After Circle rejected Ripple’s $5 billion buyout offer, rumors are circulating that Ripple made another attempt. Despite the claim that it tried to offer Circle $20 billion, there is no tangible proof supporting this claim.
Commentators pointed out that Circle’s IPO was previously valued at around $5 billion, making a $20 billion offer seem totally ridiculous. It’s hard to be certain, but it appears that this rumor moved the market less than other recent false claims.
This made its refusal especially noteworthy, leading to community speculation.
Last night, rumors began to appear that Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, had made a bold new offer to Circle. Specifically, several prominent social media accounts claimed that Garlinghouse set a new offer at $20 billion.
This rumor gained new traction as crypto industry media publications began reporting on it. Still, Garlinghouse hasn’t publicly said anything.
Users immediately began urging caution, reminding the community that nothing had been confirmed. Meanwhile, several pieces of evidence explain why Ripple’s alleged Circle offer is not credible.
For example, although Circle’s IPO hasn’t launched yet, it still gives valuable market data:
“FYI, Circle’s IPO valuation is ~$5 billion (which is the valuation Ripple is looking at when it made its acquisition offer). There is no way Ripple would offer $20 billion for Circle. I see lots of people saying $5 billion is a low offer since Circle holds $60 billion in collateral…However, it does not own that collateral,” Dom Kwok, co-founder of EasyA, stated.
It’s hard to be certain, but the rumor has apparently left a minimal market impact. False claims have recently had an outsized influence over the crypto industry; rumors of Trump pausing tariffs caused huge chaos.
Similar statements regarding XRP ETF approval and OpenAI integrating Worldcoin proved untrue. Nonetheless, they were definitely influential.
Of course, it’s still difficult to draw a clear conclusion from this. Did large numbers of people believe Ripple’s alleged Circle offer? Were retail traders suspicious of the claim?
Hopefully, the crypto community will move past this period of credulity. When markets consistently move on misinformation, it can disrupt momentum.
Ethereum (ETH) has been struggling, down nearly 30% over the past 30 days as bearish sentiment continues to weigh on the asset. Over the last week, ETH has remained stuck below the $2,000 mark, unable to regain key resistance levels.
While some indicators, like BBTrend, are showing early signs of stabilization, whale activity points to cautious behavior among large investors. As Ethereum trades near critical support zones, the market is watching closely to see if the downtrend will deepen or if bulls can stage a meaningful recovery.
BBTrend Is Now Positive After 6 Days, But Still At Modest Levels
Ethereum’s BBTrend indicator is currently sitting at 0.22, having just turned positive after spending six consecutive days in negative territory.
During that stretch, it reached a negative peak of -17.68 on March 13, reflecting strong bearish momentum.
This shift marks a potential early sign of stabilization for Ethereum. The indicator has crossed back above zero, signaling that sellers may be losing control in the short term, as Ethereum network activity recently hit yearly lows.
BBTrend, or Bollinger Band Trend, is a momentum-based indicator that measures the strength and direction of a price trend relative to its Bollinger Bands. Readings below 0 typically suggest bearish conditions, while readings above 0 indicate bullish momentum.
Thresholds around -10 or +10 often highlight periods of stronger trend conviction. Ethereum’s BBTrend is now back in positive territory after a prolonged bearish phase, suggesting that downward pressure is easing.
However, at just 0.22, the indicator is still at low levels, signaling that while the sell-off might be cooling, the market has yet to transition into a strong bullish trend fully.
Whales Are Not Accumulating Ethereum
The number of Ethereum whales—wallets holding at least 1,000 ETH—has been steadily declining since February 22, after peaking at 5,828 addresses.
This gradual reduction in large holders points to a cautious approach among key players. Some whales are reducing their exposure or taking profits as Ethereum’s price action remains mixed.
Tracking whale behavior is crucial because these large addresses often act as market movers, capable of influencing price trends through their buying or selling activity.
A steady decline in Ethereum whale numbers may suggest waning confidence or a shift toward risk-off sentiment among institutional or high-net-worth investors.
This downward trend in whale accumulation could limit the strength of any potential rallies, as fewer large players are positioned to provide strong buying support in the short term.
Will Ethereum Fall Below $1,700 In March?
Ethereum has been under pressure, trading below the $2,000 mark for the past seven days. Sellers have kept the asset pinned beneath key resistance levels.
The current support stands at $1,823, and if this level is tested and broken, Ethereum could decline further toward $1,759 and potentially fall below $1,700 for the first time since October 2023, despite some experts defending its future echoes early Amazon and Microsoft.
However, if Ethereum’s price manages to stabilize and build an uptrend, it could challenge the immediate resistance at $1,956.
A breakout above this level may open the path for a rally toward $2,106, with further bullish momentum potentially pushing ETH to retest $2,320 and even $2,546.
A break above $2,500 would mark the first time Ethereum reclaims that level since March 2, signaling a notable shift in market confidence and buyer strength.
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 delve into market sentiment about XRP ETFs (exchange-traded funds) in the US. As prospects for this financial instrument continue to grow, experts have weighed in on the possible impact on Ripple’s XRP token.
Crypto News of the Day: XRP ETF Inflows to Reach $8.3 Billion, Standard Chartered Predicts
There has been much chatter this week in crypto about XRP ETFs, ranging from false rumors and reports to delays in key decisions. However, one thing appears certain: the conversation is growing more than ever.
In a recent US Crypto News publication, ETF analyst Eric Balchunas indicated they have raised their odds to 85%. Based on this, analysts offer diverging outlooks on how such a product might perform.
“XRP price could rise to $12.23 or $22.20 after ETF Approval if XRP ETFs Get 15% to 30% of Bitcoin ETF Inflows,” a popular account on X shared.
BeInCrypto data shows that XRP was trading for $2.22 as of this writing, down by almost 1% in the last 24 hours.
Against this backdrop, BeInCrypto contacted Standard Chartered for a commentary. The bank’s head of digital assets research, Geoff Kendrick, said it was challenging to predict precise inflow figures.
However, he indicated that comparative data from Europe could provide some guidance.
“The amount of eventual inflows to XRP ETFs is difficult to estimate. However, Bitwise has listed ETPs in Germany for XRP, Solana, Litecoin, BTC, and ETH, which may provide an apples-for-apples comparison,” Kendrick told BeInCrypto.
Drawing on his prediction of how an XRP ETF could perform and the associated impact on XRP price, Kendrick compared Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other altcoins.
Citing Bitwise data, the Standard Chartered executive noted that altcoins garner a larger percentage of ETP (exchange-traded product) net asset value (NAV) as a percentage of coin market capitalization than Bitcoin and Ethereum.
However, he acknowledged that this could be because fewer ETPs are available for altcoins. Kendrick added that NAV-to-market-cap ratios from already approved US spot ETFs provide a useful benchmark.
Based on these assessments, Geoff Kendrick projected that a US-listed spot XRP ETF could attract as much as $8.3 billion in inflows within its first year.
“Of the US spot ETFs approved so far, NAV as a percentage of market cap is 3% for Ethereum and just under 6% for Bitcoin. At current XRP market cap, that would imply a range of $4.4 billion to $8.3 billion as a future total NAV measure for an XRP ETF, which seems like a reasonable target range for inflows in the first 12 months,” Kendrick added.
Kendrick Sees Ripple Price at $8, Bitfinex Analysts Question Investor Interest for XRP ETFs
The Standard Chartered executive said he expects XRP price gains to keep pace with Bitcoin price growth targets.
He forecasted the Ripple price to rise to $8 by 2026, contingent on spot XRP ETF approvals in the US. This would constitute a 260% surge above the current price of $2.22.
“In real terms, XRP inflation is currently 6%, versus 0.8% for Bitcoin. As such, we target the XRP-USD price levels of $5.50 at end-2025, $8.00 at end-2026, $10.40 at end-2027, $12.50 at end-2028 and $12.25 at end-2029,” Kendrick explained.
Meanwhile, analysts at Bitfinex caution against optimism, saying that investor interest in a US-based spot XRP ETF may not match that witnessed in Bitcoin ETFs.
“We expect limited inflows into an XRP ETF as some investors may choose to broaden their exposure across available crypto ETFs. However it is unlikely to see the level of flows experienced by Bitcoin,” Bitfinex analysts told BeInCrypto.
The contrasting assessments reflect broader uncertainty over how altcoin ETFs might perform in a regulated US market.
Bitcoin’s dominance and changing regulatory attitudes toward digital assets still heavily influence the crypto market in the US.
So far, Grayscale, Wisdom Tree, Bitwise, Canary, and 21Shares have filed for XRP ETF approvals with the SEC. Bitwise’s application received official acknowledgment on February 18, triggering several timelines for approving, denying, or extending the application.
The final deadline is October 12, 240 days after official receipt. This date is equivalent to the ‘final deadline’ of January 10, 2024, for BTC ETF approvals, the day they were approved.
However, with other applications beyond XRP ETF pending approval, including Solana and Litecoin, Kendrick noted that other applications in the pipeline could affect the timeline for XRP ETF approval.
“Litecoin seems most likely to progress the fastest, providing early insight into how the new SEC leadership will treat altcoin ETFs,” Kendrick said.
As a hard fork of Bitcoin, Litecoin could already be viewed by the SEC as a commodity rather than a security. According to Kendrick, its similarity to Bitcoin may make it conceptually easier for investors to understand.
“We expect a wave of cryptocurrency ETFs next year, albeit not all at once. First out is likely the BTC + ETH combo ETFs, then probably Litecoin (because it is a fork of BTC, [therefore it’s a] commodity), then HBAR (because it’s not labeled security), and then XRP/Solana (which have been labeled securities in pending lawsuits),” Balchunas stated.
