tridEX

GameStop shares jumped nearly 12% on March 26 after the company announced plans to purchase Bitcoin (BTC).

The company plans to finance the purchase through debt financing. After markets closed on March 26, GameStop announced a $1.3 billion convertible notes offering.

The convertible senior notes — debt that can later be converted into equity — will be used for general corporate purposes, including acquiring Bitcoin, according to a company statement.

“GameStop expects to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including the acquisition of Bitcoin in a manner consistent with GameStop’s Investment Policy,” it said.

The company revealed on March 25 plans to use a portion of its corporate cash or future debt to buy digital assets, including Bitcoin and US-dollar-pegged stablecoins. GameStop’s cash reserves stood at $4.77 billion on Feb. 1 compared to $921.7 million one year earlier.

According to Google Finance, GameStop shares closed at $28.36 on the NYSE, marking an 11.65% gain for the day.

The company reported a net income of $131.3 million for Q4 2024 compared to $63.1 million for the prior year Q4. Although net sales had fallen $511 million year-over-year, the company has been aggressively cutting expenses, including closing 590 stores throughout the United States in 2024.

GameStop was once at the center of the 2021 meme stock craze when retail traders orchestrated a “short squeeze” that sent the price of the stock soaring. Some hedge funds closed down as a result of losses sustained during the short squeeze, giving the GameStop meme stock rise a “David vs. Goliath” narrative.

Related: GameStop buying Bitcoin would ‘bake the noodles’ of TradFi: Swan exec

More companies adopt Bitcoin reserve strategy

GameStop is following the lead of Strategy, which first added Bitcoin to its treasury in August 2020. As of December 2024, Strategy’s stock had gained 3200% since adopting its crypto strategy.

Metaplanet, a Japanese company with plans to buy 21,000 BTC by 2026, saw its stock price rise 4800% since announcing the move. In promotional materials, Metaplanet said it had attracted a significant number of new investors, with its market capitalization rising by 6300%.

Semler Scientific also saw a spike in its share price after announcing plans to purchase Bitcoin.

According to CoinGecko, 32 publicly traded companies hold BTC on their balance sheets.

Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

Gracy Chen, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Bitget, criticized Hyperliquid’s handling of a March 26 incident on its perpetual exchange, saying it put the network at risk of becoming “FTX 2.0.”

On March 26, Hyperliquid, a blockchain network specializing in trading, said it delisted perpetual futures contracts for the JELLY token and would reimburse users after identifying “evidence of suspicious market activity” tied to the instruments. 

The decision, which was reached by consensus among Hyperliquid’s relatively small number of validators, flagged existing concerns about the popular network’s perceived centralization.

“Despite presenting itself as an innovative decentralized exchange with a bold vision, Hyperliquid operates more like an offshore [centralized exchange],” Chen said, after saying “Hyperliquid may be on track to become FTX 2.0.”

FTX was a cryptocurrency exchange run by Sam Bankman-Fried, who was convicted of fraud in the US after FTX’s abrupt collapse in 2022. 

Chen did not accuse Hyperliquid of specific legal infractions, instead emphasizing what she considered to be Hyperliquid’s “immature, unethical, and unprofessional” response to the event.

“The decision to close the $JELLY market and force settlement of positions at a favorable price sets a dangerous precedent,” Chen said. “Trust—not capital—is the foundation of any exchange […] and once lost, it’s almost impossible to recover.”

Related: Hyperliquid delists JELLY perps, citing ‘suspicious’ activity

JELLY incident

The JELLY token was launched in January by Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail as part of a Web3 social media project dubbed JellyJelly. 

It initially reached a market capitalization of roughly $250 million before falling to the single digit millions in the ensuing weeks, according to DexScreener. 

On March 26, JELLY’s market cap soared to around $25 million after Binance, the world’s most popular crypto exchange, launched its own perpetual futures tied to the token. 

The same day, a Hyperliquid trader “opened a massive $6M short position on JellyJelly” and then “deliberately self-liquidated by pumping JellyJelly’s price on-chain,” Abhi, founder of Web3 company AP Collective, said in an X post.

BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes said initial reactions to Hyperliquid’s JELLY incident overestimated the network’s potential reputational risks.

“Let’s stop pretending hyperliquid is decentralised. And then stop pretending traders actually [care],” Hayes said in an X post. “Bet you $HYPE is back where [it] started in short order cause degens gonna degen.”

Growing pains

On March 12, Hyperliquid grappled with a similar crisis caused by a whale who intentionally liquidated a roughly $200 million long Ether (ETH) position. 

The trade cost depositors into Hyperliquid’s liquidity pool, HLP, roughly $4 million in losses after forcing the pool to unwind the trade at unfavorable prices. Since then, Hyperliquid has increased collateral requirements for open positions to “reduce the systemic impact of large positions with hypothetical market impact upon closing.” 

Hyperliquid operates the most popular leveraged perpetuals trading platform, controlling roughly 70% of market share, according to a January report by asset manager VanEck. 

Perpetual futures, or “perps,” are leveraged futures contracts with no expiry date. Traders deposit margin collateral, such as USDC, to secure open positions.

According to L2Beat, Hyperliquid has two main validator sets, each comprising four validators. By comparison, rival chains such as Solana and Ethereum are supported by approximately 1,000 and 1 million validators, respectively. 

More validators generally lessen the risk of a small group of insiders manipulating a blockchain. 

Magazine: What are native rollups? Full guide to Ethereum’s latest innovation

Despite strong institutional demand, Bitcoin (BTC) has struggled to reclaim the $100,000 level for the past 50 days, leading investors to question the reasons behind the bearishness despite a seemingly positive environment. 

This price weakness is particularly intriguing given the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve executive order issued by President Donald Trump on March 6, which allows BTC acquisitions as long as they follow “budget-neutral” strategies.

Bitcoin fails to keep up with gold’s returns despite positive news flow

On March 26, GameStop Corporation (GME), the North American video game and consumer electronics retailer, announced plans to allocate a portion of its corporate reserves to Bitcoin. The company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2021, successfully capitalized on a historic short squeeze and managed to secure an impressive $4.77 billion in cash and equivalents by February 2025.

A growing number of US-based and international companies have followed Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR) playbook, including the Japanese firm Metaplanet, which recently appointed Eric Trump, son of US President Donald Trump, to its newly established strategic board of advisers. Similarly, the mining conglomerate MARA Holdings (MARA) adopted a Bitcoin treasury policy to “retain all BTC” and increase its exposure through debt offerings.

There must be a strong reason for Bitcoin investors to sell their holdings, especially as gold is trading just 1.3% below its all-time high of $3,057. For example, while the US administration adopted a pro-crypto stance following Trump’s election, the infrastructure needed for Bitcoin to serve as collateral and integrate into traditional financial systems remains largely undeveloped.

The US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) is limited to cash settlement, preventing in-kind deposits and withdrawals. Fortunately, a potential rule change, currently under review by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, could reduce capital gain distributions and enhance tax efficiency, according to Bitseeker Consulting chief architect Chris J. Terry.

Regulation and Bitcoin integration into TradFi remains an issue 

Banks like JPMorgan primarily serve as intermediaries or custodians for cryptocurrency-related instruments such as derivatives and spot Bitcoin ETFs. The repeal of the SAB 121 accounting rule on Jan. 23—an SEC ruling that imposed strict capital requirements on digital assets—does not necessarily guarantee broader adoption.

For example, some traditional investment firms, like Vanguard, still prohibit clients from trading or holding shares of the spot Bitcoin ETFs, while administrators like BNY Mellon have reportedly restricted mutual funds’ exposure to these products. In fact, a significant number of wealth managers and advisers remain unable to offer any cryptocurrency investments to their clients, even when listed on US exchanges.

The Bitcoin derivatives market lacks regulatory clarity, with most exchanges opting to ban North American participants and choosing to register their companies in fiscal havens. Despite the growth of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) over the years, it still accounts for only 23% of Bitcoin’s $56.4 billion futures open interest, while competitors benefit from fewer capital restrictions, easier client onboarding, and less regulatory oversight on trading.

Related: SEC plans 4 more crypto roundtables on trading, custody, tokenization, DeFi

Institutional investors remain hesitant to gain exposure to Bitcoin markets due to concerns about market manipulation and a lack of transparency among leading exchanges. The fact that Binance, KuCoin, OK and Kraken have paid significant fines to US authorities for potential anti-money laundering violations and unlicensed operations further fuels the negative sentiment toward the sector.

Ultimately, the buying interest from a small number of companies is not enough to push Bitcoin’s price to $200,000, and additional integration with the banking sector remains uncertain, despite more favorable regulatory conditions. 

Until then, Bitcoin’s upside potential will continue to be limited as risk perception remains elevated, especially within the institutional investment community.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Stablecoin issuers should be restricted from providing yield-bearing opportunities to protect the legacy banking system, which issues home mortgages and small business loans, US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said at a summit in Washington, DC.

Speaking at the 2025 DC Blockchain Summit on March 26, the Democratic senator from New York praised her state for having some of the most robust financial regulations in the world, and said they should be adopted by all financial services sectors.

According to Gillibrand, these regulations need to be applied to stablecoin issuers, whether they are regulated at the state or federal levels, to ensure compliance with existing laws and to protect consumer safety. Gillibrand then turned her attention to protecting the banking industry:

“Do you want a stablecoin issuer to be able to issue interest, probably not, because if they are issuing interest, there is no reason to put your money in a local bank. If there is no reason to put your money in a local bank, who is going to give you a mortgage?

“If there is no deposit, small banks cannot do that anymore; it will collapse the financial services system that people rely on for their businesses and mortgages,” Gillibrand continued.

Related: US stablecoin bill likely in ‘next 2 months’ — Trump’s crypto council head

Gillibrand is a co-sponsor of the GENIUS stablecoin legislation — a bill introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty in February that would establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital fiat tokens.

On March 10, Hagerty updated the bill to include stricter anti-money laundering provisions, know your customer (KYC) requirements, financial transparency regulations, and consumer protection controls.

The Senate Banking Committee advanced the GENIUS bill in an 18-6 vote on March 13. The bill must clear both chambers of Congress in floor votes before it hits US President Donald Trump’s desk for signing.

Critics of the GENIUS stablecoin bill say the legislation is a thinly veiled attempt to establish a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the United States through privatized means.

Jean Rausis, co-founder of the decentralized trading platform Smardex, argued that centralized stablecoins provide avenues for financial censorship and state surveillance that could culminate in the government’s ability to turn off money or lock individuals out of the financial system.

Magazine: Unstablecoins: Depegging, bank runs and other risks loom

Bitcoin (BTC) mining stocks are down after tech giant Microsoft reportedly scrapped plans to invest in new artificial intelligence data centers in the US and Europe, citing a potential oversupply, according to a report by Bloomberg and data from Google Finance.

Shares of crypto miners Bitfarms, CleanSpark, Core Scientific, Hut 8, Marathon Digital and Riot dropped between 4% and 12% in tandem with the news, the data showed.

The stock price retrenchments highlight cryptocurrency miners’ increased dependence on business from artificial intelligence models after the Bitcoin network’s April 2024 “halving” cut into mining revenues.

Miners are “diversifying into AI data-center hosting as a way to expand revenue and repurpose existing infrastructure for high-performance computing,” Coin Metrics said in a March report.

For example, in June 2024, Core Scientific pledged 200 megawatts of hardware capacity to support CoreWeave’s artificial intelligence workloads.

In August 2024, asset manager VanEck said Bitcoin mining stocks could collectively see a roughly $37 billion bump to market capitalizations if they invest heavily in supporting AI.

Nevertheless, miners have struggled this year as declining crypto prices worsen pressures on businesses already impacted by April’s halving, JPMorgan said in March. Waning demand for AI data centers could add further strain.

Related: Bet more on the Bitcoin miners cashing in on AI

Cutting back on compute

On March 26, analysts at TD Cowen said Microsoft had abandoned plans to build several new data centers that would have generated some 2 gigawatts of power, according to Bloomberg. 

The analysts reportedly attributed Microsoft’s pullback to a perceived oversupply of computing capacity for AI models, as well as the tech giant’s decision to forgo some planned collaborations with ChatGPT maker OpenAI. 

In the past six months, Microsoft has canceled various data center leases and delayed plans to onboard more capacity, according to Bloomberg. 

Microsoft’s data center investments are expected to slow further in the second half of 2025 as the company finishes $80 billion in planned buildouts and pivots to outfitting existing centers with hardware and equipment, Bloomberg said. 

Magazine: Memecoins are ded — But Solana ‘100x better’ despite revenue plunge

Ether (ETH) price reclaimed the $2,000 support on March 24 but remains 18% below the $2,500 level seen three weeks ago. Data shows Ether has underperformed the altcoin market by 14% over the past 30 days, leading traders to question whether the altcoin can regain bullish momentum and which factors might drive a trend reversal.

Ether appears well-positioned to attract institutional demand and significantly reduce the FUD that has limited its upside potential. Critics have long argued that the Ethereum ecosystem lags behind competitors in overall user experience and still offers limited base-layer scalability, which has negatively impacted network fees and transaction efficiency. 

Will the Ethereum Pectra upgrade impact ETH price?

Many of the Ethereum network’s challenges are expected to be addressed in the upcoming Pectra network upgrade, scheduled for late April or early June. Among the proposed changes is a doubling of the data that can be included in each block, which should help lower fees for rollups and privacy-focused mechanisms. Additionally, the cost of call data will increase, encouraging developers to adopt blobs—a more efficient method for data storage.

Another notable improvement in the upcoming upgrade is the introduction of smart accounts, which allow wallets to function like smart contracts during transactions. This enables gas fee sponsorship, passkey authentication, and batch transactions. Additionally, several other enhancements focus on optimizing staking deposits and withdrawals, providing greater flexibility, and extending block history for smart contracts that rely on past data.

Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, set a $5,000 price target for ETH on March 25, stating that it should significantly outperform competitor Solana (SOL).

Regardless of the rationale behind Arthur’s price prediction, ETH options traders do not share the same bullish sentiment. The Sept. 26 call (buy) option with a $5,000 strike price costs only $35.40, implying extremely low odds. However, Ethereum remains the undisputed leader in smart contract deposits and is the only altcoin with a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the US, currently holding $8.9 billion in assets under management.

Ethereum TVL growth and reduced ETH supply on exchanges

Ethereum’s network boasts a total value locked (TVL) of $52.5 billion, significantly surpassing Solana’s $7 billion. More importantly, deposits on the Ethereum network grew 10% over the past 30 days, reaching 25.4 million ETH, while Solana saw an 8% decline over the same period. Notable highlights on Ethereum include Sky (formerly Maker), which saw a 17% increase in deposits, and Ethena, whose TVL surged by 38% in 30 days.

The Ether supply on exchanges stood at 16.9 million ETH on March 25, just 3.5% above its five-year low of 16.32 million ETH, according to Glassnode data. This trend suggests that investors are withdrawing from exchanges, signaling a long-term capital commitment. Similarly, flows into spot Ether ETFs remained relatively muted on March 24 and March 25, in contrast to the $316 million in net outflows accumulated since March 10.

Related: Ethereum devs prepare final Pectra test before mainnet launch

Lastly, the Ethereum network is gaining momentum in the Real World Asset (RWA) industry, particularly after the BlackRock BUILD fund surpassed $1.5 billion in capitalization. The Ethereum ecosystem, including its layer-2 scalability solutions, accounts for over 80% of this market, according to RWA.XYZ data, underscoring Ethereum’s dominance in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space.

Ether’s price drop below $1,900 on March 10 likely reflected overly bearish expectations. However, the tide appears to have turned as the Ethereum network demonstrated resilience, and traders continued to withdraw from exchanges, setting the stage for a potential rally toward $2,500.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Interactive Brokers, a global brokerage that recorded $9.3 billion in revenue for 2024, is expanding its altcoin offerings to include four new tokens.

According to a March 26 announcement, the platform has added Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), XRP (XRP), and Dogecoin (DOGE) for trading. The four coins have a combined market capitalization of $267.2 billion at this writing.

The additions double Interactive’s crypto offerings to traders. Since 2021, it has enabled trading in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) pairs.

Both trading and custody services will be provided through Paxos Trust Company or Zero Hash LLC. Zero Hash said in a press release that as of June 2024, it had processed $20 billion in transactions across 200 countries.

Financial firms have been expanding crypto token offerings. On March 25, Nubank announced the addition of ADA, Near Protocol (NEAR), Cosmos (ATOM), and Algorand (ALGO) to its over 100 million clients in Latin America. US exchange Kraken has been steadily adding memecoins for a number of months, while Binance introduced a way for community members to vote on the listing and delisting of tokens.

Amidst an increasingly competitive crypto market, Interactive Brokers is promising low transaction fees — 0.12% to 0.18% per transaction value with a minimum of $1.75 per trade. The brokerage still faces competition from exchanges that offer “pro” platforms with similar charges.

Related: CZ admits Binance token listing process is flawed, needs reform

Crypto markets see more regulation, more adoption

Companies’ moves to expand crypto offerings comes amid a broader shift in how nation-states engage with the industry — moving toward collaboration rather than outright suppression. The European Union’s MiCA regulation has delivered in a clearer framework for crypto companies operating in that region, while the United States has been betting on the use of stablecoins to preserve the dollar global dominance.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has dropped cases against a number of crypto companies, and the US Congress is currently working on stablecoin and market structure legislations.

Although crypto markets have recenlty experienced turbulence due to uncertainty surrounding US tariffs and fears of recession, institutional investors still appear optimistic crypto investments. Since debuting in January 2024, Bitcoin exchange traded-funds have attracted a cumulative net inflow of $36 billion, according to SoSoValue.

Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

XRP (XRP) price continues to underperform the broader crypto market this week, even though multiple altcoins turned green as Bitcoin (BTC) rallied to $88,800.

The altcoin is down 4.7% over the past seven days, putting a pause to the 11% rally seen on March 19, when the Ripple’s SEC “lawsuit ending” news made headlines. XRP trading volumes have also dropped from around $4 billion to $2.6 billion, i.e., a 35% dip over the past week.

XRP price peers over a steep cliff

In a recent X post, veteran trader Peter Brandt said the presence of a “textbook” head-and-shoulders pattern (H&S) could drop XRP price as low as $1.07.

According to Brandt, a price rally above $3 could invalidate the H&S pattern. However, a drop below $1.90 opens up the possibility of a 55% correction. Brandt said,

“Below $1.9, I would not want to own it. H&S projects to $1.07. Don’t shoot the messenger.”

On the contrary, Javon Marks highlighted a positive breakout for XRP. The cryptocurrency trader indicated that XRP’s price and the relative strength index (RSI) have both traded above their falling wedge patterns.

Historically, such a setup has proven to be a profitable turnaround for the altcoin, and Marks said,

“The last breakout resulted in a roughly +570% price increase and prices can be ready for another substantial surge.”

Related: Waiting for altcoin season? Data suggests it’s already here

XRP correction call could be premature

From a technical perspective, it’s a bit early to predict a retest of the $1.07 level based on XRP’s existing market structure. Although XRP has been in a downtrend since the start of 2025, the $1.90 level has only been tested three times since November 2024.

Since XRP traded above the $2 level, it has not experienced a daily close below the threshold, suggesting that investors may view this range as a potential buy-back zone.

Furthermore, spot market volumes have been the primary driver behind XRP’s recent rally, indicating sustained investor interest in the altcoin over the past few months.

Dom, an order flow markets analyst, noted that the next couple of weeks could be vital for XRP to establish a clear direction. The analyst mentioned that the current range does not capture his interest and said,

“We need to see clear breaks of the levels I have shown. Just be aware of the next week or two, as the price action will be telling.”

The important level for XRP to reclaim remains $2.50, which has been a critical support and resistance throughout the last four months of price action.

Related: Bitcoin price just ditched a 3-month downtrend as ‘key shift’ begins

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Several sectors of decentralized finance are poised for growth in 2025, including special-purpose decentralized exchanges (DEXs), stablecoins, and tokenized assets, according to Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov.

Growth in decentralized exchanges will be driven by new purpose-tailored platforms, such as exchanges for stablecoins pegged to different underlying fiat currencies, thus solving the foreign exchange problem in stable tokens, Egorov said in an interview with Cointelegraph. The Curve founder added:

“Exchanges between stablecoins of different denominations like the Euro, US dollar, and others are not yet properly solved. How to provide liquidity without losing money, but while earning a lot of money, is kind of an open question that I think will be solved soon.”

The number of centralized and decentralized stablecoin offerings will also grow as financial institutions and blockchain developers create new alternatives, Egorov said.

However, the regulatory landscape must catch up with the pace of innovation in the DeFi sector, and financial regulators are still using laws designed for the legacy system established in the 20th century, he said.

Related: DeFi lender Nostra pauses borrowing after price feed error

US lawmakers vote to kill DeFi broker rule

Lawmakers in the United States recently voted to repeal the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) regulation requiring decentralized finance platforms and protocols to report financial information to the government agency.

On March 4, the US Senate passed a resolution repealing the IRS broker rule in a 70 to 27 vote, which was followed by the US House of Representatives voting to kill the IRS rule on March 11.

The resolution will need to pass another Senate vote before being sent to President Donald Trump, who has signaled he’d support it.

A report titled The State of Stablecoins 2025: Supply, Adoption & Market Trends from Dune Analytics and onchain analysis firm Artemis shows that stablecoin adoption surged by 53% year-over-year.

The report tracked active stablecoin addresses between February 2024 to February 2025 and found that active accounts increased to 30 million from 19.6 million.

Similarly, a March 18 report from Coinbase and EY-Parthenon indicated that 83% of institutional investors polled say they are increasing their crypto allocations in 2025.

Magazine: DeFi and Ethereum are the ‘new narrative’: Michaël van de Poppe, X Hall of Flame

Bitcoin (BTC) bulls have maintained the pressure and are attempting to push the price above the $90,000 resistance. A positive sign in favor of the bulls is that the US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have witnessed net inflows for eight successive trading days, according to SoSoValue data. That indicates institutional investors are gradually buying again.

In another positive, a Bitcoin whale bought 2,400 Bitcoin — worth over $200 million — on March 24 to increase the total holding to more than 15,000 BTC, blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence said in a post on X.

However, a Bitcoin rally may not be easy as bulls are expected to encounter solid selling near $90,000. Alphractal CEO Joao Wedson highlighted in a post on X that whales had closed long positions and initiated short positions on Bitcoin at $88,000. He added that history says the whales are right.

Could Bitcoin break above the stiff overhead resistance, pulling altcoins higher, or is it time for a short-term correction? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

Bitcoin price analysis

Bitcoin is facing selling at the resistance line, but a positive sign is that the bulls have not allowed the price to dip below the 20-day exponential moving average ($85,825). 

The flattening 20-day EMA and the relative strength index (RSI) near the midpoint suggest that the bulls have a slight edge. A break and close above the 50-day simple moving average ($89,787) indicates that the correction may be over. The BTC/USDT pair could soar to $95,000 and later to the crucial resistance at $100,000.

Contrary to this assumption, if the price turns down and breaks below the 20-day EMA, it signals that the bulls have given up. That may sink the pair to $83,000 and then to $80,000.

Ether price analysis

Ether’s (ETH) recovery is facing solid resistance at the breakdown level of $2,111, indicating that the bears are unwilling to give up their advantage.

If the price continues lower and breaks below $1,937, it will signal that the bears are trying to flip the $2,111 level into resistance. If that happens, the ETH/USDT pair could decline to $1,800.

This negative view will be invalidated in the near term if the price turns up and breaks above $2,111. That opens the doors for a rally to the 50-day SMA ($2,325) and subsequently to $2,550. Such a move will suggest that the pair may have formed a short-term bottom at $1,754.

XRP price analysis

XRP (XRP) is trying to take support at the 20-day EMA ($2.39), suggesting that the bulls are buying on dips.

If the price bounces off the 20-day EMA, the bulls will try to push the price to the resistance line. If the price turns down sharply from the resistance line and breaks below the moving averages, it will signal that the bears remain in control. That could keep the XRP/USDT pair stuck between the resistance line and $2 for some more time.

Buyers will be in the driver’s seat on a break and close above the resistance line. The pair may rally to $3 and eventually to $3.40.

BNB price analysis

BNB (BNB) bulls are facing resistance at $644, but a positive sign is that the buyers have not given up much ground to the bears.

The 20-day EMA ($616) has started to turn up, and the RSI is in the positive zone, suggesting that the path of least resistance is to the upside. If buyers drive the price above $644, the BNB/USDT pair could ascend to $686. This level may again act as a strong barrier, but if the bulls overcome it, the pair may rally to $745.

The first sign of weakness will be a break and close below the 20-day EMA. That may pull the price down toward the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level of $591.

Solana price analysis

Solana (SOL) broke and closed above the 20-day EMA ($136) on March 24, suggesting the start of a relief rally.

The 50-day SMA ($155) may act as a resistance, but if the bulls prevail, the SOL/USDT pair could rally to $180. Sellers are expected to aggressively defend the $180 level. If the price turns down sharply from $180 and breaks below the 20-day EMA, it will signal a possible range formation in the near term. The pair may consolidate between $110 and $180 for some time.

Instead, if buyers drive the price above $180, it suggests that the pair has started its journey toward the top of the large $110 to $260 range.

Dogecoin price analysis

Dogecoin (DOGE) rose and closed above the 20-day EMA ($0.18) on March 25, suggesting the start of a sustained recovery.

The DOGE/USDT pair is facing selling at the 50-day SMA ($0.21). If the price rebounds off the 20-day EMA, it will signal buying on dips. The bulls will try to propel the pair to $0.24 and later to $0.29.

On the other hand, if the price skids below the 20-day EMA, it will indicate that bears continue to sell on rallies. The pair may drop to $0.16 and then to the crucial support at $0.14.

Cardano price analysis

Cardano (ADA) bulls pushed the price above the 50-day SMA ($0.75) but are struggling to sustain the higher levels.

If the price breaks below the 20-day EMA, the bears will attempt to pull the ADA/USDT pair to the uptrend line. This is an important level for the bulls to defend because a break below it could tilt the advantage in favor of the bears. The pair could then descend to $0.58 and, after that, to $0.50.

If buyers want to seize control, they will have to push and maintain the price above the 50-day SMA. If they manage to do that, the pair could rise to $0.84. This level may act as a strong resistance, but if the bulls prevail, the pair may climb to $1.02.

Related: Bitcoin price just ditched a 3-month downtrend as ‘key shift’ begins

Chainlink price analysis

Chainlink (LINK) has moved up to the 50-day SMA ($16.12), which is likely to act as a stiff resistance.

If the price turns down from the 50-day SMA, the LINK/USDT pair may find support at the 20-day EMA ($14.75). A strong rebound off the 20-day EMA increases the likelihood of a break above the 50-day SMA. The pair could climb to $17.7 and later to the resistance line.

If bears want to prevent the upside, they will have to swiftly pull the price back below the 20-day EMA. The pair could slump to $13.82 and thereafter to the channel’s support line.

Avalanche price analysis

Avalanche’s (AVAX) relief rally rose above the 50-day SMA ($22.10) on March 25, indicating that the downtrend could be ending.

The 20-day EMA ($20.42) has started to turn up, and the RSI has jumped into the positive zone, signaling an advantage to buyers. If the AVAX/USDT pair turns down from the current level but finds support at the 20-day EMA, it suggests a change in sentiment from selling on rallies to buying on dips. That improves the prospects of a rally to $27.23.

On the contrary, a break and close below the 20-day EMA signals a range formation between $25.12 and $15.27.

Stellar price analysis

Stellar (XLM) recovered to the breakdown level of $0.31, where the bears are expected to mount a strong defense.

If the price turns down from $0.31 and breaks below $0.27, it will suggest that the bears are active at higher levels. That heightens the risk of a drop to the critical support at $0.22, where buyers are expected to step in.

Alternatively, a break and close above $0.31 signals that the markets have rejected the breakdown. The XLM/USDT pair may rise to the downtrend line, which could again pose a substantial challenge. A break and close above the downtrend line suggests a potential trend change.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Crypto and blockchain-focused venture capital is unfazed by recent market volatility and is using the opportunity to uncover hidden gems in an industry that’s only “one decade into a 30-year paradigm shift,” according to Hoolie Tejwani, the head of VC firm Coinbase Ventures. 

Coinbase Ventures will “continue to invest steadily through market conditions” because it sees the “big picture,” Tejwani told Cointelegraph in an interview.

“What we’re seeing as investors is an exponential technology change curve that is transforming the way people interact, how value flows, and how economies are run. And it’s being shaped by the people who are building on crypto infrastructure,” said Tejwani.

Coinbase Ventures’ portfolio of investments includes Arbitrum, Dune, EigenLayer, Etherscan, OpenSea, Optimism and Uniswap, among others. Its mandate is to invest in project founders who share the namesake crypto exchange’s vision of creating more economic freedom through blockchain and Web3 applications.

The company is especially “bullish on stablecoins,” thanks in part to recent crypto-friendly moves in the US Congress and by President Donald Trump, Tejwani said. 

The Senate Banking Committee forwarding a bill to regulate [stablecoins] “is a huge step for crypto,” he said, referring to the GENIUS Act, which stands for Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins.

Although there was some partisan opposition, California Representative Ro Khanna recently said at least 70 of his fellow Democrats now understand the importance of stablecoins in maintaining the US dollar’s role as a global reserve currency. 

Khanna, like others, expects stablecoin legislation to cross the finish line this year.

Related: US stablecoin bill likely in ‘next 2 months’ — Trump’s crypto council head

DeFi, consumer applications remain in focus

In addition to stablecoins, Tejwani identified “next-generation” decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, onchain consumer applications across social, gaming and creator markets, and intersection points between crypto and AI as major investment themes in 2025.

Some of these themes were also identified by Jeffrey Hu, the head of investment research at Hong Kong-based HashKey Capital, although HashKey is placing a bigger emphasis on tokenizing real-world assets and decentralized physical infrastructure networks, also known as DePINs. 

Nevertheless, Tejwani and Hu agree that institutional adoption and real-world use cases represent the major focus areas for venture capital firms. 

“We expect 2025 to be a banner year for crypto startup activity and VC investment, fueled by clearer regulations, institutional adoption, and the continued growth of real-world use cases,” said Tejwani.

Tejwani’s outlook on 2025 is consistent with recent inflows into crypto-based startups. As Cointelegraph reported, crypto and blockchain projects received a combined $1.1 billion in funding in February alone.

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