Bitcoin ownership surpasses gold in the US as 50M Americans hold BTC

  • 50 million Americans now own Bitcoin, surpassing 37 million gold holders.
  • US firms hold 94.8% of publicly traded companies’ Bitcoin reserves.
  • US leads globally with 40% of all Bitcoin companies headquartered domestically.

Bitcoin has officially outpaced gold in US ownership, marking a significant pivot in the country’s investment landscape.

According to a new report released on 20 May by Bitcoin investment firm River, roughly 50 million Americans now own Bitcoin, compared to 37 million who own gold.

This data underscores the rise of Bitcoin as a preferred store of value, reshaping traditional notions of economic security and reserve asset status.

As Bitcoin ownership expands, it’s increasingly seen not just as a speculative instrument, but as a fundamental part of US financial infrastructure.

US leads in global Bitcoin adoption and infrastructure

The River report notes that the United States is the global leader in Bitcoin adoption, with 40 percent of all Bitcoin-related companies headquartered in the country.

American firms also hold 94.8 percent of all Bitcoin owned by publicly traded companies worldwide, reflecting significant institutional backing.

This dominance is supported by a robust ecosystem comprising crypto-focused startups, spot ETF launches, and policies promoting digital asset development.

Regulatory momentum in Washington has further strengthened Bitcoin’s foundation in the financial system. Recent discussions around treating Bitcoin as a potential strategic reserve asset suggest growing political acceptance.

Several politicians have floated the idea of the US government maintaining a Bitcoin reserve, signalling institutional confidence amid rising concerns over the US dollar’s long-term stability.

Strategic demand rises amid economic uncertainty

The shift toward Bitcoin is occurring alongside broader macroeconomic concerns. Moody’s recent downgrade of the US credit rating—ending over a century of top-tier ratings—has reinforced the appeal of decentralised alternatives.

Investors increasingly view Bitcoin as a hedge against fiscal instability and inflation, particularly given its fixed supply and decentralised governance model.

Bitcoin also offers practical advantages over gold in the digital age. The ease of storage, cross-border transfer, and liquidity make it an attractive option for both individual and institutional investors.

This is particularly relevant in an era where digital finance is becoming the norm and where traditional safe-haven assets like gold face logistical and accessibility limitations.

Rising ownership brings attention to volatility risks

While Bitcoin is gaining legitimacy as a reserve asset, it remains a volatile asset class. Unlike gold, which has maintained relatively steady valuations over time, Bitcoin has experienced frequent price swings—something that may deter more risk-averse investors.

Nonetheless, the market appears to be increasingly tolerant of this volatility, especially as long-term returns continue to outperform traditional assets.

Institutional support also plays a key role in this shift. Major asset managers such as BlackRock are incorporating Bitcoin into their portfolios, further validating its status.

Meanwhile, crypto ETFs and custodial services are helping to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the digital asset space, making it easier for Americans to gain exposure to Bitcoin without navigating complex self-custody solutions.

As Bitcoin ownership grows, it reflects not just a shift in preference, but a broader transformation in how Americans perceive financial security and resilience.

The trend is still developing, but the numbers now place Bitcoin squarely ahead of gold—at least in terms of how many Americans are betting on it.

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Astar Network scores Animoca Brands partnership: will ASTR price surge?

  • Astar (ASTR) price changed hands around $0.03, risking downside continuation.
  • Partnership with Animoca Brands could help ASTR’s price bounce.
  • Market outlook is nonetheless bearish.

Astar (ASTR) price traded around $0.03, slightly in the green on the day, as bulls struggled to keep bears off.

This comes as the Astar Network token has seen its native token plummet more than 10% in the past week, with technical charts signalling a potential downside continuation.

But with a major partnership and investment from a leading blockchain gaming firm in the bag, can ASTR’s price bounce?

Astar Network gets Animoca Brands’ backing

On May 21, 2025, the Astar Network team announced a huge move.

Astar is teaming up with Animoca Brands.

The companies announced their strategic collaboration on Wednesday, revealing that Animoca Brands had also made a key investment in Astar.

Per the announcement, Astar will leverage the new alliance to bolster its position within the entertainment and gaming ecosystem.

It seeks to leverage Animoca Brands’ support to become the leading project for industry players looking to enter the Japanese and Asian markets.

Not only is this about bringing intellectual property on-chain, but also about scalability and focus on consumer-facing experiences.

“The investment from Animoca Brands is not just about financial backing. It’s a strategic initiative aimed at driving long-term growth in Web3 entertainment. Animoca Brands sees the value in Astar’s unique position as a gateway for entertainment IP from Japan and Asia into the global digital ownership economy,” Astar Network wrote in its blog post.

Part of what’s next for Astar and Animoca Brands includes collaboration on further ways of driving adoption across Web3.

The platforms’ future plans also include the potential unveiling of an Intellectual Property and entertainment-focused fund.

Will ASTR price rally?

ASTR token traded at lows of $0.025 on May 7, 2025. However, amid network developments and a broader market uptick that followed, the altcoin surged to above $0.035.

Bears have since pushed Astar Network’s native token into the woods, with ASTR dumping over 10% in the past week.

On the daily chart, the RSI and MACD indicators signal bearish continuation, the latter having the histogram trending weak.

Astar Network Inks Animoca Brands Deal
Astar price chart by TradingView

ASTR is, however, within a broad ascending triangle with the main resistance zone around $0.035.

If price dips below the trendline support, bears could target $0.022.

On the upside, a run to December 2024 highs of $0.9 is possible amid a rallying crypto market.

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XRP market cap grows 1.9% in Q1 2025 as XRPL adoption surges

  • XRP’s market cap rose 1.9% in Q1 2025 to $121.6 billion.
  • BTC, ETH, and SOL combined lost 22% in market cap over the same period.
  • XRPL daily active addresses grew 142% to 134,600.

XRP’s network fundamentals saw notable expansion in the first quarter of 2025, with Ripple Labs capitalising on infrastructure growth and institutional adoption to consolidate its market position.

According to a Messari report released in early May, XRP was the only major cryptocurrency among the top four by market cap to post gains in Q1, with a 1.9% quarter-over-quarter rise.

In contrast, the combined capitalisation of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana dropped 22% over the same period.

The report also highlighted that all measurable XRP Ledger (XRPL) network metrics rose for the second consecutive quarter—a rare event since Messari began tracking XRPL in Q1 2023.

The growth trend was further reinforced by Ripple’s acquisition of prime brokerage Hidden Road and the testnet launch of the XRPL EVM sidechain.

XRPL user activity and nodes see sharp increases

The average number of daily active addresses on the XRPL reached 134,600 in Q1, marking a 142% increase quarter over quarter.

Messari noted that this level of user engagement indicates sustained interest from both long-time participants and new entrants.

Total new addresses registered in the quarter stood at 568,300, a 12% increase from Q4 2024 and up 210% compared to the same quarter last year.

A similar growth trend was observed in transactional activity. Average daily transactions rose 13% from the previous quarter to 2.04 million. Payment transactions, which had dipped 8% in Q4 2024, rebounded 36% QoQ to 1.12 million.

Daily receiver addresses surged 168% to 127,800, outpacing the 14.5% increase in daily senders. This pattern is often indicative of airdrop-driven participation, where dormant wallets are reactivated to receive token distributions.

Infrastructure growth was even more pronounced. The number of active nodes jumped from 886 in Q4 to 9,498 in Q1 2025—a 972% surge.

This dramatic increase suggests a broader interest in decentralised validation and improved support for network scalability.

Ripple’s $1.25B Hidden Road deal boosts ecosystem reach

On April 8, Ripple announced the acquisition of Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, making it the first crypto company to own a prime brokerage platform.

The move is seen as part of Ripple’s strategy to deepen XRPL’s enterprise use cases and facilitate broader adoption of Ripple’s native stablecoin, RLUSD.

As part of the integration, Hidden Road will use XRPL for post-trade operations and accept RLUSD—Ripple’s USD-backed stablecoin—as collateral. RLUSD itself saw its market capitalisation rise 304% in Q1 2025, reaching $25.9 million on the XRPL.

This reflects growing institutional confidence in Ripple’s infrastructure as a medium for value transfer and settlement.

EVM compatibility and global payments integration on the rise

The XRPL ecosystem expanded its technical scope with the launch of the XRPL EVM sidechain testnet on 31 March. Once it goes live on the mainnet in Q2 2025, this upgrade will allow developers to deploy Ethereum-compatible smart contracts using XRPL’s consensus mechanism.

The move is expected to attract decentralised finance (DeFi) developers seeking alternatives to Ethereum’s high gas fees and scalability bottlenecks.

Meanwhile, global institutions continue to integrate Ripple’s cross-border payments system. In Q1 2025, Zand Bank and fintech platform Mamo—both based in the UAE—adopted Ripple Payments to facilitate international transactions.

These developments suggest a growing preference for Ripple’s blockchain infrastructure among regulated financial entities, particularly in emerging markets seeking fast, low-cost remittance solutions.

While XRP’s price increased just 0.5% in Q1 2025, the growth in market cap was driven largely by a 1.4% increase in circulating supply.

However, the sustained rise in activity, address creation, and institutional backing points to deeper network engagement beyond speculative trading.

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Space and Time token SXT pumps 33% amid key Microsoft integration

  • The Space and Time token SXT jumped more than 33% as altcoins rose.
  • SXT crypto price was up after a major partnership with Microsoft.
  • The token’s daily volume jumped 390% to over $280 million as SXT outpaced top altcoins.

The Space and Time (SXT) price rose sharply on Wednesday as the zero-knowledge proofs blockchain for data struck a major partnership with Microsoft.

Daily volume exploded 390% to over $280 million, while the cryptocurrency’s market cap edged to near $200 million.

The cryptocurrency ranked among the best performers on the day, topping the list of gainers by 24-hour gains in the top 500 coins by market cap.

Per data from Coinglass, the open interest in the Space and Time token is up 117%.

Why did the SXT crypto price surge today?

SXT price reached highs of $0.15, surging by more than 33% in the past 24 hours.

Gains saw the altcoin bounce off its recently hit all-time low of $0.10.

The downside to the new low happened as the broader crypto market witnessed a bout of volatility, with Bitcoin price dumping to under $103k before rallying sharply to retest the $107k level.

This action also cascaded into top altcoins, and smaller coins such as Space and Time exploded.

SXT, however, had another likely catalyst fueling its upsurge.

A major announcement from tech giant Microsoft provided the tailwinds, specifically in the form of Microsoft’s integration of the Space and Time blockchain with the US-based computing giant’s analytics platform Fabric.

Integration will see Microsoft add real-time data feeds to the Microsoft Fabric network.

This collaboration builds on Space and Time’s milestone of getting capital backing from M12 – Microsoft’s venture arm.

Space and Time network growth

The integration speaks to the growing traction for Space and Time.

Now, such ecosystem users can easily leverage Fabric to access the ZK-proven platform’s indexed data.

Initial support includes top blockchain networks like Bitcoin, Sui, and Ethereum.

Developers will tap into this capability via the cloud data storage solution Azure OneLake.

“We’re thrilled to expand our collaboration with Microsoft to provide verifiable blockchain data to enterprises, institutions, and developers building on Fabric,” said Nate Holiday, the co-founder of Space and Time and CEO of MakeInfinite Labs, an original contributor to Space and Time.

“This integration enables a wealth of new data-driven use cases across financial services, Web3 apps, and AI to be built on Microsoft technology,” Holiday added.

Integration with Microsoft Fabric comes a few days after Space and Time unveiled its mainnet.

The native token SXT jumped to an all-time high above $0.18 on May 8, 2025. While price has since dipped slightly, the current SXT value is only 25% off that peak.

Space and Time raised $20 million in a Series A funding round led by M12 in 2022.

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Best crypto to buy as SEC delays XRP and Dogecoin ETF decisions

Key takeaways

  • The U.S. SEC has delayed decisions on the XRP and Dogecoin spot ETF proposals and has asked for public input.
  • Bitcoin Pepe rallies higher as investors look to catch the next big memecoin.

SEC delays XRP and Dogecoin ETF decisions. Will it approve altcoin ETFs soon?

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) delayed decisions on spot XRP and Dogecoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Tuesday. The regulator also asked for public comments for the 21Shares Core XRP Trust, the Grayscale XRP Trust, and the Grayscale Dogecoin Trust.

The regulator approved the Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs last year. However, it has yet to approve other altcoin ETF applications since then. Currently, the SEC is reviewing ETF proposals allowing investors to purchase funds tracking the performance of various altcoins, including XRP, Dogecoin, Solana, Polkadot, SUI, Litecoin, BNB, and Chainlink.

Despite its recent delay, analysts are optimistic that the SEC will approve other ETF applications. Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst James Seyffart stated that the SEC will likely approve the ETFs in the fourth quarter of the year. 

The SEC under the current administration is crypto-friendly, as it has recently dropped lawsuits against several cryptocurrency firms. 

Altcoins are still underperforming. Is this the right time to buy?

Bitcoin is closing in on a new all-time high, but altcoins are still underperforming. Currently, Bitcoin’s market dominance is 63%, similar to its level during the bull market of 2021.

The dominance level is expected to drop once the altcoin season kicks off. While Bitcoin is only 2% away from its all-time high, most altcoins are 30-40% away from their previous all-time high prices. Thus, indicating that this could be an excellent opportunity for investors to purchase altcoins.

Altcoin dominance currently stands at 27.8% but could increase significantly to over 40%, as seen during the altcoin rallies of 2022 and 2017. 

Investors are eyeing the best crypto buy, and memecoins are some of the best performers in the market. Emerging memecoins like Bitcoin Pepe are attracting investors thanks to their unique problem-solving products.

$BPEP goes live on exchanges in a few days amid growing investors’ demand

Interest in cryptocurrencies is on the rise thanks to growing institutional demand. The demand is also spreading to nations and states, with some already setting up Digital Asset Reserves to buy and hold Bitcoin and various cryptocurrencies.

Retail investors shouldn’t be left out as new projects are emerging that will change narratives in the market. Investors looking for new gems usually leverage areas such as memecoins, AI, decentralised finance, RWA, and gaming.

Bitcoin Pepe is one of the projects that has generated massive interest recently. The first meme-centric Layer 2 built on Bitcoin, Bitcoin Pepe, is expanding rapidly through a series of high-impact partnerships.

Its presale will end in ten days, and over $10 million has been raised in the past few weeks. As a layer 2 meme for BTC, Bitcoin Pepe boasts Solana’s speed and low fees, empowering developers on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Bitcoin Pepe is laying the groundwork for an ecosystem in which the $BPEP token will have real cross-chain utility and culture-driven reach. The token will launch on its first crypto exchanges in less than two weeks and could be one of the top performers in the market.

 

Currently, Bitcoin Pepe’s presale price is $0.0359. This could be the lowest price investors pay for $BPEP. Once the presale ends on May 31, however, the price could explode amid high demand.

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