Crypto World
Sberbank Launches Crypto-Backed Loans for Russian Corporations Amid Growing Digital Asset Demand
TLDR:
- Sberbank completed its first crypto-backed loan to mining company Intelion Data in late 2025 as a pilot program.
- Russia’s central bank permits cryptocurrency trading but prohibits domestic payments, creating specific use cases.
- Western sanctions have accelerated cryptocurrency adoption in Russian foreign trade and corporate transactions.
- The central bank plans to finalize comprehensive crypto asset legislation by July 1, 2026, for the sector.
Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender, is preparing to expand crypto-backed lending services to corporate clients following strong market interest.
The bank completed a pilot transaction with mining company Intelion Data in late 2025. This development positions Sberbank alongside domestic competitor Sovkombank in offering cryptocurrency collateral financing.
The move reflects broader adoption of digital assets in Russia’s corporate sector amid ongoing economic pressures.
Pilot Program Marks Entry Into Digital Asset Lending
The state-controlled bank issued its first crypto-backed loan to Intelion Data, accepting mined cryptocurrency as collateral. Sberbank declined to reveal the transaction value but confirmed the pilot’s success.
The bank’s spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that corporate demand has driven the expansion plans, citing “strong interest from corporate clients.” The institution now seeks cooperation with Russia’s central bank to develop proper regulatory frameworks.
Sovkombank previously pioneered this lending category among Russian financial institutions. However, Sberbank’s entry carries greater weight given its dominant market position.
The bank serves millions of corporate and retail customers across Russia. Its participation validates cryptocurrency’s growing role in mainstream Russian finance.
Sberbank aims to extend services beyond cryptocurrency miners to any corporation holding digital assets. This broader approach could unlock significant lending opportunities.
Many Russian companies have accumulated crypto holdings through various business operations. The bank’s willingness to accept these holdings as collateral provides new liquidity options.
Regulatory Environment Shapes Market Development
Russia’s central bank classifies cryptocurrencies as foreign exchange assets under current regulations. The regulator “permits their purchase and sale but prohibits domestic payments” using digital currencies.
This framework creates specific use cases while limiting others. The distinction allows Russians to hold crypto while preventing it from replacing the ruble.
The regulator plans to complete comprehensive crypto asset legislation by July 1, 2026. Sberbank expressed readiness to collaborate on developing these rules.
Proper regulation could accelerate institutional adoption across Russia’s banking sector. The July deadline suggests authorities recognize cryptocurrency’s economic importance.
Western sanctions have accelerated cryptocurrency adoption in Russian foreign trade and domestic business. Traditional global currency transactions face restrictions following military actions in Ukraine.
Digital assets offer alternative settlement mechanisms outside conventional banking channels. This practical necessity has transformed cryptocurrencies from speculative instruments to functional business tools.
International banks are exploring similar services despite different regulatory environments. JPMorgan is examining crypto-backed loan products for institutional clients.
Wells Fargo already offers such financing options. These parallel developments indicate global banking’s gradual embrace of cryptocurrency collateral. Sberbank’s initiative aligns Russia’s financial sector with international trends while addressing specific domestic needs.
- Arthur Hayes predicts the Hyperliquid crypto price could reach $150.
- Hayes’ prediction is supported by strong trading activity, which fuels more buybacks.
- The immediate resistance levels to watch sit at $35.03, $39.87, and $43.82.
The price of Hyperliquid (HYPE) has climbed steadily as it responds to growing bullish sentiment around the fast-rising derivatives exchange.
At press time, the token was trading at around the $33 after a strong recovery from recent lows.
Why is the price of Hyperliquid crypto rising?
Much of today’s Hyperliquid crypto price surge can be attributed to the excitement around Arthur Hayes’ prediction that the HYPE token could surge to $150 this year.
My essay on why $HYPE is going to $150 by August 2026.
— Arthur Hayes (@CryptoHayes) March 9, 2026
This bold forecast has quickly become one of the most talked-about topics in the crypto derivatives market.
Hayes believes the rally could unfold over the next few months as the Hyperliquid exchange continues to expand its ecosystem and attract new trading activity.
He even described HYPE as his largest liquid altcoin bet, a statement that immediately caught the attention of traders looking for the next major breakout project.
Notably, Hayes’ prediction comes at a time when decentralised derivatives platforms are gaining ground in the broader crypto industry.
More traders are exploring alternatives to centralised exchanges, especially platforms that offer deep liquidity and fast execution, and Hyperliquid has managed to capture that demand by focusing on high-performance infrastructure and a streamlined trading experience.
As a result, Hyperliquid has rapidly built a reputation as one of the most active decentralised derivatives venues in the market.
Strong trading activity supports the bullish HYPE outlook
One of the key factors supporting the bullish narrative is the platform’s growing trading activity.
Higher trading volumes translate directly into revenue for the protocol, and a large portion of this revenue is used to buy back HYPE tokens from the market.
These buybacks tighten the supply of HYPE tokens available on exchanges and help strengthen price momentum during periods of rising demand.
Nevertheless, analysts believe that reaching Hayes’s ambitious $150 target would likely require a major expansion in exchange revenue.
That kind of growth would depend heavily on continued adoption of derivatives trading within the crypto sector.
The key technical levels to watch
Beyond the fundamental story, technical indicators are also providing clues about where the Hyperliquid (HYPE) price could move next.
Recent price movements show that $32.28 has emerged as a short-term support zone since it has repeatedly held during recent pullbacks.
If that support gives way, the next support level appears near $28.98, which has acted as a historical price floor.
On the upside, traders should closely watch the $35.03 resistance level.
The cryptocurrency has tested this zone several times in recent sessions.
A clear breakout above that level could open the door for a move toward $39.87, which analysts say represents the next major resistance area.
If momentum continues beyond that point, the third resistance level sits around $43.82.
Breaking through these resistance levels would likely confirm a stronger bullish trend in the months ahead, likely towards the Arthur Hayes-predicted price target.
Institutional adoption of real-world assets (RWAs) is splitting between public and permissioned networks, exposing a divide between the liquidity advantages of blockchains like Ethereum and the privacy demands driving systems such as Canton Network.
The divergence is becoming more pronounced as tokenized assets gain traction among major asset managers.
Marcin Kaźmierczak, co-founder of blockchain oracle provider RedStone, said product development is likely to occur on public blockchains, while permissioned systems are better suited for institutional processes that require confidentiality.
“There are some operations between institutions that simply have to stay private, and this is the value proposition that Canton offers very effectively,” Kaźmierczak told Cointelegraph.
Digital Asset’s Canton Network lets banks and asset managers tokenize and settle RWAs while keeping transaction details visible only to involved parties. The network says it processed $6 trillion in RWA value in 2025.
Rather than converging on a single architecture, banks and asset managers are building parallel systems designed to serve different functions within the tokenized financial stack, according to Kaźmierczak.
Ethereum’s Merge was Wall Street’s tokenization moment
Tokenization has become one of the main narratives behind institutional blockchain adoption beyond spot crypto exposure and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
In June 2024, McKinsey estimated that tokenized assets could reach around $2 trillion by 2030. More optimistic projections have much higher forecasts, including a $30.1-trillion target by 2034 set by Standard Chartered and Synpulse.
Regulatory clarity in the US has contributed to the shift. The GENIUS Act, passed in 2025, created a federal framework for stablecoins, which serve as the settlement layer for many tokenized assets.
Kaźmierczak said confidence in Ethereum began improving earlier, after the network transitioned to proof-of-stake in 2022.
“In 2022, when I was talking to institutions, the Merge was like a big question mark for those institutions,” Kaźmierczak said. “They saw it worked without any hiccups, so it gave them this confidence.”
Kaźmierczak claimed that RWA projects among institutions started in 2023 or 2024, but as institutions work with yearly budgets, developments and project launches don’t occur in weeks or months like they do in crypto. That led to a cluster of institutions announcing tokenization projects last December, he said.
“It’s not that they started in Q4 last year. No, they started a year before, and now we are seeing the fruits.”
Today, over $26.4 billion worth of RWA tokens use blockchains as distribution layers, and over $15 billion of those are on Ethereum. It also holds the deepest liquidity as the veteran in the smart contracts circle, with over $160 billion in stablecoins.
Related: Why institutions still prefer Ethereum despite faster blockchains
Banks are splitting activity across public and private chains
Institutions separate market-facing activity from internal operations. On one hand, public blockchains provide liquidity, composability and access to decentralized finance (DeFi) strategies such as lending and tokenized vaults. On the other hand, permissioned networks are preferred for settlement processes, bilateral transactions and internal asset management workflows that cannot be exposed on open networks.
Systems such as Canton allow financial firms to automate those processes while keeping transaction details restricted to counterparties. That structure is closer to existing traditional financial (TradFi) infrastructure.
That division suggests institutional blockchain adoption may not converge on a single network model. Instead, financial firms appear to be building parallel infrastructure, with public chains handling liquidity and permissioned systems supporting operational processes behind the scenes, according to Kaźmierczak.
“There are some operations between institutions that just have to stay private, and this is the value proposition that Canton offers very effectively. That’s the reason we want to be on both of those legs,” he said.
Several major financial institutions were involved in the Canton Network from its inception. Digital Asset and a consortium of firms, including Microsoft, Goldman Sachs and Deloitte, announced the network’s launch in May 2023. In September 2024, Digital Asset and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation completed a pilot of the US Treasury Collateral Network on Canton.
According to RWA.xyz, the Canton Network has over $313 billion in represented RWA tokens, referring to assets that use the blockchain as a recordkeeping layer.
Related: Privacy tools are rising behind institutional adoption, says ZKsync dev
ZK-proofs vs. permissioned privacy
One of the clearest distinctions between the two institutional tracks lies in how privacy is achieved. While many blockchain projects pursue confidentiality through cryptographic tools such as zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, Canton relies on permissioned data sharing, where transactions are visible only to the parties involved.
Not everyone in the industry agrees that this is the strongest model. Matter Labs CEO Alex Gluchowski said in a social media exchange with Digital Asset’s Yuval Rooz that ZK systems strengthen blockchain security by requiring cryptographic proofs that every state transition follows the protocol’s rules. Even if operators or administrators are compromised, attackers cannot insert invalid transactions into the ledger without generating a valid proof of execution.
Rooz, in a blog post, claimed that fully opaque implementations of ZK systems could make it harder to audit activity in financial markets. If transaction data becomes entirely hidden, errors or fraud could remain undetected, potentially recreating the kind of “black box” conditions that once enabled corporate scandals such as Enron.
The disagreement highlights a broader architectural question for institutional blockchain adoption, as Kaźmierczak pointed out.
Financial firms are experimenting with multiple approaches to balancing privacy, verifiability and control. Public networks continue to host market-facing liquidity and DeFi activity, while permissioned systems replicate institutional processes that require confidentiality, forming parallel rails for the tokenized financial system.
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Crypto World
How United Nations Development Programme is using blockchains for public infrastructure
A new United Nations Development Programme report outlines how blockchain can support public systems.
Public institutions are under pressure to modernize faster than their systems were built to handle. In its recent report, New Tech, New Partners: Transforming development in the digital era, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) outlines a model for using blockchains as part of a broader effort to modernize public systems. The publication showcases over 40 pilot projects around the world that apply blockchain technology to improve transparency, speed and accountability of public systems. This ranges from payment infrastructure and social safety nets to climate finance and community-level funding mechanisms, enabled by fundraising platforms, wallets and digital certificates.
The UNDP uses a pipeline model, which creates purpose-built partnerships that bring governments, blockchain startups and local companies together to solve public sector problems. Institutions get an opportunity to test new tools through small, problem-led initiatives and specific use cases. These tools are implemented on a local level and designed to solve specific problems, such as inefficient payment rails for micro-entrepreneurs or regional ESG control.
In its framework, UNDP treats blockchains as a trusted ledger for coordination and verification. The ability of blockchains to support shared records, traceable transactions and rule-based processes across multiple actors makes them a useful tool for governmental systems. UNDP also makes clear that these benefits are conditional. Poor governance, weak privacy protections and flawed technical design can create serious risks, such as defects in smart contracts or Illicit use of payment systems. The report reaches a pragmatic conclusion: Blockchain can be useful, but only when institutional safeguards are built in from the start and the technology is adopted responsibly with robust oversight.
Central to UNDP’s approach is a commitment to platform-agnostic ways of working, which ensures that no single provider or protocol creates new dependencies, and that the digital infrastructure being built today remains open, interoperable, and genuinely in service of people and public purpose.
The report showcases how blockchains can be used to make public institutions more efficient and transparent, with examples from more than 40 countries across payments, financial access, identity systems and climate-related programs. Examples include projects such as crypto wallets for informal business payments, the use of eco-credit tokens and more. The cases also show how digital tools can help institutions extend services in developing nations, where trust is limited and infrastructure is fragmented.
Explore the full UNDP report to see the complete framework, lessons and portfolio of use cases.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as, legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. Cointelegraph does not endorse the content of this article nor any product mentioned herein. Readers should do their own research before taking any action related to any product or company mentioned and carry full responsibility for their decisions. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has revealed the Ethereum Foundation used a simplified distributed validator technology called DVT-lite to stake 72,000 Ether in February, tech he says could make staking for institutions much easier.
“My hope for this project is that in the process, we can make it maximally easy and one-click to do distributed staking for institutions,” said Buterin on X on Monday.
Buterin explained that with DVT-lite, users can “choose which computers run their nodes, make a config file where they all have the same key, and then from there everything gets set up automatically.”
DVT-lite is a simplified form of distributed validator technology tailored for easier deployment, especially in institutional or semi-professional Ethereum staking setups.
In regular solo staking, everything is run on one computer, which can result in “slashing” or penalties if it crashes, gets hacked, or loses internet. Full DVT splits the secret keys across many computers that constantly communicate, which is very secure, but complicated to set up.
DVT-lite uses the same validator key on several computers, so if one computer dies, another quickly takes over, resulting in almost no downtime and very low risk of penalties.
The Ethereum Foundation started its staking program using the technology in late February, and the assets are currently sitting in the validator entry queue waiting to be staked on March 19.
“One click” staking for institutions
Buterin said that the idea that running infrastructure is this “scary complicated thing” where each person participating must be a professional is “awful and anti-decentralization, and we must attack it directly.”
He added that there should be a “docker container” or “nix image” or similar, which has “one click” or command line per node that automates the process of staking.
Related: AI ‘vibe coding’ could put Ethereum roadmap ahead of schedule: Vitalik Buterin
Buterin said he plans to use DVT-lite soon and hopes more institutions holding ETH can stake in this way.
“We want the authority over staking nodes to be highly distributed, and the first step to doing this is to make it easy.”
In January, he suggested “native DVT” network integration, which would allow stakers to “stake without fully relying on one single node.”
Big demand for staking despite low prices
There is still a huge demand for Ether (ETH) staking despite its bear market price action.
There are currently 3.2 million ETH in the validator entry queue, with a 55-day wait, and just 29,000 in the exit queue with a 12-hour wait, according to ValidatorQueue.
There are currently 37.5 million ETH staked, worth around $76.5 billion at current prices (around the same as the market cap of DoorDash or Motorola), and representing 31% of the total supply.
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Crypto markets are entering a cautious holding pattern as traders prepare for the upcoming U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, a key macroeconomic indicator that could shape expectations for interest rate policy and risk asset performance.
Summary
- Bitcoin is consolidating near $70,000 ahead of the upcoming U.S. CPI inflation report.
- Technical indicators show moderate accumulation and improving momentum after February’s pullback.
- Analysts expect heightened volatility in crypto markets depending on whether inflation data surprises to the upside or downside.
Crypto market eyes CPI data as Bitcoin rebounds toward $70K
Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was trading near $70,000 on Tuesday after rebounding from February lows.
Market participants are closely watching the inflation data due on Wednesday, which could influence the Federal Reserve’s next policy moves and drive volatility across global financial markets.
Technical charts show Bitcoin recovering modestly after a prolonged pullback earlier this year. The daily chart indicates the asset fell from highs near $95,000 in January amid tariffs and Iran tensions. Bitcoin then stabilized around the $60,000–$65,000 range in February.
Since then, Bitcoin has gradually climbed back toward the $70,000 level, a zone analysts view as an important resistance area.
Momentum indicators suggest improving sentiment. The Money Flow Index (MFI) on the daily timeframe has climbed toward the mid-60s, signaling strengthening buying pressure but not yet entering overbought territory.
Meanwhile, the Accumulation/Distribution indicator has stabilized after a sharp drop earlier in February, suggesting that selling pressure may be easing as investors accumulate positions ahead of the macro event.
Macro data remains the primary driver of near-term sentiment.
Historical data comparing Bitcoin’s price performance with U.S. inflation trends shows that crypto markets have often responded sharply to shifts in CPI expectations, particularly when inflation surprises alter forecasts for Federal Reserve interest rate decisions.
According to market commentary from Morningstar, economists expect that consumer prices rose 0.3% on a monthly basis in February. That would lower the annual inflation rate to 2.9% from 3.0% in January.
Traders expect the upcoming CPI release to act as a major volatility trigger, with Bitcoin likely to test nearby resistance or revisit recent support levels depending on how the inflation data shapes market expectations.
Bhutan, one of the world’s largest nation-state Bitcoin holders, has just moved 175 Bitcoin from its main holding address as cryptocurrency markets posted modest gains on Monday.
Data from the blockchain analytics platform Arkham shows that the South Asian country moved $11.85 million worth of BTC to an address created a month ago, which had previously received 184 Bitcoin from the government.
The 175 Bitcoin are still at the address as of Tuesday, according to blockchain data. However, the previous transfer of 184 was sent to a third address, which has received a total of 1,910 Bitcoin since 2024 and currently holds 126.
In an X post on Monday, Arkham said the last time Bhutan moved a similar amount of Bitcoin — in February — it was to sell $7 million of Bitcoin with QCP Capital. The kingdom has made several sales this year.
“Bhutan periodically sells portions of its Bitcoin in clips of $5-10M, with a particularly heavy period of selling around mid-late September 2025,” Arkham said.
Arkham estimates that as of Monday, Bhutan’s holdings are around 5,400 Bitcoin, making its holdings the seventh-largest among countries. The United States has the largest country-held stash with 328,372 Bitcoin, worth just under $22 billion as of Tuesday.
Bhutan also holds various other cryptocurrencies in varying amounts, all managed by Druk Holding and Investments, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, including 28 Ether (ETH) and 28 KiboShib, an AI-generated memecoin.
Cointelegraph reached out to Druk Holding and Investments for comment, but didn’t receive an immediate response.
Bhutan has been using Bitcoin to fund services
Bhutan has accumulated roughly 13,000 Bitcoin since launching state-backed mining operations in 2019, primarily fueled by hydroelectric energy, according to Arkham.
However, following the 2024 halving, mining became less efficient due to increased costs.
Related: Strategy buys $1.3B in Bitcoin as holdings top 738,000 BTC
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay told Al Jazeera last April that during the summer months, the kingdom’s hydropower plants generate surplus energy due to increased water flow. This abundance of power makes it highly practical to utilize the excess energy for Bitcoin mining.
In an interview with Al Jazeera in March 2025, Tobgay also noted that proceeds from Bhutan’s Bitcoin have been used to fund healthcare, environmental initiatives and public servant salaries.
A growing number of Bitcoin miners have redirected their energy resources toward artificial intelligence and high-performance computing services since the April 2024 halving, which reduced mining rewards to 3.125 Bitcoin and negatively impacted overall profitability.
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The Ethereum price is fighting to hold the $2,000 line as sellers test the market’s resolve. The asset is trading at $2,050 with a weekly Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 33, signaling a crucial decision point.
$2,000 represents a longstanding psychological level that bulls have defended since the February lows. The ETH RSI reading is arguably the most important metric right now. It sits just above the “oversold” threshold of 30, a zone that has historically preceded sharp relief bounces or accumulation phases.
While macro headwinds and oil macro pressure weigh on the broader sector, due to the ongoing tensions between the US and Israel, Ethereum price action suggests a coil is tightening.
24-hour volume for ETH USD has hit $22.4Bn, with the sell-side slowing, indicating that while aggressive selling has calmed, buyers remain hesitant to commit capital until a confirmed reversal signal is in place.
Ethereum Price Prediction: Is the $2,000 Defense Sustainable?
The daily chart shows the Ethereum price trapped in a high-tension consolidation block between $1,930 and $2,050, and until either side is breached, this ranging is likely to continue.
The structure is undeniably bearish in the immediate term, with lower highs pressing against static support. However, crypto technical analysis often favors contrarian plays when the market is spooked, and right now, the Fear & Greed Index is sitting at 13/100, marking ‘Extreme Fear’.
The setup mirrors strategies often used for oversold stocks, where deep pullbacks into liquidity zones offer asymmetric risk-reward ratios for patient traders. The current consolidation suggests bears are losing momentum, but they haven’t surrendered control.
If the $2,000 level holds, the immediate target is to reclaim the 20-day EMA near $2,120. A breakout above this moving average would signal strength and open the door to $2,350.
But if support at $1,930 fails, the floor drops out. Liquidity hunters will likely target the $1,760 zone, flushing out late longs before any meaningful recovery can occur.
This weakness contrasts with competitors. Recent Solana price prediction models highlight how alternative L1s have maintained stronger market structures during this correction, adding pressure on ETH to perform.
DISCOVER: Next Crypto to Explode in 2026
The Levels That Change Everything for ETH
Traders have defined clear Ethereum support levels that could dictate the trend for March, and the market is now waiting for a definitive close to confirm the next direction for ETH USD.
To the upside, $2,120 is the level to watch. A daily close above this resistance invalidates the immediate bearish thesis and could trigger a short squeeze toward $2,200.
This move would likely coincide with a shift in Bitcoin dominance as capital rotates back into Ethereum and the broader altcoin market.
To the downside, $1,930 is the line in the sand, and a breach here would expose the April 2025 lows of $1,470. While the ETH RSI suggests a bounce is due, the price structure remains king.
The definitive signal bulls are waiting for is a high-volume breakout above $2,120; until then, the trend and global macroeconomic tensions favor the bears.
EXPLORE: Best Crypto Presales to Buy in 2026
The post Ethereum Price Defends $2,000 Support as RSI Hits Near-Oversold Levels appeared first on Cryptonews.
Bitmine Immersion Technologies moved approximately 9,600 ETH to Coinbase Prime hot wallets on Tuesday in two separate transfers, Arkham data shows.
The first transfer sent 5,300 ETH worth $10.75 million roughly nine hours ago, followed by a second batch of 4,308 ETH worth $8.74 million about three hours ago.
Both went through an intermediate wallet before landing at a Coinbase Prime hot wallet address, a routing pattern consistent with institutional custody operations.
The transfers come after Bitmine reported its largest weekly ether purchase of 2026, buying 60,976 ETH last week and bringing its total holdings above 4.5 million tokens. Chairman Thomas Lee said the firm was ramping up buying as it believes crypto is in the “late stages of a mini-crypto winter.”
Moving coins to Coinbase Prime doesn’t necessarily mean Bitmine is selling. Prime is Coinbase’s institutional custody and trading platform, and transfers there could reflect internal rebalancing, staking operations, collateral management, or preparation for OTC activity.
The balance history on Arkham shows Bitmine’s portfolio peaked near $16 billion around October 2024 and has declined to roughly $2.25 billion, reflecting ether’s price collapse rather than large-scale selling. The company is sitting on estimated losses of $7.8 billion on its position.
Ether was trading at $2,042, up 2.8% on the day.
Blockchain.com is expanding its presence in Africa with a launch in Ghana, as the crypto brokerage looks to build digital asset infrastructure across some of the region’s fastest-growing markets.
Summary
- Blockchain.com has launched operations in Ghana as part of a broader African expansion strategy.
- The move follows over 700% transaction growth in Nigeria, one of the firm’s fastest-growing markets.
- The company says rising crypto adoption in Africa is driven by remittances, currency volatility and mobile-first users.
The company announced the expansion on March 9, saying the move forms part of a broader strategy to scale operations across Africa and provide local users with a secure and compliant platform for accessing digital assets.
The Ghana launch follows strong growth in Nigeria, which has emerged as one of Blockchain.com’s fastest-growing global markets. Since officially launching retail operations in the country last year, the firm has recorded more than 700% growth in brokerage transaction volumes, according to the announcement.
Blockchain.com established operations in Lagos and hired local staff to support the expansion, with USDT, BTC and TRX emerging as the most actively traded assets among Nigerian users on the platform.
The company said demand for digital assets across Africa continues to rise, driven by factors such as currency volatility, remittance needs and a rapidly expanding mobile-first population. Nigeria has consistently ranked among the world’s top countries for crypto adoption, according to industry data.
Blockchain.com also reported growing traction in Ghana even before its formal launch. Over the past year, the firm recorded a 140% increase in active users in the country and an 80% rise in transaction volumes, suggesting strong local demand for regulated access to crypto services.
“Africa represents our mission to make financial services available to everyone globally,” said Owen Odia, the company’s general manager for Africa, adding that the firm is investing in local talent and developing products tailored to regional needs.
The company said stablecoins and digital assets could help improve cross-border settlements, reduce remittance costs and support digital commerce across West Africa.
Founded in 2011, Blockchain.com operates in more than 70 jurisdictions and has processed over $1.2 trillion in crypto transactions, with more than 90 million wallets created worldwide.
XRP price is on the cusp of a breakout from a symmetrical triangle pattern that could potentially lead to sustained gains.
Summary
- XRP price is close to confirming a bullish breakout from a symmetrical triangle pattern on the daily chart.
- Stablecoin supply on the network has surged over the past week.
According to data from crypto.news XRP (XRP) price rose nearly 4% to an intraday high of $1.39 on March 10, Asian time.
The rebound followed after the token fell nearly 8% to $1.34 from its weekly high of $1.46 led by a Bitcoin (BTC) correction amid rising inflation fears on surging oil prices and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Now, with XRP price recovering, it is drawing closer to a potential breakout from a multi-month symmetrical triangle pattern formed on the daily chart.
For context, a symmetrical triangle pattern is formed when an asset’s price moves between two converging trendlines that connect a series of sequential peaks and troughs. Typically, a breakout from the upper side of the pattern has been bullish for the asset, while a drop below the lower trendline indicates a bearish trend.
In XRP’s case, the breakout is occurring from the upper side and hence presents a bullish outlook for the token in the coming sessions.
At press time, momentum indicators like the MACD and RSI are also suggesting that a strong recovery is underway. The MACD line was pointed upwards, while the RSI had formed a bullish divergence with XRP’s recent price action, suggesting that selling pressure is cooling off.
For now, the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level at $1.42 stands as the key resistance zone that traders would be keeping an eye on.
Breaking out from this level could potentially trigger a rally to $2.06, a target calculated by adding the height of the symmetrical triangle pattern formed to the price point at which the breakout would be confirmed. The target lies nearly 50% from the current price of $1.38.
A major catalyst that could support its gains is the growing stablecoin supply on the XRPL network. Data from DeFiLama show that the total stablecoin supply on the network has gone up 2.5% over the past 7 days to $426 million.
A greater supply means more liquidity and trading activity on the network, and investors often see such growth as a sign of increasing demand for the underlying ecosystem.
However, some caution is warranted as institutional demand for the altcoin has slowed. Notably, U.S. spot XRP ETFs recorded $22 million in net outflows over the past two weeks, breaking a four-week inflow streak.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
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