In a major shift, the U.S. SEC has rolled back several proposals introduced during Gary Gensler’s tenure. Among the withdrawn rules are the controversial expanded Custody Rule, the DeFi-targeted Rule 3b-16, and stricter ESG reporting mandates. These changes signal a softer regulatory stance as pressure mounts for clearer, more balanced crypto oversight. The move has been welcomed by many in the digital asset space, viewing it as a step toward more practical and innovation-friendly regulation.
SUI has experienced significant volatility in recent weeks, with its price fluctuating amidst a 30% decline. This decline has been accompanied by rising outflows as investors and traders react to the altcoin’s uncertain short-term outlook.
However, despite these challenges, SUI has managed to hold above the crucial $2.00 support level.
SUI Traders Are Skeptical
Data from futures markets reveals that SUI recently experienced a two-month high in short liquidations, contributing to a total of $12 million in liquidations over a single day. These liquidations reflect the increased skepticism among traders, as many were forced to close their positions amid a rising bearish sentiment. The liquidations highlight the challenges faced by SUI traders, whose bullish outlook failed to materialize.
Despite the short liquidations, the volatility and liquidation events may have contributed to investor caution. The actions of traders, who quickly pulled their positions in the face of adversity, further underscore the uncertain sentiment surrounding the asset. With this pressure on traders, the market could see less buying activity in the near term, keeping bullish momentum subdued.
On a broader scale, the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) indicator, which tracks capital inflows and outflows, signals rising skepticism about SUI’s price trajectory. Since the beginning of the month, the CMF has moved below the zero line, reflecting more outflows than inflows. This suggests that investors are hesitant, and the lack of buying pressure could hinder any immediate price recovery.
Given that the CMF is an essential indicator of market sentiment, its position below zero adds weight to concerns regarding SUI’s current market position. As the outflows continue, skepticism is likely to persist, making it more difficult for the altcoin to achieve sustained upward movement.
SUI’s price currently stands at $2.04, having dipped 30% over the past ten days. Despite this drop, the altcoin has managed to hold above the $2.00 support level, indicating some resilience.
If the bearish sentiment continues, SUI could face a further decline, with $1.75 potentially acting as the next level of support. Should the current trend persist, SUI’s inability to maintain its position above $2.00 could lead to additional losses.
However, if SUI secures $2.22 as support and rallies from there, it could reclaim upward momentum and push past the resistance at $2.47. Should SUI surpass $2.77, the bearish outlook would be invalidated, opening the door for potential growth.
There has been a sharp decline in daily active addresses across Smart Contract Platforms (SCPs) in recent months, raising concerns among investors and developers.
Meanwhile, Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade could be the turning point, with crypto analyst Jamie Coutts calling the current state a cleansing of the ecosystem.
SCPs See Sharp Decline in Active Users
Jamie Coutts, who built Bloomberg Intelligence’s crypto research product, says this is the worst decline ever recorded in the history of SCPs.
He also notes that it is far worse than the 2022-2023 bear market, with daily active addresses dropping 40.5% in just five months.
“This is the largest usage collapse in SCP history,” wrote Coutts.
Coutts’ analysis provides a deeper look at the broader crypto ecosystem, which is simultaneously witnessing an uptick in global liquidity and an all-time high in stablecoin market cap.
While the sector seems to be experiencing a shakeout, Coutts says this decline does not indicate the death of smart contract platforms. Rather, it is a necessary cleansing of the ecosystem.
The analyst attributes the drop in daily active addresses to several key factors, including the rise of artificial activity.
“Much of the past cycle’s growth was artificial: Usage inflated by bots and Sybil farms, Incentive programs created temporary traction without stickiness. The unwind reflects a cleansing of fake activity, not the death of the sector,” Coutts explains.
The rise of bots and Sybil attacks, where bad actors create multiple fake identities to manipulate a platform’s usage metrics, has artificially inflated the activity numbers across various smart contract platforms.
Now, as these fake users are being weeded out, the real growth potential of SCPs is becoming clearer.
Moreover, this trend suggests that SCPs with weak application ecosystems or limited use cases will face significant valuation compression. This is especially true without stablecoin integration or real-world asset (RWA) applications.
Coutts notes that many SCP tokens risk valuation compression if their platforms do not offer high throughput, low-cost, and real settlement capabilities.
The market will likely reward mature platforms capable of supporting real economic activity. These include stablecoin transactions, payments, and AI-native applications.
“…going forward, value will concentrate in platforms that enable high-throughput, low-cost, real settlement and agentic automation,” he added.
Ethereum Staking Surge Post-Pectra
Interestingly, these predictions align with the recent Ethereum Pectra upgrade, which went live on May 7, 2025.
The Pectra upgrade introduces key features that could help Ethereum, the largest smart contract platform, stay ahead in this playing field. Specifically, the upgrade improves Ethereum’s staking model and validator operations.
CryptoQuant recently indicated a notable spike in ETH staking around the Pectra Upgrade news. Specifically, before the Pectra upgrade news, ETH staking saw a net outflow of around 1.02 million ETH, reflecting uncertainty.
However, after the news, staking rebounded with a 627,000 ETH inflow, signaling renewed market confidence in the Ethereum staking ecosystem.
“Before Pectra News (Nov 16 – Feb 15): ETH staking dropped from ≈34.88M to 33.86M ETH, a net outflow of ~1.02M ETH. This period reflects market uncertainty and mild unwinding of staking positions ahead of the upgrade. After Pectra News (Feb 16 – May 16): Total ETH staked rose from 33.78M to 34.41M ETH — a net inflow of ~627K ETH. Indicates renewed confidence in the staking process following the upgrade,” wrote CryptoQuant analyst Kripto Mevsimi.
ETH Staking before and after Pectra Upgrade news. Source: CryptoQuant
In the same tone, Bohdan Opryshko, co-founder and COO at Everstake, told BeInCrypto that the Pectra upgrade may be Ethereum’s most institution-friendly update. He says the upgrade is the clearest signal that Ethereum is ready for conservative capital.
“For the first time, institutions can stake at scale with operational clarity and reduced complexity. It’s a green light for conservative capital to get involved in native Ethereum staking,” Opryshko told BeInCrypto.
Further, Pectra’s introduction of smart accounts allows Ethereum wallets to execute smart contract logic. This could drive stablecoin integration.
At the same time, it could enhance scalability. This would make Ethereum better suited to handle real economic activities such as payments and financial transactions.
Nevertheless, Coutts highlighted a divergence between price action and network activity, a common phenomenon in the crypto space. While markets stabilize, activity on many SCPs remains stagnant.
Coutts notes that this divergence will not last. More sophisticated capital will increasingly flow toward platforms that anchor real economic behavior, especially via stablecoin flows and payments.
“Markets may be stabilizing, but activity is not,” More sophisticated capital will increasingly rotate toward chains that anchor real economic behavior, especially via stablecoin flows, payments, and AI-native applications,” Coutts says.
Finally, Coutts predicts that a liquidity-driven rally will return, fueled by the significant liquidity expected to enter the system in the coming months.
However, he cautions that the value will likely accrue to a subset of SCPs that can deliver tangible value through real-world applications and stablecoin integration. This sentiment aligns with the structural upgrades brought by Ethereum’s Pectra fork.
XRP is up 7% over the last week of April, but May 2025 could bring even bigger moves as major catalysts line up. Key metrics like NUPL and active addresses show a market at a crossroads, with strong optimism and warning signs.
Hype around ETF approvals has stirred volatility, and real institutional inflows could decide XRP’s next major trend. Traders should prepare for a month where both sharp rallies and deep corrections remain firmly on the table.
XRP NUPL Signals Rising Confidence, but ETF Rumors Stir Volatility
XRP Long-Term Holders Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) is currently at 0.73. This places it firmly in the “Belief – Denial” stage of the market cycle. The indicator measures the average unrealized profit among long-term holders.
It has been stuck in this zone since March 27, over a month ago. In general, NUPL values above 0.75 indicate “Euphoria—greed.”
Readings between 0.5 and 0.75 show belief that prices can rise, but there is also the risk of denial if momentum weakens.
The current value has risen from 0.68 three weeks ago to 0.73 today. Long-term XRP holders are seeing larger paper gains. Still, the market could soon face a critical moment where either continuation or a correction emerges.
Rumors about an SEC-approved spot XRP ETF have recently caused confusion, adding more fuel to market volatility. In reality, only ProShares’ leveraged and short XRP Futures ETFs were approved to begin trading on April 30. A true spot ETF has not been approved.
Although the futures approval is seen as a positive step for XRP’s long-term legitimacy, spreading false information has damaged investor confidence. It has also created unnecessary instability.
Some experts predict that a future spot ETF could eventually drive up to $100 billion in capital inflows into XRP. However, until that happens, volatility driven by rumors and miscommunication remains a major risk for the token.
XRP User Engagement Slows as Active Addresses Stay Below 200,000
XRP’s 7-day active addresses have dropped significantly, currently at 147,000, compared to their all-time high of 1.22 million, which reached March 19.
Monitoring active addresses is crucial because it offers real-time insight into user engagement, transaction volume, and overall ecosystem health—lower address activity often signals waning interest, reduced transaction flow, and a softer foundation for sustained price growth.
Since April 1, XRP’s 7-day active address count has consistently stayed below 200,000, reinforcing that user activity has yet to recover fully.
While the drop does not necessarily mean a major price collapse is imminent, it highlights a critical point: strong rallies are often backed by growing network participation.
Without a meaningful pickup in active addresses, XRP could struggle to maintain momentum or ignite a new bullish phase soon.
XRP ETF Approval Could Trigger 49% Rally, But Downside Risks Remain
The final approval of a Spot XRP ETF could become a major catalyst for the token’s price. It would potentially unlock significant institutional inflows. Recently, the world’s first XRP ETF began trading in Brazil.
Experts predict that, if real demand follows the approval like it did with Bitcoin, XRP price could rally sharply. The next major upside target is $3.40, representing a 49% increase from current levels.
This move would be driven by fresh inflows, greater mainstream acceptance, and a tightening supply as more investors gain direct exposure through regulated channels.
On the downside, if momentum fails to recover and a strong downtrend takes hold, it could face a sharp correction. A break below the psychological $2.00 level would expose the token to deeper losses, with the next major support around $1.61.
Such a move would imply a 29% drop from current prices, reflecting a scenario where optimism around ETFs fades and selling pressure takes over.
In this case, XRP could remain stuck in a broader consolidation or bearish phase until stronger catalysts appear.
