XRP Price Struggles Despite Rakuten Wallet Launch for 44 Million Japanese Users

Tech  XRP Price Struggles Despite Rakuten Wallet Launch for 44 Million Japanese UsersXRP currently sits at $1.37, declining more than 4% over the week following four straight losing sessionsThursday saw $5.83 million exit from US-based XRP spot ETFsApril 30, 2026 marked Rakuten Wallets official rollout of XRP spot trading and payment capabilitiesThis partnership connects XRP with 44 million Rakuten Pay active users and approximately $23 billion worth of loyalty pointsTrading derivatives indicate modest bullish outlook with a 1.03 long-to-short ratio  XRP from Ripple is currently valued at $1.37 this Friday, May 1, following a streak of four consecutive declining sessions that resulted in weekly losses exceeding 4%.  XRP Price  The tokens value remains beneath all major exponential moving averages. Immediate resistance appears at the 50-day EMA positioned at $1.40, with the 100-day EMA at $1.51 presenting additional overhead pressure.  The daily charts RSI registers at 45, beneath the neutral threshold of 50. Meanwhile, the MACD indicator has slipped deeper into bearish territory, with both metrics signaling ongoing near-term downward momentum.  For support levels, approximately $1.30 represents a zone where previous buying interest emerged. Should that level fail, XRPs descending channel lower boundary near $0.75 becomes relevant.  Source: TradingView  Institutional flows reflected hesitation during the week. According to SoSoValue

05-01Industry

North Korean Hackers Stole 577M$ from DRIFT and Kelp

Tech  North Korean Hackers Stole 577M$ from DRIFT and Kelp  North Korea-linked hackers seized 76% of the crypto sector‘s hack losses this year with just two precise operations in April; attacks stealing $285 million from DRIFT detailed analysis and $292 million from Kelp DAO caused a total of $577 million in damage. According to TRM Labs’ new report, these two incidents account for only 3% of all recorded cases. The attackers targeted decentralized finance platforms to carry out the sector‘s biggest heists. The report calculates that North Korean hackers have stolen over $6 billion in crypto assets since 2017. This data clarifies Pyongyang’s dominance in crypto theft.  DRIFT Protocol Hack: Social Engineering and Nonce Manipulation  The Drift Protocol breach stood out with a patient social engineering campaign; on-chain preparations began on March 11, and there were months of face-to-face meetings between North Korean proxies and Drift employees. The attackers used Solana‘s resilient nonce feature to execute 31 pre-signed withdrawals in about 12 minutes; real assets like USDC and JLP were drained. The stolen funds were quickly transferred to Ethereum and remain dormant. This technique reversed Solana’s mechanism for preventing nonce collisions in its high-speed transaction environment, allowing hackers to optimize timing at the millisecond

05-01Industry

XRP faces quantum security test after Ripple CEO’s bold signal

The XRP ecosystem is once again at the center of both optimism and long-term technological concern, as Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse doubles down on XRP being the companys “North Star,” even as broader discussions around quantum computing risks begin to surface in the crypto industry.  XRP Ledger validator Vet cautions that some quantum processors might eventually compromise the very earliest wallets of the XRPL, the equivalent of the “Satoshi Era” Bitcoin addresses.  Recent statements from Garlinghouse have reinforced XRP‘s position as the core asset guiding Ripple’s long-term strategy. In multiple appearances and social media posts, the CEO has consistently described XRP as the “North Star” of the company, meaning every major product and institutional initiative ultimately aligns with the tokens ecosystem.  According to recent industry reports, Garlinghouse reiterated that “all roads lead back to XRP,” framing it as the foundation of Ripples payments, custody, and institutional blockchain services.

05-01Industry

Ethereum Secures Network Activity Dominance, ETH Price Soars

Aside from having the highest fees, the Ethereum network transaction count also retested its 12-month high this week.  The network‘s transaction count surged as high as 3.6 million on 28 April. The ETH network’s performance in April was a reflection of its robust position in the market.  Ethereum (ETH) Crypto Concludes Another Month In The Green  ETH price traded at a roughly 8% discount from its highest level in the last 4 weeks. However, Ethereum price held on to a roughly 7% gain from its opening price in April.  The performance of the Ethereum crypto was noteworthy for a significant reason. April marked the second-best green month for ETH price after its bullish performance in March.  Ethereum Crypto (ETH price) Monthly Performance | Source: TradingView  ETH price action in April signaled that the market was proceeding with recovery. The cryptocurrency previously experienced six months of consecutive downside.  A second consecutive green monthly candle pointed to the direction where the market could be headed.  This may not necessarily offer clear confirmation but it revealed the markets bias, and it increased the chances of ETH price maintaining the same trend in May.  Despite the bullish dominance in April, it was clear that the market was not exactly buying back aggressively at

05-01Ethereum

Veteran Investor Says Ask Anyone on Street About Crypto and They Will Say Ripple Not Ethereum

The post Veteran Investor Says Ask Anyone on Street About Crypto and They Will Say Ripple Not Ethereum appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News  Ripple and XRP are drawing fresh attention after crypto investor Santiago, who has backed over 150 companies, shared a detailed take on how the firm is positioning itself beyond crypto and into global finance.  In a podcast, Keith & Ben talk to Santiago Santos, who highlighted Ripples biggest advantage, mainstream recognition.  “You walk around the street… people won‘t say Solana or Ethereum. They’ll tell you, Ripple. Without a doubt.”  He argued that Ripple has captured attention better than almost any project except Bitcoin, effectively “memeing itself into existence.” In his view, this level of brand recall plays a major role in long-term positioning, even if the underlying tech debate continues.  Using XRP as a Strategic Currency  Beyond branding, Santiago pointed to Ripples treasury strategy as the real differentiator.  He further noted that, “they‘re using that currency to go buy real businesses… that’s exactly what you should be doing.”  He referenced Ripples recent acquisitions, including Hidden Road, noting that the company is actively deploying its resources to acquire infrastructure and expand its footprint. He compared this approach to historical corporate strategies like AOL-Time Warner, where

05-01Ethereum

Bitcoin, ETH, XRP, DOGE, MSTR Cashtags Go Live on X Web, Musk Says Most Crypto Are Scams

X Launches X Cashtags for Crypto and Stocks. Source: Nikita Bier  Users will see matching stocks or crypto tokens when they search for or post a cashtag or contract address. Users can type or tap cashtags to see live price charts, market data, and related posts right in the X web version. Cashtags are available for crypto assets such as Bitcoin, ETH, XRP, SOL, DOGE, BONK, USDT, USDC, and others.  It also supports major stocks such as Nvidia (NVDA), Tesla (TSLA), Strategy (MSTR), MARA Holdings, and Coinbase (COIN). This follows earlier hints from Elon Musk and product head Nikita Bier about Smart Cashtags and X Money launch.  As CoinGape reported earlier, X rolled out the Smart Cashtags feature for iPhone users in the US and Canada. It also announced a pilot integration with Canadas leading brokerage Wealthsimple, enabling stocks and crypto trading directly from Smart Cashtags on X.  Elon Musk Says Most Crypto Assets Are Scams in OpenAI Testimony  Elon Musk‘s high-profile lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI went to trial earlier this week. Musk accuses Sam Altman of deviating from OpenAI’s nonprofit agenda for commercial gain. Prominent on-chain investigator ZachXBT slammed Sam Altman‘s Worldcoin (now World) and compared its practices to Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX

05-01Ethereum

Crypto Market Selloffs Alert: $2.1B in Bitcoin and Ethereum Options to Expire Today

Bitcoin Crypto Ethereum  Crypto Market Selloffs Alert: $2.1B in Bitcoin and Ethereum Options to Expire Today  Crypto market selloffs could increase today as Bitcoin and Ethereum options are set to expire. Traders expect major volatility because of the options expiry and growing uncertainty, especially as Trump considers a “final blow” to Iran after turning down Irans offer to end the war.  The wider crypto market saw profit-taking after US PCE inflation reached a three-year high of 3.5%. Oil prices also rose to $106 as the US kept its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to increase pressure.  Over $1.7 Billion Bitcoin Options Expiry Stirs Crypto Market Selloffs Jitters  According to Deribit derivatives crypto exchange, almost 23K Bitcoin options with a notional value of $1.74 billion are set to expire on May 1. The put-call ratio is 1.10, signaling a higher volume of put options as compared to call options, indicating traders are leaning bearish.  Bitcoin max pain price is at $76,000, below the current market price of $77,200. Moreover, puts are higher than calls at the $76,000 strike price, and the $75,500 and $77,000 strike prices have massive volume amid current crypto market volatility.  Bitcoin Options Open Interest. Source: Deribit  Deribit warned traders to watch the settlement

05-01Ethereum

Bitcoin ETFs see $14.7M inflow as Ethereum outflows continue

Bitcoin Ethereum  Bitcoin ETFs see $14.7M inflow as Ethereum outflows continue  Bitcoin ETF markets are currently priced at 0.1% YES for reaching $80,000 in April, reflecting a decline from 3% a day earlier. Ethereum markets, meanwhile, are priced at 100% YES for the price being less than $1,900 on April 30.  ## Key Takeaways  – Bitcoin ETF inflow appears consistent with institutional interest, though not sufficient to significantly impact current price targets. – Ethereum ETF outflow indicates sustained selling pressure, consistent with lower price levels. – Divergent ETF flows suggest differing institutional confidence levels between Bitcoin and Ethereum.  ## Article Body  On April 30, Bitcoin ETFs experienced a net inflow of $14.76 million, marking the first positive flow in three days, according to SoSoValue data. Conversely, Ethereum ETFs saw a continued four-day net outflow totaling $23.64 million. This divergence in ETF flows follows a period of easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East that had previously bolstered Bitcoin prices. However, the momentum appears to have stalled by the end of April, as reflected in the mixed ETF activity. While Bitcoin enjoyed a strong month overall with $2.44 billion in ETF inflows, the recent reversal suggests caution as geopolitical benefits wane.  ## Market Interpretation  The market interpretation of these

05-01Ethereum

Ripple Vet Doubts $10K XRP Price Target

Schwartz has made it clear that Ripple is not trying to hide some “grand conspiracy,” and its not holding onto a magic switch that could instantly push the XRP price higher on a whim.  “We‘ve explained what we’re doing, why we‘re doing it, and what we hope to achieve. While we aren’t transparent about everything, were not hiding some grand conspiracy. At least not as far as I know,” Schwartz has stated.  Selling at $0.10  Schwartz has openly admitted that he de-risked his personal finances by selling a significant portion of his XRP portfolio at just $0.10 per token. He noted that predicting massive price surges at the time seemed as impossible as Bitcoin hitting $100. “I started selling XRP at $0.10 because it seemed insane,” Schwartz explained.  As reported by U.Today, he also recently addressed his controversial XRP price tweet. In 2017, Schwartz posted that XRP “cant be dirt cheap” if it is meant to gain acceptance in global payments. Many interpreted this as a price prediction, but Schwartz has clarified that he was explaining basic economics.

05-01Industry

U.S. Senate votes to ban members from using prediction markets

The U.S. Senate has approved a resolution banning senators and Senate staff from using prediction markets.Senate approved a rule banning members and staff from using prediction markets, with the change taking effect immediately.Lawmakers cited risks of insider information misuse, with Senator Bernie Moreno saying the ban protects public trust.  According to Senate proceedings, the resolution passed by unanimous consent on Thursday changed the chambers standing rules and took immediate effect.  Lawmakers tied the ban to the risk that officials exposed to sensitive information could profit from event contracts.  “Engaging in any way in a prediction market or trying to place bets where we might have inside information deteriorates the confidence that our constituents have in us,” Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, who introduced the resolution, said on the Senate floor.  According to him, the rule change ensures “no member of the United States Senate, no member of the staff of the United States Senate, can ever use that inside information as a way to monetize this job whatsoever.”  Ethics concerns drive Senate action on prediction markets  Recent concerns intensified after a special forces soldier involved in the plan to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was charged on April 23 with using classified information to place bets

05-01Industry
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