After being denied by US District Judge Analisa Torres last month, Ripple and the SEC filed another motion to finally end their landmark legal battle. The two parties are again trying to relitigate Ripple’s right to sell securities.
However, legal commentators called this effort a “rare whiff” from Ripple’s legal team and do not believe it will work. If the court denies again, the company may need to accept its ban on selling securities for the time being, at least to retail investors.
Today, they returned before Judge Torres, once again attempting to wrap up the last disputes.
NEW: The @SECGov and @Ripple have jointly requested a Manhattan District court to dissolve the injunction in their ongoing case and release the $125 million civil penalty held in escrow.
They’re proposing that $50 million be paid to the SEC, with the remaining funds returned… pic.twitter.com/UopQuQNG5q
Their proposed deal cites a few “exceptional circumstances,” such as the SEC’s total shift on crypto policy, as sufficient justification to change a prior ruling.
The issue is whether the SEC should ban Ripple from selling securities under Gary Gensler. Simply put, the current Commission would like to reverse this decision. Large fees are also in the mix, but they’re a secondary concern.
Still, Fred Rispoli, a trial lawyer specializing in crypto cases, expressed skepticism with the move, considering the proposal sloppy:
“I don’t like this filing based on how obvious it was from Judge Torres’ last ruling that she was pissed. I recommended a long, detailed motion explaining the SEC’s failures in crypto regulation (with Commissioner declarations) and some apologies from Ripple for what it got tagged on. Instead, we got one paragraph on the other SEC dismissals and a paltry mention of the SEC Crypto Task Force. Oof,” Rispoli stated.
Legal experts on social media think this filing doesn’t make substantial changes in legal citations from the last attempt, and they believe Torres will reject this one, too.
However, in all likelihood, Judge Torres has the legal grounds to recognize the SEC’s renewed direction and accept this motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
So, June 16 remains the key date. If this motion doesn’t persuade the Judge, Ripple will have to wait until 2026 for another chance at dismissal.
At a certain point, even if both institutions wish to permit non-institutional securities sales, the choice may be out of their hands. Ripple may need to start seriously preparing for a future where it cannot reverse this ruling, period.
After the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) minutes and the digital asset summit on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, approximately $2.09 billion in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) options expire today.
The expiration may influence market conditions, with investors monitoring potential shifts.
Over $2 Billion in Options Expiry Today
According to Deribit, $1.826 billion in Bitcoin options expire today. The maximum pain point of these contracts stands at $85,000.
These options include 21,596 contracts, slightly fewer than last week’s 35,176. Despite recent volatility, the put-to-call ratio of 0.83 indicates a general bullish sentiment.
Ethereum has $264.46 million in options expiring, involving 133,447 contracts. This figure is also lower than the previous week’s 223,395 contracts. The maximum pain point for these options is $2,000, and the put-to-call ratio is 0.62.
As the options contracts near expiration at 8:00 UTC today, Bitcoin and Ethereum prices are expected to approach their respective maximum pain points. According to BeInCrypto data, BTC traded for $84,414, whereas ETH exchanged hands for $1,977.
This suggests a modest upside for Bitcoin and Ethereum towards the $85,000 and $2,000 strike prices, respectively. This surge is plausible given smart money’s Strategy in options trading, pushing prices toward the “max pain” level. Here, the highest number of contracts, both calls and puts, expire worthless.
“Will we see a volatility squeeze or a slow unwind?” Deribit posed in a post on X (Twitter).
Based on Bitcoin and Ethereum’s put-to-call ratios, both below 1, call options (purchases) have a higher prevalence than put options (sales).
Market Sentiment Ahead of Today’s Options Expiry
Analysts from crypto options trading tool Greeks.live provided insights on the current market sentiment, highlighting a divided trader community. On the one hand, some expect a price drop after the FOMC meeting, as policymakers rejected further interest rate cuts, effectively disappointing the crypto market.
On the other hand, some anticipate a temporary rise before choppy conditions. With this, the analysts note the range between $83,000 and $85,000 as the area of interest, with expected volatility around President Trump-related developments and potential MicroStrategy (now Strategy) purchases.
“Expect chop and drift lower before heading higher again on Monday, despite the current pump not being viewed as sustainable,” Greeks.live analysts observed.
Even as Bitget’s Chen remains optimistic, traders and investors should brace for short-term volatility. Historically, options expirations tend to cause temporary price movements. However, the market usually stabilizes shortly after.
Crypto.com has ignited controversy within its community after proposing to re-mint 70 billion CRO tokens. This decision marks the reversal of a 2021 token burn intended to reduce the circulating supply permanently.
The move, which passed at the last minute with a decisive vote, has left many CRO holders feeling betrayed.
Crypto.com Makes Last-Minute Push to Secure Victory
The outcome remained uncertain for most of the proposal’s voting period, which ran from March 2 to March 16. While the “yes” votes narrowly led, the proposal did not pass the 33.4% quorum of eligible votes.
That changed on Sunday at 14:00 UTC when a sudden influx of 3.35 billion CRO tokens tipped the balance. This secured the necessary quorum and significantly boosted the “yes” votes. Notably, voter turnout was 70.58%, exceeding the required threshold. The final tally was 62.18% in favor, 17.61% against, and 20.11% abstaining.
To put it in perspective, only 11.86% of validators voted “yes,” with only two of its validators (Starship and Falcon Heavy) supporting the proposal initially.
By the end of the vote, three more Crypto.com-controlled validators, Electron, Antares, and Minotaur IV, joined them. Meanwhile, two independent validators, Cosmostation and Polkachu.com, also backed the proposal.
Notwithstanding, their votes had minimal impact on the outcome as Crypto.com controls between 70-80% of the total voting power. This means the company tipped the scales through its dominance over the network.
Community members were quick to express frustration, accusing Crypto.com of manipulating the process. Based on the claims, it appears the Crypto.com exchange leveraged its significant control over the network’s validators. One large token holder voiced their disappointment on Telegram.
“They [Crypto.com] pushed their votes almost at the last minute. And now they created a precedent that other projects could follow,” Unchained reported, citing a community member on Telegram.
Repercussions for Crypto.com and Cronos Blockchain Upgrade
With the vote secured, Crypto.com is set to upgrade the Cronos blockchain, re-minting 70 billion CRO tokens. The newly minted supply will vest over five years and serve various purposes, including the potential creation of a CRO ETF (exchange-traded fund).
Notably, the original 70 billion CRO burned in 2021 will remain out of circulation. Nevertheless, the timing and nature of this decision have fueled skepticism within the community, especially given Crypto.com’s prior assurances that the 2021 burn was final.
A day after the controversial re-minting passed, Crypto.com introduced another proposal to burn 50 million CRO tokens. This constitutes about 0.07% of the freshly minted supply and has been met with widespread derision.
“It is a spit in all CRO holders’ faces. I mean, how dare you re-mint 70 billion tokens and on the same day start a proposal for burning 50 million tokens,” crypto journalist Laura Shin revealed, citing one validator who opposed the re-minting proposal on Telegram.
The comment reflects the general sentiment among the Crypto.com community. Many feel that this irreparably damaged their trust in the platform.
Amidst an outraged community and eroded trust in Crypto.com, the fallout from this decision could have long-term repercussions for the company and the broader Cronos ecosystem. Meanwhile, voting on the latest burn proposal continues.
Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.
Grab a coffee as we analyze Standard Chartered’s Bitcoin (BTC) price projections. According to the bank, Bitcoin price could hit $500,000 as global institutions accumulate Strategy’s MSTR stock for indirect exposure to Bitcoin.
Crypto News of the Day: Standard Chartered’s Bold Bitcoin Prediction
Bitcoin was trading for $105,178, up by a modest 2.27% in the last 24 hours. In recent developments, the pioneer crypto market capitalization has ascended to an all-time high of $2.09 trillion.
However, analysts hold that institutional interest has much to do with Bitcoin’s value surge. Firstly, Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds), which offer Traditional Finance (TradFi) players indirect exposure to BTC, drive institutional interest.
In the same way, institutions are gaining indirect exposure to Bitcoin via Strategy’s MSTR stock. A recent US Crypto News publication indicated that Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) held 576,230 BTC as of May 19.
Holding a significant amount of Bitcoin on its balance sheet, Strategy’s MSTR stock price correlates closely with Bitcoin’s price movements.
MSTR vs. BTC performance in the past year. Source: ivanhoff.com on X
Analysts ascribe this correlation to a dynamic where Bitcoin is the base layer while MSTR operates as a vehicle with different risks, mechanics, and rewards.
Against this backdrop, BeInCrypto contacted Geoff Kendrick, Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered. According to Kendrick, Bitcoin is still on course to hit $500,000 before the end of Trump’s second administration.
Kendrick ascribes this to deepening institutional adoption, particularly through indirect exposure via MicroStrategy’s MSTR shares.
Standard Chartered Says Increasing Allocations to MSTR Is Bullish for Bitcoin
Newly released Q1 2025 13F filings from the US SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) support the bank’s bullish thesis. Specifically, Strategy saw increasing allocations to MSTR by a range of global sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities.
“As more investors gain access to the asset and as volatility falls, we believe portfolios will migrate towards their optimal level from an underweight starting position in Bitcoin,” Kendrick said in an email to BeInCrypto.
While direct holdings of Bitcoin ETFs declined slightly overall, largely due to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board selling its entire 3,400 BTC-equivalent position in BlackRock’s IBIT ETF, other entities quietly increased exposure via MSTR, which Kendrick described as a “Bitcoin proxy.”
“Government entities increased their holdings of Strategy Incorporated (MSTR), which typically trades like a Bitcoin proxy. Entities in Norway, Switzerland, and South Korea reported significant MSTR increases, and Saudi Arabia added a very small position for the first time,” Kendrick told BeInCrypto.
The Standard Chartered executive emphasized that while Bitcoin ETF flows were “unexciting,” the MSTR accumulation trend was the real story this quarter.
“The MSTR ownership detail was where the excitement was,” he added.
Geoff Kendrick went further, detailing Standard Chartered’s analysis of the filings. Based on their analysis:
Norway added 700 BTC-equivalent via MSTR, now holding 6,300 BTC-equivalent.
Switzerland also added 700 BTC-equivalent, reaching 2,300 BTC-equivalent.
South Korea added 700 BTC-equivalent, bringing its total to 1,300 BTC-equivalent.
US state funds (California, New York, North Carolina, Kentucky) added 1,000 BTC-equivalent collectively, now at 3,300 BTC-equivalent.
Saudi Arabia’s Central Bank opened a small MSTR position—its first.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s quasi-sovereign wealth fund Mubadala added 300 BTC equivalent via ETF holdings, increasing its position to 5,000 BTC equivalent.
“SEC 13F data for Q1 supports our thesis that Bitcoin is attracting a wider range of buyers. While data on Bitcoin ETF holdings was disappointing, MSTR – a Bitcoin proxy – saw increased buying. Overall sovereign positions were unchanged due to the Wisconsin pension fund selling its ETF holdings,” Kendrick concluded.
The data reinforce Standard Chartered’s outlook that institutional and sovereign flows—both direct and indirect—will be a key driver of Bitcoin’s ascent to $500,000 in the coming years.
Chart of the Day
Governement holdings of BTC ETFs and MSTR. Source: Standard Chartered
This chart illustrates the total government holdings of Bitcoin ETFs and MicroStrategy’s MSTR stock from Q4 2023 to Q1 2025, measured in ‘000 (thousands) BTC equivalents. Based on the chart, holdings have grown steadily, peaking in Q1 2025 at around 18,000 BTC.
The chart shows that key contributors include Abu Dhabi (ETFs), Norway, Sweden, South Korea, France, New York, Wisconsin (ETFs), Michigan (ETFs), Switzerland, Liechtenstein, California, North Carolina, Saudi Arabia, and Kentucky, with varying contributions across quarters.
Byte-Sized Alpha
Here’s a summary of more US crypto news to follow today:
NEW: The @SECGov and @Ripple have jointly requested a Manhattan District court to dissolve the injunction in their ongoing case and release the $125 million civil penalty held in escrow.
