Bubblemaps dismissed claims tying a Polymarket bet on Maduro’s removal to a 
WLFI cofounder, calling the on-chain logic misleading. Speculation around a 
high-profile Polymarket trade has escalated into claims of political and 
crypto insider ties, but Bubblemaps says the on-chain…

Bubblemaps rejects claims linking Maduro Polymarket bet insider to WLFI cofounder

The rise in Solana ETFs highlights growing institutional interest, potentially 
boosting Solana&#8217;s market presence and blockchain adoption.
The post Solana ETFs exceed $1B in assets, Bitwise&#8217;s BSOL leads with $732M 
appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Solana ETFs exceed $1B in assets, Bitwise’s BSOL leads with $732M

XRP price started a strong increase above $2.20. The price is now 
consolidating gains and might aim for more gains above the $2.40 zone. XRP 
price started a fresh increase above the $2.20 zone. The price is now trading 
above $2.350 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There is a bullish 
trend line forming with support at $2.1650 on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD 
pair (data source from Kraken). The pair could continue to move up if it 
settles above $2.40. XRP Price Rallies Significantly XRP price started a major 
upward move above $2.120 and $2.20, like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The price 
gained pace for a clear move above the $2.250 resistance. The bulls even 
pumped the price above the $2.350 zone. A high was formed at $2.416 and the 
price started a consolidation phase above the 23.6% Fib retracement level of 
the upward move from the $2.11 swing low to the $2.416 high. The price is now 
trading above $2.350 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. Besides, there 
is a bullish trend line forming with support at $2.1650 on the hourly chart of 
the XRP/USD pair. If there is a fresh upward move, the price might face 
resistance near the $2.40 level. The first major resistance is near the $2.420 
level, above which the price could rise and test $2.450. A clear move above 
the $2.450 resistance might send the price toward the $2.50 resistance. Any 
more gains might send the price toward the $2.550 resistance. The next major 
hurdle for the bulls might be near $2.650. Downside Correction? If XRP fails 
to clear the $2.420 resistance zone, it could start a fresh decline. Initial 
support on the downside is near the $2.350 level. The next major support is 
near the $2.260 level or the 50% Fib retracement level of the upward move from 
the $2.11 swing low to the $2.416 high. If there is a downside break and a 
close below the $2.260 level, the price might continue to decline toward 
$2.20. The next major support sits near the $2.1650 zone, below which the 
price could continue lower toward $2.020. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – 
The MACD for XRP/USD is now gaining pace in the bullish zone. Hourly RSI 
(Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for XRP/USD is now above the 50 level. 
Major Support Levels – $2.350 and $2.260. Major Resistance Levels – $2.420 and 
$2.450.

XRP Price Rips Higher by 15%, Shifting Short-Term Market Structure

Famed venture capitalist Tim Draper sees bitcoin becoming the standard money 
of an AI-powered global economy, underpinning robot automation, digital labor, 
and decentralized commerce as machines and humans transact beyond government 
currencies. Tim Draper Predicts Bitcoin Becomes Standard Money for Robot 
Automation Tim Draper, venture capitalist and Draper Associates founder who 
has predicted BTC reaching […]

Tim Draper Bullish on Bitcoin Becoming Currency for Robots and AI

Crypto heads into the second week of January jam-packed with crucial events. 
Here’s what crypto holders need to know: #1 BTC: Bank Of America Opens The 
Advisory Spigot Starting January 5, advisers across Bank of America Private 
Bank, Merrill, and Merrill Edge can recommend “several crypto exchange-traded 
products (ETPs)” for client portfolios, removing prior asset thresholds and 
shifting advisers from execution-only to active allocation guidance. In an 
early-December note tied to the rollout, Merrill’s Chris Hyzy framed the 
bank’s stance in portfolio-construction terms: “For investors with a strong 
interest in thematic innovation and comfort with elevated volatility, a modest 
allocation of 1% to 4% in digital assets could be appropriate.” Related 
Reading: 2026 Crypto Market Prediction: Will Prices Soar Or Face Continued 
Declines? The market relevance is less about one day of flows and more about 
plumbing. Bank of America is one of the largest US wealth distribution 
networks; even a modest allocation over the long-term could have significant 
price impact. #2 Ethereum Blob Capacity Steps Up Again Ethereum’s latest 
scaling cadence continues on January 7 via the second “Blob Parameter Only” 
upgrade (BPO2), which increases the per-block blob target and maximum to 14 
and 21, respectively, an incremental move designed to expand rollup data 
throughput without bundling the change into a larger named hard fork. The 
Ethereum Foundation has positioned the BPO track as a deliberately minimal, 
config-only mechanism to “safely increase blob throughput” after Fusaka. For 
L2 users, the direct linkage is data availability pricing. More blob supply, 
all else equal, can pressure blob fees lower, which is the component many 
rollups pass through into end-user transaction costs. The nuance is that these 
gains are conditional: if demand for blobspace ramps as quickly as capacity, 
fee relief can be muted, and operators still have to validate stability as 
targets rise. #3 Hyperliquid (HYPE) Token Unlock Hyperliquid’s HYPE token has 
a scheduled supply event on January 6: Hyperliquid Labs team members are set 
to receive an initial 1.2 million HYPE allocation, valued at roughly $31.2 
million. Core contributors hold rights to approximately 237 million tokens 
under a structured release plan, nearly one quarter of the total supply. The 
setup for traders is straightforward: token unlocks are reflexively modeled as 
potential sell pressure, but the realized impact depends on recipient behavior 
and any offsetting mechanics. #4 Stellar’s Privacy Track Moves To Testnet 
Stellar is scheduled to upgrade its testnet to Protocol 25, branded “Stellar 
X-Ray”, on January 7 at 21:00 UTC, with the mainnet vote slated for January 
22. In its developer guidance, Stellar explicitly calls out the operational 
requirement: SDK and infrastructure operators should upgrade ahead of the 
testnet date, with holiday timing cited as a reason for the unusually long 
runway between stable releases and activation. Related Reading: Austin Arnold 
Unveils His Top 6 Crypto Altcoin Picks For 2026 On the product side, Stellar 
frames X-Ray as foundational privacy infrastructure: “laying the groundwork 
for developers to build configurable, compliance-forward privacy applications 
using zero-knowledge (ZK) cryptography,” while keeping the network’s 
transparency model intact. #5 Macro Outlook Macro is doing crypto no favors in 
terms of clean narratives. Over the weekend, US forces captured Venezuelan 
President Nicolás Maduro, a move that pushed Bitcoin and crypto prices higher. 
Oil initially jolted but then softened amid expectations that near-term supply 
disruption is limited. Geopolitically, the spillover risk is in escalation 
rather than the single event. US President Trump raised the possibility of 
further interventions in the region, including language around Colombia. 
Overall, the weekly US market open will be crucial for the week. Rates 
politics are the other macro overhang. Trump has repeatedly said he will name 
his pick to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell “early next year,” with Powell’s 
leadership term ending in May 2026; the process has turned into a live market 
variable because of what it implies about the White House’s preferred rate 
path and perceived Fed independence. With prediction markets explicitly 
trading on whether a nomination lands by January 9, some crypto desks will 
treat the date as a volatility waypoint even if mainstream reporting stays 
looser on timing. At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $3.12. 
trillion. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Cryptocurrency price in BRL