Category: Crypto market

Vanguard’s Epic U-Turn: XRP ETFs Unlocked for $11 Trillion – Retirement Funds Incoming?

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Bitwise’s XRP exchange-traded fund is now available for Vanguard clients, according to a recent social media post by chief executive officer Hunter Horsley.

Vanguard, the world’s second-largest asset manager with over $11 trillion in assets under management, has long been a conservative powerhouse in traditional investing. It has completely prohibited cryptocurrency-related products on its platform for many years. It even blocked access to spot Bitcoin ETFs when they launched in January 2024.

Over 50 million Vanguard clients will be able to begin trading specific cryptocurrency ETFs and mutual funds that contain cryptocurrency assets. In late September, rumors surfaced that Vanguard would completely reverse its stance on cryptocurrency.

Hence, it did not come as a complete surprise, which explains a rather muted crypto rally. The $10 trillion behemoth still has no intention of following rival Blac despite the significant reversal.

 

Leverage Carnage: Crypto Crash Liquidates $1B in Bets as Bitcoin Tumbles Below $84K

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Nearly $1 billion of leveraged crypto positions were liquidated during a sharp fall on Monday, fueling a huge selloff. Bitcoin dropped as much as 8% to $83,824, representing a 30% decrease since early October.

Bitcoin is in trouble after its latest decline.

Ether has declined 36% over the past seven weeks and fell as much as 10%, reaching as low as $2,719. Smaller, less liquid tokens, often favored by traders due to their higher volatility and tendency to outperform during rallies, have been especially affected by the market downturn.

MarketVector index tracking the bottom half of the top 100 digital assets has fallen by nearly 70% this year. Data from tracker Coinglass shows the cryptocurrency market remains fragile after a weeks-long selloff that started in early October when President Donald Trump’s threats of higher tariffs rattled markets, wiping out about $19 billion in leveraged bets.

Traders analyze liquidation data to assess leverage, gauge risk appetite, and determine whether a market wipeout has truly cleared out excess speculation. However, these numbers may be incomplete, as industry insiders say exchanges restrict full liquidation data, making it difficult for traders to know the true extent of leverage in the system.

“It’s a risk-off start to December,” said Sean McNulty, APAC derivatives trading lead at FalconX. The lack of dip buyers and minimal inflows into Bitcoin ETFs are primary concerns. We expect these structural headwinds to persist this month.

Digital assets are also influenced by broader macro shifts impacting global markets, as US equity traders begin the week on the defensive. As Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda signaled a likely rate hike this month, Japanese stocks declined, and the yen strengthened.

Investors Step In, Buying Oversold MSTR Stock After BTC Weakness, Target $700

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

The MSTR stock started the week substantially lower due to persistent weakness in Bitcoin and the wider cryptocurrency complex, hence MicroStrategy’s attempt to recover last week was short-lived. Continue reading “Investors Step In, Buying Oversold MSTR Stock After BTC Weakness, Target $700” →

BMNR Stock Slips Below $30 As ETH Dives, but There’s Support As Bitmine’s Fundamentals Strengthen

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

BitMine’s recent volatility parallels the latest crypto market collapse, however major financial and strategic pillars continue to underpin its long-term narrative.
Continue reading “BMNR Stock Slips Below $30 As ETH Dives, but There’s Support As Bitmine’s Fundamentals Strengthen” →

XRP’s Triumph: SWIFT’s 90% ISO 20022 Shift Hands Ripple the Cross-Border Crown

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

SWIFT anticipates that by the beginning of 2026, 90% of all transactions will transition to ISO 20022.

XRP Eyes $5 Target Soon as Institutional Access Expands

The organisation responsible for overseeing ISO 20022 compliance is the Registration Management Group (RMG), which includes a range of members or parent companies associated with well-known Layer 1 blockchains. Notable members include Algorand (ALGO), Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR), Stellar Lumens (XLM), and Ripple (XRP), the latter two of which joined in 2020.

Stellar’s participation has provided both original altcoins with an opportunity to improve interoperability with SWIFT and other major financial institutions.

Financial giants like BlackRock and JPMorgan are actively acquiring ISO 20022-compliant coins. Stellar (XLM) has notable partnerships with companies like MoneyGram and IBM World Wire; however, its trading volume is lower than XRP’s. Ripple has established active partnerships with over 300 banks and financial payment solutions, including Santander and SEB, and is working on integrating its own RLUSD stablecoin.

Ripple’s (XRP) spot market volume consistently exceeds $2 billion, making it reasonable for the altcoin to grow with relatively low transaction fees. However, this $2 billion in spot trading is quadrupled by its futures market volume. XRP’s demand in perpetual contracts has hit $8 billion in a single day, highlighting a new trend among traders seeking larger gains.

Stellar Lumens (XLM) generally maintains a daily trading volume between $100 million and $200 million, even though both Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) chains process a block on average every five seconds. XRP’s ledger handles about 40 million transactions daily, significantly surpassing Stellar’s average of 7 million transactions daily

Zcash’s Brutal Rollercoaster: Why ZEC Keeps Crashing Despite the Bullish Big Picture

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Zcash has lost more than 17% last week. The stagnation in shielded pools and the crowded retail demand- potentially acting as exit liquidity for large wallet investors aiming to take profits- are behind the privacy coin’s second consecutive bearish week.

 

Reduced demand is signalled by inactivity in shielded ZEC pools. The nearly 1000 per cent rally between September and October was driven by a surge in demand for ZEC as a privacy coin. Shielded ZEC tokens in the Orchard pool surged during the rally, according to ZECHUB data,  effectively reducing supply and creating a positive feedback loop to boost demand.

However, after reaching a peak of 4.21 million ZEC tokens on November 4, the Orchard pool has plateaued, indicating a decline in demand. If the plateau persists, ZEC prices might face further downward pressure due to a lack of new demand. Retail demand for Zcash is rising despite a decline in on-chain activity, allowing savvy investors to lock in profits.

According to CryptoQuant’s data, retail volume is overheating the futures and spot markets, leading to crowding in the purchase of privacy coins. Sharp corrections in cryptocurrency assets are often triggered by increased retail activity; this was seen during the cycle tops in May and November of 2021.

ZEC futures Open Interest (OI) has decreased 7.71 per cent over the past day, down to $977.4 million, according to CoinGlass data. A drop in futures OI indicates traders are reducing their capital exposure in case of a pullback or other uncertain events.

Ripple Reigns Supreme: XRP Tops 2025 ISO 20022 Amid Fedwire Shift

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

XRP was the leading altcoin in the ISO 20022 category. The update coincided with the global shift to ISO 20022.

Many market participants are curious about the possible connection between digital assets and this transition.XRP is leading the pack, according to recent analyses and platform classifications.

CoinMarketCap introduced an official ISO 20022 category, with XRP via its native compliance through RippleNet. The following is a summary of the top ISO 20022-compliant cryptocurrencies based on market capitalisation, utility, and adoption metrics

ISO 20022 is a modern standard for financial transactions, including payments. Banks and payment providers are replacing older MT messages with new MX messages, which contain more structured data. This helps create clear formats for instructions, account details, and reporting, increasing payment accuracy.

SWIFT set a deadline for this transition on November 22. It’s expected that this shift will continue across the financial industry. To avoid failed messages, banks need to adopt the new format.

Many experts now see this transition as XRP’s entry into the global monetary system. The standard does not alter a blockchain’s core functions; it only affects the payment messages that institutions send and receive. Ripple developed its technology to comply with ISO 20022 standards. The system is ready for banks that migrate, as RippleNet can send messages in the new format. However, XRP itself is not ISO 20022 compatible.

The system is prepared since RippleNet can send messages in the new format once banks finish their migration. Yet, XRP does not comply with ISO 20022. No cryptocurrencies currently fully comply.

Nonetheless, Ripple’s system compatibility enables XRP to progress within standard-compliant financial networks. It also allows potential communication with SWIFT-connected networks that expect ISO 20022 messaging. Although XRP was designed to solve payment problems, Ripple built its tools to help organisations transfer money across borders quickly and cost-effectively.

These tools can use XRP as a bridge asset. By using Ripple’s technology to send ISO 20022-ready messages, banks can stay aligned with international standards. Therefore, XRP might play a role in future payment flows.

Ripple: SWIFT’s ISO 20022 Sprint to 90% Seals XRP’s Cross-Border Domination

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

SWIFT anticipates that by the beginning of 2026, 90% of all transactions will transition to ISO 20022.

The Registration Management Group (RMG), which includes several members or parent companies linked to well-known Layer 1 blockchains, is responsible for overseeing ISO 20022 compliance.

Notable members include Algorand (ALGO), Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR), Stellar Lumens (XLM), and Ripple (XRP), with the latter two joining in 2020. Thanks to Stellar’s involvement, both original altcoins now have the opportunity to improve interoperability with SWIFT and other major financial institutions. Financial giants like JPMorgan and BlackRock are actively acquiring coins that meet ISO 20022 standards. While Stellar (XLM) has important partnerships with companies such as IBM World Wire and MoneyGram, its trading volume remains lower than XRP’s.

Ripple is actively working with over 300 banks and financial payment systems, including Santander and SEB, and is developing its own RLUSD stablecoin.

it makes sense for the altcoin to grow with relatively low transaction costs since Ripple’s (XRP) spot market volume regularly exceeds $2 billion. Its futures market volume is four times this amount, reaching over $8 billion in a single day for perpetual contracts, reflecting a rising trend among traders seeking larger profits.

Although both Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) chains process a block roughly every five seconds, Stellar Lumens (XLM) typically maintains a daily trading volume between $100 million – $200 million. Compared to Stellar’s average of 7 million transactions per day, XRP’s ledger processes approximately 40 million transactions daily.