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A New York Judge has rejected a request from Ripple and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to lift legal constraints on Ripple’s institutional XRP sales, which would have ultimately considerably slashed fines previously demanded by the agency during the Gary Gensler era.

Why The Ripple-SEC Settlement Bid Was Denied

As announced by well-known defense lawyer James Filan, Judge Analisa Torres denied the joint bid by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Ripple for an indicative ruling.

In the June 26 five-page order filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Torres pointed to the SEC’s previous stance against Ripple involving claims that Ripple would likely continue to break federal laws in pushing for an injunction.

“None of this has changed — and the parties hardly pretend that it has. Nevertheless, they now claim that it is in the public interest to cut the Civil Penalty by sixty percent and vacate the permanent injunction entered less than a year ago,” Judge Torres stated in the order.

The SEC and Ripple have been requesting that Judge Torres grant their request and issue a ruling that the court “dissolve the injunction against Ripple,” allowing the company to pay a $50 million civil penalty to the SEC, with the remaining funds to be returned to Ripple. 

Torres rejected the parties’ first motion for failing to demonstrate the “exceptional circumstances” required to justify modifying a final judgment.

In their joint motion, the SEC and Ripple mentioned other crypto-related suits where the regulator had voluntarily tossed out their cases since Chairman Gary Gensler left office in January, as the Trump administration rolled in. However, Judge Torres argued that those cases never reached a final judgment, unlike the Ripple case. In each instance, the SEC withdrew before any court found that a legal breach had transpired.

The Court is not persuaded. For starters, none of the enforcement actions cited by the parties involved an injunction or a civil penalty. In each of those cases, the SEC dismissed its case before a court found a violation of federal securities laws,” she wrote.

Judge Torres also rejected the idea that a shift in SEC policy or a newly created crypto task force justified dissolving the injunction. 

She stressed that final court rulings are a matter of public interest, particularly when enforcing federal laws that safeguard investors. Amending the penalties would send the wrong message to other companies considering following securities laws.

“The parties must show exceptional circumstances that outweigh the public interest or the administration of justice. They have not come close to doing so here,” the Judge explained.

With this, the ball is back in our court. The Court gave us two options: dismiss our appeal challenging the finding on historic institutional sales—or press forward with the appeal. Stay tuned. Either way, XRP’s legal status as not a security remains unchanged. In the meantime,… https://t.co/edHNbMzYbZ

— Stuart Alderoty (@s_alderoty) June 26, 2025

XRP was trading at $2.11 on Thursday, down 3.2% over the previous 24 hours, according to CoinGecko.

XRP is one of many altcoins experiencing a major pushback from the bears. The 3rd most valued crypto by market cap has shed mild gains due to the weekly selloff.

However, key players have not ruled out the possibility of a comeback. One analyst has outlined crucial levels to watch out for as he foresees a recovery.

Egrag Crypto, an analyst most known for his bullish XRP analysis, is again siding with the bulls as he outlines what he believes to be the next step for the asset.

While XRP could hit lower levels and drop below the $2 price mark if bearish woes persist, a break above the $2.08 price level could set the stage for XRP to continue upward.

“The next move depends on whether we break above the White Range specifically above $2.08. If not, we could see another retest of the lows around $1.9 ( Retest This Box Lower End).” He wrote.

The analyst shared an even more optimistic viewpoint, stating that a successful break above the $2.08 mark within a specific time frame could be a major indicator of the bulls’ arrival. 

“But here’s the good news: Closes above $2.08 within the first 12 hours, along with daily and higher timeframe candles closure, signal that bulls are stepping in aggressively !” He added. 

Laying down the key breakout zones, he points to the $2.30 and $2.33 price levels as the narrow range circled white on his XRP chart, while $2.65 sits as a macro signaling level, with $3 becoming a potential target.

At report time, XRP is trading at the $2.12 price mark, and as the analyst predicted, a drop to lower levels could be recorded from this point on.

An improved version of Cardano’s existing mainnet is expected to launch in 2026. The aim is to extensively revamp the Cardano ecosystem, which could potentially trigger a long-awaited turnaround for its native token, ADA. 

In a recent post shared with X, Input Output Global (IOG), the organization backing Cardano reiterated the network’s long-term vision for the Cardano ecosystem through implementing Leios.

Leios implementation – Increasing network throughput by optimizing resource use and transaction processing.The Cardano mainnet can experience congestion with high transaction volume. Block utilization sometimes peaks, and emerging use cases will demand even higher throughput… pic.twitter.com/n5SwIZMgKS

— Input Output (@InputOutputHK) June 19, 2025

By integrating Leios into the network, IOG intends to increase network throughput by optimizing resource use and transaction processing. 

Congestion is a key network limitation observed during periods of high transaction volumes. With block utilization failing, and emerging use cases requiring higher throughput capabilities, Leios is expected to become a game changer.

The Leios upgrade is designed to boost the network’s throughput by optimizing available resources and implementing efficient transaction methods. To sustain data availability and security, Leios will utilize the time between endorsements and Praos blocks—a core component of the network’s Ouroboros POS consensus mechanism.

In the long term, IOG asserts that the upgrade will spearhead overall network growth and accommodate complex applications on the Cardano network. 

“Leios aims to significantly increase transaction throughput on the Cardano mainnet – this enhancement will support a growing ecosystem and more demanding applications.” — IOG

With blockchain upgrades come renewed expectations amongst market players, especially for the network’s native token, which happens to be ADA in Cardano’s case. 

ADA’s volatile state and unstable price movements have been of major concern for investors and traders alike. With the arrival of Leios, market players anticipate a massive turnaround in the asset’s performance, one that could send the token to new price levels. 

At the time of this report, ADA was trading at $0.55, with 7-day losses of up to 3%.

The apex cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, might face a major setback in the near term, according to a market analyst whose outlook for Bitcoin validates current bearish conditions. The analyst, Master Ananda, sees a possible case scenario where the asset drops below the $100,000 price mark.

In a post shared on Tradingview, the analyst asserts that the rising bearish sentiments will only be validated if the asset breaks below the $100,000 support level.

He explained that the bear trend would have fully kicked in at this point, and Bitcoin could continue in a downward trend. The analyst sees the asset going down to $88,888 and potentially trading at $82,500 if the bears remain in control.

An excerpt of his post reads; 

“Bitcoin being bearish is only true if the $100,000 support level breaks. If it breaks expect the market to dive down, deep and fast and reach around $82,500 or $88,888. But this is only if the support breaks.”

On the flip side, the analyst explains that Bitcoin may continue on an upward trajectory and possibly attain a higher price level if support holds. Should selling pressure soar, “the flush is likely to be super fast and strong, which means that you will still get higher prices in the coming weeks,” he added.

This means that the long-term outlook is still bullish, although the bears could take control for a brief period, according to the analyst. He observed that the bearish pressure has resulted in the liquidation of long positions, but maintains optimism about Bitcoin’s ability to bounce back.

“It will be nice to see how it all develops, but it shouldn’t take more than two weeks. We are likely in the clear in a matter of days (2-3 days). Do not be afraid if the market shakes, Bitcoin is going up; Crypto will grow, regardless of the short-term.” He concluded.

Kraken, a crypto exchange, has entered the European market by securing a regulatory license from the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework. The Central Bank of Ireland issued the MiCA license, which grants Kraken access to 27 EU member states. Kraken commented on the development by saying that the exchange was committed to delivering responsible innovation, alluding to the fact that regulatory standards are often difficult to balance alongside cutting-edge technological advancements.

Crypto businesses often struggle with the strict requirements of the MiCA framework. Kraken has accomplished something that could have long-term benefits for the exchange. Kraken, meanwhile, considers the milestone a considerable feat, citing the Central Bank of Ireland as a credible source for making such a decision. Kraken now wants to focus its efforts on building European services for institutional and retail clients. 

Kraken announced its MiCA registration on its company website, labelling the news as a significant milestone in its European expansion. The announcement mentioned that this was the first time the Central Bank of Ireland approved a major crypto exchange. The MiCAR registration grants Kraken access to 30 European Economic Area member states, including the 27 member states of the EU. Kraken already has Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) licenses with various EU states. The exchange can add these extra provisions to its new MiCAR permissions. Kraken is a suitable exchange for the European market because it was the first exchange to mediate BTC-EUR trading pairs in 2013. The MiCAR registration will provide added protections for crypto consumers, which may contribute to accelerating crypto adoption. 

The MiCAR license is just another registration for Kraken, adding to previous permits obtained by the exchange. Kraken obtained an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license in March 2025. Kraken further obtained a Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) in February 2025. From a trader’s perspective, these licenses may indicate the underlying value of the crypto exchange, due to the opportunities that are opened when one of these milestones is reached. These licenses allow Kraken to operate exchange services such as spot trading, futures, custodial services, business payments, and derivatives. The European Union certainly benefits from these services, including the business community that could utilize them to extend their reach across vast distances. Kraken could become the most trusted network in Europe due to its consistent service and regulatory approval. 

Kraken described the Central Bank of Ireland as having the gold standard of crypto regulations. The exchange prides itself on the fact that Irish officials approved it because they are now established with a fundamental regulation framework that they can use to apply for other approvals. Kraken commented that their new license shows they are committed to longer-term goals in the crypto industry. Kraken stated that the most valuable asset in the crypto industry is trust. They argued that the gold standard of value is developing trust with customers. This includes providing a secure and accessible exchange to millions of customers. Kraken can give a more consistent service when it tries to tick all the boxes set out by the Irish Central Bank.

Crypto partnerships have been a key driver of Kraken’s strategy. The crypto exchange has made acquisitions, such as with Ninja trader, a futures market, which Kraken bought. The exchange has also provided trading pairs for BTC and EUR tokens, providing a platform for EU businesses to use the EUR stablecoin for trade. Kraken has also partnered with MasterCard to allow EU and UK customers to make payments with crypto. Kraken has further taken an interest in creating education programs and promoting local talent so as to embed its services in the EU region.

Metaplanet has scaled up its Bitcoin buys at a rapid pace. The Japanese investment firm has now overtaken Elon Musk’s Tesla in corporate Bitcoin holdings after purchasing an additional 1,234 BTC.

Metaplanet Grows Bitcoin Treasury To 12,345 BTC

The Tokyo-listed firm disclosed on Thursday that it had acquired the Bitcoin stash at around $107,557 per BTC. The latest acquisition has lifted Metaplanet’s Bitcoin cache to 12,345 BTC at an average price of $98,303. Based on Bitcoin’s current market price of $107,460, the firm holds around $1.3 billion worth of the world’s foremost cryptocurrency.

Data from Bitcoin Treasuries shows that Metaplanet is now the seventh-biggest publicly listed corporate Bitcoin holder, usurping Tesla, which holds 11,509 BTC on its books. The firm is now within striking distance of Bitcoin miner CleanSpark, with its 12,502 BTC cache.

Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Metaplanet is Japan’s first and only company dedicated to building a strategic Bitcoin reserve, a strategy which has given it a market cap of $6.2 billion and made it the 2,434th most valuable firm worldwide.

Accumulation Strategy

Drawing its inspiration from Michael Saylor’s Strategy, Metaplanet has funded its Bitcoin purchases through a combination of stock and bond sales as part of its bold “555 million plan” to secure 1% of Bitcoin’s supply.

Metaplanet, which rebranded in 2024 from a hotelier to a dedicated Bitcoin treasury, has pledged to accumulate 210,000 BTC by the end of 2027. The company targets to accumulate 30,000 BTC by year-end.

The investment firm previously established its Florida-based subsidiary, Metaplanet Treasury Corp, on May 1, aimed at boosting its global Bitcoin treasury operations. Metaplanet’s board has approved a capital injection of up to $5 billion for the U.S. unit, in a bid to accelerate its BTC acquisition strategy.

Ripple’s backstory just got a little twist. A newly surfaced document suggests that Ripple was conceived as far back as 2004 — years before Bitcoin was introduced. 

Ripple Predates Bitcoin?

The document, shared by XRP community figure SMOQE, entails a 2014 email exchange between prominent industry insiders, notably tech journalist Reutzel Bailey. Bailey suggested that Ripple’s origin dates back to 2004, four years before Satoshi Nakamoto put out the Bitcoin Whitepaper in 2008, sparking questions about the true origins of the digital finance revolution.

2014 E-mails confirm: “Ripple is older than Bitcoin.” pic.twitter.com/9c8cOF4065

— SMQKE (@SMQKEDQG) June 24, 2025

According to Bailey, Ryan Fugger first conceived the idea behind Ripple in 2004, creating a platform called RipplePay. This platform sought to facilitate peer-to-peer value transfer without relying on legacy banking rails. Chris Larsen, now Ripple’s Executive Chairman, later advanced the project. Bailey claims that Larsen took advantage of the growing hype around Bitcoin to steer Ripple in a cryptocurrency direction, despite the project’s original focus not being on a public crypto.

In the email exchange, Jeffrey Cliff rubbished claims that Ripple was launched as a “copycat math-based currency” riding Bitcoin’s popularity. He stressed that “Ripple predates Bitcoin.” 

XRP Ledger Emerges In 2012

The timelines imply that Ripple’s concept emerged in 2004, while its cross-border payments cryptocurrency XRP was introduced in 2012, four years after Bitcoin’s public debut. 

This means that while Ripple might be technically older than Bitcoin, BTC is still the world’s first cryptocurrency, launched by Satoshi four years before XRP.

Developers Jed McCaleb, Arthur Britto, and David Schwartz started creating the XRP Ledger (XRPL) in 2011. They aimed to create a more efficient system than Bitcoin, addressing its limitations, particularly its reliance on the proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism. McCaleb convinced Fugger to transform RipplePay into a crypto network, leading to the creation of NewCoin in 2012, which was later renamed OpenCoin and then simply Ripple. 

The XRPL creators allocated 80 billion XRP to Ripple, with McCaleb personally receiving 9.5 billion XRP. After he departed from Ripple to create Stellar, McCaleb agreed to liquidate his XRP holdings gradually, with the last stash sold in 2022.

Attorney responds to market players, suggesting that XRP escrow might be thrown into U.S. national reserve 

Rumors have been circulating within the Ripple and XRP communities suggesting that the United States National Reserve might expand its currency list to accommodate XRP, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap.

The rumors come as Ripple and its community members prepare for what might be the last phase of the long-standing legal dispute between itself and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Conversations backing the rumors intensified after Ripple released a whopping 1 billion XRP from escrow in June. The tokens, totaling more than $2.2 billion in market value at their withdrawal, were shared across three major transactions, further strengthening the rumors of a possible transfer scheduled for external accounts.

In response to the speculations, one pro-Ripple attorney has made a countercomment, thus clarifying the situation and debunking numerous speculations.

Bill Morgan, an attorney best known for his commentary on the Ripple vs. SEC legal battle, reacted to a statement made by an X user, expressing certainty that the escrowed XRP will not be added to the U.S. National Reserve.

https://twitter.com/belisarius2020/status/1936284120604459234?s=46&t=qzsvHvtDB3yjTaoaylh-2g

Speaking on the current state of the legal battle, Bill Morgan expressed that Ripple may not have filed an appeal on the institutional sales part of the summary judgment decision had the SEC not filed an appeal of Judge Analisa Torres’s summary judgment decision.

He is convinced both parties might have concluded with the judge’s summary judgment and final orders.

Highlighting the impact that the SEC’s new guidelines had on the current case, he wrote the following;

“The SEC’s new policy towards enforcement has encouraged Ripple to seek more than it would have been satisfied with or lived with before the SEC filed its appeal.”

This week, altcoin ETFs have been a major topic of conversation among notable cryptocurrency figures—from traders to analysts and investors alike. With Bitcoin ETFs recording massive inflows, market participants anticipate approving altcoin-based ETFs in the near term. 

The arrival of altcoin-based ETFs could supercharge the altcoin and larger cryptocurrency markets by launching the highly anticipated altcoin rally this year.

As such, market experts are noting their bullish observations ahead of time. Most recently, two market experts revisited their predictions for the approval of some altcoin-based ETFs. Both analysts strongly believe that many recently filed altcoin ETFs could gain approval.

James Seyffart, a research analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, took to X to share the following;

“EricBalchunas & I are raising our odds for the vast majority of the spot crypto ETF filings to 90% or higher. 

Engagement from the SEC is a very positive sign in our opinion.”

Approval could be recorded in a few months or extended to October, analysts assert

Many regard the SEC’s engagement with recent filings this week as a positive signal and, by extension, the start of the approval process.

XRP, SOL, DOGE, ADA, LTC, and DOT are a few of the many altcoins with ETF filings from multiple asset management firms.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the regulator has not announced approval dates, although proposal changes have been recorded recently. 

Although the analysts expressed uncertainty over a possible approval date, they remain optimistic that approval is imminent.

“The timing of these approvals/launches is more uncertain. Could be something we’re talking about in the next month or two. Or it could be something that waits until October or later. Matter of when not if.” Seyffart wrote.

The Solana blockchain network is accelerating at an incredible pace, and as a result, the network has experienced significant growth while hitting some notable milestones.

In a recent report, Solana detailed the network development cycles observed over the past few months, which have resulted in massive network growth for different substructures within the Solana ecosystem.

A remarkable feat attained this year is reflected in Solana’s network performance, according to the updated network performance status recorded since the last report.

On certain occasions, Solana recorded 200 million daily transactions, while daily DEX volume hit $398 billion. Liquidity inflows soared to $200 million, and new wallet downloads crossed 400,000. The network has remarkably maintained 100% uptime for more than 15 months. 

Solana’s app revenue has displayed a thriving ecosystem, indicating a rise in funding and economic incentives.

A chart depicting revenue growth shows that app revenue for the network has soared consistently since the third quarter of 2023, with the past two quarters displaying a major increase, as app revenue crossed the $1 billion mark.

Due to the stress test established due to the high network activity recorded over the past months, the report revealed that several improvement opportunities had been spotted and subsequently strengthened. Fee throughput was boosted by 80% courtesy of a new scheduler.

Lastly, developer momentum has drawn new users into the network, further indicating that network strength has been heightened over time. Notably, developers are a key part of network growth, as they are responsible for building network applications designed to attract new users and draw in new developers.

The report revealed that Solana had emerged as the number 1 blockchain ecosystem for new developers joining the network, with more than 3,200 monthly active developers and more than 83% year-over-year growth, with 7,625—the highest developer count exploring the network in the previous year.

Vitalik Buterin has made some interesting comments about the Ethereum blockchain, all of which suggest that the Ethereum founder is anticipating global dominance, an outlook shared by Joseph Lubin, the co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain.

Buterin, who more commonly shares development timelines for the Ethereum blockchain, has clarified his bullish outlook for the network. Responding to assertions made by Lubin, who anticipates that Ethereum will serve a global audience, Buterin insists that the network already has. 

“Ethereum L1 is the world ledger,” he wrote. 

The billionaire crypto founder seems to be paying close attention to network development and key milestones achieved recently.

One Ethereum supporter observed that $1.25 billion in ETH ETF inflows have been recorded over the past 19 days, marking an increase in institutional interest.

Staked ETH tokens have also hit new highs as market players lock 28% of Ether’s token supply. This development comes as multiple Nasdaq-listed firms adopt crypto reserves, further tightening liquidity levels.

The price of ETH made a massive price turnaround from the previous year. Although the second most valuable altcoin is still far away from its previously attained all-time high of $4,891, ETH has kicked off a slow but steady recovery since the start of the year. 

Notably, ETH has emerged as the best-performing cryptocurrency, knocking out leading assets such as Bitcoin and another altcoin to secure a 53% increase in price value over the past 60 days. At the time of this report, ETH is valued at $2,434 per coin.

As the Ether supporter further explains before going on to make a case for Ethereum and its native token;

“Institutions are noticing. We’ve come together to tell the world why. Introducing ETH: Digital Oil for the Digital Economy.” 

Buterin, who appeared to have followed these observations, shared an image of a bull, with the Ethereum logo atop its head, signaling a show of support for the bullish assertions made by Ethereum proponents.

XRP maintained a strong footing on Tuesday, stabilizing above the $2.00 mark after rebounding on Monday from a weekend sell-off triggered by heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The bounce has temporarily relieved, but uncertainty lingers as traders digest new technical warnings.

Veteran trader Peter Brandt reignited concern this week after reaffirming that XRP’s price structure reflects a potential head and shoulders pattern, a formation typically associated with bearish reversals.

In a tweet, Brandt noted that the April 7 plunge to $1.61 should be viewed as an “out-of-line movement,” not part of the main pattern. Removing that anomaly, he argued, reveals a more straightforward technical setup pointing to a possible top formation.

Despite the warning, Brandt emphasized, “This chart need NOT be interpreted as bearish. Price is at support right now.”

According to his analysis, the pattern’s neckline lies around $1.875. A sustained break below this level, especially on a weekly close, would be required to confirm the pattern and could signal the start of a deeper decline.

Notably, the suspected formation began taking shape in late 2024. The left shoulder formed near $2.90 in December, the head rose to nearly $3.40 in January, and the right shoulder appeared around $2.65 in May. Since then, XRP has largely respected the neckline zone. However, Brandt added that he would only reassess the structure “if price closes below 1.8xxxx,” implying that a decisive breakdown would need a significant confirmation.

While Brandt focuses on charts, external forces have not been ignored. The sharp April 7 decline occurred just hours after U.S. airstrikes in Iran sent shockwaves through financial markets, likely explaining the outlier dip he referenced.

Beyond Brandt’s view, the broader analyst community remains divided. Analyst at CryptoInsightsUK identified increased liquidity around the $1.87 mark, even suggesting it might present a “blessing entry” if XRP dips further toward $1.72.

Elsewhere, technical analyst Cryptoes_ta told followers that XRP’s current price structure resembles its December 2024 breakout, describing it as a setup that could push the asset beyond its all-time high of $3.84 and into the $7 to $10 range.

That said, for now, XRP’s technical momentum remains subdued. As measured by the Average Directional Index, trend strength sits at 16.41, suggesting a weak directional move.

Meanwhile, the Average True Range has dropped to 0.486, a signal of suppressed volatility often preceding abrupt market shifts. On the relative strength front, XRP’s weekly RSI stands at 32, approaching levels traditionally associated with oversold conditions.

At press time, XRP traded at $2.18, reflecting a 1.6% surge in the past 24 hours.

A dormant Bitcoin wallet containing 300 BTC, valued at nearly $30 million, has reawakened after over a decade of inactivity, sparking speculation across the crypto community.

The wallet, believed to have been inactive since late 2011 or early 2012, initiated a transaction earlier this week, transferring 61 BTC worth approximately $6 million.

The remaining 239 BTC, still residing in the address, are valued at around $24 million. While no funds have yet been sent to known exchange addresses, the move has reignited debate over the behavior of early Bitcoin adopters and the broader implications for the market.

Blockchain analytics platform Whale Alert flagged the transaction Sunday, noting the address had shown no activity for over 11 years. 

These so-called “Satoshi-era” wallets, often attributed to early miners or adopters, contain coins acquired when Bitcoin traded below $10. With today’s price hovering just under $105,000, the owner of this particular wallet is sitting on a return of more than 23,000%.

Notably, the activity coincided with heightened market volatility. Following the transfer, Bitcoin’s price dropped sharply, breaking key support zones around $100,700 and testing a local low of $98,445 before recovering slightly and strongly on Monday.

Market analysts suggest that while the transfer did not trigger a mass panic, it has prompted traders to exercise caution. 

“These old-school moves can jolt short-term sentiment, with traders watching for potential dump or just a stealthy rebalance,” said one observer on X.

The mystery behind the motivation remains. Some speculate the holder could be preparing to liquidate a portion of their holdings, while others suggest it may be part of a larger asset reallocation strategy. Still, the fact that most of the coins remain untouched has offered some relief to investors wary of a sudden flood of supply.

This isn’t the only dormant whale to resurface recently. On May 13, another post-Satoshi-era wallet holding 300 BTC, valued at over $31 million, became active after 11.1 years. And in April, a staggering 1,078 BTC worth more than $100 million was moved from a 2013 wallet, underscoring the growing trend of long-silent addresses stirring as Bitcoin consolidates near all-time highs.

Meanwhile, while retail traders continue to scale back, recent data from Santiment shows that whales and sharks, wallets between 10 and 10,000 BTC, have collectively acquired over 83,000 BTC in the past 30 days.

On June 20, Santiment further highlighted how wallets with over 10 BTC increased by 231 in just 10 days. In contrast, smaller wallets holding between 0.001 and 10 BTC declined by 37,465 over the same period.

With Bitcoin trading slightly above $107,391 at press time, this accumulation, paired with the reactivations of ancient wallets, highlights how BTC ownership is changing and how these changes can quickly influence market mood and behavior.

Minneapolis-based sports betting platform SharpLink Gaming added over $30 million in ETH to its treasury between June 16 and June 20, cementing its position as the largest publicly traded holder of Ether globally.

SharpLink acquired 12,207 ETH at an average price of $2,513, boosting its treasury holdings to 188,478 Ether, or approximately $470 million based on the crypto’s price at the time.

The ‘MicroStrategy Of Ether’

To fund the purchase, SharpLink raised $27.7 million in net proceeds through its at-the-market (ATM) offering, selling over 2.5 million shares.

SharpLink is one of the increasing group of publicly traded companies that recently pivoted to add crypto to their corporate balance sheets, following the successful playbook of Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin-focused Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy).

Since the company is centered on Ethereum, it is the first Nasdaq-listed firm to adopt ETH as its core treasury reserve asset, aiming to offer shareholders exposure to the second-largest crypto by market cap.

Unlike Strategy, which typically just accumulates BTC, SharpLink has put its ETH to work. Since launching its ETH treasury strategy, the company said it has staked all its crypto cache, earning 120 ETH in rewards. The firm also disclosed an ETH-per-share growth rate of roughly 19% during that period.

“This move reflects our confidence in Ethereum’s utility and our commitment to exploring transformative technologies that can unlock new value for our business and stockholders, alike,” said SharpLink Chairman of the Board, Ethereum co-founder, and Consensys CEO Joe Lubin in a statement.

ETH is up 0.5% over the past 24 hours amid a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel. It is now trading at $2,419.38, which is below the average purchase price for SharpLink’s treasury buys.

Who Owns More ETH Than SharpLink?

While SharpLink now claims the bragging right of being the biggest publicly traded holder of Ether globally, some entities are still holding more ETH.

The Ethereum Foundation now holds 212,072 ETH ( valued at $514.59 million) in its treasury, data from Arkham Intelligence shows.

Some crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) issuers, such as BlackRock, also hold a considerably bigger ETH stash, albeit on behalf of their clients. BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust ETF held roughly 1.7 million ETH as of June 25, worth around $4 billion.

Green Minerals (GEM), a deep-sea mining firm, has bought 4 BTC on Wednesday as part of its strategy, announced on Monday, to acquire a $1.2 billion Bitcoin treasury. Green Minerals is joining many crypto companies building treasury strategies to convert various finance methodologies into cryptocurrencies as a store of value. The 4 BTC purchased for $420,000 at $105,000 per token, which amounts to 4.25 million Norwegian Kroner. Green Minerals is listed on the Oslo exchange and wishes to engage in a tech-centric business operations model. Stale Rodahl, executive chairman of Green Minerals, said that Bitcoin was a hedge against inflation and had the added benefit of being decentralized. Rodahl believes that Bitcoin tackles the issue of fiat debasement and could sustain the company through uncertain times. 

Green Minerals announced earlier this week that the deep-sea mining company was adopting a Bitcoin treasury strategy to coincide with its sustainable mining business. The company stated explicitly that it invested in Bitcoin to offset the risks inherent to fiat currencies, which can be subjected to inflation and geopolitical risks. Green Minerals further wants to adopt blockchain technologies to modernize its operations. Rodahl, Green Minerals’ executive chairman, said it was important to maintain a strong balance sheet while enduring economic disruptions. The company plans to finance up to $1.2 billion through its Bitcoin treasury strategy. Green Minerals, however, wishes to maintain its regular operations and wants to integrate blockchain technology into its business model. Rodahl stated that Bitcoin can enhance transparency and trace supply chain networks. The company is committed to its capital expenditure goals and uses blockchain to digitise its treasury. Green Minerals will use a BTC/share metric so that shareholders can track the strength of its Bitcoin treasury. The company announced earlier this week that the treasury strategy would establish the company as a leader in finance innovations and technological business models. The company already prides itself as a leader in sustainable underwater mining operations, but wishes to embrace blockchain technology. 

Treasury strategy adoption is up 13% from last month due to an increased interest in holding crypto on the balance sheet. Green Minerals is just another company adding to this newfound trend. The corporate world has discovered a new use of crypto, which the blockchain community hasn’t thoroughly analysed. There are now over 245 companies holding Bitcoin on their balance sheets. These companies collectively hold around $88 billion, which adds substantive value to the BTC token.

Meanwhile, Green Minerals’ stock price dropped by 20% on Tuesday after the initial announcement. The company wishes to use transparent methods regarding acquiring Bitcoin and will update shareholders with any changes to the balance sheet. Rodahl assured investors that the Bitcoin strategy will support regular business operations to enhance technological efficiency and promote a future-oriented business model. 

Green Minerals plans to acquire its target of $1.2 billion worth of Bitcoin by working with its partners to devise programs to finance the acquisition. Green Minerals has now acquired its first 4 BTC as part of this plan, to start the process immediately. At the current $106,500 per Bitcoin price, the company could reach its target of $1.2 billion by buying 11,255 BTC. The company also wishes to integrate blockchain innovations into its business model to remain competitive in the underwater sustainable mining industry and prepare the business for any regulatory changes. As regards the mining industry, Green Minerals says that blockchain technology can be applied to supply chain verification and mineral origin certification.

Norway, the country where Green Minerals resides, announced last week that it will temporarily ban Bitcoin mining centres to prioritise energy levels and meet environmental targets. The Labour government in Norway is concerned that Bitcoin is extracted with maximum computation efficiency, upsetting their key targets of reducing pollution levels. The Labour Party has commented that they would like to prioritise energy levels from Bitcoin data centres over those of community data centres. This illustrates how the Norwegian government values climate policy and views proof-of-work mechanisms as an obstacle to its strategic goals. Yet the government has stated that it values blockchain and AI technology. The Labour government does not wish to impede innovation in Norway, but wants to prioritise energy supply so that other industries can enjoy government subsidies. Green Minerals, meanwhile, may be accumulating a Bitcoin treasury to deal with regulatory uncertainty amidst an evolving public sector.

Data from CME Group shows that XRP futures and Micro XRP futures generated a remarkable $542 million in total trading volume since their launch on May 19.

Since launching on May 19, XRP and Micro XRP futures have shown demand across institutional and retail participants, highlighting interest in regulated tools to access one of the most watched crypto assets. Get the full breakdown https://t.co/nmVRaXqUTO pic.twitter.com/JZG2Bnnjll

— CME Group (@CMEGroup) June 24, 2025

The Chicago-based financial derivatives giant disclosed that the regulated XRP futures — standard and micro-sized contracts — witnessed “significant market interest” and strong engagement from institutions and individual retail traders.

These new XRP-based financial products got off to a strong start, registering a total trading volume of $19 million on their first trading day. However, demand dramatically increased as volume spiked 28 times over the first month.

The CME’s standard and micro contracts, sized at 50,000 XRP and 2,500 XRP, respectively, are cash-settled and based on the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference rate, which tracks the price of the fourth-largest crypto daily at 4:00 p.m. London time. These futures allow traders to gain exposure to XRP without actually owning it.

The data also suggests strong international participation in the futures market, with roughly half of the activity coming from outside the US and Canada. 

CME Group has also highlighted some of the key bullish catalysts for XRP, including the increasing institutional acceptance due to Ripple’s acquisition of prime brokerage Hidden Road, stablecoin integration, and XRP’s expanding role in fast and low-cost cross-border payments.

Besides CME Group, leading exchanges like Coinbase Derivatives and Bitnomial have also secured regulatory greenlight to introduce XRP futures contracts in the United States. These offerings were launched after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agreed to dismiss its appeal in the protracted Ripple lawsuit.

The successful rollout of CFTC-regulated XRP futures is seen as a significant stepping stone for the eventual approval of a spot-based exchange-traded fund by the SEC. 

That said, Bloomberg ETF analysts now peg a whopping 95% likelihood of such products being approved in 2025. 

XRP prices are up 5.3% in the past 24 hours, in line with a broader market rebound after President Donald Trump announced a peace agreement between Iran and Israel.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) might be staring at making a comeback after being in the red in the past month, based on an 18.3% drop.

Market analyst Tektonic pointed out, “SHIB is showing early signs of a bullish reversal, with a potential recovery toward $0.000017 in sight. Funding rates have flipped negative, signaling reduced bullish leverage — often a precursor to rebound moves.”

At the time of writing, SHIB was trading at $0.00001161, representing a 6.6% increase in the past 24 hours.

Tektonic added, “A reversal pattern is forming on key timeframes, aligning with prior price behavior before upside swings.”

SHIB’s bullish narrative is being supported by a skyrocketing burn rate to the tune of 5,404.46%, according to Shibburn data. 

Burning tokens means permanently removing them from circulation by sending them to an unusable wallet or a “dead address.”

This results to dimished overall SHIB supply, and depending on supply-demand economics, price might increase if demand increases or stays the same.

Shiba Inu Bulls Remain Steadfast

As Shiba Inu edges closer to the psychological price of $0.000012, the second-largest meme coin is creating higher lows, which could cement its bullish outlook.

Crypto analyst Bit Guru acknowledged, “With bulls defending higher lows and maintaining volume, a breakout could send SHIB toward the $0.00001280–$0.00001350 zone. If momentum picks up, meme coin hype could fuel the next leg.”

Source: Bit Guru

Higher lows typically show buyers are stepping in at higher prices than before, signalling that bears are losing ground as bulls continue gaining control.

Therefore, every higher low acts as a new support zone, meaning that if SHIB maintains this momentum, the 19th-largest cryptocurrency based on market capitalization will likely witness a sustained uptrend.

Meanwhile, the SHIB Army envisions a 195% price explosion with a seemingly imminent bullish reversal pattern.

ProCap BTC, a Bitcoin-native financial services firm founded by well-known investor and vocal BTC advocate Anthony Pompliano, has scooped up its first Bitcoins shortly after announcing a $1 billion BTC treasury SPAC deal.

ProCap joins a growing list of companies on the Nasdaq stockpiling the world’s largest and oldest cryptocurrency.

ProCap’s Billion-Dollar Bet On Bitcoin 

According to a Tuesday announcement, ProCap bought 3,724 Bitcoins at an average price of $103,785. The Bitcoin stack, worth around $384 million as of press time, sits on the company’s balance sheet, offering future shareholders immediate exposure to the price of the alpha crypto. 

ProCap aims to invest up to $1 billion in Bitcoin once the special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) transaction closes.

On Monday, ProCap announced it had proposed a $1 billion merger with Columbus Circle Capital Corp, with the combined company to be called ProCap Financial, listing on Nasdaq. The move is part of an increasing trend of so-called crypto treasury firms that finance Bitcoin acquisitions through equity and debt sales, inspired by the success of Michael Saylor’s Strategy. 

The company revealed it raised over $750 million, pulling in roughly $517 million by offering preferred equity and an additional $225 million by selling convertible notes, in what was described as “the largest initial fundraise in history for a public bitcoin treasury company,” according to a press release on Monday.

ProCap Joins Growing List Of Bitcoin-Buying Companies

ProCap’s announcement comes amid a sharp rise in public companies adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets, including President Donald Trump’s media conglomerate, Trump Media’s $2.3 billion raise to purchase Bitcoin last month, and GameStop’s recent adoption of Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset.

Globally, 136 public companies have bought 835,053 Bitcoin worth $85 billion, according to data from Bitcoin Treasuries. Strategy currently has the largest Bitcoin holdings of any company at 592,345 BTC worth $62.8 billion.

Bitcoin was changing hands around $106,128 at publication time, a 3.6% increase over the past day, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko.

The crypto market rebounded during early Asian trading hours Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had come into effect, triggering a sharp comeback across Bitcoin and major altcoins.

The move seems to have largely erased recent war-driven market anxiety, fueling renewed bullish sentiment.

Markets Gain As Tensions Ease

Relief from the Middle East conflict in the form of a surprise ceasefire spurred a crypto and risk-asset rally. President Trump posted on Truth Social that a full ceasefire agreement had been reached by both Israel and Iran.

“Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World,” Trump wrote.

Crypto markets have turned nicely higher, with Bitcoin (BTC) now up by 5.1% over the past 24 hours to $106,017 after the brutal Sunday-Monday crash. The premier crypto had plummeted below the psychologically important $100,000 level on Sunday before staging its recovery. 

Bitcoin has historically trended positively during times of global unrest. During major events like the US–Iran conflict in 2020, Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022, and now the Iran–Israel war of 2025, Bitcoin has demonstrated remarkable price stability. While it does not act like a traditional safe haven, it usually behaves like an uncorrelated hedge in systemic uncertainty.

Ether (ETH), the industry’s second-largest crypto by market cap, is ahead 10.6% to trade back above $2,455. Ripple-promoted cryptocurrency XRP surged 11.2% in the past 24 hours. The crypto’s double-digit spike comes after Arthur Britto, co-founder of Ripple and the XRP Ledger (XRPL), posted on X for the first time in nearly 14 years.

According to market data, Solana’s SOL, Cardano’s ADA, and Dogecoin (DOGE) also rose between 9.6%-10% following the news of a possible ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

Arthur Britto, the mysterious co-founder of the XRP Ledger, recently posted a cryptic post on X for the first time in almost 14 years, sparking speculation that a major XRP announcement could be imminent.

Arthur Britto Breaks His Silence

Britto posted for the first time on the X social media platform on Monday for the first time since creating the account in August 2011. The cryptic post features an emoji of a face without a mouth, which typically suggests speechlessness.

Some X users questioned whether his account had been compromised. However, Ripple CTO David Schwartz, Britto’s long-time collaborator, clarified that the post was real and ruled out a hacking incident.

“I can confirm this was not a hack or compromise,” he noted.

I can confirm this was not a hack or compromise.

— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) June 23, 2025

Britto created the decentralized, open-source XRP Ledger (XRPL) alongside Schwartz and Mt. Gox founder Jed McCaleb and launched it in 2012. He later helped add XRP, a digital asset designed for fast, low-cost global payments that serves as the native cryptocurrency of the XRPL.

Britto also co-created NewCoin alongside Schwartz, McCaleb, and Chris Larsen, which was later renamed to OpenCoin before finally rebranding as Ripple. A recently leaked agreement reveals that Britto received 2% of the total supply of XRP (formerly “Ripple Credits”).    

However, despite his significant contribution, Britto has remained largely out of the limelight. He has never given interviews, appeared in photographs, or participated in public forums, making him one of the most mysterious figures in the crypto space, akin to the pseudonymous Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto. In fact, some crypto community members think Britto is Satoshi.

What Britto’s Return Could Mean For XRP

Britto’s post sparked speculation among XRP fans about what his potential return could mean. Prominent commentator John Squire pointed out the Ripple co-founder’s strategic timing, asserting that it coincides with several key developments, including record on-chain volume.

Speculation around Ripple’s initial public offering (IPO) prospects and pre-bull market conditions further signals a pattern. 

“Bullrun confirmed? Too early to say. But Arthur Britto doesn’t casually drop breadcrumbs. When someone this silent speaks… You listen,” Squire added.

Others highlighted Britto’s past ambitious assertion that XRP is “designed” to be worth $10,000 per token and should scale to 8 billion users, making it the core protocol for a truly inclusive global financial system.

“Perhaps a signal. XRP is reaching its moment. The global shift towards digital payments, CBDCs, and stablecoins is aligning with the original vision. The #XRPLedger is closer than ever to serving billions,” said another X user.

It’s also worth mentioning that Britto’s return comes as Ripple and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission await a court ruling on their joint motion to advance the settlement process and wrap up the years-long legal drama.