A crypto analyst and XRP enthusiast known as BarriC recently noted that XRP could experience two very different types of rallies: a retail-driven run or a utility-driven run. The price outcomes under each scenario would not only differ in magnitude but also in structure and sustainability. A retail surge could push the token into the $5 to $10 range. However, a broader utility run tied to global adoption could, in his view, send prices far beyond the double-digit price range. What To Expect With A Retail Run For XRP A…
Day: February 24, 2026
ETH Falls To $1.8K As Bearish Data Spooks Investors
Key takeaways: ETH futures liquidations reached $224 million after a 9% price drop, while the network’s onchain activity fell to a 12-month low. ETH’s high correlation with Bitcoin and massive outflows from exchange-traded funds suggest further downside risk for Ether price. Ether (ETH) plunged to $1,800 on Tuesday, wiping out $224 million in leveraged bullish positions over 48 hours. This 14% price slide over the last 10 days has left top traders defensive. Options and futures data, sluggish onchain activity, and steady outflows from Ether spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) all…
Kraken Launches Tokenized Equity Perps with 20x Leverage
Crypto exchange Kraken has launched trading of tokenized equity perpetual futures on its regulated derivatives platforms, allowing eligible non-US clients to trade 24/7 leveraged exposure to major US stock indexes, gold and individual companies including Nvidia, Apple and Tesla. According to Tuesday’s announcement, the contracts are structured as perpetual futures, derivatives that trade without expiry, and are offered to eligible clients outside the United States. Kraken described the products as the first regulated tokenized equity perpetual futures to be listed on a derivatives venue. The products are built using the…
Stripe weighs PayPal acquisition as PayPal shares jump 7%
Stripe is considering an acquisition of all or parts of PayPal, according to a new Bloomberg report, adding fresh momentum to takeover speculation around the embattled payments giant. The discussions are described as preliminary, and there is no certainty a transaction will materialize. The report comes hours after Stripe released its annual letter, announcing that it reached a $159 billion valuation in a recent employee tender offer. The company also disclosed $1.9 trillion in total payment volume for 2025 and highlighted accelerating growth across enterprise clients, stablecoin activity, and AI-driven…
Entities Offering Crypto Derivatives Likely Fall under Specific Rules: ESMA
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the financial markets regulator and supervisor in the European Union, issued a notice to remind entities to assess investment vehicles providing leverage exposure to cryptocurrencies. In a Tuesday notice, ESMA said that derivatives products, including those marketed as “perpetual futures or perpetual contracts” tied to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) or Ether (ETH), likely fell within the scope of intervention measures applied to contracts for differences, or CFDs. The EU Authority warned companies to “take appropriate steps to identify, prevent, or manage conflicts of…
Coinbase Opens Commission-Free Stock and ETF Trading to All US Users
Coinbase has opened stock and exchange-traded fund trading to all US users, allowing customers to buy and sell equities alongside crypto within the same app on a 24/5 basis. The rollout includes commission-free trading, fractional shares, and instant funding with USD or USDC. According to a company post on Tuesday, thousands of stocks are available to trade 24 hours a day, five days a week, with approximately 6,000 securities currently supported and plans to expand that number in the coming weeks. Coinbase said it aims to introduce stock perpetual futures…
MoonPay Launches AI Agent Wallets For Autonomous Onchain Transactions
Crypto payments and stablecoin infrastructure company MoonPay has introduced a new software layer that gives artificial intelligence systems direct access to blockchain-based financial networks, a development that could allow AI agents to independently hold and move digital assets rather than rely on human intermediaries. The product, called MoonPay Agents, is a non-custodial tool that allows AI agents, or agentic AI, to create wallets, hold digital assets and execute onchain transactions without human intervention, once funded. The launch reflects a broader push to integrate autonomous AI systems with crypto infrastructure, potentially…
Bitcoin Trades Near Fair-Value As Buyer Interest Weakens At $64K
Onchain data tracking Bitcoin’s (BTC) investor profitability has dropped back toward the long-term average, indicating a possible valuation reset. At the same time, crypto exchange order flow shows an easing of aggressive selling pressure, with the spot cumulative volume delta (CVD) rising marginally even as the spot trading volume dropped to $6 billion from $7.6 billion. These changes are shaping the expectations around when stronger spot demand may return for BTC and whether or not this would lead to a trend reversal. Bitcoin valuation metric resets toward the historical mean…
Polymarket Users Favor Meteora in Bets over ZachXBT Crypto Takedown
Users placed more than $7 million betting on the outcome of the crypto sleuth’s investigation, expected to be announced on Thursday. Users of prediction markets platform Polymarket are making bets on which crypto platform will be the next target on online sleuth ZachXBT, known for investigations into scams and hacks. As of Tuesday, Polymarket showed a 29% chance that ZachXBT would name decentralized liquidity platform Meteora on Thursday as part of what was described as a “major investigation” into “one of crypto’s most profitable businesses.” The crypto sleuth said in…
Ether Whale Orders Shrink as $2B Short Cluster Sits Near $2K
Ether (ETH) whale activity on a major exchange has slowed since the start of 2026, with roughly 2 million ETH traded in large-sized transactions over the past 45 days. ETH is currently in the midst of its worst weekly losing streak since 2022, with exchange flow trends and futures market liquidation data impacting investor expectations for Ether’s short and long-term price direction in the broader market. Ether whale order size hints at fading participation CryptoQuant data shows that the average ETH whale sell orders on Binance have fallen to around…