Kategorie: Crypto Markets

• Ronin Bridge has migrated to Chainlink CCIP as its official cross-chain provider.
• The Chainlink CCIP now secures over $450 million in bridged assets for Ronin.
• Ronin developers and users will benefit from faster, more secure token transfers.

The Ronin Network has successfully completed the migration of its legacy Ronin Bridge to Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), marking a significant milestone in the blockchain’s evolution and its commitment to secure, seamless asset transfers across chains.

The migration formalizes Chainlink CCIP as Ronin’s canonical cross-chain infrastructure provider, a decision that follows an October 2024 validator community vote in which Ronin stakeholders opted for Chainlink over competing solutions from LayerZero and Axelar.

Enhanced security and infrastructure

Trung Nguyen, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Sky Mavis which created the Ronin Network to support its popular Axie Infinity game ecosystem, described the migration as a major unlock for Ronin’s scalability and security.

By integrating Chainlink CCIP, Ronin now leverages a robust, protocol-agnostic interoperability framework that helps safeguard more than $450 million worth of assets currently bridged to the gaming-focused blockchain, addressing security concerns raised by the 2022 exploit that resulted in over $600 million lost.

Developers building games and decentralized applications on Ronin will benefit from streamlined access to a secure, high-throughput bridging solution, while users can now transfer tokens such as AXS, YGG, BANANA, USDC, and Wrapped Bitcoin with greater confidence and reduced friction.

However, the deprecated Ronin Bridge tab remains visible on Ethereum to accommodate pending withdrawal requests from users yet to claim stranded tokens on Ethereum after the platform paused the legacy bridge amid suspicious withdrawals nearing 10 million in August 2024.

Sky Mavis has encouraged completion of these withdrawals before fully deprecating the old interface.

Driving DeFi adoption

Beyond security, the CCIP integration paves the way for enhanced decentralised finance (DeFi) activity on Ronin by tapping into Chainlink’s broader suite of oracle and interoperability services, an initiative that aligns with Ronin’s vision to become the most accessible consumer chain in the Web3 gaming ecosystem.

Chainlink’s growing ecosystem of bridges, oracles, and staking services offers Ronin a robust security framework and Sky Mavis plans to tap additional Chainlink solutions to improve user experience and drive broader adoption.

As Ronin scales to support the next generation of games and applications, the successful migration to Chainlink CCIP underscores a broader industry trend toward standardized interoperability solutions and highlights the importance of transparent, community-driven governance in fostering innovation.

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• Dogwifhat (WIF) has surged 60% in a week and 21% in 24 hours.
• Derivatives volume has soared to $1.06B, and the open interest has risen to $301M.
• The 14-day RSI is above 72, indicating overbought conditions.

Dogwifhat (WIF) rose sharply, gaining 60% over the past week and 21% in the last 24 hours, reflecting heightened volatility in the memecoin space.

The gains outpaced broader movements in the sector, where the total memecoin market cap increased 3.4% in the past day to $59.9 billion.

The rebound comes amid increased investor interest and a shift in risk sentiment across the crypto market.

Besides Dogwifhat, other leading meme tokens like Pudgy Penguins (PENGU), Official Trump (TRUMP), and ai16z (AI16Z) have each posted double-digit gains, further stoking enthusiasm among traders and speculators.

Increased market activity

Derivatives activity has heated up, with the open interest surging by roughly 30% to $301 million while aggregated trading volume topped $1.06 billion, according to Coinglass data.

On spot markets, WIF’s 24-hour trading volume has swelled to $383 million, reflecting the rally’s broad-based appeal among Solana-based memecoins on both decentralized and centralized exchanges.

Much of the recent strength has been driven by whale accumulation, with significant buy orders lifting prices off prior support levels and signaling confidence among larger holders.

Dogwifhat RSI enters overbought region

From a chart standpoint, WIF has cleared resistance around $0.58, placing the next significant hurdle at $0.769, which will test the conviction of buyers eyeing further gains.

On the downside, the critical support level lies at $0.334, a floor that must hold to prevent a steeper decline, as a breach there could trigger a sharp decline.

However, technical indicators now warn that momentum may be peaking, as the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) reading on the daily chart has spiked above 72, squarely in overbought territory.

Breaches into overbought territory typically precede a cooldown.

That said, investors should keep an eye on the support at $0.334, which, if breached, could spell doom for the meme coin.

Nevertheless, market sentiment remains broadly bullish, though the confluence of stretched technicals, elevated leverage, and robust volume underscores the need for prudent risk management.

Longer-term investors point to WIF’s still-modest market cap of $643 million as evidence that significant upside could materialize if the meme coin rally retains momentum.

Analysts note that WIF’s outperformance relative to benchmarks like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) underscores its appeal as a high-beta play within the crypto ecosystem.

As the dust settles, participants will be watching volume profiles, funding rates, and social engagement metrics to gauge whether the current rally can hold or if deeper profit-taking is on the horizon.

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• Coinglass shows a long/short ratio of 0.95, indicating bearish sentiment.
• STX could fall to $0.47 if correction unfolds.
• Resistance at $1.07 is the next key test for bulls.

Stacks (STX) has emerged as the strongest performer in the crypto market over the past 24 hours, registering a 16% surge in its price.

The jump has also been accompanied by a sharp rise in trading volume, indicating increased investor interest.

However, the bullish rally appears to be at odds with underlying market sentiment.

On-chain metrics show a growing appetite for short positions, suggesting many traders anticipate a near-term correction despite the spike.

The conflicting signals between technical indicators and price action place STX in a potentially volatile position as investors debate the token’s next move.

Source: CoinMarketCap

Short interest rises

While STX has rallied aggressively, data from Coinglass shows that its long/short ratio has dropped to 0.95.

This figure indicates that bearish bets are outpacing bullish ones in the futures market.

The long/short ratio is a key sentiment indicator in derivatives trading, comparing the number of long positions, expecting price increases, to short positions, anticipating declines.

A ratio below one implies that more traders are betting against the price than supporting the rally.

The heightened short interest highlights caution among market participants, who may see the rally as overextended or driven by short-term speculation rather than sustained fundamentals.

This divergence between price action and futures sentiment has raised concerns about the longevity of STX’s current uptrend.

RSI overbought

Adding to bearish signals is STX’s Relative Strength Index (RSI), which currently reads 72.95.

RSI is a widely used momentum oscillator that gauges whether an asset is overbought or oversold, based on recent price movements.

Readings above 70 suggest overbought conditions, typically preceding a price decline, while readings below 30 indicate oversold conditions.

The RSI’s upward trajectory suggests that STX could be nearing a local top.

A sustained reading in the overbought zone has historically triggered short-term corrections in other cryptocurrencies.

If a correction unfolds, the altcoin could potentially drop towards its year-to-date low of $0.47.

Resistance at $1.07

Despite overbought conditions and bearish sentiment, the rally could still have legs if demand persists.

Traders are watching the $1.07 level as the next significant resistance zone.

If STX manages to break through this ceiling, it could signal a continuation of the bullish trend and invalidate short-term bearish expectations.

Historically, altcoins with strong community support and use-case narratives have defied technical indicators during breakout periods.

However, a failure to break this resistance could affirm the bearish thesis and increase the likelihood of a retracement to previous support levels.

Price at a crossroads

The current divergence between price performance and trader sentiment suggests a critical juncture for STX.

While the altcoin has seen a notable spike in value and trading volume, the presence of significant short interest and overbought technicals poses a potential threat to sustained momentum.

Whether the token can maintain its rally depends on broader market support and investor conviction.

If buying pressure continues, the bullish breakout may extend. But if trader scepticism proves right, STX could soon give up its gains.

The post STX price jumps 16% as traders brace for reversal, RSI hits 74 appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Arbitrum price sits around $0.34, up about 5% in the past 24 hours.
• ARB is up despite reports Nvidia has paused a much-anticipated partnership.
• The broader crypto market however remains bullish.

Arbitrum (ARB) price hovers around $0.34, up about 5% in the past 24 hours despite reports that global chip giant Nvidia has paused a much-anticipated collaboration.

With most other cryptocurrencies up, the Ethereum layer 2 scaling solution could thus be on the upward mend. However, does the latest news portend a mix of market optimism and uncertainty?

ARB price today

The cryptocurrency is currently experiencing a bullish trend, benefiting from broader market momentum driven by Bitcoin’s stability at a key support level. This has sparked an altcoin rally, with Arbitrum among the coins riding the wave.

However, a recent announcement from Nvidia has introduced a layer of uncertainty, leaving investors questioning what’s next for ARB’s price trajectory.

At the time of writing, Arbitrum is trading at $0.34, boasting a 24-hour trading volume of $151 million and a market cap of $1.64 billion. However, according to data from CoinMarketCap, daily volume is down 21%.

Still, the overall market outlook remains positive, and Arbitrum is showing signs of potential for further upward movement as altcoins continue to gain traction.

Nvidia pauses Arbitrum partnership

The optimism surrounding Arbitrum was briefly overshadowed by news that Nvidia has paused a much-anticipated partnership announcement with the blockchain platform, as reported by CoinDesk.

Nvidia, a leading GPU manufacturer, gave no specific reasons for the delay, leaving the crypto community to speculate on the future of the collaboration.

This pause aligns with Nvidia’s historically cautious stance on cryptocurrency projects—CEO Jensen Huang once referred to the 2018 ICO boom fallout as a “crypto hangover” after Ethereum’s crash impacted GPU sales.

Nvidia’s hesitance is further evidenced by its $5.5 million fine in the past for misreporting crypto-related revenue, highlighting its reluctance to fully engage with blockchain initiatives like Arbitrum, which had been eyeing a spot in Nvidia’s Inception program.

Arbitrum price outlook

Despite the setback, Arbitrum’s fundamentals remain robust, which could help mitigate any negative impact on its price.

Recent data from DefiLlama shows Arbitrum leading with $285.1 million in net flows over the past week, a clear sign of strong investor confidence.

The broader market’s bullish trend may also continue to support ARB, especially if altcoins maintain their upward momentum.

However, the paused Nvidia partnership could temper short-term enthusiasm. Notably, a collaboration with a tech giant could have boosted Arbitrum’s adoption and credibility.

The post What’s next for Arbitrum price after Nvidia tie-up stalls? appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Ripple has raised $318.5 million in total, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and others.
• Acquires Hidden Road for $1.25 billion to expand in digital finance.
• Launch of RLUSD stablecoin positions Ripple for broader market role.

Ripple has confirmed it will not pursue an initial public offering in 2025, marking a notable shift from years of market speculation.

Despite resolving a high-profile legal dispute with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the company behind XRP says it has no intention of going public.

Instead, Ripple is focusing on alternative growth strategies, including major acquisitions, as it leans into becoming a global player in both traditional and digital finance.

The announcement has surprised analysts and long-time investors, who had viewed an IPO as a logical next step following Ripple’s legal clarity and strong financial position.

Ripple holds back IPO plans despite financial stability

Ripple’s decision to delay its IPO comes at a time when the company is arguably better positioned than ever.

President Monica Long told CNBC that Ripple holds billions of dollars in reserves and does not require external capital to fund operations or raise its profile.

Typically, IPOs are pursued to secure funding or increase visibility—but Ripple claims neither goal is currently necessary.

The company has previously entertained the possibility of going public, especially after gaining partial legal clarity from its battle with the SEC.

CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated as recently as 2023 that an IPO was not off the table, but has since confirmed that the listing is not a near-term priority.

Ripple’s share buyback in early 2024 valued the company at $11.3 billion, down from a $15 billion peak in 2022, indicating a cooling of previous investor hype.

Share buybacks and funding reshape Ripple’s capital base

In January 2024, Ripple repurchased shares worth $285 million at a reduced valuation, taking total funding to $318.5 million to date.

While that figure may appear modest compared to public tech giants, Ripple’s list of backers remains notable.

Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, and Google Ventures—an indication that venture capital support for Ripple remains strong even in the absence of a public listing.

The buyback also offered early shareholders a partial exit, hinting that Ripple may be realigning its investor base in preparation for a longer-term strategy that does not hinge on an IPO.

Strategic focus turns to acquisitions and stablecoins

Rather than entering public markets, Ripple is doubling down on strategic acquisitions to fuel growth. The company recently acquired Hidden Road for $1.25 billion.

Hidden Road is a digital asset prime brokerage that processes over $3 trillion in annual transactions. Ripple expects the deal to significantly bolster its footprint across the global financial ecosystem.

This acquisition aligns with Ripple’s efforts to enter the stablecoin market.

The firm is preparing to launch RLUSD, a dollar-backed token that could compete with existing stablecoins like USDC and Tether.

By merging traditional finance infrastructure with crypto-native tools, Ripple is targeting a broader role in cross-border payments and liquidity solutions.

Ripple’s shift raises questions about crypto IPO trends

Ripple’s change in direction may also reflect broader market conditions.

The IPO market has remained tepid since 2022, with tech firms increasingly cautious about going public amid macroeconomic volatility and regulatory headwinds.

Ripple’s hesitation could be a sign that crypto firms are reassessing the utility and risks of public listings.

Despite no immediate IPO plans, Ripple remains a dominant player in the digital asset space.

Its legal clarity in the US, expansive partnerships abroad, and renewed focus on tokenised finance suggest that the company is betting on long-term infrastructure over short-term market attention.

 

 

 

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