The early mythology of crypto painted hackers as digital outlaws — anonymous figures draining protocols overnight and disappearing into the shadows forever. But decentralized finance has evolved into something stranger. Today, many DeFi exploiters do not simply steal and vanish. They negotiate. They send messages. They return partial funds. Some even attempt to reinvent themselves as “security researchers” after causing hundreds of millions in damage.

In traditional finance, bank robbers do not usually open dialogue with the institutions they rob. In DeFi, however, exploiters often become reluctant diplomats, engaging in public negotiations through blockchain transactions, governance forums, and encrypted chats. The line between criminality and opportunism becomes blurry, creating a psychological gray zone unique to crypto culture.

The result is one of the most underrated dynamics in Web3: DeFi exploits are not only technical events — they are social and psychological performances.

The Rise of the Negotiated Hack

One of the most unusual aspects of DeFi exploits is how often attackers return part of the stolen funds. In some cases, protocols recover nearly everything after offering a “bug bounty” to the exploiter. In others, attackers keep a percentage while returning the rest as part of an informal settlement.

This behavior seems irrational at first glance. Why would someone capable of stealing millions willingly give money back?

The answer lies in the structure of blockchain transparency.

Unlike traditional financial crimes, most DeFi exploits happen in public. Every transaction is visible. Wallets are traceable. Blockchain analytics firms monitor movements in real time. The exploiter may be anonymous, but the stolen assets themselves become radioactive. Moving large amounts of stolen crypto without detection is extraordinarily difficult.

As a result, many attackers eventually face a psychological pivot:

• Keep all the funds and become globally hunted
• Or partially cooperate and reshape the narrative

That second option has created a bizarre middle ground where exploiters attempt to transition from villain to negotiator.

The “Whitehat” Narrative

Crypto has developed a peculiar moral loophole: the “whitehat” claim.

After draining protocols, some attackers argue they were merely exposing vulnerabilities. They frame themselves not as thieves, but as security experts forcing the industry to improve. Even when exploits cause chaos, panic, and liquidity collapse, the attacker may later claim their intentions were protective.

Sometimes this narrative is partly true. Ethical hackers have historically uncovered vulnerabilities and received legitimate bug bounties. But DeFi blurred the distinction between responsible disclosure and financially motivated exploitation.

An exploiter may:

• Drain funds first
• Negotiate afterward
• Return some assets
• Then request immunity and rewards

In essence, they retroactively rewrite the story.

The psychology here is fascinating because it reflects a desire for legitimacy. Many exploiters do not want to see themselves as criminals. They prefer to imagine themselves as elite actors operating outside flawed systems. By adopting the “whitehat” label, they seek social validation from the same industry they attacked.

This becomes especially powerful in crypto because the ecosystem often celebrates technical brilliance, even when it appears in destructive forms.

Reputation Laundering in Web3

Traditional criminals hide their identities. Crypto exploiters sometimes build brands.

This phenomenon could be called reputation laundering — the process of transforming public perception after an exploit through selective cooperation, philosophical messaging, or strategic fund returns.

Some attackers publish manifestos explaining why the protocol “deserved” to be exploited. Others portray themselves as antiheroes, exposing greed, centralization, or weak security practices. A few even become respected figures later in the industry under new pseudonyms.

In Web3 culture, technical competence can sometimes overshadow ethics.

An exploiter who demonstrates exceptional blockchain knowledge may gain a strange form of admiration online. Communities occasionally romanticize them as genius coders rather than financial predators. This creates an environment where attackers may feel incentivized to manage their public image rather than simply escape.

The blockchain itself becomes a stage.

Every on-chain message, wallet interaction, or negotiation is watched in real time by the crypto community. Exploiters know this. Protocol teams know this. The audience becomes part of the psychology.

On-Chain Negotiations: Diplomacy Through Wallets

One of the most surreal developments in DeFi is the emergence of on-chain diplomacy.

Instead of courtroom negotiations, conversations happen through:

• Blockchain transaction messages
• Governance proposals
• Public wallet communications
• Twitter posts
• Forum threads

Protocols have openly negotiated with attackers, offering immunity deals or bounty agreements if funds are returned. In some cases, exploiters counteroffer.

The dynamic resembles hostage negotiation more than cybersecurity.

Why does this happen?

Because DeFi lacks many traditional enforcement mechanisms. Smart contracts operate globally, often without centralized control. Legal systems move slowly across jurisdictions, while crypto moves instantly. As a result, protocols frequently prioritize fund recovery over punishment.

This creates a psychological power shift.

The exploiter temporarily controls leverage, while the protocol attempts persuasion rather than force. Both sides understand that a partial recovery may be preferable to a total loss.

Ironically, decentralization unintentionally created environments where negotiation often becomes more practical than absolute justice.

The Ego Factor

Many DeFi exploits are not purely financial. Ego plays a major role.

Attackers often leave clues, messages, memes, or taunts. Some appear to enjoy demonstrating superiority over protocols managing billions in user funds. The exploit becomes proof of intellectual dominance.

In psychology, this resembles a performance of mastery.

The attacker is not only extracting money — they are proving they can outsmart entire teams, audits, and ecosystems. Public attention amplifies this behavior. Every exploit instantly becomes headline news across crypto Twitter, Telegram, and Discord.

For certain personalities, the recognition itself becomes rewarding.

This may also explain why some exploiters negotiate publicly instead of disappearing quietly. Remaining engaged keeps them central to the narrative. It transforms the event into an ongoing spectacle where the attacker maintains influence long after the initial exploit.

Why DeFi Keeps Repeating the Cycle

The uncomfortable truth is that crypto culture sometimes unintentionally reinforces these dynamics.

Protocols often:

• Celebrate returned funds as “successful resolutions.”
• Offer large bug bounties after attacks.
• Avoid aggressive legal escalation.
• Publicly thank exploiters for cooperation.

While understandable from a recovery standpoint, these responses may normalize exploit-driven negotiation strategies.

Attackers observe previous cases and learn:

• Exploit first
• Negotiate later
• Keep a percentage
• Rebrand afterward

This creates a dangerous incentive structure where gray-hat behavior becomes strategically attractive.

The industry may eventually need to confront a difficult question:

At what point does rewarding exploiters encourage the very behavior protocols claim to oppose?

The Human Side of Decentralized Crime

DeFi exploits are often discussed purely in technical language:

• Flash loans
• Oracle manipulation
• Reentrancy attacks
• Bridge vulnerabilities

But behind every exploit is human psychology:

• Fear
• Ego
• Rationalization
• Reputation management
• Social influence
• Moral ambiguity

That human layer is what makes DeFi exploits uniquely fascinating.

The blockchain did not remove human behavior from finance. It amplified it in public view.

Every exploit becomes more than theft. It becomes negotiation theater — a live demonstration of how anonymity, incentives, transparency, and online culture reshape morality in digital economies.

And perhaps that is the strangest part of all:

In crypto, hackers do not always want to disappear.

Sometimes, they want to be understood.

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TLDR

• XRP price has stayed under pressure for over a week as bearish trading conditions persisted.
• CryptoQuant data shows XRP liquidity on Binance has dropped close to zero.
• Lower liquidity suggests fewer sell orders are available on the exchange.
• Reduced supply on Binance may ease selling pressure in the short term.
• Analysts say low liquidity conditions can attract large buyers into the market.

XRP price has remained under pressure for over a week as trading activity slowed. New data from CryptoQuant shows liquidity on Binance has dropped close to zero. Analysts say the shift could reduce selling pressure and support a price recovery.

XRP Price Faces Supply Tightening on Binance

XRP has traded in a bearish range for several days as sellers dominated the market. However, fresh on-chain data points to a shift in supply conditions. CryptoQuant reported that XRP’s 30-day liquidity index on Binance has fallen sharply. The metric now sits close to zero after declining during the recent price drop.

Liquidity measures how easily traders can execute orders without affecting price levels. Lower liquidity often reflects thinner order books on exchanges. With fewer sell orders available, large buy orders can move prices more quickly. This condition often changes short-term trading dynamics.

The drop in liquidity suggests that XRP supply on Binance has reduced. At the same time, demand levels appear to be holding steady. CryptoQuant data highlighted the rapid decline in available liquidity during the recent downturn. This shift occurred as XRP continued to trade lower across the broader crypto market.

Liquidity Crunch May Ease Selling Pressure

Market analysts state that reduced liquidity can limit selling pressure during weak price trends. Thin order books reduce the ability of sellers to absorb incoming buy orders. Analysts explained that low liquidity often attracts large buyers seeking price inefficiencies. These participants can enter positions with smaller capital inflows. Historical data shows similar liquidity squeezes have preceded price rebounds. In earlier cases, XRP recorded sharp upward movements shortly after supply tightened.

A CryptoQuant analyst stated that “liquidity near zero indicates reduced sell-side pressure.” The analyst added that such conditions can support upward price movement. The recent data follows a broader slowdown in exchange activity across crypto markets. Trading volumes have declined on several major platforms, including Binance.

XRP continues to trade under pressure despite the changing liquidity conditions. The token has not yet confirmed a reversal in price action. As of May 25, Binance data shows XRP liquidity remains near its lowest recorded level.

Bitcoin (BTC) needs fresh spot demand to absorb the rising BTC supply across exchanges and exchange-traded funds. Recent exchange inflows and ETF outflows created nearly 34,000 BTC in local selling pressure, while derivatives data showed the latest recovery was driven mostly by short covering. 

Bitcoin researcher Axel Adler Jr. said BTC exchange and exchange-traded fund (ETF) activity continue to show a local supply imbalance despite the latest recovery. The weekly exchange netflows climbed by roughly 18,000 BTC, indicating more coins were added to exchanges than were withdrawn. Higher BTC inflows increase the near-term selling supply.

Bitcoin weekly exchange netflows. Source: CryptoQuant

The spot BTC ETFs also recorded net outflows of nearly 16,000 BTC during the same period. Adler said that the institutional flows failed to absorb exchange supply and instead reinforced the recent risk-off phase in the market.

The two metrics generated around 34,000 BTC in sell pressure across exchanges and ETFs. Adler noted that the BTC exchange netflows likely need to shift back toward neutral or negative territory before the price rebounds gain stronger momentum.

Glassnode analyst cryptovizart also noted that daily ETF trading volume has dropped to below $20 billion, down from above $50 billion in late 2025. Lower trading activity points to fading speculative demand through traditional finance channels and to weaker spot absorption during rallies.

Spot BTC ETF trading volume. Source: Glassnode

Related: BTC price to attack $80K shorts on Iran peace deal: Five things to know in Bitcoin this week

Bitcoin open interest reset eases pressure

The rebound toward $77,800 followed a brief dip below the $75,000 support level, with buyers quickly reclaiming lost ground. The recovery also aligned with improving investor sentiment after reports of a possible US-Iran peace deal reduced broader market risk concerns and lifted appetite for risk assets.

BTC price, spot CVD, aggregated open interest, and funding rate. Source: Velo chart

Derivatives data showed the rally was largely driven by traders closing positions. Aggregated Bitcoin open interest fell to around 250,000 BTC from nearly 268,000 BTC during the rebound phase, then recovered slightly to 254,000 BTC on Monday. The decline pointed to short covering activity as bearish traders exited positions after BTC reclaimed support.

Aggregated funding rates also cooled during the move higher, dropping to around 0.0026 from recent highs near 0.008 while staying in positive territory. The reset reduced the immediate long-squeeze risk and showed that leveraged long positioning had become less crowded during the recovery.

Crypto analyst Rei Researcher noted that the daily funding rate has remained negative since February 2026, indicating that short traders continue to pay longs to hold positions. The analyst added that Bitcoin’s ability to stabilize near $77,500 despite persistent short-term pressure points suggests steady spot demand is absorbing supply on higher time frames.

Glassnode data also showed signs of cooling sell pressure. The price momentum weakened by 21.7% during the drop, while spot cumulative volume delta (CVD) and futures CVD climbed by 77.2% and 35.5%, respectively. The shift indicated that selling activity began to ease as market positioning became more balanced.

For BTC to build momentum toward the $80,000 level, open interest and spot demand need to rise in tandem with price.

BTC perpetual CVD data. Source: Glassnode

Related: Bitcoin risks drop to $72K as demand metric hits 2026 lows

TLDR

• A third-party module exploit drained about $3.2 million from 86 Gnosis Safe wallets.
• Squid confirmed it had no role in deploying or operating the vulnerable contract.
• The attacker bypassed security by using a fake validation string accepted by the module.
• Stolen funds were swapped through Uniswap V3 pools into a worthless attacker-created token.
• The attacker consolidated around $3.07 million in DAI into a single wallet.

A third-party module exploit drained about $3.2 million from 86 Gnosis Safe wallets across Ethereum and Base. Squid clarified it had no role in the vulnerable contract and distanced itself from the incident. Security firms Blockaid and PeckShield confirmed the attack unfolded within roughly two hours.

The compromised contract appeared on Basescan under the name SquidRouterModule. However, Squid stated the module was unrelated to its core infrastructure.

Squid Denies Involvement in Exploited Module

Squid co-founder Fig addressed the issue in a public post on X. He said, “The contract called SquidRouterModule is unrelated to Squid.”

The project explained that its core router remained separate and unaffected. It added that the team had no knowledge of who deployed the contract. The official Squid account also corrected early reports linking the exploit to its system. It stated that the module only shared the name and had no direct connection.

The team emphasized that the product was built by a third party. It said the module integrated with several protocols without prior coordination. Squid confirmed it had no contact with the developers behind the contract. The project maintained that its systems remained secure throughout the event.

Exploit Drained Funds Through Fake Validation and Swaps

According to investigators, the module accepted a caller-supplied string as proof of message security. This flaw allowed attackers to bypass signature verification. Once validated, attackers executed arbitrary calldata from affected Safes. This enabled unauthorized transfers of tokens without owner approval.

Blockaid reported that the attacker used Foundry-based exploit contracts. These contracts impersonated authorized delegates through the module’s DelegateBundler function. The attacker routed stolen assets through Uniswap V3 pools. They swapped tokens into a worthless asset labeled “u.”

After swaps, the attacker removed liquidity from those pools. They then consolidated the funds into about $3.07 million in DAI. PeckShield confirmed the funds now sit in a wallet starting with “0xa447…54859.” The firm also traced initial funding of 2.1 ETH to Tornado Cash.

The incident adds to growing crypto losses in 2026. DeFi platforms have recorded over $770 million in total losses this year. April alone saw around 30 separate incidents. These events resulted in more than $630 million drained from various protocols.

Squid recently raised $6 million in a funding round led by North Island Ventures. Ripple, Dialectic, and Borderless also participated. The project stated it has completed nine independent audits. It also reported 99.99% uptime with no prior exploit incidents.

Cross-chain compliance gaps at blockchain bridges are crypto’s most dangerous AML blind spot, ThetaRay CEO Brad Levy says.

Compliance teams monitoring crypto transactions lose the trail the moment assets cross a blockchain bridge. Brad Levy, CEO of ThetaRay, calls this the Cross-Chain Compliance Gap, the blind spot that emerges when funds move from Ethereum to a Layer 2 or alternative chain and the transaction data fragments at the crossing point.

“Somewhere between where Ethereum ends and an L2 or alternative chain begins, the data becomes fragmented as the money moves through blockchain bridges,” Levy said. In 2026, real transaction volumes are scaling through these routes and legacy banks are encountering a frontier their AML systems were never built for.

Why blockchain bridges are the gap no one is watching

TRM Labs has documented that most illicit actors in 2026 move assets through bridges and privacy tools within minutes. The structural problem: retail bank AML sees fiat, blockchain analytics tools see the crypto side, and neither sees the bridge.

“No one sees the bridge,” Levy said. “Since ThetaRay’s AI is agnostic to the rail, it provides the connective tissue that monitors the behavioral fingerprint of the individual across both worlds.”

ThetaRay recently flagged a UK retail customer declared as a packer, an occupation not associated with high-volume financial activity. The system found she had received over £134,000 from nearly 40 counterparties, including nine companies with no previous history, then executed regular crypto purchases multiple times a month, often on consecutive days.

“While traditional rule-based systems would have classified these as isolated transfers, our AI connected the dots and flagged them as an unlicensed crypto exchange or illicit investment portal,” Levy said.

Crypto.news has reported on AML becoming the dominant enforcement axis in crypto in 2026, with fines exceeding $900 million in the first half of 2025 alone.

How criminals use chain-hopping to reset their financial history

Levy describes L2s and blockchain bridges as reset buttons, resetting the financial history of funds at each hop. By the time a legacy bank flags a fiat withdrawal as suspicious, the money has already moved through multiple chains.

“Criminals understand that a retail bank’s AML system isn’t talking to a Solana explorer in real time,” Levy said. “They reset their financial history by leveraging the complexity of L2s and bridges.”

Crypto.news has tracked CertiK research showing AML enforcement overtook securities classification as the primary risk axis for crypto businesses in 2026.

What the next two years will demand from banks and regulators

Levy’s outlook for the next 12 to 24 months is a structural shift he calls “converged monitoring,” collapsing separate Retail AML and Crypto Risk teams into a single AI-driven overlay that tracks an individual’s behaviour across all transaction types.

“Having separate teams for Retail AML and Crypto Risk will no longer be a viable strategy,” Levy said. The overlay he foresees maintains a risk profile for each individual continuously, not just when they cross a monitored threshold on a single rail.

Crypto.news has covered the US Treasury proposing AML rules for stablecoin issuers under the GENIUS Act, treating payment stablecoin operators as financial institutions under the Bank Secrecy Act.

Levy sees the direction as unambiguous. “If there are any blind spots between fiat and crypto over the next year, they will be viewed as governance failures,” he said.

Stanford cryptographer Dan Boneh says Bitcoin should prepare for quantum risk now, but warns a rushed post quantum migration could cause worse failures than the threat itself.

Bitcoin’s post quantum transition debate is escalating after Isabel Foxen Duke highlighted a fresh interview with Stanford cryptographer Dan Boneh, who argued that the bigger near term danger may be a buggy migration rather than an imminent quantum attack on the network.

In the interview, Boneh said, “Don’t panic, but don’t ignore,” framing quantum risk as a serious long range engineering problem rather than an immediate doomsday event for Bitcoin (BTC).

His most pointed remark was the one amplified on X: “If you try to aggressively move to a post quantum architecture, like for example by 2029, I think that would be a mistake for the blockchain,” adding that “a hasty transition to post quantum, in my mind, is more likely to cause a catastrophic bug than we’ll be attacked by a quantum computer.”

Why is Bitcoin discussing quantum now?

The immediate trigger is a March 30 whitepaper from Google Quantum AI, coauthored by Boneh, which said Shor’s algorithm against the 256 bit elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem on secp256k1 could run with “≤1200 logical qubits and ≤90 million Toffoli gates” or “≤1450 logical qubits and ≤70 million Toffoli gates.”

The paper added that, on superconducting architectures with ${10}^{-3}$10−3 physical error rates and planar connectivity, those circuits “can execute in minutes using fewer than half a million physical qubits.”

Boneh told Foxen Duke that Google’s estimates matter, but he still views a cryptographically relevant quantum computer before 2035 as possible yet unlikely under current funding levels. He said anything by the end of the decade “seems very aggressive,” though not impossible if the field were treated like a national priority.

That tension has already spilled into Bitcoin governance. BIP 361, titled “Post Quantum Migration and Legacy Signature Sunset,” says more than 34% of all bitcoin had revealed a public key on chain as of March 1, 2026, leaving those UTXOs theoretically vulnerable to a sufficiently powerful quantum attacker.

What is Boneh actually proposing?

The dispute is broader than timelines. Boneh argued Bitcoin should strongly consider hybrid signatures that combine existing elliptic curve cryptography with post quantum schemes, rather than forcing a binary jump. He also said he would prefer lattice based signatures over purely hash based designs because they preserve more room for threshold signatures and further cryptographic innovation.

That argument sits inside a wider industry push. In another crypto.news report, Coinbase advisers similarly warned that the threat is not immediate but preparation cannot wait. And in crypto.news coverage, the current consensus remained that no existing machine can break Bitcoin today, even as the estimated resource threshold is falling.

Key Highlights

• Security Matters stock advances on growing recycling authentication demand

• SMX shares climb as verification technology gains commercial relevance

• Material traceability solutions enhance SMX’s position in plastic markets

• Escalating production expenses boost demand for certified recycled content

• Corporate brands pursue authenticated proof for sustainable plastic sourcing

Security Matters (SMX) stock closed at $7.76, registering a 2.65% increase following volatile trading that touched $7.85. The upward movement coincided with heightened commercial interest in authenticated recycled plastic systems. Escalating raw material expenses have positioned verification and supply chain transparency as critical components within the global plastics industry.

SMX (Security Matters) Public Limited Company, SMX

Security Matters Stock Benefits from Heightened Industry Cost Pressures

The recent uptick in SMX’s share valuation mirrors expanding market attention toward certified recycled plastic ecosystems. Security Matters delivers technology solutions designed to authenticate recycled material content throughout complex supply networks. Furthermore, the company’s infrastructure enables continuous material monitoring, identity verification, and regulatory documentation support.

Production companies currently contend with elevated expenses spanning energy procurement, freight operations, and petroleum-derived raw materials. These economic strains impact sectors including packaging production, consumer product manufacturing, distribution networks, food preservation systems, and healthcare supply chains. Consequently, recycled plastic alternatives have evolved beyond mere environmental marketing narratives.

Plastic materials continue serving essential functions in consumer products and commercial manufacturing. They provide product protection, prolong product viability, and underpin extensive distribution systems. Nevertheless, increasing petroleum-linked expenses are fundamentally altering corporate evaluation criteria for recycled material sourcing strategies.

Authentication Technology Emerges as Financial Management Strategy

SMX establishes verifiable identity credentials for recycled plastics through proprietary molecular tagging systems. The organization integrates imperceptible markers directly into material substrates while connecting them to blockchain-secured digital documentation. This architecture enables corporations to monitor material origins, composition percentages, custody transfers, and regulatory alignment status.

This infrastructure empowers organizations to validate procurement specifications and material authenticity. It simultaneously serves purchasing departments, compliance officers, government agencies, supplier networks, and end consumers. Additionally, authenticated documentation streams can minimize commercial conflicts surrounding recycled content declarations.

The company’s service portfolio encompasses material authentication, custody documentation protocols, digital material credentials, and comprehensive lifecycle tracking capabilities. These offerings facilitate recycled plastic integration into premium industrial applications. Therefore, verification infrastructure can accelerate market penetration during periods of intensified cost sensitivity.

Security Matters Capitalizes on Transforming Material Economics

Virgin plastic pricing typically correlates with petroleum feedstock valuations, energy market fluctuations, and logistics expenditures. Diesel fuel inflation simultaneously elevates freight costs across truck-transported merchandise categories. These dynamics cascade through packaging systems, retail operations, and consumer household goods.

This transformation signals the emergence of Economic Parity within recycled plastic markets. This concept describes the inflection point where recycled and virgin plastic cost structures begin converging. Upon reaching this threshold, authenticated recycled materials transition into strategic financial instruments rather than exclusively sustainability-driven alternatives.

SMX positions itself strategically within this evolution by emphasizing authentication, material identity verification, and comprehensive data infrastructure. Absent robust verification protocols, recycled plastic encounters skepticism and inadequate documentation standards. Through enhanced certification frameworks, organizations can deploy recycled inputs with improved confidence alongside more precise expenditure management capabilities.

Key points:

• Bitcoin needs to cross and maintain above $78,000 to start a stronger recovery toward $84,000.
• HYPE and ZEC remain strong while other major altcoins struggle to rise above their overhead resistance levels. 

Bitcoin (BTC) bounced on Saturday following US President Donald Trump’s announcement in a post on his Truth Social platform that negotiations between the US and Iran were “proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner.” Buyers extended the recovery on Monday and are attempting to sustain above $77,500.

The uncertainty of the past few days has resulted in $1.55 billion in net outflows from the US BTC exchange-traded funds. Crypto sentiment platform Santiment said in a report on Friday that sharp outflows from BTC ETFs indicate retail capitulation, which has “historically correlated with conditions favorable for patient accumulation” for long-term holders rather than panic. 

Crypto market data daily view. Source: TradingView

CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost said in a post on X that BTC’s apparent demand has dropped to about -147,000 BTC, the most bearish since December 2025. That suggests a sustainable rally would be difficult without the support of genuine spot demand. However, the analyst added that the current environment creates “interesting opportunities for long-term investors capable of remaining patient.”

Could BTC and the major altcoins break above their overhead resistance 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 toward the all-time high of 7,517 on Friday, indicating that buyers remain in command.

SPX daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

If the price rises and maintains above 7,500, the index may start the next leg of the uptrend toward the 8,000 level. 

The first sign of weakness will be a break and close below the 20-day exponential moving average (7,324). Such a move suggests that the short-term traders are booking profits. That may start a deeper correction to 7,180 and then the breakout level of 7,002. Until then, all dips are likely to be viewed as a buying opportunity.

US Dollar Index price prediction

The US Dollar Index (DXY) turned down from 99.51 on Thursday, indicating that the sellers are active at higher levels.

DXY daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The 20-day EMA (98.80) is expected to act as a strong support on the way down. If the price rebounds off the 20-day EMA with strength, it increases the likelihood of a rally above the 99.51 level. The index may then climb to the stiff overhead resistance at 100.54. Buyers will have to pierce the 100.54 level to signal the start of a new up move.

Sellers are likely to have other plans. They will attempt to pull the price below the 20-day EMA, opening the door to a drop toward the 97.74 support.

Bitcoin price prediction

BTC closed below the $76,000 support level on Friday, but the bulls bought the dip and reclaimed it on Saturday. That shows demand at lower levels.

BTC/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Sellers are attempting to stall the relief rally at the 20-day EMA ($77,893), but the bulls continue to exert pressure. If buyers propel the price above the 20-day EMA, the BTC/USDT pair may climb to $80,000 and eventually to $84,000.

Contrary to this assumption, if the BTC price declines and breaks below $74,289, it suggests the bears are attempting to take charge. The pair may then slide toward the support line, which is likely to attract buyers.

Ether price prediction

Buyers are attempting to push Ether (ETH) back into the ascending channel pattern, but the bears have held their ground.

ETH/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The downsloping 20-day EMA ($2,184) and the relative strength index (RSI) in the negative zone indicate a slight edge to the bears. If the price drops below the 20-day EMA, the ETH/USDT pair may dip to the psychological level of $2,000, then to $1,916.

This negative view will be invalidated in the near term if the bulls push ETH price above the moving averages and hold. If that happens, it suggests that the market rejected the break below the support line. The pair may then ascend to the $2,465 resistance.

XRP price prediction

XRP (XRP) continues to trade below the moving averages, indicating that the bears remain in control.

XRP/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Sellers will attempt to strengthen their position by pushing the XRP price below the $1.27 support level. If they manage to do that, the XRP/USDT pair may plummet to $1.11, then to the psychological support level at $1.

Buyers will have to achieve a close above the downtrend line of the descending channel pattern to signal a comeback. If they do that, the pair may rise to the $1.61 overhead resistance. A close above $1.61 signals a potential trend change.

BNB price prediction

BNB (BNB) dipped below the 20-day EMA ($652) on Saturday, but the long tail on the candlestick shows buying near the 50-day SMA ($635).

BNB/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The flattish 20-day EMA and the RSI just above the midpoint give a slight edge to the bulls. Buyers will have to secure a close above the $687 resistance to signal the start of a new uptrend toward $730, and subsequently toward $790.

Instead, if the BNB price declines from the $687 level and breaks below the 50-day SMA, it suggests the bears have not given up. The BNB/USDT pair may then extend its stay inside the $570 to $687 range for some more time.

Solana price prediction

Solana (SOL) bounced off the $82.65 support on Saturday, but the bulls are struggling to clear the 20-day EMA ($87.12) hurdle.

SOL/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

If the price drops below the 20-day EMA, sellers will again attempt to push the SOL/USDT pair below the $82.65 support. If they can pull it off, the SOL price may plummet to the $76 support. Buyers are expected to aggressively defend the $76 level, as a close below it may sink the pair to $67.

On the upside, a break and close above the 20-day EMA suggests selling pressure is easing. The pair may then attempt a rally to the $98 level, where the bears are expected to mount a strong defense.

Related: XRP price in ‘value zone’ near $1.40 as whales pull $170M from exchanges

Dogecoin price prediction

Buyers are attempting to maintain Dogecoin (DOGE) above the 50-day SMA ($0.10), but the bears have kept up the pressure.

DOGE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The downsloping 20-day EMA ($0.10) and the RSI in the negative territory indicate an advantage to bears. A close below the 50-day SMA clears the path for a drop to the $0.09 level. Buyers will attempt to keep the DOGE price within the $0.09 to $0.12 range by defending the support level.

Alternatively, a close above the 20-day EMA signals buying at lower levels. The DOGE/USDT pair may then rally to the $0.12 resistance. A close above the $0.12 level clears the path for a new up move.

Hyperliquid price prediction

Hyperliquid (HYPE) rallied to a new all-time high of $64.72 on Sunday, indicating that the bulls remain in control.

HYPE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The HYPE/USDT pair pulled back on Monday, but the long tail on the candlestick shows that the bulls continue to buy the dips. That increases the possibility of a resumption of the uptrend toward the next target objective at $77.

The first support on the downside is the breakout level at $59.41, followed by $54.07. A break and close below the $54.07 level may start a deeper correction to the 20-day EMA ($50.54) and then the 50-day SMA ($44.05). 

Zcash price prediction

Zcash (ZEC) turned up sharply from the 20-day EMA ($572) on Saturday, indicating a positive sentiment.

ZEC/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

A minor negative for the bulls is the developing negative divergence on the RSI. That suggests the bullish momentum may be weakening. Sellers will have to tug the ZEC price below the 20-day EMA to start a deeper correction toward $487.

This negative view will be invalidated in the near term if the ZEC/USDT pair continues higher and closes above $690. That clears the path for a rally to $750, likely to attract aggressive selling from the bears.

Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, says Warren’s anti-crypto crusade was a ‘pure own-goal’ for Democrats.

Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham posted on X that Senator Elizabeth Warren’s sustained campaign against crypto was a “pure own-goal,” characterising it as a political miscalculation that cost Democrats credibility without slowing the industry’s development. Warren chose not to seek reelection in 2026 as the regulatory environment she had fought shifted sharply in crypto’s favour.

“Warren’s anti-crypto crusade was a pure own-goal,” Graham posted, adding that the campaign had alienated voters and donors in a sector that moved toward mainstream institutional acceptance regardless.

Why Graham has been consistent in criticising anti-crypto politics

Graham’s view is a continuation of a long-standing position. He previously described Gary Gensler’s tenure at the SEC as “really stupid,” arguing the agency deliberately stonewalled legitimate businesses that wanted to comply with the law while failing to stop actual fraud.

“Legitimate companies that wanted to follow the rules, like Coinbase, were stonewalled or sued. This forced some of them to move offshore or stifle features,” Graham said in an earlier post. He cited the FTX collapse as evidence that enforcement action fell on the wrong targets while genuine bad actors operated freely.

The Warren framing follows a year in which the crypto industry spent more than $193 million in PAC money on congressional races, helped pass the GENIUS Act, and advanced the Clarity Act through the Senate Banking Committee on a 15-9 bipartisan vote. Crypto.news has covered the Clarity Act’s compressed legislative window before the 2026 midterms.

Crypto.news has also reported on AML enforcement overtaking securities classification as the primary regulatory risk axis in crypto, a shift that vindicates the argument that Warren-era securities-first enforcement targeted the wrong legal pressure point entirely.

Crypto.news has also tracked CertiK’s data showing AML fines exceeded $900 million in the first half of 2025 while SEC crypto enforcement actions collapsed by 97%.

TLDR

• Hyperliquid surged into the top 10 cryptocurrencies after overtaking Dogecoin in market capitalization.
• HYPE gained over 50% in a month as price climbed from below $38 to above $64.
• Santiment warned that strong social media optimism may not reflect actual market conditions.
• Analysts said markets often react negatively when crowd confidence becomes excessive.
• Social mentions for HYPE increased nearly seven times before dropping sharply.

Hyperliquid has extended its rally and reached new highs while entering the top crypto rankings. The token overtook Dogecoin in market capitalization as bullish sentiment spread across social platforms. However, Santiment warned that growing optimism around Hyperliquid may be outpacing underlying market data.

Hyperliquid Surge Drives Market Cap Gains and Social Buzz

Hyperliquid recorded strong gains over the past month as its native token HYPE climbed above $64. The rally pushed its market value to about $16 billion, surpassing Dogecoin.

The token gained over 50% during the past 30 days as trading momentum accelerated. Price moved from below $38 to current levels as demand increased.

Data from CoinMarketCap confirmed the asset entered the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. The surge placed it among leading blockchain assets in the market.

Santiment reported that social media discussions around HYPE increased sharply during the rally. Mentions peaked near 1,300 on May 21, reflecting a rapid rise in attention.

The firm said social volume rose nearly seven times compared to the previous month’s average. However, activity later declined by about 70% while prices continued rising.

Santiment founder Maksim Balashevich said sentiment data showed strong optimism across crypto communities. He noted that many posts projected a price target of $250.

At current levels, reaching $250 would require a further gain of roughly 290%. Balashevich said such expectations may not align with current market conditions.

Hyperliquid Sentiment Data Signals Cooling Crowd Conviction

Santiment stated that extreme crowd confidence can lead to market reversals. The firm warned traders against treating bullish price targets as guaranteed outcomes.

In a post on X, Santiment said traders should separate fundamentals from fear of missing out. The firm added that markets often react negatively to excessive optimism.

Balashevich explained that data shows a shift in crowd behavior despite rising prices. He said “the crowd already did. Price is still moving.”

The firm recorded a sentiment balance of 402 on May 21 during peak activity. This level marked the highest reading within the tracked period.

Since then, crowd conviction dropped by about 72% while the price gained another 9%. Santiment said this divergence reflects changing market psychology.

The analytics firm emphasized that social metrics do not predict exact price outcomes. However, they help identify phases of strong or weakening trader confidence.

Hyperliquid continued trading near $64 at the time of reporting. Market data shows the asset maintaining its upward trend despite cooling social engagement.