Key points:

A Bitcoin price close above $105,000 could accelerate momentum and trigger a rally to $130,000.

Ether continues to gain strength, which is being mirrored by many altcoins.

Bitcoin (BTC) has been consolidating between $100,718 and $105,819 for the past few days, indicating a balance between supply and demand. A positive sign is that the price has held above the psychologically crucial $100,000 level, signaling that the bulls are hanging on to their positions as they anticipate another leg higher.

Market intelligence firm Santiment highlighted in a post on X that the failure to rise above $105,000 has caused impatience among retail traders, which “historically is a bullish sign for prices.”

Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360

However, repeated failure to push the price to the all-time high of $109,588 could tempt short-term buyers to book profits. That puts the $100,000 support at risk of a breakdown. If that happens, Bitcoin could be in for a deeper pullback.

Could buyers drive the price to a new all-time high, pulling select altcoins higher? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

Bitcoin price prediction

Bitcoin bulls are struggling to propel the price above the $105,000 overhead resistance, but a positive sign is that the $100,000 support has held.

BTC/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The upsloping 20-day exponential moving average ($99,416) and the relative strength index (RSI) in the overbought zone signal that bulls remain in control. If the price closes above $105,000, the BTC/USDT pair is likely to break above the $109,588 resistance. If that happens, the pair could surge to $130,000.

Time is running out for the bears. If they want to make a comeback, they will have to swiftly yank the price below the 20-day EMA. If they do that, the pair could plunge to the 50-day simple moving average ($90,628).

Ether price prediction

Ether’s (ETH) pullback is finding support at the breakout level of $2,550, signaling that every minor dip is being purchased.

ETH/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

If the price turns up from the current level and breaks above $2,750, the ETH/USDT pair could resume its up move. There is resistance at $2,860, but it is likely to be crossed. The pair could then climb to $3,000.

The $2,400 level is the crucial support to watch out for on the downside. A break below it could sink the pair to the 20-day EMA ($2,225). If the price rebounds off the 20-day EMA, the bulls will again try to resume the up move.

XRP price prediction

XRP (XRP) has reached the resistance line after turning down from the overhead resistance of $2.65 on May 14.

XRP/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

If the price dips below the resistance line, it suggests that the bullish momentum has weakened. That increases the likelihood of a range-bound action between $2.65 and $2 for a few days.

Conversely, a solid bounce off the resistance line signals that the bulls are attempting to flip the level into support. Sellers may pose a solid challenge at $2.65, but if the bulls prevail, the XRP/USDT pair could reach $3.

BNB price prediction

Buyers have successfully defended the $644 level in BNB (BNB), but the failure to start a strong rebound suggests that the bears have kept up the pressure.

BNB/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The zone between $644 and the 20-day EMA ($631) is expected to attract buyers. If the price turns up from the support zone, the bulls will strive to kick the price to the overhead resistance at $693.

On the contrary, a break and close below the 20-day EMA signals that the higher levels are attracting solid selling by the bears. The BNB/USDT pair could then plummet to the 50-day SMA ($604).

Solana price prediction

Solana (SOL) is facing stiff resistance at $180, but a positive sign is that the bulls have not ceded much ground to the bears.

SOL/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The upsloping 20-day EMA ($161) and the RSI in the positive zone indicate the path of least resistance is to the upside. If buyers propel the price above $185, the SOL/USDT pair could resume its uptrend and travel to $210.

The 20-day EMA is the critical support to watch out for on the downside. A break and close below the 20-day EMA suggests that the bulls are rushing to the exit. The pair could then decline to the 50-day SMA ($140).

Dogecoin price prediction

Dogecoin (DOGE) is attempting to bounce off the breakout level of $0.21, signaling demand at lower levels.

DOGE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The upsloping 20-day EMA ($0.20) and the RSI in the positive territory suggest that buyers are in command. A break and close above $0.26 indicates the resumption of the up move. The DOGE/USDT pair could then rally to $0.31.

Sellers will have to tug the price below the 20-day EMA to invalidate the bullish view. The pair could then tumble to the 50-day SMA ($0.17), suggesting a possible range formation in the near term. 

Cardano price prediction

Cardano (ADA) turned down from $0.86 on May 12 and dropped to the neckline of the inverted head-and-shoulders pattern. 

ADA/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

A strong rebound off the neckline suggests a positive sentiment where the bulls are buying on dips. The bulls will then attempt to shove the price above the $0.86 resistance. If they do that, the ADA/USDT pair could surge to $1.01.

Contrarily, a break and close below the neckline suggests that the bears have overpowered the bulls. The pair could descend to the 50-day SMA ($0.68) and later to the solid support at $0.60.

Related: Bitcoin breakout odds climb as all-time highs meet $90K dip warning

Sui price prediction

Sui (SUI) pulled back to the 20-day EMA ($3.62) on May 15, but the long tail on the candlestick shows solid buying at lower levels.

SUI/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Both moving averages are sloping up, and the RSI is in the positive territory, indicating that bulls have the upper hand. The buyers will try to resume the up move by pushing the price above the $4.25 resistance. If they can pull it off, the SUI/USDT pair could soar to $5. Sellers are expected to pose a strong challenge in the $5 to $5.37 zone.

Contrary to this assumption, if the price turns down and breaks below the 20-day EMA, it suggests that the bulls are booking profits. That may pull the pair down to $3.12.

Chainlink price prediction

Chainlink (LINK) has turned down from the resistance line of the descending channel pattern, implying that the bears are selling on rallies.

LINK/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

A minor positive is that the bulls have successfully defended the 20-day EMA ($15.56). Buyers will again attempt to thrust the price above the resistance line. If they succeed, the LINK/USDT pair could rally to $19.80 and then to $21.30.

This positive view will be invalidated in the near term if the price plummets below the neckline. The pair may then drop to the 50-day SMA ($14), which is a crucial support to watch out for. A break and close below the 50-day SMA suggests the pair may remain inside the channel for some more time.

Avalanche price prediction

Avalanche (AVAX) took support at the 20-day EMA ($22.78) on May 15, indicating buying on dips.

AVAX/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The 20-day EMA continues to slope up, and the RSI is in the positive territory, signaling an advantage to buyers. The bulls will have to drive the AVAX/USDT pair above $26.84 to open the doors for a rally to $31.73 and subsequently to $36.

Sellers are likely to have other plans. They will try to pull the price below the 20-day EMA. If they manage to do that, it shows that the markets have rejected the breakout. The pair may slump to the 50-day SMA ($20.57).

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.

Shares of AI cloud computing company CoreWeave (CRWV) surged on May 16 after chip giant Nvidia revealed a large ownership stake, signaling growing corporate and institutional interest in the newly public company.

CRWV stock climbed as much as 26.3% in New York trading, pushing its market capitalization above $38 billion. Trading volumes were more than double the daily average, according to Yahoo Finance data.

The stock was last seen trading around $81, up 23% on the day.

CRWV has climbed to $81 a share on May 16. Source: Yahoo Finance

CoreWeave’s rally was sparked by regulatory filings from Nvidia showing that the company owned $900 million of CRWV stock at the end of the first quarter. The value of the holdings has more than doubled since March 31, assuming Nvidia hasn’t sold any shares since then.

As CNBC reported, Nvidia’s ownership stake at the time of CoreWeave’s initial public offering (IPO) was 17.9 million shares.

CoreWeave’s stock has gained more than 100% from its IPO price of $40 in late March. It has vastly outperformed the Nasdaq Composite Index and broader US stock market over that period.

The Nvidia revelations overshadowed CoreWeave’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report, which showed a 420% surge in revenue but also a 487% spike in operating expenses. The company’s net loss widened by 143% compared to a year earlier. Its stock declined shortly after the financials were released on May 14.

CoreWeave’s fiscal first quarter earnings results. Source: CoreWeaveCoreWeave’s complicated history with crypto

CoreWeave’s origin story began in 2017 as an Ethereum mining operation called Atlantic Crypto. The company began transitioning away from digital assets the following year after the onset of the bear market.

By 2019, it had rebranded to CoreWeave and began leveraging its GPU infrastructure to provide cloud computing services. The company then rode out the AI boom and its unique relationship with Nvidia to secure a massive IPO launch. 

CoreWeave has landed other major investors, with Cointelegraph reporting in March that OpenAI reached an $11.9 billion deal with the company to supply AI infrastructure for the ChatGPT developer’s massive data needs. 

CoreWeave is operating in a much broader cloud computing industry, which is forecast to become a $2 trillion behemoth by 2030 as AI applications gain mainstream adoption, according to Goldman Sachs. 

Cloud computing’s total addressable market by 2030. Source: Goldman Sachs

Another estimate by Fortune Business Insights suggests that the global cloud AI market alone could approach $600 billion by 2032, marking a compound annual growth rate of 28.5%.

Magazine: Creating ‘good’ AGI that won’t kill us all — Crypto’s Artificial Superintelligence Alliance

Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise, predicts Bitcoin (BTC) will reach $200,000 by the end of 2025 due to a supply shock from heightened institutional demand.

In an interview with Cointelegraph at Consensus 2025 in Toronto, the executive said that Bitwise’s Bitcoin price prediction model is driven exclusively by supply and demand metrics. Hougan laid out the specific figures driving the forecast:

“We know that miners will produce 165,000 BTC this year. Already, publicly traded companies have bought more than that. ETFs are at $6 billion in inflows. We think governments are going to be buying. We see this sort of structural difference between demand and supply.”

“I think eventually that will exhaust sellers at the $100,000 level where we have been stuck, and I think the next stopping point above that is $200,000,” the executive said. Bitwise is one of the issuers of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US markets, with nearly $4 billion in assets under management through its Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) as of May 14.

Eleanor Terrett, Ben Gagnon, Matt Hougan and Tom Lee at Consensus 2025. Source: Cointelegraph

This institutional demand has also bolstered the market with liquidity, likely making the four-year Bitcoin halving cycle, with significant drawdowns of up to 90% in between cycles, a “vestige of the past,” Hougan said.

Related: “The world is trying to hoard Bitcoin right now” — Eric Trump

Michael Saylor’s Strategy single-handedly shifting markets

One of the key corporate players driving Bitcoin demand is Strategy. The company has pioneered the BTC reserve strategy and currently holds 568,840 BTC in its corporate treasury, according to SaylorTracker. Author and Bitcoin analyst Adam Livingston said recently that Strategy is “synthetically halving Bitcoin” by outpacing the newly mined supply.

Livingston added that Strategy has accumulated 379,800 BTC in the last six months and will likely control Bitcoin lending markets if it continues its rapid pace of accumulation.

“BTC’s global cost of capital will no longer be set by ‘the market.’ It will be set by the gravitational policies of the first Bitcoin superpower: Strategy,” Livingston wrote.

Bitcoin miner reserves are in long-term decline. Source: CryptoQuant

Strategy’s effect on Bitcoin’s supply is so pronounced that market analyst Ki Young Ju says Bitcoin’s supply is now deflationary, with an annual deflation rate of -2.33%.

The increased demand has led some analysts to forecast a $1 million Bitcoin price tag in the coming decade.

However, analyst and investor Arthur Hayes recently predicted BTC would hit $1 million in three years. Hayes argued that a deteriorating macroeconomic environment and liquidity injected from central banks will continue to drive prices higher.

Magazine: Metric signals $250K Bitcoin is ‘best case,’ SOL, HYPE tipped for gains: Trade Secrets

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.

Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise, predicts Bitcoin (BTC) will reach $200,000 by the end of 2025 due to a supply shock from heightened institutional demand.

In an interview with Cointelegraph at Consensus 2025 in Toronto, the executive said that Bitwise’s Bitcoin price prediction model is driven exclusively by supply and demand metrics. Hougan laid out the specific figures driving the forecast:

“We know that miners will produce 165,000 BTC this year. Already, publicly traded companies have bought more than that. ETFs are at $6 billion in inflows. We think governments are going to be buying. We see this sort of structural difference between demand and supply.”

“I think eventually that will exhaust sellers at the $100,000 level where we have been stuck, and I think the next stopping point above that is $200,000,” the executive said. Bitwise is one of the issuers of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US markets, with nearly $4 billion in assets under management through its Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) as of May 14.

Eleanor Terrett, Ben Gagnon, Matt Hougan and Tom Lee at Consensus 2025. Source: Cointelegraph

This institutional demand has also bolstered the market with liquidity, likely making the four-year Bitcoin halving cycle, with significant drawdowns of up to 90% in between cycles, a “vestige of the past,” Hougan said.

Related: “The world is trying to hoard Bitcoin right now” — Eric Trump

Michael Saylor’s Strategy single-handedly shifting markets

One of the key corporate players driving Bitcoin demand is Strategy. The company has pioneered the BTC reserve strategy and currently holds 568,840 BTC in its corporate treasury, according to SaylorTracker. Author and Bitcoin analyst Adam Livingston said recently that Strategy is “synthetically halving Bitcoin” by outpacing the newly mined supply.

Livingston added that Strategy has accumulated 379,800 BTC in the last six months and will likely control Bitcoin lending markets if it continues its rapid pace of accumulation.

“BTC’s global cost of capital will no longer be set by ‘the market.’ It will be set by the gravitational policies of the first Bitcoin superpower: Strategy,” Livingston wrote.

Bitcoin miner reserves are in long-term decline. Source: CryptoQuant

Strategy’s effect on Bitcoin’s supply is so pronounced that market analyst Ki Young Ju says Bitcoin’s supply is now deflationary, with an annual deflation rate of -2.33%.

The increased demand has led some analysts to forecast a $1 million Bitcoin price tag in the coming decade.

However, analyst and investor Arthur Hayes recently predicted BTC would hit $1 million in three years. Hayes argued that a deteriorating macroeconomic environment and liquidity injected from central banks will continue to drive prices higher.

Magazine: Metric signals $250K Bitcoin is ‘best case,’ SOL, HYPE tipped for gains: Trade Secrets

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.

The stalling of key stablecoin legislation in the United States Senate was a minor setback, and the bill will pass in the coming weeks, said Cody Carbone, CEO of Digital Chamber, a Washington, DC,-based blockchain trade association and advocacy group.

Speaking to Cointelegraph at Consensus 2025, Carbone argued it is in the best interests of the US to pass comprehensive stablecoin regulations to protect US dollar hegemony in global markets, which has bipartisan appeal and support. Carbone said:

“These things never move as quickly as we want them to move, but it’s stablecoin legislation. This Congress has already moved more expeditiously than we ever could have imagined. So, yes, it’s a bump in the road, but I think very, very shortly, we will have another vote.”

The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation in U.S. Stablecoins of 2025, or GENIUS Act, is seen as a critical piece of legislation. Failing to pass comprehensive regulatory reform before the midterm elections in 2026 could mean a reversal in the positive regulatory environment and a downturn in the crypto markets.

“Negotiations have continued, and so I am still very optimistic,” Carbone said. “This bill is going to pass the Senate in the next few weeks.”

The GENIUS Act of 2025. Source: US Senate

Related: What are the next steps for the US stablecoin bill?

Partisan politics and Trump’s involvement in crypto blamed for bill failure

The act failed to pass a procedural vote in the Senate on May 8 after several Democratic lawmakers withdrew support for the bill, citing US President Donald Trump’s involvement in crypto as a potential cause for ethics concerns and the primary driver for backpedaling support for the bill at the last minute.

Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal likewise said that Trump’s crypto ties complicate the regulatory process, as lawmakers continue to scrutinize his activities in the memecoin market, decentralized finance, and the non-fungible token (NFT) sector.

Republican Senator Tim Scott fired back against the concerns voiced by Democratic policymakers, attributing the failure to partisan politics and an attempt by Democrats to prevent Trump from achieving the administration’s digital asset goals.

The latest version of the bill removes references to the Trump family and could pass the Senate by the end of May, some industry executives say.

Magazine: Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it’s becoming them in stablecoin fight

Opinion by: Megan Knab, CEO, Franklin Payroll

There are few historical examples of such a massive about-face for an industry, from banks debanking crypto businesses to now embracing stablecoins. If you talk to most crypto startup founders or companies with crypto on the balance sheet, they will all have war stories about finding, applying for and maintaining bank accounts. 

Over the past three years, over half of debanking complaints have been lodged against four American banks — Bank of America, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Citibank. Now, as the policies that discriminated against the crypto industry, like “Operation Chokepoint 2.0” and the recision of controversial accounting rule SAB 121, have been repealed, a new openness to blockchain technology from the finance sector is possible. 

It is imperative that the banking industry stop shunning crypto and start — at least understanding it — to stay competitive. How stablecoins are deployed will separate the banking winners and losers. 

From debanking to stablecoins 

Of course, stablecoins are not a new concept. For years, large institutions like JPMorgan and Santander have experimented with stablecoins and blockchains. Those experiments were around small functions like internal treasury reconciliation and interbank settlement. Much of this was also on private blockchains created by those banks. Implementing digital dollars on private chains, however, misses out on the core innovation of stablecoins.

While the use case of stablecoins for international remittances is clear, we are just scratching the surface of the power of stablecoins on public networks. For example, stablecoins eradicate unauthorized payment disputes and enable far faster pay cycles. 

Payroll payments are also complex. Payday is a web of thousands of automated clearing houses, wires, comma-separated values and PDFs. The programmability of stablecoins enables companies to create efficiency among all these data structures, processing times, reconciliations and paycheck reporting. 

Many smaller banks are just now waking up to the opportunity to incorporate permissionless, public network stablecoins into their workflows. Similar to how many businesses started to investigate how AI might change their businesses with the 2022 release of ChatGPT, so too are banks needing to look at how stablecoins will upend money movement.

 Recently, Custodia Bank issued its own stablecoin, Avit, on Ethereum. Custodia’s users can access quick, cheap banking services that are hard to beat. This is an excellent example of implementation for other financial institutions to follow.

Stablecoin adoption is increasing as the tech keeps improving

Active stablecoin wallets increased from 19.6 million in February 2024 to over 30 million in February 2025, according to Artemis and Dune. US President Donald Trump hopes to have stablecoin legislation on his desk by August 2025. Wyoming already did so in late March 2025.

Recent: Mastercard links with Circle, Paxos for merchant stablecoin payments

Stablecoin infrastructure has improved significantly, and there is increased confidence in the security of stablecoins. 91% of the supply of stablecoins is fiat-backed, and only 8.5% are backed by collateralized crypto assets. Riskier algorithmic stablecoins have gone out of vogue.

Incremental changes also make it easier for non-crypto businesses to use stablecoins. There are now simple solutions for many of the original UX problems with stablecoins.

Additionally, more assets are moving onchain. Using stablecoins on public networks like Ethereum, payment companies will be better prepared to serve the future financial system. It’s not just stablecoins that are updating the financial system, either. Earlier this year, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said on Squawk Box he wants the SEC to “rapidly approve the tokenization of bonds and stocks.”

For banks looking for a competitive advantage in a world of powerful fintechs, shifting interest rates and lower consumer savings, using the power of stablecoins to improve their products and their internal operations might be the most powerful decision they make. 

Opinion by: Megan Knab, CEO, Franklin Payroll.

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’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation — better known as MiCA — is now in its critical implementation phase. Designed to unify crypto regulation across all 27 EU member states, MiCA promises clarity, consumer protection and long-term market stability. But as implementation begins, cracks are already showing.

In this week’s episode of Byte-Sized Insight, we explore the key provisions of MiCA now in force, particularly around stablecoins, and why some of the largest players in the market are refusing to comply.

As of January 2025, crypto asset service providers (CASPs) began acquiring licenses to operate legally within the EU. A transitional or “grandfathering” period allows existing firms up to 18 months, depending on the member state, to comply. Still, with deadlines approaching, firms are being forced to act quickly.

Stablecoins at bay

One of MiCA’s earliest and most controversial provisions involves stablecoins. Under the law, no stablecoin can be offered to EU users unless the issuer is authorized in the EU and publishes a regulator-approved white paper.

Strict rules around asset reserves, governance, conflict of interest and marketing are also part of the package. Issuers are even banned from offering interest on tokens, removing a common incentive for adoption.

Related: Stablecoin regulation next ‘catalyst’ for crypto industry — Aptos head

The world’s most-used stablecoin — Tether’s USDt (USDT) — has already announced it won’t seek MiCA compliance, meaning exchanges may soon be forced to delist it across the EU. This has major implications for liquidity, retail access and DeFi activity in the region.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told Cointelegraph’s Gareth Jenkinson at Token 2049:

“The reason is not, uh, fear of regulations, fear of compliance… The problem that I had with um, with MiCA is that [the] license is very dangerous when it comes to stablecoins and I believe that it’s even more dangerous for the small medium banking system in Europe.”Compliance is key

On the flip side, other firms are leaning in. BitGo, a crypto custody firm, recently secured a MiCA-aligned license in Germany, positioning itself to serve institutional players across Europe. 

Brett Reeves, head of Go Network and European Sales at BitGo, told Cointelegraph the license is not just about compliance, but long-term strategic alignment with Europe’s evolving regulatory landscape.

“We found that both BaFin and the European regulators have been relatively straightforward to deal with. Sometimes they have difficult questions, but they’re there to make sure that our processes are in place and up to scratch.”

We also spoke with Erwin Voloder, head of policy at the European Blockchain Association, who emphasized the need for consistent national-level interpretation and better guidance from regulators to prevent fragmentation.

Listen to the full episode of Byte-Sized Insight for the complete interview on Cointelegraph’s Podcasts page, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And don’t forget to check out Cointelegraph’s full lineup of other shows! 

Magazine: Legal Panel: Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it’s becoming them in stablecoin fight

As cryptocurrency gains in popularity and price, some criminals are taking to violent measures to steal funds from high-profile crypto holders.

Jameson Lopp’s GitHub repository, which logs such incidents, has recorded 22 “$5 wrench” attacks on crypto holders in 2025 alone. The moniker comes from the crude and violent methods perpetrators use to compel crypto holders to hand over their bags. 

In many cases, local law enforcement can intervene before anyone is harmed and funds are lost. But there is a growing trend of increasingly violent and successful attacks, some of which have resulted in permanent harm and even death.

The most recent incident in Paris, France compelled the French Ministry of the Interior to hold a meeting to address the rising trend. Here are just seven of the most high-profile attacks this year.

Ledger founder and wife kidnapped, freed

The founder of crypto wallet Ledger, David Balland, and his wife, Amandine Balland, were kidnapped from their home on Jan. 21. The couple was put in a car, then separated and held at different locations. 

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that the kidnappers called an executive at Ledger and demanded a substantial ransom to be paid in cryptocurrencies. They reportedly mutilated Balland’s hand and sent Ledger a photograph to put pressure on the company.

Some 230 officers participated in the search after Ledger alerted authorities. The police managed to locate and free David on Jan. 22 in Châteauroux, 30 miles southwest of his residence. One day later, after questioning arrested suspects and analyzing phone records, police were able to locate and rescue Amandine in Étampes, 80 miles north of Vierzon.

A small portion of the ransom was paid. Beccuau said it was frozen and tracked, leading to the arrest of nine men and one woman. 

Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier released a statement after Balland was rescued. Source: Pascal GauthierLambo sale goes wrong for Korean Bitcoin trader

On Jan. 20, Korean Bitcoin (BTC) trader Taehwa Kim met with a man under the alias “JC” in Makati City, Philippines who was supposedly interested in buying his Lamborghini. After a test drive, they stopped at a spa, supposedly to meet with JC’s lawyer. Three other men forced Kim into another vehicle and bound his hands. 

Kim was kept for three days. Then, the attackers abandoned him some 50 kilometers away, his hands still tied, where police officers found him.

The perpetrators didn’t manage to get his crypto, but they stole his car, his Rolex watch, his wallet and the keys to his house. 

Streamer shoots would-be crypto thieves

In November 2024, Kick streamer and cosplayer Kaitlyn Siragusa, known professionally as “Amouranth,” posted a screenshot on X of her crypto wallet. It held some $20 million in Bitcoin (BTC) and $80,000 in Ether (ETH). 

Months later, on March 2, 2025, three armed assailants allegedly broke into her home with the intent of stealing her cryptocurrency. She posted during the incident on X, stating, “I’m being too robbed at gunpont. I believe I shot one of them they wanted crypto is what they were yelling they pulled me out of bed.”

Siragusa claimed that the assailants physically assaulted her before she discharged a weapon, after which they fled the scene. She said that police were testing blood left by suspects at the scene and posted video of the incident on her X profile. 

Kidnappers demand $50 million in crypto from Spanish businessman

On March 29, police in São Paulo arrested a retired military police officer in connection with the week-long kidnapping of a Spanish businessman. 

Speaking to authorities, the businessman said he was approached by two men dressed in fake civil police uniforms and forced into a truck. Upon reaching a secluded location on the outskirts of the city, the assailants held him and demanded $50 million in cryptocurrency.

Local media said the kidnappers drugged their victim with sleeping pills, but he was still able to escape when one of them went to the bathroom. After finding a filling station, he tipped off police, who seized one of the suspects as well as a pistol and ammunition. 

Daughter of crypto exchange owner fights off assailants 

The daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, co-founder and CEO of French crypto exchange Paymium, narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt in Paris when passersby intervened.

Three masked attackers tried to force Noizat’s daughter and her son into a van while they were taking a walk in Paris on May 13. 

En plein Paris, un homme a été violenté par des individus cagoulés, habillés tout en noir. Ils tentaient de l’enlever. Un homme a surgi, extincteur à la main, pour les faire fuir. →https://t.co/P0qV6PR40v pic.twitter.com/9f4r2Gi7ho

— Le Figaro (@Le_Figaro) May 13, 2025

Noizat’s daughter managed to disarm an attacker, after which a passing crowd intervened. The assailants fled in a van, which was later found abandoned nearby. The victims sustained injuries and were evacuated to a local hospital.

Local media reported that the Brigade for the Suppression of Banditry, a special police unit of the French Ministry of the Interior, was investigating the incident. 

Assailants target father of crypto entrepreneur

Kidnappers in Paris, France abducted the father of a French cryptocurrency entrepreneur on May 4. 

The attackers took him to Essonne, 35 miles away from the Paris street where they grabbed him, and cut off his finger. They made a video and sent it to his son, demanding 5 million euros in crypto. The victim’s son subsequently contacted police. 

The victim was held for two days before French police were able to find and rescue him. According to CNN, five people were arrested in connection with the kidnapping. 

Authorities have noted the striking similarities of the case to that of Balland, whose attackers also took him several miles from the city and mutilated his hand. 

“Obviously, there’s at least a link in the modus operandi. Now, whether it’s the same team or not is for the investigators to say,” said internal security expert Guillaume Farde.

Authorities seek answers and crypto holders want security

The rise in recent attacks has shaken the crypto industry. Ben Davis, co-founder and CEO at blockchain insurance firm Native, told Cointelegraph, “We used to see crypto wrench attacks predominantly happening when executives were abroad or traveling. However, high-profile cases like the kidnapping of Ledger’s co-founder show that attackers are now targeting individuals in their own homes, with more planning and precision than ever before.”

Authorities are responding to concerns as well. On May 16, the French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau met with cryptocurrency professionals to address the recent uptick in violent crime against industry figures. 

For the foreseeable future, personal security, not just asset security, will be a defining theme of the crypto industry. 

Magazine: Danger signs for Bitcoin as retail abandons it to institutions: Sky Wee

Additional reporting by Cath Jenkin

Ripple’s legal chief said a US court’s rejection of a proposed XRP settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) does not pose a threat to Ripple’s win.

Judge Analisa Torres of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected a joint Ripple-SEC motion seeking an indicative ruling on their proposed settlement, according to a filing on May 15.

Ripple’s chief legal officer, Stuart Alderoty, said the rejection does not reverse the company’s victory in the case. The company announced the end of the lawsuit on March 19.

Source: Stuart Alderoty

Alderoty stressed that the latest court decision does not change the fact that XRP (XRP) is not a security, adding that the rejection is related to “procedural concerns with the dismissal of Ripple’s cross-appeal.”

Why did the court refuse to grant the ruling?

According to the court document, Torres denied the motion as “procedurally improper” since the SEC and Ripple failed to file the correct procedural motion to support the proposed settlement.

“By styling their motion as one for ‘settlement approval,’ the parties fail to address the heavy burden they must overcome to vacate the injunction and substantially reduce the civil penalty,” the Judge wrote.

An excerpt from the court’s rejection of the SEC-Ripple motion on May 15, 2025. Source: Courtlistener

The SEC and Ripple agreed to lower the court’s $125 million fine days before Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced the end of the case. Subsequently, Alderoty disclosed on X that the SEC will keep $50 million of the $125 million fine.

“The parties have made no effort to satisfy that burden here; their request does not even mention the Rule,” the court document stated.

Community asks for explanation

As Alderoty has not provided any details on the nature of procedural concerns by the court, but assured the public that Ripple and the SEC are “fully in agreement to resolve the case,” many in the community were unhappy with the lack of specifics from Ripple.

“First, in a recent post about this case, you said you would not be making any more X posts because the case was closed,” one XRP observer responded to Alderoty in the X thread.

Source: X thread from Stuart Alderoty

“Second, I don’t think it’s enough to just say that it’s procedural. I think further explanation of what went wrong in the filing is needed,” one XRP observer wrote in an X thread,” the post continued.

Related: Ripple commits $25M to US school nonprofits

“Let’s remember that both he and Brad said the case was over, and it still isn’t; they’re cheating us a little,” another user speculated.

The news came shortly after online reports suggested that US President Donald Trump was allegedly manipulated by a Ripple-linked lobbyist into announcing the XRP token would be part of his plans for a national cryptocurrency reserve.

Many in the Bitcoin (BTC) community have been slamming Ripple for advocating for a multi-coin strategic reserve, instead of a Bitcoin-only reserve.

Magazine: Danger signs for Bitcoin as retail abandons it to institutions: Sky Wee

Ripple’s legal chief said a US court’s rejection of a proposed XRP settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) does not pose a threat to Ripple’s win.

Judge Analisa Torres of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected a joint Ripple-SEC motion seeking an indicative ruling on their proposed settlement, according to a filing on May 15.

Ripple’s chief legal officer, Stuart Alderoty, said the rejection does not reverse the company’s victory in the case. The company announced the end of the lawsuit on March 19.

Source: Stuart Alderoty

Alderoty stressed that the latest court decision does not change the fact that XRP (XRP) is not a security, adding that the rejection is related to “procedural concerns with the dismissal of Ripple’s cross-appeal.”

Why did the court refuse to grant the ruling?

According to the court document, Torres denied the motion as “procedurally improper” since the SEC and Ripple failed to file the correct procedural motion to support the proposed settlement.

“By styling their motion as one for ‘settlement approval,’ the parties fail to address the heavy burden they must overcome to vacate the injunction and substantially reduce the civil penalty,” the Judge wrote.

An excerpt from the court’s rejection of the SEC-Ripple motion on May 15, 2025. Source: Courtlistener

The SEC and Ripple agreed to lower the court’s $125 million fine days before Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced the end of the case. Subsequently, Alderoty disclosed on X that the SEC will keep $50 million of the $125 million fine.

“The parties have made no effort to satisfy that burden here; their request does not even mention the Rule,” the court document stated.

Community asks for explanation

As Alderoty has not provided any details on the nature of procedural concerns by the court, but assured the public that Ripple and the SEC are “fully in agreement to resolve the case,” many in the community were unhappy with the lack of specifics from Ripple.

“First, in a recent post about this case, you said you would not be making any more X posts because the case was closed,” one XRP observer responded to Alderoty in the X thread.

Source: X thread from Stuart Alderoty

“Second, I don’t think it’s enough to just say that it’s procedural. I think further explanation of what went wrong in the filing is needed,” one XRP observer wrote in an X thread,” the post continued.

Related: Ripple commits $25M to US school nonprofits

“Let’s remember that both he and Brad said the case was over, and it still isn’t; they’re cheating us a little,” another user speculated.

The news came shortly after online reports suggested that US President Donald Trump was allegedly manipulated by a Ripple-linked lobbyist into announcing the XRP token would be part of his plans for a national cryptocurrency reserve.

Many in the Bitcoin (BTC) community have been slamming Ripple for advocating for a multi-coin strategic reserve, instead of a Bitcoin-only reserve.

Magazine: Danger signs for Bitcoin as retail abandons it to institutions: Sky Wee