Animoca Brands co-founder and executive chairman Yat Siu expects continued growth through 2025 due to a more crypto-friendly regime in the US.
Animoca Brands reported $314 million in bookings for 2024, marking a 12% year-over-year increase.
Bookings is a term commonly used in the gaming sector to represent the sum of revenue and deferred revenue. It includes all payments received and potential sales based on contracts not yet fulfilled.
According to Animoca Brands, its Digital Asset Advisory (DAA) business accounted for $165 million in bookings in 2024, a 116% increase over the previous year. The company’s subsidiaries and incubated projects generated $110 million in bookings, while its investment activities contributed $39 million.
Dego Finance (DEGO) price took to a free fall amid community FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) following an announcement on Wednesday, June 4.
The announcement involved USD1 stablecoin, launched by the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial.
DEGO Price Drops 60%: What Caused The Crash?
The DEGO price, the native token of Dego Finance, dropped nearly 60% following the project’s announcement that it would support USD1, a stablecoin by World Liberty Financial (WLFI), as part of a new liquidity initiative on the BNB Chain.
“We’re officially purchasing $USD1 World Liberty Financial as a liquidity reserve and supporting the liquidity program launched by World Liberty Financial (WLFI) on BNB Chain. This move reflects our commitment to building a stronger DeFi ecosystem — and exploring deeper collaborations with USD1 as we assemble the decentralized LEGO of Web3,” read the announcement.
The team framed the move as a strategic step to strengthen DeFi infrastructure. Notwithstanding, the market reaction was swift and brutal.
This drop suggests fear and confusion among holders. Some community members supported the rationale behind the decision, but acknowledged why the move was concerning.
“Team adding liquidity of DEGO on USD1 allows users to trade DEGO with a stablecoin, improving market access and price stability… by chance this liquidity creates FUD,” one user noted.
In crypto, adding liquidity typically means providing a pool of assets, such as DEGO paired with USD1 to a decentralized exchange (DEX) to facilitate trading.
This should make it easier for users to buy and sell DEGO without relying solely on other volatile cryptos, potentially stabilizing its price. However, several factors likely contributed to the FUD.
If USD1 itself lacks organic usage and is propped up by a few large players (likely market makers or the team behind it), this could create skepticism among DEGO investors.
Therefore, investors might worry that the liquidity pool for DEGO/USD1 is artificial or manipulated. Such concerns could lead to uncertainty about the true value of DEGO.
The market perceives that USD1 is not widely adopted or trusted, making pairing DEGO with it a risky or questionable move, hence the FUD.
Dego Finance Assures Community Amid Panic
Against this backdrop, there are concerns that DEGO may be a scam project, highlighting growing distrust among certain retail investors.
Addressing community fears, Dego Finance released an official statement on Thursday, June 5, following a sharp selloff to calm investor nerves.
“We’re aware of the recent price volatility following the announcement on June 4th, which has understandably caused concern across the community. First and foremost, we want to emphasize: there have been no changes to DEGO’s fundamentals, tokenomics, or long-term vision,” Dego Finance explained.
The team attributed the price drop to short-term market sentiment rather than any underlying flaw in the project.
“The sell-off appears to be driven by short-term market reactions, and we are actively reviewing both on-chain data and external factors to ensure transparency,” the team explained.
Dego Finance committed to working closely with “key partners and exchanges to maintain stability.” The project also emphasized that its long-term mission remains intact: to build a resilient, decentralized incubator driving innovation in DeFi, AI, and Meme culture.
The company also promised upcoming updates and developments, urging the community to stay engaged as more information becomes available.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that this is not the first time DEGO has suffered a steep price crash. In 2021, the token fell by 51% in just three minutes after being listed on Binance Launchpool. Reportedly, the cause of that drop remains unclear to this day.
In 2021, the token of $DEGO Finance, which was launched on @binance Launchpool, suddenly plummeted within just a few minutes.
Hyperliquid (HYPE) is showing strong technical signals across multiple indicators, with the token surging more than 15% in the last 24 hours. The platform continues to demonstrate impressive market performance, generating $47 million in fees over the past 30 days and outperforming major blockchain networks like Ethereum and Solana.
Technical indicators suggest a potential golden cross formation, meaning HYPE could test $21 or even $25.80 in the coming period.
Hyperliquid Revenue Places It Among Top Protocols In Crypto
Hyperliquid is currently one of the most successful protocols in crypto. Over the past 30 days, it has generated an impressive $47 million in fees and recently reached $1 trillion in perps volume.
While this places it behind major players such as Jito, Pumpfun, and PancakeSwap in terms of monthly revenue, Hyperliquid has surpassed significant blockchain apps and chains, including Solana, Ethereum, Raydium, and Phantom.
Selected Protocols and Chains Revenue. Last 24 hours, Last 7 Days, and Last 30 Days. Source: DefiLlama.
What makes Hyperliquid’s success particularly remarkable is that, unlike most other high-performing protocols that operate on established blockchain networks such as BNB, Solana, or Ethereum, Hyperliquid functions as its own independent chain.
With the exception of Tron, virtually all other major protocols rely on parent blockchains, whereas Hyperliquid has achieved its substantial revenue figures as a standalone entity.
Despite this impressive performance and unique positioning, HYPE has experienced considerable downward price pressure recently, trading below the $20 threshold for sixteen consecutive days, creating a notable disconnect between the protocol’s operational success and its market valuation.
HYPE DMI Shows Buyers Are In Control
The HYPE DMI (Directional Movement Index) chart shows promising momentum shifts, with the ADX (Average Directional Index) rising from 15.7 to 19, suggesting a strengthening trend conviction.
More significantly, the +DI (Positive Directional Indicator) has surged from 18 to 29.1, while the -DI (Negative Directional Indicator) has declined from 21.8 to 13.5. This crossover pattern, where +DI rises above -DI, typically signals a potential bullish reversal.
The increasing spread between these indicators and the rising ADX suggests that buying pressure is overcoming selling pressure, potentially setting the stage for HYPE to break above its recent sub-$20 trading range.
HYPE’s RSI climbing from 54.5 to 66 indicates growing bullish momentum that hasn’t yet reached extreme levels. This uptick suggests strengthening buyer interest while remaining below the overbought threshold of 70.
The fact that HYPE hasn’t reached overbought levels since December 2024 implies there may still be room for price appreciation before any potential pullback.
Together with the DMI indicators, this RSI reading reinforces the possibility of continued upward movement in HYPE’s price in the near term.
Will Hyperliquid Rise Above $20 This Week?
The HYPE Exponential Moving Average (EMA) lines are converging toward a potential golden cross formation, which occurs when a shorter-term moving average crosses above a longer-term one.
This technical pattern typically signals a strong bullish momentum shift that could propel HYPE to test its immediate resistance level at $17. Should buyers successfully break through this threshold, the path would open for HYPE to climb toward the $21 mark.
In scenarios where exceptional buying pressure materializes, Hyperliquid could extend its gains to challenge the significant resistance level at $25.80, representing a substantial recovery from its recent sub-$20 trading range.
Conversely, if the anticipated uptrend fails to materialize and bearish sentiment prevails, HYPE could experience renewed downward pressure, forcing it to test the critical support level at $12.43.
The importance of this support cannot be overstated, as a breach below this floor could trigger accelerated selling, potentially pushing HYPE under the psychologically significant $12 level for the first time since December 2024.
Solana has emerged as a powerful presence in the crypto industry. Since its inception in 2020, the network has dominated the market, demonstrating remarkable levels of user engagement and practical utility, particularly in decentralized finance (DeFi). Many in the industry view it as the next natural contender to receive an ETF approval in the United States.
However, others are more cautious in their evaluations. BeInCrypto spoke with representatives from Gravity, Variant, and OKX to understand the areas where Solana is still lacking. Industry leaders referred to centralization, network reliability, and excessive regulation as points of contention for Solana’s ETF approval.
Bitcoin and Ethereum’s Precedent
The availability of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for prominent cryptocurrencies has grown over the past year. These funds offer investors diversified investment opportunities and act as a bridge between traditional finance and the increasingly mainstream cryptocurrency market.
Meanwhile, the deadline for some filings, including Grayscale’s, was extended until October. Nonetheless, posts on X and some analytical reports suggest yesterday’s deadline as a date of interest for an initial or consolidated SEC response to several applications.
2025 Predictions and Market Expectations
The tentative approval of a Solana ETF has generated much debate across social media platforms. ETF President Nate Geraci formally predicted that 2025 would be the year of crypto ETFs and that Solana would receive its approval this year.
Per previous reports, former Trump White House Secretary Anthony Scaramucci expressed that, with a Trump reelection, Solana ETFs could gain approval during Q1 of 2025. According to his predictions, Solana would receive the SEC’s green light during the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, the prediction market Polymarket estimates an 82% chance that a Solana ETF will get approved in 2025.
According to a Polymarket poll, Solana has an 82% chance of getting an ETF approval in 2025. Source: Polymarket
Several factors make an imminent Solana ETF approval seem plausible. Less than five years after the network launched, Solana quickly became a major player in the crypto industry, attracting users for its high transaction speeds and low gas fees.
“From a network perspective, Solana’s performance has been remarkable, now driving nearly 50% of all global DEX volume– a dominance that fundamentally reshapes the DeFi landscape. The blockchain is not just handling unprecedented transaction volumes… it’s transforming our understanding of blockchain scalability at scale,” Lennix Lai, Global Chief Commercial Officer at OKX told BeInCrypto.
Solana has established itself as a dynamic force in the crypto industry following a successful 2024.
A Messari report detailed particular growth in Solana’s final quarter across DeFi, liquid staking, NFTs, and institutional involvement. The total value locked (TVL) in Solana’s DeFi sector increased substantially, growing by 64% to $8.6 billion, which placed it behind Ethereum as the second-largest network based on TVL.
Solana’s positive performance, coupled with Donald Trump’s reelection to the US presidency, further amplified the crypto industry’s optimism over an ETF approval.
However, some industry experts have expressed more tempered expectations.
Experts Offer Tempered Expectations
A few days before Trump assumed the presidency, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart said Solana ETFs may not be launched in the US until 2026. He cited the SEC’s precedent of taking a lot of time to review filings as the cause for delay.
In another post, Bloomberg Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said that ETF approvals for other cryptocurrencies were more likely to occur before Solana.
“We expect a wave of cryptocurrency ETFs next year, albeit not all at once. First out is likely the BTC + ETH combo ETFs, then prob Litecoin (bc its fork of btc = commodity), then HBAR (bc not labeled security) and then XRP/Solana (which have been labeled securities in pending lawsuits),” Balchunas said.
Balchunas further explained that complex legal issues around Solana, relating to its status as a security, need to be resolved before it can gain ETF approval. Consequently, he deemed the approval of Litecoin or Hedera ETFs more likely.
Uncertainty over whether Solana classifies as a security is a major driver fueling doubts over its ETF approval.
Security Classification Concerns
Martins Benkitis, co-founder and CEO of Gravity, explained that Solana’s regulatory classification complicates its path to approval.
“It’s no secret there’s currently a lack of precedent for Layer-1 blockchains beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum in the ETF space, this suggests cautious optimism but with higher regulatory hurdles. Bitcoin, being a commodity in the SEC’s eyes, and Ethereum’s gradual transition to PoS had different legal considerations. Solana, on the other hand, faces concerns over potential classification as a security due to its token distribution and foundation’s involvement,” Benkitis told BeInCrypto.
The SEC identified Solana as a security in lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase over the past two years, although these lawsuits have since been dropped. The SEC argued that these tokens could be considered investment contracts under the Howey Test.
While some interpreted the SEC’s lawsuit withdrawal as a softening stance on Solana’s security classification, others quickly challenged this assumption.
“There is no reason to think [the] SEC has decided SOL is a non-security. That they don’t want to do discovery on a dozen tokens in the Binance case appears to be a litigation tactic, not a change in policy,” said Jake Chervinsky, Chief Legal Officer at Variant, following the Binance lawsuit withdrawal in July 2024.
Others believe that a pro-crypto administration should be enough to influence the SEC to consider Solana as a non-security. Lai disagrees.
“The changing political landscape, particularly with Trump’s victory and pro-crypto stance, could create a more constructive environment for innovative blockchain platforms like Solana. However, the technical and market structure considerations will remain crucial regardless of administration changes,” he said.
In the meantime, there are several other requirements Solana must meet.
On his part, Lai added other aspects to the list of considerations.
“While Polymarket shows high odds for 2025 approval, several critical factors suggest a more complex pathway: Solana’s technological architecture presents unique challenges with its PoS mechanism; The absence of CME futures raises liquidity and risk management concerns; Historical network downtime incidents need addressing; Centralization questions relative to BTC and ETH remain unresolved; Institutional interest hasn’t matched BTC and ETH levels despite the network driving 48% of global DEX volume; [and] the temporary nature of trending themes suggests caution in using current volumes as primary indicators,” Lai told BeInCrypto.
Concerns about centralization and scalability have long been discussed regarding Solana, even outside of discussions over an ETF approval.
Since 2021, Solana has suffered over a dozen network outages varying in severity. These outages have jeopardized the network’s reputation as stable and reliable– two strongly considered characteristics during the ETF approval process.
“From a market making standpoint, network reliability is crucial as any downtime or congestion can significantly impact trading operations and order execution,” Benkitis affirmed.
However, Solana has successfully curbed the number of outages it has experienced. Once notorious for the frequency of its shutdowns, the last time Solana experienced one was in February 2024.
Meanwhile, developers designed Solana’s upcoming Firedancer validator client to improve network stability and transaction processing. Its distinct codebase offers greater resilience against widespread outages and will enhance Solana’s performance.
Yet, Solana must also mitigate centralization concerns to improve its chances of obtaining ETF approval.
Centralization Concerns
Solana’s validator node requirements, which demand significant hardware investments, can create barriers to entry. These obstacles can potentially concentrate power within the network among those capable of affording the necessary infrastructure.
In turn, the protocol’s limited number of validators compared to other networks raises concerns over centralization. For context, while Solana currently has around 2,000 active validators, Ethereum passed the one million benchmark last year—the largest number recorded by any blockchain network.
Though Solana’s hardware reliance speeds up the network, it also raises decentralization concerns. Benkitis factored this aspect into his evaluation of an ETF approval.
Its currently underdeveloped futures market infrastructure further complicates Solana’s viability as an ETF candidate.
Its filings were unprecedented because the network did not have a previously established futures market. This factor was crucial in determining an ETF approval for Bitcoin and Ethereum.
“The lack of CME futures and institutional frameworks comparable to BTC/ETH could influence [the SEC’s] evaluation,” Lai said.
He added that the proliferation of meme tokens minted on Solana could present themselves as a potential roadblock.
“Market reactions reflect Solana’s emergence as the primary driver of this cycle, with DEX volumes exceeding $100 billion and dominating major aggregators. However, I believe the temporary nature of trending themes suggests continued volatility. While technological advancement and growing institutional adoption may provide stronger foundations, we need to maintain perspective on the cyclical nature of crypto trends,” Lai said.
This more recent development in Solana’s attraction also brings its set of downsides.
Meme Coin Influence and Regulatory Concerns
The expanding meme coin market on Solana partially explains its popularity. Platforms like Pump.fun allow anyone to launch their tokens, and this design has even led to celebrities launching their tokens on the platform.
More recently, political figures like Donald Trump and Argentine president Javier Milei have also launched meme tokens on Solana platforms. Yet, these activities have proven to be high-risk. In many cases, meme coin investments have caused smaller retailers millions of dollars in losses.
Benkitis said that the SEC might frown upon the speculative nature of these trading activities.
“While an ETF approval could unlock liquidity opportunities, the market’s heavy dependence on speculative sentiment calls for a measured and cautious approach,” he said.
With so many considerations, approving a Solana ETF in 2025 is far from guaranteed. The SEC’s eventual decision will be a defining moment for the network and the broader crypto industry.
