Monat: Juni 2025

• Cardano launches Cardinal Protocol, enabling BTC use in DeFi without bridges.
• ADA’s price surges as Cardinal adoption grows across major Cardano DeFi platforms.
• Cardinal ensures secure, non-custodial BTC staking and lending.

Cardano has taken a major leap in the decentralized finance world with the launch of its first Bitcoin DeFi protocol, Cardinal, triggering a sharp rise in the price and trading volume of ADA.

The Bitcoin DeFi protocol was first unveiled by Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, during the Bitcoin 2025 conference, where a live demo showcased a bridgeless BTC-to-Cardano transaction using the new system. The protocol is now live.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has announced the launch of Cardinal, the first Bitcoin DeFi protocol on the Cardano network. The protocol leverages MuSig2 multi-signature technology to enable non-custodial cross-chain functionality, allowing users to directly use Bitcoin UTXOs…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) June 10, 2025

The news quickly rippled through the market, lifting ADA’s price by nearly 4% within 24 hours and pushing its trading volume to over $700 million, according to DefiLlama and market tracking data.

Adding fuel to ADA’s bullish momentum is its recent inclusion in the Nasdaq cryptocurrency index, something that is driving institutional interest.

Cardinal brings Bitcoin to Cardano’s DeFi ecosystem

For the first time, Bitcoin holders can now access decentralized finance services on Cardano without going through centralized custodians or third-party bridges.

Developed by Input Output (IOHK), Cardinal wraps Bitcoin’s unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs) into pegged tokens that users can stake, lend, or borrow while retaining full control over their assets.

The protocol employs the MuSig2 multi-signature scheme to handle peg-in and peg-out processes securely, ensuring the original Bitcoin remains locked on its native blockchain.

Because of this trust-minimized design, Cardinal is seen as a major innovation compared to traditional wrapped Bitcoin solutions that depend heavily on custodial infrastructure.

Wrapped UTXOs and cross-chain compatibility

What sets Cardinal apart is its ability to handle Wrapped UTXOs in a manner that remains transparent and secure while offering flexibility in how users reclaim their native Bitcoin or Ordinals.

These wrapped tokens are not only pegged 1:1 with BTC, but they can also be burned at any time by users to retrieve their original assets through a verifiable process.

Cardinal also uses BitVMX, an off-chain execution system, to bridge Bitcoin’s scripting limitations and enable interactions with Cardano’s smart contracts.

Furthermore, this approach facilitates compatibility with other blockchains such as Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche, expanding the reach of Bitcoin within multi-chain DeFi environments.

Cardano DeFi platforms are already adopting Cardinal

Major Cardano-based DeFi platforms including MinswapDEX, SundaeSwap, and Fluid Tokens have already integrated Cardinal, giving users the ability to farm, lend, and trade Bitcoin-linked assets directly.

With this integration, Bitcoin can now be used as collateral, traded for other native tokens, or even employed in NFT and Ordinal markets without compromising security or history.

Technical director Romain Pellerin emphasized that while Cardinal is already transformative, future upgrades will focus on wallet integration, zero-knowledge proofs, and increased liquidity.

These enhancements are expected to deepen the protocol’s appeal and strengthen Cardano’s position in the broader DeFi landscape.

The post ADA price jumps as Cardano launches first Bitcoin DeFi protocol appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Bitcoin Pepe aims to combine the security of the Bitcoin network with Solana-like scalability.
• So far, the crypto project’s presale has attracted more than $14 million in funding.
• The project is expected to make a listing announcement on June 17.

Bitcoin surged to its highest level this month on Monday, breaking above $110,000 and reversing last week’s losses to trade just 2% below its May all-time high.

As of Tuesday, the world’s largest cryptocurrency had climbed 3.4% over the previous 24 hours, turning a steady advance into a sharp rally. Ethereum also saw strong gains, rising 7% to trade above $2,620.

Notably, the rally unfolded even as US equities remained muted, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both trading flat.

Bitcoin is showing signs of a major rebound as global efforts to establish clearer regulatory frameworks for digital assets gain momentum.

In this improving regulatory climate, retail investors are increasingly pivoting toward high-upside tokens such as Bitcoin Pepe, which is now in the final stretch of its presale.

Speculative capital continues to flow into early-stage crypto projects, with traders seeking momentum-driven plays that offer the potential for outsized returns.

South Korean lawmaker introduces new crypto bill

A South Korean lawmaker introduced a new bill on Tuesday aimed at strengthening the country’s regulatory framework for digital assets, including the establishment of a licensing regime for stablecoin issuers.

Min Byeong-deok, a member of the ruling Democratic Party, announced the legislation, titled the Digital Asset Basic Act, at a press conference, positioning it as a foundational measure to help South Korea lead in the global digital economy.

The bill builds on the Virtual Asset Investor Protection Act, which came into force in July 2024 and primarily focused on safeguarding investors.

The new proposal shifts focus toward creating a structured ecosystem by setting out clearer operational guidelines for participants in the crypto market.

One of the central features of the legislation is a mandatory licensing framework for stablecoin issuers.

Under the proposal, issuers would need to maintain a minimum of 500 million Korean won (approximately $367,890) in owners’ capital to qualify for a license.

This initiative is in line with President Lee Jae-myung’s campaign pledge to promote a won-denominated stablecoin market as a way to stem capital outflows linked to foreign currency-pegged stablecoins.

Bitcoin Pepe’s presale shows no signs of slowing

As the regulatory climate around digital assets improves, it could bring much-needed visibility and legitimacy to the broader meme coin market, shifting perceptions of such tokens from instruments of pure speculation to structured, investment-grade assets operating under regulatory oversight.

This credibility boost stands to directly benefit technically focused projects like Bitcoin Pepe, which aim to separate themselves from the hype-driven pack.

Positioned as the first meme-centric Layer 2 built on Bitcoin, Bitcoin Pepe combines the security of the Bitcoin network with the scalability of Solana-style architecture.

Its goal to “build Solana on Bitcoin” underscores an ambitious technical roadmap that goes beyond the typical meme coin narrative.

By fusing cultural relevance with infrastructure-level innovation, the project is carving out a distinct position in an increasingly saturated sector.

So far, the presale has attracted more than $14 million in funding, with the BPEP token currently priced at 0.0396.

To strengthen its Layer 2 ecosystem, Bitcoin Pepe has also secured several strategic partnerships with various projects, including Super Meme, GemuPlay, GETE Network, Catamoto, and Plena Finance.

The post Bitcoin Pepe presale sees strong momentum as South Korean lawmaker introduces new crypto bill appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Ripple will invest $5M to expand its University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) in six APAC countries.
• The total UBRI funding in Asia now exceeds $11 million.
• New focus areas include AI agents, RWA tokenization, and zk-SNARKs.

Ripple Labs has announced a fresh $5 million investment to expand blockchain education and research across the Asia-Pacific region, strengthening its long-standing commitment to developing real-world blockchain applications through academic partnerships.

The new funding, revealed on June 10, is part of Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), which now totals more than $11 million in regional support since its launch.

With this expansion, Ripple is reinforcing its presence in six countries, including deepening collaborations in South Korea, Japan, and Singapore, and forging new partnerships in Taiwan and Australia.

The initiative reflects Ripple’s broader strategy to nurture a global talent pipeline in blockchain technology, particularly through applied research on the XRP Ledger and related innovations.

Ripple is eyeing student innovation across top Asian universities

Ripple is focusing heavily on student-led innovation and academic research, targeting universities known for their influence in fintech and digital asset studies.

In South Korea, Ripple has renewed a $1.1 million partnership with Korea University, which will fund advanced blockchain research, including projects on privacy-preserving technologies such as zk-SNARKs and scalable layer-2 solutions.

This follows earlier collaborations with Yonsei University and Hanyang University, both of which are conducting research into secure blockchain infrastructures and decentralized finance models.

In Japan, Ripple continues to back the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, where previous UBRI grants have already surpassed $1.5 million.

These institutions are playing a key role in exploring next-generation blockchain use cases, contributing directly to the region’s rising prominence in digital innovation.

Taiwan has joined the UBRI network with RWA tokenization focus

Ripple’s expansion into Taiwan marks a significant milestone for the UBRI program, with the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) becoming UBRI’s 60th global partner.

The university will explore the tokenization of real-world assets, an area gaining momentum in Taiwan’s financial sector, supported by initiatives from the Financial Supervisory Commission and leading financial institutions.

As part of the grant, NKUST will launch a student XRPL Builders Club and operate a validator node, offering students direct engagement with blockchain infrastructure.

Research at NKUST will also examine the cross-chain implications of tokenizing assets across XRPL, Ethereum, and Solana, as well as the policy and compliance challenges involved.

Singapore has ramped up AI-on-blockchain research

Ripple is also doubling down in Singapore, where funding now exceeds $3 million across two major institutions: Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS).

At NTU, researchers are building an autonomous AI agent network on the XRP Ledger, aiming to develop a transparent and modular system for collaborative AI development using blockchain technology.

Meanwhile, Ripple’s renewed support for NUS will further initiatives such as the first university-based DAO in Asia, which was created through earlier UBRI backing.

These projects illustrate Ripple’s interest in the intersection of AI, decentralized governance, and real-world blockchain use cases.

Australia is seeing renewed academic ties and legal research

In Australia, Ripple has expanded its presence by partnering with Victoria University and renewing its long-term relationship with the Australian National University (ANU), raising its total academic investment in the country to $1.3 million.

Victoria University will focus on curriculum development to integrate blockchain into core educational programs, helping to equip students with industry-ready skills.

At ANU, Ripple’s funding supports ongoing research into blockchain law, virtual assets, and smart contract platforms, including the Layer 2 Evernode project built on XRPL.

Ripple also noted that ANU will continue publishing research through its Journal of Law and Technology while operating an XRPL validator to contribute to the network.

UBRI’s role in Ripple’s larger APAC strategy

The expanded UBRI investment aligns with Ripple’s broader push in the region, where it launched the XRPL Japan and Korea Fund in 2024 and partnered with Web3 Salon to support XRPL-based startups.

Ripple also remains a key investor in HashKey Capital’s XRP Tracker Fund, Asia’s first institutional investment fund centered on XRP.

This year’s UBRI Connect event will be hosted at the XRP Ledger Apex Summit, with a pre-summit hosted at NUS, underlining the growing role of APAC in shaping the future of blockchain.

With this $5 million boost, Ripple is not just funding research but laying a strategic foundation for blockchain adoption led by academia and student innovators across Asia.

The post Ripple makes another $5M investment to expand UBRI in APAC appeared first on CoinJournal.

• The meme coin sector’s total market capitalization jumped more than 6% on Tuesday to exceed $62 billion.
• Investors seeking outsized returns are turning to early-stage projects like Bitcoin Pepe.
• The ongoing crypto presale has raised over $14 million to date, and the token is currently priced at around 0.0396.

Bitcoin climbed above $110,000 on Monday, marking its highest level so far this month and erasing last week’s pullback.

The move brings the cryptocurrency to within 2% of its all-time high reached in May, reinforcing a wave of renewed bullish sentiment across the market.

Bitcoin’s upward momentum has helped fuel broader market optimism, historically a precursor to more expansive rallies.

This shift has rekindled investor appetite for risk, pushing capital back into speculative segments, particularly meme coins.

The meme coin sector saw a sharp resurgence, with total market capitalization jumping more than 6% on Tuesday to exceed $62 billion.

Dogecoin and Shiba Inu both gained over 5% on Monday, while PEPE surged more than 8%, reflecting increasing interest.

With meme coins staging a sharp rally, investors seeking outsized returns are increasingly turning their attention to early-stage projects like Bitcoin Pepe.

The project’s presale has maintained strong momentum, drawing sustained interest from participants looking to capitalize on the current wave of speculative inflows.

Meme coins among top gainers

Solana-based meme coins Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) and Dogwifhat (WIF) emerged as standout performers, registering double-digit gains over the past 24 hours amid Monday’s broad-based crypto rally.

Despite the market cooling on Tuesday, both tokens have managed to hold onto their recent advances.

Fartcoin’s surge follows news of its upcoming perpetuals listing on Coinbase International Exchange and Coinbase Advanced, set to go live Thursday at 9:30 am UTC.

The development has fueled bullish sentiment, giving the token a strong start to the week.

Meanwhile, WIF reclaimed the key $1 psychological level after climbing 15% on Monday.

As of Tuesday, it was trading at $1.03.

Technically, WIF has broken out of a double bottom pattern that had formed above the $0.786 support over the past two weeks, clearing the $1 neckline and signaling potential for continued upward momentum.

Investors shift attention to Bitcoin Pepe

This recent rally in meme coins has seen investors chasing asymmetric, high-upside opportunities, turning toward projects like Bitcoin Pepe.

With a vision to “build Solana on Bitcoin,” Bitcoin Pepe is pitching a blend of Bitcoin’s robust security with the scalability of Solana-like architecture—an approach aimed at offering more than the typical meme coin narrative.

Billed as the first meme-centric Layer 2 on Bitcoin, the project seeks to integrate meme culture with a scalable infrastructure layer, carving out a distinct position in an increasingly crowded sector.

The company describes its mission as uniting all memes on a single blockchain, to onboard the next billion users through a lightning-fast, retail-friendly trading experience secured by Bitcoin, the most trusted and secure network in the crypto ecosystem.

The ongoing presale has raised over $14 million to date, signalling strong backing ahead of a listing announcement on June 17.

With capital rotating into early-stage plays, Bitcoin Pepe is emerging as a notable contender in the current wave of meme-fueled crypto speculation.

The post Best crypto presales to buy as meme coins lead gains on Tuesday appeared first on CoinJournal.