Bitcoin price eyes prodded above $104,000 on Friday as Asia’s top ETF investor pours $691M into BlackRock’s BTC fund, reinforcing global institutional confidence. Could the rising spate of institutional inflows propel BTC above $120,000 in the weeks ahead. Bitcoin (BTC) Price Eyes $120K After Asia’s Largest ETF Investor Boosts BlackRock Exposure At press time, Bitcoin (BTC) traded at $104,007, holding above the psychologically critical $104,000 mark despite heightened volatility in the altcoin market this week. This resilience is being fueled by a surge of institutional interest, most notably from Asia’s largest ETF investor, who has now raised its investment in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF to $691 million. Avenir Group Confirms Holdings in Blackrock’s Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) and Fidelity’s (FBTC), May 2025 On Thursday, Avenir Group, Asia’s largest institutional investor in Bitcoin ETFs, has significantly increased its holdings in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), according to a recent SEC filing. As of… Read More at Coingape.com
Eric Council Jr., 26, of Athens, Alabama, has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for his involvement in a cybercrime conspiracy. The case involved the hacking of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) official X (formerly Twitter) account. Eric Council Jr Sentenced to 14 Months According to a statement from federal authorities, Eric Council Jr conspired with others to gain access to the US SEC’s X account by carrying out a SIM swap. On January 9, 2024, a false post was published from the account, falsely claiming the SEC had approved Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Bitcoin’s price rose quickly by more than $1,000 before falling after the SEC confirmed the post was not legitimate. Eric Council Jr pleaded guilty in February 2025 to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 14 months in prison, ordered the forfeiture of… Read More at Coingape.com
USD1 stablecoin, an asset associated with World Liberty Financial (WFLI), is set to go multi-chain through its latest integration with Chainlink. Already tagged as the fastest stablecoin to grow from a $0 valuation to $2 billion, the new integration will help expand its reach to new users and institutions in the industry. USD1 has been making headlines recently amid a growing trend around stablecoin evolution in the United States. World Liberty Financial and the Chainlink Deal According to the announcement, the collaboration between both entities will see USD1 utilize the Chainlink Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP). Specifically, it will be used for secure data feeds and for bridging from one blockchain to another. Earlier this month, USD1 ranks as top 5 in the stablecoin world, a feat it achieved within months of its launch. The adoption of the token by both retail and institutional investors has seen it launch on top… Read More at Coingape.com
Tesla and X owner Elon Musk has triggered a once-in-a-while parabolic rally for frog-themed memecoin, Kekius Maximus (KEKIUS). This token was created by the billionaire’s followers, who generally track his profile changes on social media platforms. The token was created last year when the Tesla founder first changed his X profile name to Kekius Maximus. This action generally fuels a rapid price breakout for associated tokens. The Elon Musk and Kekius Maximus Link After months, he changed the profile name, the billionaire once again reinstated it, a move many considered a shoutout for the memecoin. Notably, different token variants were created the first time Elon Musk updated his profile photo with the name. One of the variants with the biggest liquidity is KEKIUS. According to data from CoinMarketCap, this token has jumped by 119% in 24 hours to $0.0502. This surge is unusual, as the token maintained an average price… Read More at Coingape.com
XRP price dips 3% to $2.41 as a US District Judge Analisa Torres overrule Ripple $125 settlement fine against Ripple. With derivatives traders taking on a cautious stance, can XRP defend the $2 support in the days ahead? XRP Finds Support at $2.40 US Judge Upholds $125M Fine on Ripple Ripple (XRP) slipped by 3% on Friday, trading as low as $2.37 following a negative legal development that reignited concerns over regulatory uncertainty. The current bearish blow on XRP price comes after U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres rejected a proposed $50 million settlement between Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), affirming a prior $125 million penalty and an injunction on future securities violations. XRP Price Action, May 16, Source: Coingecko Despite Ripple’s intention to appeal court’s decision to effectively raise the settlement fine from $50 million to $125 million, XRP traders showed negative reaction over the… Read More at Coingape.com
Cryptocurrency markets are showing signs of moving forward in 2025, and Cardano is trying to get back on its feet with more people paying attention to it from a technical point of view. On the same note, Rexas Finance (RXS), which claims to be the largest real-world asset tokenization platform, seems to be coming into the limelight for its projected 18900% surge. This article discusses ADA’s outlook and goes over why Rexas Finance is considered one of the upcoming altcoins in the current bull cycle.
Cardano is still garnering interest as a leading Layer-1 blockchain solution. ADA currently stands at $0.615 as of April 17, 2025, meaning it has gained little daily movement but has been in a slight weekly decline. Even though there had been some fluctuations in the stock prices recently, analysts are still optimistic. From the technical perspective, trends highlight Cup-and-Handle formation on two technical indicators. This pattern usually implies a continuation of the trajectory in the higher levels in case of support levels are retained.
Currently, the 100-week Exponential Moving Average can be considered as a support level and prevent the decline anymore. However, Cardano is still a rather emerging ecosystem, having the total value locked in the amount of about $300 million. This has caused discussion among the investors about the level of interaction and deployment of dApps by the developers. Still, new applications such as the BitcoinOS, which is yet to be implemented, could help boost more users and hence demand.
Rexas Finance Emerges as a Promising ADA Alternative
As ADA bounces back, Rexas Finance (RXS) is slowly establishing itself as a formidable player in the altcoin market. It is a platform for the tokenization of the identification of real-world assets (RWAs), such as real estate, arts, or commodities. It also has its tools, such as the Rexas Token Builder and Rexas Estate, where users can tokenize physical assets while using blockchain technology.
As of now, RXS is currently in PRESALE Stage 12, with the funds raised slightly over $47.6million and more than 461 million tokens sold. It has an almost six-fold increase during the presale and intends to list at $0.25 upon its launch. Based on market momentum, token utility, and innovative exchange listings, experts anticipate an 18900% upside potential in trading prospects.
Milestone Alert!
Rexas Finance has successfully raised $47.6 Million!
With the ever expanding RWA market, which is expected to grow to $16 trillion by 2030, Rexas Finance connects with both retail and institutional agents. Its tokenization strategy is about making it easy to invest in global assets through the use of tokens that are fractions.
Adoption and Innovation Drive Future Growth for Cardano and Rexas Finance
Cardano’s long-term viability and sustainability are still heavily reliant on the growth of its ecosystem and the expansion of its user base. While it is firmly grounded in research, ADA requires more developer participation and practical applications to maintain its utility. Digital identity and DeFi in the regions which are still untapped represent one of the biggest opportunities for the platform.
New additions like zero-knowledge proofs and cross-chain services likely to introduce new competitors in Layer-1 solution, price prediction ADA Cardano estimate to reach between $1.20 and $3.15 in 2025. Moreover, Rexas Finance will launch on June 19 and enable users to work in seven spaces namely, DeFi, GenAI, and Launchpad with cross-chain capabilities. Now, with CertiK as its auditor and allowed token distribution for presale is 80 % while 20 % for staking, Rexas aims to solve real-world asset problems with safe and backed solutions.
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Cryptocurrency markets are showing signs of moving forward in 2025, and Cardano is trying to get back on its feet with more people paying attention to it from a technical point of view. On the same note, Rexas Finance (RXS), which claims to be the largest real-world asset tokenization platform, seems to be coming into …
eToro’s Yoni Assia Joins Squawk Boxto unpack the firm’s Nasdaq IPO, $50M Bitcoin bet, and fintech future. With 130+ crypto assets and a $5.5B valuation, eToro eyes Gen Z’s $140T wealth shift, leaving behind rivals like Robinhood.
Imagine this: buying Bitcoin at $5 and flipping it for a $50 million profit. That’s the daring move eToro, led by CEO Yoni Assia, pulled off in the early 2010s, well before crypto fever grabbed the world.
In a recent CNBC interview, Assia spilled the details on eToro’s early gamble, a story of foresight, fortune, and a boardroom decision that still stings.
‘Bitcoin is Not Our Business’, eToro Board
eToro dove into crypto when it was an unknown territory. “We were very early,” Assia said, recalling how the company’s treasury snagged Bitcoin at $5, only to watch it rocket to $50,000.
The board, wary of straying from eToro’s core, forced a sale at $50 million as they cleared that Bitcoin is not their business area. Assia, with a sneaky grin, hinted he might’ve “fired” those cautious board members.
eToro’s Nasdaq Sees $192M Profit, Crypto Fuels 25% of Trades
This week, eToro hit a major milestone, listing on Nasdaq after shelving a 2021 SPAC plan. Patience paid off: 2024 saw $192 million in net income, with crypto driving $12 million. Crypto trading now fuels 25% of eToro’s business, up 10% from last year, with over 130 digital assets offered globally.
Vitalik’s eToro Connection
eToro’s crypto cred runs deeper. Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin once worked from their offices before launching his blockchain revolution, a nod to eToro’s early clout. This only highlights how early eToro was in crypto before the big fintech firms roped in.
It felt like eToro entered Bitcoin in its early stage, only to fumble it. However, it could not be part of their core investment strategy.
Crypto’s Lasting Impact
Assia remains steadfast: “Crypto is here to stay.” While stocks now drive 75% of revenue, and keep a quarter for digital currency trading. From a $5 Bitcoin bet to Nasdaq’s bright lights, eToro’s journey reflects crypto’s meteoric rise, and its story is far from over.
In a Nutshell
Yoni Assian’s eToro bought Bitcoin for $5 in its initial days, only to sell it at $50,000. Well, the board members, specially eToro may still feel like it was a bad move and should have HODL.
Nevertheless, with some top crypto leaders like Changpeng Zhao seeing Bitcoin cross $1M in the coming years, will Yoni’s eToro consider making a fresh start?
The post eToro CEO Reveals $5 Bitcoin Buy and $50M Exit – Here’s the Wild Story appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
eToro’s Yoni Assia Joins Squawk Box to unpack the firm’s Nasdaq IPO, $50M Bitcoin bet, and fintech future. With 130+ crypto assets and a $5.5B valuation, eToro eyes Gen Z’s $140T wealth shift, leaving behind rivals like Robinhood. Imagine this: buying Bitcoin at $5 and flipping it for a $50 million profit. That’s the daring …
DeFi Development currently holds over 609k Solana with more than $107 million.
Following the announcement, DFDV stock rallied over 50% on Friday to trade at about $138.
DeFi Development Corp. (NASDAQ: DFDV), formerly known as Janover but shifted its focus solely on the Solana (SOL) network, announced a strategic partnership with the Bonk (BONK) memecoin project. According to the announcement, DeFi Development and Bonk memecoin will work together as a validator to operate a Solana node.
The two entities intend to share the rewards earned from running the Solana node. As a result, DeFi Development Corp will continue to accumulate more SOL coins. On the other end, BONK memecoin will earn more rewards in securing the Solana network and expand the use case for BONKSOL.
“This validator partnership is a natural next step in BONK’s mission to empower our community and accelerate the adoption of Solana,” Nom, Core Contributor at BONK, noted. “By teaming up with DeFi Dev Corp., we’re not only reinforcing the decentralized infrastructure of Solana but also creating a new standard for how community tokens can scale and sustain their ecosystems.”
Market Impact of Strategic Partnership Between Bonk and DeFi Corp
The strategic partnership between Bonk and DeFi Development Corp will play a crucial role in the long-term growth of the Solana network and the respective projects. As for the Solana network, more adoption by institutional investors will increase its overall liquidity and credibility amid the mainstream adoption of digital assets.
As for DeFi Development Corp, the shareholders will significantly benefit from the rewards of jointly running the Solana validator node. Furthermore, DeFi Development Corp has relentlessly accumulated more SOL coins to currently hold about 609,190 coins, worth about $107 million.
Following the announcement, DFDV stock rallied over 50 percent in the last 24 hours to trade at about $138.77 on Friday, May 16, during the mid-North American trading session.
The post Bonk Meme and DeFi Development Corp Announces Strategic Partnership to Jointly Run a Solana (SOL) Validator appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
DeFi Development currently holds over 609k Solana with more than $107 million. Following the announcement, DFDV stock rallied over 50% on Friday to trade at about $138. DeFi Development Corp. (NASDAQ: DFDV), formerly known as Janover but shifted its focus solely on the Solana (SOL) network, announced a strategic partnership with the Bonk (BONK) memecoin …
The Chainlink network has attracted first-level investment from traditional financial institutions in the recent past.
The integration of USD1 with Chainlink will increase the global adoption of LINK tokens.
World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a well-funded DeFi protocol backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, announced a strategic partnership with Chainlink (LINK) network to enhance the mainstream adoption of its recently launched stablecoin dubbed USD1.
Following the collaboration, the World Liberty Financial project will use Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to enable a secure and seamless transfer of USD1 across different chains.
“Chainlink’s battle-tested infrastructure delivers the institutional-grade security and extensive reach needed to deliver USD1 into the hands of millions across a growing number of active, on-chain ecosystems. WLFI’s partnership with Chainlink will accelerate and improve USD1’s utility for cross-border payments and will result in truly useful applications across DeFi and traditional finance,” Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial, noted.
Previously, World Liberty Financial had collaborated with the Chainlink network to provide reliable data feeds to its AAVE V3 instance.
Market Impact of the Collaboration Between Chainlink and WLFI
The collaboration between the Chainlink network and the WLFI protocol will play a crucial role in the mainstream adoption of LINK tokens. Moreover, the WLFI protocol will enhance the established credibility of the Chainlink network for more institutional investors.
Earlier on Friday, the Chainlink network announced that the Fluid protocol has adopted its CCIP and cross-chain token (CCT) standard to enable the seamless transfer of assets across Ethereum, Base, and Arbitrum.
The rising adoption of the Chainlink products will have a long-lasting impact on LINK price action. The large-cap altcoin, with a fully diluted valuation of about $15.9 billion and a 24-hour average traded volume of around $477 million, rallied over 30 percent in the last four weeks to trade about $15.9 on Friday, May 16 during the late North American trading session.
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The Chainlink network has attracted first-level investment from traditional financial institutions in the recent past. The integration of USD1 with Chainlink will increase the global adoption of LINK tokens. World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a well-funded DeFi protocol backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, announced a strategic partnership with Chainlink (LINK) network to enhance the mainstream …
Musk has indirectly promoted dozens of memecoins amid the golden age of crypto assets in the United States.
Launched five months ago, KEKIUS enjoys a strong community and significant liquidity.
Elon Musk changed his X handle to Kekius Maximus again on Friday, May 17, 2025, thus indirectly promoting Ethereum (ETH)-based memecoin KEKIUS. At the tail end of 2024, Musk changed his X handle to Kekius Maximus and used an image of Pepe, a frog dressed in a gladiator costume.
As a result, KEKIUS memecoin was born earlier this year on the Ethereum and Solana networks. During the first time that Musk changed his X handle to Kekius Maximus, KEKIUS price surged over 900 percent and surpassed a market cap of $380 million.
Following the move by Musk to change his X handle to Kekius Maximus, the price of KEKIUS memecoin surged over 100 percent on Friday to trade at about $0.055 at the time of this writing. The small-cap memecoin, with a fully diluted valuation of about $55 million and a 24-hour average traded volume of about $37 million, confirmed a bullish breakout potentially towards its all-time high.
Moreover, the Ethereum-based memecoin has received significant attention from speculative crypto traders, currently amounting to over 26k on-chain holders. Additionally, the KEKIUS team has pooled over 452 WETH, currently worth about $1.16 million, to provide liquidity on different DeFi protocols.
Most importantly, KEKIUS memecoin has already been listed by top-tier crypto exchanges led by Gate.io, and MEXC, among others. As a result, KEKIUS price is well positioned to rally exponentially in the coming months, especially amid the rising calls for an altseason.
The post Elon Musk Changes His X Handle to Kekius Maximus: KEKIUS Price Surges 108% appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Musk has indirectly promoted dozens of memecoins amid the golden age of crypto assets in the United States. Launched five months ago, KEKIUS enjoys a strong community and significant liquidity. Elon Musk changed his X handle to Kekius Maximus again on Friday, May 17, 2025, thus indirectly promoting Ethereum (ETH)-based memecoin KEKIUS. At the tail …
Milestone Alert! 
