The first state-level Bitcoin Reserve bill in the US is now fully approved, as New Hampshire’s Governor Kelly Ayotte signed it into law today. This makes New Hampshire the first state to get such a plan across the finish line.
Although Florida and Arizona saw recent setbacks, a victory in New Hampshire is a substantial accomplishment.
However, New Hampshire has bucked this trend, creating the US’s first Strategic Bitcoin Reserve/
New Hampshire is once again First in the Nation!
Just signed a new law allowing our state to invest in cryptocurrency and precious metals. pic.twitter.com/ua9bawZKbM
— Governor Kelly Ayotte (@KellyAyotte) May 6, 2025
This Reserve bill puts New Hampshire at the head of the country in a few ways. In addition to allowing the state to purchase and hold Bitcoin, there is another interesting aspect.
Specifically, the law is not exclusively tailored to Bitcoin. It allows the state to purchase any cryptoasset with a market cap over $500 billion. Today, that’s only BTC, but others could join.
New Hampshire’s successful effort will encourage other Bitcoin Reserve bills and provide valuable data on how this system works in practice. Other state governments can learn from New Hampshire’s successes and failures to refine their own legal initiatives better.
Meanwhile, Trump’s national Bitcoin Reserve plan is still unclear. The initial executive order provided a 60-day deadline for the Treasury to assess the plans for a digital asset reserve. That deadline ended yesterday, but no concrete update has been given yet.
As of now, the Governor has not specified the amount of BTC the state will purchase. However, according to the bill, New Hampshire can allocate a maximum of 5% of total state funds to purchasing Bitcoin.
For 2026-2027, the state’s total fund is $16 billion in expenditures. So, it will be interesting to see how much of that will be allocated for BTC.
Crypto whales are making bold moves heading into May 2025, and three tokens are standing out: Ethereum (ETH), Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET), and Onyxcoin (XCN). All three have seen a noticeable uptick in large-holder accumulation over the last week, signaling growing interest from big players despite recent volatility.
While ETH and XCN are both coming off sharp corrections, whale buying suggests confidence in a potential rebound. Meanwhile, FET is riding renewed momentum in the AI sector, with whale activity accelerating alongside rising prices.
Ethereum (ETH)
The number of Ethereum crypto whales—wallets holding between 1,000 and 10,000 ETH—has been steadily climbing since April 15. Back then, there were 5,432 such addresses.
That number has now risen to 5,460, the highest count since August 2023. At the same time, the concentration of ETH held by these whales is also hitting new highs, signaling growing accumulation by large holders.
Number of Addresses Holding Between 1,000 and 10,000 ETH. Source: Santiment.
Ethereum price is currently down more than 19% over the last 30 days. If the correction continues, the price could retest support at $1,535. Losing that level might send ETH toward deeper support at $1,412 or even $1,385.
However, if the trend reverses, key resistance zones lie at $1,669 and $1,749—with a potential push toward $1,954 if bullish momentum builds.
In this context, the growing dominance of whales could act as either a stabilizing force or a looming risk, depending on how they respond to market shifts.
Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET)
The number of FET whales—wallets holding between 10,000 and 1,000,000 tokens—increased from 572 on April 13 to 586 by April 19.
This steady growth in large holders points to rising confidence among bigger players. It comes at a time when the broader AI crypto narrative is showing signs of a rebound.
Key AI coins like FET, TAO, and RENDER have all increased over 9% in the last seven days, with FET itself gaining more than 8% in the past 24 hours and 13.5% over the week. This suggests a possible comeback for the artificial intelligence narrative in crypto.
Number of Addresses Holding Between 100,000 and 1,000,000 FET. Source: Santiment.
If this momentum continues, FET could push toward resistance at $0.659. A clean breakout from that level could open the door to further gains, with $0.77 and $0.82 as the next potential targets.
On the flip side, if the rally stalls, FET might drop back to test support at $0.54. A breakdown below that could send it as low as $0.44.
With whale activity heating up and the AI sector showing renewed strength, FET’s next move could be a key signal for where the narrative heads next.
Onyxcoin (XCN)
Onyxcoin was one of the standout performers in January, but its momentum has faded in recent months. After a strong bounce—up of over 57% in the last 30 days, the token is now correcting, down 19% in the past seven days.
Despite this pullback, accumulation continues. The number of crypto whales holding between 1 million and 10 million XCN has grown from 528 on April 16 to 541, suggesting some large holders may be buying the dip.
Number of Addresses Holding Between 1,000,000 and 10,000,000 XCN. Source: Santiment.
If the correction deepens, XCN could lose support at $0.0165. A drop below that may open the door to further declines toward $0.0139 and $0.0123.
But if the trend flips back upward, the token could first test resistance at $0.020. A strong breakout from there might lead to a move toward $0.027. With whale activity on the rise and volatility returning, XCN’s next move could be decisive.
Two altcoins, Maple’s SYRUP and Kamino’s KMNO, spiked over 30% after receiving a Binance listing today. Maple Finance and Kamino have been active in the DeFi space for a long time, but their native tokens are rather recent.
KMNO briefly fell below its pre-listing valuation due to profit-taking, but it remains nearly 85% up over the past month. Meanwhile, SYRUP also received a Coinbase listing last week, further boosting demand.
Binance Listings Remain Influential for New Projects
Today, SYRUP and KMNO generally stick with this program, as the listing announcement led to huge rallies.
Maple Finance (SYRUP) Daily Price Chart. Source: CoinGecko
Maple Finance is a DeFi Institutional Lender that existed for several years before launching its SYRUP token. The project was launched back in 2019, while its native SYRUP token went live last November.
Its DeFi lending platform took off on Solana and Ethereum in 2021, but it’s been comparatively quiet since. Still, recognition has been growing for Maple lately, leading to the Binance listing.
Kamino Finance’s KMNO, the other altcoin to receive a Binance listing, shares a few key similarities with SYRUP. This Solana-based DeFi liquidity protocol also launched years ago, but KMNO first hit the market in April 2024.
Kamino, too, has been gaining notoriety in 2025, and it’s currently considered a major protocol in Solana’s DeFi ecosystem.
KMNO technically bucked the Binance listing trend to a certain degree. The token fell just as sharply after its first spike over 20%. For a brief window, its price was lower than its pre-listing valuation, but this bounced back up.
Kamino saw quick corrections after the initial rally, as traders quickly liquidated to take profits, but it remains up 80% in the last month.
In summary, despite KMNO’s minor setback, both of these assets performed within general expectations. Binance’s listings are still very influential.
However, this event did not provide much insight into the exchange’s overall inclinations toward future listings.
Binance listed two DeFi-centric protocols that operate (at least partially) on Solana, with years of operation before a token launch.
Other than that, there aren’t many similarities; both projects have different core functions. Still, it’s useful to have additional data points for Binance listings.
A recent report from Reown reveals that the on-chain ecosystem is maturing, with users expanding their engagement beyond trading activities. Many believe that payments and artificial intelligence (AI) will be crucial in driving the wider adoption of on-chain technology.
Despite optimism about crypto’s future, challenges such as fees, security, and interoperability persist.
The Future of Crypto Adoption
Reown shared its report, “The State of Onchain UX,” with BeInCrypto. It draws from a survey of 1,038 active crypto users in the US and UK, conducted between February 19 and February 26, 2025.
“For crypto payments to truly reach the mainstream, they must match the ease of traditional fintech experiences. Users should be able to transact effortlessly without needing to understand blockchain mechanics,” Reown’s Payments Product Manager Mirna Barca wrote.
AI is seen as another key driver, with 35% of users identifying it as a major catalyst for adoption. Nonetheless, while AI’s potential is acknowledged, there is some skepticism about blockchain’s role in AI development.
Only 29% believe the two technologies will complement each other. Meanwhile, just 18% see crypto as facilitating AI’s progress.
“Despite trading taking the crown when it comes to user activity today, payments and AI dominate as the two themes users feel will play bigger roles on a greater scale, suggesting that the leading services users access today does not reflect what they believe to drive its long-term value,” the report read.
Shortly after President Trump took office, the SEC established a crypto task force to create a clear regulatory framework for digital assets. In fact, new SEC chairman Paul Atkins has also stressed the importance of crypto regulation, calling it a ‘top priority.’
This focus has contributed significantly to industry optimism, and user data exemplifies that. 86% of users believe it will drive mainstream adoption, while 14% think it will slow innovation.
“We’re in the final throes of regulatory uncertainty in the US. In Europe, MiCA is finally taking shape, but a lack of precedent has kept innovators guessing, just like in the US. The industry is on the cusp of regulatory clarity but we aren’t quite there yet,” Marco Santori, Director of WalletConnect Foundation, remarked.
What Are the Top Factors Holding Back Widespread Crypto Adoption?
Confidence in on-chain security has risen significantly, with 69% of users feeling safe, up from 50.5% last year. However, so have phishing attacks. The number of phishing attacks reported by users has grown to 21%, up from 14.4%.
“Phishing attacks are up, and that’s a problem. But security UX still isn’t where it needs to be. If we can make transaction signing clearer and build in fraud protection, we can help users feel more in control,” Reown’s CEO Jess Houlgrave commented.
A notable 44% of users now use multiple wallets for security reasons, up from 32.8% in 2024. In addition, 18% of users cite security concerns, such as hacks and scams, as a barrier to engaging on-chain.
Challenges in Mainstream Crypto Adoption. Source: Reown
Notably, users also emphasized the need for interoperability, with 47% considering it very important. Additionally, 18% cited a lack of interoperability as a barrier. Despite this, only 14% listed it as one of the core issues that need to be resolved.
Therefore, the report draws attention to the need for developers to focus on real-world use cases, ensuring seamless, secure, and cost-effective user experiences. It also highlights a disconnect between user expectations, centered on payments and social apps, and current behavior, which remains heavily trading-focused.
“Understanding and addressing this dynamic will be critical to achieving true mainstream adoption,” the report noted.
With 67% of survey participants optimistic about crypto’s development, the on-chain ecosystem is poised for growth. However, addressing security, fees, and interoperability will be essential to unlocking its full potential and driving the next wave of mainstream engagement.
