Mayer Mizrachi, Mayor of Panama’s capital city, recently discussed Bitcoin’s positive transformative impacts on his country at a major conference. He proposed accepting BTC payments as fare to use the Panama Canal among other growth strategies.
Ultimately, one mayor’s office isn’t capable of transforming a nation’s economic prospects alone. However, Mizrachi demonstrated concrete ways that small acts of Bitcoin adoption can build on each other.
However, Mayer Mizrachi, the mayor of Panama City, has been attempting to innovate once again. Much like El Salvador, Panama is a nation that uses the US dollar as its legal tender. Mizrachi detailed a new approach to changing that:
“What we created was a roadmap for how cities can embrace Bitcoin regardless of national law. You can build the building blocks, so the central government can copy what you’re doing after it’s proven. 70% of [Panama’s] GDP is in my city. Whatever my city does, it makes waves around the country,” Mizrachi claimed.
Mizrachi talked about his initial plan to accept Bitcoin for municipal tax payments. In some ways, this strategy had major limits, as the city was required to exchange all this BTC for USD. This has been a springboard for Panama’s largest banks needing to deal in Bitcoin.
Already, Mizrachi has advised other mayors in the region how they can start similar initiatives. This limited project was an easy way to transform Panama’s entire Bitcoin ecosystem from the limitations of one mayor’s office.
Still, Mizrachi acknowledged that comprehensive adoption will require much more political buy-in. He commented that BTC could hypothetically be used to accept fare payments through the Panama Canal, but the US might object to this plan.
In other words, Panama’s BTC integration relies on one key factor: an active DeFi ecosystem. Mizrachi praised Nayib Bukele, who transformed El Salvador into one of the world’s largest Bitcoin holders.
That is to say, Panama City’s mayor doesn’t have the power to change Bitcoin’s position on his own. However, Mizrachi sees his work as proof of concept.
He detailed the economic opportunities that crypto can bring to Central America and reminded us that a better future is possible. Dedicated advocates can create powerful change with smaller actions.
Several interesting developments happened this week in crypto, cutting across diverse ecosystems. Key highlights, however, centered on Bitcoin (BTC) and XRP ecosystems.
In case you missed it, here is a roundup of the top stories this week in crypto.
Bitcoin Tests $97,000
Starting the list of what happened this week in crypto, Bitcoin tested the $97,000 milestone for the first time since February 2025. However, as of this writing, the pioneer crypto pulled back shortly after and was trading for $96,731.
Another key highlight this week in crypto concerned speculation of a possible collaboration between the Sui blockchain and Pokémon. Amidst these talks, the SUI price soared over 60% within the week.
These rumors sparked after a privacy policy update for Pokémon HOME featured Parasol Technologies, LLC, as a new developer. Parasol Technologies is a Web3 gaming infrastructure company that Sui’s developer, Mysten Labs, acquired in March 2025.
Nevertheless, changes in one of the circulating documents quelled the speculation, clarifying what had been a key driver for the SUI price this week.
“The official Sui Foundation blog confirmed (and removed) Pokémon NFTs. They seem to be developing a cloud infrastructure that uses blockchain technology to address bugs, hacks, and duping while enabling transfers between compatible games—something that is already possible with Pokémon Home,” another user highlighted.
Nevertheless, the correction did not quell speculation that Parasol may be involved in developing new features for Pokémon.
The SUI price has fallen almost 3% in the last 24 hours. As of this writing, it was trading for $3.47.
ProShares XRP ETF Rumors
Adding to the list of speculation this week in crypto, rumors spread that the US SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) had approved a ProShares XRP ETF (exchange-traded fund).
However, BeInCrypto shut down these claims, articulating that the approval was for ProShares’ Leveraged and Short XRP Futures ETFs. ETF analyst James Seyffart also provided further clarity, deeming the allegations false.
“UPDATE: A lot of people posting/reporting that ProShares will be launching XRP ETFs on April 30th. We have confirmed that this is not the case. We do not have a confirmed launch date yet but we believe they will launch — and likely launch in the short or possibly medium term,” Seyffart explained.
ProShares launched three futures-based ETFs: the Ultra XRP ETF, the Short XRP ETF, and the Ultra Short XRP ETF. This development followed the launch of Teucrium’s 2x Long Daily XRP ETF in early April.
ProShares’ XRP Futures ETF Sparked Optimism
Meanwhile, the approval of ProShares XRP futures ETF sparked optimism, inspiring sentiment that a spot XRP ETF would be next.
According to forecasts by industry expert Armando Pantoja, the move could lead to substantial capital inflow into the altcoin.
“A spot XRP ETF could be next, unlocking real demand and sending prices soaring. $100 billion+ could soon flood into XRP,” he wrote.
Pantoja recognized that the approval marked a significant turning point for the industry, expanding XRP’s investor base.
The approval cleared the runway for the XRP ETF, granting Ripple’s token a regulated and accessible avenue for major financial players to engage.
“Futures ETF = first domino. Spot ETF = the tipping point. XRP’s long-term setup just got way stronger,” Pantoja remarked.
Another analyst was more measured amid heightened optimism, noting that the futures ETF was not the game-changer many might expect.
“It’s not the silver bullet that will trigger mass adoption or massive price action. The real catalyst will come when a Spot XRP ETF gets approved. Real tokens. Real demand. Real market impact,” John Squire posted.
SEC Delays XRP ETF Decision
To add to the list of developments in the XRP ecosystem this week in crypto, the US SEC delayed its decision on a prospective XRP ETF until June 17.
Before this news broke, crypto market participants awaited the final decision of XRP, Dogecoin (DOGE), and Ethereum staking ETFs. However, these were all put off.
“These dates are all intermediate and we will likely see final decisions on a lot of the crypto ETPs in Q4. For the XRP spot ETF, [I am] eyeing mid-October, around the 18th, as a final decision deadline. It’s possible the SEC won’t take all that time to make its decision, but a lot will hinge on how actively they engage on the applications,” Seyffart explained.
For now, over 70 active ETF proposals await the securities regulator’s verdict. XRP ETF’s June deadline is not final, but the commission could still enact further delays until mid-October.
Meanwhile, data from Polymarket shows that bettors see a 34% chance that the financial instrument will be approved by July 31.
Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the US, has successfully evaded a supply chain attack that could have compromised its open-source infrastructure.
On March 23, Yu Jian, founder of blockchain security firm SlowMist, flagged the incident in a post on X, referencing a report from Unit 42, the threat intelligence division of Palo Alto Networks.
The threat actor forked agentkit and onchainkit repositories on GitHub, inserting malicious code intended to exploit the continuous integration pipeline. The suspicious activity was first detected on March 14, 2025.
“The payload was focused on exploiting the public CI/CD flow of one of their open source projects – agentkit, probably with the purpose of leveraging it for further compromises,” Unit 42 reported.
The attacker exploited GitHub’s “write-all” permissions, which allowed the injection of harmful code into the project’s automated workflow. This method could have enabled access to sensitive data and created a path for broader compromises.
A Malicious Commit Targeting Coinbase. Source: Unit42
However, Unit 42 reported that the payload collected sensitive information. It did not contain advanced malicious tools like remote code execution or reverse shell exploits.
Meanwhile, Coinbase responded quickly, collaborating with security experts to isolate the threat and apply necessary mitigations. This rapid action helped the company avoid deeper infiltration and prevented potential damage to its infrastructure.
Despite the failed attempt, the attacker has since shifted focus to a larger campaign now drawing global attention.
In light of this, SlowMist founder advised developers using GitHub Actions—especially those working with tj-actions or reviewdog—to audit their systems and confirm that no secrets have been exposed.
“If your company uses reviewdog or tj-actions, do a thorough self-examination,” Yu Jian stated on X.
This incident highlights the growing importance of securing open-source tools as the crypto ecosystem expands. Data from DeFillama shows that the crypto industry has recorded exploits of more than $1.5 billion this year.
Onyxcoin (XCN) has jumped 20% this week, marking a double-digit rally that has caught the attention of institutional investors.
As the altcoin’s price climbs, technical analysis reveals a rise in accumulation from large investors, often called “smart money,” signaling increased optimism about the token’s short-term price growth.
Institutional Confidence in XCN Grows
The surge in institutional interest is evident in XCN’s climbing Smart Money Index (SMI). As the token’s price rallied over the past week, its SMI has also climbed and currently stands at 0.91.
The SMI indicator tracks the trading activity of institutional investors, often considered the “smart money.” It analyzes intraday price movements, focusing on the first and last trading hours.
When the SMI rises alongside an asset’s price, major investors are accumulating positions, indicating confidence in the asset’s upward trend. This alignment between XCN’s SMI and its price rally is a bullish signal, reflecting strong market sentiment and the potential for a continued price increase.
Moreover, readings from XCN’s Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator support this bullish outlook. At press time, the token’s MACD line (blue) rests above the signal line (orange).
This crossover is typically interpreted as a bullish signal, suggesting upward momentum is gaining strength. It indicates that XCN’s recent buying pressure is outpacing historical averages, which could lead to continued price gains.
XCN Bulls Hold the Line
On the daily chart, the XCN token rests solidly above its 20-day exponential moving average (EMA). This key moving average forms dynamic support below the token’s price at $0.017.
An asset’s 20-day EMA measures an asset’s average price over the past 20 trading days, giving weight to recent prices. When an asset’s price trades above this indicator, the bulls have market control as buying pressure outweighs selloffs.
If this trend persists for XCN, its price could break above the resistance at $0.023 and climb toward $0.028. Should the bulls flip this level into a support floor, XCN could reclaim $0.033.
However, a surge in profit-taking activity will invalidate this bullish projection. In that scenario, the XCN token value could plunge below its 20-day EMA at $0.017 and fall toward $0.0075.
