The price of XRP has climbed 7% in the past 24 hours, reaching $2.32, as crypto markets turn green amid growing chatter over easing tensions in the Middle East and important developments in the long-running Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit.
After recent market uncertainty caused by the Israel-Iran conflict, crypto prices are starting to recover. XRP, in particular, has seen a strong upswing, with trading volume doubling during this price jump. The token has not only erased the losses from last week’s selloff but has also reclaimed its key price zone around $2.30.
A big reason behind XRP’s rally is the crucial court deadline today, June 16, 2025, in the Ripple vs. SEC case. If both parties fail to submit a corrected motion by the end of the day, the case could move to a full appeal, dragging the matter out for months. However, if they manage to settle or file the needed documents, it could lead to a favorable outcome for Ripple — possibly classifying XRP as a non-security for retail sales. This could open the door for XRP-backed financial products like ETFs and settle the lawsuit by mid-2025.
There’s also fresh ETF news. Purpose Investments, a major asset management firm, may have received its final prospectus receipt, potentially clearing the way to launch its XRP ETF soon. If approved, this would be a major milestone for XRP adoption in traditional markets.
Adding to the positive sentiment, former CFTC Chairman Christopher Giancarlo recently revealed that U.S. regulators are actively discussing the idea of Bitcoin and XRP-backed bonds. This news has excited investors, boosting market confidence around XRP’s future potential.
Smart money investors have sold some popular cryptocurrencies during the ongoing crypto bear market. At the same time, on-chain data shows that these smart money pros are buying the dip in some cryptocurrencies. This article looks at some of the top altcoins to buy as smart money sells tokens like Solayer, AAVE, and Pi Network.
Smart Money is Selling Solayer, AAVE, and Pi Network
Third-party data shows that smart money investors have sold some tokens in the last 24 hours. These investors sold Solayer tokens worth over $7.3 million, Pi tokens worth $2.05 million, and AAVE coins worth $1.2 million.
They are selling Solayer because of profit-taking after soaring by almost 90% from its lowest point last week. AAVE and Pi Network selling is likely happening as these smart money investors anticipate more downtrend in the near term.
Top 3 Altcoins to Buy as Smart Money Investors Buy the Dip
Some of the top altcoins to buy as smart money investors accumulate are Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), Arbitrum (ARB), and Pepe (PEPE).
Smart money is buying these tokens
Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL)
Smart money investors are buying the dip in the VIRTUAL price after it crashed by over 85% from its highest level this year. They accumulated tokens worth almost $950k in the last 24 hours.
The most likely reason for the purchase is that these smart money investors anticipate that it will do well during NVIDIA’s GTC event in California. Jensen Huang, the CEO, will be the keynote speaker and will likely unveil new AI solutions.
Therefore, these investors likely expect that the VIRTUAL price will bounce back because NVIDIA is the biggest player in AI. For one, it may do well if it is mentioned in the keynote since it is the biggest AI generator in crypto. VIRTUAL’s MACD has also formed a bullish divergence pattern on the daily chart.
VIRTUAL Price
Arbitrum (ARB)
Arbitrum is one of the top altcoins to buy as smart money investors accumulate. They bought ARB tokens worth $571k in the last 24 hours. One reason for their accumulation is that, like VIRTUAL, it has formed a bullish divergence pattern. The two lines of the MACD indicator have continued rising as the token falls. Similarly, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) has risen from the oversold level of 25 to 43. A bullish divergence is a popular bullish sign.
Arbitrum price chart
Pepe Coin (PEPE)
Smart money investors are buying Pepe, whose price has crashed by double digits from its highest level this year. Pepe coin has formed a bullish divergence pattern on the daily chart. It also formed a double-bottom pattern whose neckline is at its all-time high of $0.00002840. It also formed a falling wedge pattern, pointing to an eventual rebound.
Pepe Price Chart
Summary on the Top Altcoins to Buy
Bitcoin and most crypto prices remain in a deep bear market after crashing by over 20% from their local highs. This crash presents a good opportunity to buy quality tokens on the cheap. One way of doing this is to look at the actions of smart money investors. These sophisticated pros are now buying altcoins like Arbitrum, Pepe, and VIRTUAL.
Altcoin/BTC spot trading pairs were once considered a key channel for investors to increase their Bitcoin holdings. However, this perception is fading. Data indicates a decline in interest, with many Altcoin/BTC pairs delisted in early 2025.
Meanwhile, Altcoin/USDT spot pairs remain the primary avenue for traders seeking profits.
Binance Delists Multiple Altcoin/BTC Spot Pairs
At the beginning of 2025, Binance removed several Altcoin/BTC spot pairs from its platform. Today, Binance announced the delisting of MDT/BTC, MLN/BTC, VIB/BTC, VIC/BTC, and XAI/BTC due to low liquidity and trading volume. This is not the first such announcement this year.
“To protect users and maintain a high-quality trading market, Binance conducts periodic reviews of all listed spot trading pairs and may delist selected spot trading pairs due to multiple factors, such as poor liquidity and trading volume,” Binance stated.
Since the start of the year, Binance has issued seven delisting announcements, affecting 34 spot trading pairs. Of these, 50% were Altcoin/BTC pairs, while the rest were Altcoin/ETH or Altcoin/BNB. Notably, the delisting of an Altcoin/BTC pair does not necessarily mean its corresponding Altcoin/USDT pair is removed (e.g., ENJ, C98, REZ).
This shift reflects traders’ preference for Altcoin/Stablecoin pairs, likely due to better liquidity and lower risk exposure.
Retail Investors Reduce Bitcoin Holdings While Institutions Accumulate
CryptoQuant data shows that retail investors have been reducing their BTC holdings since Q4 2024, while large investors continue to accumulate.
Bitcoin Holdings of Retail And Large Investors. Source: CryptoQuant.
“Retail is panic-selling. Whales are accumulating,” Investor Mister Crypto commented.
Since the approval of Bitcoin ETFs and the start of Trump’s new term, Bitcoin has become a playground for institutional investors. Retail traders seem less interested, as BTC’s high price is out of reach for many. Instead, they hold fewer BTC and allocate more capital to altcoins, particularly meme coins.
Furthermore, trading Altcoin/BTC pairs exposes traders to two risks simultaneously—the volatility of both altcoins and Bitcoin. Even the most liquid pairs, such as ETH/BTC and SOL/BTC, have shown prolonged downtrends and high volatility, increasing the risk of losses.
Volatility of ETH/BTC and SOL/BTC. Source: TradingView
Market analysts also tend to focus on Altcoin/USDT spot pairs, leaving Altcoin/BTC pairs with less attention.
According to CoinMarketCap data, USDT’s daily trading volume exceeds $115 billion, out of a total market trading volume of $147 billion. This confirms that USDT remains the primary channel for traders seeking opportunities.
Mesh, a pioneering global crypto payments network established in 2020, has announced securing $82 million in funding to expand its global crypto payments infrastructure.
Its network, which interconnects prominent exchanges, wallets, and financial services, allows users to transact using various crypto assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL). Notably, merchants receive the equivalent value in stablecoins like PYUSD or USDC, ensuring predictable settlements.
As stablecoins gain prominence in global crypto payments, Mesh disclosed that a significant portion of its $82 million funding was settled in PayPal-backed USD stablecoin (PYUSD). The funding round was led by Paradigm, with participation from ConsenSys, QuantumLight Capital, and Yolo Investments—marking a major milestone in Mesh’s mission to enhance seamless crypto transactions and further integrate stablecoins into global payment networks.
Mesh’s Global Payment Network – ‘Making Crypto as simple as fiat’
Mesh, at the forefront of crypto payments innovation, provides users and merchants a secure, efficient, and user-friendly platform that connects exchanges, wallets, and financial services.
With over 300 supported platforms, including major crypto exchanges like Binance, Coinbase, and MetaMask, Mesh enables users to transact directly from their wallets without requiring traditional intermediaries. This integration simplifies the payment process, eliminating the need for manual address entries or switching between platforms.
By eliminating the need for manual address inputs and reducing transaction friction, Mesh aims to streamline crypto adoption in everyday payments. Notably, last year in November, Mesh, as the U.S. fintech whose investors include PayPal Ventures, joined forces with Reown (formerly WalletConnect) to launch wallet ownership verification for UTXO-based assets, beginning with Bitcoin.
And now Mesh aims to use the newly secured funds to expand Mesh’s payment infrastructure, focusing on integrating more financial institutions and enabling broader stablecoin settlements.
Mesh’s Global Crypto Payments Network
Stablecoins at the Center of VC Funding
As mentioned, one of the most notable aspects of Mesh’s funding round is that a significant portion of the investment was settled using PayPal’s stablecoin (PYUSD). This highlights the growing role of stablecoins in institutional finance, demonstrating their ability to serve as a bridge between crypto and traditional financial ecosystems.
The adoption of stablecoins and the other cryptocurrencies for the global real-world payments has been witnessing accelerating attention with major firms such as Stripe, PayPal, Plume, among others, working towards it.
Stablecoins, such as PYUSD, USDC, and USDT, have gained traction as preferred digital assets for global payments due to their price stability and instant settlement capabilities. Mesh is actively working to enhance its stablecoin-based settlement network, allowing businesses to accept various cryptocurrencies while receiving stable and predictable payouts in USD-pegged digital assets.
In another recent boost to the accelerating stablecoin adoption, the US administration has been witnessing significant momentum in Washington for the passage of new Stablecoin Bill, known as Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.
The Future of Crypto Payments
As crypto adoption continues to grow, the demand for reliable payment infrastructure is increasing. Mesh’s success in securing $82 million in funding signals a strong market demand for frictionless, stablecoin-based payments.
With an increasing number of companies and merchants embracing crypto transactions, Mesh is well-positioned to become a key player in the Web3 financial ecosystem. As the regulatory landscape evolves and stablecoins gain wider acceptance, platforms like Mesh will play a crucial role in bridging the gap between crypto and traditional finance.
Thus, with the backing of leading investors and a clear roadmap for expansion, Mesh is poised to reshape the future of digital transactions. As the company scales its operations, the impact of stablecoins and crypto payments on mainstream finance is expected to grow, paving the way for a more efficient and interconnected digital economy.
For more updates on Mesh and its global expansion, stay tuned to BrandTalk on our latest reports on advancements by Web3 Brands.
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