Kategorie: Crypto Markets

• Hedera (HBAR) is among the standout performers on the day after climbing above the key resistance level of $0.12.
• With the price up more than 10% in the past 24 hours, the altcoin stands amongst the top 100 gainers.
• Bulls could rally on factors such as growing confidence in Hedera’s enterprise-grade network.

Hedera entered the new year on a strong footing, with HBAR registering significant gains to touch multi-week highs at $0.12.

This comes after consolidating below $0.11 since the breakdown below the $0.12 threshold in mid-December.

Per trading data, Hedera has seen a surge in daily volume, which stood at over $166 million and was 38% up in the past 24 hours.

HBAR is notching gains as analysts attribute the rally to a combination of factors.

Among these is the broader market’s post-holiday portfolio rebalancing and fresh risk appetite.

The crypto project’s underlying network also continues to show robust activity, helped by enterprise partnerships and real-world asset tokenisation.

What’s next for HBAR price?

The surge to an intraday high above $0.12 could encourage bulls, particularly if risk assets flip the bearish sentiment seen in late 2025.

Looking ahead, several potential catalysts could drive further upside for HBAR throughout 2026.

Growing interest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including those focused on Hedera, has analysts bullish on several altcoins. Currently, spot HBAR ETFs are seeing small but steady inflows.

SoSoValue data indicates that over $50 million in ETF net assets represent over 1.1% of the token’s circulating supply.

Analysts anticipate that additional ETF approvals or increased allocations could inject substantial liquidity.

In this case, it would mean another regulated pathway for institutional investors to gain exposure to HBAR.

Beyond ETFs, Hedera’s enterprise adoption remains a core driver.

Institutional adoption was the major trend of 2025. For @Hedera, this has been the reality since inception.

From institutional-grade DeFi to Verifiable AI and well beyond – 2025 was a year of growth across the ecosystem 🧵 pic.twitter.com/ggZ1BQNScb

— Hedera Foundation (@HederaFndn) December 31, 2025

The platform saw significant traction around real-world applications in finance, supply chain, and tokenisation in 2025.

Upcoming milestones, including the expansion of the Governing Council and enhanced developer tools, are expected to accelerate ecosystem growth.

HBAR price technical outlook

From a technical perspective, HBAR’s recent breakout above long-term resistance signals potential for continued gains.

Bulls are showing signs of retaking control as charts signal a double bottom in the $0.10-$0.11 region.

A key technical breakout from a multi-week consolidation pattern is what buyers fancy. The initial price targets are above the downtrend line around $0.13.

Hedera’s daily chart also shows that the 50-day exponential moving average sits in this region.

If momentum sustains, projections point to levels between $0.15 and $0.20 in the near term.

Broader market recovery and Hedera-specific advancements will drive this uptick. Notably, memecoins, as shown by a 35% pump for Pepe, could lead the early charge.

However, risks, including macroeconomic factors, may see bulls’ advances repelled. Key support levels include $0.10 and $0.079.

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• Pepe price was up more than 35% on the day as the cryptocurrency market witnessed a pumping start to 2026.
• There were also huge gains for Bonk, Floki and SPX6900, highlighting renewed memecoin vigour.
• Speculative enthusiasm is also driving price movements for top coins, Bitcoin and Ethereum.

As of writing, Pepe ranked as the best performing memecoin among the top 100 by market cap.

The frog-themed token had recorded an impressive 35% gain in the past 24 hours, trading to intraday highs of $0.000005667.

Notably, Pepe’s price rally has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in trading activity.

Per CoinMarketCap, the Ethereum-based memecoin boasted a 24-hour volume of over $1.4 billion, the metric up a staggering 650% in the past 24 hours.

As bulls ride the uptick, short liquidations have amplified upward pressure. CoinGlass data shows over $10 million in liquidations for the token.

More than $9.1 million of this is in bearish positions.

Why is Pepe’s price soaring?

Optimism around Pepe comes amid a bold prediction from James Wynn, a prominent trader on the Hyperliquid platform.

Wynn has forecast that the memecoin’s market capitalisation could reach an astonishing $69 billion by the end of 2026.

“Back on Day 1 of $PEPE when it was at $600k market cap, I called it to go to multiple billions. Ultimate conviction and belief – and it paid off massively,” he posted on X.

“Now, I’m calling $PEPE to go from $1.7bn to $69bn+ in 2026.”

It’s a bold take that suggests a potential 40-fold increase from its current level of around $1.7 billion.

As he notes, Pepe has the potential to mirror or even surpass what Shiba Inu did in the previous cycle.

The Pepe market cap has soared to above $2.3 billion hours after Wynn’s prediction.

If realised, this could mean the token’s price catapults past the all-time high of $0.00002825 reached in December 2024.

Wynn says a combination of technical, sentimental, and overall bullish catalysts positions Pepe well ahead of a fresh memecoin resurgence.

He noted:

“If this bull market is not over, which I do not think it is, there is a high likelihood in my mind we see $PEPE at the forefront of memes leading the way as money flows into T1 memes, and proper fundamental altcoins. All social metrics (crucial factor for meme coins) MASSIVELY favor Pepe, including exchanges using it as a branding in their posts to increase engagement and get more sign ups.”

In his view, if Shiba Inu can spike to $41 billion, PEPE has the potential to go higher.

Top memecoin Dogecoin soared to $88 billion when its price went parabolic, and Pepe could easily do $69 billion.

Bonk, Floki, and SPX6900 among top memecoin gainers

While Pepe dominates headlines, other established memecoins have also contributed to the sector’s strong opening to 2026.

Floki (FLOKI), bolstered by ongoing ecosystem developments, has seen a 19% increase in the past day.

Like Pepe, this comes alongside elevated trading volumes.

Another top gainer is Bonk (BONK), the Solana-based community token.

Renewed interest has BONK trading 15% up in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, SPX6900 (SPX), known for its satirical take on financial markets, has surged 16%.

Pudgy Penguins, Shiba Inu and Dogecoin are also boasting double-digit gains as the memecoin category as a whole witnesses a vibrant start to the year.

The post Pepe soars 35% as top memecoins lead market rally appeared first on CoinJournal.

• China will allow interest on digital yuan (e-CNY) holdings starting in 2026.
• US banks and crypto firms clash over enforcing the GENIUS Act ban.
• Coinbase executive warns stablecoin yield bans could weaken US global competitiveness.

China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), announced earlier this week that it will allow commercial banks to pay interest on holdings of the digital yuan, also known as the e-CNY.

The new framework is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, and the PBOC Deputy Governor Lu Lei said the change will transform the e-CNY from a form of digital cash into what he described as a “digital deposit currency,” a shift designed to boost user adoption.

China has spent several years piloting the digital yuan across multiple cities and use cases, including retail payments and public services.

However, adoption has been slower than policymakers initially hoped.

Analysts say allowing interest payments could make the e-CNY more competitive with traditional bank deposits and private digital payment platforms, potentially accelerating its use domestically and, over time, in cross-border transactions.

In the United States, the debate centres on how the GENIUS Act’s prohibition on interest should be interpreted and enforced.

The law, which became effective in July, was designed to keep payment stablecoins focused on transactional use rather than savings or investment products.

Banking groups argue that allowing stablecoins to pay yield would blur the line between deposits and crypto assets, potentially threatening financial stability and drawing funds away from regulated banks.

Crypto industry groups strongly disagree.

In a Dec. 18 letter to lawmakers, the Blockchain Association and more than 125 industry participants urged Congress to resist expanding or aggressively enforcing the ban on stablecoin rewards.

The group said claims that stablecoin incentives pose a danger to community banks are not supported by evidence and warned that overly strict rules could push innovation offshore.

The American Bankers Association, in a separate letter sent the same day, called for a firm application of the GENIUS Act.

The group argued that some crypto firms are attempting to circumvent the spirit of the law by offering reward-like incentives that function similarly to interest, potentially undermining traditional banking activities.

Coinbase executive warns China could dethrone the US

A senior executive at Coinbase has warned that the United States could undermine its own position in the future of digital finance if lawmakers prohibit interest-bearing stablecoins, just as China moves to make its central bank digital currency (CBDC) more attractive by allowing it to pay interest.

Faryar Shirzad, Coinbase’s chief policy officer, said this week that restricting rewards on US-issued dollar stablecoins could hand a competitive edge to foreign rivals, particularly China.

Shirzad’s comments come amid growing debate in Washington over the implementation of the recently passed GENIUS Act, which bars US dollar payment stablecoins from paying interest or yield directly to users.

In a post on X, Shirzad argued that global competition over digital money is intensifying.

He pointed to China’s latest policy shift as evidence that incentives matter in driving adoption of new forms of money.

According to Shirzad, the US risks weakening the global role of the dollar if it limits the functionality of dollar-backed stablecoins while other jurisdictions move more aggressively.

Shirzad said the GENIUS Act was intended to ensure that US-regulated, dollar-backed stablecoins become the primary settlement tools in a tokenised global economy.

Mishandling the question of rewards, he warned, could give non-US stablecoins and CBDCs an advantage at a critical moment.

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• Bitwise filed for 11 crypto strategy ETFs with mixed direct and indirect exposure.
• The proposed ETFs target assets like TAO, TRX, UNI, ZEC, Aave, and other tokens.
• Bitwise remains bullish, citing ETF demand, institutions, and easing cycles.

Crypto asset manager Bitwise has taken another step toward expanding investors’ access to digital assets, filing applications with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for 11 new cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

According to regulatory filings submitted this week, the proposed products are structured as “crypto strategy” ETFs.

Unlike pure spot ETFs, each fund would combine direct exposure to a specific cryptocurrency with indirect exposure through other exchange-traded products and financial instruments.

Bitwise said that each ETF could allocate up to 60% of its assets directly into the underlying token, with the remaining portion invested in related exchange-traded products, derivatives, or other instruments designed to track the asset’s performance.

The filing also notes that the funds may use derivatives such as futures contracts and swap agreements, a structure that could allow for greater flexibility in managing exposure while operating within current regulatory constraints.

The 11 crypto ETFs targeted by Bitwise

The proposed crypto ETFs span a wide range of blockchain ecosystems and decentralised finance (DeFi) projects.

Assets named in the filing include Aave, Ethena (ENA), Hyperliquid (HYPE), NEAR, Starknet (STRK), Sui, Bittensor (TAO), Tron (TRX), Uniswap (UNI), Zcash (ZEC), and Canton (CC).

If approved, the lineup would give US investors ETF-based exposure to tokens tied to smart contract platforms, privacy-focused networks, and DeFi protocols, areas that have traditionally been harder to access through regulated investment vehicles.

The rising demand for crypto ETFs

Bitwise’s move comes amid growing demand for crypto-linked ETFs following the strong inflows into the XRP ETFs.

Those products marked a turning point for the industry, opening the door for traditional investors to gain exposure to digital assets through familiar market structures.

Building on that momentum, Bitwise has been active in rolling out new offerings.

The firm launched a spot Solana ETF in the US in October, followed by ETFs linked to XRP and Dogecoin.

It has also filed an S-1 registration statement for a spot Sui ETF and submitted an amended filing related to a Hyperliquid ETF, signalling continued efforts to broaden its crypto product suite.

Bitwise’s bullish outlook despite market volatility

The filings come after a volatile period for digital assets, with BTC and the broader crypto market experiencing weakness toward the end of last year.

But despite this, Bitwise executives have maintained a constructive long-term outlook.

Earlier this month, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan said he expects Bitcoin to break from its traditional four-year market cycle and reach new all-time highs in 2026, citing factors such as the declining impact of bitcoin halving events, expectations of lower interest rates, and fewer leverage-driven market collapses.

Hougan has also suggested that institutional participation will continue to grow, supported by clearer regulation and the expanding availability of regulated investment products like ETFs.

He added that Bitcoin’s correlation with equities could decline over time, with crypto-specific drivers, such as regulatory progress and institutional inflows, helping to support digital assets even if traditional markets face pressure.

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