The Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin has witnessed a surge of over 100% in its 24-hour trading volume. This development has occurred thanks to recent developments in the Ripple ecosystem, which will ultimately boost the stablecoin’s adoption.
Ripple USD Stablecoin Volume Surges Over 100%, Here’s Why
CoinMarketCap data shows that the Ripple USD stablecoin volume has surged by 120% in the last 24 hours, indicating increased activity around the stablecoin. This development is a positive for the stablecoin, which launched in December last year but has already achieved a market cap of almost $300 million.
The recent surge in the RLUSD stablecoin’s volume is thanks to developments such as Ripple’s 1.25 billion acquisition of the prime broker Hidden Road.
Following the announcement of the acquisition, the crypto firm mentioned that the move would reinforce the stablecoin’s position as an “enterprise-grade USD-backed stablecoin with real utility” as the prime broker leveraged it as collateral across its prime brokerage products.
As such, the stablecoin is already enjoying wider adoption, although the Hidden Road deal is still subject to regulatory approval. Another reason the Ripple USD stablecoin’s volume has surged is due to the crypto firm’s integration of the stablecoin into its payment service.
As CoinGape reported, Ripple integrated its stablecoin with its cross-border payment service, setting up the stablecoin for more enterprise adoption. With Ripple’s payment service booming, especially with the SEC lawsuit, the stablecoin will continue to enjoy wider adoption,, and its trading volume will likely continue to surge in the foreseeable future.
The RLUSD stablecoin’s volume has also surged thanks to Kraken’s recent listing of the stablecoin. Earlier this month, the top crypto exchange announced that the stablecoin is now available for trading, with deposits and withdrawals enabled. Kraken’s listing further provides more utility for the stablecoin as traders move to trade several crypto assets in their RLUSD pair.
Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that the stablecoin’s surge undoubtedly provides a bullish outlook for XRP, as this surge indicates that more capital is flowing to the XRP Ledger (XRPL), which is also home to the altcoin.
Genius Group, a Singapore-based education and technology company, must sell its Bitcoin holdings following a US court order. The decision is part of its legal dispute that has blocked the company from raising funds, issuing shares, or making further Bitcoin purchases.
The Genius Group Lawsuit
In a major development, a United States court ruling has placed strict financial restrictions on Genius Group, preventing it from issuing shares or raising capital.
The firm’s announcement shows that the American District Court for the Southern District of New York approved a preliminary injunction halting its ability to generate revenue through stock sales.
The dispute was a precedent from a collapsed agreement between Genius Group and Fatbrain AI. Genius attempted to cancel a deal with Fatbrain AI, leading to fraud accusations from shareholders and an SEC investigation.
The legal dispute, as described by the firm, has now come with a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), blocking access to investor funds and forcing the company to start selling its Bitcoin holdings.
Reports indicate that Moe and Ritz were accused of orchestrating a scheme to extort millions from Genius Group by misusing legal processes, including the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and Preliminary Injunction (PI). On February 14, 2025, they filed for a TRO and PI to prevent Genius from selling any shares, raising funds, or utilizing its $150 million ATM funding, specifically blocking the purchase of Bitcoin.
As a result, the court placed a temporary restraining order on Genius Group, blocking access to investor funds and forcing the company to begin selling its Bitcoin holdings.
Unfortunately, Genius Group said its BTC reserves have dropped from 440 BTC to 430 BTC. If the legal battle continues, potential sales may follow. Since the ruling, Genius’ share price has dropped 53% from $0.47 to $0.22, and the Company’s market capitalization is currently 40% of the value of its Bitcoin Treasury.
Genius Group Bitcoin Pivot and Related Firms
Genius Group is one of the growing number of corporate institutions investing in Bitcoin. In November 2024, the Genius Group implemented a bold Bitcoin-first strategy, allocating Bitcoin as its treasury reserve asset.
Chief Executive Officer Roger James Hamilton has advocated for Bitcoin, positioning Genius Group as a Bitcoin-first company. The company adopted cryptocurrency as a financial strategy, borrowing MicroStrategy’s BTC playbook.
Earlier, it approved a $33 million rights offering to buy BTC. However, the court order may force it to change its approach to Bitcoin acquisition.
Firms like Strategy, Metaplanet, and Tesla have added Bitcoin to their balance sheets, seeing it as a hedge against inflation and economic uncertainty. Strategy has been more aggressive with its Bitcoin acquisition campaign. Recently, MicroStrategy acquired 22,048 BTC for $1.92 billion at an average price of $86,969 per Bitcoin.
Should Pro-Bitcoin Firms be Concerned?
Meanwhile, the legal case against Genius Group raises concerns for other companies holding Bitcoin.
While firms like MicroStrategy continue to accumulate Bitcoin, Genius Group’s case shows the legal risks involved. Many experts believe that as long as an organization adheres to the stipulated guidelines set by the authorities, there is nothing to fear regarding lawsuits.
While this may not have been the case with the previous administration, the current US SEC leadership has maintained a largely pro-crypto stance.
Bitcoin (BTC) enters May 2025 with renewed momentum, gaining over 14% in the past 30 days and trading just 6.3% below the key $100,000 mark. Behind the price action, Bitcoin’s apparent demand has turned positive for the first time since late February, signaling a shift in on-chain behavior.
However, fresh inflows—especially from US-based ETFs—remain subdued compared to 2024 levels, suggesting institutional conviction has yet to fully return. According to MEXC COO Tracy Jin, if current conditions hold, a summer rally toward $150,000 is plausible, with sentiment turning increasingly bullish.
Bitcoin Apparent Demand Turns Positive, But Fresh Inflows Still Lacking
Bitcoin’s apparent demand has shown clear signs of recovery recently, rising to 65,000 BTC over the past 30 days. This marks a sharp rebound from the trough on March 27, when apparent demand—defined as the net 30-day change in holdings across all investor cohorts—reached a deeply negative level of -311,000 BTC.
Apparent demand reflects the aggregated balance shifts across wallets and provides insight into whether capital is entering or exiting the Bitcoin network.
While the current demand level is still well below earlier peaks in 2024, a meaningful inflection point occurred on April 24: Bitcoin’s apparent demand turned positive and has remained positive for six consecutive days after nearly two months of sustained outflows.
Despite this improvement, broader demand momentum remains weak.
The continued lack of significant new inflows suggests that most of the recent accumulation may be driven by existing holders rather than fresh capital entering the market.
For Bitcoin to mount a sustainable rally, both apparent demand and demand momentum must show consistent and synchronized growth. Until that alignment occurs, the current stabilization may not support a strong or prolonged price breakout.
US Spot Bitcoin ETF Inflows Still Far Below 2024 Levels
Bitcoin purchases from U.S.-based ETFs have remained largely flat since late March, fluctuating between daily net flows of -5,000 to +3,000 BTC.
This activity level sharply contrasts with the strong inflows seen in late 2024, when daily purchases frequently exceeded 8,000 BTC and contributed to Bitcoin’s initial rally toward $100,000.
So far in 2025, BTC ETFs have collectively accumulated a net total of 28,000 BTC, well below the more than 200,000 BTC they had purchased by this point last year.
This decline shows a slowdown in institutional demand, which has historically been key in driving major price movements.
Bitcoin: Net Cumulative Inflows to US Spot ETFs by Year. Source: CryptoQuant.
There are early signs of a modest rebound, with ETF inflows beginning to tick higher recently. However, current levels remain insufficient to fuel a sustained uptrend.
ETF activity is often viewed as a proxy for institutional conviction, and a notable increase in purchases would likely signal renewed confidence in Bitcoin’s medium-term trajectory.
Until those inflows return in force, the broader market may struggle to generate the momentum needed for a prolonged rally.
Bitcoin Nears $100,000 as Momentum Builds Despite Macro Pressure
Bitcoin price has gained over 14% in the past 30 days, rebounding strongly after dipping below $75,000 in April.
This renewed momentum comes as BTC shows relative resilience amid broader macroeconomic volatility and policy-driven pressures, including Trump’s tariff measures that have weighed on risk assets.
While the entire crypto market has felt the impact, Bitcoin appears to be detaching slightly, showing less sensitivity to these external shocks than other digital assets.
BTC now sits just 6.3% below the $100,000 mark and remains under 17% from a potential move toward $110,000. According to Tracy Jin, COO of MEXC, sentiment is turning positive again:
“Beyond immediate price action, the growing institutional appetite and shrinking supply mechanisms against the macroeconomic uncertainty backdrop point to a structural shift in Bitcoin’s role within the global financial market. BTC is used to hedging against inflation and the fiat-based financial model. Its liquidity, scalability, programmability, and global accessibility offer a reliable modern alternative to traditional financial instruments for many corporations,” Jin said.
According to Jin, a summer rally towards $150,000 is plausible. She stressed that the $95,000 range will likely become a launch point for the brewing decisive breakout above $100,000 in the coming days.
” Should global trade tensions stabilize further and institutional accumulation continues, a summer rally towards $150,000 is plausible, potentially extending towards $200,000 by 2026. Overall, the external background remains favorable for the continuation of the upward movement, especially given the growth of stock indices on Friday, which could support Bitcoin over the weekend.”
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell gave his first speech after the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to keep interest rates unchanged. Considering the current economic outlook, the Fed Chair noted that its policies are strong for now. Powell noted that the Fed will continue to watch inflation gauges for changes as part of its measures to maintain economic stability and stem inflation.
Jerome Powell Speech: Quantitative Easing Begins
As reported earlier by CoinGape, the Fed maintained interest rates at 4.5%. Powell stated in his speech that the inflation outlook is transitory with the Donald Trump-induced tariff in North America.
Speaking on the inflationary trend, the Fed Chair referenced measures from the Bank of Canada to prevent the bloated surge in the price of goods owing to the tariff war. He said the US measures to tighten or loosen gauges to prevent inflation challenge the FOMC. However, he noted that the United States is not at the level where it will be concerned about the longer-term impact of the trade war.
Ahead of the March FOMC Meeting, the forecast to keep interest rates unchanged was resounding. However, speculations trailed the broader Quantitative Easing (QE) outlook. In line with this, the Federal Reserve Chairman has provided definitive guidance.
“The Committee will slow the pace of decline of its securities holdings by reducing the monthly redemption cap on Treasury securities from $25 billion to $5 billion,” outlining its measures to begin QE.
Jerome Powell said this year that the Fed will adapt based on the market outlook.
Tariff War and Economic Expectation
While the Trump administration has masked the market with tariff concerns, Jerome Powell said in his speech that this trend is partly to blame for the current inflation level.
However, he hinted that the tariff war does not influence all economic activity. He cited the service sector as insulated from this trade war. When asked about his take on Americans who are displeased with the inflation outlook, the Fed Chair said this displeasure is understandable since they are at the price level.
As part of the speech, the Chairman hinted at a possible 2-time interest rate cuts before the end of this year.
Market Reaction to Fed Chair Speech
The market’s volatility recently flipped bullish, drawing on broader economic indices. While keeping interest rates unchanged might help stabilize prices in the short term, lingering uncertainty remains a key headwind in the market.
As of writing, data from CoinMarketCap pegs the price of Bitcoin at $85,516.99, up by 4.30% in 24 hours. Altcoins like Ethereum, XRP, and Solana (SOL) also rallied by 7.61%, 11.85% and 7.11% within the same period.
Beyond the Fed Chair speech, the US SEC’s dismissal of the Ripple lawsuit created a short-term tailwind for the crypto market.
