New Bitcoin ATH! ETH Next? Stripe & Circle L1s Explained

Market Trends & Analysis - ETH price is up 19% on the week, teasing all-time high, with a potential target of $10,000 to $20,000 in the next 6-8 months [26][33] - Bitcoin hit a new all-time high of $124,500, but is currently at $17,700, up 1% on the week [21] - The Producer Price Index (PPI) number was 37%, higher than the estimated 29%, indicating inflation running hotter [13] - Tom Lee projects ETH to reach $7,500 by the end of the year [36] Institutional Adoption & Investment - ETH ETFs experienced a billion-dollar inflow day, significantly higher than Bitcoin's initial ETF flows, with total ETH ETFs at $12 billion [39][40] - Harvard revealed holding $116 million in BlackRock Bitcoin ETFs, indicating institutional adoption of crypto assets [42] - Tom Lee accumulated 1 million ETH in his treasury vehicle over a 30-day period [45] - Bitmine aims to raise $20 billion to acquire more ETH, targeting 5% of the total ETH supply [45] Technological Developments & Blockchain Infrastructure - Stripe and Circle are launching their own Layer 1 blockchains, Tempo and Arc respectively, for stablecoin payments and capital markets [4][46][48] - Coinbase added DEX trading to its app, allowing access to any token on Aerodrome, excluding New York State [4][51] - Uniswap Foundation proposed a legal structure known as a DUNA under Wyoming law, potentially paving the way for the fee switch [51] Regulatory & Legal Landscape - Banks are demanding exclusion for yield-bearing stablecoins in the Genius Act, fearing loss of interest revenue [4][50] - Do Kwon pleaded guilty to fraud charges related to Terra Luna's $80 billion collapse, facing up to 12 years in prison [55][57] Security & Network Concerns - Monero experienced a 51% attack, highlighting vulnerabilities in proof-of-work networks, with the attacker bribing miners to acquire hash rate [4][59][61] - The US government, through Scott Bessant, will establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve using confiscated assets, estimated between $15 billion and $20 billion [50]