Despite recent signs of recovery across the broader cryptocurrency market, sentiment around Ripple’s XRP remains bearish. The altcoin continues to struggle below $2.20, as more traders are now betting that the price will dip further.
Traders appear unconvinced that the token will stage a meaningful price surge in the near term, with many continuing to bet against its upside potential.
XRP Traders Eye Further Downside as Sentiment Sours
According to Coinglass, there has been a consistent increase in short positions targeting XRP. The token’s long/short ratio has remained below 1 for nearly two weeks, reflecting a growing preference for short trades. At press time, this ratio sits at 0.93.
The XRP Long/Short ratio compares the number of long positions (bets that the price will rise) to short positions (bets that the price will fall) in a market.
When an asset’s long/short ratio is above 1, there are more long than short positions, indicating that traders are predominantly betting on a price increase.
Conversely, as with XRP, when the ratio is below one, traders are betting on a price decline. The long/short ratio remaining below 1 for some days highlights a prevailing bearish sentiment in the XRP market, signaling expectations of further downside.
Additionally, XRP’s weighted sentiment has stayed in negative territory, reaffirming the bearish outlook. As of this writing, it is at -0.40.
The weighted sentiment analyzes social media and online platforms to gauge the overall tone (positive or negative) surrounding an asset.
When this metric’s value is negative like this, it points to heightened sell-side pressure and fading investor confidence. This puts XRP at risk of extending its price dip.
XRP on the Brink: Could Selling Pressure Push Price Below $2?
With short interest climbing and bearish bias strengthening, XRP risks slipping below the $2 mark. If the current trajectory continues and selling pressure intensifies, a decline under this psychological threshold could materialize in the near term.
In that scenario, XRP’s price could reach $1.99 and fall toward the year-to-date low of $1.61.
However, a resurgence in new demand for the altcoin could invalidate this bearish projection. In that case, XRP’s price could break above $2.29 and trend toward $2.50.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson is preparing to take legal steps against individuals alleging that he manipulated the blockchain to take control of 318 million ADA tokens.
The accusations, which recently emerged on the social media platform X, suggest he used his Genesis keys in 2021 to seize funds belonging to early investors.
Cardano’s Hoskinson Accused of Secretly Altering Blockchain to Control ADA Funds
Last week, NFT artist Masato Alexander claimed that during the Cardano “Allegra” hard fork, the network overwrote certain unspent token allocations from the original token sale. It then rerouted those tokens to Cardano’s reserves.
“In 2021, the Cardano ‘Allegra’ Hard Fork (HF) wasn’t just a routine upgrade. It contained an extra payload. This HF effectively ERASED the original ICO UTxOs holding the ₳318M and swept the funds into the Cardano reserves,” Alexander wrote.
Alexander claimed that although they intended to reissue the funds to their rightful owners, they allegedly withheld a large portion.
He further claimed that only a small percentage of the tokens funded Intersect, a Cardano governance initiative. Most of the tokens, he alleged, were staked to generate an estimated 25 million ADA in additional rewards.
“Only a tiny fraction went to Intersect… Where did the VAST majority of that ₳318 MILLION actually go after being moved from reserves? Separately, the funds were staked, earning 25m additional,” Alexander alleged.
In addition, Alexander criticized the lack of clear documentation on the fund’s path, suggesting there is no verifiable audit trail.
Ironically, Charles recently emphasized needing community input for scaling solutions, citing the importance of governance.
Yet, when ₳318M was at stake, he acted unilaterally via genesis keys to alter the ledger and control these funds.
However, Hoskinson has strongly rejected the allegations. In a response posted to X, he described the claims as “lies” and clarified that the ADA vouchers became unspendable following the Allegra hard fork.
The Cardano founder explained that these assets were transferred to a custodial account managed by the Token Generation Event (TGE). This account continued processing redemptions for three years.
“The Ada vouchers became unspendable after the hard fork. They were rolled into a custodial account controlled by the TGE that then continued redemption for 3 more years to distribute the genesis funds to the original buyers,” he said.
Hoskinson stated that original buyers eventually claimed 99.8% of the ADA sold during the ICO. He added that the team allocated only 0.2% of the tokens to fund Intersect.
“After seven years, the remaining 0.2 percent were returned to the TGE and donated to Intersect through the same process that funded the Cardano Foundation,” he added.
While the Cardano team has not released a full public report, Hoskinson noted that the redemption process is still ongoing.
He warned that he will sue Alexander and others who repeat the claims if they keep alleging that Input Output Global stole funds.
“As we are now considering litigation against those slandering us, we will make no further statements until the closing report is published. We will then send letters to the relevant parties demanding retractions and apologies,” the Cardano founder concluded.
The non-fungible token (NFT) sector experienced explosive growth in 2021. Artists, investors, and collectors were all swept up in the frenzy. Yet, its meteoric rise was followed by a downturn, prompting questions about the sector’s sustainability.
Alexander Salnikov, co-founder of Rarible, believes the market is not facing a collapse but rather a shift. In an exclusive interview with BeInCrypto, Salnikov offered his perspective on the state of NFTs in 2025 and their role moving forward.
Are NFTs Still Relevant in 2025, or Have They Run Their Course?
The rise of NFTs, fueled by excitement and speculation, was inevitable for a market experiencing such rapid innovation. Nonetheless, like many emerging technologies, this early surge was followed by a correction. The hype gave way to the realities of market maturation and sustainability.
According to the latest report by DappRadar, the art NFT market saw an impressive surge in 2021, with trading volumes reaching $2.9 billion. However, by the first quarter of 2025, the trading volume was recorded at just $23.8 million, marking a 93% decline.
NFTs Trading Volume Over the Years. Source: DappRadar
Similarly, the number of active traders peaked at a record high of 529,101 in 2022. Yet, this figure sharply declined by 96%, with just 19,575 active traders remaining by Q1 2025.
A previous industry report from DappRadar revealed that the underwhelming performance wasn’t just a trend in 2025. In fact, 2024 was one of the worst-performing years for the NFT market since 2020. In addition, BeInCrypto also reported on a study that revealed 98% of NFT projects launched in 2024 were essentially “dead.”
Despite the decline, Rarible’s Salnikov has maintained a positive outlook for the sector. He emphasized the importance of a clear purpose when it comes to NFTs.
“Once upon a time, after the .com burst, the headlines rang that the internet was only a fad. But as more companies integrated the technology into everyday use cases, it became ingrained as a part of life,” he told BeInCrypto.
“The speculative phase had its moment, but now we’re watching NFTs evolve into actual infrastructure—tools creators use to build communities, products, and new digital economies,” he said.
NFTs Beyond the Hype: Unlocking Real-World Utility
Salnikov stressed that utility in the NFT space is no longer a distant concept—it is happening right now. Creators are using NFTs for membership, brands for loyalty programs, and games for player identity.
He pointed to a growing convergence between the digital and physical worlds, with NFTs being tied to merchandise, events, and even real-world assets. Binance Research’s April 2025 report further corroborates this trend.
The report spotlighted several real-world partnerships, indicating interest in NFTs. Examples include Azuki’s physical-backed NFT with Michael Lau, The Sandbox’s Jurassic World collaboration, EGGRYPTO’s anime characters with Eparida, and Sony’s Soneium platform partnering with LINE to create Web3 mini-apps.
“The next wave of growth isn’t about chasing a trend—it’s about unlocking new types of ownership and access that feel native to the internet generation,” noted Salnikov.
While this perspective offers optimism, the reality for many companies is quite different. Due to low trading volumes, major platforms like Bybit, X2Y2, and Kraken have resorted to discontinuing their NFT services.
Those that didn’t shut down explored alternative avenues. For instance, Magic Eden expanded beyond NFTs with the acquisition of Slingshot. Nevertheless, Salnikov dismissed this strategy, commenting,
“We’re not trying to bolt on non-NFT features just to stay busy—we’re building NFT commerce that actually fits the communities using it.”
He explained that this approach uses modular, customizable on-chain marketplaces. Creators can tailor them to fit their specific audiences, whether it’s a gaming project, an L3, or a legacy brand.
“NFTs are the feature—they just need the right framing,” the Rarible co-founder stated.
When Fame Fades: The Diminishing Returns of Celebrity-Backed NFTs
In January 2022, Bieber spent 500 ETH (approximately $1.3 million at the time) on Bored Ape #3001. This NFT is from Yuga Labs’ Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection.
However, according to the latest data, the NFT is worth only 13.51 WETH (around $24,174), a decline of 98.1%. Although the singer hasn’t sold his NFT, it has received little attention lately, with no promotional efforts or notable discussions around it.
Thus, while celebrities can bring attention to NFTs, this highlights the need for substance beyond the name itself. As Salnikov pointed out, celebrity involvement in the sector is fleeting.
According to him, a celebrity name alone can’t replace genuine creative direction or a strong community.
“Celebrity drops will come and go—it’s the culture behind them that determines if they stick,” he remarked.
He argued that celebrities treating NFTs as mere merchandise deters audiences. Nevertheless, when an NFT drop is intentional and truly taps into something meaningful like music, fashion, or fandom, that’s where the lasting value is found.
“We’re way more interested in working with creators who are building for the long haul than just chasing headlines,” Salnikov disclosed to BeInCrypto.
The executive also outlined the need for a more accessible and user-friendly approach for attracting interested users. He detailed that onboarding users should not feel “like a tech demo.” Salnikov pointed to Rarible as an example.
According to him, Rarible focuses on ensuring that each marketplace built on its platform is a product people genuinely want to use. This involves features such as fiat onramps, low-cost mints, a clean user interface, and, most importantly, content that resonates with users.
“We’re not selling NFTs—we’re powering experiences that just happen to be onchain,” Salnikov concluded.
While the NFT market faces ongoing challenges, it remains to be seen whether the industry is entering a new phase of growth or if further obstacles lie ahead in its evolution.
Hyperliquid (HYPE) continues to generate strong revenue, collecting $42.53 million in fees over the last 30 days. However, despite the strong fundamentals, momentum indicators are weakening, with RSI and BBTrend both showing signs of cooling.
HYPE recently failed twice to break key resistance at $19.26, putting pressure on its short-term trend. Now, the price sits at a critical point where it could either collapse below support or mount a new rally toward $25.
Hyperliquid (HYPE) RSI Drops to 42 as Momentum Weakens
Hyperliquid’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) is cooling sharply, dropping to 42 from 60.93 yesterday.
The RSI is a momentum indicator that measures the speed and magnitude of an asset’s recent price changes. It ranges from 0 to 100, with readings above 70 typically signaling overbought conditions, and readings below 30 suggesting oversold conditions.
With HYPE’s RSI now at 42, the token is sitting in a neutral zone but leaning toward weakness.
If the RSI continues to fall, it could open the door for more downside pressure, but if it stabilizes and bounces back, HYPE could regain strength before deeper losses set in.
Hyperliquid (HYPE) Could Enter Consolidation After BBTrend Drop
Hyperliquid is seeing a sharp drop in its BBTrend indicator, now at 2.63, down from 12.68 five days ago. This steep decline shows that the bullish momentum seen earlier has faded quickly.
BBTrend readings falling this sharply often reflect a major slowdown in trend strength, signaling that the price could be entering a consolidation phase or preparing for a deeper correction.
BBTrend, or Bollinger Band Trend, measures how strongly an asset is trending based on the width and expansion of its Bollinger Bands.
High BBTrend values, generally above 10, indicate strong trending conditions, while low values closer to 0 suggest a weak or sideways market. With HYPE’s BBTrend at 2.63, the current reading points to weak trend strength.
If the BBTrend continues to stay low, it could mean that HYPE’s price will consolidate or move sideways unless new momentum builds.
Will Hyperliquid (HYPE) Collapse Below $16 or Rally Past $25?
Hyperliquid has tested the $19.26 resistance level twice over the past few days but failed both times. As a result, its trend now appears to be weakening, with a possible death cross forming soon.
If the bearish momentum continues, HYPE could drop to test support at $16.82.
If selling pressure intensifies, a break below $14.66 could open the way toward deeper support levels at $12.42 and even $9.32.
