Ripple’s USD-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, has seen a sudden pause in its minting activity. According to data released by the Ripple Stablecoin Tracker, the last batch of the stablecoin was minted on April 25, followed by an unexpected silence for almost a week.
Why Ripple Pauses RLUSD Minting?
Significantly, Ripple appears to have temporarily halted RLUSD stablecoin minting, with no new coins created over the past week. As per the Stablecoin Tracker data, the crypto firm last minted the stablecoin on April 25 in three batches: two with 11,500,000 tokens each and one with 15,000,000 tokens.
Following the activity, the platform paused its RLUSD minting, with the Stablecoin Tracker remaining silent with no data. This indicates that the crypto platform has minted zero stablecoin over the past week while RLUSD surpassed $300 million.
Ripple’s recent pause in RLUSD minting isn’t unprecedented, as the company has taken regular breaks over the past two months, gradually injecting new coins into circulation. This measured approach has seen RLUSD’s market capitalization grow to $316.88 million, ranking 217th.
Since its launch, RLUSD has been exhibiting notable growth with its unique utilities. Initially, the stablecoin was designed as a “golden standard” for enterprise use, targeting businesses as its primary users. However, the platform later decided to expand its use cases. Recently, Ripple integrated the stablecoin into Ripple Payment, unveiling a new utility push.
Moreover, RLUSD’s usage has diversified, serving as collateral on DeFi platforms and centralized finance applications, and facilitating donations for nonprofit organizations. It’s also listed on major crypto exchanges such as Kraken, LMAX Digital, Bitstamp, Bullish, and Zero Hash, enabling trading and purchasing.
New York is mirroring the United States’ embrace of Bitcoin to unfurl its ambitions to become the crypto capital of the world. NYC Mayor Eric Adams is at the center of the Bitcoin push, taking swipes at critics while confirming the city’s first-ever Crypto Summit.
New York’s Mayor Unveils Ambitious Bitcoin And Cryptocurrency Plans For The City
While the US is steamrolling toward a warm embrace of Bitcoin, New York City is keen on matching the pace of the Trump-led administration. NYC Mayor Eric Adams revealed in a press conference that the city has ambitious plans to be the cryptocurrency capital of the world.
Adams is urging service providers in the cryptocurrency space to turn their gaze to New York and set up shop in the Empire State. In his press statement, Adams expressed a long-term commitment to cryptocurrencies and their underlying technology while highlighting the benefits for residents. Adams is luring crypto firms with a pledge to create a friendly regulatory landscape in New York, hinting at passing a Bitcoin Reserve Bill akin to New Hampshire.
“We should be looking forward to building empires, particularly in the crypto space,” said Eric Adams. “My goal remains the same as it was on day one as mayor: making New York City the crypto capital of the globe.”
Adam’s affinity for cryptocurrencies is not a bolt from the blue, with the NYC mayor famously advocating for Bitcoin back in 2021. With BTC price exceeding $105K and the US setting a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the NYC Mayor teased critics by asking, “Who is laughing now?”
A First-Ever Crypto Summit For NYC, But The NYDFS May Derail Plans
In a similar fashion to the White House Digital Asset Summit, NYC Mayor Eric Adams says the city will host its inaugural Crypto Summit. Scheduled for next week, the conference will feature representatives of cryptocurrency firms, regulators, and city officials to chart a new path for the city.
The summit will feature keynote addresses revolving around the viability of a state-owned Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a new licensing regime for crypto firms. Despite the ambitious plans, critics say the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) may stifle the city’s cryptocurrency ambitions..
The NYDFS has earned a name as a strict regulator, famed for its watertight Bitlicense for potential cryptocurrency service providers. To make substantial progress with Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, the NYDFS will be required to relax its tough rules, but Adams hails the regulators’ tough stance as a win-win for New York.
“It’s good to know that the city is going to have safe regulations in place for those who are investing, and there’s not going to be any abuses,” said Adams.
New York’s bid to revolutionize its digital asset landscape comes in the middle of a seismic rally that sees Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as altcoin season gathers steam.
Multisig cold wallets are highly secure but not immune to attacks, as demonstrated by incidents like the February 2025 Bybit hack, emphasizing the need for additional precautions.
Multisignature (multisig) cold wallets are often considered one of the safest ways to store digital assets, providing an extra layer of protection against theft. However, even these advanced security measures are not infallible, as demonstrated by the February 2025 Bybit hack.
Before diving into their security, let’s break down what multisig cold wallets actually are.
Following years of anticipation, Shiba Inu’s Layer-2 (L2) solution Shibarium launched on August 16, 2023. Despite being designed to bring speed, scalability, and reduced costs to SHIB holders, network data shows that Shibarium’s daily activity has significantly lagged behind competing L2 networks like Base, Arbitrum, and Optimism.
This piece looks at how Shibarium has performed this year and what its slow growth means for the wider Shiba Inu ecosystem, especially for BONE, the token that powers Shibarium, and SHIB itself.
Shibarium’s User Engagement Falters After Meme Market Rally
According to Shibariumscan, Shiba Inu’s L2 network had an unimpressive start to the year. In the first quarter of 2025, daily active addresses on the network were relatively low, showing little user engagement.
It was not until April that activity began to pick up on Shibarium. This spike in network usage was driven by the surge in meme coin activity across the broader crypto market.
For context, between April 10 and May 10, the meme coin market capitalization rose 56% as demand for these assets rocketed.
Riding that wave, Shibarium saw a surge in activity, peaking at over 21,000 daily active addresses on May 12, its year-to-date high. However, this momentum did not last.
As the meme coin market mania began to fade in late May, user activity on Shibarium also declined. By June 5, the number of daily active addresses had fallen to around 9,000—a drop of more than 55% in just three weeks.
Shibarium Daily Active Accounts. Source: Shibariumscan
Why Shiba Inu’s Layer-2 Network Is Falling Behind Other L2s
This pattern of user activity on Shibarium suggests a lack of sustained utility or use cases that keep users engaged beyond speculative trading.
In an exclusive interview with BeInCrypto, Dominick John, an analyst at Kronos Research, noted that while Shibarium experiences “bursts of community-driven activity,” it still lags behind other Layer-2 networks like Base, Arbitrum, and Optimism.
“Those networks benefit from robust ecosystems and composability in DEFI beyond the memecoin hype. For Shibarium to stand out, it must evolve and cultivate a unique DeFi ecosystem that delivers long-term value,” John explained.
According to John, Shibarium’s muted growth “reflects project-specific hurdles, limited dApp adoption, ecosystem fragmentation, and fierce L2 competition more than meme-token fatigue.”
On-chain data from DefiLlama confirms this narrative. Currently, Shibarium hosts just 18 decentralized finance (DeFi) projects— a stark contrast to more established Layer-2s like Base and Arbitrum, which support 549 and 741 projects, respectively.
Lynn C., SONEX’s CMO, echoes the same sentiment. Lynn acknowledges that meme-token fatigue may be partially responsible for Shibarium’s slow adoption, but emphasizes that much of the challenge lies in project-specific scaling strategies.
“On one hand, there is certainly meme-token fatigue in the market as users look for more utility-driven projects. On the other hand, Shibarium’s growth challenges may be specific to how the network is structured and its approach to scaling. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and different projects take different paths toward growth,” she said.
Despite its challenges, Shibarium has introduced utility benefits to the Shiba Inu ecosystem. John noted, “Shibarium has strengthened the Shiba Inu ecosystem by enabling cheaper transactions, supporting SHIB burns, and giving BONE real utility.”
For Lynn, the L2 “has added an important component to the Shiba Inu ecosystem by offering a Layer-2 network that promises to scale transactions and reduce costs.”
BONE Token Struggles Amid Shibarium’s Slow Adoption
BONE serves as the primary gas token, facilitating transactions and enabling users to interact on Shibarium. With fewer transactions taking place on the L2, the practical need for BONE as gas has diminished. This lack of on-chain utility has impacted the token’s market performance, falling 38% YTD.
John echoed this concern, stating that, “from a market-making perspective, token utility needs to translate into recurring on-chain demand and transactional velocity. At this stage, BONE demonstrates some early use cases, but it has yet to establish consistent capital retention across the ecosystem.”
On the other hand, Lynn holds a more cautiously optimistic view of BONE. In her words:
“BONE has certainly played a role within the Shiba Inu ecosystem, but like many tokens, it’s still working on building its utility beyond speculative trading. It’s common for newer tokens to find their footing as they grow and develop more use cases. The demand for tokens like BONE will evolve as the ecosystem matures and as more opportunities for real utility emerge.”
For the SHIB meme coin, Shibarium’s lackluster performance also has its impacts.
“If Shibarium fails to scale meaningfully, SHIB holders face several risks: reduced utility due to low transaction volume and limited dApp adoption, weaker SHIB burn rates, and stagnating token value,” John added.
Lynn, on the other hand, struck a slightly more optimistic tone. According to her:
“If Shibarium doesn’t scale, it could slow down the momentum of the broader Shiba Inu ecosystem, especially in terms of user adoption and network effects. However, it’s important to remember that blockchain and DeFi projects face various challenges as they grow, and Shibarium’s trajectory will likely continue to evolve as the team adapts to feedback and market needs.”
