Spot bitcoin prices traded at $77,343 per coin at 10:15 a.m. EST on May 25, 
2026, sitting below the heaviest options strike concentrations but comfortably 
inside the max pain range that options writers across Deribit, Binance, and 
OKX have been gravitating toward all week. Bitcoin Futures Open Interest Holds 
at $54.9B, Still Far Below 2025 […]

Spot bitcoin prices traded at $77,343 per coin at 10:15 a.m. EST on May 25, 2026, sitting below the heaviest options strike concentrations but comfortably inside the max pain range that options writers across Deribit, Binance, and OKX have been gravitating toward all week. Bitcoin Futures Open Interest Holds at $54.9B, Still Far Below 2025 &#8230;

Bitcoin Gets Pinned Near $77K as $3.7B Options Expiry Locks in Max Pain Zone

A recent surge in XRP Ledger (XRPL) payment counts has caught the attention of 
the broader crypto market, raising questions about what could be driving this 
massive rally. The latest milestone comes after XRP saw renewed whale 
accumulation even as prices continued to trend downward amid rising 
volatility. XRP Ledger Records Mysterious Surge In Payment Count Data from 
XRP’s leading blockchain explorer, XRPScan, shows that on May 19, the number 
of XRP payments from one account to another was sitting around just 766,051. 
However, over the next few days, the payment count rose sharply, surpassing 
1.22 million on May 22, representing a more than 300,000 increase in users. 
Related Reading: Market Expert Updates XRP Roadmap To $300 With New Data 
Before this surge, the payment count from one account to another consistently 
ranged between 700,000 and 800,000, making the latest rally a bit unnatural. 
Interestingly, XRP Ledger payment volume during the same period saw only a 
modest change. On May 19, volume stood at approximately 434.9 million, edging 
up to 486.2 million on May 22, reflecting a minor rise of just over 51 
million, which hardly mirrors the dramatic spike in user accounts. Given the 
recent decline in the XRP price and the prolonged sideways movement, the 
unexpected surge in user count on the ledger is suspicious. It begs the 
question of where these users came from and, more importantly, why they 
arrived at a time when market enthusiasm appears muted. Typically, when a 
cryptocurrency’s user count increases as price declines, it suggests two 
things: either genuine accumulation by XRP holders or a coordinated wallet 
activity. Notably, Nepetia, an XRP supporter who also noticed the unusual 
surge in payment count, has shared comments on it. In a May 24 X post, she 
stated that even as the market continues pulling back, XRP’s payment count and 
volume continue to rise, indicating underlying strength. Nepetia said that 
whales have also accumulated over 71 million XRP in just seven days while Spot 
XRP ETFs continue to post positive inflows. Against this backdrop, she noted 
that these recent developments are important market signals suggesting the XRP 
price may be preparing for a sharp move. XRP Whales Step Back From 
Accumulating XRP Whales had been actively buying tokens over the past few 
months. However, the latest report from crypto analyst Ali Martinez reveals 
that in the last nine days, whale activity on the XRP Ledger has dropped from 
157 large transactions worth over $1 million to just 67, as of May 23. He 
noted that this gap represents a decline of more than 57.3% in whale activity. 
Related Reading: XRP OI Z-Score Just Dropped To Levels Seen Before Its 600% 
Rally In 2024 Interpreting the movements, Martinez explained that when large- 
scale transaction volume decreases by this magnitude, it suggests that the 
market could be entering a major compression phase. He noted that whales 
appear to have stepped back from accumulating, allowing the current XRP price 
range, between $1.3 and $1.4, to settle. He stated that this shift naturally 
reduces immediate volatility and allows order books to mature. Featured image 
from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

A recent surge in XRP Ledger (XRPL) payment counts has caught the attention of the broader crypto market, raising questions about what could be driving this massive rally. The latest milestone comes after XRP saw renewed whale accumulation even as prices continued to trend downward amid rising volatility. XRP Ledger Records Mysterious Surge In Payment &#8230;

Why Questions Are Being Raised about The XRP Ledger’s 300,000 Milestone

High-leverage trader James Wynn has declared that the “lottery ticket” phase 
of memecoins is finished, arguing the sector is now saturated and structurally 
tilted toward insiders at the top. James Wynn, the hyper-leveraged crypto 
trader who turned a roughly $7,000…

High-leverage trader James Wynn has declared that the “lottery ticket” phase of memecoins is finished, arguing the sector is now saturated and structurally tilted toward insiders at the top. James Wynn, the hyper-leveraged crypto trader who turned a roughly $7,000…

Meme mogul James Wynn says the easy-money era is over for memecoins

AI is transforming both crypto security and crypto attacks. Here’s how Ledger 
is approaching AI-powered threats, human verification, and secure wallet 
infrastructure. AI can detect suspicious transactions, phishing attempts, 
malware, and unusual wallet behavior faster than humans. It can also…

AI is transforming both crypto security and crypto attacks. Here’s how Ledger is approaching AI-powered threats, human verification, and secure wallet infrastructure. AI can detect suspicious transactions, phishing attempts, malware, and unusual wallet behavior faster than humans. It can also…

How Ledger’s approach to the AI security arms race will keep wallets safer

Nikkei reports Iran will reopen Hormuz 30 days after a US deal; ceasefire 
extension by June 7 at 73.5% YES, Hormuz normal by May 31 at 3% YES.
The post Nikkei: Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz 30 days after US deal 
appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Nikkei reports Iran will reopen Hormuz 30 days after a US deal; ceasefire extension by June 7 at 73.5% YES, Hormuz normal by May 31 at 3% YES. The post Nikkei: Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz 30 days after US deal appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Nikkei: Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz 30 days after US deal

Five bitcoin wallets dormant since 2014 moved a combined 964.85 BTC, worth 
approximately $74.8 million at current spot prices, across a 48-hour window. 
Five Sleeping Bitcoin Wallets Spend $74.8M After 12 Years of Silence The 
wallets first appeared onchain in April and August of 2014, deep inside the 
bear market that followed the collapse of […]

Five bitcoin wallets dormant since 2014 moved a combined 964.85 BTC, worth approximately $74.8 million at current spot prices, across a 48-hour window. Five Sleeping Bitcoin Wallets Spend $74.8M After 12 Years of Silence The wallets first appeared onchain in April and August of 2014, deep inside the bear market that followed the collapse of &#8230;

Bitcoin Gets Pinned Near $77K as $3.7B Options Expiry Locks in Max Pain Zone

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