Kraken is making a significant push into Europe with its new MiFID II-compliant crypto derivatives platform, positioning itself as a strong competitor to OKX as the latter eyes European expansion. With this move, the exchange offers retail and institutional customers in the European Economic Area access to perpetual and fixed maturity crypto futures contracts. It’s noteworthy that the exchange’s European expansion is unfolding against a backdrop of speculation about a potential native token launch and IPO. “We’re excited to announce our launch of regulated crypto derivatives in Europe, providing our clients and partners with access to a full suite of liquid futures instruments – all within a recognized regulatory framework,” the exchange said via an official blog post. Kraken Launches Crypto Derivatives Platform in Europe According to a May 20 announcement, Kraken has launched the largest regulated crypto derivatives trading platform in Europe. Compliant with the Markets in Financial Instruments… Read More at Coingape.com
Ripple has released one billion XRP from escrow in a move that has triggered discussions across the cryptocurrency market. This development comes after a noticeable shift in the company’s typical XRP release pattern, which has been consistent since 2017.
Ripple Unlocks 1 Billion XRP in Three Large Transactions
According to the blockchain data service Whale Alert, Ripple unlocked one billion XRP in three separate transactions on May 3, 2025.The transaction amounted to 500 million, 300 million, and 200 million XRP.According to XRP’s trading price at the time, these transfers amounted to more than $2.2 billion.
Source: WhaleAlert
The release came two days later than the usual monthly schedule. Historically, Ripple has unlocked one billion XRP on the first day of each month. Whale Alert shared the details of each transaction through its social media platform, confirming that the movements originated from Ripple’s escrow wallet.
Ripple started its monthly escrow routine in 2017. This system was designed by the company, to guarantee a constant and predictable supply of XRP, in order to facilitate market liquidity. Originally Ripple was going to put 55 billion XRP into escrow with one billion released each month for 55 months.
Changes to the XRP Release Strategy
This month’s release occurred after Ripple locked 700 million XRP into escrow on May 2. This is the third consecutive month Ripple has made such a move before its standard release. A similar sequence happened in April and March, which may suggest a shift in strategy.
Traditionally, around 700 million XRP gets relocked after every release, and we are seeing no change in that pattern. However, a new detail in this case is that the lock is executed before the release, not after. As a result, Ripple’s current approach to managing liquidity and the XRP distribution have become a matter of question.
However, Ripple has yet to issue an official statement to explain the reason for changing the timing. Meanwhile, some market participants speculate that this new pattern may be a result of recent market dynamics, or internal policy changes. The company, however, has not confirmed any of this at this point.
XRP Price Performance Amid Ripple Unlock
As of early May, XRP price is trading between $1.96 and $2.50. Analysts have noted that the asset is currently undergoing a consolidation phase. According to chart readers, XRP price has been holding above key support zones, including the 0.5 Fibonacci retracement and historical resistance at around $1.80.
Crypto analysts Casitrades has shared her technical outlook. She stated, “We’re seeing a possible back-test of the $2.25 level, and a move to $1.90 remains in play.” According to the analyst, the current RSI shows exhaustion, suggesting a potential short-term dip before a bounce higher.”
While the overall sentiment remains neutral in the short term, several long-term traders continue to watch the $2.25 resistance closely. If XRP can hold above that level, higher price targets such as $2.68 and $3.00 remain on their radar.
The SEC delayed Canary Capital’s application for a Litecoin ETF today, opening public comments over the proposal’s compliance with regulatory requirements. The price of LTC fell 5% after the announcement.
The public comment aspect doesn’t appear to signal the Commission’s intentions; this could be a standard delaying tactic. Nonetheless, the market immediately took it as a bearish signal.
However, the SEC instead decided to delay this application, including a request for public comments in its notice:
“The Commission seeks and encourages interested persons to provide comments on the proposed rule change. The Commission asks that commenters address the sufficiency of [whether] the proposal… is designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices or raises any new or novel concerns not previously contemplated by the Commission,” it read.
Litecoin’s price fell quickly after the Commission delayed this application, dropping 5% at its lowest point. Polymarket’s odds of a Litecoin ETF approval in Q2 2025 also plummeted, but the chances of a 2025 approval in general remained steady.
Odds of a Litecoin ETF in Q2 2025. Source: Polymarket
In other words, things could be a lot worse. James Seyffart, an ETF analyst who predicted the Litecoin delay, didn’t comment on the public comment aspect. It seems like a stretch to claim that the SEC is signaling its intent to refuse this or any other altcoin ETF proposal.
Still, the market can react harshly to such developments in the short term, and traders are repositioning their bets on the altcoin.
Cardano daily transactions have reached a peak of 50,000, buoyed by glowing fundamentals, including the prospects of an ADA ETF. ADA price surging from the fallout of positive on-chain metrics, with traders keeping their eyes peeled for a potential price breakout. Daily Transactions Reach 50,000 Driven By ADA ETF Prospects According to an X post from TapTools, daily transactions on Cardano have surged 50,000 from their previous lows. At the start of May, daily transactions were under 30,000, but numbers steadily climbed to set a new monthly high. Cardano transaction volumes are also pulling in impressive numbers, soaring to $684.6 million over the last day. The metrics around the network have seen Cardano price gain nearly 8% since the start of May. JUST IN: Daily Cardano $ADA transactions have climbed from ~30,000 to nearly 50,000 since the start of May. pic.twitter.com/MkDBkizB34 — TapTools (@TapTools) May 27, 2025 In the push… Read More at Coingape.com
