In a landmark deal poised to shake up the cryptocurrency landscape, Sequoia Capital stands to reap significant rewards from Stripe’s recent $1.1 billion acquisition of the stablecoin platform, Bridge. The venture capital giant, which holds a 16% stake in Bridge, could net around $100 million from this monumental transaction, highlighting the shifting dynamics of venture capital investments in the crypto space.
According to a report by Bloomberg on October 29, Sequoia’s initial investment of $19 million during Bridge’s Series A funding round, which took place within the last year, has paid off handsomely. This lucrative exit reflects a growing trend where venture capital firms are quickly capitalizing on their stakes in high-potential crypto startups, despite a broader downturn in venture funding since the cryptocurrency market’s peak in 2022.
The Ripple Effect On Other VC Firms
Sequoia is not alone in celebrating this acquisition windfall. Other notable venture capital firms, including Ribbit Capital, Haun Ventures, Index Ventures, and Bedrock Fund Management, are also positioned to gain substantial returns from their investments in Bridge. Ribbit Capital, which holds approximately 10% of Bridge, stands to benefit from a valuation of around $100 million. Bedrock and Index Ventures each own about 6%, while Haun Ventures controls a 4% stake.
These rapid returns come at a time when venture capital funding has faced significant headwinds, with investments and deal counts declining sharply from their 2022 highs. As a result, the swift nature of these gains is particularly notable in the currently cooling crypto market.
Bridge – The Crypto Answer to Stripe
Founded in 2022 by former Coinbase executives Zach Abrams and Sean Yu, Bridge has rapidly emerged as a formidable player in the stablecoin space, providing businesses with access to a seamless payments network. Often referred to as the “crypto industry’s answer to Stripe,” Bridge aims to disrupt traditional credit card companies and global payment networks like SWIFT by offering efficient and cost-effective payment solutions using stablecoins.
The acquisition of Bridge by Stripe is among the largest transactions in the cryptocurrency sector, signifying a major endorsement of stablecoin technology. Stripe’s interest in Bridge was fueled by the platform’s impressive growth trajectory, achieving a $14 million run rate that continues to climb.
What’s Next for Stripe and Bridge?
Although the acquisition deal was finalized on October 20, it is still pending regulatory approval and is expected to close in the coming months. Stripe co-founder John Collison previously indicated that the firm would embrace stablecoins by the summer, positioning this acquisition as a strategic move to enhance its service offerings in the digital payments landscape.
As the dust settles from this groundbreaking acquisition, the implications for both Stripe and the broader crypto ecosystem are profound. For Sequoia Capital and its VC counterparts, this deal serves as a testament to the enduring potential of well-placed investments in the fast-evolving world of cryptocurrency.
As traditional financial institutions increasingly recognize the value of stablecoin technology, the acquisition of Bridge by Stripe exemplifies the intersection of venture capital and innovation in the crypto space. With significant returns on the horizon for early investors, this deal not only underscores the resilience of venture capital in a challenging market but also sets the stage for a new era of payments that could redefine how businesses transact globally. As we watch this story unfold, one thing is clear: the future of finance may very well be anchored in the world of stablecoins.
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.
The total crypto market cap (TOTAL) has recovered slightly as Bitcoin (BTC) helped the altcoins pull up as well. Ondo (ONDO) emerged as the leader of the crypto tokens, rising by 23% in the last 24 hours.
In the news today:-
CFTC acting chair Caroline Pham revealed that the CFTC and SEC are in talks for further collaboration on digital asset regulation. Both agencies aim to enhance their joint efforts for the benefit of the public and the market.
Bitwise has filed to create an Aptos ETF, leveraging the recent Delaware Trust application. Despite the SEC’s high volume of ETF applications, the filings have sparked bullish momentum for Aptos.
The Crypto Market Moves Up
The total crypto market cap surged by $127 billion over the last 24 hours, reaching $2.95 trillion. This brings it closer to the key resistance level of $3.00 trillion. The rise in market cap signals positive sentiment, depending on broader market cues.
The recent decline in volatility has helped cool the market, allowing for a period of consolidation. This reduced volatility provides the crypto market with room to grow. If TOTAL manages to break through the $3.00 trillion resistance and convert it into support, further upward movement toward $3.09 trillion is possible.
Total Crypto Market Cap Analysis. Source: TradingView
However, should the crypto market cap fail to breach the $3.00 trillion mark, it may struggle to gain traction. Falling through the support at $2.93 trillion could lead to a correction, erasing some of the recent gains.
Bitcoin Is Close To Claiming Key Support
Bitcoin is currently trading at $91,717, just under the key resistance level of $92,005. The altcoin is attempting to continue its uptrend, with the next major hurdle at $93,625. If it successfully breaches this level, Bitcoin could experience significant gains, attracting further investor interest in the short term.
The price of Bitcoin is poised for a potential rise, depending on investor behavior. If the selling pressure remains low after $92,005 is surpassed, Bitcoin could breach $93,625 and flip it into support. This would provide strong momentum, pushing the price further towards $95,761 and boosting market sentiment.
However, the bullish outlook could be invalidated if Bitcoin fails to maintain its momentum. A lack of buying pressure could lead to a decline below the support at $89,800, which could trigger a further drop to $87,041.
Ondo Jumps Massively
ONDO price has surged by 24% in the last 24 hours, trading at $1.19 after breaching the key resistance of $1.10. With strong buying pressure, the altcoin is now targeting the next major resistance level at $1.27, signaling a potential continuation of the upward momentum in the short term.
To continue its uptrend, ONDO will need strong inflows. If the altcoin successfully flips $1.27 into support, it could see further growth, reaching the $1.48 target. This upward momentum is contingent on sustained investor interest and the ability to maintain support levels for continued price action.
However, sharp selling could reverse the positive trend. If ONDO loses the support of $1.10, it could face a decline, testing lower support levels like $0.96. This potential drop would invalidate the bullish thesis, erasing recent gains and jeopardizing the altcoin’s recovery.
