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XRP is down about 1.6% over the past 24 hours. On the weekly chart, it remains one of the weaker large-cap movers, sitting roughly 16% lower than last month’s levels. Most of the price action is happening near the bottom of a descending triangle pattern, a structure that often leads to continuation moves.

This does not confirm a breakdown yet, but three market signals are lining up in a way that should make traders cautious heading into the final days of 2025.

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Retail And Long-Term Holders Are Moving The Same Way

XRP is still stuck inside a descending triangle, trading flat near the lower trendline. Price trended higher between December 18 and December 27, but the Money Flow Index (MFI) moved the opposite way during that same period.

MFI tracks money entering or exiting the asset. A lower low in MFI while price rises suggests retail is selling into every bounce instead of accumulating.

That pressure keeps the XRP price pinned at the lower boundary of the pattern instead of testing the upper line.

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The concern grows when we zoom out to long-term holders.

According to HODL Waves, which visualizes how much supply is held by each age group, wallets holding XRP for 2–3 years dropped from 14.26% of supply on November 26 to about 5.66% on December 26.

These are long-term conviction holders, and their selling removes a layer of market support. Retail weakness is normal. Long-term weakness at the same time is not.

This creates a setup where both short-term and long-term behavior are leaning in the same direction: out of XRP.

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Capital Flow Shows Fading Demand

If retail and long-term conviction are weakening, the next check is capital flow, the third key sign.

The Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) is not providing relief either. CMF tracks buying and selling pressure based on volume and price movement. The large money flow indicator remains negative for XRP and is sliding along a descending support trendline.

In simpler terms, even if the price is flat, big capital entering the asset is thinning out, and the market is leaning toward supply overpowering demand. With no pickup yet in CMF, the market loses another potential safety net.

This is why the XRP price has remained flat rather than rebounding.

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XRP Price Levels Decide If The Breakdown Actually Happens

For now, XRP is trapped between $1.90 and $1.81. It lost the $1.90 level on December 22 and hasn’t reclaimed it since. Reclaiming $1.90 and then pushing for $1.99 would be the first sign of strength.

That would also mark a move above the triangle’s upper boundary and give bulls something to work with.

However, the bearish case is clearer than the bullish one at present.

If $1.81 breaks, XRP may fall out of the descending triangle pattern, which would constitute a confirmed breakdown. That loss could open room toward $1.68, where the structure fully fails, and even $1.52 if selling accelerates.

This isn’t a given yet, but the market has not shown a counter-signal yet. As long as retail selling, long-term distribution, and weakening capital inflow remain aligned, the XRP price must fight to hold the range.

The post Is XRP at Risk of a Breakdown Before 2026 Begins? Three Metrics Hint at Trouble appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Charles Hoskinson is pitching his latest venture, Midnight Protocol, as more than a sidechain for Cardano.

Instead, the Cardano founder is positioning the privacy-focused platform as a shared infrastructure layer that could extend programmable privacy to rival blockchain networks, including Bitcoin and the XRP Ledger.

Hoskinson Moves Beyond Cardano With a Cross-Chain Privacy Play

In a December 27 post on X, Hoskinson argued that Midnight’s zero-knowledge proof architecture could enhance the capabilities of competing ecosystems rather than displace them.

He said that integrating Midnight with the XRP Ledger would allow the network to challenge legacy banking systems by enabling private, compliant decentralized finance. He extended the argument to Bitcoin, saying Midnight offers programmable privacy features that Bitcoin currently lacks.

Hoskinson also framed Midnight as a catalyst for Cardano itself. He suggested that the protocol could help lift Cardano’s monthly active users and total value locked by broadening the ecosystem’s utility beyond its native chain.

“Midnight makes what it touches better. Adding Midnight to XRP DeFi is going to blow the legacy banks out of the water. Adding Midnight to Bitcoin gives the world Satoshi imagined possible. Adding Midnight to Cardano supercharges our DeFi ecosystem and will 10x the MAUs, Transactions, and TVL as we are first to market with private DeFi at scale,” he claimed.

Beyond interoperability, Hoskinson pointed to the scale of the opportunity in real-world asset tokenization. He said the estimated $10 trillion market for Real-World Assets would benefit significantly from Midnight’s privacy-preserving design.

In that context, he criticized traditional finance firms for continuing to partner with the Canton Network, a permissioned blockchain, arguing that partial solutions fall short of what institutional adoption requires.

“There are no half measures or half technologies. You need an end-to-end strategy, great partners, and great communities,” Hoskinson said.

This strategy marks a shift for Hoskinson, who has historically focused on building within the Cardano ecosystem.

By promoting Midnight as a privacy layer that enhances other Layer-1 blockchains, Hoskinson is seeking to access liquidity and user bases beyond Cardano’s existing network.

That pivot has coincided with growing speculative interest in Midnight’s native token, NIGHT.

Data from CoinGecko showed that the asset recently surpassed Bitcoin and Ethereum in search volume on the platform’s trending list.

However, the token has traded with high volatility since its launch earlier this month. According to BeInCrypto data, the token’s price has dropped by more than 80% to $0.08 as of press time.

The post Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson Pitches Midnight as a Privacy Layer for Bitcoin and XRP appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Year-end usually brings position cuts across crypto. Big wallets and smart money often reduce exposure to secure profits, sit on cash, and wait for lower-liquidity conditions to finish. That’s normal for December. Even with that backdrop, a few assets are seeing the opposite. Crypto whales are adding again across multiple time frames.

One shows steady 30-day accumulation, another gets 7-day whale support, and a third just saw fresh 24-hour inflows.

Chainlink (LINK)

The first token on the list that crypto whales are buying is Chainlink. Whale wallets have raised their holdings by 57.79% over the last 30 days. This means whales added about 680,000 LINK in that period.

At the current LINK price, that is close to $8.5 million in accumulation.

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This buildup occurs while Chainlink has corrected by about 7.5% over the same period. Smart money wallets have reduced exposure by 5.2%, suggesting whales are positioning early rather than expecting an immediate move.

This whale has further withdrawn 366,364 $LINK, worth $4.5M, from #Binance.

Now, the whale holds 695,783 $LINK, worth $8.52M, from #Binance in the past 2 days.

Address: 0xEc7BF1F8D41BaAC2182f37cd128865Cebb96F237 https://t.co/UACoWauEA6 pic.twitter.com/BIrWip67kv

— Onchain Lens (@OnchainLens) December 27, 2025

On the chart, the Bull Bear Power (BBP) indicator shows that red bars have been shrinking since December 24. BBP measures the distance between price and a moving average to highlight whether bulls or bears control momentum. When the red bars shrink, bearish pressure is fading.

At the same time, LINK is trying to reclaim a key short-term barrier near $12.50. A daily close above that level would put the token back inside the short-term breakout conversation. Above $12.50, the more critical levels sit near $12.98 and $13.75, and a move past $15.00 would return LINK to a clear bullish zone.

Smart money exiting while whales continue to add hints at a slower setup. The structure suggests whales are accumulating into weakness for a potential move in early 2026, not an immediate breakout. Until $12.50 is reclaimed, LINK may stay range-bound. Also, a dip under $11.72 can invalidate the whales’ bullish theory for now.

Lido DAO (LDO)

Crypto whales have also turned to Lido over the past 7 days. Their balances are up 30.34%, bringing the cohort’s stash to 17.49 million LDO. At the current price , whales added roughly 4.07 million LDO, worth about $2.28 million in a week.

This comes while the token has gained 4.2% during the same period, which suggests whales are buying into strength.

Not all big buyers are anonymous. One of the most notable additions came from Arthur Hayes, who accumulated 1.85 million LDO worth around $1.03 million. It also explains why the “Public Figure” cohort has climbed alongside whale activity.

Just In: Arthur Hayes (@CryptoHayes) bought 1.85M $LDO worth $1.03M from #Binance.

Address: 0x6cd66dbdfe289ab83d7311b668ada83a12447e21 pic.twitter.com/nYsyIMv0tN

— Onchain Lens (@OnchainLens) December 26, 2025

Smart money, however, shows a different stance. Their balances are down 7.75%. Exchange balances are also down 1.49%, hinting that retail may be removing tokens from exchanges rather than selling. This disconnect means the whale thesis might take time to play out and could stretch into early 2026 instead of an immediate move.

On the chart, Lido trades inside a clear range between $0.59 and $0.49. The On-Balance Volume (OBV) indicator, which measures whether volume flows in or out, broke its downtrend on December 23.

That happened at the same time whale inflows picked up, so the signal is worth watching.

A daily close above $0.59 is needed to confirm strength. That level broke on December 14 and hasn’t been reclaimed since. If buyers clear it with conviction, the next zones to watch are $0.76 (0.618 Fibonacci) and then $0.92, where momentum could flip from corrective to bullish.

Until then, range-bound trading remains the base case. A loss of $0.49 would invalidate the current LDO price setup, especially if smart money keeps reducing exposure during year-end volatility.

Aster (ASTER)

The third token on the list is Aster. This one has seen whale interest on the 24-hour window rather than a longer accumulation trend. Over the past day, whales added 2.37% to their existing stash.

Following this rise, whale holdings now stand at approximately 19.23 million ASTER. At a price of about $0.71, that means whales added roughly 455,000 ASTER, worth a little over $320,000.

The addition is not massive. It stands out because ASTER has dropped more than 30% in a month, and this pickup might hint that sentiment is slowly shifting from heavy selling to cautious positioning.

Price action supports this reading. ASTER fell sharply from about $1.40 on November 19 and found support near $0.65, which has held as a floor through December. Selling pressure also looks weaker now. On the Wyckoff Volume indicator, red and yellow bars (seller control) have been fading since December 15. The recent shift toward lighter red/yellow bars suggests sellers are losing dominance.

If whales are right, the recovery attempt begins with a push to $0.83, which requires approximately a 16% move from current prices. Breaking above $0.83 opens room toward $1.03, and then $1.24 if market conditions improve.

If the price loses $0.65, the thesis breaks down. A clean loss of that level can put ASTER at risk of new local lows as year-end volatility picks up.

The post What Crypto Whales Are Buying For Potential Gains In January 2026 appeared first on BeInCrypto.

BitMine, the largest corporate holder of Ethereum, has begun staking part of its $12 billion ETH treasury.

On December 27, on-chain analyst Ember CN reported that the firm deposited approximately 74,880 ETH, valued at about $219 million, into Ethereum staking contracts.

Why is BitMine Staking Its Holdings?

The move represents only a small slice of BitMine’s total holdings of roughly 4.07 million ETH, currently valued near $12 billion.

Still, it signals a meaningful shift in how the company intends to manage its balance sheet.

If the company were to stake its entire treasury at the current estimated annual percentage yield (APY) of 3.12%, it would generate approximately 126,800 ETH annually. At current prices, this equates to $371 million in yearly revenue.

Such a structure would effectively recast BitMine as a yield-bearing vehicle tied to Ethereum’s consensus layer. This means its valuation would no longer hinge primarily on the asset’s directional price movements.

ETH Staking Goals and Risks

However, the strategy introduces new financial and operational risks for the company.

Unlike Bitcoin held in cold storage, which can be liquidated immediately in stressed market conditions, staked Ether is constrained by protocol-level withdrawal mechanics.

Validators exiting the network must pass through an exit queue, which can delay access to capital during periods of heightened volatility.

In a liquidity crunch, that delay could leave BitMine exposed to price swings that a non-staking treasury might otherwise avoid.

This tradeoff underscores a structural difference between holding Ethereum as a passive asset and deploying it as productive capital within the network.

Still, BitMine has a long-term goal of acquiring and staking 5% of Ethereum’s total supply.

To support that vision, the firm is developing a proprietary staking platform, the Made in America Validator Network (MAVAN), scheduled for deployment in early 2026.

“We continue to make progress on our staking solution known as The Made in America Validator Network (MAVAN). This will be the ‘best-in-class’ solution offering secure staking infrastructure and will be deployed in early calendar 2026,” BitMine chair Thomas Lee said.

Meanwhile, critics argue that consolidating such a large share of Ether under a single US-domiciled validator framework introduces centralization risks. They say the structure could undermine a network designed to be neutral and globally distributed.

With BitMine currently controlling about 3.36% of the total ETH supply, MAVAN could, in theory, face pressure to comply with the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions.

As a result, the firm could refuse to validate blocks containing transactions linked to sanctioned addresses.

The post BitMine Begins Staking Its $12 Billion Ethereum Holdings appeared first on BeInCrypto.

The Ethereum price is down by under 1% in the last 24 hours. At first glance, the chart looks quiet. Also, the minor price drop links to weak retail demand. But something else is happening under the surface.

New on-chain data shows whales adding again, while one key indicator flashes a rare trend shift, favoring one of the two groups mentioned in this piece.

Retail Slows Down While Whales Move In

Ethereum is approaching completion of an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern. This is a bullish structure that signals a trend reversal if the price breaks above $3,390. The problem appears before that breakout level. Retail momentum weakened this week.

Between December 18 and December 24, the price trended higher. Normally, that is a positive sign. The Money Flow Index (MFI), which tracks money entering and exiting an asset, did not follow. It made a lower low. That shows that possibly retail traders did not support the higher low with real buying.

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MFI now needs to move above 37 to form a higher high and show stronger demand.

While retail slowed down, the whales reacted the opposite way. Since December 26, wallets holding large amounts moved from 100.48 million ETH to 100.6 million ETH.

At the current price, this amounts to approximately $350 million injected over the past 24 hours. Whales do not buy for short-term flips. They usually buy because they think a setup exists.

This split defines the current situation. Retail hesitates. Whales enter. The next ETH price move depends on which group stays consistent.

One Indicator Tilts Toward The Whales

The Relative Strength Index (RSI), a momentum measuring indicator, supports whale positioning.

Between November 4 and December 25:

• Price made a lower low
• RSI made a higher low

This is a bullish divergence. It signals that selling pressure is losing strength, even though the price has not confirmed it yet.

This type of divergence supports reversal patterns such as the inverse head-and-shoulders. It does not guarantee the breakout. It gives the breakout attempt a higher chance of working if the price reaches the trigger zone. And that is exactly why Ethereum whales are adding now.

Ethereum Price Zones Decide The Next Leg

The Ethereum price must reclaim $3,050 first. This is a psychological barrier and short-term resistance.

If price clears it with strength, the next test is the neckline breakout zone at $3,390.

A breakout above $3,390 could activate an inverse head and shoulders target near $4,400. That comes from adding the height of the head to the breakout point.

On the downside, losing $2,800 weakens bullish momentum. If selling increases and whales stop adding, the Ethereum price can slide to $2,620. A drop below that level invalidates the bullish reversal structure.

The post Ethereum Whales Add Over $350 Million While Retail Hesitates — What Are They Seeing? appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong predicts US banks will reverse their stance on stablecoin regulation and eventually lobby Congress to permit interest payments on these digital assets.

Armstrong’s forecast, posted December 27 on X, contradicts the banking sector’s current efforts to strip yield-generating features from the GENIUS Act.

Armstrong Predicts Banks Will Reverse Course on Stablecoin Interest Bans

He argued that lenders are currently protecting low-cost deposits but will be forced to adopt the technology to compete for capital.

“My prediction is the banks will actually flip and be lobbying FOR the ability to pay interest and yield on stablecoins in a few years,” Armstrong wrote.

The prediction reframes the current legislative battle over the GENIUS Act as more than a regulatory dispute. It presents the fight as a collision between legacy profit protection and inevitable market evolution.

The GENIUS Act, signed in July 2025, prohibits stablecoin issuers such as Circle and Tether from paying interest directly to holders.

However, it permits intermediaries—such as exchanges—to pass yield from the underlying Treasury reserves to users.

Due to this, banking lobbyists are petitioning lawmakers to reopen the legislation and close this loophole.

They argue that non-bank platforms can now offer near risk-free Treasury yields of roughly 4% to 5% on liquid cash equivalents. In that environment, commercial banks struggle to compete without raising deposit rates and compressing their net interest margins.

However, Armstrong characterized attempts to amend enacted law as a “red line” for the crypto industry.

Exactly – I’m actually impressed the banks can lobby for this with a straight face and not get kicked out of senator’s offices. It takes some serious mental gymnastics.

We won’t let anyone reopen GENIUS. Red line issue for us. And will keep advocating for our customers and the… https://t.co/6EfF2oBn5A

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) December 26, 2025

He criticized the banking lobby’s approach as “mental gymnastics.” He pointed to the contradiction of citing safety concerns while defending a business model built on paying depositors below-market rates.

The Coinbase CEO also described the current lobbying spend by banking trade groups as “100% wasted effort.”

Notably, a coalition of 125 crypto companies, including Coinbase, recently submitted a letter to the Senate Banking Committee opposing any revisions. The group argued that reopening the bill would undermine regulatory certainty.

Armstrong’s position implies that banks will eventually lose the ability to hold deposits at near-zero rates. Instead, they would issue their own tokenized dollars to capture the yield spread directly.

Until that pivot occurs, Coinbase and its peers intend to defend the existing framework that allows them to serve as the high-yield interface for dollar holders.

The post Coinbase CEO Says Banks Will Eventually Demand Interest-Paying Stablecoins appeared first on BeInCrypto.

The Bitcoin price has decreased by almost 2% over the last 24 hours and is down nearly 3% from yesterday’s peak. At first glance, nothing about the price appears exciting.

However, something beneath the chart, especially on-chain, has changed for the first time in almost three months, and something else changed this week. These two shifts do not confirm a rally as 2026 approaches, but they might be the first building blocks of one.

A Momentum Shift Begins, but Needs Proof

Two signals have appeared simultaneously. They are separate, but the timing matters.

The first is the On-Balance Volume (OBV). OBV measures buying and selling pressure through volume. Between December 21 and December 26, Bitcoin’s price trended higher. OBV did not follow. It made lower highs. That is a bearish OBV divergence. It explains why the price failed to break through (long wick on December 26), as volume didn’t accompany the minor price rise.

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This week, OBV broke above the trend line that connected those lower highs. That breakout suggests stronger buying pressure is forming. The signal is not confirmed until OBV makes a higher high above 1.58 million. If that happens, the Bitcoin price could finally react. That has not happened yet.

The second signal comes from the Hodler net position change metric. This tracks wallets that hold for longer than 155 days. They are the slowest movers in the market.

On December 26, this metric flipped positive for the first time since late September. Long-term holders added 3,783.8 BTC. They do not buy for short-term moves. They buy for conviction. And this is the first time in almost three months that conviction has shown up.

A relief rally needs both sides. OBV must follow through. Hodlers must continue adding. One without the other is not enough.

The Bitcoin Price Map That Decides Year-End Or Early 2026

The Bitcoin price still has work to do. Price levels tell the real story.

Bitcoin has failed to reclaim $90,840 for almost two weeks. That level rejected the price on December 12 and has blocked every attempt since. Until price clears that level, every bounce feels temporary.

Above $90,840, the first real relief rally checkpoint sits near $97,190. The BTC price fell below that level on November 14.

If the rally extends, $101,710 and $107,470 are the next zones.

On the downside, support sits at $86,915. It has held since December 19. Losing it opens room to $80,560. Low year-end liquidity increases that risk. For now, based on how long-term investors are positioning, the Bitcoin price can attempt a relief rally toward $90,840 and even beyond if the support at $86,910 holds.

The post Is Bitcoin Price Headed for a Relief Rally? Charts Have the Answer appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Ripple Labs is doubling down on its presence in Japan, drawing on longstanding relationships with the country’s traditional financial institutions. The strategy is aimed at increasing adoption and interest in the XRP Ledger (XRPL).

This week, Asia Web3 Alliance Japan and Web3 Salon launched the Japan Financial Infrastructure Innovation Program. The initiative is designed to support Japanese startups developing next-generation, compliant digital financial solutions on the XRP Ledger.

Ripple’s Japan Strategy Tests Whether Institutions Can Lift XRP

The program opened applications on December 19 and is offering a $10,000 grant per startup. It is narrowly focused on three high-value verticals, including stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization, and credit infrastructure.

“Japan offers an overwhelming opportunity for blockchain innovation, supported by a forward-thinking regulatory framework and deep talent pool. This program represents Ripple’s commitment to fostering a vibrant ecosystem where startups can leverage the speed, low cost, and reliability of the XRP Ledger to create real-world benefits and transform financial infrastructure,” Christina Chan, Senior Director of Developer Growth at RippleX, said.

Analysts view it as a low-cost funnel for identifying candidates for Ripple’s significantly larger capital pool, including the 1 billion XRP fund dedicated to developers in Japan and Korea.

The program has secured backing from a formidable roster of establishment players, including Mizuho Bank, SMBC Nikko Securities, and Securitize Japan.

@AWAJ_official and @Web3Salon, with support from #JETRO and @RippleXrpie, are proud to announce the Japan Financial Infrastructure Innovation Program (JFIIP) 🇯🇵 during the Japan Fintech Week

🗓 Dec 19, 2025 – Jan 18, 2026
👉 Apply here: https://t.co/kW1uq9uu6P#FinTech #XRPL pic.twitter.com/5cBox776PD

— Asia Web3 Alliance Japan (AWAJ) (@AWAJ_official) December 24, 2025

Despite the initiative’s high-profile corporate backing, it comes at a precarious moment for the network. While Ripple touts institutional adoption, the underlying usage of the XRPL tells a conflicting story of contraction.

According to data from DefiLlama, the Total Value Locked (TVL) on the XRPL has plummeted in recent months. The TVL has fallen from a July high of $120 million to roughly $62 million as of press time.

This nearly 50% drawdown suggests that capital is exiting the network’s DeFi protocols even as corporate partnerships expand.

Meanwhile, the broader crypto market downturn likely contributed to the drawdown, as Bitcoin has fallen 30% from its October high of more than $126,000.

Furthermore, the push into asset tokenization faces stiff competition. According to Rwa.xyz, XRPL currently ranks ninth globally in tokenized assets, with approximately $213 million in assets.

While substantial, this lags significantly behind networks like Ethereum and newer competitors that have captured the lion’s share of the RWA market.

Considering this, the JFIIP program is more than a startup accelerator. By entrenching itself in Japan’s banking infrastructure, Ripple hopes to create a sticky ecosystem that is immune to the speculative volatility of the broader crypto market.

The post Ripple Leverages Japanese Banking Giants to Drive XRP Ledger Activity appeared first on BeInCrypto.