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Jack Dorsey, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and former Twitter CEO, is encouraging Signal Messenger to integrate Bitcoin for peer-to-peer (P2P) payments, a move that could shift the platform’s crypto strategy away from altcoins.

“Signal should use Bitcoin for P2P payments,” Dorsey wrote on X on April 9, replying to a post by Bitcoin developer Calle, who suggested that Bitcoin (BTC) would be a perfect fit for Signal’s private communication channel.

Source: Jack Dorsey

Dorsey’s call to action was echoed by other industry leaders, including former PayPal president David Marcus, who wrote that “all non-transactional apps should connect to Bitcoin.”

The endorsements reflect a growing push to promote Bitcoin as a functional payment system rather than just digital gold or a pure store of value, which alone — according to Dorsey — won’t ensure the success of BTC.

The Synthetix protocol’s native stablecoin, Synthetix USD (sUSD), fell to its lowest value in five years, extending a months-long struggle to maintain its $1 peg.

The asset has faced persistent instability since the start of 2025. On Jan. 1, sUSD dropped to $0.96 and only rebounded to $0.99 in early February. Prices continued to fluctuate through February before stabilizing in March.

On April 10, sUSD fell to a five-year low of $0.83, according to data from CoinGecko.

SUSD is a crypto-collateralized stablecoin. Users lock up SNX tokens to mint sUSD, making its stability highly dependent on the market value of SNX.

1-month price chart of Synthetix USD stablecoin. Source: CoinGecko

Bybit’s market share has rebounded to pre-hack levels following a $1.4 billion exploit in February, as the crypto exchange implements tighter security and improves liquidity options for retail traders.

The crypto industry was rocked by its largest hack in history on Feb. 21 when Bybit lost over $1.4 billion in liquid-staked Ether (stETH), Mantle Staked ETH (mETH) and other digital assets.

Despite the scale of the exploit, Bybit has steadily regained market share, according to an April 9 report by crypto analytics firm Block Scholes.

“Since this initial decline, Bybit has steadily regained market share as it works to repair sentiment and as volumes return to the exchange,” the report stated.

Block Scholes said Bybit’s proportional share rose from a post-hack low of 4% to about 7%, reflecting a strong and stable recovery in spot market activity and trading volumes.

Crypto stocks have surged as part of a broader recovery in the US stock market on April 9 following President Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on sweeping global tariffs.

The Wednesday, April 9 trading day closed with Michael Saylor’s Strategy up 24.76% to $296.86, while crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) closed up 17% to $177.09, according to Google Finance data.

Crypto mining companies also saw gains, with MARA Holdings (MARA) up 17%, Cipher Platforms (CIFR) up 16.59%, and Riot Platforms (RIOT) rising 12.77%.

Michael Saylor’s Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, surged 24.76% during the trading day. Source: Google Finance

Most of the gains in crypto stocks and the broader US market came in the final three hours of the day's trading session, spurred by an afternoon post from Trump on his social media platform, Truth Social. 

Non-fungible token marketplace OpenSea has urged the US Securities and Exchange Commission to exclude NFT marketplaces from regulation under federal securities laws.

The SEC needs to “clearly state that NFT marketplaces like OpenSea do not qualify as exchanges under federal securities laws,” OpenSea general counsel Adele Faure and deputy general counsel Laura Brookover said in an April 9 letter to Commissioner Hester Peirce, who leads the agency’s Crypto Task Force.

Faure and Brookover argued that NFT marketplaces don’t meet the legal definition of an exchange under US securities laws as they don’t execute transactions, act as intermediaries or bring together multiple sellers for the same asset.

“The Commission’s past enforcement agenda has created uncertainty. We therefore urge the Commission to remove this uncertainty and protect the ability of US technology companies to lead in this space,” Faure and Brookover wrote.

OpenSea’s legal team has asked the SEC to issue informal guidance on NFT Marketplaces. Source: SEC

XRP has struggled to find sustained bullish momentum since reaching its cycle peak at $3.40 on Jan. 16, 2025. XRP (XRP) dropped as much as 46% over the past three months, but despite its recent drawdown, Glassnode data indicates that 81.6% of XRP’s current circulating supply remains in profit.

While the profit supply percentage is down from its year-to-date high of 92%, the data set highlighted the retention value for holders despite the recent corrections.

Percentage Supply in Profit for XRP, BTC, SOL ETH, TRX. Source: X.com

Currently, only Tron (TRX) has a higher profitable supply with 84.6%, while Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL) exhibited 76.8%, 44.9% and 31.6%, respectively.

Analyst says Korean XRP traders are bearish

Data shows traders in Korea played a significant role in buying the first XRP dip below $2 on Feb. 3. Investors on Upbit and Bybit exchange filled their bids below $2, pushing the altcoin’s value back to $2.89 on Feb. 13.

Institutional crypto investment firm Bitwise has doubled down on its big Bitcoin price prediction for this year despite escalating global trade tensions.

“In December, Bitwise predicted that Bitcoin would end the year at $200,000. I still think that’s in play,” Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan said in an April 9 blog post. 

He suggested that the fallout from US President Donald Trump’s global tariff push could be beneficial for Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto because his administration “wants a weaker dollar, even if it means ending its role as the world’s reserve currency.”

Hougan cited an April 7 speech by Steve Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, which criticized the dollar’s reserve status as causing “persistent currency distortions” and “unsustainable trade deficits” that have “decimated” US manufacturing.

Hougan said a weaker greenback could have both short-term and long-term implications for Bitcoin. 

Ether’s (ETH) most recent sell-off saw it lose the crucial $1,500 support level, and a number of technical indicators suggest that ETH may witness a deeper correction before embarking on a sustained recovery.

Data shows Ether’s price dropped below its realized price — an onchain metric that recalculates the market value of a cryptocurrency based on the price at which each coin last moved on the blockchain.

According to CryptoQuant contributor, theKriptolik, ETH price trading below this metric, which is historically a bearish sign. When the realized price is above the spot price, it usually acts as resistance and places “most holders suddenly in a loss position,” the analyst said.

The analyst added:

“Drops below the realized price often mark the capitulation phase, where investors lose confidence and begin selling en masse.”

Ethereum realized price for accumulation addresses. Source: CryptoQuant

Solana non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Magic Eden has acquired crypto trading app Slingshot as part of a strategy to expand beyond NFTs as other marketplaces fold amid a prolonged market downturn.

The move expands Magic Eden's support to more than 8 million tokens across almost every major blockchain, the firm said in an April 9 X post.

“No bridges. No CEXs. This is another major step towards our vision of providing the best platform to trade all assets, on all chains,” Magic Eden said.

Source: Jack Lu

Slingshot has amassed nearly 1 million users to date, allowing users to access any token on 10 of the largest blockchains with a universal USDC (USDC) balance.

Braden John Karony, the CEO of crypto firm SafeMoon, has cited the US Department of Justice’s directive to no longer pursue some crypto charges in an effort to get the case against him and his firm dismissed. 

In an April 9 letter to New York federal court judge Eric Komitee, Karony’s attorney, Nicholas Smith, said the court should consider an April 7 memo from US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that disbanded the DOJ’s crypto unit.

“The Department of Justice is not a digital assets regulator,” Blanche said in the memo, which added the DOJ “will no longer pursue litigation or enforcement actions that have the effect of superimposing regulatory frameworks on digital assets.”

Blanche also directed prosecutors not to charge violations of securities and commodities laws when the case would require the DOJ to determine if a digital asset is a security or commodity when charges such as wire fraud are available.

An excerpt of the letter Karony sent to Judge Komitee. Source: PACER

Bitcoin inflows into crypto exchange Binance have surged over the past two weeks amid uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the upcoming US Consumer Price Index (CPI) results, says an analyst.

However, another analyst argued that while it could signal an impending sell-off, it might also indicate a bullish trend.

Investors are “actively moving funds to Binance”

CryptoQuant contributor Maarten Regterschot said in an April 9 post that Binance’s Bitcoin (BTC) reserve increased by 22,106 BTC, worth $1.82 billion, over the last 12 days to a total of 590,874 BTC.

“This shows a strong acceleration in BTC inflows to Binance. It’s likely that investors are actively moving funds to Binance due to the macro uncertainty and before the upcoming CPI announcement,” Regterschot said. 

CoinMarketCap shows Bitcoin is trading at $82,474 at the time of publication, up 8.8% in the past day after receiving a boost from Trump’s 90-day tariff pause on all countries but China.

Ukraine’s financial regulator has proposed taxing certain crypto transactions as personal income at a rate of up to 23% but excluding crypto-to-crypto transactions and stablecoins.  

Crypto transactions would be taxed at 18% with a 5% military levy on top as part of the proposed framework, released on April 8 by Ukraine’s National Securities and Stock Market Commission. 

NSSMC Chairman Ruslan Magomedov said in an April 8 statement that “the issue of crypto taxes is not a hypothesis, but a reality that is fast approaching.” 

He added that the agency created the framework to help lawmakers make an “informed resolution” by considering each suggestion’s advantages and disadvantages because “these aspects can have a critical impact on the market and tax liability.”

Under the NSSMC’s proposed crypto framework, a tax will be applied when crypto is cashed out for fiat currency or exchanged for goods or services. 

Digital asset manager 21Shares has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a spot Dogecoin exchange-traded fund, following similar filings from rivals Bitwise and Grayscale.

The 21Shares Dogecoin ETF would seek to track the price of the memecoin Dogecoin (DOGE), according to the firm’s April 9 Form S-1 registration statement. The Dogecoin Foundation’s corporate arm, House of Doge, plans to assist 21Shares with marketing the fund.

21Shares said Coinbase Custody would be the proposed custodian of its Dogecoin ETF but did not specify a fee, ticker or what stock exchange it would list on.

Source: James Seyffart

21Shares must also file a 19b-4 filing with the SEC to kickstart the regulator's approval process for the fund. 

Update April 10 at 1:41 am UTC: This article has been updated to include background on Paul Atkins and to correct the vote count.

The US Senate has confirmed US President Donald Trump’s nominee, Paul Atkins, as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission in a 52-44 vote largely along party lines.

Atkins’ confirmation on April 9 comes after Trump named the pro-crypto former Wall Street consultant to lead the agency late last year. Atkins also served as an SEC commissioner between 2002 and 2008, during the global financial crisis.

”A veteran of our Commission, we look forward to him joining with us, along with our dedicated staff, to fulfill our mission on behalf of the investing public,” the agency’s commissioners wrote in an April 9 statement.

Atkins founded financial consulting firm Patomak Global Partners in 2009, specializing in regulatory compliance and risk management, and served as co-chair of crypto advocacy group Token Alliance between 2017 and late 2024.

Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith was released from prison custody on April 9, the Bureau of Prison (BOP) officials confirmed to Cointelegraph.

According to crypto developer Brantly Millegan, Griffith will remain in a halfway house for several weeks while waiting to complete the next steps in his parole process.

Griffith was arrested in 2019 for giving a lecture about blockchain technology and its power to circumvent US sanctions to an audience in North Korea.

Virgil Griffith pictured in the center with his parents immediately following his release from prison custody on April 9. Source: Brantly Millegan

The US government claimed the researcher violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by giving North Korea "highly technical information" despite the content of the lecture being widely available knowledge published on the internet.

Aave’s tokenholders approved a governance proposal to start buying back the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol’s governance token, AAVE, as part of a broader tokenomics overhaul, Aave said on April 9. 

The proposal — which was approved by more than 99% of AAVE tokenholders — permits the protocol to purchase $4 million in AAVE (AAVE) tokens, enough for one month of buybacks. 

The move is a “first step” toward a broader plan to repurchase $1 million AAVE tokens weekly for six months. It is also the latest instance of DeFi protocols implementing buyback mechanisms in response to tokenholder demands.

“The goal is to sustainably increase AAVE acquisition from the open market and distribute it to the Ecosystem Reserve,” the proposal said. 

The AAVE token’s price rallied more than 13% on April 9, bringing the protocol’s market capitalization to more than $2.1 billion, according to data from CoinGecko.

US equities and crypto markets shifted dramatically on April 9 after  US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariffs, except for China. Bitcoin (BTC) price responded by surging by 5% in less than an hour, reclaiming the $83,000 level which was last seen on April 6.

While the S&P 500 gained 8%, Bitcoin derivative metrics have yet to turn bullish as traders remain cautious about changes in US long-term government bonds.

Bitcoin 2-month futures annualized premium. Source: Laevitas.ch

The BTC futures premium briefly rose above the neutral 5% threshold but failed to sustain its momentum. Investors were skeptical about whether the US Federal Reserve would lower interest rates throughout the year. However, this indicator has moved away from the 3% level observed on March 31, signaling growing confidence among Bitcoin bulls after several failed attempts to push prices below $76,000.

Bitcoin traders worry after 10-year yield volatility

Traders’ hesitancy can partly be attributed to the April 9 release of minutes from the Federal Reserve Committee (FOMC) meeting held on March 18-19. The minutes highlighted concerns about stagflation. According to CME FEDWatch Tool data, the probability of the Federal Reserve reducing interest rates below 4% by Sept. 17 dropped from 97.6% on April 8 to 69.7% on April 9.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved options trading for multiple spot Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs), a move that may broaden the investment appeal of Ether among institutional traders.

The SEC issued the approval on April 9 after reviewing a proposed rule change submitted by BlackRock for its iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) on July 22, 2024. Similar approvals were granted to Bitwise Ethereum ETF (ETHW), Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE), and Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust (ETH), as well as Fidelity Ethereum Fund (FETH).

“[T]he Exchange proposes to amend its rules to permit the listing and trading of options on the Trust,” the SEC said in its response to the Nasdaq, adding:

The Exchange states that options on the Trust will provide investors with an additional, relatively lower cost investing tool to gain exposure to spot ether as well as a hedging vehicle to meet their needs in connection with ether products and positions.

The SEC’s approval of options trading on the iShares Ethereum Trust. Source: SEC

Options on ETFs are a portfolio tool that gives investors the ability to hedge against a decline in assets. The strategy’s inclusion is seen as an important step in broadening Ether’s (ETH) investment appeal after regulators approved the spot Ethereum ETFs last July.

Mounting international trade tensions are rattling cryptocurrency markets — but they could also accelerate institutional crypto adoption, several industry executives told Cointelegraph. 

Since US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on US imports on April 2, core cryptocurrencies experienced double-digit price swings, worsening an ongoing market rout starting earlier this year. 

However, “[t]he silver lining is that economic uncertainty has historically accelerated institutional interest in digital assets as a diversification strategy,” David Siemer, co-founder and CEO of Wave Digital Assets, told Cointelegraph.

Bitcoin has already shown “signs of resilience” amid the market turbulence, underscoring the cryptocurrency’s potential as a hedge against geopolitical disruption, according to an April 7 Binance report. 

Now, “[a]s traditional banking channels become entangled in geopolitical tensions, we're witnessing increased demand for blockchain-based settlement solutions that operate outside conventional correspondent banking networks,” Siemer said. 

Bitcoin (BTC) staged a sharp rebound after US President Donald Trump announced a pause on tariffs for non-retaliating countries, reigniting bullish momentum and raising hopes for a potential surge toward the $100,000 mark.

On April 9, BTC/USD surged by approximately 9%, reversing most of the losses it incurred earlier in the week, to retest $83,000. In doing so, the pair came closer to validating a falling wedge pattern that has been forming on its daily chart since December 2024.

A falling wedge pattern forms when the price trends lower inside a range defined by two converging, descending trendlines.

In a perfect scenario, the setup resolves when the price breaks decisively above the upper trendline and rises by as much as the maximum distance between the upper and lower trendlines.

BTC/USD daily price chart ft. falling wedge breakout setup. Source: TradingView

The Dollar Index (DXY) dipping below 100 has historically aligned with Bitcoin (BTC) bull runs, delivering gains of over 500% during the last two instances. Now, as trade tensions escalate and US Treasurys face sell-offs, some analysts believe China may be actively working to weaken the US dollar. This added pressure on the dollar heightens the likelihood that it could once again serve as a catalyst for another major Bitcoin rally. 

Is China working to weaken the US dollar?

According to an April 9 Reuters report, China's central bank has instructed state-owned lenders to "reduce dollar purchases" as the yuan faces significant downward pressure. Large banks were reportedly "told to step up checks when executing dollar purchase orders for their clients," signaling an effort to "curb speculative trades."

Some analysts have speculated whether China might be attempting to weaken the dollar in response to recent US import tariff increases. However, Jim Bianco, president of Bianco Research, holds a different view.

Source: X/Jim Bianco

Bianco doubts that China is selling US Treasurys with the intent of harming the US economy. He points out that the DXY has remained steady around the 102 level. While China could sell bonds without converting the proceeds into other currencies—thereby impacting the bond market without destabilizing the dollar—this approach seems counterproductive. According to Bianco, it is unlikely that China is a significant seller of Treasurys, if it is selling them at all.

XRP (XRP) price is up 13% on the day, trading above the $2 level after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on all reciprocal tariffs, except for China, which saw an additional 125% hike in response to their counter-tariffs against the US.

XRP’s rally comes on the heels of additional positive news and the XXRP ETF being launched on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Arca. 

Despite the positive macroeconomic and TradFi crypto adoption news, XRP charts still caution that a sharp price downside could lie ahead.

Descending triangle pattern hints at a 33% drop

Since December 2024, XRP price has been forming a potential triangle pattern on its daily chart, characterized by a flat support level mixed with a downward-sloping resistance line.

A descending triangle chart pattern that forms after a strong uptrend is seen as a bearish reversal indicator. As a rule, the setup resolves when the price breaks below the flat support level and falls by as much as the triangle’s maximum height.

The price dropped below the triangle’s support line at $2 on April 6, confirming a potential breakdown move. In this case, the price may fall toward the downside target at around $1.20 by the end of April, down 33% from current price levels.

Legendary professional wrestler Ric Flair launched a tokenized sticker collection on Telegram on April 9, becoming the latest celebrity to launch a tokenized social project.

Spokespeople for the project told Cointelegraph they are considering rewarding early sticker holders with future perks, though no specifics were shared. Flair told Cointelegraph that the project was launched to drive community engagement and added:

"Telegram is where people are really showing up these days. It is global, it is fast, and the way people communicate there just felt like the perfect fit for what we are doing. These stickers are about energy, personality, and culture, and Telegram is the place to bring that to life."

The wrestler's tokenized sticker launch follows mixed-martial arts champion and Irish political candidate Conor McGregor's memecoin launch on April 5, which failed and highlights the struggle of risk-on investments and digital assets amid the recent macroeconomic downturn.

Flair, who retired from wrestling in 2022, has previously ventured into the crypto space. In 2024, he introduced the "Wooooo!" coin (WOOOOO), a memecoin inspired by his iconic catchphrase. The token has no trading activity as of April 9, 2025, with only one address controlling over 70% of the supply, according to CoinMarketCap.

The legendary wrestler has a history of merchandising his brand through various collectibles, including physical stickers available on his official online store and Amazon.

Wrestling icon Ric Flair joins Telegram and touts new project. Source: Ric Flair

Bitcoin’s (BTC) futures market reflects a possible price cooldown after the cryptocurrency’s multiple weeks of correction. Data from CryptoQuant indicated that the BTC-USDT futures leverage ratio with respect to open interest (OI) has halved since peaking in early 2025.

Bitcoin estimated futures leveraged ratio. Source: CryptoQuant

This significant de-leveraging has occurred because of massive liquidations over the past few weeks, which has effectively taken a majority of traders out of the market. Thus, the current market conditions indicate a healthier market reset, which is not overheated and could potentially pave the way for a steady price recovery.

Bitcoin’s open interest dropped 28% from $71.8 billion on Dec. 18 to $51.8 billion on April 8. This underscores the magnitude of the current deleveraging event. Although this may induce short-term volatility, as few market players might control the price, it also positions BTC for stability in the long term, offering an advantage in the current uncertain trend.

Related: Bitcoin futures divergences point to transitioning market — Are BTC bulls accumulating?

United States President Donald Trump issued a 90-day pause on "reciprocal tariffs" and lowered the tariff rate to 10% on countries that do not retaliate with counter-tariffs.

The president also said he would increase the reciprocal tariff rate on China to 125% due to the country's counter-tariffs against the US. Trump wrote in an April 9 Truth Social post:

"At some point, hopefully, in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the USA, and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable."

According to data from TradingView, the S&P 500 index rallied close to 7% following the announcement, showcasing the high volatility of capital markets amid the macroeconomic uncertainty and the potential for a protracted trade conflict.

Source: Donald Trump

Related: Trump tariff negotiations are ‘all about’ China deal — Raoul Pal

Prediction marketplace Kalshi has started taking Bitcoin (BTC) deposits in a bid to onboard more crypto-native users.

The company that lets users bet on events ranging from election outcomes to Rotten Tomatoes film ratings has seen a strong uptake among crypto traders, Kalshi told Cointelegraph on April 9. For instance, event contracts for betting on Bitcoin’s hour-by-hour price changes have seen $143 million in trading volume to date, a spokesperson said.

Kalshi is a derivatives exchange regulated by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of April 9, it listed some 50 crypto-related event contracts, including markets for betting on coins’ 2025 highs and lows, as well as on headlines such as US President Donald Trump’s proposed National Bitcoin Reserve. 

Kalshi has doubled down on crypto event contract markets. Source: Kalshi

The platform started accepting crypto payments in October when it enabled stablecoin USD Coin (USDC) deposits. 

Risky assets remain volatile as trade war tension between the United States and China keeps investors on the edge. A minor positive is that Bitcoin (BTC) has avoided a sharp fall and is trading well above the crucial near-term support at $73,777. 

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes said in a post on X that the PBOC (People’s Bank of China) could give the catalyst needed for the next leg of the crypto bull run by weakening the yuan. Such a move led to Chinese capital flight into Bitcoin in 2013 and 2015, and it could work again in 2025.

Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360

The situation remains fluid and difficult to predict. Therefore, investors seem to be curtailing risk, as seen from the $595.9 million in outflows from the US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the past four trading days, per Farside Investors data.

Could Bitcoin hold above the $73,777 support, or will the bears pull the price below it? How are the altcoins positioned? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

United States securities laws are not flexible enough to account for digital assets, as evidenced by the parade of crypto-native companies that have tried and failed to get into the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) good graces, Rodrigo Seira, special counsel to Cooley LLP, told a House Committee hearing on April 9.

The hearing, titled American Innovation and the Future of Digital Assets Aligning the U.S. Securities Laws for the Digital Age, featured Seira, WilmerHale partner Tiffany J. Smith, Polygon chief legal officer Jake Werrett and Alexandra Thorn, a senior director at the Center for American Progress.

“It is clear that the current securities regulatory framework is not a viable option to regulate crypto. It fails to achieve its stated policy goals,” Seira said in his opening remarks. “[T]he idea that crypto projects can come in and register with the SEC is demonstrably false.”

Cooley LLP special counsel Rodrigo Seira addresses the committee on April 9. Source: House Committee on Financial Services

Seira acknowledged that crypto promoters who raise capital for a new enterprise should be subject to federal securities laws. 

As markets reel from geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, Bitcoin has shown relative resilience during events like Trump’s recent tariff bombshells, according to Blockstream CEO Adam Back.

While in the short term, Bitcoin (BTC) may move in tandem with stocks and other risk-on assets, Back sees the long-term trend telling a different story.

“Bitcoin is fully decoupled because it's gone up five or six times since the bottom of the market three years ago,” he said during an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph at Paris Blockchain Week.

Back, who is one of the original cypherpunks and a key contributor to Bitcoin’s early development, predicts strong adoption tailwinds for BTC: regulatory clarity, institutional interest, and the legitimizing force of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). He notes that while most long-term holders are already “all in” and unable to buy dips, entities like BlackRock and sovereign wealth funds are stepping in, quietly absorbing supply.

The Blockstream CEO also touches on the geopolitical dimension, discussing a scenario in which governments may begin actively acquiring Bitcoin. “If the US government doesn't go on a buying spree and buy 1 million Bitcoin over the next five years, that gives more time for the new entrants who've got access finally through brokers and through the ETFs to build up the Bitcoin position.”

Opinion by: Sergej Kunz, co-founder of 1inch

Institutional players have been closely watching decentralized finance’s growth. Creating secure and compliant DeFi platforms is the only solution to build trust and attract more institutions.

Clear waters attract big ships

Over the past four years, institutional DeFi adoption has gone from 10% of hedge funds to 47%, and is projected to rise to 65% in 2025. Goldman Sachs is reaching their arms to DeFi for bond issuance and yield farming. 

Early adopters are already positioning themselves in onchain finance, including Visa, which has processed over $1 billion in crypto transactions since 2021 and is now testing cross-border payments. In the next two years, institutional adoption will speed up. A compliant regulatory framework that maintains DeFi’s core benefits is necessary for institutional adoption to engage confidently. 

DeFi’s institutional trilemma

It is no secret that many DeFi security exploits happen every year. The recent Bybit hack reported a $1.4 billion loss. The breach occurred through a transfer process that was vulnerable to attack. Attacks like these raise concerns about multisignature wallets and blind signing. This happens when users approve transactions without full details, rendering blind signing a significant risk. This case calls for stronger security measures and improvements in user experience.