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The crypto market is undergoing a shift. According to Eleanor Terrett , a crypto asset manager outlined three key cohorts of investors. First, there are the crypto enthusiasts who actively engage with the space daily. Second, mainstream self-directed investors see crypto occasionally but rarely engage in trading. Third, institutional investment professionals observe crypto from a strategic perspective. The market sentiment has taken a hit as category one investors, the largest segment, are not seeing immediate catalysts for growth. With regulatory clarity improving but no immediate hype drivers, the market has entered an unexciting phase. Chris Burniske emphasized that crypto has moved beyond its ideological phase. Now, the industry must focus on execution and large-scale adoption. While the space has been obsessed with discovering the “next big thing,” it is now transitioning into a phase of practical implementation. Consequently, the industry must prioritize efficiency, infrastructure, and user experience rather than speculative hype. Moreover, blockchain applications like global savings accounts and near-zero fee transactions require time to refine. Institutional adoption remains crucial , but major players are only now beginning to deploy solutions at scale. Hence, the industry must embrace this execution phase to drive sustained growth. Historically, the crypto sector thrived on speculation, fueled by constant innovation and market excitement. However, the current stage demands reliability and usability. The early years involved concepts that transformed disbelief into belief. Now, the focus is on making blockchain solutions mainstream and practical. Additionally, regulatory progress has encouraged institutional participation . As a result, financial institutions now view blockchain as a viable infrastructure rather than an experimental technology. This shift signifies that crypto is moving toward becoming an integrated financial system rather than a speculative playground. Burniske pointed out that early crypto systems were like “toys.” The industry must now refine and scale them into real-world solutions. Furthermore, while ideological investors may seek new frontiers, the market’s stability depends on long-term adoption and consistent execution. DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. We encourage you to do your own research before investing.

The crypto market trembles. Bitcoin is displaying a Fear & Greed index plunging to 10 — an unprecedented extreme fear level not seen since the winter of 2022. As traders hold their breath, one burning question arises: is this panic a deadly trap… or a disguised opportunity? The Fear & Greed index, created by Alternative, is not just a gadget. It’s a seismograph of market emotions. On a scale of 0 to 100, it oscillates between collective euphoria and total dejection. Today, the needle has frozen at 10. A number that sends chills down the spine: the last time the price of bitcoin experienced such terror, it was worth $16,000. But behind the numbers, an unyielding mechanism reveals itself. This collapse in morale follows a 14% drop in bitcoin over the course of a week, plunging it below $85,000. The reasons? An explosive cocktail: massive liquidations ($2.16 billion in capitulation), regulatory pressure, and the shadow of collapsing memecoins. Yet, a glimmer of hope hides in history. In 2022, when the index reached similar levels , bitcoin began a slow recovery. The extreme lows of fear have often been the prelude to spectacular rebounds. As if the market, suffocated by its own fears, eventually regains its breath. Warren Buffett summed it up in one sentence: Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. A maxim that contrarian investors follow to the letter. Today, with the Fear & Greed index at its lowest, these strategists are pulling out their checkbooks. Their reasoning? General panic creates undervalued opportunities. Proof by past cycles. In January 2023, when the index brushed 10, bitcoin surged 40% in two months. The same scenario in July 2022: a 25% rebound after a fear low. The data is stubborn: the best returns often arise from discomfort. But beware of false hopes. If bitcoin appears to be on hold at $84,700, nothing guarantees an immediate rebound. In 2018, the index remained in the red zone for 11 months. The key? Distinguishing rational fear (like macroeconomic risks) from irrational panic. A tightrope act, where patience and discipline reign. The current panic is not an end, but a rite of passage. Bitcoin, accustomed to these emotional cycles, has already overcome crises far worse. However, this drop delivers two crucial lessons. First, the importance of understanding emotional indicators — these mirrors of our own excesses. Then, the necessity to think outside the herd. Because in the crypto arena, profits are often captured where others do not look. For investors, it’s time to keep a cool head. Monitor the fundamentals (institutional adoption, halving, technical innovations) rather than the waves of panic. And remember: even the darkest nights eventually give way to dawn. Bitcoin has already proven that it knows how to rise from its ashes. Will Solana do the same despite a 41% drop ?

The River exchange platform has published a very interesting report on bitcoin. We are at the very beginning of an adoption rate similar to that of the internet. The world is adopting bitcoin faster than any other asset, despite the current turmoil in the crypto market . Here is a series of data gathered by River to understand that we are only at the very early stages. For example, the number of publicly traded companies that have adopted bitcoin is less than 1%. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ only have 2 and 3 companies respectively that have made bitcoin their main cash asset. It is estimated that 18 countries hold bitcoin. Most obtain it through mining. This includes Bhutan, El Salvador, Iran, Oman, and Ethiopia. Others have acquired it through seizures in criminal cases (China, USA, UK). Some, like the United Arab Emirates, purchase it directly. “Given the increased geopolitical uncertainty and the global trend to abandon U.S. Treasury bonds as reserve assets, it is possible that at least one G20 country will announce holding bitcoins for strategic purposes within the next four years”, estimates River . “If the dollar remains the uncontested global reserve currency […], countries like Russia have begun to use alternative currencies, including bitcoin, for international trade”. Ultimately, much will depend on the United States where Senator Cynthia Lummis is working hard to convince Congress to buy between one and five million BTC… However, River estimates that the probability of such a scenario is “low”. River does believe, however, that it is likely that Congress will vote in favor of an exemption from the capital gains tax for small payments of less than $200. We will see if Donald Trump dares to buy between 5% and 20% of the bitcoins in order to erase part of the debt in the coming years. According to River, bitcoin adoption is only “3% of its full potential”. Three main indicators lead to this figure: The upside potential remains immense… In the long term, River expects a single bitcoin to be worth several tens of millions of dollars and to replace the dollar as the international reserve currency. An opinion shared by yours truly. The report highlights that in 2024, thanks to the “halving”, bitcoin became harder to obtain than gold! The halving refers to the part of the protocol that, every four years, halves the rate of BTC issuance. About 900 were created per day before April 2024, compared to 450 today. Meanwhile, the number of dollars in circulation has increased by 3.7% (more like 7% on average). This increase was 2% for gold in 2024 and only 0.85% for bitcoin. Thus, after 18 years of existence, more than 94% of the 21 million bitcoins have already been issued. There are precisely 19.82 million BTC in circulation at the time of writing. These bitcoins are mostly held by individuals (70%). Next are ETFs like BlackRock’s with 6% of the BTC. Companies like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) hold 4.4% and it’s 1.4% for governments. It is estimated that nearly 10% of the BTC are lost forever. These figures could change significantly in 2025 if the United States does indeed decide to purchase 20% of the BTC as Michael Saylor suggests. Wait and see… Regarding the protocol, 115 developers have actively worked on the code over the past year. They made over 2,500 proposals to modify the code, totalling 276,000 lines of code that were adjusted. Thirteen sponsors fund these developers, with three newcomers in 2024. Good news for the decentralization of the network. For instance, Blockstream, Brink, Spiral, etc. The year 2024 was marked by many proposals aimed at modifying the protocol. However, the emergence of “inscriptions” (Ordinal, BTC-20, etc.) has frozen several initiatives due to the disagreements they caused within the community. As long as the developers and the community at large haven’t reached a consensus, the probability, timeline, and implementation of proposed changes will remain uncertain. Most proposals aim to increase the number of people who can take possession of their bitcoins. However, the figures show that this is absolutely not a priority, hence the status quo. Not your keys, not your coins! Decentralization relies on a network of nodes and miners. The former numbered 21,700 at the end of 2024, representing an 11% increase year on year. Bitcoin Core is the version of the protocol installed by 98% of the nodes. One of the competing clients is “Knot”. Its recent success is due to the fact that its “filters” have been updated to prevent the inscriptions of images and other unwanted arbitrary data in the blockchain. This was THE drama of 2024… The decentralization of miners is also on the rise. While they were mostly located in China just a few years ago, many can now be found in the United States (36%), Russia (16%), the United Arab Emirates (3.75%), and Paraguay (3%). The Middle Empire is now in third place with 14% of the hash rate. The computing power of the network has been increasing on average by 107% per year since 2016. It was +55% in 2024. We are very close to 800 exahash! In other words, miners perform 800 trillion trillion calculations per second. That said, only 9 countries have more than 1% of the hash rate and barely 28 countries have more than 0.1%. Finally, note that the share of the hash rate managed by publicly traded companies has increased by 11%, reaching 35.2%. Another even more important data point: the concentration of pools. There is some improvement as the share of the three largest pools has decreased. However, it remains very uncomfortably above 60%. The concentration of pools is a threat because they are the ones that choose which transactions go into the blocks. The risk being that some transactions may be censored. This has already happened. The River report also discusses other topics such as the growth of the Lightning Network. On this subject, check out our article Bitcoin: this network that changes everything.

#Bitcoin / $BTC Sweep into the 80s is gonna feel like the bottom rings of hell for alts after what they’ve already been through, but the bounce back across the board should be violent and glorious when it’s all over. Stay strong gents. Bull szn resumes soon.

Large Ethereum (ETH) investors, often called whales, are now panic selling as the altcoin continues falling. Whales have dumped 440,000 ETH worth over $1 billion in the past week, raising concerns about a more bearish outlook. According to market analytics provider Lookonchain , whales recently intensified sales of Ethereum. These investors disposed of huge chunks of their ETH holdings after the altcoin’s price failed to hold crucial support levels. As reported by Lookonchain, one wallet address, “0x07Fe…A26D,” deposited 10,000 ETH valued at $23.44 million to Binance over the last two days. This move signals potential preparation for further sales. Another wallet, “0xc725…839d,” sold 8,074 ETH worth approximately $19.63 million at an average price of $2,431. According to crypto analyst Ali Martinez, whales have sold over 440,000 ETH collectively in the past week. This trend indicates a rising wave of panic selling among large holders amid heightened market volatility. Market analysts have shared mixed opinions regarding Ethereum’s recent price action. Some have advised investors not to sell their ETH holdings, considering the 26% decline on the monthly chart. Popular crypto analyst IncomeSharks pointed out that ETH is currently at the bottom of its range and within the accumulation zone. The analyst thinks this is a good moment to buy ETH before it returns to the top end of the range, above $4,000. ETH price was trading at $2,348 at press time, down 4.9% in the last 24 hours. Despite the decline, investors’ interest in the altcoin is high, as indicated by the 18% surge in trading volume. Ethereum’s price looks like it is reacting to the ongoing downtrend in the general market. Bitcoin (BTC), the leading digital asset, has failed to reclaim $100,000 in the past few weeks. Similarly, other top altcoins like Solana (SOL), XRP, Binance Coin (BNB), and TRON (TRX) are also in the red. The persistent price decline has even resulted in analysts forecasting that the altcoin season is ending. The recent Bybit exchange hack over the past weekend has also contributed to Ethereum’s recent turbulence. As our previous news brief mentioned, the notorious Lazarus Group siphoned 401,346 ETH from Bybit via the hack. However, Bybit has been reported to have fully recovered the lost Ethereum in its reserve within 48-72 hours of the incident. Meanwhile, outflows from the spot Ethereum Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) have increased steadily in recent weeks. On Wednesday, the ETFs saw total outflows reaching $94.3 million, per data from Farside Investors. BlackRock’s ETHA recorded the highest outflow at $69.8 million. Crypto analyst Honey has predicted that Ethereum is ready for a dramatic price surge in the coming months. In our last update, the analyst said ETH could easily hit $3,500 in the short term and $6,000 in the long run.