ArbitrumDAO has selected Franklin Templeton, Spiko, and WisdomTree as STEP 2 partners, allocating 35 million ARB to their tokenized U.S. Treasury offerings.

Expanding RWA on-chain: ArbitrumDAO chooses Franklin Templeton, Spiko, and WisdomTree for STEP 2

The Official Trump Coin surged on Thursday, bolstered by a broader recovery 
across Bitcoin, altcoins, and the stock market. The Trump Coin (TRUMP) token 
rose to $12.45, its highest level since May 3, and up by 72% above its lowest…

Trump Coin price prediction: Will it rise or fall after the exclusive dinner?

Bitcoin has reclaimed the $100,000 price level for the first time since 
January, reflecting renewed bullish sentiment among investors.
Bitcoin (BTC) reclaimed the $100,000 mark on May 8 at 3:22 pm UTC, surging 
4.2% from the intraday low of $95,967, according to data from CoinGecko.
It marked the third time that BTC has broken through the six-figure level 
since first achieving it on Dec. 5, 2024. A second all-time high followed on 
Jan. 20 ahead of US President Donald Trump&#8217;s inauguration.
_Bitcoin price chart in the past year. Source: CoinGecko_
Unlike the previous $100,000 hits, the new price spike came as Bitcoin market 
dominance surged above 60%, reflecting potential bearish sentiment for 
altcoins.
## Bitcoin dominance below 60% in past $100,000 breakthroughs
Bitcoin dominance &#8212; the asset&#8217;s share of the total cryptocurrency market &#8212; 
has been steadily rising over the past year. During its first run to $100,000 
in December 2024, BTC dominance stood at 52%. By January 2025, that figure had 
increased to 54%.
_Bitcoin all-time dominance chart. Source: CoinGecko_
The latest spike in Bitcoin dominance matches historic levels last seen in 
early 2021, when Bitcoin was trading at around $36,000 and heading toward its 
previous all-time highs above $60,000.
&#8220;Bitcoin has been showing strength for weeks now, outstripping other digital 
tokens, and scarcely flinching against the sort of geo-political events in 
Asia and the Middle East that may have impacted it in the past,&#8221; Mercuryo CEO 
Petr Kozyakov told Cointelegraph.
&#8220;With gold also running good all year, there&#8217;s now a case for saying that 
Bitcoin may have proven itself as an economic hedge and a long-term store of 
value,&#8221; he added.
## Why is the Bitcoin price rising now?
Bitcoin&#8217;s latest $100,000 breakthrough came amid a combination of political, 
institutional and macroeconomic factors.
Some in the community linked Bitcoin&#8217;s latest bullish action to a potential 
trade deal between the US and the United Kingdom, which Trump hinted at in a 
Truth Social post on May 7.
&#8220;Bitcoin is hovering near $100,000, a key psychological level for traders, 
after Trump hinted at a major trade deal, likely with the UK,&#8221; Kronos Research 
chief investment officer Vincent Liu told Cointelegraph.
_**Related:**__**BlackRock Bitcoin ETF clocks 16 days of inflow as BTC 
reclaims $97K**_
Liu said the rally is also supported by falling bond yields, a weakening 
dollar and renewed institutional inflows in spot Bitcoin exchange-traded 
funds, which saw $1.8 billion of inflows in the past trading week.
_Crypto Fear &amp; Greed Index. Source: Alternative.me_
Despite bullish momentum and the Crypto Fear &amp; Greed Index consolidating in 
the &#8220;Green&#8221; area at its current score of 65, some key US economic data is 
anticipated to forecast Bitcoin&#8217;s moves shortly, according to Liu:
&gt; &#8220;While momentum is strong, upcoming US budget data on May 12 and CPI 
&gt; [Consumer Price Index] on May 13 will be key in determining if BTC can break 
&gt; and hold above this level. For the rally to sustain, the trade deal 
&gt; narrative will need to evolve into concrete progress.&#8221;
According to Ben Caselin, chief marketing officer at VALR, there is a &#8220;good 
chance&#8221; that Bitcoin will chart new highs, north of $110,000, sooner rather 
than later, as the asset seeks to consolidate its value above $100,000.
&#8220;Retail is only set to come in toward what is traditionally the latter part of 
the Bitcoin four-year cycle, which might see a macro top reached in Q4 of this 
year,&#8221; Caselin told Cointelegraph.
At the same time, given continued progress in global crypto regulation and 
multiple strategic Bitcoin reserve initiatives, Caselin also sees a chance of 
&#8220;prolonged and accelerated growth beyond 2025.&#8221;
_Additional reporting by Amin Haqshanas._
_**Magazine:**__**Bitcoin to $1M &#8216;by 2029,&#8217; CIA tips its hat to Bitcoin: 
Hodler&#8217;s Digest, April 27 &#8211; May 3**_

Bitcoin price reclaims $100K for first time since January

Missouri lawmakers have passed a sweeping tax bill that exempts capital gains 
from state income tax and sent it to Gov. Mike Kehoe for signature. The 
measure, a top priority for House Republicans, passed the House Wednesday with 
only GOP…

Missouri tax bill exempts crypto and stock gains from income tax

Former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky will probably be allowed to travel for his 
daughter&#8217;s wedding regardless of the outcome of his May 8 sentencing hearing.
In a May 8 filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New 
York, Judge John Koeltl approved an application for Mashinsky to travel from 
New York to Memphis, Tennessee, between May 26 and May 29 for his daughter&#8217;s 
wedding. The approval was available on the public docket on May 8, but later 
appeared to have been removed.
Judge Koeltl will determine in a May 8 hearing whether Mashinsky serves prison 
time following a plea deal with prosecutors.
The former Celsius CEO appeared ready to go to trial in 2024 until his lawyers 
lost a motion to have his charges dismissed. He pleaded guilty to commodities 
fraud and a fraudulent scheme to manipulate the price of the platform&#8217;s native 
token, CEL.
Mashinsky has been free on a $40-million bond since July 2023, with travel 
outside certain areas requiring court approval, such as the roughly 900-mile 
(1,500-kilometer) distance between New York and Memphis. As of May 8, it&#8217;s 
unclear if he will be expected to surrender to authorities.
_**Related:**__**Celsius &#8216; Mashinsky lashes out at &#8216;death-in-prison 
sentence&#8217;**_
_**Magazine:**__**&#8217; Less flashy&#8217; Mashinsky set for less jail time than SBF: 
Inner City Press, X Hall of Flame**_
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it 
becomes available.

Ex-Celsius CEO asks to travel for a wedding after sentencing

A new report by blockchain analytics firm Solidus Labs reveals that 98.6% of 
tokens launched on Solana’s Pump.fun and 93% of liquidity pools on Raydium 
exhibited signs of fraudulent activity, including pump-and-dump schemes and 
rug pulls. Solana’s Low Fees Fuel Explosion of Meme Coin Fraud, Research Shows 
The findings, detailed in Solidus Labs’ “2025 Rug […]