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Ethereum Price Analysis: What Next for ETH as Traders Swap $86M into Solana DeFi protocols ? 

Ethereum price tumbles below $1,600 facing pressure amid $86 million DeFi capital flight to faster, low-cost rivals like Solana.

Capital Rotation Into Solana Spurs Concerns for Ethereum’s DeFi Dominance

Ethereum (ETH) is facing renewed competitive pressure after nearly $87 million in assets migrated from its ecosystem to rival blockchains in the week following former U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeal of a controversial decentralized finance (DeFi) regulation.

On April 10, Trump signed a bill overturning a Biden-era mandate requiring DeFi protocols to comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules. The reversal was widely interpreted as a win for crypto-native projects, removing a major regulatory overhang that threatened the sector’s permissionless structure.

Ethereum cross-chain fund flows April 2025 | Source: WormholeBridge
Ethereum cross-chain fund flows April 2025 | Source: WormholeBridge

But for Ethereum — the current hub of DeFi liquidity — the impact has been less than favorable.

According to data from Wormhole, the largest cross-chain bridge on Ethereum, Solana captured the lion’s share of outflows with over $54 million redirected into its ecosystem. Base, Arbitrum, and Avalanche followed, attracting $9.6 million, $5.8 million, and $3.9 million, respectively.

Rapid Transfers from Ethereum Sparks 21% rally for Solana

Notably, the Solana-bound assets were funneled into DeFi protocols such as Jupiter, Kamino, and MarginFi.

Based on the latest data from DefiLlama, Solana TVL has been on a steady rise since Trump’s signing repealed the DeFI law last week.

Solana DeFi Market Cap 
Solana DeFi Market Cap

As seen in the chart above, Solana TVL increased 12% from $6.1 billion on April 9, to hit the $6.9 million mark at press time on Wednesday, April 16. This shows that investors deposited over $800 million into various Solana native Defi protocols over the past week. 

With Solana price currently trading at $135, up 21% on the weekly timeframe. Comparatively, Ethereum price is trading below $1,600 mark, with its 8% gain on the weekly candle, reflecting second lowest returns among the top 10 ranked crypto assets. 

Looking Ahead:

The DeFi fund flows observed on the Wormhole bridge further reinforce the narrative that Ethereum could be losing market dominance, as deepening regulatory clarity encourages investors to switch towards rival Layer-1 and Layer-2 protocols. 

The ongoing migration trend from Ethereum to faster, lower-cost networks. Ethereum still leads in total value locked (TVL), but this week’s data is a clear signal of shifting momentum.

More so, major institutional players venturing into crypto on new themes like Real-world Asset and securities Tokenization are increasingly opting for alternative layer-1 protocols like Hedera, Avalanche, while Solana and Cardano maintain a strong hold on retail dominance. 

Solana, which suffered from performance concerns in 2022, has staged a significant turnaround in both uptime and developer activity.

The network processed over 60 million daily transactions this week, far surpassing Ethereum’s 1.1 million, and maintained average fees below $0.01, according to data from Solana Explorer.

Ethereum Price Forecast: ETH Eyes $1,700 Rebound as Momentum Shifts

Ethereum price forecast charts show early signs of a potential rebound after closing at $1,592.60, gaining 0.24% on the day.

The Bollinger Bands are starting to compress, suggesting a volatility squeeze, with the mid-band resistance at $1,695.42 acting as the first upside target. ETH price is currently attempting to reclaim ground within the lower half of the bands, signaling the possibility of a bullish reversal.

Ethereum Price Forecast
Ethereum Price Forecast

The Parabolic SAR dots have flipped below the candlesticks, which is a classic buy signal in trend-following strategies.

This adds further weight to a bullish Ethereum price forecast, especially as the MACD histogram shifts into green territory for the first time in weeks. The MACD line is rising toward the signal line, suggesting bullish momentum may soon dominate.

If ETH clears $1,695, a push toward the upper Bollinger Band at $1,960 becomes plausible. However, failure to maintain current support near $1,430, ETH price risks a retest of $1,397.19, where the SAR last confirmed support.

The post Ethereum Price Analysis: What Next for ETH as Traders Swap $86M into Solana DeFi protocols ?  appeared first on CoinGape.

XRP Price Forecast: Ripple Settles With SEC—Is $2 the New XRP Price Floor?

XRP Price Likely Bottomed: Can It Hit $15 Amid ETF Buzz?

XRP price is gaining momentum following Ripple’s SEC settlement, with bullish technical indicators pointing to a potential upward breakout.

Ripple Settles With SEC as Both Parties Agree to Pause Appeals

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Ripple Labs have jointly agreed to pause their long-running legal appeal, marking a critical turn in the nearly four-year standoff.

According to newly unsealed court documents dated April 16 and shared by defense attorney James K. Filan, Circuit Judge José A. Cabranes granted the motion to temporarily suspend the appeal process.

The SEC is now mandated to file a status update within 60 days, effectively pressing pause on the courtroom drama.

The temporary suspension follows Ripple’s decision to pay a $50 million settlement, signaling a firm move toward regulatory closure. With this legal overhang potentially fading, XRP is poised for renewed institutional interest and broader integration into Ripple’s growing payment infrastructure.

XRP Price Forecast: Eyeing a Recovery Toward $2.25

XRP price forecast leans moderately bullish as the digital asset hovers near $2.08, with technical indicators hinting at a potential breakout. The Donchian Channel signals compression between support at $1.61 and resistance at $2.25, indicating a consolidation phase that often precedes directional moves.

Notably, Ripple price has recently closed above the midline of the Donchian Channel, suggesting growing buyer interest.

XRP price forecast
XRP price forecast

Momentum supports this narrative. The MACD histogram has flipped green with increasing bars, while the MACD line has crossed above the signal line, signaling a shift in short-term momentum toward the bulls. This crossover near the zero line often precedes more significant rallies, especially after prolonged bearish phases.

However, downside risks remain if XRP falls below the midline at $1.93. That would expose the lower bound of $1.61. A sustained close above $2.25 could confirm bullish continuation toward $2.40, marking a technical breakout with higher conviction. Until then, XRP trades in a tightening range with bullish bias.

The post XRP Price Forecast: Ripple Settles With SEC—Is $2 the New XRP Price Floor? appeared first on CoinGape.

Crypto Markets Slide as Powell Flags Stagflation Risks, Tariff Troubles; Warns of Tough Road Ahead

The post Crypto Markets Slide as Powell Flags Stagflation Risks, Tariff Troubles; Warns of Tough Road Ahead appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Crypto prices dropped after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that higher tariffs and rising prices could slow down the economy. Speaking in Chicago, he said these changes might lead to stagflation, a mix of high inflation and low growth. Powell also talked about keeping the Fed independent from politics and pointed out how uncertain things are in the market right now. However, his promising comments regarding crypto caught investors’ sentiment.

Powell’s Bearish Comments Weaken Investor Sentiment

The market saw a decline on Wednesday after Jerome Powell gave a cautious outlook on the U.S. economy. Powell raised concerns about rising inflation, slower economic growth, and the impact of trade policies, especially President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs. His remarks led to uncertainty across financial markets, with crypto investors reacting quickly to the bearish tone.

Discussing cryptocurrency, Powell said crypto is becoming more mainstream and that a legal framework for stablecoins is “a good idea.” He highlighted the need for consumer protections and hinted at some regulatory flexibility to allow innovation, but added it must be done carefully to avoid attacking the stability of the banking system.

Also read: China Slapped with 245% Tariffs – Bitcoin Drops, Gold Hits Record High

One of Powell’s most concerning messages was about the growing impact of trade policies. He warned that tariffs introduced under Trump’s administration are larger than previously forecasted, even beyond the Fed’s worst-case estimates. These, he said, will likely drive prices up and slow economic growth.

Powell said, “The effects of that are likely to move us away from our goals, so unemployment is likely to go up as the economy slows in all likelihood, and inflation is likely to go up as tariffs find their way into the economy.”

Regarding the government’s debt, Powell described it as unsustainable over the long run, particularly because the U.S. is running large deficits even while the economy is at full employment.

Fed Focuses on Innovation Amid Tough Road

Powell said that artificial intelligence could bring major changes to the economy, classifying it as more than just an improved search tool, comparing it to a more advanced version of a person. He noted that AI is one of the few developments likely to have a significant impact on the economy, though he acknowledged that it’s still unclear how these changes will unfold.

In a nod to potential challenges ahead, Powell said the Fed may face a situation where its two main goals: stable prices and full employment, come into conflict. If so, the central bank could be forced into making “a difficult judgment.”

Lastly, he addressed the Fed’s readiness to support global markets, saying it stands prepared to provide dollar liquidity via swap lines with other central banks. “We want to make sure that dollars are available,” Powell said.

Overall, the negative outlook on the economy caused Bitcoin and major altcoins to drop by nearly 2%. However, the market has started to bounce back after Powell’s comments about crypto innovation.  

The post Crypto Markets Slide as Powell Flags Stagflation Risks, Tariff Troubles; Warns of Tough Road Ahead appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Crypto prices dropped after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that higher tariffs and rising prices could slow down the economy. Speaking in Chicago, he said these changes might lead to stagflation, a mix of high inflation and low growth. Powell also talked about keeping the Fed independent from politics and pointed out how …

XRP’s Consolidation Around $2 Could Trigger a Big Move: What’s Next for XRP?

XRP Price Analysis Bullish Momentum Builds with Ripple’s $1.25B Acquisition

The post XRP’s Consolidation Around $2 Could Trigger a Big Move: What’s Next for XRP? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

XRP has regained market attention following the recent slash in Ripple’s penalty by the SEC. This has led to a rise in open interest for XRP, despite the overall market’s bearish sentiment. Several on-chain indicators have turned positive, suggesting that the current consolidation phase may be approaching its conclusion. Analysts anticipate a potential rebound in XRP’s price, led by increased accumulation around the $2 level.

XRP Faces $8 Million Liquidation Amid Consolidation

XRP’s price has been struggling to confirm a clear direction, as buying and selling pressure intensifies around the $2 mark. This has led to a period of strong consolidation on the price chart. Data from Coinglass shows that XRP saw total liquidations of approximately $8.07 million over the past 24 hours, with buyers taking the bigger hit, facing $6.58 million in liquidations. While sellers closed around $1.49 million in short positions.

The accumulation rate is extending as analysts revealed that the accumulation phase for the XRP price has been longer than in previous cycles, indicating that the market may just be taking more time to develop. As XRP continues its consolidated momentum, whales are also increasing their holdings. This might create a strong upward push if XRP breaks above.

Also read: SEC vs Ripple Update: Motion to Temporarily Suspend Appeal Granted; What Next for XRP Price?

Additionally, recent positive developments regarding the SEC vs Ripple lawsuit have had a positive influence on XRP price. According to a Wednesday update from lawyer James Filan, Circuit Judge José Cabranes signed the court order on April 16, putting the appeal “in abeyance,” or on hold, by mutual agreement.

On the other hand, Brad Garlinghouse said Ripple might pay its settlement with the SEC using XRP and called the lower $50 million fine a big step forward. In an April 11 interview, he pointed out that crypto rules in the U.S. seem to be improving. Ripple had put aside $125 million for the case but will now keep most of that money.

As a result, the open interest jumped by 20% in five days, with the long/short ratio now at 1.1. This shows that 52% of traders expect XRP to rise.

What’s Next for XRP Price?

XRP price has been hovering above the descending resistance line. However, buyers are struggling to send the price above EMA trend lines. As of writing, XRP price trades at $2.07, declining over 2.1% in the last 24 hours.

The 20-day EMA ($2.10) is flat, and the RSI is near neutral, signaling a balance between buyers and sellers. This hints that XRP price might continue to consolidate within a range-bound area. If the price falls below $2, bears may take control, potentially pushing XRP down to $1.62 or even $1.3.

On the upside, if buyers can move the price above the 50-day SMA and hold it there, XRP could climb toward the resistance line at $2.6. However, sellers are likely to defend that level strongly, as a breakout above it could indicate a trend reversal.

The post XRP’s Consolidation Around $2 Could Trigger a Big Move: What’s Next for XRP? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
XRP has regained market attention following the recent slash in Ripple’s penalty by the SEC. This has led to a rise in open interest for XRP, despite the overall market’s bearish sentiment. Several on-chain indicators have turned positive, suggesting that the current consolidation phase may be approaching its conclusion. Analysts anticipate a potential rebound in …

Ethereum Fees Hit 5-Year Low: Can Ether Bulls Seize the Opportunity? 

Ethereum Hits Key Resistance Line Will Bulls Break Through or Face Rejection

The post Ethereum Fees Hit 5-Year Low: Can Ether Bulls Seize the Opportunity?  appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

  • The Ethereum network has gradually improved in the past few years to remain competitive via its L2.
  • ETH price has yet to invalidate the multi-week falling trend experienced in Q1.

The negotiations of the global trade wars have not spared the wider crypto market, amid an ongoing capital flight to the Gold market. The significant adoption of digital assets by institutional investors and nation-states has significantly complicated the 2024/2025 cryptocurrency bull cycle. 

On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell noted that markets will record continued volatility, amid ongoing decoupling between the United States and China.

Ethereum Network Ready for Bullish Sentiment 

According to market data from Santiment, Ethereum’s average network fees have dropped to a five-year low of about $0.168. Interestingly, the Ethereum network recorded earlier on Wednesday the cheapest daily cost of transactions since May 2, 2020.

The Ethereum network has experienced significant competition from other upcoming layer one (L1) blockchains led by Solana (SOL) in the past few years. However, the Ethereum core developers, led by Vitalik Buterin, have made significant network upgrades to ensure competitiveness ahead.

Since 2021, the Ethereum network has experienced a series of major upgrades, led by the London hard fork (EIP-1559), the Merge, the Dencun in 2024, and recently Pectra upgrade. As a result, the Ethereum network has become increasingly usable

Key Ether Price Targets to Monitor

After being trapped in a falling trend since early December 2024, Ethereum’s price has potentially hit the bottom, based on historical trends. According to crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen, Ether’s price, against the U.S. dollar, has been following a similar fractal pattern to the 2020/2021 bull cycle.

Market data from Santiment shows Ethereum price has established a robust support level about $1,528, where 2.61 million addresses accumulated over 4.82 million Ether. 

With the gradual recovery of Ethereum Open Futures (OI) amid notable decline in Ether YTD, a potential rebound towards $2.1k is more likely to happen.

The post Ethereum Fees Hit 5-Year Low: Can Ether Bulls Seize the Opportunity?  appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
The Ethereum network has gradually improved in the past few years to remain competitive via its L2. ETH price has yet to invalidate the multi-week falling trend experienced in Q1. The negotiations of the global trade wars have not spared the wider crypto market, amid an ongoing capital flight to the Gold market. The significant …

Gold Price Soars Past $3,340: When Will Bitcoin Price Catch Up?

Why Gold’s Rally Could Cause a Bitcoin Price Crash to $10K

The post Gold Price Soars Past $3,340: When Will Bitcoin Price Catch Up? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

  • Gold price has heavily benefited from capital flight as investors flee from volatile stock markets amid global trade wars.
  • Bitcoin price will gain bullish sentiment after gold hits rally top and cash rotation kickstarts.

The U.S. stock market recorded more forced liquidations on Wednesday amounting $1.5 trillion, after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that more volatility is likely ahead. With the trade war negotiations taking longer than anticipated, investors have been fleeing to the Gold markets to protect working capital. 

Moreover, inflation is anticipated to increase as investors show midterm fear amid the weakening U.S. dollar against major currencies.

Gold Market Blowout 

Gold price gathered more bullish momentum during the North American trading session on Wednesday as the trade negotiations rattled global stock markets.

In the past 24 hours, Gold price rallied over 3 percent to trade at about $3,337 at the time of this writing. Gold has continued with price discovery since its bullish breakout in October 2023, catalyzed by rising demand from global central banks led by China.

When Bitcoin?

Bitcoin has earned the title digital gold in the past decade, especially after emerging from the 2008 financial crisis and thriving through the Covid-19 crash. As Coinpedia reported, the Federal Reserve already views Bitcoin as digital gold and not as a competitor for the United States dollar. 

Consequently, the U.S. government under President Donald Trump is keen to tap into Bitcoin to reduce its huge debt burden.

From a technical standpoint, BTC price has in the past cycles experienced parabolic rallies every time that Gold price reached the peak of its rally. Based on historical trends, Gold price is expected to reach $3,500 in this cycle, or even higher depending on the trade war dynamics.

In the three month candlestick, gold price has reached the top after the Relative Strength Index hit a minimum of 93, whereby it currently hovers about 83.

The post Gold Price Soars Past $3,340: When Will Bitcoin Price Catch Up? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Gold price has heavily benefited from capital flight as investors flee from volatile stock markets amid global trade wars.

Dogecoin L2 Brewing: Timothy Stebbing Highlights Future Developments For DOGE

Dogecoin Price Today Is DOGE Ready for a Major Breakout

The post Dogecoin L2 Brewing: Timothy Stebbing Highlights Future Developments For DOGE appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

  • Dogecoin network has a vibrant global online community and introducing Dapps could stir up more growth.
  • Stebbing expects collaborative and open protocols for future Dogecoin Layer 2 projects.

Timothy Stebbing, a product lead at the Dogecoin Foundation, has highlighted how he thinks the meme lord should evolve in the future. In an X post, Stebbing opined that the age of Dogecoin (DOGE) layer 2 is at hand.

As a result, he has cautioned users to anticipate good and bad changes. Moreover, the introduction of layer two chains on the Dogecoin network will open up floodgates for scammers amongst legitimate businesses.

“The L2s will provide smart contracts, new mechanisms for payment, identity systems, tokenization of real-world assets.. an entire ecosystem, a new financial system will be born here,” Stebbing noted.

Stebbing highlighted that the L2 chains on the Dogecoin network work together and embrace competition through open protocols. 

“Build open protocols, collaborative and welcome.. then innovate and win via your points of difference, stand above the crowd on your merits, but lift others up with you,” Stebbings concluded.

Impact on Dogecoin Network

The meteorite growth of the Ethereum (ETH) network is heavily influenced by its layer two networks led by Base and Arbitrum. The introduction of Layer 2 chains on the Dogecoin network will be a huge game changer on the dog-themed memecoin.

Moreover, institutional investors will seamlessly tokenize real-world assets led by stablecoins, which will significantly improve the memecoin’s liquidity and utility.

The introduction of the L2 chains on the Dogecoin network may influence a shift towards the proof of stake (PoS) from its current proof of work (PoW) consensus method. Moreover, the Ether core developers have proved that the PoS is more cost-efficient and still secure for optimizing DeFi developments at scale.

The post Dogecoin L2 Brewing: Timothy Stebbing Highlights Future Developments For DOGE appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Dogecoin network has a vibrant global online community and introducing Dapps could stir up more growth. Stebbing expects collaborative and open protocols for future Dogecoin Layer 2 projects. Timothy Stebbing, a product lead at the Dogecoin Foundation, has highlighted how he thinks the meme lord should evolve in the future. In an X post, Stebbing …

Coinbase’s Base Network Allegedly Fueled a $16 Million Pump and Dump

Coinbase’s Layer 2 network, Base, is facing intense scrutiny after what appears to be a major pump and dump—one that it inadvertently helped fuel. The project’s official Twitter account publicly promoted a meme coin titled “Base is for everyone.” 

This triggered a speculative surge, driving the token’s market cap to an estimated $15 to $20 million within hours of launch. The token quickly plummeted near zero in mutes.

Did Base Just Help Fuel a Pump and Dump? 

Base’s tweet, which featured promotional imagery and direct links to the meme coin on Zora, created the perception of legitimacy. 

Traders piled in, and price charts reflected an explosive rally—followed by an equally sharp collapse. 

base is for everyone
The ‘Base Is For Everyone’ Post. Source: Base/X

Within one 4-hour trading window, a green candle representing millions in inflow was immediately reversed by a red candle of equal size, marking a total loss of liquidity and confirming a textbook pump and dump. 

The token’s value fell by more than 99%, and trading volumes on Uniswap surged past $13 million during the brief window of activity.

There is massive ongoing outrage against both Coinbase and Base. Crypto influencers have called the incident a failure of due diligence and communications strategy. 

Accusations of incompetence and poor risk oversight are spreading fast on social media, while memes mocking the network’s “Base is for everyone” slogan are everywhere.

Base is yet to provide an official response to the incident. 

The post Coinbase’s Base Network Allegedly Fueled a $16 Million Pump and Dump appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Panama City to Accept Crypto Payments, But Settled in US Dollar

Mayer Mizrachi, the mayor of Panama City, Panama, announced today that the city government will accept payments in crypto. It will accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, and two stablecoins for taxes, permits, fees, etc.

However, Mizrachi clarified that the municipal government has a legal requirement to accept these funds only in USD. It will exchange cryptoassets for cash with a partnered bank, presenting a severe limit to potential crypto adoption.

Is Panama City Accepting Crypto?

In the last few months, a tide of pro-crypto regulation has swept over many of the world’s jurisdictions. This obviously includes the United States at the federal and state levels, but many other countries are rising to the occasion.

Case in point, the mayor of Panama’s capital city just announced that the municipal government will accept payments in crypto.

“Panama City council has just voted in favor of becoming the first public institution of government to accept payments in crypto. Citizens will now be able to pay taxes, fees, tickets and permits entirely in crypto starting with BTC, ETH, USDC, USDT,” claimed Mayer Mizrachi, the mayor of Panama City.

Mizrachi went on to explain some previous efforts to accept crypto payments in Panama. Four years ago, a legislative initiative tried to enable crypto payments all over the country.

It got some traction but eventually stalled out in 2022. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled the bill “unenforceable.” Since then, it doesn’t seem like any other serious efforts have made progress.

Panama City’s municipal government is circumventing the legislature to accept crypto payments, but the strategy has significant drawbacks. Mizrachi explained that public institutions must receive funds in US dollars, and he couldn’t circumvent this requirement.

In other words, any crypto payments will actually go to a partnered bank. The bank will actually custody (or dispose of) these assets, while the city only holds USD. Mizrachi’s effort avoids a contentious legislative battle, but its actual impact might be severely limited.

Although Panama has its own currency, the balboa, the US dollar has more legal standing in a few different ways. It’s a legal tender; public institutions have to accept it, and the balboa is actually pegged to the dollar anyway.

This is a very similar situation to what made El Salvador accept Bitcoin as a currency, as it also had to use the US dollar as its sole currency.

Mizrachi explained that this short workaround will increase “the free flow of crypto” through Panama’s economy, but it may not be that simple. Depending on the agreement between the city government and partnered banks, it could just dump its cryptoassets on the international market.

If Panama wants to actually adopt cryptocurrency, it may need more sustainable measures integrated to the local economy.

The post Panama City to Accept Crypto Payments, But Settled in US Dollar appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Institutional Demand in Bitcoin ETF Is Making BTC Less Volatile

BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF is in the top 1% of performers in this category despite tariff chaos. Analysts theorize that the issuers are stabilizing Bitcoin’s volatility, and the ETF market will make BTC more secure in the future.

The issuers act as major whales, buying up any token dumps from retail investors. However, this new stability is entirely contingent on these powerful firms, which are exposed to broader macroeconomic concerns.

Are the ETFs Stabilizing Bitcoin?

The threat of Trump’s tariffs has brought chaos and uncertainty into global markets, but the price of Bitcoin has been relatively fine. Although it has fallen from its all-time high in January, its price shelf is still well above its performance before the November election.

According to one analyst, the ETFs may be providing Bitcoin with this extra stability:

“Bitcoin ETFs have eked out positive inflows past month and YTD and IBIT is +2.4 billion YTD (Top 1%). Impressivem and in my opinion, helps explain why BTC’s price has been relatively stable: its owners are more stable. ETF investors are much stronger hands than most think. This should increase stability and lower volatility and correlation long term,” claimed Eric Balchunas.

Since the Bitcoin ETFs first hit the market, they’ve totally transformed the crypto industry, but it’s been difficult to quantify that transformation.

However, this impending economic crisis has given analysts a useful chance to collect hard data from a stress test. Balchunas emphasized that ETF issuers had a powerful demand for BTC, which has powered some changes.

Over the last few months, US ETF issuers have been buying tremendous amounts of Bitcoin. Collectively, they surpassed Satoshi’s holdings in December and bought 20x as much BTC as the global mining output in January. Who met this apparent crisis in supply? Retail investors.

bitcoin etf inflow
Weekly Bitcoin ETF Inflow in 2025. Source: SoSoValue

Bitcoin is more integrated than ever into traditional finance, and that presents a few opportunities. For any number of reasons, retailers have been compelled to dump their tokens.

Normally, these actions could spook the markets, but ETF issuers (and Michael Saylor’s Strategy) have been willing to buy as much Bitcoin as possible.

In other words, these whales have done a lot to hold up confidence in the entire market. Ideally, ETF issuers will have a mostly positive impact on the sector, potentially curing Bitcoin’s infamous chronic volatility.

Unfortunately, this substantial change comes with serious practical drawbacks, even discounting fears of de-decentralization. Since the ETFs transformed the market like this, Bitcoin has been more entangled than ever with broader macroeconomic trends.

These trends, however, could force these big whales to sell. Can we afford to tie Bitcoin’s fate to these actors?

The ETF issuers have a high confidence in Bitcoin, which has kept its price steady throughout the tariff chaos. If they lose that confidence for any reason, it could cause a powerful demand crisis.

This investment trend has been a tremendous benefit to the crypto industry, but it’s important to keep an eye on the potential risks involved.

The post Institutional Demand in Bitcoin ETF Is Making BTC Less Volatile appeared first on BeInCrypto.