PayPal confirms crypto users must report taxes under new IRS rules, with Form 
1099 DA issued for digital asset sales starting in 2025.
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PayPal outlines new tax reporting requirements for crypto users

XRP lost the $2 level after the broader crypto market suffered sharp declines 
on Monday, dragging price action back into a fragile zone. While the move 
rattled traders, Binance derivatives data suggests the sell-off has not 
triggered an extreme leverage unwind yet. Instead, the market appears to be 
entering a transitional phase where risk is rising, but speculative behavior 
remains relatively controlled. Related Reading: Trade War Headlines Trigger 
$800M In Liquidations Overnight: Longs Get Wiped Out Across Crypto Markets 
Open interest metrics show a delicate balance between positioning and price 
weakness. Total XRP open interest on Binance climbed to roughly $566.48 
million, pushing above the 30-day average near $528.84 million. This spread 
implies that fresh positions are still being added despite the downturn, but 
the pace looks measured rather than euphoric. In other words, traders are 
stepping in cautiously, not flooding the market with aggressive leverage. The 
30-day rolling Z-Score framework helps contextualize this shift. With open 
interest expanding while volatility stays contained, XRP may be building the 
conditions for a larger move ahead. For now, however, price remains 
vulnerable, and the next direction will likely depend on whether liquidity 
returns or fear deepens. Open Interest Volatility Rises as XRP Builds Toward a 
Bigger Move Arab Chain’s CryptoQuant read shows the most important shift isn’t 
the headline open interest figure, but the instability underneath it. The 
30-day standard deviation of XRP open interest (oi_std30) has climbed to 
roughly $65.7 million, marking its highest level since November. That matters 
because it signals open interest is starting to swing more aggressively around 
its average, a pattern that often shows up before price leaves a tight range 
and enters expansion mode. At the same time, the leverage signal still looks 
contained. The Z-Score holds near 0.57, signaling an elevated but not extreme 
level. In practical terms, positioning is growing, but it doesn’t look like 
the market is overheating or entering the kind of reckless leverage phase that 
typically leads to instant liquidation cascades. That combination—rising 
volatility in positioning while the Z-Score remains moderate—suggests momentum 
is building without a clear directional commitment yet. This puts XRP in a 
“risk-on, but cautious” environment. Traders are adding exposure, volatility 
is creeping higher, and the setup is becoming more reactive. From here, 
oi_std30 becomes a key metric to track alongside price structure, because 
whichever way price breaks, the market is increasingly positioned for a larger 
move. Related Reading: XRP Longs Get Wiped: Binance Leads $5M Liquidation Wave 
XRP Slides Back Toward $1.90 as Bears Keep Control XRP remains under heavy 
pressure, with the chart showing price slipping back toward the $1.90 zone 
after failing to hold the $2 level. The market is printing a clear sequence of 
lower highs and lower lows, confirming that the broader trend is still bearish 
despite several short-lived rebounds over recent weeks. Each time XRP attempts 
to recover, sellers quickly step in and cap momentum before it can reclaim key 
resistance levels. The latest move highlights this weakness. XRP briefly 
pushed higher in early January but immediately rolled over, showing that 
demand is still too soft to sustain a breakout. The $2.00 region has now 
flipped into overhead resistance, and price will likely need a strong bullish 
catalyst to break back above it with conviction. Related Reading: Monero 
Triggers Retail Alert That Preceded ZEC And DASH Drops As Privacy Coin Hype 
Returns From a structure perspective, the current support area sits around 
$1.85–$1.90, which has acted as a short-term floor during the recent 
consolidation. If this zone fails, XRP could quickly revisit lower liquidity 
pockets, extending the downtrend. Volume also reflects uncertainty. Activity 
remains erratic despite occasional, isolated spikes. This suggests the market 
is still reacting to fear-driven flows rather than steady accumulation. Price 
stalls in a fragile consolidation phase. And bulls need to reclaim above $2 to 
shift the short-term narrative back in their favor. Featured image from 
ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

XRP Leverage Builds Without Overheating: Open Interest Climbs And Volatility Spikes

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XRP is flashing a familiar onchain warning as quiet consolidation masks rising 
holder stress, with Glassnode data showing mounting psychological pressure 
that has historically preceded major XRP market moves. XRP Enters a High- 
Pressure Zone as History Starts to Rhyme XRP’s price behavior can appear calm 
even as underlying stress builds within its holder base. Blockchain […]

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