Core Insights - Monero (XMR) continues to show resilience despite facing significant delistings and regulatory pressures, with a growing usage particularly in darknet markets [1][5] Exchange Delistings - In 2025, Monero experienced one of its most significant delisting waves, with 73 exchanges removing the asset, including major platforms like Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken [2] - Exchanges have either completely eliminated XMR trading pairs or restricted them in regions with regulatory oversight, impacting its availability [2][3] Regulatory Environment - Regulatory actions have led to Kraken halting Monero services for customers in the European Economic Area due to updated regulations, with similar trends observed in Canada and parts of Asia [3] - Countries like Japan, South Korea, and Australia have expressed concerns over Monero's anonymity features, contributing to the regulatory scrutiny [3] User Behavior and Market Shift - Users are increasingly turning to DeFi platforms for atomic swaps or peer-to-peer networks instead of traditional centralized exchanges for XMR transactions [4] - Monero's privacy features, such as stealth addresses and ring signatures, differentiate it from transparent blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum, maintaining user privacy [4] Darknet Market Adoption - The TRM Labs report highlights that in 2025, 48% of new darknet platforms accepted only Monero, indicating a strong demand and increasing market share in this segment [6] - Monero is becoming the preferred currency for certain ransomware operations, although Bitcoin still dominates ransom payments due to its higher liquidity [6][7] On-Chain Activity - Despite the delistings, Monero's on-chain transactions and daily network activity have remained consistent, showcasing its resilience [8] - Darknet marketplaces are increasingly favoring Monero as the exclusive payment method, further solidifying its position in this niche [8]

Core Insights - Barry Silbert, CEO of Digital Currency Group, believes privacy-focused cryptocurrencies are the next significant investment opportunity in the crypto industry [1] Group 1: Market Trends - Silbert predicts that 5-10% of Bitcoin's market cap may shift to privacy coins like Zcash [2] - Privacy coins such as Zcash and Monero outperformed Bitcoin and Ethereum last year, with Zcash surging 853% and Monero 123% [5] - Despite their past performance, privacy coins have not been immune to the current crypto market downturn [5] Group 2: Bitcoin's Position - Silbert acknowledges that Bitcoin started as an "anonymous" currency but lost its privacy features due to on-chain analytics [3] - He remains bullish on Bitcoin as a core investment but emphasizes the transformative potential of privacy coins [4] - Silbert argues that Bitcoin's price will not see a 500x increase unless the dollar crashes, while privacy coins like Zcash have that potential [4] Group 3: Privacy Features - Zcash transactions do not reveal sending and receiving addresses or amounts by default, although there is an option to disclose this information for compliance [7]

Core Insights - The altcoin market sentiment remains negative, yet Midnight (NIGHT), Hyperliquid (HYPE), and Monero (XMR) are showing signs of accumulation and strength driven by specific catalysts [1][2] Group 1: Token Analysis - Midnight (NIGHT) is advancing its Q1 2026 roadmap with a focus on the 'Kūkolu' phase, which aims to deliver a stable mainnet and privacy-first applications, with a current price of $0.047 and a potential rebound level at $0.053 [3] - Hyperliquid (HYPE) has seen its Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) rise above zero, indicating a shift towards inflows, with a current price of $33.74 and a significant increase in open interest on its decentralized perpetuals exchange from $260 million to $793 million [4] - Monero (XMR) is trading around $305 after a 30% correction, with its Money Flow Index (MFI) suggesting that selling pressure is nearing exhaustion, maintaining a strong narrative focused on privacy and fungibility [5][6] Group 2: Market Context - The broader altcoin market is experiencing extreme fear, but capital is rotating towards projects with clear development milestones, indicating a flight to quality within specific narratives [2][5] - The outperformance of NIGHT, HYPE, and XMR is not coincidental, as they represent targeted investments in maturing crypto sub-sectors that are demonstrating independent strength against a risk-off macro backdrop [6]

Market Overview - Bitcoin's bear market is perceived as severe, with analysts indicating that potential Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and crypto-specific regulatory breaks are necessary to reverse the trend [1][5] - The current trading price of Bitcoin is $76,000, significantly lower than its peak, and if it falls below $60,000, it may trigger aggressive buying from investors who previously hesitated [4][5] Behavioral Influences - The previous bull market lacked the typical retail and institutional enthusiasm seen in prior years, with spot ETFs attracting billions primarily through arbitrage rather than genuine bullish sentiment [2] - Investors may have been influenced by Bitcoin's price point of $100,000, leading to a perception of it being overpriced compared to traditional tech stocks, which reflects the anchoring bias [3][2] - Regret aversion may drive investors to buy Bitcoin aggressively if it drops significantly, as they fear missing out on future gains after previously sitting out [4] Market Dynamics - The crypto market has shown signs of stabilization, with Bitcoin recovering from lows near $73,000, while other cryptocurrencies like Ether, Solana, and XRP have also seen increases, albeit overshadowed by gains in smaller tokens [5] - Onchain data indicates that profit-taking by long-term holders has slowed, but there remains a risk of further selloff if the Nasdaq 100 continues to decline and Treasury yields rise [6]

Market Overview - The crypto market cap increased by 2.5% to $2.72 trillion, with 95 of the top 100 coins experiencing price increases [5][4] - Bitcoin (BTC) rose by 2.8% to $78,533, while Ethereum (ETH) gained 4.3% to $2,318 [4][5] - The total crypto trading volume reached $160 billion [5] Legislative Developments - US crypto market structure legislation failed to pass the Senate due to disagreements on stablecoin yield offerings [1] - The White House is seeking a compromise on stablecoin yields by the end of the month [5][4] Price Movements - Among the top 10 coins, all saw price increases, with notable gains from Lido Staked Ether (STETH) at 4.5% and Ethereum (ETH) at 4.3% [2][3] - Monero (XMR) and Zcash (ZEC) were the only coins to drop, down 5.6% and 4.7% respectively [1] Market Sentiment - The crypto fear and greed index decreased to 17, indicating extreme fear among market participants [15] - Traders are preparing for potential downside, with significant put buying observed around the $78,000-$74,000 strikes [10][7] ETF Flows - US Bitcoin spot ETFs saw inflows of $561.89 million, while Ethereum ETFs experienced outflows of $2.86 million [16][17] - Fidelity led Bitcoin ETF inflows with $153.35 million, while BlackRock faced negative flows of $82.11 million in its Ethereum ETF [16][17] Technical Analysis - Bitcoin's support is forming around $70,000, with critical resistance at $80,000 [9][13] - Ethereum is nearing a potential drop below $2,000, but could recover if it holds the $2,350 zone [14]

Core Viewpoint - Russia's State Duma is set to establish a two-tier cryptocurrency access system by July 1, 2026, which will limit non-qualified investors to an annual investment cap of 300,000 rubles ($4,000) while allowing qualified investors unlimited purchasing power [1]. Regulatory Framework - The framework, based on the Bank of Russia's December concept, categorizes digital currencies and stablecoins as tradable currency assets but prohibits their use for domestic payments [2]. Investor Classification and Restrictions - Non-qualified investors will face strict limitations, including mandatory testing and restrictions to approved liquid cryptocurrencies through licensed intermediaries, with penalties for illegal activities starting July 1, 2027 [3]. - Qualified investors will not have volume restrictions but must demonstrate risk understanding through testing and cannot acquire anonymous tokens [3]. Approved Cryptocurrency Lists - The Central Bank is expected to create approved cryptocurrency lists featuring the top 5-10 most traded assets, likely including BTC and ETH, with potential additions like SOL or TON [4][5]. - Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies will be explicitly excluded from the regulated market, as they cannot pass anti-money laundering checks [5][6]. Cross-Border Transactions - Russian residents will be allowed to purchase cryptocurrencies on foreign platforms using overseas accounts and transfer previously acquired assets abroad, provided they notify the tax service [6][7]. Infrastructure and Compliance - Crypto transactions will utilize existing licensed infrastructure, with exchanges, brokers, and trustees operating under current licenses, while specialized depositories and exchangers will face new regulatory requirements [8].

Core Insights - The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is in the final stage of consultations on proposed crypto regulations, seeking feedback on 10 rules to enhance market trust and competitiveness [1] - The cryptocurrency market capitalization has decreased by 0.8% to $3.05 trillion, with 93 of the top 100 coins experiencing price drops [5][4] - Macro uncertainty has led to over $550 million in crypto liquidations, impacting major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) [4][6] Market Performance - Bitcoin (BTC) is currently trading at $87,860, having fallen by 0.7%, while Ethereum (ETH) is at $2,892, down 1.5% [4][11] - Over the past week, BTC has decreased by 5.1%, and ETH has fallen by 9.2%, indicating a broader trend of declining prices in the crypto market [10][12] - The crypto fear and greed index has dropped to 29, reflecting a sentiment shift towards fear in the market [13][14] Regulatory Developments - The FCA's proposed regulations aim to create a more open and sustainable crypto market, marking a significant step in regulatory oversight [1] - Japan is expected to approve its first set of spot crypto ETFs by 2028, indicating a potential shift in regulatory stance towards cryptocurrencies [17] Investment Trends - Recent outflows from US spot BTC and ETH ETFs totaled $103.57 million and $41.74 million respectively, marking the fifth consecutive day of negative flows [14][15] - The total net inflow for BTC ETFs has decreased to $56.49 billion, while ETH ETFs stand at $12.3 billion [15][14] Market Sentiment - The current market sentiment is characterized by caution and fear, with investors shifting towards safer assets amid heightened geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic pressures [6][8][14] - Traditional commodities have seen a rally, contrasting with Bitcoin's underperformance, suggesting a divergence in asset class responses to current market conditions [7][6]

Market Overview - Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a recovery after hitting a low of $86,000, rising over 2% within nine hours before facing resistance at $88,250, indicating a potential early bear-market reversal despite an ongoing downtrend since October [1] - The recent selloff was influenced by risk-off sentiment among investors, following U.S. President Trump's speeches at Davos, which affected Bitcoin's status as a safe-haven asset and aligned it more closely with U.S. equities [2] Derivatives Positioning - Bitcoin futures open interest (OI) remained stable at $22.6 billion, suggesting a pause in deleveraging despite price volatility [3] - Funding rates across most exchanges have neutralized around 5% annualized, with OKX showing a -3.8% rate, indicating localized hedging or bearish positions [3] - The 3-month annualized basis on Binance and Deribit increased to just over 5%, reflecting a firming institutional appetite during market consolidation [3] - BTC options displayed high conviction with a 15% one-week 25-delta skew and 58% call dominance in 24-hour volume [3] - Implied volatility (IV) term structure shifted from contango to backwardation, with near-term rates higher than those further out, indicating a premium for immediate positioning [3] Liquidation and Altcoin Performance - Coinglass data reported $744 million in liquidations within 24 hours, with a 77-23 split between longs and shorts, highlighting significant market activity [3] - Bitcoin's weakness contrasted with altcoin resilience, as Ether (ETH) and XRP rose by 2.8%, while privacy coins Zcash (ZEC) and Monero (XMR) gained 6% and 3%, respectively [3] - Metaverse tokens performed notably, with Axie Infinity (AXS) increasing by over 23%, contributing to a 34.4% year-to-date rally in the CoinDesk Metaverse Select Index (MTVS) [3] Altcoin Market Dynamics - The CoinDesk 20 (CD20) Index, dominated by Bitcoin, has lost 0.52% since the start of the year, while the CoinDesk 80 (CD80) Index, heavy on altcoins, has risen by 2.5%, indicating relative strength among altcoins [4] - RIVER, the native token of a stablecoin protocol, surged over 2,100% in the past 30 days, with a 34% increase in the last 24 hours [4] - The "altcoin season" indicator is currently at 28/100, significantly higher than last month's 16/100 but still below September's peak of 76/100 [4] - A lack of liquidity and market depth since October's $19 billion liquidation cascade has led to exaggerated altcoin movements, resulting in high liquidation rates during selloffs and rapid recoveries [4]

Market Overview - The cryptocurrency market capitalization has decreased by 3% over the past 24 hours, now standing at $3.21 trillion, with 95 of the top 100 coins experiencing price declines [6][5][12] - Bitcoin (BTC) has dropped by 2.7% to $92,532, while Ethereum (ETH) is down 3.6% to $3,192 [5][10] Price Movements - BTC began the day at $95,000, reaching an intraday high of $95,467 before falling to a low of $92,263 [9] - ETH traded between $3,089 and $3,379, with a current price of $3,192 [11][10] Market Sentiment - The crypto fear and greed index has fallen from 50 to 49, indicating market uncertainty [12] - Market participants are awaiting macroeconomic and geopolitical signals to guide near-term movements [12] Investment Trends - Newrez, a mortgage lender, will allow specific crypto holdings, including Bitcoin and Ether, to be used as qualifying assets in its mortgage underwriting process [2][5] - Steak 'n Shake has purchased $10 million of BTC for its treasury, marking its first direct allocation since accepting crypto payments [15][16] ETF Flows - US BTC spot ETFs recorded outflows of $394.68 million, while ETH spot ETFs saw inflows of $4.64 million [5][14] - Among twelve BTC ETFs, only one posted positive flows, while four recorded outflows [13] Future Projections - Analysts suggest that BTC may see further downside unless buyers step in, with strong support around $88,000 [8][6] - A close above $104,000 would indicate the start of Wave V in the current bull run, while a drop below $80,000 could lead to a decline towards the low $70,000 range [7][5]

Monero (XMR) climbed to a new all-time high on Wednesday, breaking above the $797 mark as investors piled into privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. The move capped a week-long rally that lifted XMR by more than 50%, making it one of the strongest performers in the crypto market. The surge pushed Monero’s market value above $13 billion and briefly placed it among the top 15 cryptocurrencies by market cap. Trading volumes also spiked as buyers rushed to gain exposure. Rising Demand for Financial Privacy The ...