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.

The post XRP market cap grows 1.9% in Q1 2025 as XRPL adoption surges appeared first on CoinJournal.

BTC fails to hit a new all-time high as Bitcoin Pepe’s presale tops $10.7m

Key takeaways

  • Bitcoin failed to make a new all-time high after hitting the $107k level earlier today.
  • The Bitcoin Pepe presale has surpassed $10.5 million, with 10 days left for investors to get in early on this project. 

BTC drops below $107k, failing to make a new all-time high

The cryptocurrency market has been positive since the start of the week. Bitcoin, the number one crypto by market cap, added over 2.5% to its value in the last seven days, hitting the $107k level earlier today.

However, BTC has now dropped below $107k as bulls failed to make a new all-time high. At press time, the price of Bitcoin stands at $106,457 but could rally higher in the near term.  

Market analysts are optimistic that Bitcoin will hit a new all-time high soon, and it is currently only 2.4% away from the current ATH price of $109,114. 

$BPEP’s price hits $0.0359 as presale nears conclusion

$BPEP, the native token of the Bitcoin Pepe ecosystem, is performing excellently as the Bitcoin Pepe presale approaches its end. Currently in its presale, $BPEP could rally higher once it launches on exchanges. This could be an excellent opportunity for investors to purchase the $BPEP token before the price explodes. 

Bitcoin Pepe is a unique project that aims to enhance memecoin trading on the Bitcoin blockchain. The team is developing an L2 network to leverage Bitcoin’s liquidity and security to build a thriving memecoin trading ecosystem. 

This network will enable developers to have access to tools to migrate their memes from other blockchains to the Bitcoin blockchain. The Bitcoin Pepe ecosystem will be fully powered by $BPEP, its native coin. Developers will use the token to pay for fees and other transactions.

Read more about Bitcoin Pepe’s memecoin ICO here.

Bitcoin Pepe’s presale hits $10.7m, CEXs to list token

Bitcoin Pepe’s presale is approaching its end, and the team has raised over $10.5 million so far. The presale gives investors an excellent opportunity to purchase the $BPEP token at a discount.

$BPEP is the first meme initial coin offering (ICO) on the Bitcoin blockchain and has gained widespread adoption among investors. The team will use the generated funds to develop some of its products and services. 

Bitcoin Pepe could gain massive adoption thanks to its proposed layer-2 network. Currently, there are millions of memecoins in the cryptocurrency market. Allowing developers to launch memecoins on Bitcoin, the world’s most liquid and secure blockchain, could see Bitcoin Pepe’s adoption grow tremendously in the coming months and years. 

Investors can buy $BPEP via the Bitcoin Pepe website. Accepted modes of payment include ETH, USDT, USDC, BNB, and SOL. Once the presale concludes, $BPEP will list on various cryptocurrency exchanges. $BPEP going live on centralised cryptocurrency exchanges could also see its value soar higher in the short and medium terms. 

Want to buy the $BPEP token now? Visit the official website today.

The post BTC fails to hit a new all-time high as Bitcoin Pepe’s presale tops $10.7m appeared first on CoinJournal.

Best crypto to buy as Circle considers a sale to Ripple Labs

One of the top crypto-related news stories was that Circle, the creator of USD Coin, was considering selling itself to either Coinbase or Ripple Labs ahead of its Initial Public Offering (IPO). Such a move would likely have an impact on some cryptocurrencies. 

This article explains some of the best crypto to buy if Circle sells itself to Coinbase or Ripple Labs. They include popular coins like XRP, Bitcoin Pepe, and Stellar Lumens (XLM).

XRP 

A deal for Ripple Labs to acquire Circle would be good for the XRP token because of its impact on the business. The most low-hanging fruit would be to integrate USDC into the XRP Ledger network. 

Such a move would likely lead to more fees for the XRP Ledger network, which would, in turn, lead to higher fees for the network and XRP token burn. 

Also, the USDC token will complement the recently launched Ripple USD (RLUSD), which has gained a market cap of over $313 million.

The XRP token has formed an inverse head and shoulders pattern, a popular bullish sign. Its head section is at $1.1615, while the shoulders section is around $2.0. 

XRP has moved above the 50-day and 25-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMA). Therefore, there are chances that the XRP price will continue rising as bulls target the key resistance point at $3, up by 27% from the current level.

XRP Price
XRP Price

Stellar Lumens (XLM)

Stellar’s XLM is another top crypto to buy if Ripple buys Circle because it is often seen as Ripple’s little cousin. Like Ripple, it aims to be a major player in the payment industry by introducing low-cost transactions to the network. Also, the biggest part of Stellar’s business is handling USDC stablecoin.

The XLM price has remained under pressure in the past few months, moving from a high of $0.6360 to the current $02870. On the positive side, it has moved above the 50-day and 100-day EMAs. It has also formed a small bullish flag chart pattern, a popular continuation sign.

Therefore, the XLM price will likely rise in the coming weeks. If this happens, the next point to watch will be at $0.50, which is about 75% above the current level. A drop below the support at $0.2500 will invalidate the bullish outlook.

XLM Price Chart
XLM Price Chart

Bitcoin Pepe (BPEP)

Bitcoin Pepe is another top crypto to buy this year. Currently in its presale, the developers have raised over $10 million from investors, making it one of the best-performing token sales. 

Bitcoin Pepe is aiming to disrupt the crypto industry by launching the first meme focused layer-2 network for Bitcoin. It will be a faster network with instant finality and ultra low fees.

Bitcoin Pepe is launching at a time when there is demand for Bitcoin-based assets. For example, the total value locked in the Bitcoin ecosystem has jumped to over $9 billion, a figure that has continued to grow. You can buy the Bitcoin Pepe here.

The post Best crypto to buy as Circle considers a sale to Ripple Labs appeared first on CoinJournal.

Dogecoin price prediction following the 11% drop in a week

  • Dogecoin is currently trading in a falling wedge, eyeing a breakout above $0.219.
  • A close above $0.22378 could signal a bullish trend reversal.
  • On-chain activity is rising, boosting the long-term bullish outlook.

Dogecoin (DOGE) has experienced notable turbulence over the past week, with the popular meme coin shedding more than 11% of its value amid wider market volatility.

Although short-term losses have sparked concern among retail traders, technical analysts, and blockchain activity suggest that DOGE may be positioning itself for a much larger move.

DOGE price analysis

Over the past few days, Dogecoin has slipped from a local high of $0.25 to hover around the $0.2161 mark, reflecting a strong pullback after a sustained rally earlier this month.

Despite the apparent weakness, this decline has not invalidated the broader bullish structure that analysts have been tracking over recent months.

On the four-hour chart, DOGE is currently trading within a defined falling wedge pattern, which is widely regarded as a bullish formation when confirmed with a breakout.

Highlighting this setup, an analyst on X has noted that Dogecoin’s price has compressed between descending resistance near $0.219 and support just above $0.212, forming a tightening range.

The analyst’s chart also points to Ichimoku Cloud metrics that show the price hovering within the equilibrium zone, suggesting that the current pause may precede a larger directional move.

The high-confluence support zone between $0.212 and $0.214, bolstered by the Ichimoku Span B, has already prompted intraday rebounds, hinting at strong buyer interest near that level.

Meanwhile, resistance at the upper wedge boundary coincides with the Kijun-sen (baseline) around $0.225, creating a well-defined ceiling that needs to be breached for bullish momentum to resume.

Dogecoin price outlook

If Dogecoin manages a decisive four-hour candle close above $0.219, Ali Martinez believes that the coin could quickly target the previous supply zone between $0.24 and $0.26.

However, a breakdown below the $0.205 support level would likely open the door to steeper declines, potentially revisiting the April pivot low near $0.185.

From a medium-term perspective, Dogecoin’s weekly chart paints a more optimistic picture, especially as the token recently closed above the Bull Market Support Band.

This band, defined by the 20-week simple moving average and a two-sigma envelope, has acted as a major barrier since early February, with recent price action flipping it into provisional support.

Analyst Cantonese Cat has emphasised the significance of this breakout, arguing that a second consecutive weekly close above $0.22378 would confirm a broader trend reversal.

Despite the pullback from $0.25, the midline of the Bollinger Bands, which overlaps with the Bull Market Support Band, remains the primary pivot point for sustained bullish follow-through.

Adding further weight to this outlook, long-term chart patterns suggest Dogecoin has already completed a breakout above a multi-year descending resistance in late 2023.

According to analyst Javon Marks, this structural change, marked by higher highs and higher lows, confirms a bullish reversal from the extended bear market that began after its 2021 peak.

Marks also pointed out that the recent correction found support at $0.16, establishing a higher low that strengthens the case for a continued uptrend.

Based on these developments, Marks has maintained a projected price target of $0.6533, representing a potential 174% increase from current levels.

He also noted that Dogecoin could eventually revisit its previous all-time high of $0.74 and even extend gains toward $1.25 if momentum builds and market sentiment improves.

Still, another layer of resistance remains between $0.25 and $0.26, a zone that has consistently capped Dogecoin’s price since December 2024, according to analyst Ali Martinez.

Repeated failures to break through this level earlier in the year underscore the importance of a confirmed move above it for any sustained upward move to take hold.

While the technical picture remains mixed in the short term, Dogecoin’s on-chain data adds another bullish signal to the overall outlook.

Blockchain analytics platform IntoTheBlock reported a surge in user engagement, with new addresses jumping by over 102% and active addresses climbing by more than 111% in just one week.

Additionally, zero-balance addresses, often associated with increased turnover and new activity, rose by more than 155%, reflecting renewed interest from both traders and casual users.

This resurgence in network activity coincides with a broader market rally and suggests that Dogecoin’s recent price drop may not reflect weakening fundamentals.

Should the price break above the $0.219 and $0.26 resistance zones, it may well trigger the next major rally toward the $0.65 target outlined by bullish analysts.

But until then, both traders and long-term holders will be watching key support and resistance levels closely, waiting for the signal that confirms Dogecoin’s next major move.

The post Dogecoin price prediction following the 11% drop in a week appeared first on CoinJournal.

Shiba Inu rallies 23%, yet whale exits and RSI trends suggest slowdown

  • Whale count down to 10,205 from 10,232 in 9 days.
  • SHIB trading between $0.000014 support and $0.0000152 resistance.
  • EMA flattening suggests paused bullish momentum.

Shiba Inu (SHIB), the Ethereum-based meme coin, has gained 23% over the past month, reflecting broader interest in altcoins amid a relatively stable crypto market.

However, recent metrics show that the coin’s price action has entered a consolidation phase, with SHIB stuck between key support and resistance levels.

Its Relative Strength Index (RSI) has rebounded from oversold conditions but remains neutral, while whale activity continues to taper off.

These signals indicate the market may be undecided on SHIB’s next direction, awaiting a clearer catalyst for a breakout or breakdown.

RSI recovers but remains neutral below 50

Shiba Inu’s RSI, a widely watched momentum indicator, has recovered from a sharp dip.

The metric rose to 47.1 after falling to a low of 31.7 just a day earlier.

This follows a recent decline from a 6-day high of 68.4.

Despite the recovery, SHIB’s RSI remains below the neutral 50 mark, suggesting the token is neither overbought nor oversold.

This stabilisation reflects an indecisive market.

Traders are currently not aggressively buying or selling, and instead appear to be waiting for more direction.

If RSI continues to rise above 50, it could signal building bullish momentum.

Otherwise, the coin may face continued range-bound trading.

Whale count down by 27 holders in nine days

Another significant trend involves Shiba Inu’s whale wallet data.

The number of wallets holding at least 1 billion SHIB has dropped from 10,232 to 10,205 over the past nine days, a small yet telling sign of reduced interest among large holders.

Though the decline may not appear dramatic, it continues a broader pattern of fluctuation and gradual reduction in whale accumulation.

These addresses, which often hold influence over market movements through high-volume trades, seem to be stepping back.

This could reflect reduced long-term conviction, especially given the lack of strong bullish signals in recent sessions.

A resurgence in whale participation would likely be needed to support a more sustained upside move.

In the meantime, the data hints at cautious positioning among high-stake investors.

Price consolidates between $0.000014 and $0.0000152

SHIB is currently trading in a tight range, with support at $0.000014 and resistance at $0.0000152.

The token’s Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), which previously showed bullish alignment, are now flattening out.

This further indicates the recent pause in directional movement.

Shiba Inu
Source: TradingView

If the price fails to hold the $0.0000139 level, it may fall further to $0.0000127 or even $0.0000123. On the flip side, a breakout above $0.0000152 could pave the way toward the next resistance near $0.0000176.

This technical setup highlights a classic consolidation scenario—where traders and investors are looking for signs of either renewed buying pressure or a deeper retracement.

Without a major catalyst or shift in market sentiment, sideways action may persist in the short term.

Mixed short-term sentiment amid long-term uncertainty

In the last 24 hours, SHIB has gained 3.4%, but it remains down 8.5% over the past week. This divergence shows that while some short-term buying is returning, broader price action still points to caution.

Overall, the combination of neutral RSI readings, a narrowing whale base, and flattening EMAs suggests the meme coin may continue to face resistance unless broader market enthusiasm returns or specific events trigger a breakout.

The post Shiba Inu rallies 23%, yet whale exits and RSI trends suggest slowdown appeared first on CoinJournal.