Bitcoin payments application Strike CEO Jack Mallers said that Wall Street’s growing involvement in Bitcoin poses no threat or conflict to the asset itself.

“My one-word answer to that is no,” Mallers told Danny Knowles on the What Bitcoin Did podcast published to YouTube on Thursday, in response to whether institutional involvement threatens Bitcoin’s core principles.
“If Wall Street getting into Bitcoin kills it, it was never going to be successful in the first place,” Mallers said.

Jack Mallers spoke to Danny Knowles on the What Bitcoin Did podcast. Source: What Bitcoin Did

“Bitcoin is predicated on this idea that it is money for all. And the all part should be explored. That means your enemies, too,” he said. “That means the ex-wife that cheated on you, that means your neighbor that’s a fan of the opposing football club, that’s everybody,” he added.

Bitcoin is competing for global capital, says Mallers

Some Bitcoiners argue that Wall Street’s presence threatens Bitcoin’s original ethos by concentrating ownership, influence and custody of the asset in the hands of large financial institutions. Since spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in the US in January 2024, the 11 funds have collectively recorded $59.38 billion in net inflows as of Friday, according to Farside data.

However, Mallers said the “obvious implication” is that Wall Street and other major traditional investors would get involved in Bitcoin as the asset competes for global capital.

“Where wealth exists today, those things will be demonetized like real estate will be demonetized, fine art will be demonetized, government debt will be demonetized, and Bitcoin will be monetized,” he said.

Some Bitcoiners have argued that growing institutional involvement could eventually give large firms too much influence over Bitcoin itself. Bitcoiner and venture capitalist Nic Carter said that major Bitcoin-holding institutions may eventually lose patience with Bitcoin developers for not addressing quantum computing concerns quickly enough. “I think the big institutions that now exist in Bitcoin, they will get fed up, and they will fire the devs and put in new devs,” Carter said in February.

Wall Street moves in on crypto platforms’ customers

There have been several developments in Wall Street’s adoption of Bitcoin and, more broadly, crypto over the past couple of years.

Related: CLARITY Act support carries electoral boost, HarrisX poll finds

Most recently, on Tuesday, it was reported that Morgan Stanley rolled out a cryptocurrency trading pilot on its E*Trade platform, charging lower basic retail fees than some of the largest US crypto and brokerage platforms. 

The Wall Street bank is charging clients 50 basis points on the dollar value of each crypto transaction, undercutting Coinbase, Robinhood and Charles Schwab on standard retail pricing. 

Magazine: Guide to the top and emerging global crypto hubs: Mid-2026

BITCOIN just broke past $81,000 for the first time since January, and the best crypto to invest in landed back at the center of every portfolio decision. April ETF inflows hit $2.44 billion, the strongest monthly figure since October 2025, and that kind of institutional buying confirms the recovery is built on real demand rather than a short-lived bounce.

Meanwhile, Pepeto keeps banking capital at presale pricing, with $9.84 million raised and an expected Binance listing that could reprice the token before most buyers even notice.

While institutions stack BITCOIN through ETFs and retail watches from the sidelines, Pepeto’s PepetoSwap exchange and risk scoring tool bring direct trading paths and contract verification to every wallet. The presale window is narrowing by the day.

BITCOIN Rallies Past $81,000 on ETF Demand and Geopolitical Relief

BITCOIN hit $81,000 on May 5 as multiple catalysts came together at once. April spot ETF inflows reached $2.44 billion, with BlackRock and Fidelity leading the buying, according to CoinDesk.

The move also followed eased Middle East tensions after an announcement around the Strait of Hormuz, which lifted risk assets broadly. This rally confirms that capital is returning to crypto at a pace that makes the best crypto to invest in conversation relevant for anyone sitting on the sidelines.

Projects and Coins Defining the Best Crypto to Invest in for This Market Cycle

Pepeto

The BITCOIN rally is a reminder of how the capital flow works in crypto. Institutions and large wallets move first during fear, and by the time the recovery shows up on the chart, the cheapest entries are already gone. Whether it is ETF demand during a dip or whale buying before a breakout, the wallets that act during doubt collect what the late arrivals cannot reach.

Pepeto, considered the best crypto to invest in, was designed to close that distance. Created by the mind behind the original PEPE coin who proved what happens when 420 trillion tokens meet a community that refuses to stop buying, Pepeto’s PepetoSwap marketplace processes token trades and the risk scoring tool audits smart contracts before capital touches anything dangerous.

This functioning product is precisely why the presale banked more than $9.84 million during a market that crushed most new launches. At $0.0000001868, the project is backed by a functioning marketplace that traders already use, and the projected upside ranges from 100x to 300x because the entry window opened at the same stage where every past winner started before anyone cared.

Compare this to waiting for established coins to double from prices that already carry billions in market cap. Pepeto does not need years to play out because the expected Binance listing marks the moment when presale holders see their entry repriced against the full market for the first time.

Independent verification from SolidProof covers every contract, staking at 175 percent APY grows positions daily for wallets that moved early, and the distance between $0.0000001868 and a listing price set by millions of traders is the kind of gap that created every crypto fortune worth talking about.

DOGECOIN

DOGECOIN (DOGE) is trading near $0.10 after whales loaded 160 million tokens in 96 hours and the first DOGE ETF attracted fresh inflows. The price cleared the 50-day and 100-day moving averages for the first time in months, and technical targets now sit at $0.126 where the 200-day moving average waits as resistance.

While DOGE carries strong whale backing and growing ETF attention, the token still trades 84 percent below its all-time high of $0.7376 and needs multiple catalysts to reclaim higher ground, which is why many searching for the best crypto to invest in look at earlier-stage projects with a clear listing catalyst still ahead.

ETHEREUM

ETHEREUM (ETH) is trading near $2,285 according to CoinMarketCap after the Glamsterdam upgrade went live and tripled the gas limit to 200 million per block, according to Reuters. ETF inflows reached nine consecutive days, and whale buying topped 230,000 ETH in one week, which means large buyers are treating this zone as a long-term entry.

While ETH holds the strongest technical infrastructure in crypto, the price still sits 53 percent below its all-time high of $4,953 and needs sustained demand above $2,500 to confirm the next leg higher.

Conclusion

The market always pays the most to the earliest believers, and the window to be early does not stay open once the listing arrives. PEPE turned small wallets into millions with zero products, and those entries can never come back. More than $9.84 million flowing into this presale during market fear means those wallets see the same setup that rewarded the earliest holders in every previous cycle, and that is exactly what the best crypto to invest in conversation comes down to right now.

Pepeto carries the backing of the PEPE cofounder, a live marketplace, a risk scoring tool, and an expected Binance listing that could go live any day. One simple decision, entering now instead of waiting, is the difference between being the wallet that collected 100x to 300x and being the one that watched from the sidelines and spent the rest of the cycle wishing they had moved when it cost almost nothing.

The listing is not months away, it is close, and every day of hesitation shrinks the window that separates life-changing returns from regret that lasts the entire bull run.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

FAQs

What makes Pepeto the best crypto to invest in during the 2026 bull market?

Pepeto is the best crypto to invest in during the 2026 bull market because it combines a working marketplace, a contract risk scorer, and an expected Binance listing into one presale entry at $0.0000001868. The project has raised more than $9.84 million with 175 percent APY staking that grows positions for holders who entered before listing.

How does the BITCOIN rally affect the best crypto to invest in right now?

The BITCOIN rally past $81,000 confirms institutional money is back in the market, and that capital historically rotates into smaller tokens within days of BTC breaking key levels. Presale entries with listing catalysts ahead capture the largest returns during this rotation phase.

Is DOGECOIN or ETHEREUM a stronger investment than Pepeto in 2026?

DOGECOIN and ETHEREUM carry solid technical backing but sit 84 percent and 53 percent below their all-time highs respectively, which limits their short-term upside. Pepeto offers a presale entry at $0.0000001868 with an expected Binance listing that sets a clear repricing event no established coin can match.

Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.

TLDR:

• Ondo Finance holds near $0.44 as accumulation signals strengthen across trading sessions
• Ondo Finance benefits from RWA expansion as institutional inflows support the market recovery trend
• Market structure improves as ONDO shows higher lows and reduced downside pressure overall
• Cross-border settlement with major institutions strengthens ONDO’s relevance in tokenized finance

Ondo Finance is on a revival journey as its price structure strengthens alongside its real-world asset adoption and institutional settlement progress. This move is showing a reflection of renewed confidence across digital asset markets.

Accumulation Structure and RWA-Driven Price Action

Ondo Finance is trading within a strengthening accumulation range after months of broad market correction pressure.

Price behavior around the $0.20 zone has repeatedly attracted buyers, establishing a notable demand foundation across sessions. 

Following this reaction, ONDO recorded a sharp rebound of nearly 88 percent from recent lows with sustained volume expansion.

This movement suggests that selling pressure is gradually being absorbed as market structure shifts toward recovery formation stages.

RWA sector momentum continues to support Ondo Finance as tokenized treasuries and yield products attract renewed attention.

Market participants are increasingly rotating liquidity into real-world asset protocols as institutional demand expands across digital markets. 

This rotation has strengthened ONDO positioning within narrative-driven altcoins, especially as volatility compresses near support regions.

Ondo Finance, therefore, remains positioned within a structurally improving range supported by gradual capital inflows and renewed participation.

The technical structure shows higher lows forming consistently, indicating absorption of supply during consolidation phases across trading intervals.

This pattern often precedes expansion phases when liquidity returns, and market sentiment stabilizes after extended uncertainty periods.

Ondo Finance, therefore, remains positioned within a structurally improving range supported by gradual capital inflows and renewed participation. 

Cross-Border Settlement and Institutional Integration

Ondo Finance has advanced its institutional relevance through a near real-time cross-border redemption of a tokenized U.S. Treasury fund.

The transaction involved collaboration with Kinexys by JPMorgan, Mastercard, and Ripple across a hybrid settlement infrastructure.

Execution occurred using both public blockchain systems and traditional interbank rails, enabling seamless financial interoperability.

Settlement completion outside standard banking windows demonstrates continuous operational capability within tokenized financial systems. This framework supports the concept of 24/7 global settlement for digital assets across integrated financial networks.

Ondo Finance remains positioned within this evolving structure as institutional testing of blockchain settlement expands globally.

Market response reflects growing attention toward tokenized treasury products and real-time settlement efficiency across institutional channels.

Financial institutions continue exploring blockchain integration to improve settlement speed and reduce operational constraints.

Ondo Finance benefits from this environment as the adoption of real-world asset tokenization increases steadily across markets. 

The collaboration between major financial entities signals increased alignment between traditional finance systems and blockchain networks.

This alignment supports broader experimentation with hybrid settlement models across global financial infrastructure frameworks. 

Continued progress in tokenized settlement may shape future cross-border transaction standards across regulated markets.

Ondo Finance remains a reference point in this evolving financial infrastructure transformation phase. Liquidity flows indicate sustained interest from participants evaluating blockchain-based settlement systems. globally

Ondo price surged above $0.30 after a JPMorgan-Mastercard tokenized Treasury pilot and strong Q1 growth pushed TVL to $3.53 billion.

According to data from crypto.news, Ondo (ONDO) climbed to an intraday high near $0.40 on May 8 before slightly easing to around $0.39 at press time. The token has now gained more than 50% over the past week, making it one of the strongest-performing major RWA-focused assets during the period.

The latest rally comes amid a series of major institutional developments tied to Ondo’s tokenized treasury products.

One of the biggest catalysts was the successful completion of a cross-border institutional settlement pilot involving Ondo, JPMorgan’s Kinexys, Mastercard, and Ripple. The pilot demonstrated the redemption and settlement of tokenized U.S. Treasuries using blockchain infrastructure, with the asset leg reportedly finalized in under five seconds on the XRP Ledger.

The development strengthened investor confidence that tokenized financial products are gradually moving closer to real-world institutional adoption.

ONDO also benefited earlier this week after being selected for the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation’s Industry Working Group, an initiative focused on exploring how tokenization could modernize capital markets infrastructure. The DTCC currently processes transactions worth quadrillions of dollars annually across global financial markets.

Strong fundamentals also helped sustain the rally. Ondo recently reported $13.26 million in Q1 revenue, while total value locked climbed to roughly $3.53 billion, reflecting continued growth across its tokenized asset ecosystem.

At the same time, anticipation surrounding Ondo’s planned expansion to the Solana ecosystem, including the launch of more than 200 tokenized stocks and ETFs, has further supported bullish momentum.

Ondo price analysis

On the daily chart, ONDO has now broken above the major horizontal resistance zone near $0.30, a level that capped multiple recovery attempts since February. The breakout followed several months of sideways consolidation between roughly $0.24 and $0.30, suggesting that buyers gradually absorbed selling pressure before the latest move higher.

The rally also pushed price well above the Supertrend resistance level, with the indicator now beginning to flip bullish after remaining in a bearish structure for months.

Meanwhile, the Aroon Up indicator has surged to 100%, while the Aroon Down has dropped toward 35%, signaling strengthening bullish momentum and a possible shift in broader trend direction.

However, momentum indicators also suggest the rally may be overheating in the short term. ONDO’s Relative Strength Index recently climbed above 81, indicating heavily overbought conditions that could trigger temporary profit-taking or volatility after the sharp move higher.

If bulls maintain control above the $0.30 breakout zone, the next major upside target could emerge near $0.47, which marks the January local high and a key resistance region from the broader downtrend structure.

On the downside, losing the newly reclaimed $0.30 support level could weaken the breakout structure and potentially trigger a pullback toward the $0.24 consolidation range.

TLDR:

• Ethereum’s DeFi TVL share dropped from 63.5% to 54% in 2026, yet it still leads with $45.4 billion locked.
  
• Hyperliquid recorded $9.37 billion in 24-hour perpetuals volume, confirming its role as DeFi’s top perps venue.
  
• Tron holds $89.6 billion in stablecoins with USDT at 97.86%, making it crypto’s largest dollar-settlement rail.
  
• Ethereum’s DeFi TVL share could recover to 55–58% or compress to 46–50% by end-2026, data projects.

Ethereum DeFi TVL declined from 63.5% at the start of 2025 to approximately 54% as of May 7, 2026. Even so, Ethereum retains the top position with $45.4 billion locked across protocols, per DeFiLlama.

Rival chains have narrowed the gap by targeting distinct roles in decentralized finance. BSC dominates DEX flow, Tron leads stablecoin settlement, and Hyperliquid controls perpetuals. Each of these competing chains currently holds under 7% of DeFi TVL individually.

How Rival Chains Are Claiming Specialized DeFi Roles

BSC built its position through Binance distribution and PancakeSwap integration. In Q2 2025, PancakeSwap volume surged 539.2% quarter-over-quarter to $392.6 billion.

Binance deepened this through Alpha Earn and Alpha 2.0, embedding DEX trading inside its exchange interface. DeFiLlama shows BSC at $5.55 billion in TVL and $739.6 million in 24-hour DEX volume.

Tron operates as a stablecoin settlement rail rather than a broad trading platform. DeFiLlama records $89.6 billion in stablecoins on the network, with USDT at 97.86% of that total.

Its 24-hour DEX volume of only $55.5 million confirms thin application diversity. At $5.19 billion in TVL, Tron stands as crypto’s leading stablecoin settlement network.

Bitcoin’s DeFi TVL reached $5.34 billion with 6.35% dominance, growing 13.4% over 30 days. Its 24-hour DEX volume of $338,516 confirms that capital flows to Bitcoin for yield, not active trading. The BTCFi model centers on collateral use and lending protocols rather than exchange activity.

Hyperliquid has grown into a purpose-built on-chain perpetuals venue. DeFiLlama shows $9.37 billion in 24-hour perpetuals volume and $8.94 billion in open interest.

Its TVL of $1.52 billion understates its true market weight. These metrics confirm that perpetuals now form a self-contained DeFi liquidity center.

Ethereum’s Remaining Strengths and the Path Forward

Ethereum’s absolute position remains strong across key DeFi metrics. DeFiLlama records $45.4 billion in TVL and $165.5 billion in stablecoins.

The chain hosts blue-chip lending protocols and the deepest stablecoin pools in the market. Institutional integrations continue to place Ethereum as the core balance sheet for DeFi.

Base adds nuance here, operating within the Ethereum technology stack. Coinbase built Base as an L2 on the OP Stack, available in over 140 countries.

Activity on Base still settles within Ethereum’s security model. DeFiLlama puts Base at $4.58 billion in TVL and $854.97 million in 24-hour DEX volume.

Two scenarios project Ethereum’s DeFi TVL share by end-2026. In the recovery path, share climbs to 55%–58% as stablecoin and lending growth outpaces specialist chains.

Ethereum’s $165.5 billion stablecoin base and lending depth support this outcome. Institutional tokenization further reinforces capital concentration on Ethereum.

In the compression scenario, Ethereum’s DeFi TVL share falls toward 46%–50% by end-2026. This occurs if Binance deepens integration, BTCFi grows further, and Hyperliquid maintains its perpetuals lead.

Ethereum would then serve as DeFi’s settlement layer while user activity shifts to specialized venues. Its stablecoin depth and institutional role keep it central regardless.

Acting Labor Secretary Sandlin’s push for earlier Fed cuts clashes with a cautious central bank, leaving crypto trading a “higher for longer” regime even as the political drumbeat for easing grows louder.

For crypto markets, what matters is less Sandlin’s individual statement and more how it interacts with the evolving Fed path. Crypto.news has already documented how falling odds of 2026 rate cuts have pressured bitcoin, with one story noting that BTC retreated after strong GDP data pushed back expectations for easing and left traders re‑pricing key support around $80,000. Another crypto.news story showed a similar pattern after disappointing jobs revisions in February: as markets inferred “higher for longer,” the total crypto market cap dropped and bitcoin slid below $67,000.

When cuts do arrive, the reaction is not always straightforward. As BitMarkets pointed out in an analysis, a recent 25‑basis‑point Fed cut to the 3.5–3.75% range, though fully priced in, did not produce the expected follow‑through in BTC and ETH, with both coins stalling as traders sold the news. In another episode tracked by TradingView’s news desk, bitcoin briefly spiked above $93,000 on the announcement of a Fed cut before fading as markets digested guidance that further easing would be gradual.

The through‑line is that crypto trades the whole policy regime, not just the direction of the next move. Goldman Sachs Research still forecasts two more Fed cuts over the next year, which would leave rates around 3–3.25%, but warns that a higher‑for‑longer scenario remains plausible if inflation stays sticky. For now, Sandlin’s call for cuts might help bolster the medium‑term narrative that political and labor‑market pressure will eventually force the Fed to ease — a backdrop that historically has favored bitcoin and ethereum as “duration” assets — but until the data flip or Fed communication softens, the balance of risk for crypto remains tied to a policy rate that is, in the Fed’s own words, “significantly in restrictive territory.”

Hong Kong’s SFC flags HabitTrade in a warning on unlicensed virtual asset platforms, but the broker insists it hasn’t done regulated business or marketed services to Hong Kong investors and blames unauthorized third‑party promoters.

HabitTrade has pushed back against an investor alert from Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission, saying it does not carry out regulated activities in the city and has not marketed its services to Hong Kong residents. In a statement posted on X, the brokerage said it “is a licensed Australian brokerage and compliant financial services platform” and that it “has not conducted any regulated business in Hong Kong, nor promoted or provided related services to the public in Hong Kong,” directly disputing any suggestion that it is operating there without authorization.

The clarification comes after the SFC published a notice reminding the public to be wary of “unlicensed platforms and related market promotional activities,” explicitly flagging HabitTrade in the context of suspicious marketing around virtual asset trading. While the regulator’s latest web alert does not yet list HabitTrade by name on its public “suspicious virtual asset trading platforms” page, the SFC has regularly used such notices to call out firms it believes may be targeting Hong Kong investors without a license. In an earlier circular on crypto products, the SFC warned that dealing in virtual asset futures or routing related orders for Hong Kong clients is a “Type 2” regulated activity and “requires a license from the SFC regardless of whether the business is located in Hong Kong.”

HabitTrade argues that any recent marketing push is not coming from the company itself. The broker said that “some third-party promotional content, video materials, and platform traffic diversion activities that have recently appeared in the market do not represent the official position of HabitTrade,” adding that it “reserves the right to trace and take legal action against any misleading promotions and violations using its brand, technological channels, or partnerships without authorization.” The firm also pledged to “adhere to a compliance-first approach and cooperate with the regulatory requirements of relevant jurisdictions to conduct necessary investigations,” signaling that it is prepared to work with authorities to identify promoters it says are misusing its name.

The dispute highlights how aggressive Hong Kong’s enforcement stance around virtual assets has become. In 2023, the SFC warned unlicensed virtual asset trading platforms that making false claims about license applications or offering prohibited services such as staking could constitute a criminal offence under the Anti‑Money Laundering and Counter‑Terrorist Financing Ordinance. In February 2024, the regulator and local police jointly warned about an alleged scam using the name of MEXC, putting the platform on its alert list and reiterating that overseas exchanges cannot market or serve Hong Kong retail users without a license, as crypto.news reported in a detailed story.

Those rules have only tightened. A recent crypto.news story on Hong Kong’s upcoming stablecoin and virtual asset regime noted that the city is building out parallel licensing systems for exchanges, custodians, dealers and advisers, and making it explicit that any foreign platform “targeting” Hong Kong investors via marketing or website localization is within scope. Against that backdrop, HabitTrade’s insistence that it has done no regulated business in Hong Kong is as much about legal risk as it is about reputation: under current SFC guidance, even the perception of soliciting Hong Kong users without a license can be enough to land a platform on the regulator’s alert list, with all the banking and counterparties problems that follow.

MegaETH has activated a MEGA token buyback program funded entirely by net revenue from its USDm stablecoin, turning Treasury‑backed yield into a standing bid for its “real‑time Ethereum” L2 token after a sharp post‑launch selloff.

The MegaETH Foundation says its MEGA token buyback plan is now live, with the first repurchase funded entirely by net earnings from USDm accumulated through the end of April. In an announcement on X, the foundation said it had “completed the first MEGA buyback using all net income generated by USDm’s issuer as of April 30,” framing the move as the start of an ongoing demand loop where the ecosystem’s stablecoin revenue is recycled into the native token.

MEGA buyback goes live, tied directly to USDm revenues

Importantly, the foundation reiterated that “USDm is not issued or operated by the MegaETH Foundation or MegaLabs,” clarifying that the stablecoin’s issuer is a separate entity even though its economics are tightly coupled to MEGA. USDm is a yield-bearing stablecoin built on Ethena’s USDtb rails, with reserves primarily invested in BlackRock’s tokenized U.S. Treasury fund BUIDL via Securitize, alongside liquid stables for redemptions. Those reserves generate a predictable yield, which flows to the USDm issuer and, under the new scheme, is then used as the funding source for MEGA buybacks.

CoinMarketCap’s overview of MegaETH notes that the MEGA token has a fixed supply of 10 billion and is used for gas, staking and governance within the “real-time Ethereum” L2, which targets sub-millisecond latency and over 100,000 transactions per second. By tying MEGA buybacks to USDm’s revenues, the foundation is effectively turning stablecoin growth and on-chain economic activity into a direct support mechanism for MEGA’s price and scarcity.

Programmatic buybacks, variable size, and market impact

According to the foundation, future MEGA buybacks will be executed “as programmatically as possible,” running automatically according to preset rules instead of being manually timed by the team. The size of each operation “will not be fixed,” it said, but will depend on “changes in USDm supply and the yield of the underlying reserve assets,” meaning that as USDm circulates more widely and its Treasury-backed yield rises or falls, the buyback firepower will adjust in tandem.

Earlier this year, the MegaETH Foundation outlined a broader economic model in which USDm functions as an “economic engine” for the L2: yield from its reserves is used to subsidize sequencer costs and network fees and, now, to fund ongoing MEGA purchases from the market. MEXC’s summary of the plan notes that USDM (often stylized as USDm) “is backed by Ethena and BlackRock’s BUIDL fund,” and that the project will “trigger MEGA token generation based on KPIs” such as reaching $500 million in USDm circulation, launching 10 apps on MegaETH, or having at least three apps generate $50,000 in fees for 30 consecutive days. DefiLlama data show USDm’s broader MegaETH stablecoin stack now has a market cap of about $810.6 million, with USDm itself accounting for roughly 58% dominance, implying a USDm supply in the neighborhood of $470–$480 million.

The timing of the first buyback is notable. AInvest reported that MEGA fell about 38% from its April 30 launch price to $0.138 amid heavy post‑TGE selling pressure from early participants. CoinMarketCap’s explainer on MegaETH says the ecosystem was designed from the outset to “use its native stablecoin’s reserve yield to fund MEGA buybacks,” positioning this week’s announcement as the moment when that theoretical flywheel actually starts to spin. If USDm continues to grow and on-chain yields remain robust, the programmatic buyback mechanism could become a persistent marginal buyer of MEGA in secondary markets, linking the token’s long-term value more tightly to real usage and stablecoin demand rather than one-off hype cycles.

Pi Network (PI) trades around $0.19 with most quant models pinning it in a cramped $0.12–$0.20 band through 2026 as token unlocks, patchy listings and soft demand keep any meaningful upside firmly capped.

Where PI trades today

Pi Network (PI) is currently changing hands at about $0.1898, according to the Pi Network price page on crypto.news, with 24‑hour volume near $25.47 million and a market capitalization of roughly $1.88 billion. That puts PI at rank 46 by market cap, with a fully diluted valuation of about $2.89 billion based on a 100 billion maximum supply.

Other trackers line up in the same band. CoinGecko quotes PI at $0.1702 with a 24‑hour volume of around $22.9 million and a 7.7 billion circulating supply figure, implying a market cap closer to $1.31 billion. Crypto.com shows a spot price of $0.1699, down about 4.97% on the day and 9.21% over the week, and Kraken’s listing has PI at $0.17 with a 5.86% 24‑hour drop. The slight discrepancies stem from different circulating‑supply assumptions and which IOU versus mainnet markets each site tracks.

2026 outlook: narrow range, modest downside bias

Model‑driven forecasts lean cautious. CoinCodex, summarized in a recent Capital.com analysis, pegs PI’s current reference price at about $0.1726 and projects an end‑2026 level of roughly $0.1316—about 25% below that mark. Its table shows a 2026 trading range between $0.1207 and $0.1760, with sentiment flagged as “bearish,” a neutral 14‑day RSI of 50.83, and PI sitting below its 200‑day SMA of $0.1966 but near its 50‑day SMA of $0.1768.

Gate’s research desk, also cited by Capital.com, is slightly more constructive. It estimates an average PI price around $0.2082 for 2026, with a band between roughly $0.1582 and $0.2706, arguing that current levels sit near the center of its modeled range. Binance’s dedicated Pi Network prediction page is more short term, projecting daily values in a tight $0.175–$0.176 corridor for early May 2026 and an incremental climb toward roughly $0.223 by 2031, implying a 27–30% gain over five years.

Crypto.news took a longer perspective in its Pi coin 2030 story, noting that PI sat near $0.20 in late 2025 with high volatility and that 2030 forecasts spanned from fractions of a cent to around $1 depending on assumptions about exchange listings, token unlocks and real‑world utility. That piece made two blunt points: a $1,000 target is fantasy, and even $1 requires a combination of full open‑mainnet adoption, sustained app growth and much broader listings than exist today.

Token unlocks, weak demand and key risks

The immediate headwind is supply. A February 2026 crypto.news story highlighted that PI had “crashed for three consecutive days” and was hovering near all‑time lows ahead of a big token unlock. Data from PiScan cited in that piece showed that roughly 205 million tokens—worth over $27 million at the time—were scheduled to be released over the remainder of the month, including more than 37 million in just two days. The article argued that with demand waning, those unlocks were likely to push price toward $0.10, especially as macro data (strong U.S. jobs numbers) kept rate‑cut hopes in check and weighed on risk assets broadly.

The structural uncertainty goes beyond any one unlock. As the 2030 story stressed, a huge share of PI remains locked, KYC completion is uneven, and exchange access is still partial, which makes price discovery messy and amplifies slippage when large holders move. Capital.com’s forecast roundup points to the same issues: future performance depends heavily on how and when more tokens enter circulation, how the project manages sell pressure from early miners, and whether it can convert its large nominal user base into on‑chain activity that justifies a richer multiple.

Taken together, the base case for 2026 is not a moonshot but a grind: most quantitative models cluster PI somewhere in the $0.12–$0.20 area, with a slightly negative skew from today’s ~$0.19 and wide uncertainty bands tied to unlock schedules and liquidity. If listings broaden and actual usage ramps, you can make a case for the upper ends of those ranges. If unlocks keep outrunning demand, the path toward $0.10 that crypto.news flagged in February may not be finished yet.

TLDR:

• ETH stays below the $2,400 resistance as repeated rejections signal weak bullish momentum overall
• Ethereum DEX volume drops 53% in six months, while DApp revenue declines nearly 49% sharply
• Solana and Hyperliquid now capture about 42% of total DApp revenue, shifting market activity
• ETH underperforms the market with 21% yearly decline compared to the broader crypto drop of 11%

Ethereum price warning signs are becoming more pronounced as the asset struggles with a weak price structure and declining ecosystem activity.

Persistent resistance, falling transaction volumes, and rising competition suggest shifting market behavior around Ethereum’s role in crypto markets.

Ethereum Price Warning Signs Intensify as Market Structure Weakens

Ethereum, once the dominant force in decentralized finance, is now showing signs of reduced momentum across multiple layers of its ecosystem.

ETH has remained below the $2,400 resistance level for nearly three months. Each attempt to break higher has been met with rejection, reflecting limited buying strength and persistent selling interest.

This weakness becomes more visible when compared to the broader market. While the overall crypto sector has declined around 11% year-to-date, Ethereum has dropped approximately 21%, signaling deeper relative underperformance.

In previous cycles, Ethereum acted as the primary liquidity engine for the market. Capital rotated through its ecosystem during periods of expansion, driven by DeFi growth, NFTs, and token issuance activity.

A market observer noted on X: “Ethereum price warning signs are increasingly linked to ecosystem slowdown rather than short-term volatility.”

Declining Ecosystem Activity and Rising Competition Pressure ETH

On-chain metrics show clear signs of weakening network engagement. Ethereum decentralized exchange volume has fallen roughly 53% over the past six months, indicating reduced trading activity across DeFi protocols.

DApp revenue has also declined nearly 49% during the same period. Since Ethereum relies heavily on transaction fees, lower protocol income reflects reduced user participation across its ecosystem.

Memecoin activity, which previously contributed significantly to network traffic, has also cooled. Lower speculative issuance has reduced transaction density and fee generation across Ethereum applications.

This shift has directly affected Ethereum’s economic model, which depends on sustained demand for block space. Reduced activity means fewer transactions and lower overall network utilization.

Another X-based commentary stated:
“Falling speculative activity has reduced Ethereum’s transaction-driven revenue cycle.”

At the same time, competition from alternative chains continues to expand. Solana has strengthened its position as a high-speed, low-cost trading environment, attracting consistent retail participation.

Hyperliquid is known for optimizing execution speed and user experience in derivatives trading. These platforms are increasingly capturing active users who once primarily operated on Ethereum.

Combined, Solana and Hyperliquid now account for about 42% of the DApp revenue share. This shift reflects a broader redistribution of economic activity across blockchain ecosystems.

Ethereum still maintains leadership in total value locked, supported by institutional trust and long-established DeFi infrastructure. However, large capital reserves do not always reflect active user engagement.

As Ethereum price warning signs continue to build, attention remains on whether the network can restore activity levels or continue ceding ground to faster-moving ecosystems.