SharpLink Gaming is forging ahead with its Ethereum Reserve treasury plans, having closed its private placement deal. The company intends to use the proceeds to buy ETH, while it has also revealed plans to raise up to $1 billion in the future as it looks to become the public company with the largest Ethereum holdings. SharpLink Gaming Closes $425 Million Private Placement Deal In a press release, SharpLink Gaming announced that it has closed the $425 million private placement led by Consensys Software and other investors to help the company implement the largest Ethereum treasury strategy in the public markets. According to a Reuters report, CoinGape had earlier reported the company’s plans to raise $425 million to fund its ETH accumulation strategy. The company effectively sold some of its common stock to raise this sum. Following the close of the deal, Joseph Lubin, the founder and CEO of Consensys, has… Read More at Coingape.com
The SEC has delayed its decision on whether to allow staking for Grayscale’s proposed Ethereum spot ETFs.
The ETFs in question—Grayscale Ethereum Trust and Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF—were filed by NYSE Arca on February 14, 2025. The filing included a rule change request to enable staking as part of their investment strategy.
SEC Pushes Back Grayscale Ethereum ETF Staking Deadline July
The SEC deadline for deciding on the original proposal was set to conclude on April 17. Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the SEC is authorized to extend this review period for up to 90 days.
The agency has now exercised that option. This now allows the SEC to decide on this filing by July 2025.
Staking would allow the ETFs to earn rewards by participating in Ethereum’s proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, a feature not yet approved for any US spot crypto ETF.
Grayscale has proposed that staking be conducted exclusively by the sponsor without commingling funds. Also, Coinbase Custody would continue safeguarding the ETH assets.
The SEC’s delay is part of a broader pattern of cautious regulatory scrutiny over crypto ETF innovations, including similar filings from other asset managers.
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.
Ripple has again caught the crypto community’s attention with its latest XRP movement. The crypto firm moved over $1.1 billion XRP on May 1, leading to crypto community members questioning what could be going on with the crypto firm.
Ripple Moves $1.1 Billion XRP
Whale Alert data showed that Ripple moved around 500 million XRP ($1.1 billion) in minutes across several wallets. On-chain data shows that these coins were moved from the firm’s internal wallets and not to external wallets.
Further data revealed that these coins were simply part of the monthly escrow unlocks, which the crypto firm usually receives on the first of every month. However, as has become a custom, Ripple relocked some of these coins following the token unlocks.
The company first relocked 500 million XRP coins and then proceeded to relock 170 million and 30 million coins in two other transactions. That means that the firm put aside a total of 700 million coins out of the 1 billion coins that it received as part of the May escrow unlock.
This development comes following reports that Brad Garlinghouse’s firm offered to purchase USDC stablecoin issuer Circle for $4 to $5 billion. However, the stablecoin issuer rejected this offer because it was too low.
The company already has its RLUSD stablecoin, which recently surpassed the $300 million market cap milestone. The potential move to acquire Circle would have helped Ripple gain more market share in the stablecoin industry.
XRP Price Begins May With A Critical Back Test
Amid Ripple’s transfers, crypto analyst CasiTrades noted that May has begun with a critical back-test for the XRP price. She further remarked that the altcoin is coming right up against one of the most structural levels on the chart, which is the $2.25 price level.
The analyst stated that XRP has begun forming subwaves down after failing to hold above that price level. She indicated that a subwave B move has already occurred and that market participants are likely to see a C wave move toward $2.
CasiTrades stated that if the final leg plays out with momentum, there is a strong chance that XRP wicks down to $1.90. This is a level that the altcoin hasn’t retested since it broke out earlier this year. This level also aligns with the .5 major support and .618 retracement of the entire rally off the correction lows.
She also revealed that the XRP price’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) is flashing exhaustion on the lower timeframes, which suggests that this price correction won’t last for long. In line with this, she asserted that all signs point to one final flush before the structure is ready to launch higher.
The crypto analyst also assured that the bigger picture remains unchanged for Ripple’s native crypto. She remarked that this may be the final touch of support before the XRP price flips $2.25 and rallies to new highs. CasiTrades claimed that the targets remain $2.68, $3, and beyond once the altcoin breaks out cleanly.
