Bitcoin price eyes $100,000 as Charles Schwab, with $10 trillion AUM, prepares to launch spot crypto trading.

Schwab’s Spot Crypto Trading Ambitions Signal Institutional Demand for Bitcoin 

Bitcoin may be on the verge of a new bullish cycle as financial powerhouse Charles Schwab, managing over $10 trillion in assets, prepares to launch direct spot crypto trading.

During its 2025 Spring Business Update, Schwab CEO Rick Wurster confirmed that the firm is “on a great path” to offer spot digital asset trading within 12 months—pending regulatory clarity.

The strategic move could inject significant capital inflows into Bitcoin and other major tokens.

Schwab’s Spot Crypto Plans hints Regulatory Clarity and Fresh Liquidity

Charles Schwab’s expansion into the spot crypto market marks a major shift in institutional posture toward Bitcoin. Unlike ETFs or futures products, spot crypto access enables Schwab clients—retail and high-net-worth alike—to directly buy and sell digital currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Currently offering crypto-linked ETFs and Bitcoin futures, Schwab aims to expand into spot markets amid a surge in demand: the company reported a 400% increase in traffic to its crypto-focused content, with 70% of visitors being potential new clients.

“We’re hopeful and likely to be able to launch direct spot crypto in the next 12 months,” said Wurster, signaling readiness to capture first-mover advantage among traditional brokerages.

Bitcoin Price Forecast Today: $100K Within Sight as Bulls Reclaim Key Technical Zone

Analysts suggest Schwab’s entry could mirror the market impact of BlackRock and Fidelity’s ETF launches in early 2024.

Bitcoin price forecast today suggests a potential surge toward $100,000, driven by institutional optimism and a technically improving structure.

The daily chart shows BTC/USD trading at $85,067, slightly above the midline of the Bollinger Bands at $82,811, signalling a stabilization phase after recovering from April’s mid-month sell-off.

The tight candlestick range near the upper Bollinger Band boundary at $87,659 reflects consolidation with upward, indicative of accumulation before a breakout.

Volume remains modest at 9,670, but the Average Daily Range (ADR) at 3.06 shows compression following the volatility spike on April 9, typically a precursor to directional expansion.

If bulls hold above $82,800, the path toward $90,000 and ultimately $100,000 becomes increasingly viable, particularly amid positive news like Schwab’s $10 trillion move into spot crypto trading.

Conversely, a daily close below $82,000 would expose BTC price to a short-term pullback toward $78,000, the lower Bollinger Band limit, risking deeper correction.

The post How Will Bitcoin Price React as Charles Schwab, with $10 Trillion AUM, Moves to Launch Crypto Trading? appeared first on CoinGape.

As Consensus 2025 inches closer, a buzz is swelling in the Pi Network ecosystem over potential growth opportunities. Ahead of the event, a cryptocurrency analyst wants the Pi Core Team (PCT) to wrap up two critical matters to reap the rewards of Consensus 2025.

Consensus 2025 Offers A Huge Opportunity For Pi Network

Cryptocurrency expert Dr Altcoin has described the incoming Consensus 2025 as a pivotal moment for the Pi Network. According to an X post, Dr Altcoin noted that the event will provide a raft of promotional benefits for Pi Network, urging the PCT to seize the moment.

“Consensus 2025 Summit is a huge opportunity to promote Pi Network – and one of the best so far!” wrote Dr Altcoin.

Pi Network founder Nicolas Kokkalis joins an exclusive list of industry players tapped to speak at the premier cryptocurrency summit. Kokkalis’ inclusion sent ripples across the Pi ecosystem with community members lapping up the reports.

The event, described as “the Super Bowl of Blockchain” and the “World Cup of Web 3,” will have over 20,000 individuals in attendance from over 100 countries. Scheduled for May 14-16 in Toronto, the Summit will feature industry heavyweights with a combined assets under management exceeding $4 trillion.

Kokkalis will share the stage with Bo Hines and Eric Trump in a golden opportunity to promote the Pi Network. Kokkalis has previously come under criticism for failing to make public appearances, unlike other blockchain founders.

Details of Kokkalis’ speech are under wraps, but there is growing belief that it will revolve around decentralized growth and the network’s adoption strategy. Pi Network has unveiled further details around its tokenomics, earmarking 65 billion Pi for community mining rewards.

Dr Altcoin Urges PCT To Put Its House In Order Ahead Of The Summit

While Consensus 2025 is poised to offer Pi a raft of benefits, Dr Altcoin notes that the Pi Core Team has to tick a few boxes. For starters, Dr Altcoin is pushing for the PCT to approve all KYB applications ahead of Consensus 2025.

Secondly, the cryptocurrency expert wants the PCT to officially deploy decentralized applications (DApps) on the Pi Network.

The PCT has less than a month to approve the KYB applications and give the green light for DApps. Pi Network has received criticism for the slow pace of processing KYB applications, leading to PiDaoSwap launching NFTs on BNB Chain.

Pi is trading at $0.6477 with Pi Coin tapped to reach highs of $30 if major banks adopt Pi Network. However, investors are bracing themselves for short-term volatility after suspicious account activity on Banxa.

The post Expert Reveals Why Consensus 2025 Will Be Pivotal For Pi Network appeared first on CoinGape.

Solana’s derivatives market has seen a strong increase in activity this week. According to recent data, open interest has climbed by 10.11% to reach $5.55 billion.

This jump signals that more traders are opening new Solana (SOL) positions, showing renewed attention from retail and institutional participants.

Solana Rising Open Interest and Trading Volume

According to Coinglass, Solana’s open interest increased alongside a 24.28% rise in trading volume, now at $12.6 billion. The increased market participation has surged open interest and turnover. This trend shows some traders are building up for a potential Solana price movement within a day/week timeframe.

This development also reveals that expectations for increased volatility are on the rise. More money is flowing into Solana futures and perpetual contracts as market players either cover already-held positions on the asset or bet on a change in the price.

This data is obtained while Solana is circulating between $129 and $144, with analysts expecting a breakout.

Whale Activity Signals Long-Term Confidence

New data also reveal that whales are adding to their positions for SOL, thus providing more evidence of inflows. In addition, Lookonchain pointed out that Galaxy Digital also closed out 606,000 SOL, which is equivalent to approximately $79.7m in exchanges. Of this, 462,000 SOL worth approximately about $60 million has been staked.

This shift implies priorities to long-term holding and reduction of the circulating supply, factors that affect short-term price shifts. An increase in wallets with over 10,000 SOL has also been noted. This week, an analyst, Ali Charts, pointed out that the large holders had increased by 1.53% from 4,943 to 5,019.

“More large wallets entering the space could reflect growing confidence among major players,” he shared on X. This behaviour often aligns with a more SOL price bullish outlook as whales reduce sell pressure.

SOL Price Technical Patterns and Key Levels

According to crypto analyst Andrew Griffiths, the Solana price has constructed what appears to be a Cup and Handle pattern on the weekly chart in the past week. Upon verification, this pattern is widely regarded as a bullish signal. Per the chart, Solana price recently bottomed at $123.55 and shows signs of steady recovery, with the analysts setting initial targets at $139.80, $141.33, and $143.94.

According to crypto analyst Ali Charts, the most important support for Solana price is $129, while resistance is $144. A breakout beyond $144 may open the way toward $150 and potentially $200, especially if the current trend continues.

However, a potential ‘death cross’ formation has emerged on the chart of SOL/BTC. This pattern marks a downtrend in the performance relative to Bitcoin. However, as the technical analyst Lordofalts indicated, a breakout from a parallel channel observed on the chart could offset these worries.

Solana ETF Expectations Soar To 74%

Launching spot Solana ETFs in Canada has also added momentum to the asset’s market presence. These ETFs, which include staking features, are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Their appearance has led to a renewed interest in similar products in the United States.

Polymarket, a prediction platform, shows a 74% chance that a U.S.-based Solana ETF will be approved by the end of 2025. However, the probability of approval by July 2025 remains low, at 24%.

Several asset managers such as Fidelity, VanEck, Franklin Templeton, and Grayscale have proposed to issue Solana ETFs. Despite the lack of activity in this regard, the filings indicate an increasing acceptance of the digital asset from institutional investors which is a precursor to an upward trend.

The post Solana Open Interest Jumps 10% As Whale Activity Hints At SOL Price Rally appeared first on CoinGape.

As Solana continues its ascent, experts are not writing off Ethereum’s chances to compete favorably in decentralized finance (DeFi). Uniswap founder Hayden Adams wants Ethereum to hone in on Layer 2 scaling to even the odds with Solana.

Uniswap Founder Wants Ethereum To Continue Horizontal Scaling

The calls for Ethereum to focus on Layer 2 scaling are growing louder, with Uniswap founder Hayden Adams joining the train. The Uniswap founder disclosed his stance in an X post, calling for Ethereum to continue its Layer 2 scaling development.

Adams notes that Layer 2 solutions remain Ethereum’s best chance to keep its skin in the DeFi game amid rising competition from Solana. He notes that Solana is better suited to do DeFi on its layer 1, given its roadmap and overall approach compared to Ethereum.

Ethereum, aware of the challenges of its Layer 1, has pivoted to an L2-focused roadmap since 2020. However, a broad ecosystem focus for Layer 2 scaling solutions has left the base layer without major updates for a while, whipping up conversations for a change in approach.

Despite the push for a return to a Layer 1-focused approach, the Uniswap founder wants Ethereum to continue on its existing roadmap. He took swipes at community members pushing for a change in strategy every month, urging them to “pick a lane” and mitigate the attendant risks.

“Ethereum has been working towards an L2-centric/horizontal scaling roadmap for 5+ years,” said Adams. “You want to throw this away at the final stretch because of what reason?”

Ethereum and Solana are going neck and neck with each other with a Coingape analysis weighing whether ETH price will hit $3 before SOL clinches $200.

A Layer 1-centric Approach Is Still Acceptable

The Uniswap founder disclosed in the post that he remains open to the possibility of a pivot to a Layer 1-centric approach. However, the approach has to be explicit and realistic, with Adams recommending key network changes.

“I’m fine with L1-centric scaling approach if it’s explicit and approached realistically,” said the Uniswap founder. “We would have to drop a ton of philosophical stuff like any laptop can run a node.”

He adds that Uniswap’s largest market share comes from Layer 1, making a pivot still a win for his project. However, the approach inflames centralization risks affecting the ability of individuals to run full nodes.

Amid the raging conversations for scaling direction, Ethereum is facing its worst quarterly price performance in nearly a decade. ETH targets a $1600 breakout as prices continue to wallow under $2,000 since slipping below the psychological level.

Tron founder Justin Sun says he is not selling his ETH holdings despite falling prices, pledging to collaborate with Ethereum developers to trigger ecosystem growth.

The post Uniswap Founder Urges Ethereum To Pursue Layer 2 Scaling To Compete With Solana appeared first on CoinGape.

Crypto Market Highlights: Another week has ended within the unpredictable world of cryptocurrencies, and investors are left cautious due to turbulent price actions. Bitcoin (BTC) price has traded around the same level in the past 7 days, whereas Ethereum (ETH) managed to lose nearly 1% within the exact duration. Ripple’s XRP price continued its consolidation phase this week, adding to speculations about its future price movements.

Mentioned below are some of the most buzz-worthy cryptocurrency market highlights reported by CoinGape Media over the past week.

Crypto Market Highlights: BTC Updates This Week

BTC price shut the week at around the $85K level, riding a roller coaster in the past seven days. The weekly bottom and peak for the flagship crypto were recorded at $83K and $86K, respectively. This turbulent price action comes despite a stockpile of bullish developments that appear to have considerably impacted investor sentiment this week.

CoinGape reported that Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy again purchased 3,459 Bitcoin for $285 million and rattled the crypto market. The MSTR stock price also surged subsequently.

Further, Semler Scientific filed to buy $500 million worth of Bitcoin amid its $30 million DoJ settlement this week. With this mover, the firm aimed to boost its Bitcoin reserves despite the broader market uncertainty.

Meanwhile, it’s worth pointing out that U.S. President Donald Trump announced up to 245% tariffs on China this week. On the other hand, China was apparently mulling over the sale of 15K BTC, another intriguing development that captured investors’ attention globally.

Besides, BTC whales were recorded as absorbing 300% of the flagship coin’s new supply, sparking optimistic speculations about long-term price prospects.

Ethereum & XRP Developments

ETH is trading around a $1,600 price level, losing roughly 3% in the last 7 days. Despite this waning action, CoinGape has reported that a rally to $4,800 awaits the second-largest crypto by market cap. This bullish ETH price projection comes as the coin is trading on the north side of a key resistance trend.

However, it’s also worth pointing out that Ethereum faced increased selling pressure due to heightened whale dumps this week. In response to this, market participants are conversely anticipating a potential dip below $1.5 may also be possible.

Besides, Ethereum ETFs recorded $32 million worth of weekly outflows this week, adding further risk to the asset’s price.

In addition, Ethereum fees have also witnessed a severe price decline as user activity decreased amid the recent market turmoil.

XRP price stood at the $2.08 price level after witnessing a highly volatile trading session over the past week. Despite soaring ETF odds, the crypto has yet to see a rising price action. Notably, 9 XRP ETFs have been filed to date, including Bitwise, 21Shares, Grayscale, and Canary Capital.

On the other hand, Ripple whales have also moved hundreds of millions of dollars worth funds this week. 

The XRP lawsuit advanced as the U.S Court of Appeals granted Ripple and the SEC’s motion to suspend their appeals while they finalized the settlement. Overall, the abovementioned updates were some of the top crypto market highlights reported by CoinGape Media over the past week.

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