Meanwhile, Musk’s support for crypto isn’t new. The CEO has been a vocal supporter of Dogecoin (DOGE), with his posts often causing price rallies for the meme coin.
Bitcoin (BTC) finally printed $100,000 on major exchanges for the first time since February, before retreating slightly as profit‑taking set in.
The breakout gathered pace as the Federal Reserve’s interest rates remained stable, and President Trump announced positive developments in the tariff deals with multiple countries.
Donald Trump Signs a Trade Deal With the UK
Today, Trump announced the first deal since his administration’s sweeping tariff program began last month. The US president said that his government reached an agreement with the UK, and several other deals are in the final stages.
The agreement with the United Kingdom is a full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come. Because of our long time history and allegiance together, it is a great honor to have the United…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 8, 2025
A Reuters report indicates the agreement will reduce US‑UK duties on steel and autos, easing supply‑chain inflation fears that have dogged risk assets since the tariff shock.
Risk‑on sentiment spilled into crypto, with more than $492 million in short positions liquidated across derivatives venues in the past 24 hours, according to CoinGlass data.
Traders now eye $105,000 as the next resistance. Should Trump’s deal materialize without surprises, bulls argue the path to $120,000 could open quickly
Bitcoin, the pioneering cryptocurrency, has reshaped how people worldwide perceive finance and money. However, as technology advances and external factors evolve, Bitcoin faces structural challenges that could impact its future existence and growth.
A recent discussion among industry leaders highlighted major risks that could pose a black swan event for Bitcoin’s future.
What Is the Biggest Threat to Bitcoin?
Lyn Alden, founder of Lyn Alden Investment, recently asked, “What is the biggest structural risk to Bitcoin in the next 5-10 years?” This question sparked significant attention and responses from investors, experts, and industry leaders, shedding light on pressing concerns.
One of the most frequently mentioned risks is the threat posed by quantum computing. Nic Carter, general partner at Castle Island Ventures, responded concisely: “Quantum.” His answer received widespread agreement.
“I increasingly agree. That was the catalyst for my thread/question, tbh,” Lyn Alden replied to Nic Carter.
Future quantum computers could break the encryption algorithms securing Bitcoin, such as the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), which safeguards Bitcoin wallets. If a sufficiently powerful quantum computer emerges, it could forge digital signatures, allowing attackers to steal Bitcoin from any wallet with an exposed public key.
According to research by River, a quantum computer with 1 million qubits could crack a Bitcoin address. Microsoft has claimed that its new chip, named Majorana, is paving the way toward this milestone. This raises an urgent question: how much time does Bitcoin have before it must become quantum-resistant?
While the quantum computing threat is apparent, some argue that a more immediate challenge is whether the Bitcoin community can reach a consensus and implement quantum-resistant solutions in time.
“That’d be not coming to a consensus fast enough on the implementation of a quantum-resistant hashing algorithm,” Stillbigjosh, a former cybersecurity expert at Flutterwave, commented.
However, the founder of BlockTower, Ari Paul, pointed out that Bitcoin’s network faces a more immediate risk as attack costs have dropped significantly.
“Someone shorting 10%+ of BTC’s market cap then spending ~1/10th that to gain 51% control of hash power and mining empty blocks indefinitely, effectively turning off the network. Could fork the PoW algo, but just means the attack on the new network now costs <1/1000th the previous one,” Ari Paul noted.
The Risk of Conflict Between Bitcoin’s Decentralized Nature and Regulatory Oversight
Beyond technical challenges, some investors fear that government and institutional involvement will be Bitcoin’s biggest risk in the next 5-10 years.
“Government and institutional involvement changing the incentives of everything,” Investor Shinobi commented.
Bitcoin Holdings by Governments, Corporations, and Financial Institutions. Source: BitcoinTreasuries
Data from BitcoinTreasuries shows that over the past five years, Bitcoin holdings by private companies, public companies, governments, and ETFs have surged more than 12 times, from 210,000 BTC to over 2.6 million BTC. As a result, regulatory intervention could introduce legal pressures or unwanted changes to Bitcoin’s fundamental operations.
“The biggest structural risk is the friction between Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos and the increasing push for centralized regulatory oversight. In essence, as governments and large institutions tighten control and enforce compliance, the network might be forced to compromise on its core principle,” Investor MisterSpread warned.
The discussion sparked by Lyn Alden’s question suggests risks that could trigger black swan events for Bitcoin. It also reflects the growing awareness among industry leaders and investors about Bitcoin’s systemic risks in an era increasingly shaped by political stability and artificial intelligence.
Ethereum (ETH) faces a critical inflection point with two powerful catalysts converging on Wednesday, May 7.
Traders are split on whether the “perfect storm” could spark a breakout or deepen recent price volatility amid mixed macro signals and waning confidence in Ethereum’s narrative.
Ethereum Faces Volatile Crossroads: Pectra Upgrade and FOMC Converge
The long-awaited Ethereum Pectra upgrade is only hours out. It is expected to introduce key enhancements such as EIP-7702 and a 2,048 ETH staking cap, improving Ethereum’s usability and efficiency.
Combined with Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s potentially dovish tone, some believe this week could ignite a powerful rally in ETH and altcoins.
“May 7th Ethereum Pectra upgrade. May 7th FOMC. Micro caps already surging. If the Crypto Lords are on our side, mother of all breakouts could happen—especially on altcoins,” said CryptoSkull on X (Twitter).
Others echoed the sentiment, albeit with caution, cognizant of the volatility of the crypto market.
“FOMC week and ETH Pectra update? Time to keep our eyes peeled. Bullish vibes are great, but let us not forget the market’s mood swings. Feds might just throw us a curveball,” another user warned.
Meanwhile, another cohort sees the collision between Pectra Upgrade and the FOMC meeting as a high-stakes convergence. Specifically, the convergence of the two events will likely trigger a reaction in the Ethereum price.
Ethereum Community Borders Along Hope, Hype, and Hard Lessons
Still, not all see the Pectra upgrade as an immediate price catalyst. Maria Magenes, VP of Strategy at Hype Partners and former Balancer and MakerDAO marketing lead, tempered expectations.
“Even if I’ve joked about my hope for a price bump, that’s not the real point of why this is exciting… Network upgrades don’t imply price bumps… These aren’t cosmetic changes…They ensure Ethereum remains the most composable, decentralized, and reliable network in the ecosystem,” she explained.
Ethereum price action against event-specific volatility. Source: Maria on X
Meanwhile, others shared a nuanced take, calling Pectra a legit volatility trigger. Beyond the technical upgrade, however, Ethereum is also contending with a broader narrative crisis.
Nevertheless, the May 7 FOMC decision adds significant uncertainty. While most analysts expect the Fed to hold rates steady, traders remain wary of Powell’s tone. A hawkish stance could derail risk-on momentum.
“We’re still seeing the risk-off mentality going into the Fed meeting…Bitcoin build-up is good…expecting ETH to turn upwards after Wednesday,” analyst Michaël van de Poppe wrote.
May 7 could shape Ethereum’s near-term fate, with the second-largest crypto by market capitalization metrics caught between protocol progress and macro peril.
On Wednesday, whether Pectra powers a rally or is drowned out by macroeconomic headwinds will be determined.
