Crypto World
Crypto Market Loses $1.5 Trillion in Two Quarters: Is the Worst Still Ahead for Bitcoin?
TLDR:
- Crypto markets shed over $1.5 trillion across Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, with Bitcoin driving nearly 60% of total losses.
- Gold outperformed Bitcoin by nearly 40% in recent months, a strong signal that large capital favors safety over risk assets.
- Bitcoin has traded flat between $65K and $69K for weeks despite rising oil prices and growing geopolitical tensions globally.
- BTC dominance and the gold-to-Bitcoin ratio remain the two most critical metrics to watch for early signs of market recovery.
The crypto market sits at a crossroads as Bitcoin consolidates within a narrow range. Over the past two quarters, digital assets lost over $1.5 trillion in total market value.
Institutional capital has pulled back, and macro forces are weighing on risk appetite. Traders are watching carefully as the market weighs potential recovery against further downside, with conditions outside crypto likely determining the next major move.
Bitcoin’s Recent Losses Point to Broader Institutional Retreat
Bitcoin led the market lower across Q4 2025 and Q1 2026. Combined, those two quarters wiped out roughly 45% in value from the broader market. BTC accounted for nearly 60% of total losses recorded during that period.
That detail changes how analysts read the sell-off. When Bitcoin drives the drawdown, it is not retail traders dumping speculative tokens. It reflects real capital reducing exposure across the entire asset class.
As MR Black noted on X, “When BTC is leading the drawdown, it isn’t a sector rotation. It isn’t retail panic selling memecoins.” That observation carries weight, especially for investors trying to time a re-entry into the market.
Gold’s Outperformance Sends a Clear Risk-Off Signal
The XAU/BTC ratio has shifted nearly 40% in gold’s favor over recent months. Gold offers no yield and carries no technological narrative. Its strength signals that large capital holders are choosing preservation over growth.
That ratio matters because it reflects institutional psychology, not retail sentiment. When the biggest players move into gold, it means confidence in risk assets remains low. Crypto has not yet shown the kind of recovery that would pull that capital back.
However, analysts note that this ratio could become one of the first signs of a turnaround. When it begins reversing, it may indicate that risk appetite is returning and that institutional money is ready to rotate back into Bitcoin.
Sideways Price Action Raises Questions About What Comes Next
Bitcoin has traded between roughly $65,000 and $69,000 for several weeks. That range has held despite rising geopolitical tension, higher oil prices, and growing inflation concerns. Normally, any of those factors would trigger sharp movement in crypto markets.
The muted reaction suggests one of two things. Either the market has already absorbed much of the uncertainty, or it remains so undecided that it needs a strong external trigger to break either way. That ambiguity makes directional calls difficult right now.
BTC dominance remains a key metric to track through this period. When dominance rises, capital clusters in Bitcoin and altcoins suffer.
When it falls, capital rotates into higher-risk assets, and historically that rotation has preceded some of the strongest alt-season runs in a given cycle.
The path forward for crypto depends heavily on macro developments in the coming weeks. If oil cools and geopolitical risks ease, the current consolidation could prove to be a base for recovery.
If conditions worsen, further downside remains possible, with altcoins likely absorbing the most pressure. Traders watching signals beyond the price chart may be better positioned for whatever move comes next.
Crypto markets bounced 2.5% as US President Donald Trump sent mixed signals over a potential deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, including reports of a possible ceasefire that could permanently end the war.
In an expletive-laden post on the Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump threatened that Iran would be “living in Hell” if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
However, he also acknowledged in a Fox News interview that Iran is “negotiating now” and expressed optimism about a “good chance” of a deal within 24 hours.
Total market capitalization has climbed about $70 billion, or 2.5%, to an 11-day high of $2.44 trillion in early trading on Monday on the news. Bitcoin tapped $69,500 on Coinbase, according to TradingView.
The small jump has led to total liquidations of around $255 million over 24 hours, 73% of them being short positions, according to data from CoinGlass.
Trump’s comments come after more than a month of war, contributing to surging global oil prices that some fear could lead to a global economic recession.
Trump initially gave Iran a 10-day window to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but his latest post suggests that Iran now has until Tuesday to reopen the waterway, or the US would attack Iran’s power plants and bridges.
“There will be nothing like it!!! Open the fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!” he said.
A potential deal within 24 hours
Despite the aggressive rhetoric, Trump also acknowledged that Iran is “negotiating now” and expressed optimism about a “good chance” of a deal within 24 hours.
He also said, “If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil.”
Related: New Bitcoin price lows ‘matter of time’ says trader with BTC stuck at $67K
A report from Axios, meanwhile, suggests that the US, Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing the terms of a 45-day ceasefire that could lead to an end of the war, adding further mixed signals.
Oil prices surge, adding inflation pressure
The ongoing war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have pushed crude oil prices back up to about $112 per barrel on Monday morning.
The Kobeissi Letter predicted that if current levels are sustained for another seven weeks, US Consumer Price Index-related inflation will rise to around 3.7%.
Meanwhile, Americans have spent an additional $240 million per day on fuel costs since the Iran war began Feb. 28, it added.
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Bitcoin jumped 3% to $69,120 on Monday as traders returned from the Easter weekend to a burst of optimism around a potential Iran ceasefire, pushing the largest cryptocurrency to its highest level in over a week and squeezing $196 million in short positions over the past 24 hours.
Ether led a bump among major tokens with a 3.7% gain to $2,130, its strongest daily move in the past week. SOL rose 2% to $82, XRP added 2.2% to $1.34, and dogecoin climbed 1.7% to $0.093. The broad rally pushed the total crypto market cap back above $2.5 trillion.
The catalyst was an Axios report that the U.S., Iran, and a group of regional mediators are discussing terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the six-week-old conflict.
Reports that more ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz added to the relief, even as Trump issued increasingly aggressive threats to destroy Iran’s power plants starting Tuesday.
The liquidation data tells the story of how the market was positioned heading into the weekend.
Of the $273.8 million in total 24-hour liquidations across 81,819 traders, shorts accounted for $196.7 million versus $77.1 million in longs, a ratio of nearly 3-to-1 that indicates traders were heavily positioned for further downside after last week’s sentiment collapse. The largest single liquidation was a $10.17 million ETH-USDT short on Binance.
Bitcoin’s 24-hour range stretched from $66,634 to $69,350, a $2,700 swing that caught the worst of the short positioning.
The move came after Santiment data over the weekend showed social media sentiment had hit its most bearish skew since the war began, with five negative posts for every four positive ones. As is often the case in crypto, the most bearish sentiment reading of the cycle produced the sharpest bounce.
The move reclaims the top of bitcoin’s five-week war range but does not break it. The $65,000 to $73,000 channel that has contained every rally and selloff since the conflict began remains intact.
Resistance levels at $71,500 and $81,200, corresponding to the Lower Band and Trader On-chain Realized Price indicators as tracked in a CoinDesk report, sit overhead as the next meaningful tests if the ceasefire momentum holds.
Whether this rally has more substance than the last three depends entirely on whether the 45-day ceasefire materializes or becomes another headline that gets walked back within 48 hours.
Rwanda’s central bank has doubled down on its crypto stance, warning that payments and trading using the local currency remain illegal even as Bybit rolls out support for the Rwandan franc on its peer-to-peer (P2P) platform. The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) said crypto-assets are not authorized for FRW payments, FRW conversions, or FRW-based P2P trading, flagging “serious financial risks and no recourse in case of loss.”
The warning followed Bybit’s Friday post announcing that the Rwandan franc could be used to buy and sell crypto via its P2P service. In a separate note, the NBR underscored that FRW is the sole legal tender in the country and that NBR-licensed financial institutions are prohibited from converting FRW into crypto assets or vice versa. Critics say the move reflects Rwanda’s broader policy of keeping monetary sovereignty tightly controlled while still pursuing digital-era infrastructure through non-cash instruments.
Bybit did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the exchange’s announcement appears to sit at odds with the central bank’s reiterated position. The clash illustrates the tension between global crypto offerings and national regulators that have pressed to limit on- and off-ramp activity in local currencies.
Rwanda has been quietly advancing a digital-money agenda alongside its fiat framework. The country has an ongoing effort centered on a central bank digital currency (CBDC) known as the e-franc rwandais, which remains in a proof-of-concept stage with potential to move into a pilot phase. The e-franc is part of a broader push in parts of Africa to explore digital currencies while enforcing strict controls on the use of private crypto assets.
Rwanda is not alone in this approach. Across the continent, policymakers have sought to preserve monetary sovereignty and regulate crypto services more narrowly, a stance that has intensified as the sector grows. In Rwanda’s case, authorities emphasize that while they are open to regulated innovation, crypto should not replace the FRW in everyday transactions.
Key takeaways
- NBR warning on FRW-based crypto activity: Crypto payments, FRW conversion, and FRW FRW-based P2P trading remain outside the legal framework, with officials flagging financial risk and lack of recourse.
Bybit has enabled FRW for P2P crypto trading, but the central bank maintains that such activity is not authorized under current law. The e-franc rwandais is in a proof-of-concept stage and could progress to a pilot, signaling a measured move toward digital-state money. A draft law from the Capital Market Authority aims to regulate virtual asset service providers, with licensing and supervision, and specific prohibitions on mining, mixers, and FRW-pegged tokens. Chainalysis data place Rwanda low in Sub-Saharan crypto adoption for 2024–2025, highlighting a contrast with higher-adoption peers in the region and suggesting regulatory clarity will be pivotal for future growth.
NBR’s stance and the Bybit friction
The central bank’s message was issued via its official communications channel, reaffirming that FRW remains the only legal tender and stressing that licensed institutions are barred from converting FRW into crypto assets or the reverse. This stance aligns with a cautious regulatory environment that has accompanied Rwanda’s broader efforts to regulate and supervise crypto-related activities through licensing regimes rather than embracing open, unrestricted crypto use. The stated risk is not merely financial but also anchored in a lack of formal recourse for losses arising from crypto trades executed in FRW terms.
Bybit’s involvement underscores a growing appetite among global exchanges to experiment with fiat-backed P2P rails in markets with strict crypto rules. The exchange’s Friday post indicated that users could leverage FRW to engage in crypto trades on its platform, effectively creating a channel for on-and-off ramps that regulators have not approved. The net effect is a policy ambiguity that can complicate decision-making for local users and financial institutions alike.
Regulatory momentum: licensing, supervision, and the path forward
In March, Rwanda’s Capital Market Authority released a draft framework aimed at regulating virtual asset service providers. The document frames a licensing and supervision scheme intended to foster “responsible innovation” while limiting potential risk to financial stability. The bill would prohibit crypto assets as legal tender, ban crypto mining, disallow mixing services, and bar tokens pegged to the FRW. It also outlines a pathway for crypto service providers to operate under a formal license, signaling a more formalized approach to crypto activity in the country.
These developments come as Rwanda seeks to balance digital modernization with prudent oversight. The CMA’s draft suggests a future in which regulated entities can offer crypto-related services without eroding the authority of the FRW-based financial system. In practical terms, this means licensed exchanges and wallet providers could operate within a defined legal framework, while unregulated activity remains off-limits or subject to penalties.
Adoption landscape and regional context
Chainalysis data illustrate a nuanced picture of crypto adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa, placing Rwanda toward the lower end of the spectrum for 2024–2025. The analysis shows that residents in Rwanda captured only a fraction of the crypto value observed in higher-adoption countries such as Nigeria and South Africa. Policymakers in Rwanda have repeatedly cited financial sovereignty and consumer protection as reasons for tightening crypto access, even as the country explores digital central bank money and modern payment rails.
Observers note that Rwanda’s cautious approach could shape how quickly crypto services gain traction in the country. A clearer licensing regime and defined boundaries between FRW and crypto usage could reduce regulatory risk for compliant providers, but the absence of a clear green light from the central bank can also dampen consumer and merchant enthusiasm for crypto as a payments instrument.
As Kigali advances its digital-money strategy, market participants will be watching for the CMA’s final version of the virtual assets bill, any official guidance on P2P FRW activity, and how the e-franc PoC evolves toward a broader rollout. The balance between enabling innovation and maintaining monetary control will likely define Rwanda’s crypto trajectory in the near term.
Readers should stay tuned for updates on regulatory progress, the evolution of the e-franc project, and any practical clarifications from the NBR and CMA that could affect the viability of FRW-linked crypto services in the country.
Ethereum (ETH) derivatives activity has surged to levels that dwarf the spot market. On Binance, futures volumes are now running roughly seven times higher than the actual buying and selling of the asset.
The imbalance signals that speculative positioning, not organic demand, is the primary force behind recent ETH price movements.
Binance Dominates a Leverage-Heavy ETH Market
According to analyst Darkfost, ETH open interest across exchanges is approximately 6.4 million ETH. That figure approaches the all-time high of 7.8 million ETH set in July 2025, following a gradual recovery from a low of around 5 million ETH in October 2025.
Binance alone accounts for roughly 2.3 million ETH in open interest, or about 36% of the global total. Moreover, the spot-to-futures trading volume ratio on the exchange has fallen to 0.13, marking the lowest annual reading ever recorded for Ethereum.
“In practical terms, this means that futures volumes are now about seven times larger than spot volumes. In other words, for every $1 traded on the spot market, roughly $7 flows through futures contracts,” the analyst said.
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The analyst warns that leverage-heavy positioning leaves ETH exposed to sharp swings, as forced liquidations or position unwinds could trigger outsized price moves.
“This dynamic suggests that speculation is currently driving price movements on Ethereum. The extensive use of leverage does not provide a strong structural foundation and can amplify volatility through position adjustments or liquidation events,” Darkfost wrote.
Geopolitical Stress Fuels the Divide
The derivatives-heavy structure has taken shape against a volatile macro backdrop. The ongoing US-Israeli military conflict with Iran and disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz have pushed oil prices sharply higher throughout 2026.
Rising energy costs have fed inflation expectations and dampened risk appetite across traditional and digital asset markets. Darkfost said that this environment has pushed more cautious investors to the sidelines.
However, speculative participants remain active in the derivatives market, widening the gap between leveraged and spot-based activity.
Heavy reliance on leverage without a strong spot demand foundation makes the market vulnerable to sudden dislocations. When large leveraged positions begin to unwind, cascading liquidations can follow, amplifying price swings in both directions.
Whether spot demand returns to stabilize the structure may depend on how quickly geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions improve.
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The post Ethereum Derivatives Flash Warning as Leverage Outpaces Spot Demand appeared first on BeInCrypto.
The US labor market appears increasingly reliant on a single driver. Labor Department data shows that healthcare and social assistance have accounted for nearly all net private-sector job growth since December 2024, while the rest of the economy has shed jobs.
A breakdown of the numbers reveals a sharp divide between one booming sector and widespread weakness across virtually every other industry.
Healthcare Props Up US Labor Market as Rest of Private Sector Contracts
The Global Markets Investor noted that the US economy has added an average of just 21,000 jobs each month since the beginning of 2025. This represents an annual pace of roughly 0.2%.
The post stated that the job creation has “never been this weak” outside of a formal recession. To put this in perspective, annual employment growth averaged about 2.2% between 1948 and 1979, slowed to 1.5% from 1980 to 2007, and dropped further to roughly 0.8% during both 2008–2019 and 2020–2024.
At present, job growth is running at a pace nearly four times weaker than during the post-financial crisis period and more than ten times weaker than during the post-war expansion.
Meanwhile, healthcare and social assistance have added approximately 57,000 jobs per month since December 2024. That means the rest of the private sector has been losing an estimated 21,500 jobs per month over the same stretch.
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“Since December 2024, healthcare and social assistance has added ~855,000 jobs, while the rest of the private sector has lost -322,000. That means a single sector is masking a broad-based CONTRACTION across the rest of the world’s largest economy,” Global Markets Investor wrote. “Healthcare and social assistance now represents NEARLY ALL net private-sector job creation since the end of 2024.”
The March 2026 jobs report reinforced the pattern. The economy added 178,000 nonfarm payrolls, but healthcare alone accounted for 76,000 of those positions.
“Remove one sector and the labor market is already in a RECESSION,” the post added.
This concentration raises a key concern: without one sector propping up employment, the broader labor market may already resemble recessionary conditions, even as headline figures suggest continued growth.
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The post US Labor Market Shows Recession-Level Weakness Outside One Sector appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Michael Saylor has hinted his Bitcoin treasury firm is back on track with its weekly Bitcoin purchases after taking a rare week off at the end of March.
In an X post on Sunday, Saylor shared a screenshot from StrategyTracker with the caption “Back to Work.” He often posts the chart ahead of purchase announcements.
The firm took a week off from buying BTC at the end of March, breaking its weekly buying streak for the first time this year. The firm’s last purchase was reported on March 23, buying about $77 million worth of BTC at $74,326 per coin.
One of the main avenues Strategy uses to fund Bitcoin purchases is via the sale of its perpetual preferred stock, Stretch (STRC). The stock is designed to generally trade around its par value of $100, which is aided by a monthly dividend adjustment mechanism.
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Strategy issues new shares of STRC and then allocates the proceeds generated from the market into Bitcoin buys.
According to estimates from STRC.LIVE, Strategy could be set for a purchase of at least 1,821 BTC based on funds raised for the week ending April 3.
Despite the week off, the firm is showing no signs of slowing down. In late March, Strategy announced plans to raise $44.1 billion to fund BTC purchases primarily via the selling of its common MSTR shares and STRC.
According to Strategy’s website, the firm has acquired a total of 762,099 BTC for an average cost of $75,694 per coin. At current prices of about $69,100, Strategy’s holdings are in the red overall.
However, Bitcoin is in the green over the last month, increasing by 1.2% over the past 30 days, according to data from CoinGecko. The price is still down 20.9% year-to-date amid geopolitical tensions and a challenging macro climate.
Bitchat, a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app developed by Block CEO Jack Dorsey, has been removed from Apple’s App Store in China for allegedly violating its internet service regulations.
In an X post on Sunday, Dorsey shared a screenshot from Apple’s app review team informing him that Bitchat had been removed from the App Store in February and that the TestFlight beta version would no longer be available in China at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).
“Bitchat pulled from the China App Store,” he said.
Bitchat has seen its popularity rise during protests in Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia and Iran in recent months, as governments attempted to shut down regular communication channels and internet access to curb dissent.
The peer-to-peer encrypted messaging service runs entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks and operates without an internet connection, which could put it at odds with China’s internet-censorship-prone regime.
Bitchat violated internet regulator’s provision
The CAC argued Bitchat violated Article 3 of its regulations governing online services with public opinion or social mobilization capabilities, which came into force in 2018.
Under the provisions, any online services that could influence public opinion or enable social mobilization are required to conduct a security assessment before launch and “be responsible for the assessment results,” according to a Google Translate version of the regulations.
The app review team also said all apps on its store must comply with local requirements in the countries where they are available.
Related: Dorsey shares AI-integrated workplace vision weeks after Block’s 40% staff cut
“We know this stuff is complicated, but it is your responsibility to understand and make sure your app conforms with all local laws, not just the guidelines below. And of course, apps that solicit, promote or encourage criminal or reckless behavior will be rejected,” they added.
Still available in other countries
Despite being pulled in China, Bitchat remains available in other countries, according to Apple’s app review team.
Chrome download stats show the app has been downloaded more than three million times, with more than 92,000 in the past week. The Google Play Store has recorded more than one million registered downloads.
However, neither specifies which regions were responsible for the bulk of downloads.
By comparison, WeChat, developed and operated by Tencent, one of China’s largest tech companies, has an estimated 810 million users in China, out of a national population of more than 1.4 billion.
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Xandeum, a scalable, smart contract-native storage layer for Solana, has officially launched STOINC (Storage Income) on mainnet.
With STOINC now live, Xandeum introduces a usage-driven, on-chain storage economy, enabling applications, node operators, and the broader network to participate in value creation tied to actual storage demand.
Unlike traditional reward mechanisms that rely on token emissions, STOINC is powered by actual storage usage. Every interaction with the Xandeum storage layer generates fees that are collected and distributed across the network.
At the end of each cycle, storage fees are distributed across the Xandeum network economy, rewarding pNode participation, supporting staking incentives as they come online, and funding continued ecosystem growth.
“Storage must become a first-class citizen in Web3,” said Bernie Blume, Founder of Xandeum. With mainnet live and community pNodes already online, STOINC marks the beginning of a usage-based storage economy designed to support the next generation of storage-enabled dApps on Solana. “With STOINC, we’re moving beyond theory into real usage, where storage activity directly translates into economic value.”
The launch addresses a key limitation in blockchain infrastructure: scalable, native storage for smart contracts. By enabling this, Xandeum supports a new category of applications known as storage-enabled dApps (sedApps).
Upcoming developments include XAND staking to pNodes, deployment of native applications, and expansion into enterprise use cases.
As Web3 evolves toward real-world utility, scalable storage becomes critical infrastructure. STOINC positions Xandeum as a key player in this transition, where usage drives value creation.
About Xandeum
Xandeum is building a scalable, smart contract-native storage layer for Solana, enabling decentralized applications to access large-scale storage with seamless integration.
The post Xandeum Launches STOINC on Mainnet, Introducing Usage-Based Storage Income for Web3 appeared first on BeInCrypto.
A familiar voice is back with a familiar, and controversial, call on bitcoin .
Mike McGlone, senior commodity strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence, is reiterating that bitcoin could crash to $10,000.
But this time, he’s framed it with a very clear line in the sand: $75,000.
If bitcoin decisively reclaims and holds that level, the bearish thesis breaks. If it can’t, McGlone’s view is that the path of least resistance is sharply lower, with prices falling all the way to $10,000, the level last seen in early 2020.
The $10,000 magnet
McGlone’s uber bearish forecast of a crash to $10,000 isn’t new. It’s been circling for weeks, and it is based more on market structure than short-term catalysts.
The cryptocurrency spent a long stretch hovering around $10,000 before the massive wave of fiat liquidity hit the markets following the coronavirus-induced 2020 crash. That era of zero rates, stimulus checks and aggressive liquidity easing by central banks torched unprecedented risk-taking across all corners of the financial markets. It played a major role in lifting BTC permanently above $10,000.
“Before the biggest money pump in history in 2020-21, Bitcoin hovered around $10,000, and it may be reverting. Roughly $10,000 is also the first-born crypto’s most traded price since 2017, when futures were launched,” McGlone noted on LinkedIn.
With that era of abundant liquidity now behind us, McGlone suggests that bitcoin may revert to what he considers its equilibrium price — around $10,000.
According to him, $10,000 has been the most heavily traded price zone since 2017, when the CME futures began trading. In other words, $10,000 isn’t just a round number — it’s where a huge amount of historical volume sits.
McGlone also points to the crypto market’s explosive growth as a potential drag on bitcoin. In 2017, bitcoin largely defined the space, but today, millions of tokens compete for attention and drain capital away from the industry leader. In his view, that surge in supply has become a structural headwind rather than a tailwind.
“Unlimited crypto supply and use-case rivals are Bitcoin headwinds,” McGlone said on LinkedIn, adding that stablecoins represent “the most enduring trend” in crypto. He expects ether to become bigger than ether and eventually bitcoin.
“I expect the ‘flippening’ to continue, with Tether’s AUM topping Ethereum in 2026 and eventually Bitcoin,” he said.
The $75K invalidation level
McGlone’s bearish forecast hinges on prices staying below $75,000. This level has been a major turning point for market trends over the past 12 months. The March-April 2025 slide ran out of steam at around $75,000, while the early 2024 rally stalled there. Furthermore, $75,000 corresponds to key Fibonacci retracement levels.
Think of it as a market verdict threshold. A sustained move above it would suggest that bitcoin has re-established strong structural demand, ending the downtrend that began at October highs above $126,000. It would imply that institutional flows, macro conditions, or both are strong enough to override his reversion thesis.
Fail to get there — or get rejected again — and the argument flips: bitcoin may still be trapped in a longer-term decline to $10,000.
Franklin Templeton is setting up a standalone cryptocurrency division by acquiring 250 Digital, a firm spun off from venture capital outfit CoinFund earlier this year.
The $1.7 trillion asset manager is making its boldest digital-asset move yet, targeting pension and sovereign wealth funds.
What Franklin Templeton Is Building
The unit will operate under the name Franklin Crypto. Christopher Perkins and Seth Ginns, both former CoinFund executives, will run day-to-day operations. Sandy Kaul, who leads innovation at Franklin, will oversee the group.
Franklin has been in crypto since 2018 and currently employs more than 50 digital asset specialists. The firm already offers a bitcoin ETF and runs a tokenized money-market fund on Binance. This acquisition shifts its strategy from passive products toward actively managed institutional offerings.
Timing matters here. Bitcoin has shed roughly 45% since crossing $126,000 last fall. About $2 trillion has evaporated from total crypto market capitalization. Franklin’s leadership appears to view the downturn as a window to consolidate talent and build infrastructure cheaply.
Paying With Tokens
Perhaps the most unusual aspect is the payment structure. Franklin will use BENJI tokens, backed by its blockchain-based government money fund, to cover part of the purchase price. That makes this one of the first corporate acquisitions partially settled on-chain.
The deal should close by mid-2026. No financial terms were released.
The post Franklin Templeton Launches Crypto Unit Amid Market Slump appeared first on BeInCrypto.
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