FTX has taken legal action against two token issuers in a valiant attempt to recover its assets. The embattled exchange says it will begin lawsuits against entities in possession of its assets that refuse to cooperate in a last-ditch attempt to fulfill bankruptcy obligations.
FTX Rolls Out Full Legal Armada Against Token Issuers
According to a press release, FTX says it has opened lawsuits against token issuers with its assets that have avoided negotiations. Per the release, FTX’s latest legal case targets NFT Stars Limited and KUROSEMI for failing to engage with FTX to resolve the issue.
FTX says the decision to head to the courts is a last-ditch effort to bring unresponsive token issuers to the negotiation table. The exchange claims that the duo of NFT Stars Limited and KUROSEMI owes the bankrupt exchange contractually entitled tokens.
Per the statement, the exchange notes that previous attempts to seek an amicable resolution with the duo have gone unanswered.
“Our team continues to work tirelessly to maximize recoveries for the FTX Estate and return funds to creditors including by filing two complaints against issuers who have repeatedly ignored our attempts to engage,” said FTX.
FTX is racing to recover its assets to fulfill its obligations to creditors after its implosion in 2022. After its bankruptcy filing, the exchange uncovered a trail of misappropriation with a sizable amount of its assets helped by third-party token issuers.
To fulfill its obligations, FTX unlocked $21M SOL as part of its creditor repayment plans, but the troubled exchange faces an uphill climb.
Beleaguered Exchange Issues Warning To Issuers
In the press release, FTX notes that it will not be resting on its laurels after commencing legal action against KUROSEMI and NFT Stars Limited. The firm says it will double its efforts to recover its assets, urging entities to respond to correspondence on the matter.
“We urge token and coin issuers to return assets that rightfully belong to FTX, and are willing to initiate litigation barring adequate engagement,” read the press release.
FTX is receiving legal representation from Sullivan & Cromwell, while Alvarez & Marsal North America is serving as financial advisor. In other news, sport apparel brand Nike is the subject of a $5M lawsuit alleging a rugpull, following its closure of NFT marketplace RTFKT.
Despite the heightened activity, the FTX token continues its steep descent, losing nearly 3% over the last day. Bitcoin price climbing above $95K failed to trigger a similar rally for FTT as bankruptcy proceedings reach a fervent pitch.
Solana has emerged as a powerful presence in the crypto industry. Since its inception in 2020, the network has dominated the market, demonstrating remarkable levels of user engagement and practical utility, particularly in decentralized finance (DeFi). Many in the industry view it as the next natural contender to receive an ETF approval in the United States.
However, others are more cautious in their evaluations. BeInCrypto spoke with representatives from Gravity, Variant, and OKX to understand the areas where Solana is still lacking. Industry leaders referred to centralization, network reliability, and excessive regulation as points of contention for Solana’s ETF approval.
Bitcoin and Ethereum’s Precedent
The availability of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for prominent cryptocurrencies has grown over the past year. These funds offer investors diversified investment opportunities and act as a bridge between traditional finance and the increasingly mainstream cryptocurrency market.
Meanwhile, the deadline for some filings, including Grayscale’s, was extended until October. Nonetheless, posts on X and some analytical reports suggest yesterday’s deadline as a date of interest for an initial or consolidated SEC response to several applications.
2025 Predictions and Market Expectations
The tentative approval of a Solana ETF has generated much debate across social media platforms. ETF President Nate Geraci formally predicted that 2025 would be the year of crypto ETFs and that Solana would receive its approval this year.
Per previous reports, former Trump White House Secretary Anthony Scaramucci expressed that, with a Trump reelection, Solana ETFs could gain approval during Q1 of 2025. According to his predictions, Solana would receive the SEC’s green light during the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, the prediction market Polymarket estimates an 82% chance that a Solana ETF will get approved in 2025.
According to a Polymarket poll, Solana has an 82% chance of getting an ETF approval in 2025. Source: Polymarket
Several factors make an imminent Solana ETF approval seem plausible. Less than five years after the network launched, Solana quickly became a major player in the crypto industry, attracting users for its high transaction speeds and low gas fees.
“From a network perspective, Solana’s performance has been remarkable, now driving nearly 50% of all global DEX volume– a dominance that fundamentally reshapes the DeFi landscape. The blockchain is not just handling unprecedented transaction volumes… it’s transforming our understanding of blockchain scalability at scale,” Lennix Lai, Global Chief Commercial Officer at OKX told BeInCrypto.
Solana has established itself as a dynamic force in the crypto industry following a successful 2024.
A Messari report detailed particular growth in Solana’s final quarter across DeFi, liquid staking, NFTs, and institutional involvement. The total value locked (TVL) in Solana’s DeFi sector increased substantially, growing by 64% to $8.6 billion, which placed it behind Ethereum as the second-largest network based on TVL.
Solana’s positive performance, coupled with Donald Trump’s reelection to the US presidency, further amplified the crypto industry’s optimism over an ETF approval.
However, some industry experts have expressed more tempered expectations.
Experts Offer Tempered Expectations
A few days before Trump assumed the presidency, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart said Solana ETFs may not be launched in the US until 2026. He cited the SEC’s precedent of taking a lot of time to review filings as the cause for delay.
In another post, Bloomberg Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said that ETF approvals for other cryptocurrencies were more likely to occur before Solana.
“We expect a wave of cryptocurrency ETFs next year, albeit not all at once. First out is likely the BTC + ETH combo ETFs, then prob Litecoin (bc its fork of btc = commodity), then HBAR (bc not labeled security) and then XRP/Solana (which have been labeled securities in pending lawsuits),” Balchunas said.
Balchunas further explained that complex legal issues around Solana, relating to its status as a security, need to be resolved before it can gain ETF approval. Consequently, he deemed the approval of Litecoin or Hedera ETFs more likely.
Uncertainty over whether Solana classifies as a security is a major driver fueling doubts over its ETF approval.
Security Classification Concerns
Martins Benkitis, co-founder and CEO of Gravity, explained that Solana’s regulatory classification complicates its path to approval.
“It’s no secret there’s currently a lack of precedent for Layer-1 blockchains beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum in the ETF space, this suggests cautious optimism but with higher regulatory hurdles. Bitcoin, being a commodity in the SEC’s eyes, and Ethereum’s gradual transition to PoS had different legal considerations. Solana, on the other hand, faces concerns over potential classification as a security due to its token distribution and foundation’s involvement,” Benkitis told BeInCrypto.
The SEC identified Solana as a security in lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase over the past two years, although these lawsuits have since been dropped. The SEC argued that these tokens could be considered investment contracts under the Howey Test.
While some interpreted the SEC’s lawsuit withdrawal as a softening stance on Solana’s security classification, others quickly challenged this assumption.
“There is no reason to think [the] SEC has decided SOL is a non-security. That they don’t want to do discovery on a dozen tokens in the Binance case appears to be a litigation tactic, not a change in policy,” said Jake Chervinsky, Chief Legal Officer at Variant, following the Binance lawsuit withdrawal in July 2024.
Others believe that a pro-crypto administration should be enough to influence the SEC to consider Solana as a non-security. Lai disagrees.
“The changing political landscape, particularly with Trump’s victory and pro-crypto stance, could create a more constructive environment for innovative blockchain platforms like Solana. However, the technical and market structure considerations will remain crucial regardless of administration changes,” he said.
In the meantime, there are several other requirements Solana must meet.
On his part, Lai added other aspects to the list of considerations.
“While Polymarket shows high odds for 2025 approval, several critical factors suggest a more complex pathway: Solana’s technological architecture presents unique challenges with its PoS mechanism; The absence of CME futures raises liquidity and risk management concerns; Historical network downtime incidents need addressing; Centralization questions relative to BTC and ETH remain unresolved; Institutional interest hasn’t matched BTC and ETH levels despite the network driving 48% of global DEX volume; [and] the temporary nature of trending themes suggests caution in using current volumes as primary indicators,” Lai told BeInCrypto.
Concerns about centralization and scalability have long been discussed regarding Solana, even outside of discussions over an ETF approval.
Since 2021, Solana has suffered over a dozen network outages varying in severity. These outages have jeopardized the network’s reputation as stable and reliable– two strongly considered characteristics during the ETF approval process.
“From a market making standpoint, network reliability is crucial as any downtime or congestion can significantly impact trading operations and order execution,” Benkitis affirmed.
However, Solana has successfully curbed the number of outages it has experienced. Once notorious for the frequency of its shutdowns, the last time Solana experienced one was in February 2024.
Meanwhile, developers designed Solana’s upcoming Firedancer validator client to improve network stability and transaction processing. Its distinct codebase offers greater resilience against widespread outages and will enhance Solana’s performance.
Yet, Solana must also mitigate centralization concerns to improve its chances of obtaining ETF approval.
Centralization Concerns
Solana’s validator node requirements, which demand significant hardware investments, can create barriers to entry. These obstacles can potentially concentrate power within the network among those capable of affording the necessary infrastructure.
In turn, the protocol’s limited number of validators compared to other networks raises concerns over centralization. For context, while Solana currently has around 2,000 active validators, Ethereum passed the one million benchmark last year—the largest number recorded by any blockchain network.
Though Solana’s hardware reliance speeds up the network, it also raises decentralization concerns. Benkitis factored this aspect into his evaluation of an ETF approval.
Its currently underdeveloped futures market infrastructure further complicates Solana’s viability as an ETF candidate.
Its filings were unprecedented because the network did not have a previously established futures market. This factor was crucial in determining an ETF approval for Bitcoin and Ethereum.
“The lack of CME futures and institutional frameworks comparable to BTC/ETH could influence [the SEC’s] evaluation,” Lai said.
He added that the proliferation of meme tokens minted on Solana could present themselves as a potential roadblock.
“Market reactions reflect Solana’s emergence as the primary driver of this cycle, with DEX volumes exceeding $100 billion and dominating major aggregators. However, I believe the temporary nature of trending themes suggests continued volatility. While technological advancement and growing institutional adoption may provide stronger foundations, we need to maintain perspective on the cyclical nature of crypto trends,” Lai said.
This more recent development in Solana’s attraction also brings its set of downsides.
Meme Coin Influence and Regulatory Concerns
The expanding meme coin market on Solana partially explains its popularity. Platforms like Pump.fun allow anyone to launch their tokens, and this design has even led to celebrities launching their tokens on the platform.
More recently, political figures like Donald Trump and Argentine president Javier Milei have also launched meme tokens on Solana platforms. Yet, these activities have proven to be high-risk. In many cases, meme coin investments have caused smaller retailers millions of dollars in losses.
Benkitis said that the SEC might frown upon the speculative nature of these trading activities.
“While an ETF approval could unlock liquidity opportunities, the market’s heavy dependence on speculative sentiment calls for a measured and cautious approach,” he said.
With so many considerations, approving a Solana ETF in 2025 is far from guaranteed. The SEC’s eventual decision will be a defining moment for the network and the broader crypto industry.
After teasing below $79k earlier this week, Bitcoin (BTC) price has attempted to regain bullish sentiment. The flagship coin surged 3 percent in the last 24 hours to trade at about $84,233 on Saturday, March 15, 2025. As a result of the mild rebound, more than $71 million was liquidated from the leveraged Bitcoin market, mostly involving short traders.
Top Reasons Why Bitcoin Price Gained Today
Encouraging Inflation Data
In the past two days, major U.S. stock indexes led by the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq recorded mild recovery following an encouraging inflation update. Earlier this week, the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that overall prices rose less for consumers last month than expected despite the ongoing tariff wars triggered by President Donald Trump.
The mild gains in major stock indexes trickled down to the wider crypto assets, led by Bitcoin.
Cooled Leveraged Market
The cryptocurrency market experienced a rather calmer period in the past two days after a notable forced liquidation earlier this week. The heavy liquidation of long traders, which previously triggered a long squeeze, has created an atmosphere that allows mild crypto recovery, led by Bitcoin.
Moreover, the total Bitcoin futures Open Interest (OI) surged by over 5 percent in the last 24 hours to hover about $49 billion.
Gold Price Surge
For the first time in the history of humanity, gold price surged close to $3k per ounce earlier this week. With Bitcoin price perceived as digital gold by nation-states led by the United States, a mild recovery was imminent, and likely to continue in the coming days.
What Next?
After a nearly 30 percent correction since the second inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump
Donald Trump Donald Trump is an American former president politician, businessman, and media personality, who served as the 45th president of the U.S. between 2017 to 2021. Trump earned a Bachelor of science in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. Trump won the 2016 presidential election as the Republican Party nominee against Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton while losing the popular vote. As president, Trump ordered a travel ban on citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, diverted military funding toward building a wall on the U.S.–Mexico border, and implemented a family separation policy. Trump has remained a prominent figure in the Republican Party and is considered a likely candidate for the 2024 presidential election
President
Bitcoin price is possibly approaching the bottom of the multi-week correction phase. The highly anticipated implementation of the U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve has rejuvenated bullish sentiment for a parabolic rally beyond $108k in the near future.
However, Bitcoin demand from whale investors remains low compared to last year. The U.S. spot BTC ETFs have now recorded five consecutive weeks of cash outflows. The overall supply of Bitcoin on centralized exchanges has not been dropping in the past few weeks, signaling low demand from whale investors.
FAQs
Bitcoin Price Prediction For March 15
According to the Bitcoin price analysis done by our expert panel, Bitcoin price today could go as high as $85,000
How high can Bitcoin go in 2025?
As per Coinpedia’s BTC price prediction, 1 BTC could peak at $169,046 this year if the bullish sentiment sustains.
The post Why Bitcoin Is Going Up Today: Will BTC Continue Its Bullish Rebound? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
After teasing below $79k earlier this week, Bitcoin (BTC) price has attempted to regain bullish sentiment. The flagship coin surged 3 percent in the last 24 hours to trade at about $84,233 on Saturday, March 15, 2025. As a result of the mild rebound, more than $71 million was liquidated from the leveraged Bitcoin market, …
Ethereum has recorded spot inflows for the first time in 10 days. This signals a resurgence in investor confidence ahead of the highly anticipated White House Crypto Summit scheduled for March 7.
At press time, ETH trades at $2,290, noting a 4% price hike in the past 24 hours. With growing bullish pressure in the broader market ahead of the meeting, the altcoin might extend its gains in the short term.
ETH Sees $20 Million Spot Inflows After 10-Day Outflow Streak
According to Coinglass, ETH’s spot inflows totaled $20 million on Thursday. This comes after the leading altcoin witnessed 10 consecutive days of fund outflows from its spot markets, exceeding $600 million.
When an asset that previously recorded significant outflows begins to record inflows, it indicates a shift in investor sentiment. It means that renewed buying interest is replacing prior selling pressure. ETH’s spot inflows indicate a rise in demand for the asset, as buyers are willing to acquire it at the current market price, positioning it for further upside.
In addition, Ethereum’s open interest is also climbing, indicating a surge in trading activity. At press time, this is at $20 billion, increasing by 4% over the past 24 hours.
An asset’s open interest measures the total number of outstanding derivative contracts, such as futures or options, that have not been settled. ETH’s rising open interest reflects increased market participation and capital inflows into its futures market, reinforcing the current bullish trend.
Ethereum Eyes $2,361 as Indicator Confirms Growing Buying Pressure
On the daily chart, readings from ETH’s Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) reflect the growing demand for the coin ahead of Friday’s Crypto Summit. As of this writing, the coin’s MACD line (blue) is poised to climb above the signal line (orange).
When this momentum indicator is set up this way, it suggests a potential bullish crossover as upward momentum strengthens. This is seen as a buy signal, increasing the possibility of further price rallies. If ETH’s demand grows, its price could reach $2,361.
