Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has suggested protocol adjustments to prioritize personal node operation, aiming to balance scalability with user privacy and censorship resistance as the network grows. Ethereum Co-Founder Proposes “Local-Node-Favoring” Scaling Adjustments In a recent Ethereum Research blog post, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a series of technical adjustments to the blockchain’s scaling […]

Vitalik Buterin Pushes Node-Centric Reforms in Ethereum Scaling Overhaul

The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly initiated a criminal probe into a 
security incident at Coinbase Global Inc., the nation’s premier cryptocurrency 
exchange, as disclosed by a Bloomberg source with knowledge of the situation. 
Intruders corrupted customer support staff and third-party contractors in 
India, gaining illicit access to sensitive user information. Following the 
breach, the […]

DOJ Launches Criminal Probe Into Coinbase Breach Involving Bribed Employees

Despite its current lackluster price action, many crypto analysts have agreed 
through various analyses over the past few years that XRP has a very bright 
parabolic rally ahead. This sentiment has particularly gained ground due to 
its price action in Q4 2024, leading to a multi-year high of $3.34 in January 
2025. Although XRP has retraced quite a bit from this high, this hasn’t 
stopped bold long-term projections from resurfacing. One of the more striking 
forecasts comes from a crypto analyst who believes the altcoin will not only 
rally into double digits soon but eventually stabilize at $1,000 and become 
one of the most expensive digital assets in the world. Analyst Predicts The 
Altcoin Will Hit $10 To $20 Before Entering New Bear Market Crypto market 
commentator BarriC shared a post on social media platform X outlining a future 
price trajectory for XRP that begins with a major surge in the coming months. 
BarriC’s post begins by criticizing the perception that the current price 
range, which remains below $3, reflects failure. Instead, he views this phase 
as an accumulation opportunity before a massive breakout. Related Reading: 
$10,000 XRP Theory: Factors Analyst Shares Scenarios That Could Drive Growth 
According to the analyst, there&#8217;s a high possibility that the XRP price will 
climb to somewhere between $10 and $20 in the next few months. Such a move 
would undoubtedly be accompanied by a surge in the trading volume and activity 
surrounding XRP. One such primer is if the cryptocurrency somehow gains full 
utility and adoption with banks in the next few months, or through the launch 
of a Spot XRP ETF. This surge, BarriC noted, would likely coincide with the 
final stages of the current altcoin season. Following that, he expects a 
significant market correction, similar to past cycles, which would bring XRP 
back down to the $5 to $10 range. Previous cycles dating back to 2016 have 
typically ended with a sharp 50% market dip. If this happens again, the lower 
boundary for the next cycle could land between $5 and $10. This mid-cycle dip, 
according to BarriC, will be the last time XRP is considered cheap before it 
enters a fundamentally different phase. Banks And Institutional Adoption To 
Tie Up XRP At $1,000 Permanently BarriC’s prediction is ultimately based on 
banks&#8217; mass institutional adoption of XRP. He noted that when the asset 
becomes deeply integrated into the daily operations of banks and financial 
institutions, we will see a $1,000 XRP. Once trillions of dollars begin 
flowing consistently through the XRP Ledger, there will be no more volatility 
and bear market phases for its price. Related Reading: XRP Price At $10-$20 
Only The Beginning, It’s Headed For $1,000 – Analyst Reveals At that point, 
BarriC believes the altcoin will stabilize at a $1,000 valuation, not as a 
temporary peak but as a structural price floor. In this case, future investors 
may only be able to afford fractions of one XRP, much like Bitcoin currently. 
At the time of writing, XRP is trading at $2.30, down by 2.35% in the past 24 
hours. XRP has been steadily declining from $2.62 in the past seven days. 
Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

Pundit Says XRP Price Will Stabilize At $1,000 And Become ‘Very Expensive’

**Key takeaways:**
 * Bitcoin buying in the spot and futures markets helped BTC price keep its upward momentum despite $170 million in margin liquidations.
 * Weak stablecoin demand in China and the limited use of futures leverage suggest Bitcoin&#8217;s current rally is sustainable.
Bitcoin (BTC) price has displayed strength at the $102,000 support level on 
May 19, following the $170 million in liquidations of leveraged positions. The 
abrupt $5,000 correction after hitting $107,090 may have been unexpected, but 
it does not mean the odds of reaching an all-time high in the near term are 
lower, especially since Bitcoin derivatives metrics have shown resilience.
_Bitcoin 1-month futures annualized premium. Source:__laevitas.ch_
The annualized one-month futures premium for Bitcoin remained close to 6% 
despite the retest of $102,000 support. This current level is within the 5% to 
10% neutral range, which has been the norm over the past week. While at first 
glance such data might suggest a lack of optimism, at the same time, it proves 
that the buying pressure is coming from the spot market rather than from 
leveraged bets.
## Japan bond spike and credit fears weigh on Bitcoin sentiment
Some analysts attribute Bitcoin&#8217;s correction to comments by Japan&#8217;s Prime 
Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the country&#8217;s fiscal situation being &#8220;undoubtedly 
extremely poor,&#8221; as reported by Bloomberg.
_Japan 15-year government bond yield. Source: TradingView / Cointelegraph_
Yields on Japan&#8217;s long-term government bonds soared to their highest level 
ever on May 19 as traders demanded higher returns, signaling a lack of trust. 
Japan is the largest holder of US Treasury bonds, so investors are concerned 
about contagion risks at a delicate moment for the global economy, especially 
as the ongoing trade war has severely limited growth prospects.
The fact that Moody&#8217;s rating agency cut the US government&#8217;s long-term credit 
rating to AA1 from AAA has also played a significant role in limiting 
Bitcoin&#8217;s upside, particularly as its correlation with the S&amp;P 500 index has 
stayed above 80% since early May. Investor sentiment could quickly deteriorate 
as the impact of tariffs becomes partially visible in second-quarter corporate 
earnings.
To understand if Bitcoin has what it takes to reach an all-time high in the 
near term, one should analyze the demand for stablecoins in China. Periods of 
excessive optimism usually lead to stablecoins trading above fair value, which 
is not a healthy indicator, as Bitcoin jumps above $105,000.
_USDT Tether (USDT/CNY) vs. US dollar/CNY. Source: OKX_
USD Tether (USDT) has been trading at a slight 0.4% discount in China, meaning 
Bitcoin&#8217;s price increase has likely not been driven by FOMO. The absence of 
excessive leverage on Bitcoin futures and the lack of desperate inflows into 
Chinese markets are key ingredients for sustainable price gains, paving the 
way for a more solid bullish momentum above $105,000.
## Bitcoin shrugs off bad news, holds support amid strong spot demand
Bitcoin&#8217;s price displayed significant resilience after the announcement of a 
class-action lawsuit against Strategy&#8217;s top executives, claiming &#8220;false and/or 
misleading statements&#8221; regarding risks associated with Bitcoin&#8217;s investment. 
The complaint specifically mentions unrealized losses, although those events 
do not affect the company&#8217;s cash flow.
Regardless of whether the case has foundation, negative headlines tend to have 
a much stronger and longer price impact in neutral to bearish markets, which 
clearly was not the case as Strategy (MSTR) shares traded up 2.4% on May 19.
Additionally, the fact that the $102,000 support held amid increased global 
economic uncertainty, combined with strong spot buying and resilient 
derivatives metrics, provides every indication that Bitcoin is well-positioned 
for further price gains.
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.

Bitcoin futures data aligns with BTC traders’ hope for new all-time highs

U.S. stocks were little changed Monday as investors reacted to Moody’s Ratings 
stripping the U.S. of its last triple-A credit grade and lawmakers advancing a 
tax bill expected to add significantly to federal deficits. The S&amp;P 500, 
coming off a…

Stocks flat as Moody’s downgrades U.S. credit, S&P 500 rally stalls

Dominari Holdings Inc., a small investment bank based in Trump Tower, is 
stockpiling bitcoin as it pivots deeper into crypto, Bloomberg first reported. 
Investment Bank Tied to Trump Family Deepens Crypto Footprint Dominari 
Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: DOMH), a small bank headquartered in New York’s Trump 
Tower, is increasing its bitcoin ( BTC) holdings while pursuing […]