The final week of July has seen a noticeable pullback across the crypto market, with Bitcoin (BTC) trading within a tight consolidation range. This muted performance has dampened broader market sentiment, dragging many altcoins lower.
Despite the cautious tone, retail interest in Nigeria—one of Africa’s most active crypto markets—has remained resilient. On-chain and social data reveal that Bonk (BONK), Sui (SUI), and Pepe (PEPE) have emerged as the top three trending altcoins in the country during the final week of July.
BONK
According to Ayotunde Alabi, CEO of Luno Nigeria, Solana-based meme coin BONK is among the top trending assets in Nigeria this week. The recent resurgence in the demand for meme assets has pushed BONK’s value up by over 150% in the past 30 days.
Alabi told BeInCrypto that BONK’s surge in popularity may be tied to the wider altcoin rally. Still, its appeal among Nigerian investors is also driven by its affordability and perceived upside. In a market where many top coins appear overbought, low-cost tokens like BONK offer speculative traders a chance to enter early and ride potential momentum.
“Interest could be based on the broader altcoin momentum, but investors could also be drawn to the low price entry point and potential for long-term growth,” Alabi pointed out.
The meme coin trades at $0.00003 at press time, up 7% in the past 24 hours. BONK could extend its rally toward $0.000038 if buying pressure is sustained. A successful breach of that resistance could propel the altcoin to reclaim its year-to-date high of $0.000040.
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On the other hand, if demand weakens, BONK’s price could dip to $0.000034.
SUI
This week, layer-1 (L1) coin SUI is another altcoin trending among Nigerian traders. According to Alabi, SUI’s resilience and rising visibility in Nigeria can be linked to its expanding ecosystem and increasing institutional validation.
With big names like Grayscale and VanEck backing the token through new investment vehicles, the CEO mentioned that Nigerian investors are paying closer attention to its long-term potential.
He added that the increase in SUI’s total value locked (TVL) over the past month signals a growing adoption and capital confidence in the network’s infrastructure. According to DefiLlama, this currently stands at $2.148 billion, rising by 25% since the beginning of July.
This uptick in TVL reflects increased market-wide participation and suggests that more users and developers are actively engaging with the Sui ecosystem.
SUI currently trades for $3.99. If network activity remains high, demand for the SUI coin will increase, pushing its price toward $4.09. A break above this level could trigger a move to $4.29.
However, if profit-taking continues, the coin’s value could dip to $3.68.
PEPE
Despite a slight pullback over the past week, PEPE also remains on Nigerian traders’ radar. According to Alabi, the coin has benefited from the broader memecoin revival, with gains of around 18% over the last 30 days.
He explained that the strong performance of more established tokens like Dogecoin (DOGE)—which gained roughly 30% in the same period—has helped to renew market confidence in smaller memecoins like PEPE.
PEPE trades at $0.000012 at press time, noting a 5% uptick in the past 24 hours. If buy-side pressure strengthens, the meme coin’s rally could reach $0.000014.
China’s recent directive for its state-owned banks to decrease reliance on the US dollar has amplified a growing trend among countries seeking alternatives to the dominant reserve assets. In some instances, Bitcoin has emerged as a viable competitor.
BeInCrypto spoke with experts from VanEck, CoinGecko, Gate.io, HashKey Research, and Humanity Protocol to understand Bitcoin’s rise as an alternative to the US dollar and its potential for greater influence in global geopolitics.
The Push for De-Dollarization
Since the 2008 global financial crisis, China has gradually reduced its reliance on the US dollar. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has now instructed state-owned banks to reduce dollar purchases amid the heightened trade war with US President Donald Trump.
China is among many nations seeking to lessen its dependence on the dollar. Russia, like its southern neighbor, has received an increasing number of Western sanctions– especially following its invasion of Ukraine.
Furthermore, Rosneft, a major Russian commodities producer, has issued RMB-denominated bonds, indicating a shift towards RBM, the Chinese currency, and a move away from Western currencies due to sanctions.
This global shift away from predominant reserve currencies is not limited to countries affected by Western sanctions. Aiming to increase the Rupee’s international use, India has secured agreements for oil purchases in Indian Rupee (INR) and trade with Malaysia in INR.
The country has also pursued creating a local currency settlement system with nine other central banks.
As more nations consider alternatives to the US dollar’s dominance, Bitcoin has emerged as a functional monetary tool that can serve as an alternative reserve asset.
Why Nations Are Turning to Bitcoin for Trade Independence
Interest in using cryptocurrency for purposes beyond international trade has also grown. In a notable development, China and Russia have reportedly settled some energy transactions using Bitcoin and other digital assets.
“Sovereign adoption of Bitcoin is accelerating this year as demand grows for neutral payments rails that can circumvent USD sanctions,” Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Assets Research at VanEck, told BeInCrypto.
Two weeks ago, France’s Minister of Digital Affairs proposed using the surplus production of EDF, the country’s state-owned energy giant, to mine Bitcoin.
Last week, Pakistan announced similar plans to allocate part of its surplus electricity to Bitcoin mining and AI data centers.
Meanwhile, on April 10, New Hampshire’s House passed HB302, a Bitcoin reserve bill, by a 192-179 vote, sending it to the Senate. This development makes New Hampshire the fourth state, after Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma, to have such a bill pass a legislative chamber.
If HB302 is approved by the Senate and signed into law, the state treasurer could invest up to 10% of the general fund and other authorized funds in precious metals and specific digital assets like Bitcoin.
According to industry experts, this is only the beginning.
VanEck Predicts Bitcoin to Become a Future Reserve Asset
Sigel predicts Bitcoin will become a key medium of exchange by 2025 and, ultimately, one of the world’s reserve currencies.
His forecasts suggest Bitcoin could settle 10% of global international trade and 5% of global domestic trade. This scenario would lead to central banks holding 2.5% of their assets in BTC.
According to him, China’s recent de-dollarization will prompt other nations to follow suit and lessen their reliance on the US dollar.
“China’s de-dollarization efforts are already having second- and third-order effects that create opportunities for alternative assets like Bitcoin. When the world’s second-largest economy actively reduces its exposure to US Treasuries and promotes cross-border trade in yuan or through mechanisms like the mBridge project, it signals to other nations—especially those with strained ties to the West—that the dollar is no longer the only game in town,” Sigel said.
For Zhong Yang Chan, Head of Research at CoinGecko, these efforts could prove catastrophic for the United States’ dominance.
“Broader de-dollarization efforts by China, or other major economies, will threaten the status of the dollar’s global reserve currency status. This could have [a] profound impact on the US and its economy, as this would lead to nations reducing their holdings of US treasuries, which the US relies on to finance its national debt,” he told BeInCrypto.
However, the strength of the US dollar and other dominant currencies has already shown signs of weakening.
A General Wave of Currency Decline
Sigel’s research shows that the four strongest global currencies—the US dollar, Japanese yen, British pound, and European euro—have lost value over time, particularly in cross-border payments.
The decline of these currencies creates a void where Bitcoin can gain traction as a key alternative for international trade settlements.
“This shift isn’t purely about promoting the yuan. It’s also about minimizing vulnerability to US sanctions and the politicization of payment rails like SWIFT. That opens the door for neutral, non-sovereign assets—especially those that are digitally native, decentralized, and liquid,” Sigel added.
This lack of national allegiance also sets Bitcoin apart from traditional currencies.
Bitcoin’s Appeal: A Non-Sovereign Alternative
Unlike fiat money or central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), Bitcoin doesn’t respond to any one nation, which makes it appealing to some countries.
For Terence Kwok, CEO and Founder of Humanity Protocol, recent geopolitical tensions have heightened this belief.
For these same reasons, experts don’t expect Bitcoin to replace fiat currencies fully but rather provide a vital alternative for certain cases.
A Replacement or an Alternative?
While Bitcoin offers several advantages over traditional currencies, Gate.io’s Kevin Lee doesn’t foresee its eventual adoption causing a complete overhaul of the currency reserve system.
Recent data confirms this. The number of Bitcoin transactions has fallen significantly since the last quarter of 2024. Bitcoin registered over 610,684 transactions in November, but that number dropped to 376,369 in April, according to Glassnode data.
The number of Bitcoin active addresses paints a similar picture. In December, the network had nearly 891,623 addresses. Today, that number stands at 609,614.
Bitcoin number of active addresses. Source: Glassnode.
This decline suggests reduced demand for its blockchain in terms of transactions, usage, and adoption, meaning fewer people are actively using it for transfers, business, or Bitcoin-based applications.
Meanwhile, the Bitcoin network must also ensure its infrastructure is efficient enough to meet global demand.
Can Bitcoin Scale for Global Use?
In 2018, Lightning Labs launched the Lightning Network to reduce the cost and time required for cryptocurrency transactions. Currently, the Bitcoin network can only handle around seven transactions per second, while Visa, for example, handles around 65,000.
“If expansion solutions (such as the Lightning Network) fail to become popular, Bitcoin’s ability to process only about 7 transactions per second will be difficult to support global demand. At the same time, as Bitcoin block rewards are gradually halved, the decline in miners’ income may threaten the long-term security of the network,” Guo, Director of HashKey Research explained.
While the confluence of geopolitical shifts and Bitcoin’s inherent characteristics undeniably create a space for its increased adoption as an alternative to the US dollar and even a potential reserve asset, significant hurdles remain.
Achieving mainstream Bitcoin adoption hinges on overcoming scalability, volatility, regulatory hurdles, stablecoin competition, and ensuring network security.
The unfolding panorama suggests Bitcoin will carve out an important role in the global financial system, though a complete overhaul of established norms seems unlikely in the immediate future.
Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.
Grab a coffee and watch this space. Analysts say the next big move for Bitcoin (BTC) may be closer than it looks. With technical signals flashing and macro forces shifting, analysts are starting to lean bullish.
Crypto News of the Day: Bollinger Eyes Breakout as Macro Tailwinds Gather
Bitcoin is drawing renewed attention from analysts, with John Bollinger, the inventor of the Bollinger Bands indicator, sounding the alarm for a potential breakout.
Bitcoin looks to be setting up for an upside breakout. $BTCUSD More as the week gets going.
Bollinger’s post suggests technical momentum is building, with macro and political developments aligning with bullish setups.
Nic Puckrin, founder of The Coin Bureau, believes the US Senate’s passage of Trump’s $3.3 trillion Big Beautiful Bill has set the stage for long-term Bitcoin gains despite markets not reacting immediately.
“Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ has passed in the US Senate, but has failed to immediately ignite a significant crypto rally…But while markets are still digesting its implications, the long-term impact is clearly nothing but positive for Bitcoin,” Puckrin told BeInCrypto.
According to Puckrin, the bill will add trillions to the US debt load, which, as BeInCrypto reported in a recent US Crypto News publication, positions Bitcoin as a life raft. Puckrin says this could accelerate the decline of the US dollar.
“A depreciating dollar creates the perfect environment for Bitcoin,” he added.
In a recent US Crypto News publication, BeInCrypto reported that the dollar index (DXY) posted a multi-year low. This came amid its worst start to a year since 1973, with interest rate cuts back on the table.
Puckrin sees the environment shifting decisively in Bitcoin’s favor, acknowledging that once the liquidity floodgates open, even $107,000 per BTC would feel like a deep discount.
Bitcoin Price Resistance Holds, But Market Eyes $110,500 Break
Despite the growing bullish sentiment, Bitcoin remains locked in a tight trading range between $107,000 and $110,000. The pioneer crypto faces immediate resistance at $109,500.
However, that move quickly lost steam as the market’s momentum remained muted. While Bitcoin’s long-term bullish setup is intact, spot demand continues to lag.
The pioneer crypto’s price action reflects this tension between strong fundamentals and macroeconomic uncertainty.
“Spot demand has been waning in recent times… weighing heavily on market sentiment…Bitcoin’s broader technical and bullish market position has remained structurally intact,” said Shawn Young, Chief Analyst at MEXC Research, in a statement to BeInCrypto.
The upcoming US tariff deadline and the colloquial “Crypto Week” in Congress, where digital asset bills are set for debate, could inject volatility and act as breakout triggers.
According to MEXC, a clean move above $110,500, backed by volume, would “validate the bullish setup and pave the way for a potential push to make new highs.
If macro conditions align, the analyst predicts a play to $125,000 in Q3 for Bitcoin and even $140,000 by year-end. This is modest compared to what Standard Chartered predicted in a previous US Crypto News publication.
“These developments [Bitcoin ETF flows, corporate treasury buying, a potential announcement by President Trump of Fed Chair Powell’s early replacement, and passage of the US stablecoin bill] along with further evidence of broader sovereign interest, should push Bitcoin to a new all-time high of around $135,000 in and $200,000 in Q4,” Standard Chartered Head of Digital Assets Research Geoff Kendrick said in a statement to BeInCrypto.
Chart of the Day
The chart below shows the BTC/USDT trading pair in the one-day timeframe. With Bitcoin between the middle and upper Bollinger band ($111,019), this indicates a potential continuation of an uptrend.
A break above the upper band could see Bitcoin test the $111,800 all-time high (ATH), potentially establishing a new peak.
Technical indicators align with the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), providing initial support at $106,584 (yellow strand).
Meanwhile, the volume profile (yellow bars on the side) suggests significant bullish momentum, with traders waiting to interact with the BTC price upon any drop, potentially as low as $100,000.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 54.34 adds credence to the bullish thesis, showing more room for the upside before BTC is considered overbought.
Conversely, if Bitcoin drops below the midline of the Bollinger band ($106,456), it would signal a trend reversal, with a breakdown below the lower band ($101,893) likely exacerbating the downtrend.
However, BTC must drop below the 100-day SMA at $99,026 to confirm a trend reversal from the prevailing uptrend.
Byte-Sized Alpha
Here’s a summary of more US crypto news to follow today:
