Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) Surges 183%, Poised for More Gains as Institutional Interest Climbs

Despite recent chaos and fears of a recession, public companies Strategy and Metaplanet are doubling down on new Bitcoin purchases. Strategy purchased BTC worth $285 million, while Metaplanet spent $26.3 million.

Metaplanet’s activity is particularly noteworthy because Japan’s 30-year treasury yields are soaring. For public companies in Japan, conventional economic practice is to pull back from the dollar, but committing to Bitcoin is a bold strategy.

Strategy and Metaplanet Resume Bitcoin Accumulation

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) is one of the world’s largest Bitcoin holders, and it’s been going through a chaotic period. In recent weeks, it has alternated between massive BTC purchases and abrupt acquisition pauses, prompting a great deal of speculation.

Today, however, its Chair, Michael Saylor, announced a major new Bitcoin buy at $285 million:

“Strategy has acquired 3,459 BTC for ~$285.8 million at ~$82,618 per bitcoin and has achieved BTC Yield of 11.4% YTD 2025. As of 4/13/2025, Strategy holds 531,644 BTC acquired for ~$35.92 billion at ~$67,556 per bitcoin,” Saylor claimed via social media.

A lot of this chaos is due to fears of a US recession, which has made the price of Bitcoin swing wildly. When Bitcoin was down, it prompted speculation that MicroStrategy may have to dump its assets.

However, since BTC has started to recover, Michael Saylor’s firm is back on the market.

Critically, Strategy isn’t alone in its Bitcoin acquisitions. Metaplanet is a Japanese firm with substantial BTC holdings and ambitions to acquire even more.

Two days before Strategy made its own major purchase, Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich announced a similar investment:

“Metaplanet has acquired 319 BTC for ~$26.3 million at ~$82,549 per bitcoin and has achieved BTC Yield of 108.3% YTD 2025. As of 4/14/2025, we hold 4525 BTC acquired for ~$386.3 million at ~$85,366 per bitcoin,” Gerovich claimed.

Metaplanet’s commitment here is particularly noteworthy because it contradicts near-term macroeconomic headwinds. The global market is filled with risk-averse behavior right now, and Japan’s 30-year bond yields surged to the highest level in over two decades.

Despite this clear signal, the Japanese Metaplanet is continuing to make major Bitcoin investments. The latest purchases also had a positive impact on the company’s stock market. It’s currently up by 3% today, after suffering notable losses the past month.

In short, major corporate Bitcoin holders like Strategy and Metaplanet aren’t interested in tapering off yet. Despite the recent chaos, there is serious confidence that BTC will either gain in price or represent a stable store of value.

Either way, when public firms like this publicly take a bullish stance, it can shore up confidence across the entire market.

The post MicroStrategy and Metaplanet Reveal New Bitcoin Purchases: Buying the Dip? appeared first on BeInCrypto.

The FOMC concluded its latest meeting by announcing that it will not cut US interest rates. This decision was largely priced in, and the crypto market hasn’t seriously suffered.

Rate cuts would’ve provided a bullish narrative to juice fresh investment, which the market desperately needs. Bearish signals are growing alongside fears of a US recession.

Federal Reserve Says No to Rate Cuts

The Federal Reserve just finished its Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which determines much of US financial policy. The crypto industry was waiting with bated breath to see if the FOMC would decide to cut interest rates.

However, the FOMC made its report to the public and claimed that no rate cuts would be taking place.

“The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. Uncertainty around the economic outlook has increased. The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate. In support of its goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 4.25% to 4.5%,” it said. 

This news more or less fits with the industry’s expectations. Fed Chair Jerome Powell already clearly stated that the FOMC doesn’t plan to cut interest rates.

The industry hoped that rate cuts could provide a bullish narrative, especially while the markets are afraid. For now, it seems like it’ll need to find an optimistic signal somewhere else.

Despite uncertainty from tariffs and bold fiscal policies, officials expect interest rates to drop by another half percentage point by 2025. Since the Fed typically adjusts rates in 0.25% steps, that means we’re likely to see two cuts this year.

Rate cuts would be bullish for investors, especially for risk-on assets like cryptoassets. However, this isn’t the Federal Reserve’s only concern. The FOMC alluded to its “dual mandate” when denying rate cuts. In other words, it needs to juggle investor concerns with consumer inflation fears, uncertainty around Trump’s tariffs, and a possible US recession.

If the FOMC were to slash interest rates, it would likely boost US inflation. The most recent CPI report was better than expected, and some in the industry hoped that this would build confidence. Ultimately, the main hopes rested with President Trump, who personally advocated for rate cuts. However, he didn’t make a major intervention.

It’s not all bad, though. The FOMC also announced would slow Quantitative tightening (QT) by reducing the monthly redemption cap on Treasury securities from $25 billion to $5 billion.

Some members of the community were pleased by this news, as slower QT can increase market liquidity. This announcement is at least some consolation for investors.

In any event, this lack of rate cuts was expected and priced in. The FOMC didn’t shock anybody by refusing to cut interest rates, and the market hasn’t been chaotic. A few of the top-performing cryptoassets suffered minor losses, but no substantial drops have materialized.

The crypto industry has been desperate for a bullish narrative, and some major players are visibly cracking at the seams.

The FOMC, however, did not provide this narrative via rate cuts. Hopefully, crypto will find something else to be optimistic about before a full-blown market correction takes hold.

The post FOMC Rejects Further Interest Rate Cuts, Disappointing Crypto Market appeared first on BeInCrypto.

HTX, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, is leading the charge in a unique dual celebration on May 22,  as Bitcoin Pizza Day coincides with the Trump Dinner.

This moment, where history meets the present, is drawing global attention. In celebration of this special occasion, HTX has proudly partnered with diamond sponsors JUST Protocol, SunPump, APENFT, BitTorrent, and WINkLink, alongside platinum sponsors Levva and ChainGPT, to launch a series of Pizza Day-themed promotions across multiple business lines, including Spot, Futures, Earn, and Community, boasting a total prize pool of nearly 1 million USDT. Whether you’re a new or existing HTX user, you’ll discover exclusive opportunities and exciting benefits throughout these events.

Event 1: HTX Pizza Day Celebration: 200,000 USDT in Surprise Gifts with Seven Project Partners

Get ready for Pizza Fest! From May 13 to May 26, HTX is joining forces with seven esteemed partner projects—SunPump, APENFT, JUST Protocol, WINkLink, BitTorrent, Steem, and MEVerse—to deliver a 14-day Pizza Day Celebration packed with over 200,000 USDT in Surprise Gifts. During the event, users can claim daily gifts on the HTX App, distributed at 02:00 (UTC) daily. On May 22 at 12:00 (UTC), Bitcoin Pizza Day, HTX will drop even more Surprise Gifts featuring bigger rewards, distributed in the form of tokens, Cashback Vouchers, Futures Trial Bonuses, Margin Interest Vouchers, and APY Booster Coupons.

* View details

Event 2: Join the Pizza Day Celebration to Discover Four Amazing Benefits and Grab Your Share of $200,000

From May 20 at 10:00 (UTC) to May 25 at 10:00 (UTC), HTX invites both new and existing users to join the four-tiered rewards event and share a total prize pool of up to $200,000. See below for details:

1. New users who sign up and complete any spot, futures, or margin trade during the event will receive a welcome package that includes a 20 DOGE airdrop, APY Booster Coupons for SmartEarn, and Margin Interest Vouchers.

2. Users will receive 15 USDT for their first successful referral. By inviting more friends, they’ll unlock Mystery Boxes worth up to 1,500 USDT each, containing popular cryptos like $BTC, $TRUMP, and $HTX. Additionally, they can earn up to another 1,500 USDT when their invitees reach the trading volume target.

3. Eligible returning users who complete spot trading on HTX will have a chance to win BTC in a lucky draw. Additionally, after funding their USDT-M Futures account, they can earn APY Booster Coupons for SmartEarn.

4. Users who trade designated cryptos in spot or futures, or create spot grid trading strategies, will have a chance to share $30,000 in $HTX.

* View details

Event 3: Take the BTC Pizza Day Quiz at HTX Square and Win Your Share of 200 USDT

From May 16 at 02:00 (UTC) to May 23 at 15:59 (UTC), HTX Square is launching a quiz challenge where users can win rewards. Participants who follow HTX Square in the HTX Community and answer all the quiz questions correctly will have the opportunity to share the 200 USDT prize pool.

* View details

Event 4: HTX Earn Bonanza for BTC Pizza Day: Enjoy Up to 10% APY on Popular Assets

Celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day with the HTX Earn Bonanza from 16:00:00 (UTC) on May 19 to 16:00:00 (UTC) on May 25. HTX is launching this special campaign featuring Earn products for both new and existing users. First-time subscribers at HTX Earn can enjoy New User Exclusive products with 100% APY. All users can subscribe to Fixed, Flexible, and Shark Fin products with 14 designated cryptocurrencies, including USDT, and earn up to 10% APY on HTX Earn. Additionally, participants who meet the net subscription increase requirement will each receive a 5% APY Booster Coupon for the USDT Flexible product.

* View details

Event 5: HTX Affiliates Pizza Day Special: Team Up & Trade with Your Invitees to Win a Full Case of Kweichow Moutai

Celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day with the limited-time HTX Affiliates Special Event, running from 10:00 (UTC) on May 20 to 10:00 (UTC) on May 25. HTX Affiliates can refer friends to sign up using an exclusive invitation link or code and form a trading team with invitees. Once the team reaches the required trading volume, rewards will be unlocked. The top prize is a 6-bottle case of Kweichow Moutai Flying Fairy.

* View details

Event 6: HTX Convert Contest Now Live with 10,000 USDT Up for Grabs

Don’t miss the HTX Convert Contest! It runs from 16:00:00 (UTC) on May 14 to 15:59:59 (UTC) on May 31. Trade designated cryptos on HTX Convert and reach a total trading volume of ≥500 USDT during the event to qualify for a share of the 5,000 USDT prize pool, with the top individual reward of up to 1,000 USDT. Complete 10 or more trades to unlock an additional prize pool — the more trades made, the bigger the share. Additionally, first-time converters on HTX Convert can also join an exclusive 2,000 USDT prize pool for new users, with up to 20 USDT per person available.

* View details

May 22 isn’t just about commemorating Bitcoin’s first “real-world transaction”; it is also a day for the global crypto community to celebrate the growth of the crypto industry and to share in its rewards. To honor this special day, HTX is launching a multifaceted celebration featuring diverse events that boost user engagement, elevate the festive atmosphere, and fully showcase the platform’s dynamic ecosystem.

Pizza’s on the table and the party’s heating up. Join HTX today and experience the biggest crypto event of the year!

About HTX

Founded in 2013, HTX has evolved from a virtual asset exchange into a comprehensive ecosystem of blockchain businesses that span digital asset trading, financial derivatives, research, investments, incubation, and other businesses.

As a world-leading gateway to Web3, HTX harbors global capabilities that enable it to provide users with safe and reliable services. Adhering to the growth strategy of “Global Expansion, Thriving Ecosystem, Wealth Effect, Security & Compliance,” HTX is dedicated to providing quality services and values to virtual asset enthusiasts worldwide.
To learn more about HTX, please visit HTX Square or https://www.htx.com/, and follow HTX on X, Telegram, and Discord.

The post Bitcoin Pizza Day Meets Trump Dinner: HTX Unveils One Million USDT in Rewards! appeared first on BeInCrypto.