The crypto Merger & Acquisition (M&A) activity in the digital currency ecosystem is taking new shape, with USDC issuer Circle still in acquisition talks. According to a new report from Fortune, despite its planned Initial Public Offering (IPO) push, the company is still in acquisition talks with Ripple Labs and Coinbase Global Inc. Circle Still for Sale, Coinbase Named Favorite Circle Filed for IPO in early April, marking a major milestone for the company that has been exploring avenues to go public since at least 2022. Despite its personal growth push, the company remain a target for other bigger firms in the crypto ecosystem. The Fortune report pegs the Circle IPO target at $5 billion. According to the publication, citing sources tied to the matter, there are informal negotiations ongoing between the USDC parent company and Ripple Labs. While the association to the blockchain payments firm is not new, Fortune’s… Read More at Coingape.com
According to VanEck’s April 2025 Digital Assets Monthly recap, Bitcoin (BTC) outperformed equities during a turbulent month, offering a glimpse of its potential as a macro hedge.
Yet, the asset’s quick return to correlated behavior suggests Bitcoin is not yet ready to stand fully apart from risk markets.
Bitcoin Outperforms Stocks During April Market Selloff
Bitcoin briefly broke free from traditional markets like stocks and equities. However, its newfound independence may have been short-lived.
“Bitcoin showed signs of decoupling from equities during the week ending April 6,” VanEck Head of Digital Assets Research Matthew Sigel wrote.
This period coincided with US President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariff measures, which triggered a global market selloff. While the S&P 500 and gold slumped, Bitcoin rose from $81,500 to over $84,500, signaling a possible shift in investor perception.
Still, the momentum did not last. As the month progressed, Bitcoin’s price action re-synced with equities. VanEck, using data from Artemis XYZ, noted that the 30-day BTC-S&P 500 correlation fell below 0.25 in early April but bounced back to 0.55 by month’s end.
“Bitcoin has not meaningfully decoupled,” the report emphasized.
Bitcoin and Ethereum correlation with the S&P 500. Source: VanEck research
Bitcoin gained 13% for the month, outshining the NASDAQ’s 1% loss and the S&P 500’s flat performance. Perhaps more intriguingly, Bitcoin’s volatility dropped by 4%, even as equity volatility doubled amid rising geopolitical tensions and trade uncertainty.
Yet while the short-term picture remains muddled, VanEck sees early signs of a structural shift. The report highlights a growing sovereign and institutional interest in Bitcoin as a store-of-value asset with long-term macro hedging potential.
“Structural tailwinds are forming. Bitcoin continues to find support as a sovereign, uncorrelated asset,” wrote Sigel.
The bank argued that Bitcoin’s resilience amid monetary stress reflects its growing role as portfolio ballast against the fragility of fiat-denominated debt markets.
“I think Bitcoin is a hedge against both TradFi and US Treasury risks. The threat to remove US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell falls into Treasury risk—so the hedge is on,” Geoff Kendrick, Head of Digital Asset Research at Standard Chartered, told BeInCrypto.
However, this resilience did not extend to the broader crypto market. According to VanEck, altcoins stumbled as meme coins, speculative DeFi AI tokens, and Layer-1 networks like Ethereum and Sui fell sharply.
The MarketVector Smart Contract Leaders Index dropped 5% in April and is down 34% year-to-date. Solana stood out as a rare winner, gaining 16% thanks to network upgrades and increasing institutional treasury interest.
Sui posted a 45% jump in daily DEX volume and entered the top 10 in smart contract platform revenue. By contrast, Ethereum lagged, declining 3% as its fee revenue share shrank to just 14%, down from 74% two years ago.
The broader trend in altcoins was bearish, and speculative energy continued to fade. Trading volumes in meme coins dropped by 93% between January and March, with the MarketVector Meme Coin Index down 48% year-to-date.
Even so, regarding price and volatility metrics, Bitcoin’s relative strength in April could hint at where the asset is headed. VanEck’s report concludes that while Bitcoin has not yet fully broken from risk asset behavior, the groundwork for long-term decoupling is quietly being laid.
Eric Trump, son of US President Donald Trump and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, is warning about banks’ extinction within a decade if they fail to embrace crypto. In a CNBC interview on April 30, Eric Trump hinted at the potential fall of traditional banks and the growth of the crypto market.
Let’s explore why Donald Trump’s second son sees crypto adoption as a necessity.
Eric Trump Urges Banks to Adopt Crypto: Why?
Media reports suggest that Eric Trump is urging banks to adopt cryptocurrencies, warning against an impending crisis. “If the banks don’t watch what’s coming, they’re going to be extinct in 10 years,” stated Trump.
According to Eric Trump, modern banks are expensive and “favor the ultra-wealthy.” Eric addressed the existing financial system as broken and slow. He criticized the traditional banking system, labeling it “antiquated” due to its slow and inefficient nature, echoing sentiments commonly shared by cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
In addition, he slammed existing cross-border transaction solutions like SWIFT, citing their slow transaction speeds. “SWIFT is an absolute disaster,” condemned Eric.
What Attracts Eric to Crypto Market?
Eric asserts that the unfair conditions in the traditional financial system have drawn his attention to the crypto market. He cited,
And what actually got me into [cryptocurrency] is the fact I realized our banking system was weaponized against the vast majority of people in our country, either the people that don’t have the zeros on their balance sheet, or people who might have worn that red hat that said ‘Make America Great Again.’ And it forced me into the crypto world.
Will Banks Adopt Crypto?
Significantly, global banks are gearing up to adopt cryptocurrencies, with Europe reportedly leading the charge. As CoinGape recently reported, Circle’s Patrick Hansen revealed Europe’s lead in crypto banking, boasting over 50 banks that offer digital asset services.
Meanwhile, the United States, especially under President Trump’s pro-crypto stance, is planning to expand crypto banking services. Key administrative figures, such as David Sacks, have pledged to thwart the controversial ‘Chokepoint 2.0,’ which has hindered the crypto market’s relationship with banks.
Tron founder Justin was one of the speakers at the Bitcoin 2025 conference during a panel discussion. During his speech, the crypto founder commented on Donald Trump’s impact on Bitcoin and the crypto industry, describing the president’s support as being genuine. Justin Sun Comments On Donald Trump’s Impact So Far During the Bitcoin 2025 conference, the Tron founder asserted that Donald Trump has really shown his commitment to Bitcoin and the whole crypto ecosystem. He further remarked that the BTC price would have been unable to surge past the $100,000 market without the president’s influence. In line with this, Sun opined that Trump’s support is really enormous and important to the whole crypto industry. Indeed, the Bitcoin price surged past the psychological $100,000 mark for the first time last year following the president’s victory over Kamala Harris in the November presidential elections. Sun’s statement comes following the Trump crypto dinner,… Read More at Coingape.com
