When executed with purpose and a clear direction, token buybacks make effective catalysts that benefit both protocols and their communities.

Buybacks are the ultimate proof-of-resilience in DeFi | Opinion

Decentralized AI breaks open the gates of intelligence, with communities 
worldwide building, customizing and governing their own tools. DeAI dismantles 
centralized control and empowers communities to create and govern their own AI 
systems.

The renaissance returns with decentralized AI

Bitvavo, a digital asset trading platform in Europe, has secured a license 
from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) under the new 
European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR). This license allows 
Bitvavo to operate across all EU member states, as well as Norway, Iceland, 
and Liechtenstein, under a unified regulatory framework designed to […]

Bitvavo Secures MiCA License, Expanding Services Across Europe Under Unified Crypto Regulation

After an eventful start to the week marked by a sharp downward swing below 
$100,000, the Bitcoin price has recovered excellently, returning above the 
$107,000 mark to close the week. In spite of Bitcoin&#8217;s recent recovery, there 
seems to be a different sentiment in the market which, interestingly, has been 
growing over time. Here&#8217;s how the current growing sentiment could affect the 
premier cryptocurrency&#8217;s future trajectory. Short Positions Surge Over The 
Past 7 Days — What This Means In a June 28th post on social media platform X, 
cryptocurrency analytics firm Alphractal shared an interesting on-chain 
development in the Bitcoin market. Related Reading: You Won’t Believe Who’s 
Moving Millions in Bitcoin on Binance Right Now This on-chain observation is 
based on the Liquidity Zone (7 Days) indicator, which measures three important 
data: on one hand, it is used to monitor the price movement of Bitcoin; on 
another, the Net Delta of open interest or positions; and, lastly, it shows 
the distribution of open interest at various price levels. For a little 
context, the open interest Net Delta measures the difference between long and 
short open positions in the market. If the Net Delta reads positive, it means 
the buyers populate the market more. On the other hand, a negative reading 
means there are more short positions open than longs. In the post on X, 
Alphractal pointed out that, over the span of seven days, more positions have 
been opened in a bet against the price of BTC. From the chart below, the red 
bars represent a negative Net Delta. As has been formerly explained, what this 
means is that the short traders currently dominate the market. Interestingly, 
the shorts-dominated market does not exactly guarantee that we will experience 
a sell-off in the near future. This is because the high negative Net Delta was 
recorded at a time when Bitcoin&#8217;s price is still at a stable level, even with 
little growth. When sell positions are opened in a stable but bullish market, 
this usually indicates that the bears might be getting trapped. If, 
eventually, the Bitcoin price overcomes the sell resistance, a phenomenon 
known as a short squeeze will occur. In this scenario, sellers will be forced 
to buy back at higher prices, thereby pushing the Bitcoin price to the upside. 
This upward momentum will then further liquidate short positions. What&#8217;s Next 
For Bitcoin? There are uncertainties as to whether the Bitcoin market might 
break the sell resistance, or go in favour of the sellers. For this reason, 
Alphractal warns that those with bearish sentiment should be cautious about 
their next move. Related Reading: Ethereum Reclaims $2,500 In Squeeze-Driven 
Rally – But Can It Hold? As of this writing, Bitcoin seems stuck within a 
choppy range over the past day and is currently valued at $107,309. The 
flagship cryptocurrency’s measly growth of 0.2% in the past 24 hours pales in 
comparison to its seven-day rise of 5.2%. Featured image from IStock, chart 
from TradingView

Bitcoin Bears Are Taking Fresh Market Positions, But Are They Safe?

Stablecoins are now the “default settlement layer for the internet,” 
surpassing Visa and Mastercard in onchain transaction volume.

Stablecoins are becoming ‘default settlement layer’ for internet: Alchemy

Bitcoin prices climbed by 5.07% in the past week to hit a local peak of 
$108,000 before experiencing a solid rejection. Since then, the leading 
cryptocurrency has remained in the $106,000 &#8211; $107,000 range showing no 
indications of a breakout in either market direction. Amidst this market 
consolidation, renowned crypto analyst with X username KillaXBT has 
highlighted the key liquidation zones in the present Bitcoin market structure 
that are critical to the next significant price move. Related Reading: Bitcoin 
Bullishness For Q3 Grows: What Happens In Every Post-Halving Year? Bitcoin: 
Clustering At $103K–$106K And $108K–$111K &#8211; What Could This Mean? In a recent 
X post , KillaXBT shares that Bitcoin is currently at a pivotal decision zone 
as liquidation heatmap data from Coinglass reveals notable liquidity clusters 
forming on both ends of the current price range. The market expert explains 
that BTC is trapped between long and short liquidation zones in both low and 
high time frames (L/HTF) signaling a moment of market indecision On the 7-day 
chart (LTF), KillaXBT states there are accumulations of long positions between 
$103,400 and $106,000. This data suggests that a move below this price range 
could trigger cascading stop-losses and force liquidations, sending Bitcoin 
prices lower in a short-term decline. On the other hand, there are also 
liquidity clusters in the $108,000–$109,000 region, indicating the presence of 
potentially significant short positions. A breakout above $109,000 could 
initiate a sharp short squeeze, perhaps driving prices higher toward the 
current all-time high in the $111,000 price range. Using the 30-day chart 
(HTF), KillaXBT provides more information on the Bitcoin market stalemate. The 
analyst notes that more short-side liquidations are clustered between $108,300 
and $109,000 than long-side liquidations between $103,000 and $106,000. 
However, the presence of short positions at $111,000 presents a scenario where 
bulls could reclaim control if they successfully push past this upper 
resistance. Ultimately, KillaXBT concludes the current BTC market structure 
suggests a delicate balance with high-leverage positions stacked both above 
and below current prices. The market expert warns that traders refrain from 
engaging the market until the highlighted liquidation zones are tested. 
Related Reading: Sui (SUI) Eyes Breakout With Bullish Dual Pattern: Is A Rally 
To $27 On? Bitcoin Market Overview At press time, Bitcoin trades at $107,451, 
after a slight 0.41% gain in the past day. Meanwhile, the asset’s daily 
trading volume is down by a staggering 36.12% suggesting a fall in market 
participation. Meanwhile, blockchain analytics firm Sentora reports that 
Bitcoin&#8217;s weekly network fees totaled $3.39 million, marking a 38.9% decline 
from the previous week. Despite this drop in on-chain activity, exchange 
outflows of $310 million suggest a strong market confidence, as investors 
increasingly move their assets into private wallets, typically a sign of long- 
term holding intent. Featured image from Pexels, chart from Tradingview