Spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. saw a return to inflows on April 14 as investor sentiment picked up after the government rolled back tariffs on Chinese tech products like smartphones and computers. According to SoSoValue data, the 12 spot…

Bitcoin ETFs end 7-day outflow streak as BTC stabilizes around $85k

Solana&#8217;s native token SOL (SOL) failed to maintain its bullish momentum after 
reaching the $134 level on April 14, but an assortment of data points suggest 
that the altcoin&#8217;s rally is not over. SOL price is currently 57% down from its 
all-time high, partially due to a sharp decline in its DApps activity, but 
some analysts cite the growth in deposits on the Solana network as a catalyst 
for sustained price upside in the short term._Blockchains ranked by total 
value locked, USD. Source: DefiLlama_
Solana has established itself as the second-largest blockchain by total value 
locked (TVL), with $6.9 billion. After gaining 12% over the seven days ending 
April 16, Solana has pulled ahead of competitors such as Tron, Base, and 
Berachain. Positive signs include a 30% increase in deposits on Sanctum, a 
liquid staking application, and 20% growth on Jito and Jupiter.
## Solana&#8217;s DEX volume surpasses Ethereum layer-2s
One could argue that Solana&#8217;s TVL roughly matches the Ethereum layer-2 
ecosystem in deposits. However, this comparison overlooks Solana&#8217;s strong 
position in decentralized exchange (DEX) volumes. For example, in the seven 
days ending April 16, trading activity on Solana DApps totaled $15.8 billion, 
exceeding the combined volume of Ethereum scaling solutions by more than 50% 
during the same period.
_Blockchains ranked by 7-day DEX volumes, USD. Source: DefiLlama_
Solana reclaimed the top spot in DEX activity, surpassing Ethereum after a 16% 
gain over seven days. This was supported by a 44% increase in volume on Pump- 
fun and a 28% rise on Raydium. In contrast, volumes declined on the three 
largest Ethereum DApps&#8211;Uniswap, Fluid, and Curve Finance. A similar trend 
occurred on BNB Chain, where PancakeSwap, Four-Meme, and DODO saw reduced 
volumes compared to the previous week.
It would be unfair to measure Solana&#8217;s growth only by DEX performance, as 
other DApps handle much smaller volumes. For example, Ondo Finance tokenized a 
total of $250 million worth of assets on the Solana network. Meanwhile, 
Exponent, a yield farm protocol, doubled its TVL over the past 30 days. 
Similarly, the yield aggregator platform Synatra experienced a 43% jump in TVL 
during the past week.
_Synatra DApp screenshot. Source: Cointelegraph_
Analysts are confident that a Solana spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) will be 
approved in the United States in 2025. However, expectations for significant 
inflows are limited due to a general lack of interest from institutional 
investors and the recent poor performance of similar Ethereum ETF instruments. 
If the spot ETF is approved, it could strengthen Solana&#8217;s presence&#8211;especially 
if the US government&#8217;s Digital Asset Stockpile plans come to fruition.
_**Related:**__**Real estate fintech Janover doubles Solana holdings with 
$10.5M buy**_
Investors are eagerly awaiting the full audit of US federal agencies&#8217; crypto 
holdings, initially expected by April 7. However, after missing this deadline, 
some journalists suggest that the executive order signed on March 7 did not 
require the findings to be made public. Regardless of whether SOL appears on 
that list, there are currently no plans from the government to acquire 
cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin (BTC).
Currently, there are few catalysts to justify a rally to $180, a level last 
seen 45 days ago on March 2. Without external factors causing a large influx 
of new participants into the crypto ecosystem, the increase in TVL and DEX 
market share alone is unlikely to push SOL&#8217;s price to outperform the broader 
market.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and 
should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and 
opinions expressed here are the author&#8217;s alone and do not necessarily reflect 
or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Solana price is up 36% from its crypto market crash lows — Is $180 SOL the next stop?

Cardano (ADA) has shown major structural developments as it re-enters a multi- 
year trading range. The recent price action suggests acceptance back within 
this long-term structure, with indicators pointing toward a potential move to 
the lower support region. Cardano (ADA) has…

Cardano re-enters multi-year range: weakness signals move toward lower support

Nick Johnson, a well‑known Ethereum Name Service (ENS) engineer, disclosed a 
cunning phishing campaign that preyed on weak spots within Google’s backbone, 
notably a recently patched OAuth flaw. Google&#8217;s Guard Down: ENS Engineer 
Tracks Phishing Exploit The scheme, according to Johnson&#8217;s testimony, kicked 
off with a persuasive email, seemingly dispatched by an official Google alert, 
[…]

ENS Lead Developer Reveals Flaw Allowing Phishers to Mimic Official Google Alerts

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced industry insiders 
from Kraken, Exodus, Anchorage Digital, and others would be participating in 
its crypto task force&#8217;s roundtable discussion on custody.
In an April 16 notice, the SEC said commissioners Hester Peirce and Caroline 
Crenshaw, acting chair Mark Uyeda and crypto task force Chief of Staff Richard 
Gabbert will sit down with Mark Greenberg, crypto exchange Kraken&#8217;s vice 
president of consumer business and product, Anchorage Digital Bank&#8217;s Chief 
Risk Officer Rachel Anderika and Exodus Chief Legal Officer Veronica McGregor. 
Other representatives will include those from WisdomTree, Fidelity Digital 
Asset Services, and Fireblocks.
&#8220;It is important for the SEC to grapple with custody issues, which are some of 
the most challenging as we seek to integrate crypto assets into our regulatory 
structure,&#8221; said Peirce, who heads the SEC task force.
Notably, Uyeda was listed as acting chair of the commission at the April 25 
event, despite the US Senate confirming that Paul Atkins would head the 
regulatory body on April 9. It&#8217;s unclear when Atkins will be sworn in as SEC 
chair, but at the time of publication, the regulator had not listed him as a 
current commissioner.
_**Related:**__**US gov &#8216;t actions give clue about upcoming crypto 
regulation**_
Among the topics listed on the roundtable&#8217;s agenda are discussions on broker- 
dealers and custody at investment firms. Demand for digital asset custody in 
the US has grown in the last few years, especially following the approval of 
crypto exchange-traded funds in January 2024. The trend has also drawn in 
traditional financial institutions, including long-standing firms such as BNY 
Mellon.
Since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January and the 
departure of former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, the agency has seemingly moved in 
a direction more favorable to the crypto industry by abandoning certain 
enforcement actions and dismissing efforts in court to expand or maintain its 
authority over digital assets.
The first of the crypto task force&#8217;s roundtable events on March 21 dealt with 
the status of many tokens as securities. Another on April 11 included 
discussions on &#8220;tailoring regulation for crypto trading.&#8221;
## Is DOGE infiltrating the SEC?
The roundtable discussions come as reports suggested the &#8220;government 
efficiency&#8221; team launched by Tesla CEO and presidential adviser Elon Musk had 
been given access to the SEC&#8217;s systems and data. Acting chair Uyeda has 
reportedly pushed back on requests by the Department of Government Efficiency, 
or DOGE &#8211; which is not an official US government department &#8212; to access SEC 
data.
DOGE faces criticism and some lawsuits over attempts to fire staff at US 
government agencies. It&#8217;s unclear whether Musk intends to &#8220;streamline&#8221; the SEC 
in the same way the group went after the US Agency for International 
Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
_**Magazine:**__**XRP win leaves Ripple and industry with no crypto legal 
precedent set**_

SEC's next roundtable to discuss crypto custody with insiders

XRP is back trading above, $2, and bullish momentum is gradually creeping back 
compared to its price action at the end of March and beginning of April. 
Crypto analyst EGRAG CRYPTO believes this week could highlight a turning point 
for a full flip into bullish momentum, and how the XRP price closes out the 
week will be very important. According to the analyst&#8217;s outlook, which was 
posted on social media platform X, the current XRP candle on the weekly 
timeframe is hovering just above both $2.10 and the 21-week Exponential Moving 
Average (EMA). However, he noted that the real confirmation lies with if XRP 
can manage to close the week with a full-bodied candle above $2.25. Why Is 
$2.25 Important For XRP’s Price? The $2.25 level has now become more than just 
another short-term resistance. It is what EGRAG considers the final barrier to 
validating the recovery structure forming after March and April’s sharp 
retracement. His weekly chart shows XRP climbing out from a significant low 
after bouncing off the 0.888 Fib extension level and now stabilizing above the 
yellow 21-week EMA line. Related Reading: XRP To Flip Bitcoin This Cycle? 
Analyst Points To Major Bounce The alignment of XRP&#8217;s price above both the 
$2.10 price level and this moving average adds credibility to the potential of 
a bullish continuation, but EGRAG makes it clear that a weekly close above 
$2.25 is the “lock-in” point. From a technical standpoint, this would mark the 
first full-bodied weekly candle above the 21W EMA since the past four weeks. 
If achieved, this can be interpreted confirmation that bulls have regained 
dominance and that a bottom was established on April 7. Furthermore, it 
suggests that the April 7 bottom will continue to hold as support going 
forward. The chart also outlines close price targets at $2.51 and $2.60, with 
Fibonacci extension levels projecting even higher zones at $2.69 on the way to 
crossing back above $3. Failing To Close Above $2.25 Could Reintroduce 
Unwanted Narratives EGRAG also issued a cautionary note in case there isn&#8217;t a 
clean breakout. Should XRP fail to close the weekly candle above $2.25, he 
warned it could trigger a return of bearish narratives, including what he 
referred to as a possible “tariff issue.” This is referring to the recent 
tariff back-and-forth between the US and China in the past month, which has 
unbalanced the investment markets. Related Reading: Crypto Pundit Reveals What 
Will Happen If XRP Price Does Not Break $2.3 A strong rejection could see the 
XRP price pull back toward the $1.96 Fibonacci level or even lower into the 
broader support band of around $1.58 to $1.30. The white box region on the 
chart above would then become the primary battleground for bulls and bears if 
a close above $2.25 is not secured by the end of the week. Featured image from 
iStock, chart from Tradingview.com