U.today

Amid the absence of fundamental narratives aroundShiba Inu (SHIB), the community's attention has shifted from charts to capital flows, with particular focus on the legendary address holding 16% of SHIB supply, after which new large players have begun to emerge on-chain, adding nervousness to the market.

According toArkham, another large holder, this time "0x9896...1098", transferred 17.958 billion SHIB to Binance, which is about $114,000. What makes this transaction interesting is that the volume was received by the wallet exactly two weeks ago. The holder did not maintain the coins for long, but redirected them to the exchange almost in full.

A new class of SHIB holders prepares for exit

Unlike mega whales, such mid-sized players often act as indicators of sentiment. A transfer to an exchange usually means readiness to sell, which, under conditions of low volatility, withSHIB price trapped in the $0.000006-$0.0000064 range, is perceived as a lack of belief in near-term growth.

Headlines about a "Ryoshi dump" today are more of a backdrop for collective fear. The market is not so much afraid of the SHIB creator himself, but of the precedent, as at the end of April the mysterious individual holder, who bought 103 trillion SHIB in 2020, transferred 800 billion coins to CoinMENA, and now any transaction in the billions is viewed through the lens of a rush to exit.

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If even "sleeping giants" have started moving, should others wait? ForSHIB, the real danger isn't a single dump from Ryoshi - it's the slow, quiet exodus of mid-tier whales who have decided that liquidity today is worth more than a 'maybe' tomorrow.

World's largest stablecoin issuer Tether has just released its Q1 2026 report, showcasing a strong start to 2026 after amassing $1.04 billion in net profit for the first quarter of the year.

The firm noted that it achieved this massive earnings despite the distress faced by global financial markets over the period.

Tether hits ATH of $8.23 billion in excess reserves

Following the remarkable performance seen at the start of the year, the firm further reported that its excess reserves jumped to an all-time high of $8.23 billion as of March 31.

While the majority of Tether's reserves are held in short-term, high-quality liquid instruments, its direct and indirect exposure to U.S. Treasury bills amounted to about $141 billion as of the end of the first quarter.

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As such, Tether has now become the 17th largest holder of U.S. Treasuries globally as the firm remains a key player in managing international demand for the dollar-based assets.

Following the strong performance recorded at the start of the year, Tether's total assets stood at about $191.8 billion. This exceeds its liabilities of $183.5 billion, which are majorly tied to issued USDT tokens.

Tether has also reported a sustained global usage of its stablecoin as its circulating supply remains at scale.

Tether diversifies reserve with BTC and Gold

In its report, Tether revealed that it has continued to diversify a portion of its reserves across both digital assets and physical assets.

Notably, its precious metal holdings include about $20 billion in physical gold and its total Bitcoin holdings are worth about $7 billion.

The diversification in the company's holdings aims to balance liquidity needs while also maintaining exposure to assets that can perform under macroeconomic stress.

Shiba Inu concluded the last month on a positive note as it has just posted another positive monthly return for the second time this year.

After seeing frequent price rallies in the past week, Shiba Inu has delivered the strongest performance seen this year in April, posting a decent gain of 4.74%, according to data from CryptoRank.

Shiba Inu extends positive momentum into April

This comes after the leading meme token eventually broke the long 7-month streak of steady declines in March. The asset continued to see persisting monthly losses ranging from -1.58% to -17.6% between August 2023 and February 2024.

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However, it eventually recovered in March when it posted a decent gain of 2.72%. This positive momentum has extended to April as the 4.74% gain seen this month marks the highest return achieved so far in 2024.

What to expect in May?

Just a few hours into the new month, Shiba Inu is already projecting a 2.41% gain for the month, and it is trading at $0.000006364 as of writing time, sparking optimism about what to expect from SHIB during the new month.

With performances seen in the past week, it appears that the prolonged market volatility has eventually faded, and momentum is building again.

As market sentiments begin to see a significant shift, there are speculations about a potential bull run which could trigger a major price breakout for Shiba Inu.

Nonetheless, the meme token is already in the spotlight following its integration with SBI VC Trade's lending expansion in Japan as of the beginning of the month.

While the event aims to further boost Shiba Inu's use cases and adoption, it positions the asset for bigger performances this month, which could see it remove a zero before the month wraps up.

Amid South Korea's preparation for a new phase of digital asset regulation, a consortium consisting of Hana Financial TI, XRPL Korea, and Axelar successfully completed a proof-of-concept testing of mechanisms for issuing and circulating a stablecoin pegged to the Korean won (KRW) on the XRP Ledger.

The key feature of the case was the decision to avoid using third-party smart contracts in favor of XRPL's native protocols. As project participants note, for institutional players such as Hana Financial, one of the country's largest banking holding companies, compliance logic embedded directly into the blockchain is critical.

During the tests, tools required to operate within the legal framework were validated:

Authorized trust lines: the ability to implement wallet whitelistingClawback and freeze: functions for asset recovery and account freezing in case of court ordersCross-chain integration: through Axelar, seamless movement of the won across different blockchain networks was tested

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🇰🇷 Hana Financial TI one of Korea's largest banks just completed a Korean Won stablecoin PoC on $XRP Ledger, testing real-world issuance, distribution, and settlement ahead of incoming regulation.Why XRPL? Compliance is baked into the protocol. Not a contract. The protocol.… https://t.co/OeEC7DXDLu

— Tats (@tatsuya_kohrogi) May 1, 2026

Why XRP may power the future of Korea's on-chain banking

As of mid-2026, Korea remains one of the largest markets by XRP trading volume, yet interaction between XRP and the local currency has so far been limited to exchanges. The move toward testing an institutional-grade stablecoin represents an attempt to bring real foreign exchange operations directly onto the decentralized exchange of the XRP Ledger.

Given the record activity of the Korean community, the emergence of an on-chain won is a logical step toward creating a fully liquid FX market within the ledger. If the regulator gives the green light based on the results of this PoC, XRPL could become the core infrastructure for a digital won in South Korea's commercial sector.

As reported by a Shiba Inu-focused X account with the handle Shibizens, Shiba Inu (SHIB) is included in SBI VC Trade's lending expansion in Japan.

SBI VC Trade continues its "Rent Coin" lending program with Shiba Inu among the supported assets. Shibizens indicated that the latest "rentcoin" campaign confirms SHIB remains part of the active lending lineup.

SHIB included in SBI VC Trade lending expansion in JapanSBI VC Trade continues its "Rent Coin" lending program with Shiba Inu officially listed among supported assets. The latest campaign confirms SHIB remains part of their active lending lineup.🔸 Asset: SHIB🔸 Term: ~28… pic.twitter.com/ErgLUQQj6n

— Shibarium | SHIB.IO (@Shibizens) May 1, 2026

The exchange supports lending for major crypto assets, including BTC, ETH, XRP and Solana (SOL). Users lock up their crypto for a set time (28 days) and in return receive a yield paid in the same cryptocurrency.

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This comes after SHIB's inclusion in Japan's Green List, placing it within a regulated framework and enabling services like lending and yield generation.

SHIB's recent developments

T. Rowe Price recently filed an amended S-1 for its Price Active Crypto ETF, which it first filed for in October. The new filing details an actively managed fund that aims to give investors exposure to a range of digital assets, custodied by Anchorage Digital Bank.

The ETF may invest in a rotating mix of five to 15 cryptocurrencies from a broad list, including Shiba Inu, using quantitative models to try to outperform the FTSE US Listed Crypto Index.

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SHIB has a dedicated asset description in the filing: it is identified as an Ethereum-based crypto asset created in August 2020 by Ryoshi.

In separate news, Rakuten Wallet has added Shiba Inu to its platform in Japan, enabling users to trade SHIB against the yen and convert Rakuten Points directly into the asset. The move connects SHIB to one of the country's largest consumer ecosystems, where loyalty points are earned through everyday activity.

SHIB cannot be used directly at checkout, but it can be converted into Rakuten Cash, which is accepted across more than five million merchant locations via Rakuten Pay.

By listing SHIB alongside leading cryptocurrencies on a regulated platform, access expands within a structured financial environment.

After a powerful multi-week push, Hyperliquid is attempting to stabilize, but the structure is currently mixed rather than clearly bullish.

The recovery is yet to come

After rejecting from the mid-$40s, the price is currently hovering around the $40–$41 range. More significantly, it is testing the stability of its rising trendline. It's the core of the current uptrend, as that trendline has defined the recovery phase since March.

The asset is still above its mid-term moving averages from a technical perspective, maintaining the larger recovery. Sellers are active at higher levels, though, as evidenced by the repeated rejections around $44-$46. In contrast to the earlier leg up, momentum is clearly losing strength, cooling off rather than collapsing.

Derivatives data is where things become more intriguing. With short-term inflows spiking sharply and occasionally pushing well above 100% net change, futures flows exhibit sharp acceleration. There is a noticeable positive net inflow on shorter time intervals (5–30 minutes), indicating that capital is swiftly entering derivatives markets. Such actions typically indicate an increase in speculative interest.

Net flows flip

The structure isn't one-sided, though. Higher timeframe data (such as the 4-hour window) reveals periods of negative net flow, indicating that capital is also departing equally quickly, even though short-term flows are positive. This discrepancy suggests a volatile leveraged environment, as opposed to consistent accumulation.

That perspective is supported by liquidation data. Bursts of short selling are occurring, but long liquidations are also continuing. This results in a two-sided market where both directions are penalized, which is more indicative of a transitional stage than the continuation of a trend.

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The long/short ratios are also informative. Top traders exhibit a more balanced, or even long-leaning, stance, whereas retail positioning leans slightly short on some exchanges. Instead of smooth directional movements, that split typically causes volatility spikes.

The simple lesson for investors is that this is not a clear-cut breakout environment. The bounce is not assured, but it is possible, particularly if the rising trendline holds and the short pressure keeps waning. If HYPE loses the $39-$40 support zone, the structure breaks and begins to move toward the $36 area. Another push toward $45 is likely if it holds and convincingly reclaims $42.

TL;DR

New appointment at XRPN: OpenAI Foundation CFO Robert Kaiden has joined the board of directors of Evernorth Holdings. This strengthensXRP's role as a potential settlement layer for the economy of AI agents ahead of the company's Nasdaq listing in Q2 2026.Bitcoin outlook for May: Analyst DonAlt expects a phase of exhausting chop above the $77,000 level. Key zones: support at $73,500 and resistance on the path to $80,000.DeFi crisis and ETF outflows: A record 28 hacks in April (damage of $635 million), including Drift Protocol and Kelp DAO, led to $183 million being withdrawn fromspot Ethereum ETFs in the final week of the month.Macro triggers of the week: Focus is on ISM data and the employment report (NFP) on May 5–8. Cooling in the economy could act as a catalyst for crypto asset growth, while a strong dollar will keep the market in the current range."AI treasurer" and crisis manager: Why is XRP treasury Evernorth assembling such a board of directors?

Evernorth Holdings (future ticker XRPN on Nasdaq) has made an unexpected move. In itsupdated S-4 filing with the SEC, the company confirmed the appointment of two new board members: Robert Kaiden and Derar Islim.

This duo is not just "big names" for investors, but a pragmatic choice for a company aiming to manage a treasury of $1 billion equivalent in XRP. Kaiden, the current CFO of OpenAI Foundation, is likely needed to bring an understanding of how the economics of AI giants are structured. His involvement fuels interest in the hypothesis thatXRP could become a settlement layer for microtransactions between AI agents.

Q2 2026 Target Closing@evernorthxrp, the $XRP Digital Asset Treasury Company filed its 2nd S-4 amendment, adding 2 new board members. Robert Kaiden, currently CFO at OpenAI Foundation, who previously sued Elon Musk after he was let go from Twitter & Derar Islim, who was an… pic.twitter.com/hOajDjUjjt

— 🌸Eri ~ Carpe Diem (@sentosumosaba) May 1, 2026

Islim, who led Genesis during the collapse of FTX and the subsequent bankruptcy, represents a bet on survivability. His task is likely to build an asset protection system that does not repeat the mistakes of 2022.

Despite the star-studded lineup, the actual XRP strategy in the documents is still described in broad terms. The market is waiting for specifics: whether this will be simple holding like Strategy with Bitcoin, or aggressive use of the asset in liquidity and lending.

The deal is expected to close in the current second quarter of 2026. If everything goes as planned, Evernorth will become the first "pure-play" XRP treasury on the US stock market.

Bitcoin enters May 2026: Why DonAlt's \"worst-case scenario\" is not a crash but patience

While the crypto community is guessing when Bitcoin will finally break the psychological $80,000 level, well-known analystDonAlt, who accurately predicted XRP's 700% rally in 2024-2025, has shared his outlook. In his view, as of May 2026, the worst thing that could happen to the market in the near term is not a catastrophic drop but exhausting consolidation.

In a recent tweet, DonAlt emphasized that he does not seeconditions for BTC to move significantly lower and that "chop" is the worst scenario in his mind right now. By chop, analysts mean a prolonged sideways trend with sharp but short-lived moves in both directions that shake out impatient participants without creating directional movement.

DonAlt notes that panic sentiment has largely disappeared, as support levels were handled cleanly. As of this morning, market conditions confirm the idea of a deadlock.

BTC is trading around $77,200–$77,400, showing moderate growth on the back of positive US tech earnings. Strong demand is seen at $75,000, while the $80,000 zone remains an unbreakable barrier.

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty around leadership at the Federal Reserve (Powell's term expires this month) are limiting institutional optimism. DonAlt's main thesis, voiced earlier this week, is that the current cycle simply needs time.

Resistance from sellers is still too strong for an immediate move to $100,000, but there are also no grounds for a collapse unless a global force majeure occurs, which, according to the analyst, is pointless to discuss.

Ethereum ETFs lose $183 million in a week amid a "perfect storm" in DeFi

Institutional investors ended April with mixed feelings. Although total net inflows into spot Ethereum ETFs reached an impressive $355.98 million for the month, the final week of April saw a sharp reversal, with funds recording capital outflows of $183 million as perSoSoValue.

The main trigger for cooling interest was an unprecedented security crisis in the decentralized finance sector. April 2026 entered history as a month of 28 hacks, during which the industry lost around $635 million.

Particular concern among ETF holders was caused not so much by direct thefts but by their systemic consequences. April showed a qualitative jump in hacking strategies.

The exploit of Drift Protocol ($285 million) on Solana, prepared over six months using social engineering, demonstrated that even top-level audits do not guarantee full protection. The hack of Kelp DAO ($293 million) triggered a "bad debt" issue in the biggest protocol Aave, putting the liquidity of the entire ecosystem at risk.

It is symbolic that in the same month, on April 7, Anthropic introduced its new model Claude Mythos. While AI tools are becoming the main hope for automating security, experts note that access to powerful language models has also reached malicious actors, which may have contributed to the abnormal frequency of hacks in April.

The Ethereum market is now at a unique point, where institutional infrastructure in the form of ETFs is functioning properly, but the fundamental backbone in the form ofDeFi protocols is undergoing a serious stress test. May will determine whether the current outflow is a temporary correction or the beginning of a long-term reassessment of the risks of holding the \"second cryptocurrency.\"

Crypto market outlook: Bitcoin options and the May macro storm

As the market enters May 2026, Bitcoin has recovered to $77,000-$77,500 after a prolonged sideways period at the beginning of the year. Drivers include strong US tech sector earnings and expectations of Federal Reserve policy easing.

Key checkpoints:

End of "options gravity": Today at 08:00 UTC, expiration of $2.14 billion pinned BTC to the $76,000 level. The removal of this pressure opens the path for a sharp move. Historically, volatility in the first 3-7 days after settlement increases by 4-12%.Bitcoin: The $73,500-$74,000 zone remains a strong support for BTC price. Holding this level is a required condition for a medium-term move toward $80,646 and higher.For ETH, critical support is $2,150, resistance is $2,450.Macro triggers of the week (May 1-8): The market will go through a series of reports, from ISM Manufacturing and JOLTs data (May 5) to the key NFP (expected at 165K) and unemployment rate on Friday. Strong data will strengthen the dollar and extend the Fed's pause, while any sign of economic cooling will act as fuel for a bullish move in crypto assets.

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During an online discussion between Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz and an XRP enthusiast on X, Schwartz dismissed claims that the price of XRP could hit a $10,000 mark in the future.

Schwartz's statement came in response to a viral comment that raised questions about the popular Chris Burniske market valuation method.

While the method is often used to estimate crypto prices using economic variables such as supply and velocity, the X user asked Schwartz about his opinion on investors hoping for a five-figure price surge for XRP.

Schwartz weighs in on XRP at $10,000

In his response, Schwartz weighed in on the odds of XRP hitting $10,000 at some point while analyzing the market behavior.

Notably, Schwartz argued that if there were even a small probability, say 1%, that XRP could reach $10,000 within a decade, rational investors who are considered rich would already be accumulating the asset aggressively.

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Furthermore, Schwartz went on to question the reason why the buying activity of such optimistic participants has not materialized. Thus, he believed that the absence of "very rich, very rational" investors betting on that outcome speaks volumes.

Schwartz maintains unwavering stance on XRP

While the speculative narrative has been the buzz of the XRP community as the market begins to show signs of a bull run, the discussion has sparked attention from the crypto community, igniting extensive debate about whether XRP is legitimate or not.

Despite dismissing the $10,000 prediction for XRP, Schwartz did not criticize XRP itself; he signaled that the prediction may not be realistic but XRP has all the legal backing it needs to be grouped among legitimate crypto assets.

His statement focused on how markets behave when presented with high-conviction opportunities and why, in this case, the expected signals are missing.

In its usual manner at the beginning of every month, Ripple unlocked 1 billion XRP from its escrow on May's first day.

Whale Alert reported the 1 billion XRP unlock, which was carried out in four separate transactions of 400 million XRP, 100 million XRP, 200 million XRP, and 300 million XRP.

🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 🔓 400,000,000 $XRP (547,022,927 USD) unlocked at #Ripplehttps://t.co/se2lZVrz0a

— Whale Alert (@whale_alert) May 1, 2026

Ripple introduced the escrow mechanism in 2017, which releases 1 billion XRP monthly and is intended to bring transparency and predictability to XRP supply. Afterwards, any unused portion from the 1 billion XRP released is returned to escrow. While the process is automated and expected, traders still keep a close eye on the releases that shape XRP's supply.

According to XRPScan data, 33,355,032,269 XRP is left in escrow, and a total of 14,331,940 XRP has been burned. XRP has 7,821,048 activated accounts, according to recent XRPScan data.

This month's unlock coincides with a period of activity for the XRP ecosystem with the XRP Las Vegas event ongoing. The event, deemed the largest XRP conference in the world, was held from April 30 to May 1, 2026.

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Evernorth recently highlighted an interesting development for XRP supply, which was revealed with 7 billion XRP withdrawn from exchanges in February, the largest monthly outflow since November 2025.

XRP and Ripple news

In recent news, Hana Financial TI, one of Korea's largest banks, has just completed a Korean Won stablecoin PoC on XRP Ledger, testing real-world issuance, distribution, and settlement ahead of incoming regulation.

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In a major development, Rakuten Wallet users in Japan can now convert Rakuten Points into XRP, spot trade in the wallet's app and spend across 5 million merchant locations.

This marks one of the largest retail deployments of XRP as a payment method to date, with 44 million Rakuten Pay users and $23 billion in loyalty points now redeemable for XRP.

Ripple recently announced an expansion of its presence in the UAE with the opening of its new Middle East and Africa (MEA) regional headquarters in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

While its underlying network activity is subtly increasing, XRP is in a complicated state. According to on-chain metrics, the number of active users is getting close to 200,000, with recent readings of about 184,000. At the same time, unique active accounts are hovering above 20,000, and daily payment counts are holding close to 1.4-1.5 million.

XRP's transactions are spiking

This combination is important because usage is sustained rather than spiking at random, indicating genuine transactional demand as opposed to transient noise.

XRP is weaker than expected on longer time horizons from a market standpoint. The long-term trend is obviously bearish, and the asset is still below its major moving averages. However, rather than continuing lower, the recent price action indicates stabilization. XRP has been building a horizontal base around the $1.30 level since the February breakdown, consistently blocking attempts to move much below it.

The main support is in the $1.30–$1.32 range. It has technical weight because it has undergone numerous tests and still holds up. The decline is restricted to range-bound behavior rather than a complete breakdown, as long as the price remains above it.

Transaction count spikes

Resistance on the upside is located between $1.50 and $1.55, where the mid-term moving averages and the declining trendline converge. This area is reinforced as a supply zone because XRP has already failed to breach it once. The first significant structural change would be a clean breakout above that level, which might lead to a move toward $1.70.

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The current configuration is intriguing because of the discrepancy between price and network activity. While prices are still declining, user numbers and transaction volumes are trending upward. Price catching up usually resolves that type of divergence, but only if broader market conditions support it.

XRP has a real chance to reverse its local downward trend and rise if Bitcoin and the larger market stay steady. If not, instead of spurring a rally, the increasing network activity might just serve as a buffer, stopping a deeper sell-off.

As of right now, XRP is in accumulation with strengthening fundamentals rather than a breakout. Whether or not buyers are able to reclaim the $1.50 resistance and turn it into support will determine whether that results in a surge.

The anomalousperformance of Dogecoin (DOGE) by May 2026 has finally received fundamental confirmation. According to fresh on-chain data fromSantiment, the largest DOGE holders have now shifted into a phase of strategic accumulation, recording a historical high in the volume of assets held.

At the moment, a group of the 149 largest addresses, each holding more than 100 million DOGE, has accumulated 108.52 billion coins, which in monetary terms amounts to approximately $11.6 billion. In the last 24 hours alone, Santiment data recorded 739 transactions exceeding $100,000 each.

Why Dogecoin's top 149 wallets are loading up DOGE now

If earlierDogecoin growth was associated with impulsive retail buying, then in May 2026 the picture looks different. A 16.5% price increase over the past 10 days and a confident hold above the psychological $0.1 level resembles the scenario of mid-2025, when after a period of consolidation the asset gained 65%, reaching a peak of $0.27.

If one tries to assign a narrative to DOGE, it can be assumed that the market is pricing in integration into X Money and the effect of previously launched spot ETFs, which are however still far from Bitcoin-style numbers - total net assets in Dogecoin ETFs stand at $12.84 million, which is only 0.08% of DOGE market capitalization.

In addition, the market is expecting the IPO of SpaceX in June, which is anticipated to become the largest IPO in history. There is speculation thatSpaceX may begin accepting DOGE as a regular payment method as they did with the DOGE-1 lunar mission.

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From a technical standpoint, record whale holdings indicate that large players view the current price not as an exit point, but as an attractive entry zone under conditions favorable for the coin. The fact that the majority of the supply - more than 108 billion DOGE - is concentrated in the hands of large players reduces the likelihood of panic sell-offs typical for retail-driven coins, making the "foundation" at the $0.1 level appear significantly more stable.

Currently trading at about $0.0000063, Shiba Inu is moving straight into a technically important zone that has frequently stopped its upward momentum in recent sessions.

Key resistance to break

Price action is currently converging on the 100 EMA at $0.00000646, a level that has served as dynamic resistance during the recent consolidation phase, and market structure is beginning to tighten.

The current setup is noteworthy not only because it is close to the 100 EMA but also because of the way the price has been declining below it. The fact that each rejection has been less significant indicates that selling pressure at this level is being absorbed rather than vigorously defended. Although it does not guarantee an upward breakout, this kind of behavior frequently precedes a directional expansion.

The technical environment opens up significantly if SHIB is able to break and hold above the 100 EMA at $0.00000646. Up until the 200 EMA, which is located close to $0.00000766, there is very little structured resistance. In the event that momentum and liquidity conditions coincide, this results in a comparatively clean intermediate zone where price could move swiftly.

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The upper descending trendline resistance, however, remains a crucial limitation that cannot be disregarded. This longer-term structure still reflects the more general bearish-to-neutral regime cap and has not yet been convincingly broken. Even if the 100 EMA is broken, price may find it difficult to pass through it without retests or volatility spikes because that trendline is likely to serve as a secondary barrier.

Volume backs up the rally

A discernible rise in volume has coincided with recent price action as SHIB got closer to resistance. It is possible to interpret this type of volume expansion close to a crucial technical level as accumulation pressure developing under resistance.

All things considered, SHIB is at a technical turning point where momentum may quicken but confirmation is still crucial. While rejection at the trendline would probably strengthen the current range-bound behavior, a breakout above the 100 EMA would change the short-term structure in a bullish direction.

Taking the witness stand in a federal courthouse in downtown Oakland, Elon Muskdid not mince words when it came to crypto.

During his closely watched testimony in his high-stakes lawsuit against OpenAI, the centibillionaire and the self-proclaimed "Dogefather" stated that most cryptocurrencies are, in fact, scams.

According to reporting from the courtroom by New York Times journalist Mike Isaac, Musk's remarks were in response to early internal emails revealing that OpenAI had once considered holding an initial coin offering (ICO) to fund the company. Back then, this highly speculative fundraising method was en vogue.

A fickle crypto advocate

Musk’s relationship with cryptocurrency has been rather fickle. It has been vacillating between skepticism and fervent support.

His initial public comments on crypto were mixed. However, he became deeply involved in crypto by persistently tweeting about Dogecoin (DOGE), a meme-inspired cryptocurrency. In April 2019, he tweeted, "Dogecoin might be my fav cryptocurrency. It's pretty cool." By late 2020, single-word tweets from Musk were enough to send the token's price soaring. In February 2021, Tesla shocked the financial world by announcing it had purchased $1.5 billion in Bitcoin. In May 2021, however, Musk abruptly announced that Tesla would suspend Bitcoin payments. Simultaneously, Musk embraced the title of "The Dogefather," and kept hyping up the token on Saturday Night Live.

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In August 2024, Musk and Tesla won the dismissal of a federal lawsuit that had accused them of defrauding investors and manipulating Dogecoin's price.

A high-stakes trial

The trial, Musk v. Altman et al., poses a significant risk to OpenAI's plans for a potential $1 trillion IPO. It could potentially reshape the current AI industry.

Musk, who provided roughly $38 million in seed funding to help launch OpenAI in 2015, is suing the company, its CEO Sam Altman, and President Greg Brockman. He has alleged that OpenAI has deceptively turned into a for-profit "wealth machine" instead of being a non-profit that was supposed to benefit humanity. Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages while demanding that OpenAI's corporate structure be reverted to its original nonprofit status.

In a recent social media post, Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartzthrew cold water on the uber-bullish $10,000 XRP price target that is being hyped up by influencers.

According toSchwarz, if influencers truly believed that XRP could one day end up in five-digit territory, they would have already pushed the token to at least $20. However, there is no such strong bid, which suggests that no one truly believes in such insane price targets, and they are mostly being used to increase engagement.

As Schwartzexplained earlier, even if there is a 10% chance of XRP hitting $100 in the near future, they absolutely would not be selling it for under $10 today.

XRP is currently trading at $1.38, down 63% from the all-time high that was achieved 10 months ago.

Can Ripple shoot up the XRP price?

Schwartz has also explained that Ripple no longer has the ability to single-handedly shoot up the price of XRP.

“Maybe there was one time when you could semi-plausibly argue that Ripple had some easy way to shoot up the price of XRP massively for good but was just waiting for the right time to maximize something or other. But boy, it's hard to argue that today,” he said.

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Schwartz hasmade it clear that Ripple is not trying to hide some “grand conspiracy,” and it’s not holding onto a magic switch that could instantly push the XRP price higher on a whim.

“We've explained what we're doing, why we're doing it, and what we hope to achieve. While we aren't transparent about everything, we're not hiding some grand conspiracy. At least not as far as I know,” Schwartz has stated.

Selling at $0.10

Schwartz has openly admitted that he de-risked his personal finances by selling a significant portion of his XRP portfolio at just $0.10 per token. He noted that predicting massive price surges at the time seemed as impossible as Bitcoin hitting $100. "I started selling XRP at $0.10 because it seemed insane," Schwartz explained.

Asreported by U.Today, he also recently addressed his controversial XRP price tweet. In 2017, Schwartz posted that XRP "can't be dirt cheap" if it is meant to gain acceptance in global payments. Many interpreted this as a price prediction, but Schwartz has clarified that he was explaining basic economics.

The $1.30 zone, which has continuously served as a floor for months, is one of XRP's most dependable structural levels. This level has held up remarkably consistently despite general market volatility and ongoing downward pressure since late 2024, forming what many traders now consider to be nearly unbreakable support.

A market that is still technically weak, but stabilizing, is what the current setup is. The 50-day and 100-day trends serve as overhead resistance, and XRP is still below its major moving averages. This demonstrates that the overall trend has not turned bullish.

However, the behavior near $1.30 tells a different story. Sellers repeatedly fail to push price meaningfully below this zone, even during high-volatility events. During a breakdown in February, XRP momentarily lost this support, but the move was swiftly reversed and lacked follow-through.

Practically speaking, that incident appears to be more of a liquidity sweep than a real structural failure. The market has since resumed respecting the same horizontal base, underscoring its significance.

The price action is currently compressing between this established support floor and descending resistance. The crucial element here is exhaustion, and that type of structure typically results in a directed move. As XRP approaches $1.30 once more, selling pressure is obviously lessening, but buyers are still intervening at about the same level. From a market standpoint, this is a test of conviction.

The case for a medium-term base formation is strengthened, and the likelihood of a breakout attempt toward the $1.40-$1.50 area is increased if the level holds again. However, if it doesn't work, the downside opens rapidly, and there isn't much support right below.

Dogecoin is breaking through

Dogecoin is finally alive, but targeting $0.20 necessitates a reality check. The recent move above the short-term trendline and the push toward the 50-day moving average indicate the first significant change in structure in months. That, in and of itself, is significant because DOGE has spent the majority of its time grinding lower, so even a small breakout has significance.

The price is currently in the $0.10–$0.11 range following a strong upward trend. The RSI is moving into overbought territory, and volume has significantly increased, indicating that momentum is both genuine and short-term stretched. This is not the type of setup that typically leads to a 100% rally without a pullback or consolidation.

Technically, the first obstacle is the cluster of resistance created by the aforementioned 100-day and 200-day moving averages. Throughout the decline, these levels have frequently rejected the price. The current move runs the risk of becoming just another relief rally inside a larger bearish structure if DOGE is unable to break and stay above that zone.

Dogecoin requires a series of confirmations rather than a single breakout for $0.20 to become realistic. This entails maintaining support above $0.10, flipping the mid-range resistance between $0.12 and $0.13, and then generating momentum for continuation. In the absence of that progression, the likelihood of a complete doubling from current levels remains low.

Another structural problem is that the overall trend is still technically negative. On a macro scale, DOGE has not yet established a distinct pattern of higher highs and higher lows, and the higher timeframe moving averages are sloping downward. Until that changes, upside projections remain conditional.

Pressure on Ethereum rises

As the price of Ethereum compresses between short-term support and a distinct declining resistance trendline, a pivotal moment is rapidly approaching. ETH was able to recover from the steep decline in February and return to the $2,200-$2,300 range, but momentum has begun to stall at a crucial juncture.

The current structure is simple: a tightening wedge of lower highs at the top of a sequence of higher lows from the March bottom. That usually comes before a breakout; the only thing left to decide is where to go. Buyers are under pressure because Ethereum is currently leaning towards resistance rather than breaking it.

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From a technical perspective, ETH is trading slightly below its mid-range moving averages, with dynamic resistance at the 50-day mark. The larger bearish context is reinforced by the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, which are still significantly above price. This implies that any upside breakout will probably be rejected again if there isn't significant volume behind it.

The critical level on the downside is now the March ascending support line. If Ethereum loses that structure, the entire recovery sequence collapses, and the market will probably soon return to the $2,000-$2,100 range. A move like that would be abrupt rather than gradual, given how compressed price action has become.

The positioning of this setup is what gives it greater significance. Many short-term traders have returned to long positions in anticipation of continuation following the recent bounce. These positions serve as fuel for a downward acceleration through liquidations if resistance holds and the price rolls over.

However, the structure would change if there was a confirmed breakout above the declining trendline, particularly if it moved above $2,350. This would disprove the lower-high pattern and pave the way for the next significant resistance, which is located at $2,600.

Instead of trending, Ethereum is coiling. The next move will determine whether this was a recovery or merely a pause before continuing lower. The market is preparing for an expansion in volatility.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has alreadytaken to X, Elon Musk's social media network, to celebrate the latest scaling efforts in the Middle East.

Garlinghouse took to X to express his enthusiasm, writing, "Leaders attract leaders… Proud to be expanding in the UAE".

Asreported by U.Today, Ripple announced that it had opened its headquarters at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Scaling up in Dubai

Ripple made a decision to launch the new headquarters due to growing demand for highly regulated digital asset services, such as payments and custody.

According to the company, the expanded facility provides the physical capacity needed to double the size of Ripple's existing regional team.

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Reece Merrick, Ripple’s Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa, claims that the company has witnessed a massive and growing appetite from local businesses.

Ripple's long-time presence in the UAE

Ripple is far from a newcomer to the UAE. The company's deep roots in the region date back to 2020, when it first established its initial MEA regional headquarters in Dubai.

Over the past several years, the region has evolved into a key driver of the company's global expansion, with the Middle East now accounting for a significant share of Ripple's global customer base.

With the help of the newly established headquarters, Ripple intends to deepen its support for its established network of partners and clients across the Middle East and Africa. These include Zand Bank, Absa Bank, and other names.

Back in 2020, Garlinghouse even floated the idea of relocating Ripple's global headquarters from San Francisco to Dubai on the verge of the company's legal battle with the SEC.

Dubai has long been praised by Ripple's executives for its progressive approach toward crypto regulation. In March 2025, Ripple achieved a major milestone by becoming the first blockchain payments provider to be fully licensed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). More recently, the DFSA officially approved Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin.

Despite Kevin Warsh's reputation as a distinctly pro-crypto figure, his looming confirmation as the next Federal Reserve Chairmight spell short-term trouble for Bitcoin.

History shows that changes in Fed leadership have consistently preceded massive selloffs in the cryptocurrency market.

Current macroeconomic conditions indicate that history might repeat itself this time around.

The "Fed chair curse"

Bitcoin has experienced a significant selloff around every Federal Reserve chair transition since 2014.

For instance, when Janet Yellen transitioned into the role of Fed Chair, Bitcoin suffered a massive 86% crash.

When Jerome Powell officially became Fed Chair in 2018, the cryptocurrency plunged by 74%.

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At the start of Powell's second term in 2022, Bitcoin experienced another severe drop of 60%.

Bitcoin is currently changing hands at $77,367, and the next leadership transition might already make some crypto market participants nervous.

High Rates and Warsh's Pro-Bitcoin paradox

Warsh is widely viewed as one of the most crypto-friendly nominees in the Fed's history. He has publicly praised Bitcoin as "an important asset" and an indicator of monetary policy.

However, his personal stance may not be enough to shield digital assets from immediate macroeconomic headwinds.

Warsh is set to inherit a difficult environment for risk assets. He is taking over the economy with interest rates currently sitting at 3.5% and only one projected rate cut remaining for 2026.

Jerome Powell's term as the head of the U.S. central bank will officially conclude on May 15.

Powell just presided over his final Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting as Fed Chair, where the committee held interest rates steady in its most divided decision since 1992.

The bottom line is that Bitcoin could face a turbulent few months.

Notable activity has been recorded among Hyperliquid's "money printers", those with PnL above $1 million, according toCoinGlass. Two traders have consolidated short positions inXRP totaling more than $5.4 million, demonstrating different approaches to risk management but a unified view on the coin's outlook.

On-chain data provides insight into the logic behind these trades, and at the moment, two polar positions stand out on the platform:

"Sniper" endurance (address 0x555...d43b): This player opened a short near the peak, around $2.43. Using aggressive 20x leverage, the trader turned their deposit into a $1.21 million position, which has now generated an enormous 1557% return. With liquidation at $5.44, this whale can ignore any local price rebounds, acting as an anchor for bearish sentiment.Heavy pressure (address 0xc30...a4c9): Here, the focus is on volume. A $4.21 million position was opened at $1.419. The trader operates more conservatively with 8x leverage, but it is this size that creates real resistance on the chart. At present, the position is in profit by $155,000 (+29%), and the critical level for this player is $1.61, where a cascade of liquidations could begin.Hyperliquid whales signal a $1.29 billion market-wide hedge

The situation with XRP reflects broader sentiment among the largest wallets onHyperliquid. Currently, total short positions in the "Money Printer" category stand at $1.29 billion, significantly exceeding long positions at $910 million.

XRP firmly holds a place in the top 10 assets by open interest on the platform at $38.79 million among the most successful traders on Hyperliquid, with a clear bias toward shorts - $15.72 million in longs versus $23.07 million in shorts - which may indicate either risk hedging or a direct institutional bet on a correction after the spring rally of 2026.

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Despite the presence of multi-million dollar shorts,XRP does not appear overheated in terms of immediate squeeze risk, which allows bears to maintain their positions without fear of sudden forced closures on minor price fluctuations.

Crypto exchangeGemini has officially obtained full-cycle trading venue status in the United States. Cameron Winklevossconfirmed the receipt of a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) license from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

As one of the brothers-founders stresses - this is the final step in the legalization of the Gemini Predictions platform and its futures trading venues.

We are excited to announce that @Gemini has received a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) license from the @CFTC. This license allows us to act as a clearinghouse for regulated derivatives trading, including prediction markets.This approval follows our approval last…

— Cameron Winklevoss (@cameron) April 30, 2026

While the DCM license obtained in December allowed Gemini only to organize trading in predictions and contracts, the DCO status grants the right to conduct settlement and clearing independently. Gemini can now evolve from just an intermediary into a full infrastructure where a trade is executed, confirmed, and settled in one window.

According to Winklevoss, this is a key stage in building a financial “super app”.

High stakes of Gemini’s partnership with Ripple

There is also particular interest here for theXRP community, as Gemini’s breakthrough is partly financed by Ripple. By April 2026, the credit line from Ripple had expanded to $250 million.

The terms of the partnership highlight deep integration between the two companies. As collateral, Gemini uses the stablecoin RLUSD, which is held under the supervision of the NYDFS.

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The exchange operates under strict conditions and to maintain the loan rate at 7%, Gemini must reduce the principal to $150 million by July 2. In case of insufficient liquidity, the rate will jump to 10%, creating a strong incentive for the exchange to quickly scale volumes in new markets.

The next two months will be a stress test for Gemini, as the exchange must convert new licenses into real trading volume to meet its obligations toRipple and avoid an increase in borrowing costs.

X recentlyrolled out a new "Snooze Topics" feature to give users more control over their timelines, and early data reveals a glaring trend: users are overwhelmingly tired of cryptocurrency.

According to Nikita Bier, the Head of Product at X, "Crypto" ranks as the single most muted topic on the platform since the feature's launch, beating out deeply polarizing subjects like politics and global conflicts.

"Turning down the slop"

The new feature, which Bier playfully noted is for users who want to "crank up or turn down the slop," is currently rolling out on iOS and Web exclusively for Premium subscribers.

Based on the interface shared by Bier, the Snooze Topics tool operates as a straightforward content filter for the algorithmic "For You" tab.

Users can open the "Snooze Topics" menu and select specific categories they want to hide from their feed for a temporary 24-hour period.

The menu presents a list of broad content categories, such as Politics, Videos, Sports, Business & Finance, and Artificial Intelligence, equipped with simple on/off toggle switches.

If a user changes their mind or wants to restore their standard feed before the 24 hours are up, a "Reset" button at the top left of the menu instantly removes all active snoozes.

The platform's user base has made its preferences clear. According to the data shared by Bier, users are aggressively filtering out digital assets and heavy news cycles.

Given that there is a heavy presence of crypto influencers and traders on the platform, the broader audience is actively choosing to mute digital asset discussions at a higher rate than even the most heated political debates.