POL token flashes recovery signals as Polygon NFTs sales hit $2B

  • Polygon (POL) shows signs of recovery amid the broader crypto market bloodbath.
  • Polygon NFT sales have surpassed $2 billion, led by Courtyard’s RWA surge.
  • Monthly Polygon NFT transactions and average sale values continue to rise.

Polygon’s native token, POL, is showing signs of a potential rebound just as the network’s NFT ecosystem reaches a major milestone with over $2 billion in all-time sales.

The price of POL, formerly MATIC, has hovered around $0.2146, with modest 24-hour gains of 1.1%, offering a glimmer of hope amid a broader slump that has plagued crypto assets in recent months.

Despite POL being down over 69% year-on-year, its recent stabilisation hints at a possible turning point, especially as network usage gains traction through real-world utility and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Polygon’s surging NFT market, largely driven by tokenised real-world assets (RWAs), is reinforcing investor confidence and suggesting that the network’s fundamentals remain strong.

Polygon’s NFT market is on the rise

In 2025, NFT activity on Polygon has been notably resilient, with monthly sales climbing consistently from $16.3 million in November 2024 to $74.7 million in May 2025.

This sustained growth not only highlights increased adoption but also sets Polygon apart as one of the few networks defying the prevailing NFT market downturn.

According to CryptoSlam data, the broader NFT sector saw a sharp decline after peaking at $900 million in December 2024, eventually falling to $373 million in April 2025.

However, Polygon bucked this trend, with May marking another record month as sales surged while average transaction values hit nearly $89, up 242% from six months earlier.

This momentum has been fueled by Courtyard, a real-world asset marketplace that has rapidly emerged as a major player in Polygon’s NFT ecosystem.

Courtyard now boasts $277 million in all-time sales, narrowly trailing DraftKings at $287 million, and could soon become the leading NFT collection on the network.

The significance of Courtyard’s rise lies not only in sales numbers but in its role in bridging digital assets with tangible value, a development that appeals to both collectors and traditional investors.

Transaction volumes have also remained robust, with over 800,000 monthly NFT transactions recorded from March to May 2025, further emphasising the depth of engagement across the ecosystem.

Moreover, user activity has held strong, with February peaking at 134,000 unique buyers, illustrating consistent demand for tokenised assets even during turbulent market conditions.

POL price outlook

These trends indicate that while POL’s price remains far below its previous highs, the network itself is seeing foundational growth that could eventually reflect in the token’s valuation.

Analysts believe that as user adoption expands and Courtyard continues to innovate, the demand for POL could rise, especially as it becomes more integrated into network functionalities.

Although it is too early to declare a full recovery, the convergence of NFT momentum and token stability signals a cautiously optimistic outlook for Polygon.

If the trend of real-world asset tokenisation continues to gain popularity, POL may find itself supported by real demand rather than speculative hype.

Looking ahead, the key factors to watch will include the pace of Courtyard’s growth, the completion of the MATIC to POL migration, and overall sentiment across the NFT sector.

With Polygon proving it can thrive even as the broader market falters, POL might be poised to benefit from renewed interest and utility-driven adoption.

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XRP drops 34% from January peak as Trump crypto reserve plans fall short

  • XRP peaked at $3.31 in January 2025, up 255% post-election.
  • RippleNet transactions now near one million per day.
  • SEC case nearly resolved; ETF filings remain pending.

XRP has fallen 34% to $2.18 on May 30 from its highs in January 2025, reflecting a significant retreat in investor confidence.

XRP had surged to a multi-year high of $3.31 in January 2025, rallying over 250% from November 2024 as Donald Trump’s crypto-friendly campaign victory fuelled optimism in digital assets.

The coin, once entangled in a long-running legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission, appeared poised for institutional acceptance and potential federal adoption.

Delayed policy execution, a muted government buying programme, and persistent macroeconomic uncertainty have combined to put downward pressure on the token, which is central to Ripple Labs’ global payments network.

Regulatory hopes, ETF filings, and the SEC case lifted investor sentiment

Two key catalysts triggered XRP’s dramatic rise between late 2024 and early 2025.

The first was the pro-crypto stance of President Trump’s campaign, which promised to update digital asset regulations, encourage US-based crypto mining, and create government-held reserves of major cryptocurrencies.

Following Trump’s win, the broader market responded positively — Bitcoin and Ethereum gained double digits, while Dogecoin doubled.

However, XRP outperformed them all with a 255% surge, amid speculation that it would feature prominently in federal crypto holdings.

Investor excitement intensified after rumours circulated that Trump’s proposed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve would be followed by a broader Digital Asset Stockpile.

With XRP’s focus on cross-border finance and its ongoing legal case nearing resolution, many investors speculated it would be included alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin.

Market participants also anticipated that the new administration would hasten the end of the SEC lawsuit against Ripple Labs, opening up institutional avenues for XRP.

Several developments supported that narrative. Financial firms submitted applications for XRP-based exchange-traded funds. Ripple Labs launched RLUSD, a stablecoin aimed at streamlining cross-border transactions.

Daily transactions on RippleNet grew from around 150,000 to nearly one million over two years, reinforcing the use-case narrative.

Reality check as federal reserve plans underwhelm

The bullish scenario began to unravel shortly after Trump’s inauguration. XRP peaked just before 20 January but has since shed over a third of its value.

A similar pattern was seen with other cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum and Dogecoin, which dropped over 27%, while Bitcoin slid 25% before bouncing back to new all-time highs.

Part of the disappointment stems from the scope of the Trump administration’s actual crypto plans. While a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a separate Digital Asset Stockpile were announced in March, the portfolios were not fresh purchases.

Instead, they involved the management of existing government-held assets, largely seized through court proceedings. The hoped-for government-led accumulation of XRP never materialised.

This development led many investors to reconsider their exposure, especially amid broader market uncertainties. Concerns over trade conflicts, inflation risks, and possible tariff escalations created a risk-off environment.

XRP, with its international payments model, became particularly vulnerable as fears of declining cross-border transaction volumes grew.

Long-term utility and institutional interest remain in focus

Despite its spring slump, XRP retains several features that continue to attract long-term interest.

Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, for instance, offers a tool for managing global liquidity more efficiently.

Meanwhile, XRP’s integration with the RippleNet system remains one of the most widely adopted blockchain-based payment protocols globally, processing close to one million transactions per day.

The lawsuit with the SEC, which began in 2020, was announced to be dropped by the SEC.

Both the regulator and Ripple Labs were looking at a $50 million settlement.

However, a US judge rejected the joint request, citing jurisdictional and procedural issues.

In parallel, pending ETF applications signal that traditional finance firms are preparing to embrace XRP, should regulatory clarity improve.

Though investor sentiment has cooled since January, market watchers will closely follow legislative developments through summer 2025.

Any forward movement on crypto regulation, ETF approvals, or increased federal participation could swiftly change the narrative.

Until then, XRP trades in the shadow of unmet expectations, but with the infrastructure and partnerships to support a future rebound.

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Solana price falls 18% in May as SEC scrutiny cuts open interest by $330M

  • Open interest in SOL derivatives falls from $3.20B to $2.87B.
  • Price faces resistance at 50-day EMA, $150 is key support.
  • Polymarket shows 80% odds of Solana ETF approval.

Solana is under pressure as June begins, with its price down 18% over the past three weeks.

The latest trigger came on 30 May, when the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) raised concerns over two proposed staking exchange-traded funds (ETFs) involving Solana and Ethereum.

The agency’s reaction sent a chill through the derivatives market, with total open interest (OI) in Solana futures dropping from $3.20 billion to $2.87 billion.

The funding rate also slipped into negative territory, indicating declining confidence among perpetual traders.

The ETFs in question were proposed by REX Shares and Osprey Funds.

While details of their structures were not fully disclosed, they aimed to provide exposure to staking-based returns through a regulated vehicle.

However, the SEC flagged “unresolved questions” around whether these funds qualify as legitimate investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The comment came via a filing attributed to Brent J. Fields, Associate Director at the SEC.

Solana faces resistance as bearish momentum builds

Solana was already showing signs of weakness before the SEC announcement.

The token faced consistent resistance near the 50-day exponential moving average (EMA), with prices unable to break past the $160–$170 range throughout the second half of May.

After hitting a high of $187.19 on 20 May, Solana reversed course and fell to $152.83 by the start of June.

On the intraday chart, SOL dropped by 3% as bears gained momentum.

Solana price
Source: CoinMarketCap

Technical indicators point to further downside risk. The rejection from the 50-day EMA band has confirmed bearish control, with traders eyeing key support zones at $150, $140, and $120.

A sustained break below $150 could see SOL testing its multi-month support levels last seen in Q1 2024.

The derivatives data mirrors this sentiment. Funding rates, which reflect the cost of holding long positions in perpetual futures, turned negative at -0.0044%, down from +0.0033%.

Meanwhile, open interest—a measure of market activity—fell by over 10% within a week.

These changes show that leverage traders are unwinding their long positions amid increased regulatory uncertainty.

SEC staking ETF probe deepens regulatory uncertainty

The SEC’s concerns surrounding staking-based ETFs reflect a broader unease with crypto-native financial instruments entering traditional markets.

Although Ethereum futures ETFs have been approved in the past, no product has yet offered returns tied to staking rewards.

Solana, in particular, poses additional risks due to its more centralised validator set and history of network outages.

By raising objections now, the SEC may be signalling a tougher stance on newer ETF proposals, especially those involving yield-generating protocols.

For Solana, this creates additional headwinds, as any delay or rejection of staking ETFs could limit mainstream adoption and capital inflow.

Traders and analysts have also pointed to the lack of clarity on whether Solana is a security or commodity, a debate that has lingered since 2022.

Despite these short-term roadblocks, the longer-term sentiment appears more positive.

On prediction market platform Polymarket, odds of a Solana ETF approval have climbed to over 80%, suggesting that investors still see eventual regulatory clearance as likely.

However, the timing and scope of such an approval remain uncertain.

Solana’s June outlook hinges on key support levels

With SOL trading below its 50-day EMA and investor appetite dwindling in the derivatives space, much now depends on how the market reacts at key support levels.

A firm defence of the $150 mark could set the stage for a rebound later in the month, especially if broader crypto sentiment improves.

Conversely, failure to hold $150 may lead to further capitulation towards $140 or even $120.

While some on-chain data shows consistent activity within the Solana ecosystem, including growth in decentralised applications and daily transaction counts, price action remains largely dictated by macro and regulatory forces.

The SEC’s latest comments have injected a fresh dose of uncertainty, and for now, market participants appear to be de-risking.

As Solana enters June on a cautious note, its short-term trajectory will likely depend on two fronts—clarity from regulators and a return of speculative interest in high-beta altcoins. Until then, the path of least resistance appears to be downward.

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Tron hits $121.2B in monthly transfers as TRX overtakes Cardano

  • 490.3 billion TRX moved, up 34% from April.
  • Yearly volume surged nearly 10x from May 2024.
  • Dominates stablecoin flows across multiple regions.

The Tron blockchain has hit a new peak in transaction activity, with its native token TRX recording an all-time high monthly transfer volume of 490.3 billion tokens in May 2025.

This translates to approximately $121.2 billion at the current market price of $0.247 per token, marking a 34% jump from April and a 990% surge compared to the same month last year.

The explosive rise in volume highlights Tron’s increasing role in global payments, especially in stablecoin transactions.

Beyond raw transaction figures, Tron has now overtaken Cardano to become the world’s ninth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation.

At the time of writing, TRX holds a market cap of $25.6 billion, surpassing Cardano’s $24.1 billion.

The network’s expanding dominance has drawn renewed attention to TRX’s role in stablecoin flows, outpacing Ethereum and other Layer 1 and Layer 2 chains in Tether usage across various global regions.

Tron leads global stablecoin flows, surpassing Ethereum

A growing portion of the transfer volume is tied to Tron’s strength in stablecoin settlement, particularly in Tether (USDT).

Recent industry reports show that Tron has consistently outperformed Ethereum as the preferred network for Tether transfers since mid-2022.

This trend has continued into 2025, with Tron now dominating stablecoin transaction volumes across multiple continents, including Latin America, Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe.

According to data published by Artemis, Tron remains the most commonly used blockchain for settling customer flows by value. It is followed by Ethereum, Polygon, and Binance Smart Chain.

Tron’s low transaction fees and consistent throughput have positioned it as the blockchain of choice for large-scale stablecoin movement, especially in emerging markets where cost efficiency is crucial.

May transfer volume up 34% from April, nearly 10x YoY

In April 2025, total TRX transfers stood at 362.92 billion, meaning May’s figure represents a 34% month-on-month jump.

The yearly change is even more striking, with volume rising from just 45 billion TRX in May 2024 to 490.3 billion this year—a near tenfold increase.

This growth has been facilitated by rising user adoption and increased integration with major decentralised applications and payment systems.

The network’s architecture continues to support consistent throughput for micropayments and remittance services, particularly those requiring stablecoin functionality.

Analysts eye breakout as price holds near $0.26

TRX has not only gained in transaction metrics but also in market performance. Recent data shows that the token’s price has risen 8.8% over the past month. However, in the past 24 hours, TRX is down 0.26% and is currently trading at $0.26.

Tron price
Source: CoinMarketCap

Technical analysts monitoring the market have identified a monthly ascending triangle pattern on the charts, a formation that historically signals potential breakouts.

Based on current levels, TRX would need to rise by approximately 270.3% to reach the $1 mark.

While this scenario is not guaranteed, growing network activity and rising adoption support the possibility of continued upward movement in the near to medium term.

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