Bitstamp has partnered with Spanish banking giant BBVA to launch Bitcoin and Ethereum trading in Spain. This move allows BBVA’s retail customers to buy and sell crypto directly through the bank’s mobile app. Bitstamp, now owned by Robinhood, provides the regulated infrastructure and liquidity behind the service. The partnership marks a big step in making crypto more accessible through traditional banks, offering users a secure and simple way to invest in digital assets without leaving their banking platform.
There has been a sharp decline in daily active addresses across Smart Contract Platforms (SCPs) in recent months, raising concerns among investors and developers.
Meanwhile, Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade could be the turning point, with crypto analyst Jamie Coutts calling the current state a cleansing of the ecosystem.
SCPs See Sharp Decline in Active Users
Jamie Coutts, who built Bloomberg Intelligence’s crypto research product, says this is the worst decline ever recorded in the history of SCPs.
He also notes that it is far worse than the 2022-2023 bear market, with daily active addresses dropping 40.5% in just five months.
“This is the largest usage collapse in SCP history,” wrote Coutts.
Coutts’ analysis provides a deeper look at the broader crypto ecosystem, which is simultaneously witnessing an uptick in global liquidity and an all-time high in stablecoin market cap.
While the sector seems to be experiencing a shakeout, Coutts says this decline does not indicate the death of smart contract platforms. Rather, it is a necessary cleansing of the ecosystem.
The analyst attributes the drop in daily active addresses to several key factors, including the rise of artificial activity.
“Much of the past cycle’s growth was artificial: Usage inflated by bots and Sybil farms, Incentive programs created temporary traction without stickiness. The unwind reflects a cleansing of fake activity, not the death of the sector,” Coutts explains.
The rise of bots and Sybil attacks, where bad actors create multiple fake identities to manipulate a platform’s usage metrics, has artificially inflated the activity numbers across various smart contract platforms.
Now, as these fake users are being weeded out, the real growth potential of SCPs is becoming clearer.
Moreover, this trend suggests that SCPs with weak application ecosystems or limited use cases will face significant valuation compression. This is especially true without stablecoin integration or real-world asset (RWA) applications.
Coutts notes that many SCP tokens risk valuation compression if their platforms do not offer high throughput, low-cost, and real settlement capabilities.
The market will likely reward mature platforms capable of supporting real economic activity. These include stablecoin transactions, payments, and AI-native applications.
“…going forward, value will concentrate in platforms that enable high-throughput, low-cost, real settlement and agentic automation,” he added.
Ethereum Staking Surge Post-Pectra
Interestingly, these predictions align with the recent Ethereum Pectra upgrade, which went live on May 7, 2025.
The Pectra upgrade introduces key features that could help Ethereum, the largest smart contract platform, stay ahead in this playing field. Specifically, the upgrade improves Ethereum’s staking model and validator operations.
CryptoQuant recently indicated a notable spike in ETH staking around the Pectra Upgrade news. Specifically, before the Pectra upgrade news, ETH staking saw a net outflow of around 1.02 million ETH, reflecting uncertainty.
However, after the news, staking rebounded with a 627,000 ETH inflow, signaling renewed market confidence in the Ethereum staking ecosystem.
“Before Pectra News (Nov 16 – Feb 15): ETH staking dropped from ≈34.88M to 33.86M ETH, a net outflow of ~1.02M ETH. This period reflects market uncertainty and mild unwinding of staking positions ahead of the upgrade. After Pectra News (Feb 16 – May 16): Total ETH staked rose from 33.78M to 34.41M ETH — a net inflow of ~627K ETH. Indicates renewed confidence in the staking process following the upgrade,” wrote CryptoQuant analyst Kripto Mevsimi.
ETH Staking before and after Pectra Upgrade news. Source: CryptoQuant
In the same tone, Bohdan Opryshko, co-founder and COO at Everstake, told BeInCrypto that the Pectra upgrade may be Ethereum’s most institution-friendly update. He says the upgrade is the clearest signal that Ethereum is ready for conservative capital.
“For the first time, institutions can stake at scale with operational clarity and reduced complexity. It’s a green light for conservative capital to get involved in native Ethereum staking,” Opryshko told BeInCrypto.
Further, Pectra’s introduction of smart accounts allows Ethereum wallets to execute smart contract logic. This could drive stablecoin integration.
At the same time, it could enhance scalability. This would make Ethereum better suited to handle real economic activities such as payments and financial transactions.
Nevertheless, Coutts highlighted a divergence between price action and network activity, a common phenomenon in the crypto space. While markets stabilize, activity on many SCPs remains stagnant.
Coutts notes that this divergence will not last. More sophisticated capital will increasingly flow toward platforms that anchor real economic behavior, especially via stablecoin flows and payments.
“Markets may be stabilizing, but activity is not,” More sophisticated capital will increasingly rotate toward chains that anchor real economic behavior, especially via stablecoin flows, payments, and AI-native applications,” Coutts says.
Finally, Coutts predicts that a liquidity-driven rally will return, fueled by the significant liquidity expected to enter the system in the coming months.
However, he cautions that the value will likely accrue to a subset of SCPs that can deliver tangible value through real-world applications and stablecoin integration. This sentiment aligns with the structural upgrades brought by Ethereum’s Pectra fork.
Pi Network (PI) is back in the spotlight after an 11% price surge triggered by the withdrawal of over 86 million tokens from OKX, sparking speculation of a coordinated supply squeeze. The move has intensified bullish sentiment, especially as technical indicators begin to align with the price action.
Momentum indicators like the DMI and EMA suggest growing strength, and a potential golden cross formation hints at the possibility of a continued breakout. However, not all signals are fully confirmed—volume-based metrics like the CMF show lingering indecision, making the next few days critical for confirming PI’s direction.
Technical Indicators Support PI Rally Amid Supply Shock Speculation
The sudden exodus of tokens sparked speculation of a coordinated supply squeeze, with some investors interpreting the move as a strategic effort by large holders to limit circulating supply and potentially drive the price higher.
Community voices on X described the event as a “power move,” pointing to growing confidence in the asset’s future trajectory.
While this triggered bullish momentum and boosted PI to the top of CoinGecko’s trending list, questions still linger regarding its long-term fundamentals, particularly its mainnet rollout, exchange listings, and broader use-case development.
From a technical perspective, PI’s Directional Movement Index (DMI) shows signs of growing strength. The ADX—a metric that measures the strength of a trend—has climbed from 12.46 to 16.6 in the past day, signaling that momentum is building. Typically, ADX values above 20 indicate a developing trend, with readings above 25 considered strong.
Meanwhile, the +DI line, which tracks bullish pressure, sits at 25.98—up from 20.14 yesterday, though slightly down from its peak earlier today at 29.15. The -DI, representing bearish pressure, has dropped significantly to 14.45 from 20.84 yesterday.
This divergence suggests that bulls are gaining control and sellers are stepping back, supporting the narrative that Pi Network may be entering a more decisive upward trend if this momentum continues.
PI CMF Drops After Brief Spike, Signaling Fading Buying Pressure
Despite the recent surge, PI CMF is now at -0.03.
Chaikin Money Flow (CMF), a volume-based oscillator that measures buying and selling pressure over a given period. CMF values range from -1 to +1, with readings above 0 suggesting accumulation (buying pressure) and below 0 indicating distribution (selling pressure).
Currently, PI’s CMF stands at -0.03—a notable improvement from -0.17 two days ago but a pullback from yesterday’s +0.09.
This shift shows that while the overall selling pressure has eased significantly, the recent dip back below the zero line suggests that buyers haven’t fully taken control. A CMF hovering around the neutral zone could imply indecision in the market or a pause after the recent rally.
For bulls to regain full momentum, the CMF would ideally need to push back into positive territory and hold, confirming sustained capital inflows and supporting the case for continued upside.
Golden Cross Setup Builds for PI, But Key Resistance Still in Play
Pi Network’s EMA lines are starting to align in a bullish setup, with a potential golden cross formation on the horizon. A golden cross occurs when a short-term EMA crosses above a long-term EMA, signaling the possibility of a sustained uptrend.
If this pattern confirms, PI price could gain enough momentum to challenge the resistance at $0.96.
A breakout above that level may open the door for further gains toward $1.30, and with strong follow-through, the price could even reach $1.67—levels not seen in recent trading activity.
However, the bullish scenario is not guaranteed. If the current uptrend loses steam and buying pressure weakens, Pi Network could retrace to test support at $0.66.
A breakdown below that level would likely shift sentiment more bearish, exposing the token to further downside toward $0.57.
While technical signals lean optimistic for now, traders will be closely watching whether the golden cross materializes and if resistance levels can be cleared convincingly.
