Here Are the Details
April 2025 witnessed crypto markets rocked by more tariffs at the direction of US President Donald Trump — controversial policies that could have influenced the outcome of Canada’s elections on April 28. On April 2, Trump levied “discounted reciprocal tariffs” on 185 countries and territories. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 2,200 points on April 4, while the S&P 500 dropped nearly 6%, its largest decline since March 2020. Bitcoin ( BTC ) went along for the ride but broke from stocks as it recovered toward the end of the month. Blockchain adoption metrics for Ethereum are looking good, as the network now boasts 60% real-world asset (RWA) tokenization value. Major firms like BlackRock are sure the blockchain will be the standard for RWAs, but other observers believe that scaling issues could create problems. On matters of policy, pro-crypto legislators in a number of US states are pushing their respective bills; two states have introduced new legislation in April. In Canada, pro-crypto Conservatives lost to the Liberals, but the victors must form a minority government. Here’s April in numbers. “Liberation Day” sees markets plunge, Bitcoin up 16% on the month On April 2, the US president levied retaliatory tariffs on all US trade partners, sending Wall Street into a spiral. Between the announcement after market close and the end of trading on April 8, global markets wiped off more than $8.5 trillion in asset value. By the same date, the S&P 500 had fallen by just north of 12%. Market value has since inched back upward as some countries court the Trump administration seeking tariff relief, but major partners such as China still haven’t budged. While markets have recovered slightly, losses still amount to a “mere” $1 trillion, according to investment managers AJ Bell. Crypto saw losses as well. Bitcoin’s price decreased 9% between the Liberation Day announcement and April 8. However, unlike stock markets, which are still seeing losses, Bitcoin has managed to close out the month higher than where it started. At the time of writing, BTC is up 16.16%, trading at $94,729. Canada’s crypto-skeptic Liberals win, but fall 3 seats short of majority Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party has claimed victory in the country’s federal parliamentary elections, which took place on April 28. Despite their victory, the Liberals secured 169 seats, three short of the 172 needed to form a majority. A minority Liberal government means they must rely on other parties for legislative initiatives. The outcome will be meaningful for Canada’s crypto policy. Carney, himself a former central banker, has been public about his skepticism for cryptocurrencies. When serving as governor of the Bank of England, Carney said “they are failing” as a form of money. He has also called for “equivalent protections to those for commercial bank money” for private stablecoins. Related: What Canada’s new Liberal PM Mark Carney means for crypto At the same time, Carney has signaled his openness to digital forms of money and the ledger capabilities of blockchain technology. He voiced support for a central bank digital currency, seeing it as another step in the evolution of money. The Liberals started the year trailing well behind the Conservatives as former PM Justin Trudeau stepped down. On Trump’s inauguration day, Conservatives led polling at a 44% polling average to the Liberals’ 21%. Conservative rhetoric, including that of the pro-crypto party leader Pierre Poilievre, was decidedly pro-Trump. This connection may have been the Conservatives’ undoing, as quickly after taking office, Trump said that Canada should become America’s 51st state while simultaneously ramping up tariffs on Canadian goods. Ethereum’s market share of RWAs is up 20% The tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) has been one of the rising use cases for blockchain technology in April. Ethereum is leading the way, with the value of the RWA tokenization on the network increasing to $6.2 billion. This marks a 20% increase over the month of April. RWAs are increasingly adopted by established financial firms launching tokenization pilot projects in real estate, commodities like gold, and even carbon credits. Larry Fink, CEO of the world’s largest fund manager, BlackRock, has noted that tokenized RWAs allow for instant trading and transfers like a “digital deed.” Related: Five reasons RWAs are taking off in 2025 As reported in Cointelegraph Magazine, Ethereum advocates and developers have generally assumed that Ethereum will be the logical choice for firms exploring RWAs. Indeed, Fink said there’s “no question that the blockchain we would start our tokenization on would be Ethereum, and that’s not just a BlackRock thing. That’s the natural default answer.” Two new crypto laws introduced at US state level Two states, Texas and Georgia, introduced new blockchain- and crypto-related bills in their state legislatures in April. In Texas, HB 5352 would establish a State Blockchain Technology Pilot Program by the Department of Information Resources. The pilot aims to see how blockchain technology could improve “transparency, security, and efficiency in government operations.” In Georgia, HR 905 seeks to “implement a public awareness campaign for grade levels K-12 regarding blockchain, cryptocurrency, and Web3.” The bill states that technological literacy is important for all ages and “blockchain computation represents the future of how the world interacts online and shares information through a permanent record of transactions on an open ledger.” In Arizona, Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill to expand a state regulatory sandbox program to include digital assets. But she signed and enacted a bill into law that now prohibits towns “from banning or restricting individuals from using computational power or running blockchain nodes in their own homes.” The law’s definition of “computational power” can be broadly interpreted to mean AI, scientific research, blockchain activities and cloud computing. It effectively protects home crypto miners from local and municipal zoning laws and bans. Stablecoin adoption grows $4 billion in April Stablecoins have seen steady growth in 2025, and April was no exception. The total market capitalization of stablecoins grew $4 billion in April, according to CoinGlass. Growing stablecoin value comes as a number of jurisdictions develop legal frameworks for the assets and soften their regulatory approach. In the US, the House of Representatives bill on stablecoins passed a critical committee vote on April 2 . The STABLE Act provides rules around stablecoin issuance and reserves and will proceed to the floor for a vote. Related: Stablecoin adoption grows with new US bills, Japan’s open approach The Securities and Exchange Commission dropped a case against PayPal’s stablecoin, PayPal USD ( PYUSD ), on April 29. In a form , the SEC said an inquiry regarding a 2023 subpoena was being closed “without enforcement.” Market volatility provides another incentive for stablecoin growth, according to crypto intelligence platform IntoTheBlock. According to the analytics firm, these assets are increasingly seen as “safe havens in the current uncertain market.” As the Trump administration marks its first 100 days , markets are begging for relief, but none seems forthcoming. Despite claims from the White House, China says that no high-level talks are underway to negotiate the tariffs. Despite this, some observers insist that, for crypto at least, one should keep their eyes on the prize: the regulatory framework making its way through the US federal Congress. 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The Cardano price remained under pressure this week, erasing some of the gains made last week when it rose to its monthly high. Cardano ( ADA ) retreated for the second consecutive day, reaching a low of $0.670. It has dropped by almost 10% from its highest level this week. A potential catalyst for Cardano is that it is attracting more long-term investors, even as it remains 50% below its highest level from November last year. Data compiled by StakingRewards shows that there was a net increase of 307 million ADA staked on Cardano. These tokens are valued at over $215 million. Most of the increase happened on April 30, when 160 million ADA tokens were staked. Cardano now has a staking ratio of 60.65% as coins worth over $15.3 billion have been staked. This is a bigger ratio than Ethereum ( ETH ), which has a staking ratio of 28%, and Tron ( TRX ), which has 42%. A higher ratio is a sign that investors have a longer outlook for a coin. ardano also has other bullish metrics. The total value locked in the network has jumped to $394 million , with dApps like Minswap, Liqwid, Indigo, and Splash Protocol leading the charge. The daily DEX volume on the chain has also averaged over $4 million in recent days. Cardano’s main catalyst is the upcoming Bitcoin ( BTC ) integration, which will enable Bitcoin holders to generate returns through a secure, zero-knowledge-based approach. Cardano price technical analysis AD price chart | Source: crypto.news The daily chart shows that ADA has been in a downward trend over the past few months. It has fallen from a high of $1.326 in December last year to the current $0.68. The coin has dropped below the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level, a key level often associated with reversals. It has also fallen below the 50-day Exponential Moving Average, a sign that bears are gaining control. Cardano’s ongoing retreat followed a retest of the upper boundary of its descending channel. Therefore, the coin will likely continue falling as bears target the lower side of the channel at $0.513, about 24% below the current level. A move above the channel’s upper boundary would invalidate the bearish outlook.
Grayscale has launched a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) called the Grayscale Bitcoin Adopters ETF, trading under the ticker $BCOR. This ETF provides investors exposure to corporations that have incorporated Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset. The fund includes companies from various sectors and industries, all connected by their adoption of Bitcoin. The launch aims to offer a targeted investment vehicle for those interested in corporate Bitcoin adoption. This is an AI-generated article powered by DeepNewz, curated by The Defiant. For more information, including article sources, visit DeepNewz . To continue reading this as well as other DeFi and Web3 news, visit us at thedefiant.io
Bitcoin hovers at $95,000 with altcoins in the red. Experts anticipate a significant movement upon breaking the $93-$96k zone. Continue Reading: Bitcoin Soars Toward Impressive Milestones: Experts Weigh In The post Bitcoin Soars Toward Impressive Milestones: Experts Weigh In appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .
Crypto veteran Arthur Hayes says he looks for two main features when considering what digital asset protocols to invest in. The BitMEX founder notes in a new interview with The Rollup that he specifically looks for protocols that have a track record of users spending their own money for the project’s services. “They’re not spending token emissions, they’re spending their own stables or other crypto to use as a product or service.” In terms of a good example of that, Hayes cites Hyperliquid ( HYPE ), a layer-1 protocol with a decentralized exchange (DEX) that has witnessed significant user and volume growth in its less than two years of existence. The crypto veteran also says he looks for protocols that provide ways to enrich their token holders. “I want to see how I’m getting paid. Is it a token buyback, is it an emission, what’s the scheme? There are all different flavors depending on how you want to incentivize behavior, but at the end of the day, I buy a token, I want some sort of APY, and then I can take that APY and run some sort of financial analysis.” He criticizes the decentralized exchange (DEX) Uniswap ( UNI ), which he says is an expertly created protocol that doesn’t do anything to reward its users. ? Follow us on X , Facebook and Telegram Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox Check Price Action Surf The Daily Hodl Mix Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing. Generated Image: Midjourney The post BitMEX Founder Arthur Hayes Says Market Providing Stellar Entry Points for These Types of Protocols appeared first on The Daily Hodl .
The world of Bitcoin development is buzzing with a familiar tension. At the heart of the current discussion is a technical function known as Bitcoin OP_RETURN , and whether its current limitations should be lifted. This isn’t just a technical tweak; it’s a debate that cuts to the core of what some believe Bitcoin is for, echoing the contentious Ordinals controversy of 2023. Understanding the Bitcoin OP_RETURN Function So, what exactly is OP_RETURN? Think of it as a little note-taking feature within a Bitcoin transaction. It allows users to embed a small amount of arbitrary data directly into the blockchain. Originally, this function was intended for proving that a transaction occurred at a specific time, like notarizing a document. However, it quickly found other uses, such as embedding small messages or proofs of existence for other data. For many years, there’s been a consensus-enforced Bitcoin data limit on OP_RETURN transactions, specifically capping the amount of data at 80 bytes. This limit was put in place to prevent the blockchain from being bloated with non-financial data, keeping it focused primarily on value transfer and maintaining its efficiency and decentralized nature. Why Some Want to Lift the Bitcoin Data Limit A segment of Bitcoin developers and users argue that the 80-byte limit is now outdated and unnecessarily restrictive. Their primary argument? People are already storing much larger amounts of data on the Bitcoin blockchain, albeit through different methods, particularly leveraging the Taproot upgrade. The most prominent example of this is the rise of Ordinals and inscriptions. Ordinals & Inscriptions: These allow users to inscribe data (text, images, videos, etc.) onto individual satoshis (the smallest unit of Bitcoin). This data is stored in the witness data section of Taproot transactions, which is not subject to the same 80-byte limit as OP_RETURN. Inconsistency: Proponents of lifting the OP_RETURN limit argue it’s inconsistent to allow large data via Taproot/Ordinals but restrict a simpler, more direct method like OP_RETURN to just 80 bytes. Innovation: Removing the limit could potentially open up new use cases for embedding data directly into transactions, perhaps for more complex smart contract-like functionalities or other experimental applications. They believe that since the cat is already out of the bag regarding larger blockchain data storage on Bitcoin, removing the OP_RETURN limit is a logical step that simplifies certain types of data embedding and acknowledges the evolving use of the network. Concerns Among Bitcoin Developers On the other side of the debate are developers who view the OP_RETURN limit as a crucial defense mechanism that should remain in place. Prominent critics, such as Bitcoin Core developer Luke Dashjr, voice strong warnings about the potential negative consequences of removing the limit. Their concerns include: Blockchain Bloat: Removing the limit could incentivize users to embed much larger amounts of data directly via OP_RETURN, potentially leading to rapid growth in blockchain size. This makes it harder and more expensive for individuals to run full nodes, impacting decentralization. Network Spam: A lifted limit could make it easier and potentially cheaper to spam the network with large amounts of non-financial data, potentially congesting the network and driving up transaction fees for everyone. Illegal Content: A significant concern, highlighted by critics, is the potential for people to use unlimited OP_RETURN space to embed illegal or objectionable content onto the immutable Bitcoin blockchain, creating ethical and legal challenges. Harm to Financial Integrity: Critics argue that Bitcoin’s primary purpose is sound money and value transfer. Allowing unlimited or significantly larger arbitrary data storage detracts from this core purpose and could harm its perception and financial integrity. These developers see the 80-byte limit not as an outdated restriction, but as a necessary safeguard to protect the network’s core function and health. Echoes of the Ordinals Controversy As CoinDesk reported, this debate feels eerily similar to the intense Ordinals controversy that gripped the Bitcoin community in 2023. That debate also centered around the use of Bitcoin for purposes beyond simple financial transactions, specifically embedding data for digital artifacts (NFTs). Like the current OP_RETURN discussion, the Ordinals debate saw deep divisions among Bitcoin developers, miners, and users regarding what constitutes acceptable use of the blockchain and the potential side effects (like increased transaction fees and blockchain size). Both controversies highlight a fundamental tension within the Bitcoin community: is Bitcoin solely a system for peer-to-peer electronic cash, or is it a platform that can support a wider range of data and applications? The outcome of the OP_RETURN debate could further shape the answer to this question. The Future of Blockchain Data Storage on Bitcoin The discussion around the Bitcoin data limit on OP_RETURN is ongoing and complex. There is no simple solution that satisfies everyone. Any change would require significant consensus among developers, node operators, and the wider community, which, given the strong opinions on both sides, will be challenging. The debate forces the community to confront important questions about the network’s future direction, its technical evolution, and its social contract. Will Bitcoin remain strictly focused on monetary transactions, or will it evolve to accommodate broader forms of blockchain data storage? The outcome of this developer debate will be crucial in determining the path forward. To learn more about the latest Bitcoin trends, explore our article on key developments shaping Bitcoin institutional adoption .