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April 22, 2025

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XRP and Solana are leading the ETF race as speculations soared over the potential launch of altcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US. Following Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETF approvals, attention has now shifted to these high-demand altcoins. Investors are hopeful that 2025 will mark a new era for crypto ETFs, especially with the US SEC’s recent leadership change fueling market optimism.

XRP & Solana Dominate ETF Buzz

XRP and Solana are at the center of the ETF spotlight after a major crypto breakthrough in early 2024 when the US SEC approved Bitcoin and Ethereum Spot ETFs. This created a ripple effect, accelerating demand for similar products based on other top altcoins.

Besides, it has also fueled discussions over the SOL Vs Ripple ETF launch.

XRP ETF Launch: Detail

Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas highlighted that 72 crypto-related ETF applications are now awaiting review. Among these, XRP ETF stands out as a front-runner, thanks to its high liquidity on the US exchanges, which boosts its chances for regulatory approval.

Meanwhile, major players such as Grayscale, WisdomTree, and Bitwise have already submitted proposals for XRP-backed ETFs. According to Kaiko Research, Ripple’s native asset currently leads the US altcoin ETF race due to its deep liquidity and robust market presence.

Experts believe that an ETF approval could act as a catalyst for an XRP price surge. A recent episode of Good Morning Crypto labeled the potential approval a “perfect storm” for XRP, suggesting it could drive both retail and institutional demand significantly.

Solana ETF Launch Speculations: Details

Solana ETF is also not far behind XRP. Balchunas noted that 11 ETF filings are tied to SOL, including one from mutual fund giant Fidelity. The strong institutional interest in the network, combined with its growing DeFi and NFT ecosystem, positions Solana ETF as a serious contender in the race.

In Canada, Solana has already seen success with multiple spot ETFs going live, which adds pressure on U.S. regulators to keep pace.

Paul Atkins Takes US SEC Charge, Sparking Optimism

Amid the Solana and XRP ETF speculations, the recent entry of Paul Atkins as the new US SEC chair has further bolstered market sentiment. Atkins, known for his pro-crypto stance, is expected to accelerate the ETF approval process for digital assets.

In addition, market participants believe Atkins may push for friendlier crypto regulations and fast-track key filings, including XRP and Solana ETFs. However, while some speculate the Ripple vs SEC lawsuit may be resolved soon under his term, others remain skeptical.

The post Why XRP and Solana Are Leading the ETF Race Right Now? appeared first on CoinGape.

In the latest development within the Ripple ecosystem, the RLUSD stabecoin goes live on the Aave V3 Ethereum Core Market. Bolstering Ripple’s entry into the stablecoin market, RLUSD gained new utility, allowing users to supply or borrow the coin.

Notably, Aave’s listing of the token comes amidst growing adoption of the Ripple stablecoin. With increased momentum, the token has surpassed a market capitalization of $293 million since its December 2024 launch.

Ripple RLUSD Enters DeFi Space, Launches on Aave

In a recent X post, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Aave officially announced the launch of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin. While the listing marks Ripple’s entry into the DeFi space, it provides users with lending and borrowing services.

“Users can now supply and borrow RLUSD, Ripple’s enterprise-grade stablecoin, on the Aave V3 Ethereum Core market,” announced Aave on X. The initial launch of the stablecoin includes a supply cap of 50 million tokens and a borrowing cap of 5 million tokens.

RLUSD Market Activity Update

According to Aave’s dashboard, RLUSD markets are still ramping up, with a reserve size and available liquidity of $124.98 and a utilization rate of 0%. The price remains stable at $1.00, aligned with its USD peg. With no borrowings recorded, the current APY stands at 0%, reflecting low activity and a lack of lending promotions.

Growing Exchange Listings Fuel Ripple’s Growth

Interestingly, Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin is expanding globally. The stable token has initiated integrations with major platforms like Kraken, LMAX Digital, Bitstamp, Bullish, and Zero Hash. This paves the way for increased institutional and retail adoption of RLUSD.

Now, Ripple has plans to further boost adoption by engaging with institutions, integrating the stable token into more decentralized and centralized apps. The platform intends to explore new use cases in lending, trading, and DeFi. This positions RLUSD for growth in the competitive stablecoin market.

Recently, Ripple announced RLUSD’s major role in the Hidden Road broker deal. Reportedly, the stablecoin will be used as collateral.

The post Ripple’s Stablecoin RLUSD Now Live on Aave V3 appeared first on CoinGape.

The crypto market has somewhat come to a standstill after the massive bloodshed that happened after US President Donald Trump took the seat. This not only caused most crypto prices to drop but also instilled negative sentiments. The Pi Network price also fell victim to this, as its value dropped by over 37% in the last month. 

Pi’s price today stands at $0.6349 with a market capitalization of over $4.4 billion. However, the entire scenario might change soon. World Of Charts, a popular crypto analyst, recently posted a tweet highlighting a notable development. As per the tweet, the total crypto market capitalization broke above a falling wedge pattern. This suggested that the bulls are ready to take over, which can result in a crypto bull run, in turn helping the Pi Network price to rise again. 

What Pi Network Price Analysis Suggests…

Since the analyst pointed at a possible bull breakout soon, let’s take a look at Pi Network’s current state to understand whether it’s also preparing for the same. The Pi Network price chart revealed that the price broke above a similar falling wedge pattern a few days ago.

However, after that, it has entered a non-volatile zone, as depicted by the narrow Bollinger Bands. Therefore, if the crypto market turns bullish, the Pi Network price might break the upper resistance of the Bollinger Bands and enter a high volatility zone. Nonetheless, this might take a few days or weeks more to happen. 

Source: TradingView

Decoding Pi’s Upcoming Targets

Notably, since the Pi price dropped over the last month, market sentiment around it has also turned bearish. For instance, the token’s weighted sentiment remains in the negative zone. Pi, which created a lot of buzz recently, witnessed a massive decline in social dominance during the same period. Nonetheless, in case of a fresh crypto bull run, market sentiments might pivot. 

Source: Santiment

In a utopian scenario where the crypto market actually explodes, the Pi Network price has to cross a few barriers, though. Mentioning Pi Network price prediction, in case of a bullish market switch, it will be crucial for Pi price to first go above its strong resistances at $0.65 and $0.7. This will allow the token to target $1.5 next. Going further ahead, if market conditions remain favorable, the Pi price might as well go beyond $3 in case of a continued crypto bull market. 

Source: TradingView

To Conclude

Right now, the Pi Network price is facing trouble and seems to have a bearish sentiment around it. However, there are possibilities of an upcoming crypto bull run to change this. Should the momentum build for the Pi price to thrive, the following hike in investor confidence could see some optimistic targets hit.

The post Is Pi Network Price Ready to Moon? Crypto Bull Run Sparks Fresh Predictions appeared first on CoinGape.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has recently taken the stage to warn against Trump’s crypto push, claiming it could stifle the European economy. Primarily, the ECB has questioned whether the current MiCA regulations are ample enough to cushion the blow caused by financial spillover effects due to Trump’s support for cryptocurrencies.

However, the European Commission has dismissed the central bank’s alarming remarks, deeming it to be an overexaggerated concern. In turn, the Commission has argued that the ECB itself misunderstood the EU’s rules, sparking a flurry of discussions nationwide.

European Central Bank Claims Trump’s Pro-Crypto Push Can Impact Europe’s Economy, Commission Says Otherwise

According to a recent Politico report, the European Central Bank and Commission are tussling over whether the current MiCA regulations are enough to negate the blow caused by Trump’s pro-crypto usher. While the ECB thinks that America’s pro-crypto stance could risk causing financial “contagion” and blow up Europe’s economy, the Commission is in a snub.

The Commission primarily believes that the current MiCA regulations, which were introduced in 2023, provide sufficient safeguards that could mitigate potential losses caused by Trump’s pro-crypto push. While the ECB argued that legislative changes are a must, the EC took a contrary stand on the matter.

What’s The Point Of Contention?

CoinGape found that the point of contention remains about the potential challenges that Trump’s USD stablecoin expansion saga could bring into the Eurozone, negatively impacting its financial sovereignty. A majority of the stablecoin projects are denominated in American dollars, risking the nation’s traditional currencies.

To mitigate such risks, the ECB looks forward to making some legislative changes to the MiCA regulations. However, the EC believes that the current set of standards is enough to reduce the risk of foreign currency pegged stablecoins. As a result, both parties ended up in a squabble surrounding the impact of Trump’s crypto push on Europe’s economy.

The scuffle initially kicked off on April 14, when top EU government officials held discussions over the risks of US crypto assets on the nation’s financial stability. The European Central Bank’s claims were primarily dismissed by EU officials and most governments in the end.

However, it’s worth pointing out that the central banking authority cannot be seen completely wrong, as it has always pushed for the betterment of traditional and digital assets in Europe. Intriguingly, CoinGape recently reported that the ECB advanced with digital Euro plans to counter U.S. stablecoins, another move to preserve financial sovereignty.

The post European Central Bank Claims Trump’s Crypto Push to Impact Europe Economy appeared first on CoinGape.

Solana price seems to be gearing up for a recovery after crypto investment firm Galaxy Digital sold Ethereum and purchased $98M worth of SOL. This purchase has sparked optimism that the Solana price can rally past $200, but a bearish formation in the SOL/BTC chart suggests that bearish headwinds are still at play. 

Galaxy Digital Swaps ETH With SOL – Can Solana Price Hit $200? 

According to a recent X post by Lookonchain, on-chain data shows that Galaxy Digital is selling Ethereum while accumulating Solana, suggesting that a strong price move is on the horizon. In the last two weeks, this entity has sent $105M ETH to Binance and withdrawn $98M SOL from the exchange. 

Lookonchain

This activity shows that the crypto investment firm is bearish on Ethereum, while being bullish on the SOL value today despite the altcoin’s recent struggles to bounce past the resistance level of $140. The optimism has investors wondering whether the Solana price may hit $200 soon as more whales accumulate. 

Data from Solscan shows that a newly created Solana wallet has withdrawn 44,116 SOL valued at more than $6M and staked the tokens. As SOL staking activity picks up, it reduces the altcoin’s supply, which then bodes well for the price if demand also rises. 

Meanwhile, Santiment revealed that the level of positive sentiment towards SOL has increased significantly in the last two days, which is also a sign that many traders are bullish about the altcoin. This coincides with an X post by analyst CryptoCurb who noted that a Solana cycle is looming

Solana Positive Sentiment

As institutions accumulate when the level of SOL staking is high and the market sentiment is highly positive, it signals a bullish Solana price prediction and that the token might soon surge past $200. However, there are several obstacles that SOL needs to clear before making such an upswing. 

Analyst Identifies Bearish Pattern on SOL/BTC Chart 

Despite the bullish on-chain data, Solana price seems to be underperforming relative to Bitcoin, which recently surged to a three-week high above $88,000. Bitcoin trader Tuur Demeester has observed that SOL/BTC has lost support at around $0.0020, suggesting that SOL is poised to continue underperforming against BTC. 

The analyst also observed that the last time the SOL/BTC trading pair lost critical support, it plunged by 82% within one year. If history rhymes and this trading pair falls by 82% from the current support, it might plunge to a record low of 0.00036. 

SOL/BTC

In conclusion, Solana might clear key levels as accumulation by institutions, a spike in positive sentiment, and staking activity indicate that a rally past $200 is looming. Despite these bullish metrics, the SOL/BTC pair is dropping after losing a critical support level, which suggests that Solana price might continue to underperform against Bitcoin. 

The post Can Solana Price Hit $200 As Galaxy Digital Replaces ETH With SOL? appeared first on CoinGape.

Chipotle Mexican Grill will open its first location in Mexico early next year as the latest stage in its international expansion.

The company announced Monday that it has signed a development agreement with Alsea, which operates Latin American and European locations of Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza and Burger King, among other chains.

After the initial restaurant opens in 2026, Chipotle plans to explore “additional expansion markets in the region,” which could mean broader Latin American development.

The deal to expand in Mexico comes as President Donald Trump wages a trade war with the country, straining the relationship between the two neighbors. Avocados from Mexico were originally subject to a 25% tariff until he paused new duties on goods compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. While Chipotle has diversified its avocado sourcing in recent years, it still imports about half of its avocados from Mexico.

In recent years, Chipotle has been trying to expand internationally, after decades focusing almost entirely on its U.S. business. The company operates 58 locations in Canada, 20 in the United Kingdom, six in France and two in Germany. Chipotle also currently has three restaurants in Kuwait and two in the United Arab Emirates through a deal with Alshaya Group.

Chipotle is betting that Mexico’s familiarity with its ingredients and appreciation for fresh food will win over consumers, according to a statement from Nate Lawton, Chipotle’s chief business development officer.

But U.S. interpretations of Mexican food don’t always resonate in the market; Yum Brands’ Taco Bell has twice attempted to expand into Mexico, but both efforts failed quickly.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS