Bitmine Immersion Technologies announced that its Ethereum holdings have risen to 5.28 million ETH. This gives the company ownership of about 4.37% of Ethereum’s total circulating supply of 120.7 million ETH.

The company said its combined crypto, cash, and “moonshot” holdings now total $12.6 billion as of May 17.

Bitmine Closes In on ‘Alchemy of 5%’

Over the past week alone, Bitmine added 71,672 ETH, while its total staked Ethereum holdings reached 4,712,917 ETH, which is worth approximately $10.3 billion based on an ETH price of $2,191. The company said nearly 89% of its ETH treasury is now staked, generating annualized staking revenues of around $289 million, with a reported 7-day staking yield of 2.80%.

In its latest press release, Bitmine revealed that it is now 87% of the way toward its long-term target of acquiring 5% of Ethereum’s total supply, a goal Chairman Tom Lee believes could be reached sometime in 2026. In addition to its ETH treasury, the company also holds 202 Bitcoin, $685 million in cash, a $200 million stake in Beast Industries, and an $83 million position in Eightco Holdings, which it described as one of the few publicly traded companies offering indirect exposure to OpenAI.

Bitmine recently launched MAVAN, short for Made in America VAlidator Network, its institutional-grade Ethereum staking platform designed to support its treasury operations and eventually expand to custodians, institutional investors, and ecosystem partners. A portion of the company’s ETH is already staked through the platform.

ETH Weakness

Ethereum (ETH) briefly dropped to a low of $2,097 on Monday, its weakest level since April 7, as selling pressure continued across the crypto market. At press time, ETH was trading around $2,132, down nearly 3% over the past day. Reacting to the decline, Lee believes rising oil prices have been one of the main reasons behind the second-largest crypto asset’s recent weakness. On X, Lee explained that ETH’s inverse correlation with oil is now at its highest level ever, and added that Ethereum prices have moved lower during the past six weeks as oil climbed higher.

As such, a reversal in oil prices could help ETH recover in the short term. Still, he said the recent slump does not change ETH’s broader outlook, which he believes remains supported by tokenization growth and increasing demand from agentic AI systems. He also views the recent pullback as an “attractive opportunity.”

The post Bitmine’s Ethereum Hoard Surges Past 5.28 Million ETH as Company Nears 5% Supply Target appeared first on CryptoPotato.

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XRP price has dropped by 2% to below its $1.40 support, yet institutional money flow beneath is anything but quiet. Citadel’s name is now attached to XRP exposure across multiple products, and a confirmed $500 million Ripple funding round adds hard infrastructure to what could otherwise read as speculative positioning.

Reports circulating across research desks indicate Citadel Advisors has built $1.7 million in XRP ETF and trust exposure spanning Bitwise, Canary, Franklin, and Grayscale XRP Trust calls. However, primary 13F filings have not yet confirmed the exact positions.

What is confirmed, though, is that Citadel Securities and Fortress Investment Group co-led a $500 million strategic round in Ripple on November 5, 2025, valuing the company at $40 billion. That capital targets custody, stablecoins, and prime brokerage infrastructure. If the ETF filing is confirmed, Citadel has two very different bets that point in the same direction.

Meanwhile, XRP investment products pulled in approximately $81.59 million in net inflows during April, with spot ETFs logging consecutive heavy-flow days of $25.80 million and $18.52 million in mid-May. The SEC’s active review of NYSE Arca’s crypto ETF proposals, which bundle XRP alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, also adds a regulatory catalyst.

Discover: The best crypto to diversify your portfolio with

Can XRP Price Break Toward $1.55 This Week?

XRP is consolidating in the $1.37–$1.41 range, a zone that has absorbed multiple test runs without a decisive breakdown. Support sits near the $1.35 area, and that floor appears increasingly well-defended as net inflows remain positive week-over-week.

Derivatives and technical analysis desks have flagged a potential 12% upside breakout setup, with short-term targets clustering around the low-double-digit percentage move from current levels, implying a path toward $1.55. Institutional desks cited in ETF-flow coverage argue that sustained net inflows above tens of millions per week would materially strengthen the breakout case.

Xrp (XRP)

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Three scenarios worth tracking:

• Bull case: ETF inflows remain elevated, SEC review delivers positive signals, XRP clears local resistance and tests $1.55+ within days.
• Base case: Consolidation continues in the $1.37–$1.45 band for another one to two weeks as the market digests institutional positioning data.
• Bear/invalidation: A confirmed break below mid-$1 support on elevated volume resets the structure and delays any breakout thesis considerably.

Momentum is leaning constructively, but XRP has delivered false breakouts before. The Citadel disclosure, confirmed or not, is less important than the ETF inflow cadence.

Discover: The best pre-launch token sales

LiquidChain Eyes Early Positioning as XRP Consolidates at Key Levels

XRP price consolidation is a familiar story: strong institutional narrative, legitimate inflow data, but near-term upside capped by a market cap already north of $85 billion. That math limits the multiple. For traders who’ve already made the XRP trade and are scanning for asymmetric early-stage exposure, the infrastructure layer feeding the next cycle of cross-chain activity is drawing attention.

LiquidChain ($LIQUID) is a Layer 3 execution environment that fuses Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana liquidity into a single unified layer. It’s a direct infrastructure play on the fragmentation problem that plagues multi-chain DeFi.

The project’s Unified Liquidity Layer enables single-step execution and verifiable settlement across all three ecosystems; developers deploy once and access all. The presale is currently priced at $0.0146, with $770K raised to date and a huge 1400% APY staking bonus for early buyers.

Research LiquidChain and assess whether the infrastructure thesis fits your risk profile.

The post XRP Price Could Rally Soon: Institutional Funds Keep Flowing In as Citadel Joins the Race appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Minnesota-based banking institutions and credit unions are set to offer some crypto custody services beginning in August.

On Friday, Governor Tim Walz signed House File (HF) 3709 into law, permitting “certain virtual-currency custody services to be offered and performed” by financial institutions in the US state.

One of the original sponsors in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Bernie Perryman, said in March that the bill was intended to ensure that “Minnesota-based financial institutions are allowed to evolve alongside their customers and members rather than forcing Minnesotans to rely on unregulated, out-of-state or offshore providers for services.”

The new law authorizes banks and credit unions to provide virtual-currency custody services in a nonfiduciary capacity from Aug. 1. The law amended Minnesota’s statutes to allow the financial institutions to engage “third-party service providers or subcustodians to facilitate virtual-currency custody services,” provided the funds were “legally and operationally segregated” from the bank’s or credit union’s assets and not treated as its property.

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Source: Minnesota legislature

The crypto custody law could potentially affect operations at all the financial institutions in the state.

The state’s government information portal shows that, as of May 2025, there were 240 commercial insured banks operating in Minnesota, with about $128 billion in assets, and 82 member-owned credit unions under the Minnesota Credit Union Network. The country’s seventh-largest bank by total assets, U.S. Bancorp, is based in Minneapolis.

Related: Bitcoin Depot stock crashes 71% premarket after Chapter 11 filing

In addition to the crypto custody law, Minnesota lawmakers advanced a bill to ban digital asset kiosks and ATMs across the state in response to incidents of residents being scammed.

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Crypto companies look to federal regulators for banking, custody services

Earlier in this month, Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, said it had filed with the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust company charter. According to the company, it planned to establish Payward National Trust Company with “fiduciary custody and other services primarily for digital assets” if approved.

Payward’s move was one of many by crypto-related companies attempting to secure federal approval under the Trump administration. The OCC approved or conditionally approved similar charter applications for Ripple Labs, BitGo, Circle, Fidelity Digital Assets and Paxos in December, and is considering a charter for World Liberty Financial, the company co-founded by US President Donald Trump and his sons.

Magazine: Bitcoin ETFs bleed $1B, Aave’s $71M ETH unfreeze bid delayed: Hodler’s Digest, May 10 – 16

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Bitcoin has fallen below $78,500 and is consolidating near the $76,500 support level, with a bearish trend line forming resistance at $77,700 on the hourly chart.

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An active exploit on the Verus-Ethereum Bridge has resulted in $11.58 million in losses, according to security firm Blockaid.

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The European fintech giant is launching a physical debit card that lets users spend the popular meme coin anywhere Visa and Mastercard are accepted with zero extra exchange fees.

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Iran has unveiled Hormuz Safe, a Bitcoin-backed insurance service enabling shipping companies to obtain coverage for transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

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A U.S. jury handed Elon Musk a decisive loss on May 18, 2026, ruling he waited too long to sue OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman.

The verdict means Musk’s high-stakes claims of mission betrayal are over, clearing OpenAI’s path to commercial dominance.

OpenAI Wins: Musk’s AI Suit Crushed by Time Limit

The advisory jury in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California found Musk’s breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment claims time-barred.

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Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit, donated tens of millions, and left the board in 2018.

He sued in 2024, arguing the shift to for-profit with Microsoft funding violated founding promises. Jurors agreed he knew of the changes years earlier.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is expected to accept the jury’s advisory finding, dismissing the liability phase.

Musk had sought over $130–150 billion in remedies, Altman’s removal, and structural reversal, now off the table.

Crypto Markets React Calmly

Crypto traders showed little panic. Bitcoin and major altcoins held steady, highlighting “Musk fatigue” in volatile markets.

The outcome strengthens centralized AI leaders like OpenAI (valued near $850B+), potentially sidelining decentralized AI-crypto projects that champion open-source and non-profit models.

Tesla (TSLA) faces short-term pressure as Musk’s xAI pushes forward without courtroom distractions in the AI race.

Musk has repeatedly called most cryptocurrencies “scams” while Tesla holds significant Bitcoin.

The ruling affirms that donors challenging nonprofit-to-profit pivots years later face steep hurdles.

It reduces legal uncertainty for Big Tech AI investments and boosts OpenAI’s IPO prospects alongside its Microsoft ties.

Musk’s team is expected to appeal, with final judgment from the judge coming soon.

OpenAI advances toward public listing, while crypto-AI initiatives may accelerate decentralized alternatives to challenge corporate control.

Investors should track TSLA volatility, Bitcoin’s correlation with AI news flow, and xAI developments for emerging opportunities in this high-stakes tech-crypto intersection.

Neither Sam Altman nor Elon Musk had commented on this development as of this writing.

The post Elon Musk Loses OpenAI Battle: Jury Rules “Too Late” appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Key points:

• Bitcoin has pulled back to the $76,000 level, a crucial near-term support level to watch.
• Several major altcoins have broken below their near-term support levels, indicating that the bulls have given up.

Bitcoin (BTC) came under pressure on Monday after US President Donald Trump warned Iran that the “clock is ticking” and they better get moving fast. Analyst CryptoRover said in a post on X that a potential US military operation against Iran “is extremely dangerous for $BTC.”

Institutional investors also seem to be turning cautious in the short term. According to SoSoValue data, spot BTC exchange-traded funds recorded $1 billion in weekly net outflows. That was the first net outflow after six successive weeks of inflows totaling $3.4 billion.

Crypto market data daily view. Source: TradingView

While several traders are cautious on BTC’s prospects in the near term, Michael Saylor’s Strategy, the world’s largest public Bitcoin holder, continued to buy BTC. Strategy purchased 24,869 Bitcoin for $2.01 billion between May 11 and 17, boosting its holdings to 843,738 BTC, per Monday’s 8-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. 

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Could BTC and the major altcoins bounce off their crucial support levels? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out. 

S&P 500 Index price prediction

The S&P 500 Index (SPX) rallied to a new all-time high of 7,517 on Thursday, where short-term traders booked profits.

SPX daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The index may pull back to the 20-day exponential moving average (7,273), a crucial support level to watch. If the price rebounds off the 20-day EMA with strength, it suggests a positive sentiment. That increases the likelihood of an uptrend resuming toward the 8,000 level.

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Sellers will have to tug the price below the 20-day EMA to weaken the bullish momentum. If they do that, the index may witness a deeper pullback to the 7,002 level.

US Dollar Index price prediction

The US Dollar Index (DXY) turned up from the 97.74 support and broke above the moving averages.

DXY daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

There is minor resistance at 99.34, but if the bulls sustain the price above it, the index may reach the stiff overhead resistance at 100.54. Sellers are expected to fiercely defend the 100.54 level, as a break and close above it would signal the start of a new uptrend. The index may then surge to 101.97.

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Conversely, if the price turns down from the current level or from the 100.54 resistance and breaks below the 50-day simple moving average (98.98), it suggests that bears remain active at higher levels. That may keep the index range-bound between 97.74 and 100.54 for a few more days.

Bitcoin price prediction

BTC continued its slide and has reached the 50-day SMA ($75,627), suggesting bears are attempting to take charge.

BTC/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Buyers will have to sustain the BTC price above the 50-day SMA to retain the advantage. The first sign of strength will be a close above the 20-day EMA ($78,715). That opens the door to a rally toward the $84,000 resistance.

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Instead, if the price closes below the 50-day SMA, it increases the risk of a drop to the support line of the ascending channel pattern. Buyers are expected to vigorously protect the support line, as a break below it may sink the BTC/USDT pair to $65,000.

Ether price prediction

Ether (ETH) continued its downward march and closed below the support line of the ascending channel pattern on Sunday.

ETH/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The 20-day EMA ($2,255) has begun to turn lower, and the RSI is near oversold territory, indicating that bears are in control. Any recovery attempt is expected to face selling at the 20-day EMA. If the ETH price turns down sharply from the 20-day EMA, the likelihood of a drop to $1,916 increases.

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Buyers have an uphill task ahead of them. They will have to drive and maintain the ETH/USDT pair above the moving averages to signal a comeback.

XRP price prediction

XRP (XRP) has dipped below the 50-day SMA ($1,39), indicating that the bears are attempting to gain the upper hand.

XRP/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

If the price closes below the 50-day SMA, the next likely stop is the solid support at $1.27. Buyers are expected to defend the $1.27 level with all their might, as a close below it may sink the XRP/USDT pair to $1.11 and later to the psychological level at $1.

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Buyers are expected to face selling at the downtrend line and then at the $1.61 level. A break and close above the $1.61 resistance signal a short-term trend change. The XRP price may then march to $2 and subsequently to $2.40.

BNB price prediction

BNB (BNB) pulled back from the $687 overhead resistance and broke below the 20-day EMA ($648). 

BNB/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

There is minor support at the 50-day SMA ($637), but if the level cracks, the BNB/USDT pair may plummet to the solid support at $570. This is a crucial level to watch out for, as a close below $570 indicates the start of the next leg of the downtrend. The pair may then collapse toward $500.

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On the contrary, if the BNB price turns up from the 50-day SMA, it suggests demand at lower levels. Buyers will have to thrust the price above the $687 resistance to indicate strength. The pair may then rally to $730 and then to $790. 

Solana price prediction

Solana (SOL) closed below the 50-day SMA ($85) on Sunday, indicating that the bears are on a comeback.

SOL/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

There is support at $82, but the recovery is expected to face selling at the 20-day EMA ($88). If the SOL price turns sharply down from the 20-day EMA, the likelihood of a break below the $82 support increases. That opens the doors for a drop to the $76 level.

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The first sign of strength will be a close above the 20-day EMA. That shows solid buying at lower levels. The bulls will be back in the driver’s seat after the SOL/USDT pair closes above the $98 resistance.

Related: Hyperliquid eyes 55% price rise after Silicon Valley investor’s ‘massive HYPE buy’

Dogecoin price prediction

Dogecoin (DOGE) has dipped below its 20-day EMA ($0.11), suggesting that bulls have given up in the short term.

DOGE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

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The flattish 20-day EMA and the RSI just below the midpoint suggest a range-bound action between $0.09 and $0.12 for some more time. 

Buyers will have to push and sustain the DOGE price above the $0.12 resistance to signal the start of a new up move. The DOGE/USDT pair may then climb to $0.14 and later to $0.16.

On the downside, a break and close below the $0.09 support indicates the resumption of the downtrend. The pair may then slump to $0.08.

Hyperliquid price prediction

Hyperliquid (HYPE) has been volatile for the past few days, indicating a tough battle between the bulls and the bears.

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HYPE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The bulls pushed the HYPE price above the $45.77 resistance, but the long wick on the candlestick shows selling at higher levels. Buyers will have to secure a close above the $45.77 level to clear the path for a rally to the $50 to $51.43 zone.

The 20-day EMA ($42.55) is the critical support to watch out for on the downside. A break below it suggests that the HYPE/USDT pair may consolidate inside the $38.17 to $47.32 range for a while.

Cardano price prediction

Cardano (ADA) has dipped below the 50-day SMA ($0.25), indicating that the bears continue to exert pressure.

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ADA/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The flattish moving averages and the RSI just below the midpoint suggest the ADA/USDT pair may oscillate inside the $0.22 to $0.31 range for a few more days.

The next trending move may begin on a close above the $0.31 resistance or below the $0.22 support. If the ADA price turns up and breaks above $0.31, the pair may pick up momentum and soar toward $0.40. Alternatively, a close below $0.22 signals the resumption of the downtrend toward the target objective of $0.13.

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Bitcoin is trading at $76.8k as the third week of May opens. It has surrendered the $80k breakout that defined the prior week’s narrative. The short-term bullish trendline that supported the inner rally structure has been broken, and the price has pulled back into the mid-range of the large ascending channel on the daily timeframe. The support zone at $75k is now the line in the sand.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

On the daily timeframe, it is evident that the ascending channel breakout has been invalidated, and the asset has returned inside the structure and is now testing the middle portion of the range near $76k–$75k. The 100-day MA has declined to approximately $72k and is approaching from below, providing a rising floor that narrows the downside risk. Yet, the 200-day MA, currently located around $81k, is pushing the price lower from above, after rejecting it decisively.

The support zone at $75k is the critical area to defend, as it represents the most recent bullish order block and short-term swing low. A rebound here and a recovery back above $80k would suggest the pullback was corrective and the broader uptrend intact.

However, if the price breaks below $75k, a further decline back toward the 100-day MA and the $72k demand area would be expected. Such a move would raise questions on whether the recent recovery has been a genuine one or simply another trap for early buyers.

BTC/USDT 4-Hour Chart

The bearish RSI divergence that built through the $80k–82k highs earlier this month has resolved exactly as the pattern suggested. The inner bullish trendline from April has been broken, and the RSI has dropped sharply below 35, approaching oversold on this timeframe for the first time in the past couple of months.

The price is now sitting at the upper edge of the $75k–$76k support zone. A bounce from here, accompanied by a bullish RSI divergence and recovery from oversold values, would signal that the correction is exhausted and another rally toward $80k could be expected.

On the other hand, failure to hold $75k opens the lower support area at $70k–72k, which also aligns with the daily ascending channel’s lower boundary and the 100-day moving average. Therefore, if the $75k zone breaks, buyers would face a critical battle at the $72k region to prevent the market from a deeper crash.

On-Chain Analysis

The Adjusted SOPR has recovered from its February low of below 0.98, which is a reading that confirmed widespread capitulation as sellers offloaded coins below their cost basis, all the way back to 1.005. The metric has just crossed the critical 1.0 threshold that separates profitable from loss-realizing behavior. Historically, the recrossing of 1.0 from below has marked the transition from bear-market behavior to recovery.

The fragility of the current reading matters, though. At 1.005, aSOPR has barely cleared the line, and any meaningful price decline back toward $70–72k risks pushing it below 1.0 again, which would signal that the recovery has stalled and sellers are once again realizing losses. Holding the $75k support zone is therefore not just a technical requirement but an on-chain one, as it is the price level that keeps the aSOPR above 1.0 and the recovery narrative intact.

The post Bitcoin Price Analysis: What’s Next for BTC as Key Trendline Breaks? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

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