Russia&#8217;s Moscow Exchange (MOEX) is moving to broaden which digital assets it 
tracks and trades. Reports say the exchange plans to roll out new indices and 
futures tied to XRP, Solana, and Tron this year. That will give traders ways 
to follow price moves without owning the coins directly. Related Reading: 
Crypto Could Bounce Soon As Fundamentals Firm Up, Tom Lee Says New Crypto 
Indices Planned According to local coverage, Maria Silkina, who runs the 
derivative products group at the exchange, outlined the expansion on a recent 
radio broadcast. MOEX already lists benchmarks for Bitcoin and Ethereum. Now 
the exchange is preparing indices that mirror three more of the bigger, 
actively traded tokens, and it intends to offer futures contracts based on 
those indices. Trading interest in these coins has been high elsewhere. Here, 
such contracts will be cash-settled and follow the Bank of Russia’s rules. 
Settlements will happen monthly under the current regime. Perpetual Contracts 
And Options Under Review Reports note the exchange is also thinking about 
perpetual futures and options for Bitcoin and Ethereum down the line. 
Perpetuals do not expire. They use funding rates to stay close to the spot 
market and allow positions to be held for as long as a trader wishes. That 
differs from the monthly settled contracts MOEX already uses. Some of the new 
ideas remain under study and will be launched step by step. The approach looks 
designed to keep the products inside a tightly regulated frame while allowing 
more sophisticated trading strategies. Russia Pushes Toward Broader Access In 
2025 the exchange added a set of crypto-linked futures, and it listed indices 
connected to Bitcoin and Ether alongside other structured products tied to 
overseas ETFs. Reports say that trend continued with some big Russian 
financial firms offering crypto-tied investment options. Sberbank has already 
rolled out a product that links to Bitcoin’s price. Market access is slowly 
widening, but access is still likely to be limited to qualified investors at 
first. That said, more instruments usually bring more liquidity and more ways 
to manage risk. Related Reading: Trump Says He Was Unaware Of Abu Dhabi 
Royal’s $500 Million WLFI Investment What This Means For Traders For 
investors, the shift offers both opportunity and restraint. Cash settlement 
removes the need for custody of the underlying token, which can reduce some 
operational hassles. At the same time, the Bank of Russia’s standards mean the 
products will be boxed in by clearing and reporting requirements. If adopted, 
these additions could help price discovery for XRP, Solana, and Tron inside 
Russia and might attract institutional flows that have been sitting on the 
sidelines. Featured image from The Moscow Times, chart from TradingView

Russia’s Biggest Exchange To Launch XRP Indices And Futures

The massive dark web drug marketplace used cryptocurrency, the same technology 
that ultimately allowed FBI agents to locate and arrest its creator, who now 
faces 30 years in prison.

How crypto made and undid the $100M Incognito dark web market

Crypto prices today are in the red as forced liquidations and weak demand 
pushed major tokens lower. At press time, total crypto market capitalization 
was down 4.4% to $2.35 trillion. Bitcoin fell 5.5% in the past 24 hours to 
$73,103.…

Crypto prices today (Feb. 5): BTC, SOL, UNI, PUMP dip further as extreme fear grips market

A consortium of South African firms has launched ZAR Universal (ZARU), a 
blockchain-based stablecoin pegged to the local currency. Transparency and 
Reserve Management A consortium of South African financial and fintech 
firms—Luno, Sanlam Specialised Asset Management, Easyequities, and Lesaka—has 
unveiled ZAR Universal (ZARU), a blockchain-based stablecoin pegged to the 
South African rand. The partners describe […]

South African Firms Launch a Local Currency-Backed Stablecoin

Solana failed to settle above $102 and extended losses. SOL price is now 
consolidating losses below $95 and might struggle to start a recovery wave. 
SOL price started a fresh decline below $100 and $95 against the US Dollar. 
The price is now trading below $100 and the 100-hourly simple moving average. 
There is a key bearish trend line forming with resistance at $98 on the hourly 
chart of the SOL/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The price could start a 
recovery wave if the bulls defend $90 or $85. Solana Price Dips Further Solana 
price failed to remain stable above $105 and started a fresh decline, like 
Bitcoin and Ethereum. SOL declined below the $100 and $95 support levels. The 
price gained bearish momentum below $92. A low was formed at $89, and the 
price is now consolidating losses with a bearish angle below the 23.6% Fib 
retracement level of the downward move from the $106 swing high to the $89 
low. Solana is now trading below $95 and the 100-hourly simple moving average. 
On the upside, immediate resistance is near the $93 level. The next major 
resistance is near the $97 level or the 50% Fib retracement level of the 
downward move from the $106 swing high to the $89 low. There is also a key 
bearish trend line forming with resistance at $98 on the hourly chart of the 
SOL/USD pair. The main resistance could be $102. A successful close above the 
$102 resistance zone could set the pace for another steady increase. The next 
key resistance is $106. Any more gains might send the price toward the $112 
level. More Losses In SOL? If SOL fails to rise above the $98 resistance, it 
could continue to move down. Initial support on the downside is near the $90 
zone. The first major support is near the $85 level. A break below the $85 
level might send the price toward the $82 support zone. If there is a close 
below the $82 support, the price could decline toward the $74 support in the 
near term. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for SOL/USD is gaining 
pace in the bearish zone. Hourly Hours RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI 
for SOL/USD is below the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $90 and $85. Major 
Resistance Levels – $98 and $102.

Cryptocurrency price in ZAR