In the landmark “US vs Roman Storm” case, the Tornado Cash founder was found guilty of conspiracy to run an unlicensed money transmittal business and innocent of others.
This case has been a landmark battle for privacy rights and the decentralized nature of crypto. Roman Storm argued that he wasn’t responsible for other actors’ usage of his software, and the jury has established a new precedent on the subject.
So, why has the crypto world been so invested in this case? Simply put, privacy has been a core value of this whole ecosystem, ever since Satoshi Nakamoto made Bitcoin both trustless and decentralized. Storm’s lawyers have fervently argued that Tornado Cash stuck to these principles, never becoming directly complicit in money laundering.
Tornado Cash is a piece of software intended to protect crypto users’ privacy. It mixes tokens from disparate sources together to obscure transaction histories, and criminal organizations certainly employed it for money laundering. However, this is a far cry from directly committing these crimes.
In short, this trial is a test of what sort of decentralized protocols the US legal system will tolerate. This mixed result is somewhat positive for the community. Storm was found innocent of serious crimes like sanctions evasion and money laundering.
From here, it’s unclear what kind of punishment he might receive for the remaining charge, but the maximum sentence is five years.
XRP has recently been facing a downtrend, with the altcoin dipping below key support levels. However, it seemingly established a bullish pattern that appeared poised for a breakout.
Yet, the overvaluation of XRP has made this breakout unlikely. As the altcoin’s price surges, concerns about its sustainability are mounting.
XRP is Highly Overvalued
This week, XRP’s network value-to-transaction (NVT) ratio spiked to a five-year high, signaling an overvaluation. The NVT ratio is a critical indicator that compares a cryptocurrency’s market capitalization to its transaction volume. When the NVT ratio increases sharply, it suggests that the network value is outpacing actual transaction activity.
This condition has historically been associated with an upcoming correction in price. The last time the NVT ratio reached similar levels was in January 2020, just before XRP experienced a significant price downturn. The surge in NVT suggests that the market is becoming overheated, with expectations of a cooldown.
Despite XRP rallying 22% in the past two weeks, technical indicators paint a more concerning picture. The Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) indicator has displayed a significant spike, often suggesting that money flows into the market. However, a closer look at the volume of inflows reveals that substantial buying activity has not supported the price increase.
Instead, hype and speculation drive the price surge more than genuine investor interest.
With this in mind, XRP’s rally may be more of a short-term anomaly rather than a sustainable upward trend. As the market cools down and the hype subsides, the altcoin will likely struggle to maintain its recent price levels. The overvaluation condition remains a significant risk, potentially leading to a price correction.
XRP is currently trading at $2.19, showing a 22% increase in the last two weeks. The altcoin appears to be preparing for a breakout from a three-month-old descending channel. However, this breakout faces challenges, as the overvaluation condition and broader market indicators suggest that the rally may not last.
Given the potential bearish factors, even if XRP manages to break out, the rally could be short-lived. The price could retreat to $2.02, or possibly lower to $1.94, if the breakout fails to hold. The combination of overvaluation and weak buying momentum could quickly reverse any gains.
On the other hand, if XRP does manage to sustain its breakout, securing $2.40 and $2.56 as support levels could provide the necessary foundation for further price growth. Such a move would invalidate the bearish outlook, allowing XRP to push higher and continue its ascent.
Trust Wallet surpassed 200 million downloads this year and ranked as the most downloaded wallet globally in March 2025. As more users look for direct control over their digital assets, the company is shifting its focus from simple storage to a broader set of tools for interacting with Web3.
In this interview, CEO Eowyn Chen discusses Trust Wallet’s product direction, the growing role of AI, and what it takes to design accessible tools without compromising on autonomy. She also reflects on her leadership approach and the long-term vision behind the company’s push toward user empowerment.
Eowyn Chen: Being a Web3 companion means showing up for users across every step of their journey—not just storing assets, but helping them safely explore, learn, and engage. The wallet is no longer just a tool; it’s the interface to the future economy. That means abstracting technical hurdles, offering helpful context when users need it, and keeping them protected along the way.
For us, it’s also about values—standing on the user’s side, upholding self-custody, and enabling freedom without compromise. Whether someone is making their first swap or interacting with an AI-powered dApp, the wallet should feel like a trusted guide, not a challenge to overcome.
BeInCrypto: Hitting 200 million downloads and topping March 2025’s global wallet charts is no small feat. What do you believe this milestone says about the direction of user behavior in Web3, and what signals are you paying the most attention to?
Eowyn Chen: This milestone shows that users are increasingly prioritizing autonomy, access, and ownership. Self-custody is no longer just for early adopters—it’s becoming a mainstream expectation.
We’re also seeing strong demand for tools that make Web3 simpler without sacrificing control. That means onboarding must improve, cross-chain interactions must feel seamless, and safety must be embedded into the experience.
At a deeper level, we’re tracking signals beyond just volume: retention, confidence, and the kinds of real-world problems users are trying to solve with Web3 tools. Our job is to listen closely and build with intention, not just scale for growth’s sake.
Eowyn Chen: It’s a fine balance, but an essential one. The ethos of self-custody means putting users in control—but that shouldn’t mean putting them through unnecessary friction. We’re working to abstract away pain points like gas fees, key management, and confusing transaction flows, while still keeping users informed and empowered. Our approach is to blend technical standards (like account abstraction) with intuitive UX and even AI-driven assistance. The goal is to make the complexity feel seamless—so users don’t need to think about what’s under the hood, only that it works, and they’re in control.
BeInCrypto: You’ve spoken about Trust Wallet evolving into something like the “Revolut of Web3.” What does that analogy look like in practice—and how do onramps, token discovery, and scam protection play into that larger ambition?
Eowyn Chen: Think of it as combining the polish and ease of a Web2 fintech app with the freedom and transparency of Web3.
In practice, this means enabling users to move smoothly across experiences: accessing crypto with fiat, discovering real on-chain opportunities, engaging with dApps, and avoiding threats like scams or fake tokens. It’s about building a unified experience where everything—from token discovery to protection to exploration—feels cohesive and trusted.
We’re not trying to replace banks or exchanges, but to offer a self-custody alternative that feels just as seamless and far more empowering.
BeInCrypto: TWT utility is growing beyond governance into a more integrated part of the user journey. What role do you see it playing in strengthening user retention, trust, and community participation in 2025 and beyond?
Eowyn Chen: We’re focused on aligning TWT utility with meaningful user value. That includes areas like supporting gas fees, boosting staking rewards, or unlocking loyalty and referral benefits.
The more TWT becomes part of the everyday user experience—without compromising security or sovereignty—the more it can help strengthen long-term engagement. It’s not about short-term incentives, but creating mechanisms that reward participation, build trust, and reinforce community ownership over time.
BeInCrypto: With AI-powered assistance becoming part of Trust Wallet’s interface, how do you balance the value of helpful automation with the responsibility of preserving user agency and privacy?
Eowyn Chen: We believe AI can enhance self-custody, not replace it. The key is giving users smarter context, not taking decisions out of their hands. Whether it’s flagging a suspicious address, summarizing a transaction, or helping someone troubleshoot an issue, AI should feel like a co-pilot—not a black box.
Privacy is non-negotiable, so we’re building AI in ways that don’t compromise control or expose sensitive data. The vision is a wallet that knows you well enough to help, but respects your boundaries. It’s about trust, transparency, and user-first design at every layer.
BeInCrypto: You’ve led Trust Wallet through volatile markets and deep technical shifts. What has shaped your leadership style most—and how do you keep your team aligned with a long-term mission when the industry often rewards short-term hype?
Eowyn Chen: Resilience, clarity, and values. This industry moves fast, but we’ve seen time and again that chasing hype doesn’t build lasting trust.
What grounds me is staying close to our users and our mission: to empower people with ownership, access, and opportunity. I try to lead with transparency—sharing both our ambitions and our challenges—and to create space for builders to experiment without losing sight of why we’re here.
The best ideas often come from people who deeply care, so part of leadership is protecting that space while still moving decisively.
BeInCrypto: Looking ahead, what would success look like for Trust Wallet not just in terms of users or revenue, but in terms of reshaping how people interact with digital value every day?
Eowyn Chen: A big part of success means users don’t even have to think about the word “Web3”—they just do what they need to do, confidently and securely. Whether it’s sending money to family, collecting rewards, securely storing their crypto assets, or interacting with a digital ID, their wallet handles it naturally.
We want to help make self-custody the default experience—not just for crypto, but for digital value in all forms.
If we’ve done our job right, users will feel more empowered, more connected, and more in control of their digital lives—not just because of Trust Wallet, but because of what it enabled them to do.
