DeFi protocol MANTRA has begun the process of burning 150 million OM tokens from its team and core contributor allocation. The unstaking of these tokens is now underway and expected to be completed by April 29, at which point the…

MANTRA to burn 300m $OM tokens in effort to rebuild trust

Coinbase has listed futures contracts for the XRP token on its US derivatives 
exchange, the cryptocurrency platform said on April 21.
The contracts are overseen by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission 
(CFTC) and offer traders &#8220;a regulated, capital-efficient way to gain exposure 
to one of the most liquid digital assets,&#8221; the company said in a post on the X 
platform.
Coinbase&#8217;s XRP (XRP) futures include standard contracts representing 10,000 
XRP and retail-oriented &#8220;nano&#8221; contracts representing 500 XRP each, or 
approximately $1,000 as of April 21, according to regulatory filings. 
The contracts are the latest crypto futures to launch on Coinbase&#8217;s 
derivatives exchange, which also features Solana (SOL) and Hedera (HBAR) 
futures contracts, both added in February.
_Source:__Coinbase_
 _**Related:**__**Coinbase in talks to buy derivatives exchange Deribit: 
Report**_
## Burgeoning market segment
Since 2024, US exchanges &#8212; including Coinbase, Robinhood and Chicago 
Mercantile Exchange &#8212; have been expanding crypto futures offerings in 
response to strong demand from retail and institutional investors.
Futures contracts are standardized agreements to buy or sell an underlying 
asset at a future date. They are popular for hedging and speculation because 
they let traders take long and short positions, often with leverage.
Coinbase lists derivatives tied to some 92 different assets on its 
international exchange and approximately two dozen in the US, according to its 
website.
Its US-traded products include contracts tied to memecoins, such as Dogecoin 
(DOGE), and commodities, such as oil and gold.
_Coinbase&#8217;s stock performance vs. the S &amp;P 500. Source: JPMorgan_ 
In December, Coinbase said derivatives trading volumes soared roughly 10,950% 
in 2024. The exchange is reportedly in talks to buy Deribit in a bid to expand 
its derivatives footprint.
Coinbase launched its US derivatives exchange in 2022, bringing cryptocurrency 
futures &#8212; including retail-oriented &#8220;nano&#8221; contracts &#8212; to tens of millions 
of US users.
Launched in 2012, XRP Ledger is among the oldest blockchain networks and 
specializes in payments and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications for 
institutions.
As of April 21, XRP&#8217;s market capitalization stands at approximately $120 
billion, according to CoinMarketCap.
In March, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped a years-long 
lawsuit against XRP Ledger&#8217;s developer, Ripple, for alleged securities law 
violations.
_**Magazine: **__**Crypto &#8216;more taboo than OnlyFans,&#8217; says Violetta Zironi, 
who sold song for 1 BTC**_

Coinbase Derivatives lists XRP futures

On Monday, the cryptocurrency market experienced a notable uptick as bitcoin 
reached an intraday high of $88,527, reflecting renewed interest. While 
bitcoin recorded a decent 2.61% gain by evening, several alternative digital 
assets outperformed, securing more substantial increases. Among them, convex 
finance token (CVX) stood out, climbing 21.04% within a 24-hour period. Trump 
Policy Triggers […]

Crypto Outshines Crashing Stocks: Bitcoin Nears $90K as $1.5T Vanishes From Wall Street

Solana is showing signs of strength as it pushes above a key resistance level, 
suggesting that bulls are beginning to regain some control after weeks of 
weakness. The broader crypto market remains volatile, driven by ongoing 
macroeconomic uncertainty and heightened trade tensions between the US and 
China. Despite these risks, investor sentiment appears to be improving 
slightly, fueling hopes that Solana and other altcoins could enter a recovery 
rally. Related Reading: Ethereum Enters Historic Buy Zone As Price Dips Below 
Key Level – Insights However, caution remains warranted. Top analyst Ali 
Martinez shared a technical signal that tempers the recent optimism—according 
to his analysis, Solana may be due for a short-term pullback. A sell signal 
has flashed on the 12-hour chart using the TD Sequential indicator, which has 
historically marked local tops and price exhaustion phases. While Solana’s 
recent breakout is encouraging, the presence of this bearish signal suggests 
the rally may be losing steam in the near term. Investors will be watching 
closely to see whether SOL can hold support above the reclaimed levels or if 
it retreats under selling pressure. For now, the market is caught between 
early signs of recovery and the ever-present risk of another leg down. Solana 
Faces Key Resistance As Short-Term Pullback Signal Emerges Solana has surged 
over 48% since April 7, signaling renewed momentum after a prolonged period of 
intense selling pressure. Bulls are now facing a critical test as price 
approaches the $150 level—a key resistance zone that has held back further 
advances in the past. Despite the recent recovery, Solana remains one of the 
most affected assets during the 2025 downtrend, having lost more than 65% of 
its value since its January peak. This underscores the significance of the 
current move and the importance of holding higher levels to confirm a true 
reversal. Still, caution is warranted. Martinez shared data on X highlighting 
a TD Sequential sell signal on the 12-hour chart—a technical indicator that 
often precedes short-term trend exhaustion or reversals. The TD Sequential 
works by identifying a sequence of price movements that can indicate 
overbought or oversold conditions. If the signal plays out, Solana could face 
a temporary pullback before any sustained upside continues. Macroeconomic 
factors remain in play, with ongoing trade tensions between the US and China 
still shaping sentiment across global markets. However, hopes for a potential 
agreement between the two countries and expanding global liquidity are giving 
bulls some optimism, especially within the altcoin sector. Related Reading: 
Metrics Reveal Solana Sees Uptick In Whale Activity – Accumulation Signal? SOL 
Price Hovers At Pivotal Zone: What’s Next? Solana (SOL) is currently trading 
at critical levels, testing the key $150 resistance zone after a sharp 
recovery from recent lows. Bulls must reclaim and hold above this level to 
confirm a breakout and validate the start of a sustained uptrend. A decisive 
move above $150 would likely trigger further buying momentum, possibly leading 
to a retest of higher targets not seen since early March. However, if SOL 
fails to break above this barrier in the short term, a period of consolidation 
between the $130 and $120 levels could still signal strength. Holding this 
zone would suggest that bulls are building a base for continued upward price 
action and absorbing selling pressure without a significant retrace. Such 
consolidation phases are often considered healthy in bullish market 
structures, allowing momentum to rebuild before the next leg higher. Related 
Reading: Cardano Whales Offload 180 Million ADA In 5 Days – Smart Profit- 
Taking? On the downside, failure to hold the $120 support level could expose 
SOL to deeper losses, with the $100 zone as the next significant area of 
demand. A break below this level would invalidate the current bullish outlook 
and possibly reignite a broader downtrend. For now, all eyes are on SOL’s 
reaction around the $150 mark. Featured image from Dall-E, chart from 
TradingView

Solana Short-Term Indicator Signals Potential Risk – Reversal Or Pause?

Astra Fintech, a global blockchain payments provider, has launched a $100 
million fund to support the Solana ecosystem&#8217;s growth throughout Asia, 
according to an April 21 announcement.
Through the fund, Astra Fintech plans to deploy capital to accelerate projects 
and form partnerships with developers, companies, and regulators. The fund&#8217;s 
base of operations will be in South Korea, a country Solana&#8217;s venture arm 
invested in after the collapse of the Terra ecosystem in 2022.
The fund will focus on projects and developers working on PayFi solutions &#8212; a 
conglomeration of systems that use blockchain technology to facilitate 
payments. Astra&#8217;s main suite of products attempts to blend traditional finance 
with digital currencies.
According to data from Electric Capital, Solana and Solana Virtual Machine 
(SVM) blockchains are currently within the top 10 blockchains for developer 
activity, only behind Ethereum.
In 2021, Solana created a $5 million development fund to spur projects in 
Southeast Asia. The region is a hotspot for Web3 games, a crypto use case that 
has proliferated on Solana due to the blockchain&#8217;s fast speeds and low 
transaction costs.
## Solana, with its ups and downs
The Solana ecosystem has had quite the ride in 2025. Its native token, Solana 
(SOL), rose to an all-time high of $293.31 on Jan. 19, two days after US 
incoming President Donald Trump launched a memecoin on the network. It trades 
at $136.61 at this writing, a fall of 53.4% since then.
However, crypto executives and companies continue betting on the Solana 
ecosystem. On April 7, a group of former Kraken executives acquired Janover, 
aiming to transform the real estate firm into a de facto Solana treasury. Just 
weeks later, Upexi &#8212; a brand management and supply chain company &#8212; saw its 
shares surge 630% on April 21 after announcing a similar strategy. Meanwhile, 
Canada approved SOL staking in early April, and ARK Invest has since added 
exposure to Solana funds through its tech-focused ETFs.
_**Magazine:**__**X Hall of Flame: Solana &#8216;will be a trillion-dollar asset&#8217; &#8212; 
Mert Mumtaz**_

Astra Fintech commits $100M for Solana growth in Asia

Pepe is encountering resistance, but this rejection could mark the beginning 
of a bullish continuation setup. Traders are watching for a potential higher 
low that may set the stage for a strong rotation to the upside. Pepe price 
action (PEPE)…