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President Donald Trump has announced plans to raise tariffs on Indian goods following India’s oil trade with Russia. Trump said India is making money from oil purchased from Russia while ignoring the ongoing war in Ukraine. Probable Trump Tariffs Raise Risks Straining On U.S.-India Ties In a statement on TruthSocial, Trump criticized India for buying
The post Breaking: Trump Tariffs: U.S. President Announces Plans To Raise India’s Tariff appeared first on CoinGape.
The latest update from cryptocurrency exchange Binance has nabbed significant attention, offering investors a new opportunity to make returns despite the broader market uncertainty. The CEX behemoth revealed this Friday that it is opening trading for a new crypto, Balance (EPT), shortly ahead. Meanwhile, the exchange also revealed that it will commence futures trading for the same crypto soon.
As a result, market watchers are thoroughly observing this token, expecting price gains ahead in light of enhanced market support on one of the top crypto exchanges.
Binance informed users via an official press release on April 18 that Balance (EPT) will be open for trading on the Alpha platform starting April 21 at 12:00 UTC. The new crypto listing comes as the CEX exchange continues to tap into emerging market opportunities.
Additionally, the listing announcement highlighted airdrop eligibility details for the same crypto project. These details were exclusively for users who have purchased on Alpha using Spot or Funding accounts on the exchange between April 11 and April 17, 23:59 UTC.
Moreover, Binance added in its announcement that the EPTUSDT USD-Margined perpetual contract will also be launched on April 21 at 13:00 UTC. The underlying asset for this contract remains Balance.
Further, users can enjoy up to 20x leverage while futures trading this asset. This perpetual contract will also be available for Futures Copy trading within 24 hours of the launch.
For context, Balance is a next-gen AI+Web3 protocol and framework for social and gaming, seamlessly integrating AI technology, blockchain technology, and decentralized applications.
Usual market sentiments remain highly optimistic in the wake of listings on top crypto exchanges, as it enhances market exposure globally. Historically, airdrops, listings, and perpetual contract launches on the same exchange have ushered in remarkable price gains for tokens.
Intriguingly, CoinGape reported that Binance listed VIRTUAL the previous week, sparking investor optimism surrounding its price action. Since the announcement, VIRTUAL price has been up nearly 21% weekly. As a result, crypto market traders remain optimistic about the Balance (EPT) crypto launch on the same exchange.
The post Binance To Open Trading For This Crypto Soon, Here’s Everything To Know appeared first on CoinGape.
The post Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Goes Live appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade has successfully launched on the mainnet at epoch 364032. This update introduces new smart account wallet features, boosting user experience. It also doubles the Layer 2 blob data capacity, improving scalability. Additionally, validator user experience sees important enhancements. The Ethereum community will keep a close watch on the network over the next 24 hours to ensure everything runs smoothly.
The post Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Goes Live appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade has successfully launched on the mainnet at epoch 364032. This update introduces new smart account wallet features, boosting user experience. It also doubles the Layer 2 blob data capacity, improving scalability. Additionally, validator user experience sees important enhancements. The Ethereum community will keep a close watch on the network over the next …
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 as we analyze Standard Chartered’s Bitcoin (BTC) price projections. According to the bank, Bitcoin price could hit $500,000 as global institutions accumulate Strategy’s MSTR stock for indirect exposure to Bitcoin.
Bitcoin was trading for $105,178, up by a modest 2.27% in the last 24 hours. In recent developments, the pioneer crypto market capitalization has ascended to an all-time high of $2.09 trillion.
To some extent, macro factors such as PBOC rate cuts and Moody’s US credit downgrade provide tailwinds.
However, analysts hold that institutional interest has much to do with Bitcoin’s value surge. Firstly, Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds), which offer Traditional Finance (TradFi) players indirect exposure to BTC, drive institutional interest.
In the same way, institutions are gaining indirect exposure to Bitcoin via Strategy’s MSTR stock. A recent US Crypto News publication indicated that Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) held 576,230 BTC as of May 19.
Holding a significant amount of Bitcoin on its balance sheet, Strategy’s MSTR stock price correlates closely with Bitcoin’s price movements.
Analysts ascribe this correlation to a dynamic where Bitcoin is the base layer while MSTR operates as a vehicle with different risks, mechanics, and rewards.
Against this backdrop, BeInCrypto contacted Geoff Kendrick, Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered. According to Kendrick, Bitcoin is still on course to hit $500,000 before the end of Trump’s second administration.
Kendrick ascribes this to deepening institutional adoption, particularly through indirect exposure via MicroStrategy’s MSTR shares.
Newly released Q1 2025 13F filings from the US SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) support the bank’s bullish thesis. Specifically, Strategy saw increasing allocations to MSTR by a range of global sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities.
“As more investors gain access to the asset and as volatility falls, we believe portfolios will migrate towards their optimal level from an underweight starting position in Bitcoin,” Kendrick said in an email to BeInCrypto.
While direct holdings of Bitcoin ETFs declined slightly overall, largely due to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board selling its entire 3,400 BTC-equivalent position in BlackRock’s IBIT ETF, other entities quietly increased exposure via MSTR, which Kendrick described as a “Bitcoin proxy.”
“Government entities increased their holdings of Strategy Incorporated (MSTR), which typically trades like a Bitcoin proxy. Entities in Norway, Switzerland, and South Korea reported significant MSTR increases, and Saudi Arabia added a very small position for the first time,” Kendrick told BeInCrypto.
The Standard Chartered executive emphasized that while Bitcoin ETF flows were “unexciting,” the MSTR accumulation trend was the real story this quarter.
“The MSTR ownership detail was where the excitement was,” he added.
Geoff Kendrick went further, detailing Standard Chartered’s analysis of the filings. Based on their analysis:
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s quasi-sovereign wealth fund Mubadala added 300 BTC equivalent via ETF holdings, increasing its position to 5,000 BTC equivalent.
“SEC 13F data for Q1 supports our thesis that Bitcoin is attracting a wider range of buyers. While data on Bitcoin ETF holdings was disappointing, MSTR – a Bitcoin proxy – saw increased buying. Overall sovereign positions were unchanged due to the Wisconsin pension fund selling its ETF holdings,” Kendrick concluded.
BeInCrypto reported how the MicroStrategy effect is spreading worldwide, with TradFi companies building Bitcoin war chests.
The data reinforce Standard Chartered’s outlook that institutional and sovereign flows—both direct and indirect—will be a key driver of Bitcoin’s ascent to $500,000 in the coming years.
This chart illustrates the total government holdings of Bitcoin ETFs and MicroStrategy’s MSTR stock from Q4 2023 to Q1 2025, measured in ‘000 (thousands) BTC equivalents. Based on the chart, holdings have grown steadily, peaking in Q1 2025 at around 18,000 BTC.
The chart shows that key contributors include Abu Dhabi (ETFs), Norway, Sweden, South Korea, France, New York, Wisconsin (ETFs), Michigan (ETFs), Switzerland, Liechtenstein, California, North Carolina, Saudi Arabia, and Kentucky, with varying contributions across quarters.
Here’s a summary of more US crypto news to follow today:
| Company | At the Close of May 19 | Pre-Market Overview |
| Strategy (MSTR) | $413.42 | $412.95 (-0.11%) |
| Coinbase Global (COIN) | $263.99 | $267.22 (+1.22%) |
| Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY.TO) | $31.49 | $32.44 (+3.01%) |
| MARA Holdings (MARA) | $16.32 | $16.37 (+0.31%) |
| Riot Platforms (RIOT) | $8.97 | $9.02 (+0.56%) |
| Core Scientific (CORZ) | $10.85 | $11.06 (+1.94%) |
The post Standard Chartered Predicts Bitcoin to Hit $500,000, Here’s Why | US Crypto News appeared first on BeInCrypto.