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On-chain data shows the Ethereum whales have sold the asset recently, while key holders on the Bitcoin network have accumulated instead. Ethereum Whales Have Sold Into The Latest Rally As explained by analyst Ali Martinez in a new post on X, the Ethereum whales have participated in selling recently. The “whales” here refer to the ETH entities holding between 1,000 and 10,000 ETH. At the current exchange rate, this range converts to $1.8 million to $18 million. While these bounds don’t cover the largest of holders in the sector, they do still contain some of the key investors. Related Reading: Bitcoin Holders Realizing $139 Million In Profit Per Hour This Rally, Report Says Here is the chart shared by the analyst that shows the trend in the combined balance of these Ethereum whales over the over the past ten days or so: As displayed in the above graph, the Ethereum whales have seen their supply go through a net decline recently. During this selloff, these investors offloaded more than 63,000 ETH (about $113.5 million) inside a 48-hour window. From the chart, it’s visible that the distribution from this cohort has coincided with ETH’s recovery rally. This could indicate that these large investors have been capitalizing on the profit-taking opportunity. While the key investors of ETH may have taken profits, the same isn’t true for that of BTC. As the on-chain analytics firm Santiment has discussed in an X post, the trend has been that of accumulation for BTC recently. In the chart, the analytics firm has attached the data related to the supply of the Bitcoin holders carrying between 10 ($946,000) and 10,000 BTC ($946 million). This range is broader than the one for ETH and includes two key investor cohorts: sharks and whales. These investors have collectively added a total of 19,255 BTC to their wallets alongside the price rally. Thus, it would appear that the key holders of the cryptocurrency are supportive of the recovery run. Related Reading: Litecoin Conviction Remains Strong: More Than 20% Of Supply Frozen Since 5+ Years Naturally, this could imply the Bitcoin rally may have more chances of being sustainable than the Ethereum one. That said, things can change quickly in the digital asset sector, so the trend related to the large entities of both might be worth keeping an eye on. Speaking of accumulation, BTC is currently witnessing high inflows into the spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as Santiment has pointed out in another X post. From the chart, it’s visible that the recent ETF inflows are the largest in months. As the analytics firm notes, As Bitcoin has recovered as high as $95.8K today, we are seeing the highest week of net inflows to BTC ETF’s since the week before Trump’s inauguration in mid-January. Institutions like Blackrock have played a large part in the crypto-wide bounce traders were waiting for. ETH Price At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading around $1,800, up more than 12% in the last week. Featured image from Dall-E, Santiment.net, chart from TradingView.com

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the crypto firm associated with the family of US President Donald Trump, made waves when it debuted late last year.WLFI caused a stir when it launched ahead of the president’s inauguration. Observers have accused the project of front-running important crypto-related events, like the White House Crypto summit, and presenting a conflict of interest.Trump is in a unique position to influence outcomes that would affect his portfolio, but WLFI is not insulated from the broader market trends, which have seen crypto and stock prices drop amid significant macroeconomic concerns. The Trump administration will soon mark 100 days in office. Here’s what WLFI has been up to, and how the president’s crypto investments are shaking out.The “gold paper” for WLFI features flattering Trump imagery. Source: WLFIFounding and ownership of Trump’s crypto investment WLFI projectWLFI launched on Sept. 16, with then-President-elect Donald Trump announcing the move on X. Founded under the guidance of real estate magnate Steve Witkoff and his son Zach, the co-founders also include Chase Herro, a crypto investor and self-described “dirtbag of the internet,” and Zak Folkman, a social media influencer and former pickup artist. The Trump family also features prominently. President Trump is listed as “chief crypto advocate,” while his sons Eric, Donald Jr. and Barron are “Web3 ambassadors.” The leadership team at WLFI. Source: WLFIWLFI token salesOne of World Liberty Financial’s first moves was to sell its own token. The first token sale opened on Oct. 15, 2024, earning the company about $300 million by selling 20 billion WLFI $WLFI for $0.015 each.  On Jan. 20, 2025, the day Trump was inaugurated, WLFI announced a second token sale, citing “massive demand and overwhelming interest.” The firm offered 5 billion tokens at $0.05 each, representing a price increase of 230% from the first sale. The second sale was completed nearly two months later on March 14, having met its full target of $250 million.According to the project’s “gold paper,” the WLFI tokens will confer voter rights to holders on important matters affecting the protocol, such as upgrades. The anticipated token distribution is:35% through token sales,32.5% for incentives and community growth,30% for “initial supporter” allocation,and 2.5% for “core team and advisers.”All told, WLFI walked away with $550 million in token sales. $WLFI was only available to accredited investors and cannot be transferred or traded on exchanges per the terms and conditions. There is yet to be an announced listing date for the token. WLFI’s portfolioToken sales aside, the WLFI has been acting as a type of crypto fund, accumulating a number of different tokens over the past several months. Here’s a breakdown:WLFI portfolio contains a number of different assets, with 13 making up the lion’s share at time of writing. Most of its holdings are in dollar-backed stablecoin USDC, followed by Wrapped Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). The top 13 assets make up nearly $100 million of the firm’s $103 million portfolio, according to Arkham. Dozens of other small coins, some with a total dollar value of less than $100,000, make up the remaining value. WLFI’s $5 million worth of Aave Ethereum USDC (aethUSDC), means they supply USDC to a pool on Aave. WLFI’s portfolio contains eight cryptocurrencies that are non-stablecoin assets it purchased (versus received via airdrop). Wrapped BTC (WBTC)Mantle (MNT)Movement (MOVE)Sei (SEI)Avalanche (AVAX)Tron (TRX)Ondo (ONDO)Ether (ETH) Overall, WLFI’s holdings in WBTC, SEI and AVAX have been performing most successfully.  The first WBTC purchase happened on Dec. 18, when WLFI exchanged 103 WBTC for 103 cbBTC. Nearly one month later, WLFI traded everything for ETH. The fund started accumulating WBTC again, mostly using USDT, and sent it to Coinbase Prime in early February.WLFI’s AVAX position was completed in one purchase on March 15, while it bought nearly $6 million worth of SEI over three separate purchases in February, March and April.Other positions haven’t been faring nearly as well. Major investments in MNT, MOVE, ONDO and ETH are all seeing losses in the double digits as of April 24. MOVE is taking a beating, with WLFI’s total investment value down over 50%, losing some $2,100,000 on the investment.Taking into account the average price of WLFI’s token purchases, along with its assets’ current prices, the fund is seeing a loss, on average, of $4,280,000.Notably, WLFI has also deposited several early purchases of tokens in December and January into Coinbase Prime. WLFI wallets slowly acquired ETH long before the main action started. WLFI began acquiring large sums worth over $1 million in late November and continued doing so every few days until Dec. 21. Then, it moved all acquired ETH (including 3,700 ETH deposited in October) to Coinbase Prime on Jan. 14.Between Jan. 19 and Jan. 21, it bought nearly 57,000 ETH and continued acquiring it until Feb. 3, when it moved most of the ETH to Coinbase Prime. Coincidentally, Eric Trump was shilling Ether on X at the same time.Source: Eric Trump Conflicts of interest and stablecoinsThe curious timing of WLFI moving the tokens to a crypto exchange and Eric Trump’s post raises the question of the Trump family’s ability to influence the tokens they hold. In late March, a group of Senators from that body’s banking committee wrote an open letter, pressing regulatory agencies to consider the potential conflicts of interest in WLFI, particularly with the project’s stablecoin, USD1. Related: US House committee passes stablecoin-regulating STABLE ActUSD1 launched in early March, and at publishing time is trading on centralized exchanges Kinesis Money and ChangeNOW, according to CoinMarketCap. The Senators were concerned that Trump stands in a unique position to influence and offer boons to his own stablecoin project, particularly with the forthcoming stablecoin framework bill under consideration in Congress. When markets slumped following Trump’s tariff announcement on “Liberation Day,” the president posted on the right-wing social media platform Truth Social, “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!” further igniting concerns about insider trading and market manipulation. Despite these concerns, the Trump administration’s ties to crypto are only strengthening. His administration has dropped several high-level enforcement cases against crypto firms, and his allies in Congress are writing favorable legislation for the industry. And crypto firms seem to believe in the project. On April 16, crypto market maker DWF Labs announced a $25 million investment in WLFI and agreed to provide liquidity for USD1. Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

Crypto VC firm RockawayX has launched a $125 million fund focused on early-stage Solana-based projects. With a track record of success and a hands-on investment strategy, the firm aims to capitalize on yield-generating DeFi opportunities. RockawayX Bets Big on Solana Again with Strategic Investment RockawayX, the Prague-based venture firm that backed Solana before it even […]

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Key Takeaways: The SEC has officially dismissed its case against Dragonchain for its 2017 ICO. The case originally accused Dragonchain of conducting an unregistered $16.5 million securities offering. News of the case dismissal propelled DRGN token prices higher by over 100% in hours. The action reflects a shift in the SEC’s crypto enforcement strategy as…
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Ethereum (ETH) experienced a significant recovery over the past week after jumping over 10% to the $1,800 resistance. The cryptocurrency’s momentum has seen it reclaim key levels, which could ignite a 28% rally continuation in the following weeks. Related Reading: SUI Eyes $4 Amid 56% Weekly Surge – Here Are The Levels To Watch Ethereum Reclaims First Horizontal Level In Months Over the past week, Ethereum’s price has jumped around 14% to retest crucial support levels. Amid the market recovery, the cryptocurrency reclaimed the $1,600-$1,650 zone at the start of the week, holding a historical demand area as support. According to analyst Rekt Capital, ETH is holding the bottom of its historical demand zone, between $1,650 and $1,950, after its recent performance, “repeating history also by wicking briefly below it.” Since losing its $2,196-$39,00 Macro Range, the cryptocurrency has traded within this range, upside wicking to the region’s top and turning it into resistance, and downside wicking below the bottom to turn it into support, like in 2023. According to the analyst, “Ethereum needs to keep holding here. If this price stability here can be sustained… There is a chance” to repeat its mid-2023 performance, where the token bounced from this region and hit its early 2024 high of $4,093. Meanwhile, Daan Crypto Trades noted that ETH has flipped a horizontal level back into support. The analyst pointed out that since closing above the $1,750 mark for the past three days, the King of Altcoins has shown a “change in market dynamics.” Notably, Ethereum has not been able to reclaim previous horizontal levels for months, getting rejected and making new lows instead. Daan asserted that the $1,750-$2,100 price range is crucial to continue ETH’s bullish momentum. ETH On The Verge Of Breaking Out Amid this performance, ETH is nearing a breakout from its multi-month downtrend. The cryptocurrency has been in a downtrend since hitting its cycle high of $4,107 in early December, retracing over 56% since then. However, Ethereum is attempting to break from the descending resistance again amid its retest of the $1,800 barrier. Analyst Crypto Caesar affirmed that ETH “is on the verge of breaking out. We really just need that higher high…” Analyst Ted Pillows considers that a 28% jump by next month could be possible if the cryptocurrency reclaims this crucial short-term resistance. He pointed out that the $1,800-$1,850 zone is the next level to break before the $2,000 barrier, noting an inverse head and shoulders pattern on ETH’s chart. Related Reading: ‘All Bets Off’ If Bitcoin Reclaims This Level, But Analysts Warn Of Potential Rejection “If ETH manages to break above it, it could rally towards $2.2K-$2.3K in May,” he concluded. Another analyst previously suggested that Ethereum won’t start a new rally until it reclaims the $2,330 barrier, where over 60 million addresses have purchased the cryptocurrency. As of this writing, Ethereum trades at $1,795, a 2.1% increase in the daily timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

What are reciprocal tariffs? Reciprocal tariffs might sound like textbook trade jargon, but the idea is pretty straightforward: If one country slaps tariffs on your goods, you hit back with the same. Think of it as a tit-for-tat strategy in global trade — a way for governments to say, “If you’re charging our exporters 20%, we’re doing the same to yours.”The roots of this concept go back to the 1930s, when the US passed the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act. The goal back then was to break down trade barriers through mutual deals, not trade wars. But fast forward to today, and the term is making a comeback — this time with a bit more edge.For example, in early 2025, in an effort to address what it perceived as unfair trade practices and a significant trade deficit, the US government, under President Donald Trump, imposed a series of escalating tariffs on Chinese imports. These tariffs began with a 10% baseline and, through successive increases, reached a staggering 145% on a wide range of Chinese goods.China responded in kind, implementing its own set of reciprocal tariffs. Initially, Beijing imposed a 34% tariff on all US imports, which was later increased to 84% and eventually to 125%, targeting various American products, including agricultural goods and machinery.So, what does this have to do with crypto? You’ll get there — but first, let’s dig into how these tariffs actually work. How do reciprocal tariffs work? While the US has recently adopted a formula based on trade imbalances to determine its tariff rates, other countries, like China, often respond with their own set of tariffs, which may not follow the same calculation method.How the US calculates its tariffsIn 2025, the US implemented a tariff strategy that calculates rates based on the trade deficit with a particular country. The formula used is:Tariff rate (%) = (US trade deficit with country / US imports from country) × 100 / 2Example:US imports from China: $438.9 billionUS exports to China: $147 billionTrade deficit: $291.9 billionDeficit ratio: ($291.9 billion ÷ $438.9 billion) × 100 ≈ 66.5%Tariff rate: 66.5% ÷ 2 ≈ 33.25%This approach led to the US imposing a 34% tariff on Chinese imports in April 2025. Also, these new tariffs don’t replace old ones — they’re added on top. So, if a product already had a 20% tariff and now gets hit with a 34% reciprocal tariff, importers are suddenly paying 54%. That kind of jump can make foreign goods a lot more expensive, fast.How China respondsWhen the US imposes tariffs, China often retaliates by targeting sectors that are politically and economically significant to the United States, particularly those that could influence key voter bases.Targeted sectors:Agriculture: China has frequently targeted US agricultural products, such as soybeans, pork and beef. For instance, in 2018, China imposed a 25% tariff on US soybeans, significantly impacting farmers in states like Iowa, where soybean farming is a major industry.Aerospace: In 2025, China suspended imports of Boeing aircraft and halted purchases of aircraft parts from US companies, affecting the US aerospace sector.Phased implementationChina often implements tariffs in phases, allowing for strategic adjustments and negotiations:In early 2025, following US tariff increases, China initially imposed a 34% tariff on all US goods. This was later increased to 84% and eventually to 125% in response to escalating US tariffs.China also imposed additional tariffs of 10%-15% on various US agricultural products, including corn, soybeans and wheat, as part of its retaliatory measures.While the US uses a specific formula to calculate its tariffs, China’s approach is more about strategic retaliation, aiming to create economic and political pressure rather than directly matching tariff rates.Did you know? Policymakers sometimes choose a slightly higher number to send a stronger political message — especially if they want to appear tough on trade or take a hard line against a specific country. A flat “34%” sounds more decisive and deliberate than “33.25%.” Economic implications of reciprocal tariffs Reciprocal tariffs ripple through the global economy in very real ways. When the US and China start trading blows with import taxes, everyone else feels the aftershocks, too.Global trade slows downIn early 2025, the World Trade Organization had some stark news: Global trade, which was supposed to grow by around 3%, is now barely moving at all — closer to 0.2%. The WTO pointed directly to the US’s aggressive tariff strategy and the domino effect it’s having on other economies. As countries respond with their own barriers, goods just… stop moving. Fewer exports, fewer imports and a whole lot of uncertainty.Developing countries get squeezedSmaller economies — like Cambodia, Laos and others that rely on exporting cheap goods to big markets like the US — are getting hit especially hard. When tariffs go up, American buyers pull back. That means fewer factory orders, lost jobs and shrinking income in places that can’t easily absorb the shock.Prices go up at homeMeanwhile, consumers in the US are starting to notice the pinch, too. Tariffs on Chinese goods have made everything from electronics to basic household items more expensive. Even American companies that depend on imported parts are paying more — and passing those costs down the line. Inflation is already high, and this just adds fuel to the fire.Did you know? The International Monetary Fund projected that the trade war could reduce global GDP growth from 3.3% in 2024 to 2.8% in 2025. Reciprocal tariffs’ impact on crypto When governments start slapping tariffs on each other, it sends a signal that things are unstable — and financial markets hate uncertainty. Stocks, bonds and, yes, crypto all react when global trade flows get disrupted.Market volatilityWhen the US announced a 50% tariff on Chinese imports in early April 2025, the crypto markets reacted swiftly. Bitcoin’s (BTC) price dropped to $74,500, and Ether (ETH) saw a decline of over 20%. This sharp downturn highlighted how sensitive cryptocurrencies are to macroeconomic shifts and investor sentiment.However, the situation began to stabilize after President Trump paused most tariffs for 90 days. By April 22, Bitcoin had rebounded above $92,000, reflecting the crypto market’s responsiveness to policy changes.Mining operationsUS Bitcoin miners are facing increased operational costs due to tariffs on imported mining equipment. With tariffs as high as 36% on essential hardware from countries such as China and Taiwan, miners are now grappling with higher capital expenditures.This is especially hard on smaller operations. Larger firms might be able to absorb the extra costs or renegotiate supplier deals — but smaller or mid-sized miners? They’re the ones getting squeezed. As margins shrink, some may be forced to shut down or relocate to tariff-free jurisdictions.Did you know? US Bitcoin miners faced a 22%-36% increase in equipment costs in early 2025 due to tariffs on Chinese-made mining hardware, leading some to consider relocating operations overseas.Investment trendsEconomic uncertainty often drives investors to look for safe havens — and crypto, increasingly, fits that bill. When traditional markets become volatile due to things like global tariff escalations, many investors turn to Bitcoin and other digital assets as a hedge against inflation, currency devaluation or geopolitical risk.There’s also been a noticeable uptick in institutional interest. With governments engaging in trade battles and inflating the costs of doing business across borders, crypto is starting to look like a more stable long-term play. In Q1 2025, for example, a number of hedge funds and sovereign wealth vehicles began allocating to digital assets in response to these global macro pressures.The establishment of a US strategic crypto reserve — reportedly holding both BTC and ETH — is a clear signal that crypto is no longer a fringe asset in the eyes of traditional finance or policymakers. Strategic considerations for crypto stakeholders For anyone in crypto — whether you’re building the infrastructure, mining the coins or managing investor portfolios — these policy shifts are very real and very relevant.Diversify If you’re a miner or a hardware-dependent startup relying on one supplier or country for equipment? That’s a liability. Tariffs can spike overnight, slashing your margins and forcing expensive workarounds.Diversifying your supply chain — whether through sourcing from neutral countries or investing in domestic alternatives — can soften the blow. Understand the regulatory landscapeCrypto companies can’t afford to be blind to policy anymore. Tariffs, trade barriers, sanctions — these are market-moving forces. If you deal with mining, cross-border payments or even just hardware shipments, you need to stay plugged into both local and international trade developments.This is where having legal and trade experts on your side becomes less of a luxury and more of a survival tool.Rethink the narrativeThere’s a unique opportunity here to reposition crypto. When traditional economic systems are being shaken by trade wars and retaliatory tariffs, the idea of a decentralized, borderless financial alternative starts to resonate on a whole new level.Crypto has long pitched itself as a hedge against inflation and a tool for financial freedom. In the context of rising global protectionism and economic fragmentation, those messages carry more weight than ever. Smart projects and investors will lean into this narrative, growing from the rain as opposed to simply weathering the storm.

XRP doing a lot in terms of trading and volume but does it actually has so much utility as they say? submitted by /u/Extreme-Benefyt [link] [comments]

Over $4 trillion worth of real estate could be tokenized on blockchain networks during the next decade, potentially offering investors greater access to property ownership opportunities, according to a new report.The Deloitte Center for Financial Services predicts that over $4 trillion worth of real estate may be tokenized by 2035, up from less than $300 billion in 2024. The report, published April 24, estimates a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 27%.The $4 trillion of tokenized property is predicted to stem from the benefits of blockchain-based assets, as well as a structural shift across real estate and property ownership.Global tokenized real estate value, growth predictions. Source: Deloitte“Real estate itself is undergoing transformation. Post-pandemic work-from-home trends, climate risk, and digitization have reshaped property fundamentals,” according to Chris Yin, co-founder of Plume Network, a blockchain built for real-world assets (RWAs).“Office buildings are being repurposed into AI data centers, logistics hubs and energy-efficient residential communities,” Yin told Cointelegraph.“Investors want targeted access to these modern use cases, and tokenization enables programmable, customizable exposure to such evolving asset profiles,” he said.Related: Blockchain needs regulation, scalability to close AI hiring gapThe uncertainty triggered by US President Donald Trump’s import tariffs has boosted investor interest in the RWA tokenization sector, which involves minting financial products and tangible assets on a blockchain.Both stablecoins and RWAs have attracted significant capital as safe-haven assets amid the global trade concerns, Juan Pellicer, senior research analyst at IntoTheBlock, told Cointelegraph.The tariff concerns also led tokenized gold volume to surpass $1 billion in trading volume on April 10, its highest level since March 2023 when a US banking crisis saw the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the voluntary liquidation of Silvergate BankRelated: US banks are ‘free to begin supporting Bitcoin’ — Michael SaylorBlockchain innovation could drive regulatory clarityGrowing RWA adoption may inspire a more welcoming stance from global regulators, Yin said.“While regulation is a hurdle, regulation follows usage,” he explained, likening tokenization to Uber’s growth before widespread regulatory acceptance:“Tokenization is similar — as demand increases, regulatory clarity will follow.”He added that making tokenized products compliant with a wide range of international regulations is key to unlocking broader market access. However, some industry watchers are skeptical about the benefits introduced by tokenized real estate.The Truth Behind Tokenization and RWA panel. Source: Paris Blockchain Week“I don’t think tokenization should have its eyes directly set on real estate,” said Securitize chief operating officer Michael Sonnenshein at Paris Blockchain Week 2025.“I’m sure there are all kinds of efficiencies that can be unlocked using blockchain technology to eliminate middlemen, escrow, and all kinds of things in real estate. But I think today, what the onchain economy is demanding are more liquid assets,” he added. Magazine: Ripple says SEC lawsuit ‘over,’ Trump at DAS, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 16 – 22