Pi Network (PI) has been struggling to recover from recent losses. Despite attempts to push past the $0.71 resistance level, the altcoin is currently unable to gain significant upward momentum.
As of now, PI is sitting at $0.63, and its future movements remain uncertain. Investors are growing increasingly skeptical, with the recent mainnet migration roadmap failing to inspire enough confidence to stop outflows from the network.
PI Investors Pull Back
The Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) indicator has shown a sharp downtick in recent days, signaling that investor interest in Pi Network is waning. This negative sentiment is reflected in the substantial amount of money being pulled out of PI.
While the mainnet migration roadmap was expected to boost the altcoin’s appeal, it has not been enough to stop the ongoing outflows. The CMF reflects a broader trend of declining interest as investors pull their funds from the platform in anticipation of further price declines.
Pi Network’s investor sentiment has been notably negative over the past month. Many are questioning the value proposition of the token, particularly given its rapid loss of launch hype. This, combined with ongoing volatility and a lack of clear utility, has led to hesitancy in the market.
Investors are not seeing a compelling reason to hold onto their PI tokens, and this has fueled the continued sell-off.
Furthermore, with Pi Network’s price struggling to stay above the critical $0.61 support level, it is evident that market sentiment remains fragile. Without a significant catalyst, such as a strong use case or promising developments, Pi Network risks further price erosion. The absence of an optimistic outlook is pushing investors away.
Currently, Pi Network’s price stands at $0.63, holding just above the $0.61 support. However, the altcoin appears vulnerable, and there is a real possibility that it will fail to maintain this level. If outflows continue and PI falls below $0.61, it could experience a sharp drop to $0.51, erasing the gains made in April.
This potential drop would extend the losses for Pi Network, and the price may even approach $0.50. The rapid outflows and negative sentiment surrounding PI could lead to a prolonged downtrend if the altcoin cannot recover soon.
However, if Pi Network manages to hold above the $0.61 support, it could push toward the $0.71 resistance level. A breach of this level would signal a recovery and could help the altcoin recover some of its recent losses.
Ethereum’s inability to establish a strong foothold above $2,000 continues to dampen investor sentiment, causing many traders to keep their assets liquid in case of a potential selloff.
This cautious stance is reflected in ETH withdrawals from exchanges, which have plunged to a seven-month low.
ETH Exchange Activity Signals Growing Bearish Sentiment
An assessment of Ethereum’s exchange transaction dominance shows a significant decline in ETH withdrawals since late January. According to Glassnode, ETH’s exchange withdrawal transactions totaled 59,755 coins on Tuesday, marking its lowest single-day count since August 31.
When ETH withdrawals from exchanges drop, it means fewer investors are moving their holdings to private wallets or cold storage. This suggests they are not planning to hold the coin long-term. Instead, they are keen on keeping their ETH coins on exchanges; a trend that signals a readiness to sell.
At the same time, ETH deposits have climbed, confirming the increasing selling pressure in the market. According to Glassnode, the number of ETH coins sent to exchanges has surged by 10% since the beginning of March.
When an asset’s exchange deposits spike like this, more investors are moving their holdings onto exchanges, often in preparation to sell. As bearish sentiment grows weaker, these coins are sold for profit, putting more downward pressure on ETH’s price.
Will ETH’s Uptrend Hold? Bulls Face Resistance at $2,148
At press time, ETH is trading at $2,073, marking a 3% gain over the past week as part of the broader market recovery.
On the daily chart, the leading altcoin follows an ascending trendline, signaling sustained price growth. If bullish momentum intensifies and exchange withdrawals increase while deposits slow, ETH could maintain this trend and reclaim the $2,148 level.
However, if exchange activity remains unchanged and selling pressure rises, ETH risks breaking below the ascending trendline, potentially falling to $1,759.
Since its launch in late March, World Liberty Financial’s stablecoin USD1 has achieved an impressive market capitalization, reflecting strong investor interest. If the creators want to maximize USD1’s reach by accessing markets abroad, particularly in Europe, they must confront MiCA’s extensive compliance list.
In a BeInCrypto interview, experts from Foresight Ventures, Kaiko, and Brickken stressed the importance of stablecoin issuers having substantial European bank reserves, operational volume caps protecting the euro, and transparent USD1 information to ensure transparency and avoid conflicts of interest.
USD1’s Search for Dollar Dominance
World Liberty Financial (WLF), a decentralized finance (DeFi) project heavily associated with the Trump family, officially launched USD1 a month ago. Through this stablecoin, WLF aims to promote dollar dominance worldwide.
So far, this initiative has been working well for WLF. According to CoinGecko, USD1 has now surpassed a market capitalization of $128 million and reached a 24-hour trading volume of nearly $41.6 million. The project has already released 100% of its total supply of 127,971,165 tokens.
USD1’s market capitalization over the past 24 hours. Source: CoinGecko.
For WLF to seriously establish dollar dominance across the globe, it will have to move fast and efficiently. This urgency stems from the need to surpass its main competitors, USDT and USDC. These rivals currently hold a massive market share advantage.
Additionally, there’s a need to maintain a competitive advantage against established currencies like the euro.
USD1 needs to access foreign markets and stand out from established competitors to achieve this. Should Europe become a primary target, USD1 must prepare to tackle numerous challenges head-on.
The EU’s Stringent Compliance Demands
The European Union (EU) became the first jurisdiction in the world to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets across its 27 member states. This regulation, known as Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), has been in effect for nearly four months. Through this legislation, the EU has confirmed how seriously it takes compliance with a defined regulatory regime.
The regulation is detailed and clear, leaving no room for interpretation. If USD1 wants to operate in this crypto market of 31 million users, it must ensure it meets every demand.
US Senators Flag Risks of Presidential Involvement in USD1
In the letter, the group asked both agencies to clarify how they plan to uphold regulatory integrity following the issuance of USD1.
The Senators cautioned that letting a president personally benefit from a digital currency overseen by federal agencies he has sway over is a big risk to the financial system. They argued that an unprecedented situation like this one could hurt people’s trust in how regulations are made.
“The launch of a stablecoin directly tied to a sitting President who stands to benefit financially from the stablecoin’s success presents unprecedented risks to our financial system,” they argued.
The letter further detailed situations where Trump could directly or indirectly affect decisions regarding USD1.
As things stand, USD1 isn’t well-prepared to follow MiCA’s strict reporting and transparency rules.
How Do Concerns Over USD1 Impact MiCA Acquisition?
According to Ianeva-Aubert, if USD1 doesn’t clear up doubts over potential conflicts of interest, this would affect its ability to apply for an operating license in the European Union.
“MiCA requires strong governance, including independent directors and clear separation between owners and managers. Issuers must have clear rules to handle conflicts of interest. If USD1 has any conflicts, this could make it harder to comply,” she said.
Ianeva-Aubert also highlighted that WLF still hasn’t released enough public information on USD1 to assess the degree of its compliance effectively. In particular, the stablecoin issuer has not disclosed the measures it would take to safeguard against market manipulation.
As of now, USD1 would likely fail MiCA’s transparency tests. However, industry experts pointed out other parts of the framework that might be even larger obstacles for USD1 to operate across the European Union.
Impact of the EU’s Reserve Mandate on USD1
When asked about the biggest regulatory hurdles USD1 would face in securing a MiCA license, experts’ responses were unanimous. The stablecoin would need to store a large portion of its reserves in a European bank.
This mandate has proven difficult for established stablecoin issuers seeking operations across the region.
This regulation aims to ensure seamless accessibility for European crypto users and traders. For Forest Bai, Co-founder of Foresight Ventures, USD1 could capitalize on this opportunity during the early stages of its development. By doing so, it could avoid some of the obstacles its competitors had to endure.
Yet, even as USD1 scales and its demand grows, other mandatory requirements could restrict its scope of success.
MiCA’s Transaction Volume Caps to Preserve Euro Dominance
As part of the MiCA regulation, the European Union has taken specific measures to safeguard the euro’s dominance. If a digital currency not denominated in euros were to become extensively adopted for daily payments within Europe, it could present a potential risk to the European Union’s financial sovereignty and the stability of the euro.
To contain this possibility, MiCA places volume caps on transactions used as a means of exchange within the EU.
In other words, MiCA establishes predefined limits on the transactional volume of such currencies. The EU initiates regulatory measures when these limits are exceeded due to widespread payment usage.
Specifically, USD1 issuers must suspend any further digital currency issuance and provide a remediation plan to the relevant regulator, outlining steps to ensure their usage does not negatively impact the euro.
If USD1 wants to work in places where it can experience uninhibited growth, the European market might not be the best fit for this stablecoin. Other parts of MiCA also suggest this could be the case.
MiCA Limitations to Stablecoins as Investment Vehicles
EU regulators have been clear that stablecoins, or e-money tokens (EMTs), as the regulation refers to them, are payment instruments that should not be confused with investment vehicles. The MiCA framework has a few rules in place to prevent this.
Given the circumstances, experts like Bai think WLF might want to focus on countries with better market conditions for stablecoin issuers.
Should WLF Consider the EU Market for USD1 Operations?
While the European Union has an undeniable crypto market presence, other jurisdictions have an even larger footprint.
”The EU’s crypto market remains comparatively small, with just 31 million users versus Asia’s 263 million and North America’s 38 million users, according to a report from Euronews. This limited market size may not justify MiCA compliance costs for projects, like WLFI,” Bai told BeInCrypto, adding that “Projects ultimately determine their own growth strategy. Given that, currently, the EU represents a secondary market for USD1, the project’s strategic priorities may naturally shift toward regions with less stringent stablecoin regulations to drive its adoption.”
These circumstances alone may prompt USD1 to reconsider its options.
In fact, USD1 could start by gaining a competitive edge right at home.
USD1’s Political Backing at Home
With a crypto-friendly president in office –whose very crypto project officially announced the launch of USD1– the stablecoin has sufficient backing to make its mark.
Looking past the immediate future, Bai underlined that if the US doesn’t keep developing supportive crypto regulations, USD1’s growth in the country could be held back following a government shift.
Given this reality, USD1’s failure to comply with the EU’s regulations, should it ever even consider applying for a MiCA license in the first place, could have negative consequences for the project’s long-term viability.
Regardless of the markets WLF evaluates in its efforts to increase the reach of USD1, compliance with general stipulations concerning transparency, legal architecture, and real-time transaction oversight could be conducive to its eventual success.
