Hindustan Unilever has agreed to acquire beauty startup Minimalist for about $342 million, marking its latest push to expand in India’s fast-growing premium skincare market.

The consumer goods giant will initially acquire a 90.5% stake in the four-year-old direct-to-consumer brand through secondary buyouts and primary investment, with the remaining 9.5% to be purchased from founders in two years, according to a stock exchange filing.

The announcement confirms TechCrunch’s report from earlier this month.

The deal gives Unilever’s Indian unit a stronger foothold in the premium beauty segment, adding to its portfolio that includes brands like Dove, Pond’s and Lakmé. Minimalist, known for its actives-led skincare products, reported an annual revenue run rate of over 5 billion rupees and has been profitable since inception.

“This acquisition is another key step to grow our Beauty & Wellbeing portfolio in the high growth masstige beauty segment,” Rohit Jawa, CEO of Hindustan Unilever, said in the statement.

Founded in 2020 by Mohit Yadav and Rahul Yadav, Jaipur-based Minimalist sells a range of products from sunscreen to hair-repair serum. The startup had previously attracted investment from Unilever Ventures in its Series A round in 2021. Peak XV was its first institutional investor, leading the seed funding in the startup through its Surge platform in late 2019. Minimalist is one of the earliest Surge portfolio startups.

The acquisition follows Hindustan Unilever’s expansion into health and well-being through the purchases of Oziva and Wellbeing Nutrition last year. The latest transaction is expected to close in the June quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.

The founders will continue to run the business for two years after the deal closes. Minimalist has built a strong presence in e-commerce, which Hindustan Unilever plans to complement by expanding the brand’s offline distribution using its extensive retail network.

The deal values Minimalist higher than the roughly $300 million valuation it reportedly sought when attempting to raise venture capital in the second half of last year, according to previous media reports.

Rollblock, a smart altcoin set to disrupt the $540 billion gambling industry, is gaining big backing and could surpass SOL and XRP by 2026.

Big players in the crypto world are betting on a new altcoin that is set to disrupt the market. With massive potential and new technology, this rising star, called Rollblock, is gaining traction fast. In fact, experts predict that it could outperform giants like SOL and XRP by 2026.

Does Rollblock have what it takes to be a top crypto?

Rollblock is flipping the script on the $540 billion online gambling industry with a new approach. This top crypto casino isn’t just shaking up the game, it’s tearing down the walls of secrecy that have haunted the sector for decades. For years, the gambling world has been plagued by trust issues, with reports revealing that gambling platforms manipulate bets to exploit players. 

This flawed system is a gambler’s worst nightmare, as its whole functionality is based on rigging the gambling process. With Rollblock, gamblers can rest assured that transparency is built into the system. Every bet, every transaction, is securely encrypted and recorded on the Ethereum blockchain. Players no longer have to take the casino’s word for it, they can verify every move themselves.  

This approach has ignited a frenzy of interest. In December 2024 alone, Rollblock saw a staggering 600% surge in new users, with over $1.75 million in bets placed. Thankfully, this momentum isn’t slowing down. January’s numbers are set to double, proving that when you put players first, everyone wins.

Solana faces a future filled with green charts

Excitement has been high in the SOL altcoin community recently as it reached an ATH of $293.79. Although this rise shows increased investor confidence in its high-performance blockchain, the main attributing factor is likely Donald and Melania Trump’s new TRUMP and MELANIA crypto launch. 

This positive news surrounding SOL has pushed CoinCodex analysts to make predictions that SOL could fall between the $377.43 and $407.39 price marks by December 2025. Given that SOL has risen more than 190% from this time last year, if everything goes well for SOL, its 2025 price trend could mirror that of 2024.

XRP set to skyrocket before Q1 ends

Like SOL, XRP has also witnessed an uptrend due to the positive sentiment around Donald Trump’s inauguration. In the past week alone, XRP has witnessed a 21.76% surge, which is in line with predictions from altcoin experts like Lai Jr. A week before Trump’s presidential inauguration, Lai Junior made a post on his X page, predicting that XRP could reach $10–$34 by March. 

From the look of things, XRP might hit and even cross the $34 price mark before March. This prediction is backed up by its technical data charts, which show that it has RSI at 70. With this value, it is evident that XRP might witness another sharp rise soon. 

Conclusion 

While the sentiment around SOL and XRP is positive, their growth cannot be compared to that of Rollblock. Rollblock is getting set to take over crypto headlines by selling its native RBLK tokens via its presale. These tokens, which are now valued at $0.046 each, might soon be the face of the crypto gambling industry.

To learn more about Rollblock, visit the website and its socials.

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Rupert Murdoch’s UK tabloid newspaper business has apologised to Prince Harry for unlawful activities at The Sun as the publisher reached a landmark settlement with him to drop long-running legal claims against it.

This is a developing story

TL;DR

• Speculation is rising that the SEC’s upcoming closed meeting under new Acting Chairman Mark Uyeda might address the Ripple lawsuit, but experts warn against expecting major developments.
• Despite Gensler’s exit, the Ripple-SEC legal battle continues, with disputes over XRP’s classification and an ongoing appeal delaying resolution.

Incoming Resolution or Just Another Speculation?

The lawsuit between Ripple and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) remains ongoing despite numerous legal developments and changes in the agency’s leadership. Recall that the regulator’s Chairman, Gary Gensler, officially stepped down on January 20 and was replaced by crypto proponent Mark Uyeda.

The Commission has scheduled its first closed meeting under the new Acting Chairman for January 23, causing the XRP Army to speculate that the case against Ripple might be on the agenda this time. Some of the most optimistic predictions include a dismissal of the lawsuit.

It is worth mentioning that the SEC conducts such meetings quite frequently, and there are no public records showing that it has touched upon the aforementioned legal tussle in any of them. 

Marc Fagel – a former regional director of the SEC for the San Francisco office – claimed that those expecting “something monumental to happen” at the upcoming gathering “are about to be disappointed.”

“This is the same meeting they hold nearly every week. They will vote on recommendations calendared weeks ago,” he assumed. 

Not so Fast

The anti-crypto Gensler might be out of the SEC, but the official resolution of the case against Ripple remains challenging. After all, the entities have been confronting each other in court for over four years, throwing punches at each other on every possible occasion.

The core issue in the lawsuit is whether XRP (Ripple’s native token) should be classified as a security. The SEC argues it was sold as an unregistered investment, while the company insists it is a digital asset used for payments and not subject to securities laws.

In 2023, Judge Analisa Torres ruled that XRP sales on public exchanges to retail investors did not constitute securities transactions. A year later, she ordered Ripple to pay a fine of $125 million for violating certain rules. 

The penalty represented just a fraction of the $2 billion the SEC initially asked for, and somewhat expected, the firm was ready to settle it. 

However, the watchdog appealed the 2023 verdict and recently filed the necessary opening brief, thus prolonging the lawsuit indefinitely. 

As XRP, currently the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, navigates recent fluctuations, analysts and market experts are optimistic about its potential for significant price growth. 

After experiencing a brief dip toward $2.83 over the weekend, following an unsuccessful attempt to breach its all-time high of $3.40 set seven years ago, the sentiment surrounding XRP remains bullish.

Market Expert Foresees XRP Propelling To $53

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), market expert and technical analyst Egrag Crypto shared encouraging price targets for XRP investors, suggesting that historical price patterns indicate a possible blow-off top that could drive the token into double-digit territory. 

Egrag highlighted three historical blow-off tops, demonstrating impressive percentage increases that XRP has experienced in the past: one saw a rise of 1,068%, another 2,636%, and a third recorded an increase of 406%. 

Related Reading

By analyzing these surges alongside corrective phases, Egrag Crypto formulated potential price targets for the next blow-off top for the altcoin, suggesting levels of $53, $32, and $9.70, all of them surpassing by clear difference the tokne’s current record peak.

Egrag previously noted the importance of a critical price range between $4 and $5, indicating that once XRP reaches approximately $4.40, it will enter a “powerful energy field” that could significantly propel prices higher. 

The analyst emphasized that traders should closely monitor price action, candle formations, and oscillator behaviors in this range to determine whether the market is poised for a substantial rally or facing a potential correction.

Despite the optimistic outlook, Egrag urged caution, stating, “I’m still feeling #BULLISHAF, but it’s crucial to remain level-headed when trading and investing, especially with #XRP.” 

He expressed concern that market dynamics might be encouraging retail investors to exit, which could be a strategy to enable the emergence of two-digit prices.

Aiming For A 40% Surge Amid Impressive Monthly Performance

Supporting this bullish sentiment, market analyst Ali Martinez has also weighed in on XRP’s trajectory, noting that the cryptocurrency has recently broken out of a bullish flag and is now targeting the $4.40 mark.

Related Reading

This indicates a near-term uptrend of nearly 40% for the altcoin, complementing its impressive monthly performance, which has already seen a surge of 43%. However, despite these positive figures, XRP is currently trading at $3.16, still 7.2% below its all-time high. 

The price levels of $3.35 and $3.40 have proven to be significant hurdles for the altcoin, representing crucial barriers that must be overcome to initiate a price discovery phase.

On the downside, the token has established a significant price support range between $2.70 and $2.80 over the past week. This area has become a notable buying zone for investors anticipating further price increases.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

On Tuesday, bitcoin (BTC) options trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) showed the strongest bullish sentiment since Donald Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory.

Traders scrambled to buy calls, or options offering asymmetric upside exposure, driving the skew higher to 4.4%, the most since early November, according to data tracked by digital assets index provider CF Benchmarks.

Skew is the difference in implied volatility between calls and puts, or options offering downside protection, and positive values represent a bullish sentiment.

“Thirty-day topside skew in the bitcoin options market has reached levels not seen since the November election results,” Thomas Erdösi, head of product at CF Benchmarks, told CoinDesk. “This reflects a strong bullish sentiment, with traders actively positioning for upside exposure across both short- and long-term maturities.”

Bitcoin’s price rose as much as 5%, briefly topping $106,000 Tuesday after buyers defended the $100,000 support level despite President Trump failing to mention crypto or strategic bitcoin reserve in his inaugural speech the day before.

The bounce was accompanied by renewed uptake for the U.S.-listed spot ETFs, which registered a cumulative net inflow of $802 million, according to data from SoSoValue. BlackRock’s IBIT drew $661.8 million alone, helping solidify the bullish sentiment.

“ETF inflows have continued their impressive accumulation streak, marking four consecutive days of significant inflows, amounting to over $3 billion for Bitcoin alone. Bitcoin ($802M) and Ethereum ($74M) are receiving robust institutional backing, which could propel digital assets to new highs,” Valentin Fournier, an analyst at BRN, said in an email to CoinDesk.

Besides, long-term holders — wallets with a history of holding coins for over 155 days — are scaling back their profit-taking activities, according to blockchain data tracking firm Glassnode.

“Looking ahead, it’s possible that volatility levels might moderate slightly towards the end of the month, but we anticipate that the skew for topside will probably remain, barring any surprise policy developments. This will likely provide continued upward price pressure for the foreseeable future,” Erdösi said.

Indonesia’s antitrust agency KPPU fined Google 202.5 billion Rupiahs, equivalent to $12.6 million, on Wednesday for antitrust violation related to its payment system services for the Google Play Store.

The KPPU ordered the search giant to cease the mandatory use of Google Play Billing in the Google Play Store. It also asked Google to let all developers participate in the User Choice Billing (UCB) program and give them a minimum 5% service fee discount for a year after the decision is finalized, according to its statement.

The antitrust watchdog launched an investigation into Google in 2022 for its market dominance — in particular, the company required Indonesian app developers to use Google Play Billing (GPB). The agency found that the Google Pay Billing System had charged fees up to 30%, higher than other payment systems.

The Google Play Store handles payments between developers and users through the GPB System for in-app purchases. Google requires all purchases of digital products and services in the Google Play Store to go through the Google Play Billing system. At the same time, it prohibits other payment alternatives to Google Play Billing. The agency said that limiting the payment options led to fewer app users, reduced transactions and lower revenue.

The agency noted that the Google Play Store is the only app store pre-installed on all Android devices, with a market share over 50%. As for the search engine market, Google held a market share of 95.16% in the Indonesian search market, and other search engines such as Bing, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo, and Yandex held the rest as of January 2024, according to Statista.

Google plans to appeal the ruling.

“We strongly disagree with the KPPU’s decision and will appeal. Our current practices foster a healthy, competitive Indonesian app ecosystem, offering a secure platform, global reach, and choice, including user choice billing — which enables alternatives to Google Play’s billing system,” a Google spokesperson, Danielle Cohen, said in an email statement.

“Beyond our platform, we actively support Indonesian developers through a comprehensive suite of initiatives, including Indie Games Accelerator, Play Academy, and Play x Unity, reflecting our deep investment in their success. We remain committed to complying with Indonesian law and will continue collaborating with the KPPU and stakeholders throughout the appeals process,” she added.

The tech industry has been closely watching a series of legal disputes involving Google being fined for breaching anti-competitive practices due to its misuse of dominant market power in various countries, including Indonesia, India, South Korea, France, the EU and the U.S. Japan’s antitrust regulator is likely to determine that Google has breached Japan’s antitrust laws and will order the tech behemoth to cease its monopolistic behaviors, according to Nikkei Asia.