Bitcoin is back above $103,000 and the largest crypto is eyeing a re-test of all-time highs above $109,588. At a time when nearly all tokens in the top 100 cryptocurrencies ranked by market cap are in the green, the market is abuzz with the debate of whether to stay or sell and go away in May?

Crypto millionaire exit plan, do you need one as Bitcoin eyes fresh all-time high?

Eric Trump, speaking at the Consensus 2025 conference in Toronto on May 15, 
painted a picture of a world scrambling for Bitcoin. He said he hears the same 
thing everywhere he goes—on planes, in boardrooms, even from big state funds. 
His comments came as he joined Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot on a panel about where 
Bitcoin is headed next. Related Reading: XRP Frenzy Builds: Over $1 Billion in 
Open Interest Signals Breakout Tension Global Bitcoin Hunt According to Eric 
Trump, “Everybody in the world is trying to hoard Bitcoin right now.” He added 
that sovereign wealth funds and the wealthiest families are all in on the 
rush. He even mentioned hearing the buzz from some of the world’s largest 
companies. His point: Bitcoin isn’t just a niche play anymore. It has moved 
into heavy‑duty territory where major players compete for every last coin. 
Major Mining Merger Based on reports, American Bitcoin—a unit co‑founded by 
Eric Trump and his brother and owned by Hut 8—struck a deal on May 12 to merge 
with Gryphon Digital Mining. The structure is an all‑stock exchange, meaning 
shareholders of both firms will wake up next year with shares in the same new 
company. The partners say that this combined group will list on Nasdaq in Q3 
2025, opening the doors for regulated markets to tap into mining profits 
without holding Bitcoin directly. Shares Jump After Deal Investors reacted 
fast. Gryphon’s stock jumped over 200% after news of the merger hit, and Hut 8 
also saw gains. That kind of move tells you how hungry Wall Street is for 
anything tied to the next Bitcoin halving cycle. Mining companies tend to gear 
up for halving‑driven scarcity. By merging, these two hope to share resources, 
boost hash power, and raise their profiles before the reward cut in 2024 
pushes prices up. Related Reading: Analysis: Crypto Heats Up As $35 Billion 
Enters Market In Under A Month Political Pushback Grows Not everyone is on 
board. A group of House Democrats walked out of a digital assets hearing 
earlier this month, upset that questions about ethics slipped by. On May 13, 
Senate Democrats sent a letter urging US President Donald Trump to unload all 
cryptocurrency stakes, including stablecoins tied to hard assets. They’re 
worried about conflicts of interest if the White House can tweak rules that 
affect family ventures. One watchdog group, State Democracy Defenders Action, 
says crypto holdings make up about 40% of the Trump family’s worth, which is 
close to $3 billion. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin Panic Buying? Eric Trump Says The World Is Stockpiling BTC

Steak &#8216;n Shake&#8217;s Bitcoin adoption may accelerate crypto integration in 
mainstream commerce, appealing to tech-savvy consumers and boosting 
innovation.
The post Fast-food giant Steak &#8216;n Shake debuts Bitcoin payments via Lightning 
Network appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Fast-food giant Steak ‘n Shake debuts Bitcoin payments via Lightning Network

Solv Protocol has launched a yield-bearing Bitcoin token on the Avalanche 
blockchain, giving institutional investors more exposure to yield 
opportunities backed by real-world assets, or RWAs.
On May 16, the protocol unveiled SolvBTC.AVAX, a token that connects Bitcoin 
(BTC) to real-world assets like US Treasurys and private credit offered by 
BlackRock and Hamilton Lane.
The new token was developed through a seven-way partnership involving Solv, 
Avalanche, Balancer, Elixir, Euler, Re7 Labs, and LFJ, the company said.
Solv Protocol founder Ryan Chow said the token is a way to link Bitcoin to 
&#8220;real-world economic cycles&#8221; in uncorrelated assets such as US government 
bonds and private credit, as opposed to BTC&#8217;s typical boom-and-bust four-year 
cycle.
The token uses a multi-protocol strategy to generate yield involving Elixir&#8217;s 
deUSD stablecoin, Treasurys provided by BlackRock and Hamilton Lane via 
Elixir, and incorporated on the lending platform Euler to increase RWA 
exposure.
&#8220;The yield is received in BTC format,&#8221; a Solv Protocol spokesperson told 
Cointelegraph 
 _Elixir deUSD is a synthetic dollar with nearly $220 million in market 
capitalization. Source:__RWA.xyz_
Solv is a Bitcoin-centric staking platform that offers yield strategies across 
various blockchains and decentralized finance applications. The protocol 
commands more than $2.3 billion in total value locked, according to industry 
data.
_Solv Protocol &#8216;s TVL. Source: __DefiLlama_
 _**Related:**__**Bitcoin supply crunch boosts confidence in $200K target for 
2025 &#8212; Bitwise CIO**_
## The race to offer Bitcoin yield intensifies
Demand for Bitcoin yield solutions has grown amid the recent wave of 
institutional adoption of digital assets.
Earlier this month, crypto exchange Coinbase launched the Bitcoin Yield Fund, 
which aims to offer annual returns of between 4% and 8% on BTC holdings.
The yield will be earned through a cash-and-carry strategy, which involves 
purchasing BTC in the spot market and selling a corresponding futures 
contract, Coinbase said.
CoinShares analyst Satish Patel predicted the growing interest in Bitcoin 
yield in December, noting that more investors now see BTC &#8220;not only as a store 
of value but also as a means to generate yields.&#8221;
While there are many ways to generate Bitcoin yield, such as leveraging 
derivatives or yield farming, Michael Saylor&#8217;s Strategy introduced its own 
&#8220;BTC Yield&#8221; metric to measure the performance of its investment strategy.
Strategy&#8217;s BTC Yield, which measures how much additional Bitcoin it&#8217;s 
acquiring relative to its outstanding shares, is currently 15.5% year-to-date, 
according to the company.
_**Magazine:**__**Metric signals $250K Bitcoin is &#8216;best case,&#8217; SOL, HYPE 
tipped for gains: Trade Secrets**_

Solv brings RWA-backed Bitcoin yield to Avalanche blockchain

In recent weeks, a wave of publicly listed companies disclosed new bitcoin 
purchases intended for their balance sheets, and two more enterprises have now 
declared similar intentions. One is a craft distilling company based in the 
United States, while the other operates in Singapore’s medical services 
sector—both announcing plans to add BTC to their corporate […]

From Whiskey to Orthopedic Care: 2 More Companies Race to Hoard Bitcoin

**Key takeaways:**
 * The total altcoin market cap (excluding ETH) gained $126 billion in Q2, fueling speculation of an altseason.
The altcoin market cap, excluding Ether (ETH), has added $126 billion in Q2, 
sparking enthusiasm from analysts who have been waiting for an altseason. 
Crypto analyst Javon Marks noted a breakout that could rival the explosive 
2017 bull run.
In a recent post on X, Marks highlighted a chart comparing the TOTAL3 index 
(total market cap of altcoins excluding Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum) against 
the US money supply, suggesting that altcoins may be on the verge of a 
significant rally.
A rise in TOTAL3 against the US money supply suggests that altcoins are 
gaining value relative to the total liquidity in the US economy, reflecting 
increased investor interest and capital inflow into altcoins.
_TOTAL3/US Money supply. Source: X.com_
Marks emphasized that altcoins have recently bounced off a critical retest 
level following a breakout, and said,
&gt; &#8220;Altcoins have bounced off of the breakout retest against the US money 
&gt; supply and can deliver one of their most powerful runs since 2017!&#8221;
Likewise, anonymous crypto trader Moustache shared an analysis on X, 
highlighting a weekly inverse head-and-shoulders pattern in the TOTAL3 chart. 
Comparing 2021 and 2025, the chart mirrors the 2021 altcoin season when top 
altcoins surged 174% against Bitcoin&#8217;s 20% during the final leg. The pattern, 
a bullish reversal indicator, suggests a rally, with the analyst forecasting 
&#8220;much higher levels&#8221; for altcoins.
_Moustache &#8216;s TOTAL3 analysis. Source: X.com_
## &#8220;Altseason&#8221; sparks mixed sentiment among analysts
While some analysts are on the altcoin rally bandwagon, others are approaching 
with caution. Technical analyst Crypto Scient explained that the recent rise 
in altcoin market cap is yet to reflect a higher time frame (HTF) bullish 
trend shift. The analyst noted that the TOTAL2 trend remained bearish after 
hitting resistance at the $1.25 trillion level, and said,
&gt; &#8220;Since both BTC and TOTAL are near the resistance zone and TOTAL2 still has 
&gt; some room, I am inclined to believe that we are distributing.&#8221;
Similarly, Crypto commentator DonaXBT argued that a significant breakdown in 
Bitcoin&#8217;s dominance trendline is essential for altcoins to experience a 
substantial move. The accompanying chart reveals that Bitcoin dominance is 
above 60%, with the weekly uptrend still intact.
_Bitcoin dominance. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView_
According to the analyst, a decline below the 60% level, followed by a retest 
of the support zone between 56% and 58%, could serve as the initial catalyst 
for a full-fledged altcoin season to emerge.
_**Related: Warren Buffett exits crypto-friendly Nubank holdings, netting 
$250M profit**_
## Altcoin spot trading volume is still under $10 billion
Data from CryptoQuant indicates that altcoin spot trading volumes remain 
subdued, averaging $3-$5 billion/per day compared to $8-$12 billion/per day in 
Q4 2024, indicating that altcoins are in the early stages of a rally. Despite 
these lower volumes, market observers see this as a precursor to significant 
growth, suggesting that altcoins have yet to reach their peak momentum.
_Bitcoin and Altcoins spot trading volume. Source: CryptoQuant_
The Altcoin Season Index, currently at 24, further supports this outlook by 
confirming that the market is in Bitcoin season, as noted by 
Blockchaincenter.net. Historically, an index below 25 indicates Bitcoin 
dominance, but this can be a positive setup for altcoins. When the index 
climbs above 30-40, altcoins often experience significant pumps, driven by 
capital rotation from Bitcoin.
With trading volumes showing early signs of recovery and the Altcoin Season 
Index pointing to a shift, investors&#8217; optimism for an altcoin rally is 
growing.
_**Related: Spot Bitcoin ETF inflows fall, but BTC whale activity points to 
bull market acceleration**_
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every 
investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their 
own research when making a decision.