In a recent interview with CNBC, Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Austan Goolsbee shared his position on the possibility of a FED interest rate cut in 2025. Goolsbee states that the Fed may lower the rates in the next 10-16 months, albeit with a cautious approach due to trade policy unpredictability. Austan Goolsbee Shares His Timeline for an Interest Rate Cut Federal Reserve Bank official Austin Goolsbee posited that the Fed will probably keep interest rates steady for now, carefully evaluating the effects of evolving trade policies on the economy. Goolsbee emphasized that the unusually high EU tariffs could disrupt supply chains. However, as the economy remains strong, rate cuts could be possible if tariff-related uncertainties do not trigger inflation, added the Fed President. Forecasting future FED interest rate decisions, he stated, “I’m still underneath hopeful that we can get back to that environment, and 10 to 16 months from… Read More at Coingape.com
Solana is pulling back into key support levels, as the selling volume is causing the price to head towards the crucial support close to $140. The SOL price action shows a correction following a rejected top and may now be approaching the base of the prior demand. The drop below $151 support, which is a pivotal one, has led to a drop below $150, which could lead to a deeper retracement toward the $141 to $145 zone.
The market sentiment around Solana is shifting as the big dormant coins are on the move. As per the data from Glassnode, the platform witnessed its 3rd biggest Coin Days Destroyed or CDD, which is a metric that tracks the movement of coins based on how long they have remained dormant. A massive spike of nearly 3.55B CDD, which suggests either profit taking or repositioning.
Secondly, another on-chain data point suggests a massive efflux is the inflows and outflows of the bridged cryptos. These are the cryptos that are transferred from one blockchain to another, and hence the data suggests that the investors are moving out of Solana. As per the data from Artemis, Solana is the top chain that faced huge outflows.
The above chart shows a huge outflow from the Solana blockchain, while Ethereum experiences a massive influx of nearly $7.5 million compared to over $10 million in outflows. This suggests a probable liquidity flow between these top two blockchains, while the race for supremacy between them has gained huge attention in recent times.
What’s Next for the Solana (SOL) Price—Will It Drop Below $140 or Rebound to $160?
Ever since the SOL price marked the highs close to $300, it has been trading within a steep descending trend. The rebound from the yearly lows indicated a rise above the bearish influence, but the current price action suggests a deeper correction could be possible. The price has been marking huge losses since the start of the month, which could drag the levels close to the pivotal support levels, probably below $140.
The weekly chart of the SOL price suggests the token is undergoing a recovery, but it is stuck within a cup & handle pattern. The token is heading towards the crucial support at $141, and as the weekly RSI is plunging to the lower support of the descending parallel channel, the price may also drop to the support of the handle. However, the levels may rebound and rise along the support of the pattern and reach $160 in the coming days.
The post Solana Outflows Spike, Potentially Dragging the Price Below $140, While The $250 Target Remains Active appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Solana is pulling back into key support levels, as the selling volume is causing the price to head towards the crucial support close to $140. The SOL price action shows a correction following a rejected top and may now be approaching the base of the prior demand. The drop below $151 support, which is a …
There has been a sharp decline in daily active addresses across Smart Contract Platforms (SCPs) in recent months, raising concerns among investors and developers.
Meanwhile, Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade could be the turning point, with crypto analyst Jamie Coutts calling the current state a cleansing of the ecosystem.
SCPs See Sharp Decline in Active Users
Jamie Coutts, who built Bloomberg Intelligence’s crypto research product, says this is the worst decline ever recorded in the history of SCPs.
He also notes that it is far worse than the 2022-2023 bear market, with daily active addresses dropping 40.5% in just five months.
“This is the largest usage collapse in SCP history,” wrote Coutts.
Coutts’ analysis provides a deeper look at the broader crypto ecosystem, which is simultaneously witnessing an uptick in global liquidity and an all-time high in stablecoin market cap.
While the sector seems to be experiencing a shakeout, Coutts says this decline does not indicate the death of smart contract platforms. Rather, it is a necessary cleansing of the ecosystem.
The analyst attributes the drop in daily active addresses to several key factors, including the rise of artificial activity.
“Much of the past cycle’s growth was artificial: Usage inflated by bots and Sybil farms, Incentive programs created temporary traction without stickiness. The unwind reflects a cleansing of fake activity, not the death of the sector,” Coutts explains.
The rise of bots and Sybil attacks, where bad actors create multiple fake identities to manipulate a platform’s usage metrics, has artificially inflated the activity numbers across various smart contract platforms.
Now, as these fake users are being weeded out, the real growth potential of SCPs is becoming clearer.
Moreover, this trend suggests that SCPs with weak application ecosystems or limited use cases will face significant valuation compression. This is especially true without stablecoin integration or real-world asset (RWA) applications.
Coutts notes that many SCP tokens risk valuation compression if their platforms do not offer high throughput, low-cost, and real settlement capabilities.
The market will likely reward mature platforms capable of supporting real economic activity. These include stablecoin transactions, payments, and AI-native applications.
“…going forward, value will concentrate in platforms that enable high-throughput, low-cost, real settlement and agentic automation,” he added.
Ethereum Staking Surge Post-Pectra
Interestingly, these predictions align with the recent Ethereum Pectra upgrade, which went live on May 7, 2025.
The Pectra upgrade introduces key features that could help Ethereum, the largest smart contract platform, stay ahead in this playing field. Specifically, the upgrade improves Ethereum’s staking model and validator operations.
CryptoQuant recently indicated a notable spike in ETH staking around the Pectra Upgrade news. Specifically, before the Pectra upgrade news, ETH staking saw a net outflow of around 1.02 million ETH, reflecting uncertainty.
However, after the news, staking rebounded with a 627,000 ETH inflow, signaling renewed market confidence in the Ethereum staking ecosystem.
“Before Pectra News (Nov 16 – Feb 15): ETH staking dropped from ≈34.88M to 33.86M ETH, a net outflow of ~1.02M ETH. This period reflects market uncertainty and mild unwinding of staking positions ahead of the upgrade. After Pectra News (Feb 16 – May 16): Total ETH staked rose from 33.78M to 34.41M ETH — a net inflow of ~627K ETH. Indicates renewed confidence in the staking process following the upgrade,” wrote CryptoQuant analyst Kripto Mevsimi.
ETH Staking before and after Pectra Upgrade news. Source: CryptoQuant
In the same tone, Bohdan Opryshko, co-founder and COO at Everstake, told BeInCrypto that the Pectra upgrade may be Ethereum’s most institution-friendly update. He says the upgrade is the clearest signal that Ethereum is ready for conservative capital.
“For the first time, institutions can stake at scale with operational clarity and reduced complexity. It’s a green light for conservative capital to get involved in native Ethereum staking,” Opryshko told BeInCrypto.
Further, Pectra’s introduction of smart accounts allows Ethereum wallets to execute smart contract logic. This could drive stablecoin integration.
At the same time, it could enhance scalability. This would make Ethereum better suited to handle real economic activities such as payments and financial transactions.
Nevertheless, Coutts highlighted a divergence between price action and network activity, a common phenomenon in the crypto space. While markets stabilize, activity on many SCPs remains stagnant.
Coutts notes that this divergence will not last. More sophisticated capital will increasingly flow toward platforms that anchor real economic behavior, especially via stablecoin flows and payments.
“Markets may be stabilizing, but activity is not,” More sophisticated capital will increasingly rotate toward chains that anchor real economic behavior, especially via stablecoin flows, payments, and AI-native applications,” Coutts says.
Finally, Coutts predicts that a liquidity-driven rally will return, fueled by the significant liquidity expected to enter the system in the coming months.
However, he cautions that the value will likely accrue to a subset of SCPs that can deliver tangible value through real-world applications and stablecoin integration. This sentiment aligns with the structural upgrades brought by Ethereum’s Pectra fork.
Dubai just gave Ripple’s new stablecoin a big win. The city’s financial regulator, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), has approved RLUSD as a recognised crypto token for use inside the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) — a move that will help Dubai’s push to position itself as a global hotspot for digital finance.
While regulators in the US and Europe are still tightening their grip on crypto, the UAE is moving in the opposite direction — welcoming new players and clearing a path for blockchain-powered financial services. Ripple’s RLUSD is the latest to benefit from this approach.
“This isn’t just about another stablecoin getting approved. It’s a sign of where the market’s heading — and Dubai wants to be at the centre of it. We built RLUSD for transparency and reliability, and this is an important step for our expansion in the region,” said Jack McDonald, Ripple’s Senior Vice President of Stablecoins.
Stablecoin use in the UAE has jumped 55% over the past year, as businesses look for faster, cheaper ways to move money. With over 7,000 firms now active in the DIFC, Ripple’s approval opens new doors for both local and international financial services.
XRP Price Gains 2%
XRP price has gained 2% in the last 24 hours and is trading at $2.20 at the time of writing. After hitting levels below $2.15, the token is showing some bullish strength. XRP should first reclaim the $2.23 mark to confirm a bullish reversal. Furthermore, catalysts like the recent RLUSD approval are expected to push the prices higher.
However, XRP has been trading between $2 and $2.50 in the last two months. It remains to be seen if June will bring back the bullish rally.
The post Big Breaking: Ripple’s RLUSD Approved in Dubai, XRP Price Rallies appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Dubai just gave Ripple’s new stablecoin a big win. The city’s financial regulator, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), has approved RLUSD as a recognised crypto token for use inside the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) — a move that will help Dubai’s push to position itself as a global hotspot for digital finance. While …