Bitcoin’s mining difficulty eased on Thursday, sliding 3.28% from 146.47 
trillion to 141.67 trillion—a level not seen since September 2025, and a 
welcome breather after months of grind. The adjustment should favor bitcoin 
miners, especially as revenue per petahash (PH/s) has slipped 5.45% over the 
past week, making this recalibration feel less like charity and […]

Bitcoin Difficulty Slides to September 2025 Levels as Miner Margins Stay Squeezed

Ripple is laying out a transition in which XRP is no longer positioned 
primarily as a traded asset, but as infrastructure supporting tokenized 
finance and institutional settlement. At the World Economic Forum 2026, Ripple 
CEO Brad Garlinghouse described how this shift is already taking shape through 
live tokenization activity, regulated integration with banks, and on-chain 
settlement at scale. XRP Tokenization Shifts From Theory To Balance-Sheet 
Reality Garlinghouse used tokenization as the primary context for explaining 
this transition. He described tokenization as a process that has already moved 
beyond experimentation and into operational use across financial institutions. 
To support that claim, he pointed to activity on the XRP Ledger, where 
tokenized asset volume expanded significantly over the course of a single 
year, rising from roughly $19 trillion to $33 trillion. Related Reading: 
Coinbase Exec Points Out The Big Difference Between Bitcoin And Central Banks 
That level of growth signals institutional commitment rather than exploratory 
testing. Tokenized assets at this scale imply the involvement of banks, 
custodians, and regulated entities moving real value. According to 
Garlinghouse, institutions are now focused on how to integrate tokenized 
assets into existing balance sheets, liquidity structures, and settlement 
processes. This shift changes what infrastructure is required. Tokenization at 
institutional scale demands networks that can process high volumes 
consistently, provide deterministic settlement, and operate continuously. The 
XRP Ledger is being positioned within this framework as a system capable of 
supporting that throughput. The emphasis is not on innovation for its own 
sake, but on reliability and execution under real financial constraints. As 
tokenized assets become embedded in core financial operations, the supporting 
rails stop being optional. They become foundational. That is the context in 
which XRP is being discussed, not as a standalone asset, but as part of the 
machinery enabling tokenized finance to function. Connecting Regulated Assets 
And On-Chain Liquidity Garlinghouse also addressed the structural challenge 
that emerges as tokenization intersects with decentralized finance. 
Institutions want access to programmability and liquidity, but they cannot 
compromise compliance, custody, or trust. He described this tension as the 
central problem Ripple is working to solve. Related Reading: Is Dogecoin About 
To Repeat NVIDIA’s Run? Here’s What The Chart Says Rather than positioning 
itself against traditional finance, Ripple is working directly with global 
banks to build regulated pathways between tokenized assets and on-chain 
liquidity. The objective is to allow institutions to interact with 
decentralized systems without stepping outside regulatory frameworks. Within 
this design, XRP serves as a settlement and connectivity layer, enabling 
movement between systems. This approach reframes XRP’s utility. Its value lies 
in facilitating finality, liquidity access, and interoperability across 
regulated and on-chain environments. As tokenized assets, decentralized rails, 
and institutional settlement converge, networks capable of delivering finality 
at scale become increasingly important. Garlinghouse emphasized that the XRP 
Ledger already provides this capability, giving it a structural advantage. As 
a result, XRP is no longer positioned primarily as a tradeable asset; it is 
being aligned as infrastructure that enables the issuance, movement, and 
settlement of value within an increasingly tokenized financial system. 
Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

Ripple’s Next Steps: Where XRP Stops Being Trade And Starts Being Infrastrucutre

Gurhan Kiziloz is taking aim at Solana with BlockDAG, a live blockchain 
designed to combine high-speed performance, Ethereum compatibility, and 
broader decentralization. #partnercontent

Backed by a $1.7b founder Gurhan Kiziloz takes BlockDAG into a $120b Layer-1 market

South Korean prosecutors are investigating the disappearance of approximately 
$48 million in seized Bitcoin following a suspected phishing attack, according 
to local media reports. The Gwangju District Prosecutors&#8217; Office discovered 
the missing digital assets during a routine inspection of confiscated…

South Korea loses $48m in seized Bitcoin after phishing attack

Crypto is shedding its illicit money image, but central bankers at the World 
Economic Forum in Davos 2026 warned it threatens monetary sovereignty.

Cryptocurrency price in NZD