Is Trumpism winning and crypto failing? Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP bleed as traders react

Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news’ editorial. Although some believe that crypto PR and communications efforts should slow down when the markets are cooling off, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, during crypto winters, product development teams huddle together to work on building their solutions—and that’s great—but these are also the ideal times for brand building. You might also like:Crypto tech projects shouldn’t settle for shallow marketing | Opinion Indeed, when the market is going through a crypto slowdown, the strategic brands are seizing the opportunity to strengthen credibility while everyone else is hibernating. And when the market inevitably heats up, this strategy will position such players ahead of the competition. Now, not all might agree with this point of view, arguing that pushing PR during a downturn is tone-deaf. Others might see slow market communications as unnecessary noise when product development should be the only priority. But visibility isn’t vanity—it’s strategy, and it’s easier to get noticed in calmer markets. Slower news, hungrier journalists As the movements in the crypto market slow down, so does everything else that relates to it, including newsrooms. In other words, journalists have more space (and patience) for stories that go beyond mere price action. There are no big stories of exploding digital assets. Bitcoin (BTC) is nowhere near reaching a new all-time high, and altcoins are taking the cue from the industry’s number one, sleeping it off themselves. Thus, when the hype and the noise in the crypto sphere die down, media outlets are on the lookout for stories worth telling. In such moments, true innovation and strong projects get their chance to shine and get real editorial interest, instead of getting lost among drama-driven headlines.  Small news can be perceived as newsworthy in a bear market Here’s a secret—during a bull run, not even a $10 million funding round might turn heads. It’s just too common when there’s money flowing everywhere across the board. To illustrate, an insider source at a crypto media powerhouse once said that their “funding news coverage threshold is a minimum of $10 million, with exceptions.” This might sound counterintuitive at first, but in a more bearish market sentiment, that same outlet might just be interested in a mere $5 million, or even a $1.4 million seed round, like the one recently raised by crypto payment hub Lyzi to expand its Tezos-based service. In other words, Lyzi has just told the world that it’s there and constantly working on building its product. Arguably, in a period of market pessimism, it would be one hell of a smart and well-timed PR move, and the best part—the likes of CoinDesk might pick it up. Pick up the mic when no one else is talking Providing expert commentary when the industry goes silent becomes even more valuable. Journalists still seek third-party sources and insights, and this is your chance to establish yourself as an authoritative figure in the sector, to whom journalists will come back when the bull market returns. This means that when it’s all quiet on the crypto front and a journalist comes knocking at your door, be ready. Hiring a good PR firm that will lead you, shape your story, and provide the stage is certainly the right move, but it’s up to you to step up with confidence and claim the spotlight.  Execution still matters With this in mind, don’t mindlessly drop news just for the sake of it. Be strategic about timing, like holidays, conferences, and other major events that might overshadow your news, as well as the tone—this isn’t the time to brag but display resilience and value.  Also, use the time of market bearishness to build your reputation and flesh out your digital footprint through earned media placements in trusted crypto outlets. Potential users, partners, and investors will look you up online, so make sure they have good things to read about you—that’s your PR working in the background. The real bottom line All things considered, crypto PR in times of market stagnation and bearish sentiment is not so much about creating hype as it is about demonstrating real substance. It’s about crafting a narrative that portrays you as the crypto player who can weather the blizzard, better positioning your brand. So, the next time you’re considering staying silent during a crypto downturn, think again. You might miss out on the best PR opportunities of the cycle, as at this time, you could get more attention than usual.  Don’t wait for the bull to charge—make your mark when the field is clear. Read more:The crypto marketing trap: Hiring crypto experts can backfire | Opinion Afik Rechler Afik Rechleris the co-founder and co-CEO of Chainstory, a results-driven crypto PR agency. He specializes in crypto communications and search-driven content marketing. Afik has been in the crypto industry since late 2016, helping blockchain businesses meet their marketing and communications goals.

彭博高级 ETF 分析师詹姆斯·塞法特 (James Seyffart) 表示，尽管资金流入放缓且比特币价格下跌，但比特币交易所交易基金仍持有超过 95% 的投资资本。 在 3 月 14 日 X 上的一篇帖子中，Seyffart 分享说，比特币 ETF 的流入量正在下降，从 400 亿美元的峰值下降到 350 亿美元。然而，尽管比特币价格下跌了 25%，但其管理的总资产仍达到 1150 亿美元，大多数基金仍保持稳定。 Seyffart 表示，这种韧性堪比传统的美国股票 ETF，长期投资者在市场低迷时不会恐慌性抛售，而是继续买入。他表示，这种投资者行为表明投资者正在从短期投机转向长期财富积累策略。 @JSeyff 的比特币 ETF 流入量图表很不错，目前已降至 350 亿美元（从 400 亿美元的峰值）。基于 1150 亿美元的资产管理规模，这意味着尽管经历了 25% 的痛苦下跌，但超过 95% 的投资现金仍保持强劲 = 婴儿潮一代正在向大家展示他们是如何做到的……*ducks* pic.twitter.com/8OtH6NM33g— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) 2025 年 3 月 13 日 与此同时，SoSoValue 的数据显示，美国现货比特币 ETF 上周流出 8.7 亿美元，过去一个月流出 16 亿美元。分析师表示，最近的资金流出是“谣言买入，新闻卖出”的典型案例。 2024 年 7 月，特朗普首次提到了“战略比特币储备”计划，这引发了猜测，更多投资者购买比特币。当加密货币峰会正式宣布这一消息时，市场已经消化了这一消息，导致比特币抛售。 你可能还喜欢：德克萨斯州推出第二份比特币储备法案，允许 2.5 亿美元投资 其他指标表明比特币市场正在走弱。CryptoQuant 撰稿人 Darkfost 指出，自 12 月以来，比特币需求急剧下降。他指出，表观需求的 30 天简单移动平均线有所下降，该平均线将新增供应量与一年多以来不活跃的 BTC 进行比较。这一下降表明活跃买家减少，市场更加谨慎。 https://twitter.com/darkfost_coc/status/1900253428846387242?s=46&t=nznXkss3debX8JIhNzHmzw 数据分析平台 Alphractal 在 3 月 12 日的 X 帖子中揭示了另一个令人担忧的趋势。决定风险调整后回报的比特币夏普比率自 2024 年 3 月以来一直在下降。即使比特币创下 100,000 美元以上的历史新高，该比率仍表现出疲软，表明每单位回报的风险在上升。 下降的原因可能是宏观经济不确定性、波动性增加以及短期回报放缓。当夏普比率下降时，回报变得难以预测且波动性增加，这表明市场波动性增加，价格可能出现调整。 此外，Santiment 的数据表明，大型比特币持有者正在抛售。在过去一周，鲸鱼钱包（持有 100-1,000 BTC 的钱包）出售了超过 50,000 BTC，总额约为 40.7 亿美元。从历史上看，鲸鱼和鲨鱼钱包层级的变化会影响市场趋势，这引发了人们对比特币短期前景的更多疑问。 阅读更多：特朗普的比特币储备和期权到期后，比特币波动性上升

在分析师 James Seyffart 和 Eric Balchunas 公布其 ETF 批准概率后，莱特币、狗狗币、Solana 和 XRP 的价格均出现上涨。莱特币获得美国证券交易委员会批准的概率为 90%，目前涨幅达 12%，涨幅居前，反映出其获得 ETF 批准的可能性最高。 分析师 James Seyffart 和 Eric Balchunas 最近发布了几只山寨币交易所交易基金获得美国证券交易委员会批准的可能性排名。据 crypto.news 报道，在此之后，莱特币 (LTC) 成为 SEC 批准的最大竞争者，在过去 24 小时内上涨了 12%。排名第二的狗狗币 (DOGE) 上涨了 5.7%，而获得批准概率较低的 Solana (SOL) 和瑞波币 (XRP) 分别上涨了 0.3% 和 2.7%。 阅读更多：SEC 最终承认了 Solana ETF 的申请，此前曾多次遭到拒绝

In the next few days, the altcoin market is gearing up for a range of major events in the crypto space that could potentially influence price action and market sentiment. Here are just a few major token events to look out for in the week ahead. From token unlocks to project roadmaps, these altcoins are preparing to unveil a number of highly anticipated announcements that will keep traders on the edge of their seats and watching the charts closely. Here are a few altcoin announcements to keep an eye on in the following week: APT: 65m APT unlocked on May 12 A total of 65 million APT (APT) tokens will be unlocked on May 12, according to DropsTab’s token unlock calendar. These tokens are part of the vesting schedule that features a 12-month cliff followed by monthly unlocks over 36 months, with the first six months releasing 11,875,000 APT each. Price chart for the altcoin APT in the past few days, May 12 | Source: crypto.news Analysts warn that the token unlock could exert selling pressure if recipients choose to liquidate tokens, especially given current support around the $6 threshold. BTC: VanEck’s onchain economy ETF launch on May 14 VanEck’s Onchain Economy ETF, with the ticker NODE, is scheduled to begin trading on May 14, 2025. As the first actively managed ETF focused on the crypto and blockchain sector, it will allocate across stocks of companies involved in digital assets, decentralized infrastructure, and on-chain applications, with up to 25% exposure to crypto-linked ETPs. The momentum of VanEck’s ETF could further fuel Bitcoin (BTC)’s ongoing rally after it surpassed the $105k mark. METIS: Andromeda Network Upgrade on May 14 On May 14, Metis will activate its Andromeda Upgrade, the first phase of its “ReGenesis” evolution. This upgrade introduces on-chain fraud proofs and migrates data availability onto Ethereum (ETH) mainnet blobs, enhancing security and decentralization on Metis Layer 2. The latest Metis upgrade could spark renewed project investments and a 10% to 20% increase in METIS price as developer confidence returns. You might also like:Bitcoin surges past $105k on the heels of a U.S. and China trade deal Sonic: Big Announcement on May 15 According to a recent post on its official account, EVM-compatible blockchain is planning to make an announcement on May 15. Even though the exact details remain vague, with the post only mentioning the word “Shards,” altcoin community speculation points to one of three scenarios: a strategic alliance with a top DeFi lending protocol, launch of a Layer 2 scaling solution on Sonic (S)’s network, or unveiling of a cross-chain bridge to Ethereum mainnet. Shards.Thursday, May 15.— Sonic Labs (@SonicLabs) May 9, 2025 Regardless of specifics, the altcoin community consensus is that the May 15 reveal will significantly influence both on-chain activity and price action in the days that follow. The token itself has been on a week-long rally, rising by 14.4% since its latest update earlier this month. STX: sBTC Cap Increase on May 15 On May 15, Stacks (STX) will enact its third sBTC cap increase, raising the total deposit cap from 2,000 BTC up to 5,000 BTC. This move unlocks additional Bitcoin collateral within the Stacks DeFi environment, enabling more users to mint sBTC, which is a Bitcoin-backed ERC-20 token, for decentralized lending and trading. This expanded liquidity could potentially boost STX demand as developers and LPs seek exposure to native BTC yield. RESOLV: Registration for airdrop closes on May 16 Resolv’s airdrop registration window opened on May 9 and closes on May 16 at 23:59 UTC. In order to be eligible for the airdrop, users must complete on-chain verification and sign the Airdrop Terms on the official website. Failure to register by the deadline renders wallets ineligible, with 10% of the total allocation reserved for Season 1 registrants. The upcoming airdrop could potentially attract capital into RESOLV, potentially lifting price by 10% to 15%. DEAI: Zero1 Labs roadmap release Zero1 Labs is set to publish its updated technical roadmap for 2025–2026 some time next week, outlining milestones toward its mainnet launch and feature rollouts such as advanced zk-proof integration and cross-chain interoperability. As DEAI has already rallied nearly 140% over the past month, a successful roadmap launch could drive the token further up by 20% to 30%. KAITO: Tokenomics upgrade to reward holders KAITO (KAITO) holders can rejoice as the project has announced a comprehensive tokenomics overhaul set to roll out next week , designed specifically to incentivize “diamond hands.” Diamond hands refer to holders who maintain their positions through market volatility. With listings confirmed on Binance and OKX post-airdrop, the timing of this tokenomics revamp could be pivotal in sustaining post-listing momentum and strengthen price support. You might also like:Altcoin season nears as Bitcoin dominance gets ‘overbought’

Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news’ editorial. 2025 was supposed to be the year of mass adoption. The Trump administration was billed as the first pro-crypto US government, and Bitcoin (BTC) reached an all-time high of $106,000. Despite this, the first quarter of the year has been characterized by stumbling financial markets in the face of impending trade wars and global political instability. Crypto, which has broadly positioned itself as a hedge against such concerns, has struggled in-step with traditional markets too. You might also like:Mass crypto adoption requires transparency and education | Opinion Some may argue that this is a sign crypto isn’t meeting the tantalizing use case for cryptocurrency: a decentralized alternative that operates 24/7, unbound by the decisions of any single government, fund, or corporate actor. But while crypto has also struggled in-step with traditional markets, it has also shown resilience, on an upward trajectory in Q2, amid BlackRock’s investment in tokenized futures, and a multitude of emerging crypto ETF products.  However, we can concede that rather than taking full advantage of this moment, the uncomfortable truth is that crypto is still stuck in the blocks. Despite the clear product-market fit, today’s ecosystem remains a playground for enthusiasts and fund managers, with more proofs-of-concept than actual scalable infrastructure that you could reasonably expect the average Joe to use. Global DeFi is a long way off. Crypto isn’t ready Consider the scale of what’s at stake: the top five global asset managers oversee $30 trillion in assets. If they tokenized just 10% of their portfolios, crypto’s current market cap would double overnight, transforming the industry from a niche experiment into the backbone of mainstream finance. The question is how to onboard such a wealth of capital. Up until now, we have had institutional experimentation: hedge funds swooping in for fast gains with minimal capital. This is not real adoption; it’s still just “playing.” In crypto’s supposed breakthrough year, the industry has been passing time with memecoin mania and neatly packaged ETFs, endless speculative trading fueled by retail hype. It should have been building for mass adoption; it is imperative to not just encourage institutions to onboard, but ordinary people, too. For DeFi to become mainstream, it needs retail investors who can act independently of institutional capital, with their vast numbers depegging it from the whims of policy and elite capital markets. If crypto fails to do this, or turns to the task too late, we will simply be left with “alt-Fi”: a speculative market for the same old investors to trade on a new generation of tech.  The talk of a return to fundamentals is promising; it squares us back with the original goal of building a unified network capable of seamlessly tokenizing, managing, and programming global assets. Within such a structure, not only would institutions lend the weight of their liquidity, but billions of everyday users could finally access a financial system without friction, gatekeeping, or mediation. By focusing on onboarding users to intuitive interfaces, backed up by hyperscalable L1s and robust infrastructure, DeFi could build the foundation for mainstream adoption and move past enthusiastic experiments towards a refuge from increasingly volatile global markets. The road to success So, how do we get there? DeFi needs three things to reach the critical inflection point for mass adoption: a UX that can streamline complex actions into manageable, intuitive systems, a backend that can sustain the demands of a global user base, and a legislative landscape that can enable innovation to flourish. Utility The biggest obstacle to mass adoption is currently UX. DeFi’s complex interfaces, or even lack of interfaces, make it unusable at times for a non-specialist user. Many premier asset holders are unable or unwilling to maximize their portfolio, with complex bridges, staking, and swap mechanisms acting as both a barrier to trust as well as ability. Interventions with AI-based projects that act upon users’ expressed goals (“swap assets cheaply”), and wallets with human-readable transactions instead of cryptic hashes, will make DeFi as intuitive as PayPal, and drive user onboarding to the moon. And once billions can engage without friction, demand will force infrastructure, both technical and legislative, to catch up fast. Infrastructure But of course, DeFi needs the pipes to work. It is not enough to build usable interfaces: the backend has to support them. When billions of users arrive, DeFi has to be ready. Next-gen L1s like Solana (SOL) and Aptos (APT) claim thousands of transactions per second, but Solana’s struggles under high demand during the $TRUMP episode exposed limits to both testing and scaling. Testing should be undertaken in real-world conditions with accurate transaction metrics like swaps per second (SPS). Increased focus on scaling solutions like state sharding and parallel processing will boost throughput while preserving decentralization. These innovations are necessary if we are going to get to true scalability: one million SPS is the goal. This is where we need to be to support DeFi at the global scale. Inflection point These impending UX and L1 improvements are just the lock gates opening: once intuitive systems and scalable networks are in place, capital will arrive in floods. The premise of DeFi isn’t a hard sell; everyone knows TradFi is only serving the few. The future of finance, a universal asset layer, needs accessible systems for everyday users and reliable infrastructure for the big players to act. This applies to the legislature as much as infrastructure. The legislative sandboxes recently announced for crypto exchanges in the US are fundamentally important: when demand improves, DeFi will reach an inflection point, one that it must be ready for, and the legislative trial period will have to be over; systems must already be in place to support it.  Conclusion The current economic turbulence could be the catalyst crypto needs, making blockchain’s value proposition increasingly compelling. Yet without scalable solutions ready to handle massive capital inflows, this opportunity could slip away: the inflection point is looming. However, once the capital and user base are there, and the safety nets are in place, the dominoes will fall. Investors and institutions will have the confidence they need to enter the market in a meaningful way, and their customers soon after. But to get there, L1 innovators must prioritize fundamentals now, crafting systems for institutions and everyday users, or DeFi will miss this historic wave. Following a roadmap for intuitive UX, hyperscalable L1s, and legislative clarity, DeFi can build the unified network it promised and avoid the trap of “alt-Fi” that lies waiting in the wings.  Read more:AI is the missing link for mass adoption of blockchain investments | Opinion Dan Hughes Dan Hughesis the founder of Radix, a community-driven layer-1 making DeFi transactions transparent and safe through breakthrough asset-oriented technology. He is a 13-year industry veteran, whose introduction to crypto came after he read Satoshi’s whitepaper and realised that Bitcoin could never be the foundation for global DeFi. Nevertheless, Dan is committed to the original values of crypto and is consciously building for global adoption through hyperscalable, developer-friendly blockchain architecture and an empowering user experience. Dan began his career as a games developer on entertainment titles for PC’s and consoles, progressed to mobile technology, where he was one of the first to develop applications for NFC technology and contactless payment services such as mobile wallets. After leaving this space, he discovered the digital currency movement, whereupon he started the Radix project.