Solana’s spot SOL exchange-traded funds are delivering their strongest weekly performance since February, drawing in roughly $39.23 million in net new money, according to SoSoValue data. The inflow surge comes as SOL futures open interest jumps by about $1.5 billion in May, signaling a broad uptick in trader positioning across the derivatives market. The price move mirrors the flow data, with SOL climbing around 15% over the past seven days to the high-$90s, as traders target a key resistance around $120.

Key takeaways

• BSOL leads ETF inflows: Bitwise’s BSOL attracted about $36 million in the latest weekly period, while Fidelity’s FSOL added roughly $1.8 million.
• BSOL’s dominance and scale: Since launch, BSOL has drawn $861 million in inflows, representing about 81% of the total cumulative inflows across all spot SOL ETFs, which stand near $1.06 billion combined.
• Derivatives activity climbs: SOL futures open interest rose to around $6.4 billion, up from about $4.94 billion on May 1, a rise of roughly 29.5% in under two weeks.
• Momentum in spot and futures delta: Aggregated spot cumulative volume delta approached $250 million from about $163 million in five days, as SOL’s price pushed toward $96; futures CVD reached approximately $593.6 million after a steady rise since May 5.
• Funding and price setup: The funding rate hovered near 0.065%, indicating continued long exposure, while the chart setup points to a possible breakout toward $120 if SOL sustains above $95 and completes a formation known as an Adam and Eve pattern.

Solana’s ETF demand aligns with rising futures positioning

SoSoValue data shows a clear tilt of capital toward SOL ETFs, led by BSOL’s notable weekly inflows of about $36 million. Fidelity’s FSOL added just over $1.8 million, contributing to the broader trend of investor appetite for spot exposure in SOL. Since its inception, BSOL has amassed roughly $861 million in net inflows, accounting for nearly four-fifths of the cumulative inflows across all spot SOL ETFs, which total around $1.06 billion.

Interest in futures markets has tracked the ETF momentum. Open interest across SOL futures climbed to roughly $6.4 billion, up from $4.94 billion on May 1, a rise of about 29.5% in less than two weeks, according to CoinGlass data. This buildup indicates traders are widening their positions and hedging activity across both spot and derivatives markets as Solana’s price moves higher.

In parallel, spot market dynamics reflected by the aggregated CVD metric showed a surge, with a five-day delta approaching $250 million, up from $163 million. Futures CVD also rose, crossing about $593.6 million as buyers absorbed liquidity on the bid and bid-ask fronts in both spot and futures markets. The funding rate maintained a modest level near 0.065%, suggesting long exposure remains prevalent among market participants.

These data points come as Solana’s price rallied roughly 15% over the past week, stabilizing near the $97 level. The near-term resistance around $120 remains the focal point for bulls, with traders monitoring the price action for a sustained breakout above recent consolidation.

For context, the broader technical backdrop has grown more constructive. Solana closed above its 100-day exponential moving average for the first time since October 2025, adding a notable bullish swing to the mix of ETF inflows and rising futures positioning. If SOL can confirm a daily close above the $95 breakout zone and maintain consolidation, the chart suggests room toward the $120 target given the lack of major resistance between these levels following the February dip.

Analysts have also highlighted improving relative strength against Bitcoin. Crypto analyst BATMAN noted that SOL recently broke above a 231-day downtrend on the SOL/BTC chart, signaling better relative performance. He pointed to the $89–$91 zone as a nearby support cluster and suggested it could become a retest area if SOL holds above the breakout zone. This assessment aligns with the broader view that a sustained move above $95 could unlock the next leg higher toward the $120 zone, albeit with the usual cautions around macro conditions and market sentiment.

Overall, Solana’s recent dynamics point to a developing balance between ETF-driven buying, rising derivatives activity, and a technical setup that could propel SOL toward a key resistance milestone. The combination of record-level ETF inflows, growing Open Interest, and constructive price action suggests a potentially meaningful shift for Solana if the current momentum persists.

Meanwhile, February’s notable drawdown—around 42%—is fresh in the market memory, underscoring the need for sustained demand and a favorable risk environment to validate the breakout path. Investors will be watching closely for follow-through in the coming sessions, particularly how SOL behaves around the $95 breakout level and whether the market can maintain the pace of inflows and higher open interest without triggering a renewed period of volatility.

Ronin Ethereum is migrating to a Layer 2 on May 12 with roughly 10 hours of scheduled downtime.

Ronin, the gaming-focused blockchain behind Axie Infinity, is executing a hard fork on May 12 to complete its transition from an independent sidechain to an Ethereum Layer 2. The migration was announced in April and will trigger at block 55,577,490, expected around 15:16 UTC.

All Ronin transactions will pause for roughly 10 hours during the migration window. That covers transfers, swaps, NFT trades, and smart contract interactions. Node operators on Ronin mainnet are required to upgrade to release 1.2.2 before the hard fork.

What changes after the migration

Ronin said the move is about plugging “back into the mothership.” The new structure will link the network directly to Ethereum for settlement and data availability, replacing the older nine-validator sidechain model with OP Stack rollup infrastructure.

RON token inflation will fall sharply from over 20% annually to below 1% under a new Proof of Distribution model. Marketplace fees will also rise from 0.5% to 1.25%, with 90 million RON tokens previously allocated for staking redirected to the Ronin treasury.

Ronin will integrate EigenDA to handle data availability for transactions, storing data off-chain while keeping it verifiable and accessible to Ethereum. The migration brings Ronin into the same OP Stack ecosystem as other chains including Celo and Fraxtal.

Context: the $625 million hack that made this necessary

While operating as an independent sidechain in March 2022, Ronin suffered the largest DeFi bridge exploit in history, with $625 million in ETH and USDC drained from its bridge. The attack exposed the structural risks of the sidechain model, where only a small number of centrally-managed validators were responsible for securing the network.

The Layer 2 transition directly addresses those concerns by inheriting Ethereum’s security rather than relying on Ronin’s own validator set. The Ronin bridge previously migrated to Chainlink’s cross-chain interoperability protocol in April 2025 as an earlier step in securing its infrastructure ahead of the full L2 move.

Crypto.com announced that its Dubai entity has received a Stored Value Facilities (SVF) license from the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE), authorizing crypto-funded payments for Dubai government fees through its platform. The company said customers can fund payments with digital assets, while settlements are processed in UAE dirhams or in dirham-backed stablecoins approved by the central bank under the SVF framework.

The approval, tied to Crypto.com’s local entity Foris DAX Middle East FZE (operating as Crypto.com), enables the firm to activate its partnership with Dubai’s Department of Finance and offer digital asset payment services for government fees in line with the emirate’s cashless payments strategy. The company indicated that the license could pave the way for future integrations with Emirates Airlines and Dubai Duty Free, though such services would require additional approvals from the UAE central bank.

According to Cointelegraph, Crypto.com’s UAE expansion is part of a broader strategy to strengthen its regulatory footprint in the region while pursuing a multi-jurisdictional compliance framework that includes EU licensing under MiCA and a conditional US OCC approval for a national trust bank charter to support crypto custody and related services.

Key takeaways

• The Central Bank of the UAE granted a Stored Value Facilities license to Crypto.com’s Dubai affiliate, Foris DAX Middle East FZE (Crypto.com).
• Under the SVF license, users can fund government fee payments with digital assets, with settlements settled in UAE dirhams or dirham-backed stablecoins approved by the central bank.
• The authorization supports a digital asset payment workflow with Dubai DoF and aligns with the city’s broader cashless payments initiative.
• Potential future crypto-funded payments with Emirates Airlines and Dubai Duty Free are on the horizon, subject to further regulatory sign-offs.
• Crypto.com’s UAE push complements its existing regulatory footprint (VARA VASP license) and its ongoing global licensing efforts, including MiCA in the EU and a conditional OCC approval for a national trust charter in the United States.

UAE regulatory milestone and the SVF framework

The SVF regime in the UAE is designed to govern facilities that store monetary value electronically and enable its use for payments. By granting the license to Crypto.com’s local entity, the CBUAE authorizes the firm to facilitate crypto-backed payments for government-related fees while maintaining fiat or stablecoin settlement channels approved under the framework. This move deepens Crypto.com’s regulatory standing in the UAE and reinforces the city’s strategy to integrate digital assets into government and public-facing payment rails. The license explicitly covers settlements in dirhams or in dirham-linked stablecoins that the central bank has approved for SVF participants.

Operational model: crypto funding to dirham settlement

In practical terms, residents and businesses could use Crypto.com’s platform to fund government fee payments with digital assets, with the corresponding settlement settled in local currency or in CBUAE-approved stablecoins. The arrangement is anchored to Crypto.com’s Dubai entity and its partnership with the Dubai Department of Finance, enabling a regulated pathway for cryptocurrency-influenced government payments. While the company flagged possible future integrations with Emirates Airlines and Dubai Duty Free, these initiatives remain contingent on additional regulatory clearances. The development signals a broader move toward officially sanctioned crypto-enabled payment channels within the UAE’s financial ecosystem and highlights the attention authorities are giving to digital asset settlement mechanics and AML/KYC controls in public-use cases.

Regulatory footprint and cross-border ambitions

The UAE expansion sits within a broader regulatory narrative for Crypto.com. In the emirate, the company already holds a Virtual Asset Service Provider license from the Dubai-based regulator VARA, underscoring an institutional-grade, compliance-focused posture for its regional operations. Beyond the UAE, Crypto.com has pursued licensing aligned with the EU’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) framework and has publicly pursued a national trust bank charter in the United States under an OCC program that would enable custody services for digital assets. Separately, the firm has moved into regulated event-based derivatives and prediction markets through a US affiliate, reflecting a strategy to couple enhanced regulatory oversight with a wider suite of trading and payments products tied to cryptocurrencies. This multi-jurisdictional approach is designed to reduce regulatory risk while expanding access to institutional and retail users under clear supervisory regimes.

From a policy perspective, the UAE’s SVF milestone reinforces a pattern of central-bank-backed pathways for digital assets within government services, offering a potential blueprint for other jurisdictions seeking to integrate crypto assets into public payments. It also raises questions for banks, payment processors, and crypto firms about licensing ladders, cross-border interoperability, and the balance between innovation and regulatory compliance. As authorities in different regions adjust to evolving standards around custody, stablecoins, and on/off-ramps, the UAE example illustrates how centralized oversight can enable cryptocurrency-enabled services while maintaining financial-system safeguards.

Looking ahead, observers will be watching how the DoF and central bank calibrate further integrations, especially in larger commercial payments beyond government fees. The ongoing convergence of crypto payments with mainstream financial rails depends on continued clarity around eligible stablecoins, reserve standards, and risk-management expectations for participants operating within SVF frameworks.

Closing perspective: the UAE’s SVF license for Crypto.com marks a notable step in codifying crypto-enabled payments within a sovereign cashless agenda, yet the broader regulatory journey—spanning cross-border licensing, custody standards, and government-linked deployments—will unfold as approvals are granted and new use cases are evaluated against evolving policy and enforcement considerations.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee is poised to take up a markup on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY) this week, with Democratic lawmakers signaling they may withhold support if ethics provisions remain unresolved. The bill, which the House passed in July 2025, has faced months of delay as negotiators work through language on stablecoin yields, tokenized equities, and other industry-specific concerns. According to Cointelegraph, the committee’s action comes as policymakers seek a clearer framework for crypto markets without compromising ethical standards for public officials.

Although the Senate Agriculture Committee moved its own version of CLARITY forward in January, the legislation still must clear both panels to align securities and commodities authorities and to address jurisdictional differences. “Negotiations continue to be positive, and I remain confident we can get a bipartisan bill over the finish line this Congress,” Senate Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand told Cointelegraph. “Americans deserve a well-regulated market with strong consumer protections and real ethics reforms so politicians can’t cash in on their insider status for personal gain.”

Key takeaways

• House-passed CLARITY Act dates back to July 2025, setting a bipartisan framework for a regulated crypto market.
• Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its version in January, signaling continued momentum across chambers.
• The Banking Committee markup is scheduled this week, with ethics provisions and stablecoin yield language identified as critical sticking points.
• Political dynamics show divergent views on ethics and conflicts of interest, potentially shaping whether the bill can reach the floor for a full vote.
• Any path to law requires reconciliation between House and Senate outputs and presidential action; timing remains uncertain.

Policy dynamics and the path forward

From a regulatory architecture standpoint, CLARITY represents a concerted effort to codify a market structure for digital assets that aligns with existing securities and commodities regimes. The contrast between committee positions underscores ongoing tensions between innovation, investor protection, and public accountability. As negotiations unfold, many lawmakers view ethics provisions as the gatekeeper that could determine the bill’s ultimate fate, even if other provisions enjoy broad bipartisan support. In this context, the intersection of crypto policy with congressional ethics rules is increasingly in focus, with industry stakeholders watching closely for any precedent-setting language that could influence future oversight and enforcement actions.

Democrats have pressed for robust ethics safeguards to curb conflicts of interest among members of Congress and top executive branch officials. Gillibrand’s remarks reflect a broader aim to ensure that policy debates on digital assets are insulated from personal financial considerations. Republicans, including Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott, have emphasized the need for a timely, bipartisan deal but indicate that ethics language must ultimately be resolved on the floor rather than within committee confines. Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, a leading advocate for CLARITY in the Senate, has encouraged colleagues to move forward, signaling continued support for a functional regulatory framework while acknowledging the ethics concerns that lawmakers have raised.

Industry voices have framed the ethics debate as a practical hurdle that could stall otherwise constructive policy progress. Cody Carbone, CEO of the Digital Chamber, argued that while ethics matters, it should be tackled on the Senate floor and not become a fatal obstruction to markup. “Ethics has to be tackled on the floor; it’s not within the jurisdiction of the Senate Banking Committee, so I don’t expect it to hold up the markup,” he told Cointelegraph.

Stablecoins, yield, and regulatory nuance

A central flashpoint remains the treatment of stablecoins and yield mechanics within the CLARITY framework. Earlier this month, Senators Thom Tillis and Angela Alsobrooks announced a compromise on stablecoin yield that could unlock movement on the bill after months of delay. Nevertheless, Democratic leadership has signaled that even with progress on yield, ethics provisions could derail prospects for a floor vote. Gillibrand’s position underscores a broader condition: any final package must address governance integrity to satisfy lawmakers who have prioritized anti-corruption safeguards alongside market structure clarity.

Beyond ethics and yield language, the bill’s broader aim is to reconcile differences between securities and commodities laws as they apply to digital assets, including questions around tokenized equities and other complex instruments. The Senate Agriculture Committee’s earlier action indicates a willingness to pursue a comprehensive approach, but the Banking Committee’s markup will test whether a unified, bipartisan compromise can be achieved in a manner compatible with the regulatory aspirations of both chambers.

Broader implications for institutions and oversight

For crypto firms, exchanges, and financial institutions, the CLARITY process signals a tightening of regulatory expectations around market structure, disclosures, and governance. A clarified framework could influence licensing trajectories, compliance costs, and the scope of permissible activities within crypto markets. From an enforcement perspective, alignment with established prudential standards—while preserving innovation—would likely intersect with ongoing oversight by the SEC, CFTC, and DOJ, as well as corresponding AML/KYC regimes. Observers also note potential interactions with international standards, such as the European Union’s MiCA, as policymakers compare approaches to cross-border compliance and transfer of risk across jurisdictions.

As the legislative effort unfolds, market participants must remain alert to evolving guidance on tokenized assets, stablecoins, and digital yield strategies. The path to law will depend not only on the content of ethics provisions but also on the administration’s priorities and the ability of lawmakers to secure a reconciled, floor-ready bill that can withstand potential veto or political headwinds.

Closing perspective

With the markup advancing and ethics debates unresolved, CLARITY’s fate rests on a delicate balance between bipartisan agreement and robust governance safeguards. Stakeholders should monitor committee proceedings for signs of a workable compromise and assess how any final text could reshape regulatory expectations for the crypto industry, compliance programs, and cross-border policy alignment.

The spot Solana (SOL) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded their strongest weekly performance since February, attracting $39.23 million in total net flows. The surge in capital inflows coincided with SOL futures open interest rising by $1.5 billion in May, signaling a sharp increase in trader positioning across the derivatives markets.

The rise in market activity comes alongside Solana’s 15% rally to $97 in the past seven days, with traders targeting the next major resistance level at $120. 

SOL ETF demand rises with futures interest

Bitwise’s BSOL ETF led the latest inflow wave with $36 million in weekly net inflows last week, while Fidelity’s FSOL added over $1.8 million. Since its launch, BSOL has attracted $861 million, accounting for nearly 81% of cumulative inflows across all spot SOL ETFs, which now total about $1.06 billion.

Spot SOL ETF netflows. Source: SoSoValue

Futures activity rose alongside the ETF demand. Solana open interest (OI) climbed to $6.4 billion from $4.94 billion on May 1, marking a 29.5% increase in less than two weeks.

Aggregated spot cumulative volume delta (CVD), which measures the net difference between market buy and sell orders, climbed to nearly $250 million from $163 million in five days, during SOL’s push toward $96.

The futures CVD expanded to about $593.6 million after rising steadily from May 5 onward, as buyers absorbed sell-side liquidity in both the spot and futures markets. 

SOL price, aggregated open interest, spot, and futures CVD and funding rate. Source: velo.chart

The funding rate held near 0.065%, indicating traders continued to pay to maintain long exposure. The buying activity has started to flatten near the $95-$96 range as spot and volume deltas have cooled over the past 24-hours. 

Related: South Korea crypto holdings halve in a year as investors turn to stock market

Solana eyes a breakout: Is $120 next?

Solana is forming an Adam and Eve pattern near the $95 resistance level, with the setup’s neckline directly at the current breakout zone. A confirmed move above that level places the technical target near $120. 

An Adam and Eve pattern on the higher time frame chart could signal a bottom for SOL if price successfully turns the $95 resistance level into support. 

SOL/USDT, one-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

SOL also pushed above its 100-day exponential moving average for the first time since October 2025, adding another technical shift to the mix alongside ETF inflows and rising futures positioning. 

A confirmed daily close and consolidation above $95 could open the path toward the pattern’s projected target near $120, due to a lack of resistance sitting between the two levels after the 42% dip in February.

Crypto analyst BATMAN noted that Solana recently broke above a 231-day downtrend on the SOL/BTC daily chart, signaling improving relative strength against Bitcoin. According to the analyst, the $89-$91 zone now acts as the nearest support cluster and a likely retest region if SOL holds above the breakout area. 

SOL/USDT, one-chart analysis by BATMAN. Source: X

Related: XRP metrics line up bull signals for ‘full-scale rally’ to $2