Bitcoin and most cryptocurrencies remained in a tight range last week as investors monitored new developments in trade and the tensions between President Donald Trump and Jerome Powell. Artificial Intelligence tokens like Bittensor, Render, and AI Companions were the top-performing…

Top cryptocurrencies to watch this week: Mantra, Memecoin, Pi Network

Christopher Perkins, president of CoinFund, has issued a disapproval of the 
Bank for International Settlements&#8217; (BIS) recent paper on crypto. Perkins 
called its recommendations &#8220;completely uninformed and frankly, dangerous.&#8221; The 
BIS report, titled &#8220;Cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance: functions and 
financial…

CoinFund president criticizes BIS crypto containment strategy as “dangerous”

XRP is trading at $2.05 with a market capitalization of $119 billion, a 
24-hour trading volume of $1.22 billion, and an intraday price range between 
$2.04 and $2.09, reflecting a period of tight consolidation amid cautious 
market sentiment. XRP On the 1-hour chart, XRP exhibits an intraday downtrend, 
with the formation of lower highs and […]

XRP Price Analysis: Intraday Weakness Tests Key $2 Support

_**Opinion by: Henry Duckworth, founder and CEO of AgriDex**_
We all need and buy it. Food is a common, universal ground across the planet. 
It should come as no surprise then that the agricultural industry is enormous. 
In 2023, the European Union alone imported 154 million tonnes of agricultural 
products and exported 134 million tonnes more. The market is growing too, 
projected to expand by 3.45% annually from this year to reach $5.52 trillion 
by 2029.
Yet, farmers and agricultural traders are confronted with a serious problem. 
They need to export food abroad and interact with foreign currencies. The 
financial system &#8212; particularly in Africa &#8212; is, however, underdeveloped. 
Inefficiencies in their trade result in high transaction costs, delayed cross- 
border payments, and high interest rates for loans. Large corporations can 
better navigate financial hurdles, but this isn&#8217;t always the case for small 
farmers, who suffer the most from outdated banking systems.
Blockchain technology and stablecoins promise to smooth unstable waters for 
agricultural traders. Eliminating intermediaries and providing financial 
inclusion, the technology gives farmers direct access to global markets. With 
Africa&#8217;s food and agriculture market predicted to be valued at $1 trillion by 
2030, stablecoins stand to be much more than simply another financial trend 
for the industry.
## Cross-border payments are hiding significant costs
Cross-border payments are the beating heart of agricultural trade, central to 
accessing resources, such as equipment and seeds, or engaging in trade between 
countries. International transactions are vital to African agriculture, as 
exports within Africa represent only 17% of total African exports.
Local banking systems are, however, underdeveloped and impede these payments 
to a shocking degree. A huge sticking point is that traditional banking 
systems are expensive &#8212; they charge farmers between 3% and 6% in fees. This 
is no small matter when profit margins are already thin.
In transactions, the demand for an intermediary currency, typically the US 
dollar, leads to even more exchange rate losses, often falling within the 
3%-10% range. This affects small businesses in Africa, which can pay nearly 
200% more than larger companies to clear their transactions through formal 
channels.
As if the expense wasn&#8217;t bad enough, the process is also painfully slow. 
Farmers can expect to wait up to 120 days for payment settlements. These 
delays are devastating for businesses relying on quick access to funds. They 
are forced to take out high-interest loans with no immediate liquidity, 
further eroding their earnings.
## Stablecoins can fix agricultural trade
Frustratingly outdated financial systems hamper the global agricultural 
industry, but a glimmer of hope is arriving in the form of stablecoins. Poised 
to reshape the agricultural trade, crypto offers farmers three key pillars of 
transformation.
Stablecoins mean farmers and traders can bypass banking inefficiencies. With 
intermediaries taken out of the picture, they can transact instantly and with 
lower costs. Farmers save between 3%-6% per payment, and funds are received in 
minutes rather than in painful waits of weeks or months. The result? These 
players have the working capital needed to stay in business.
Traders can forget about unstable local currencies. By pricing their goods in 
a stable digital asset, they can gain access to global markets. Fluctuating 
exchange rates will become a problem of the past. Businesses operating in 
countries with volatile currencies will feel that relief most acutely, as 
sudden devaluations in a currency have the power to wipe out profits 
overnight.
**Recent:****Web2 is failing vertical farms &#8212; they need DePIN to survive**
The agricultural trade is crippled by immense, systemic fraud and supply chain 
inefficiencies, with global food fraud costing $40 billion annually and global 
trade in fake goods another staggering $500 billion. Stablecoins could be 
transformative in reducing the original movement of counterfeit goods across 
supply chains, making the industry far more efficient.
Results are already being seen in African agribusiness. Zimbabwe-based 
conglomerate Parrogate, for example, is committing to blockchain to streamline 
payments to its suppliers while improving cross-border trade efficiency. The 
company, which prides itself on growth and development across the continent, 
is just one of numerous African businesses getting behind stablecoins and 
reaping the benefits.
## Agriculture still faces global challenges
Stablecoins should be music to the ears of those working in agriculture. The 
road there could, however, be rocky. Significant regulatory uncertainty, 
especially in Africa, is one hurdle. Many nations have strict capital outflow 
controls, so farmers and traders must comply with local regulations or face 
legal issues.
Another limitation is technological barriers and an education gap across the 
industry, which prevent some farmers from fully grasping and using the 
technology. European farmers, who need stablecoins less because infrastructure 
is pretty well established, will also not have full access to these stable 
mechanisms for facilitating trade.
There are barriers, but the demand for stablecoins in African agriculture is 
undeniable. There is a strong willingness within the agricultural community to 
get on board with compliant stablecoins that support cross-border liquidity.
The mass adoption of stablecoins won&#8217;t happen overnight, but that&#8217;s not to say 
that this industry isn&#8217;t progressing toward the digital. The offer of 
stablecoins is tantalizing &#8212; instant transactions, lower fees and enhanced 
financial access. It&#8217;s only a matter of time before more farmers make the 
switch.
Agricultural traders struggling under the weight of an outdated and intrusive 
banking system are ready for greater financial inclusion. And we should be, 
too. This industry connects us all and will be lifted by stablecoins. The tech 
will be transformative for the field &#8212; not just as an innovation, but as an 
essential evolution.
_**Opinion by: Henry Duckworth, founder and CEO of AgriDex.**_
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.

Farmers are switching to stablecoins

The price of TRUMP has witnessed an exciting jolt of bullish momentum this 
weekend, outperforming most of the assets in the top 100 on Saturday, April 
19. The United States President Donald Trump’s meme coin has increased in 
value by more than 8% in the last 24 hours. This positive price spurt came 
despite the recent unlocking of a significant amount of tokens into open 
circulation. Project Creators Unlock 40 Million Tokens In First Event On 
Friday, April 18, the creators of the TRUMP meme coin released 40 million 
tokens in the first unlock event for the project. The unlocked tokens, which 
were worth about $310 million at the time of the event, represent just 4% of 
the total supply, but over 16% of the current circulating supply. Related 
Reading: Ripple Takes Asia By Storm With New XRP Product, Here Are The Recent 
Developments The Official Trump meme coin has not been in particularly good 
form in recent weeks, falling further away from its record high price of $71 
reached in January. According to data from CoinGecko, the token’s price is 
down from its all-time high by roughly 90% in the past three months. Prior to 
the unlock event, the TRUMP token was valued at around $7.54 and had been 
oscillating between $7.46 and $7.83 on the day. However, the impending release 
of 40 million tokens from a three-month lockup did little to improve the 
sentiment around the meme coin, as investors predicted an extended period of 
downward pressure. Historically, large token unlocks are deemed bearish 
events, as they allow holders to sell off their assets on the open market. 
With increasing token supply and insufficient demand, the meme coin’s price 
was expected to further crumble under the selling pressure. Interestingly, the 
price of TRUMP seems to be reversing the trend and moving against the crowd’s 
expectations after surging by more than 8% to reclaim the $8 mark on Saturday. 
While the meme coin’s price has somewhat cooled down, it did climb as high as 
the $8.60 mark on the day. The Official Trump meme coin was launched earlier 
in January 2025, a few days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as 
President of the United States. The launch was met with some criticism in the 
industry, especially as President Trump also promoted the cryptocurrency. The 
April 18 unlock event represents the first among numerous “cliff” releases 
expected to come at later dates. TRUMP Price At A Glance As of this writing, 
the price of TRUMP lies at around $8.33, reflecting an 8.6% increase in the 
last 24 hours. However, this positive single-day action was not enough to put 
the meme coin in the green on the weekly timeframe — still down by 1.5% in the 
last seven days. Related Reading: Chainlink Price Continues To Hover Around 
$12.5 — Levels To Watch Featured image from Gearbest, chart from TradingView

TRUMP Memecoin Explodes Past $8 Amid Token Unlock Pressure

Bitcoin is currently worth around $83,793.85, marking a 2.47% decline over the 
past 24 hours, despite still being up 8.39% over the past week. While 
Bitcoin’s (BTC) pullback might appear minor in the broader scheme, deeper 
market signals hint at…