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Bitwise Executive Says Bitcoin Jumped from $754 to $106,000 Across Three New York Mayors

Sam Wisdom Raphael
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Bitwise Executive Says Bitcoin Jumped from $754 to $106,000 Across Three New York Mayors

Bitwise’s Jeff Park has highlighted the meteoric Bitcoin surge over the decade, noting how this occurred through the terms of three New York Mayors.

Park, who heads Alpha Strategies at Bitwise Asset Management, recently pointed out that Bitcoin climbed from around $754 to over $106,000 during the same stretch of time that New York City cycled through three different mayors. 

His comment connected the rise of Bitcoin with the city’s political timeline. Specifically, when Michael Bloomberg left City Hall in December 2013, Bitcoin’s price hovered just below $750. At that point, most people still saw it as a risky experiment rather than a serious investment. 

Bitcoin Rises 14,597% Through Three New York Mayors.

Bill de Blasio took over in January 2014, and Bitcoin didn’t move much right away. However, as his two terms rolled on, the crypto asset started gaining traction, independent of political ties. By the time de Blasio wrapped up his final year in office in December 2021, Bitcoin had skyrocketed to about $47,000.

Eric Adams followed de Blasio and stepped into office in January 2022. Known for his pro-crypto stance, Adams announced that he would be taking his first few paychecks in Bitcoin. 

The crypto market faced some ups and downs during his time in office, especially during the 2022 bear market, but the general trend stayed upward, as a recovery sprang up from 2023. Most recently, Adams vowed to make New York the crypto capital of the world.

Now, as the city heads toward its next election in November 2025, Bitcoin has passed the $106,000 mark. Particularly, within the period that New York rotated through Bloomberg to now Adams, Bitcoin has surged 14,597%, as highlighted in the chart.

Bitcoin Growth Across Three New York Mayors
Bitcoin Growth Across Three New York Mayors

Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and a rising political figure, has taken the lead in the Democratic primaries after Adams withdrew to run as an Independent. 

Because Democrats typically dominate New York politics, many expect Mamdani to win. Park referred to this expected change in leadership when he said the city had moved “from Bloomberg to Mamdani,” highlighting Bitcoin’s steady rise during the same period.

“Separate Money from State”

In his commentary, Park suggested that Bitcoin’s long-term growth has happened irrespective of the political changes happening around it. Notably, while new faces and ideologies come and go in government, Bitcoin continues to grow on its own terms. 

Citing this reality, Park advocated for a separation of money from the state. Essentially, this call indicates a broader belief that people should take control of their financial future instead of relying on state-backed systems.

Mamdani’s rise also represents a break from the more centrist politics of previous mayors like Bloomberg and Adams. This political change comes parallel to a financial one, where more people, especially younger generations, look to assets like Bitcoin as long-term alternatives to traditional finance and government oversight.

Meanwhile, after suffering a brutal period over the weekend, Bitcoin has recovered considerably. During this press, Bitcoin currently trades for $107,567, up 2.76% this month.

Expert Warns Against XRP ‘Buy Back Lower’ Strategy, Says Buying XRP at $2 Is Like Buying BTC Below $100

Abdulkarim Abdulwahab
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0
Expert Warns Against XRP ‘Buy Back Lower’ Strategy, Says Buying XRP at $2 Is Like Buying BTC Below $100

Long-time XRP advocate Edoardo Farina, founder of Alpha Lions Academy, has issued another warning to XRP holders about their investment strategy.

He warned investors to stop trying to time the market to make premature selling decisions. In a recent video, Farina compared current XRP prices to Bitcoin’s early days. 

Specifically, he likened buying XRP at $2 to having the opportunity to buy BTC below $100. Notably, Bitcoin is currently around $106,700. This has massively rewarded those who have held steady over the years.

XRP Retail Investors Risk Getting Left Out

According to Farina, the biggest mistake XRP investors are making right now is selling their tokens with the hope of buying them back at a lower price. He warns that this mindset has already wiped out many holders in the past and is happening again.

In his view, that’s exactly how 95% of investors will be priced out of XRP. “The breakout doesn’t wait for your plan,” Farina said.

Farina highlighted how many investors panic-sold last week when XRP briefly dipped under $2. Meanwhile, the price has bounced back, with XRP trading at $2.20 at press time.

With markets turning green again and geopolitical tensions easing, Farina believes this may have been the last time XRP is seen under the $2 mark.

Notably, XRP and other crypto assets tumbled significantly over the weekend at the height of the Iran-Israel conflict. Meanwhile, a ceasefire deal was reached on Tuesday, and the crypto market bounced back as investor confidence improved.

Interestingly, Farina called the sell-off and swift rebound a calculated effort, a manipulation strategy to shake out weak hands.

Unpredictability and Market Manipulation

Farina emphasized that trying to time market entries and exits is nearly impossible for most people, especially amid major geopolitical events and market manipulation, which he sees as key risks for retail investors.

“These markets are designed to make retail investors lose, especially if you’re acting out of emotion,” he said.

Instead, Farina advises XRP holders to adopt a longer-term strategy. He suggests storing 90% of one’s holdings in a cold wallet and using only a small portion (10%) for active trading, if at all.

“Forget the Price, Focus on the Long Game”

Meanwhile, Farina recommends that XRP investors stop obsessively tracking price movements. Instead, he encourages setting aside desired holdings in cold storage and shifting focus to building income to accumulate more XRP.

“Forget about the price. Move on,” he said. “Want more XRP? Work harder, get a side hustle, and bring in extra liquidity.”

He also pointed out that with ongoing rumors like a potential SWIFT partnership with Ripple, XRP could skyrocket overnight. Missing such a move due to short-term trading could be financially devastating for holders.

His overall message is “never sell your XRP,” as doing so could put you as an investor at risk of missing out on significant financial upside.

One of his well-known anecdotes is how XRP moved from $0.50 to above $2 and never looked back, hurting those who expected a retracement during the initial breakout, only to see the asset continue climbing.

As a result, Farina continues to compare buying XRP at $2 to buying Bitcoin at $100, an asset that has since increased by over 106,600%.

You Bought $1,000 Worth of Shiba Inu—Here’s What It Could Be Worth If SHIB Hits $0.0007

Lele Jima
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You Bought $1,000 Worth of Shiba Inu—Here’s What It Could Be Worth If SHIB Hits $0.0007

The possibility of Shiba Inu rising to an ambitious target of $0.0007 could yield significant returns from a small investment of $1,000 in SHIB.

Shiba Inu’s recovery attempt has stalled, with the asset struggling to break into the $0.000012 region. After hitting an intraday high of $0.00001179, Shiba Inu’s price crashed to $0.00001154 and has continued to hover around this level ever since.

Major Resistance Ahead

Currently, SHIB is trading at $0.00001158, reflecting a 0.12% increase over the past 24 hours. Shiba Inu has experienced a massive decline over the past 30 days, posting a 20.51% loss.

Now, Shiba Inu faces resistance in the $0.000012 to $0.000014 range, a zone where 88,650 addresses hold 65.15 trillion SHIB tokens.

This resistance is relatively mild compared to the next major barrier, between $0.000014 and $0.000019, where 175,560 addresses hold 523.66 trillion SHIB.

Shiba Inu major resistance
Shiba Inu major resistance

Shiba Inu to $0.0007 Predictions

Despite this, most investors are still bullish about SHIB’s potential. Shiba Inu has attracted numerous predictions, including projections that suggest the token could surge to a price of $0.0007.

Last year, market commentator Mehrhpm teased Shiba Inu’s potential surge to the $0.0007 mark. Additionally, The Crypto Basic estimated that SHIB could attain this price if its total supply is reduced from 589 trillion to 10 trillion tokens.

At the time of this analysis, SHIB had a market capitalization of roughly $7 billion. A reduction in supply to 10 trillion tokens could theoretically support a price increase to the $0.0007 range.

For context, $0.0007 is a psychological milestone that would require SHIB to eliminate a leading zero from its price. From the current price of $0.00001158, SHIB would need to surge by approximately 5,944% to reach this target.

Value of a $1,000 Investment in SHIB at $0.0007

If this happens, early investors, including those who commit as little as $1,000 today, would see significant returns on their investments. Notably, an investment of $1,000 would fetch 86.35 million SHIB tokens at $0.00001158 per token.

If SHIB climbs to $0.0007, those 86.35 million tokens would be worth around $60,449, yielding a profit of approximately $59,450 from a $1,000 investment.

When Can SHIB Hit $0.0007?

Notably, predictions from top crypto entities indicate that SHIB could hit the $0.0007 milestone over the next few years. Notably, Changelly experts estimated that SHIB will climb to the $0.0007 region between 2035 and 2039.

However, Telegaon offers a more optimistic estimate, suggesting SHIB could reach $0.0007 by 2030.

Whether these forecasts play out remains to be seen. Notably, an estimated target of $0.0007 will drive Shiba Inu’s valuation to $412.47 billion, assuming its 589.25 trillion remains untouched.

This resulting valuation surpasses the current market cap of Ethereum, which ranks as the second-biggest cryptocurrency.

Analyst Identifies Bitcoin Target Within Ongoing Wyckoff Accumulation Schematic

Elendu Benedict
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Analyst Identifies Bitcoin Target Within Ongoing Wyckoff Accumulation Schematic

MartyParty has identified a Bitcoin trend within the Wyckoff accumulation schematic, highlighting a possible price target upon completion.

He shared in a June 25 tweet that Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, has been adhering to the price structure since its high of $108,280 in December 2024. Upon completion, he expects Bitcoin to rally to unprecedented prices.

Notably, this would follow Bitcoin’s rapid rebound from recent lows. For context, BTC dipped to $98,330 on Sunday amid escalating macroeconomic headwinds, specifically stemming from the tensions in the Middle East.

However, Bitcoin has rebounded from the low, setting it back on track for high prices. As this rebound takes shape, MartyParty has now identified Bitcoin’s current phase in the Wyckoff schematic and projected the subsequent developments.

Bitcoin: Fighting the Automatic Reaction

For the uninitiated, the Wyckoff Schematic, formulated by legendary technician Richard Wyckoff, is a price pattern that buttresses the accumulation phase of an asset. The theory is divided into five stages, helping investors make informed decisions based on accumulation and distribution trends.

As mentioned earlier, MartyParty identified that the Wyckoff accumulation started in December, facing resistance on Phases A and B at the $106,400 AR Automatic Reaction trendline. For context, Bitcoin dropped after reaching the $108,280 resistance in December 2024 and failed in another attempt, with a high of $109,354 on January 20.

Bitcoin Within the Wyckoff Accumulation Schematic

Meanwhile, Bitcoin entered an accumulation phase in February after the rejection, reaching the “spring” phase on April 6, when it dropped to $74,441 on April 7. Notably, this aligned with a third phase of the accumulation schematics.

Furthermore, Bitcoin rebounded from the dip in late April, forming a Last Point of Support (LPS) with a brief retracement to $93,450 on May 6 before a bullish continuation. Now, BTC has shown strength in Phase D by breaking to a new all-time high of $112,000 on May 22, but has struggled to sustainably trade above the resistance trendline at the $106,400 AR Automatic Reaction.

However, MartyParty predicts that the accumulation would soon come to an end, with Bitcoin entering the “markup” phase of the Wyckoff accumulation schematic. He suggested that the growing global liquidity could catalyze this bullish switch, potentially pushing Bitcoin to unprecedented prices.

Bitcoin’s Target at the Markup Phase

When Bitcoin enters the markup phase, which is the final stage, MartyParty suggested that its first target will be a 17% rally to $125,000. From there, the analyst predicted further upsides, with his attached chart highlighting a surge to approximately $144,000.

Notably, the new all-time high is 34.7% away from the current price of $106,900, adding to growing expectations that Bitcoin will continue breaking into uncharted territories. Meanwhile, some other analysts have predicted targets of $175,000, $200,000, and even $250,000 by the end of the year.

Document Confirms Ripple is Older Than Bitcoin

Lele Jima
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0
Document Confirms Ripple is Older Than Bitcoin

XRP community figure SMOQE shares a document suggesting that Ripple is technically older than Bitcoin. 

The document contains a 2014 e-mail conversation among industry stakeholders, including tech journalist Reutzel Bailey. 

During the conversation, Bailey suggested that Ripple’s origin dates back to 2004, four years before Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin whitepaper. 

According to Bailey, Ryan Fugger first conceived the idea behind Ripple in 2004. Despite this, Bailey emphasized that Ripple’s co-founder, Chris Larsen, built the company and brought it into the mainstream a few years after its founding. Bailey suggested that Larsen’s motivation stemmed from the attention Bitcoin received at the time. 

“I think Larsen pushed this [Ripple] as a cryptocurrency to catch attention because the platform itself was not really about cryptocurrency at all,” Bailey remarked. 

Bitcoin Remains World’s First Cryptocurrency 

Meanwhile, in the email conversation, Jeffrey Cliff dispelled claims that Ripple launched as a “copycat math-based currency” riding Bitcoin’s hype. He emphasized that “Ripple predates Bitcoin.” 

The conversation suggests that the idea behind Ripple may have been conceived long before BTC was developed, making the company older than Bitcoin. While Ripple’s inception dates back to 2004, XRP launched in 2012, four years after Bitcoin’s inception. 

This indicates that although Ripple might be technically older than Bitcoin, BTC remains the world’s first cryptocurrency, having been launched four years before XRP. 

Ripple Origin 

As Bailey mentioned, Ryan Fugger first conceived the idea behind Ripple in 2004. At the time, he launched a project named RipplePay to empower people to move value without relying on banks. 

In 2011, Ripple’s co-founder, Jed McCaleb, worked alongside Arthur Britto and David Schwartz to develop the XRP Ledger (XRPL), the technology underlying XRP. These engineers focused on creating a better version of Bitcoin, addressing its limitations, particularly its reliance on the proof-of-work (PoW) mechanism. 

As XRPL development gained momentum in 2011, McCaleb approached Fugger, convincing him to transform RipplePay into a crypto network. Fugger granted this request, handing RipplePay to him. He later teamed up with Chris Larsen to launch NewCoin in 2012. 

They changed the company’s name twice between 2012 and 2015 from OpenCoin to Ripple, which remains the firm’s official name to date. Interestingly, the founders of XRPL gifted 80 billion XRP to the company in 2012. 

In particular, McCaleb received 9.5 billion XRP of the donation. Following his exit from the project, McCaleb agreed to sell his XRP holdings gradually, with the last stash liquidated in 2022. 

While McCaleb left Ripple and co-founded Stellar, Larsen has remained with Ripple to date and currently serves as its chairman. 

Dogecoin to $1: Top Analyst Says DOGE Setting Up for Massive Moves In July

Elendu Benedict
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0
Dogecoin to $1: Top Analyst Says DOGE Setting Up for Massive Moves In July

The Dogecoin to $1 projection has gained steam in recent times, as a recent analysis highlights an indicator for a massive move next month.

Specifically, analyst WIZZ shared this Dogecoin to $1 projection in a Tuesday tweet, amid its interesting recovery. For context, DOGE joined a broader market downtrend on Sunday, dropping to an intraday low of $0.142.

However, as Bitcoin recovered, the prominent meme coin rallied with it, surging nearly 17% from the weekly low to its current price. Now, WIZZ has projected further upside for Dogecoin, quoting an analysis from top analyst Chris.

Dogecoin Bounces from Crucial Support

Chris shared in a June 24 tweet that Dogecoin bounced from an interesting spot on the weekly timeframe. An accompanying chart shows that last week’s 13% correction dragged prices to a multi-year support trendline.

Dogecoin 1W Chart | Chris

Remarkably, the crucial demand zone emerged after Dogecoin found solace on it amid a lower-low price trend in October 2023. Notably, DOGE initiated a price rebound and subsequently entered an ascending channel, forming higher highs and higher lows.

Chris highlighted that Dogecoin’s recent dump to $0.142 was part of its higher-low price pattern, with the recent bounce suggesting the end of the corrective phase. If support continues to hold and DOGE shows strength, the market watcher predicts that the meme coin could resume the higher-high trend, targeting the tip of the wedge.

Specifically, he predicted a push for Dogecoin to $1, with his chart showing it could reach as high as $1.40, marking several milestones for the coin. First, the 743% rally to $1.4 would represent a new all-time high and ensure that DOGE finally breaches the one-dollar valuation.

Interestingly, Chris suggested the massive move would begin in July, with momentum from the support setting Dogecoin up for the decisive rally. Meanwhile, he also urged holders to take profit when DOGE reaches its target.

Dogecoin to $1 Predictions

Notably, this is not the first prediction of a Dogecoin to $1 rally; the target is a common expectation among enthusiasts. Even the prominent asset manager Galaxy Research predicted that Dogecoin would reach $1 before the end of 2025.

Javon Marks also suggested that Dogecoin would soon breach $1, specifically targeting $1.25. In his analysis, he highlighted a bullish continuation pattern on DOGE’s chart, suggesting the next higher high rally would push prices to the price mark.

Furthermore, analyst Henry had a similar price expectation for Dogecoin, predicting that a breakout from a falling wedge in March would spur the 511% surge. Meanwhile, other market watchers have set high targets for DOGE this cycle, with CryptoELITES predicting an uptick to $5.

At the time of writing, Dogecoin is trading at $0.166, up 7% over the past 24 hours.

XRP Supply Shock Looming as Top Exchanges like Binance and Others See Massive $12.4B+ Drop in XRP Reserves

Sam Wisdom Raphael
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XRP Supply Shock Looming as Top Exchanges like Binance and Others See Massive $12.4B+ Drop in XRP Reserves

Multiple crypto exchanges, including Binance and Upbit, have witnessed a massive $12.4 billion drop in their XRP reserves over the past week.

This development, revealed by the market analytics platform CryptoQuant, has triggered speculation of a looming supply shock within the XRP community amid the ongoing price consolidation. For context, XRP has maintained a range around $2 since February, but this latest trend suggests confidence might be returning to the market.

Notably, data from CryptoQuant shows that this massive crash in exchange reserves affected most of the large mainstream crypto platforms including Binance, Bitfinex, Upbit, and Bybit, with Binance and Upbit contributing the most volume.

Binance, Upbit See Largest XRP Withdrawals

Specifically, these exchanges have collectively witnessed a drop in their XRP reserve amounting to 5.736 billion XRP since June 18. Interestingly, this figure represents nearly 10% of the current XRP circulating supply of 58.9 billion tokens, confirming the extent of this reserve crash, which occurred in just a week. At the current XRP price of $2.17, the tokens are worth a whopping $12.45 billion.

Of the 5.736 billion XRP, Upbit, which boasts the largest XRP reserve for any centralized exchange, saw the highest drop. Particularly, the South Korean exchange held 6.069 billion XRP as of June 18, according to CryptoQuant. Currently, this figure has dropped to 1.08 billion tokens, confirming that Upbit saw a drop of 4.989 billion XRP. 

XRP Upbit Reserve CryptoQuant
XRP Upbit Reserve | CryptoQuant

Also, Binance, which had 2.855 billion XRP as of June 18, now holds 2.238 billion tokens. This indicates that the exchange saw an outflow of 617 million XRP over the past week. Meanwhile, Bybit witnessed a drop of 127 million XRP, while Bitfinex observed a decline of just 3.15 million XRP.

XRP Binance Reserve CryptoQuant
XRP Binance Reserve | CryptoQuant

For the uninitiated, a sharp drop in exchange reserves is often due to mass withdrawals by investors. These withdrawals typically result from investors pulling off their assets from exchanges to store them in self-custodial solutions for longer periods. Importantly, the practice often leads to a drop in selling pressure, a bullish sign.

Community Reactions and Possible Explanation

Interestingly, the broader XRP community has called attention to this trend, with Mr. Xoom, a notable analyst, pointing to the Upbit and Binance withdrawals in a recent disclosure. In response, Remi Relief, a market pundit, suggested that the ensuing supply shock could contribute to an XRP surge to a range of $25 to $75. 

However, it is important to note that such withdrawals could also be triggered by other factors such as cold wallet transfers by the exchanges themselves for security purposes or exploits. Nonetheless, the latter is unlikely, considering that the withdrawals have not been flagged as suspicious.

Our investigations found no large on-chain XRP transfers from these exchanges, and Whale Alert, a whale-tracking resource, has not picked up any large transaction involving XRP in recent times. Also, data from XRPScan shows there have been no significant movements from wallets associated with these exchanges. 

As a result, it is not clear if the massive crash, especially the one involving Upbit’s 4.98 billion XRP, was a glitch or exchange rebalancing effort. Amid the trend, several investors have pointed to XRP’s stagnant price. However, it is important to note that if these were indeed withdrawals, they do not necessarily translate to buys, so the impact on price will not be immediate.

3iQ CEO Says No Retail Investor Could Ever Buy XRP at the Price They Are Getting It Globally

Abdulkarim Abdulwahab
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0
3iQ CEO Says No Retail Investor Could Ever Buy XRP at the Price They Are Getting It Globally

Pascal St-Jean, CEO of Canadian asset manager 3iQ Digital Asset Management, has revealed a significant advantage of their newly launched 3iQ XRP ETF (XRPQ).

St-Jean said their XRP ETF gives investors access to XRP at global rates that retail buyers can’t match. In an interview with pro-XRP YouTuber Crypto Eri, St-Jean explained that the firm sources XRP through a global network of liquidity providers.

It secures pricing and execution that no retail buyer could match. These purchases are then held in cold storage and closely tracked through a physically backed ETF structure.

Physically Backed XRP, Global Pricing Advantage

Notably, St-Jean stated that 3iQ’s process starts when ETF investors submit cash, which is then used to call liquidity providers worldwide. The firm negotiates XRP acquisitions at the lowest possible cost, benefiting from institutional-grade access.

“No retail advisor or investor could ever buy XRP at the price that we’re getting it globally,” he said, referring to their exclusive trade routes and bulk execution strategy.

The XRP acquired then goes into cold storage, allowing XRPQ to track the spot price of XRP with precision. This offers investors secure and direct exposure to the asset.

XRPQ Outshines Rival ETF in First Days of Trading

Notably, the ETF launched on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) on June 18 with a 0% management fee for the first six months. It quickly gained momentum, pulling in $23.21 million within its first three trading days.

This makes XRPQ Canada’s largest XRP ETF, surpassing Purpose Investments’ XRPP, which debuted on the same day but only gathered $10.7 million in assets.

Zero Fees as “Community Thank-you”

During the interview, St-Jean emphasized 3iQ’s mission of offering affordable and regulated access to digital assets. He noted that the 0% fee for the first six months is both a community thank-you gift and a strategy to attract participation.

He said that XRPQ will remain the most cost-efficient XRP ETF on the market even after the fee period ends.

Ripple-Backed

To boost confidence, Ripple itself invested in XRPQ, though the amount remains undisclosed. The ETF only sources XRP from regulated platforms and OTC desks, aiming for long-term holdings and security.

XRPQ is accessible to Canadian investors via their registered brokerage accounts. For international institutions, the ETF is also available on TSX, pending compliance with local regulations.

When U.S. XRP Spot ETF?

While spot XRP ETFs are now thriving in Canada, market participants continue to look out for when the U.S. securities regulator will approve a similar product. Notably, spot XRP ETFs are still undergoing the U.S. SEC review, but their futures equivalents have launched in recent months and are attracting significant investments. The SEC decision for the spot products could come in October 2025.

Meanwhile, Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal has renewed calls for clear U.S. crypto regulations following Canada’s launch of two spot XRP ETFs.

In a tweet, Grewal criticized the U.S. for lagging behind countries like Canada, which previously beat the U.S. to market with a Bitcoin spot ETF in 2021, nearly three years before the U.S. approved its own.

Binance’s CZ Says If You Sold the Dip, You Need to Unfollow the Weak Minds

Elendu Benedict
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0
Binance’s CZ Says If You Sold the Dip, You Need to Unfollow the Weak Minds

Binance’s co-founder, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, has identified why some crypto proponents might be selling their stash at every market downturn.

Bitcoin and the broader crypto market dropped drastically over the weekend, with the former dumping below $100,000 for the first time in 45 days on Sunday. However, Bitcoin has rallied 8% from the dip to reclaim $106,000.

While some saw the downside as a buy opportunity, others fizzled out of the market. Binance’s co-founder, Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, suggested that the difference between the two groups of market participants could be who they follow or pay attention to.

Sellers Follow Weak Minds

Many believe that the crypto market requires extensive patience, and following the right people can make it easy. In a June 24 tweet, CZ had some advice for those who panicked and sold their cryptocurrencies amid the geopolitical tension.

CZ stated that if you sold the dip, it was because you followed weak minds. To avoid the reoccurrence of such scenarios, he advised ditching them to follow the right people.

Notably, Zhao blamed one’s circle as a good determinant for their strength in times of uncertainty. According to him, those who sold during the market dip simply do not follow the right people; they follow the “weak minds.”

Recall that CZ now has a newfound interest in encouraging market users at every market downturn. Several times, he has urged enthusiasts to look beyond the temporary setback and focus on the longer term.

Several other industry leaders, such as Michael Saylor, also have a history of remaining bullish on Bitcoin, regardless of market conditions. The Strategy executive chairman recently ruled out the chances of a crypto winter, insisting there is no stopping until $500,000 or $1 million.

As a result, CZ insinuated that following the right people, like Saylor, himself, or Robert Kiyosaki, who has been a staunch advocate of Bitcoin lately, could have prevented panicking and selling the dip instead of buying.

Everything Before the Next ATH Is a Dip

Interestingly, his tweet follows a parallel X post a day earlier, where he insisted that every other thing, aside from a new all-time high, is a dip worthy of buying. This bullish mindset stresses that there is no excuse for not acquiring choice assets, as everything under their current peak price is an opportunity.

However, the former Binance CEO emphasized that not every coin would reach its next all-time high. CZ urged enthusiasts to look beyond hypes and buy only strong coins with long-term staying power and growth potential.

He emphasized that only a select caliber of cryptocurrencies would consistently rebound after every dip. This comment echoes his March comment, in which he warned against investors’ focus on short-term gains over projects with massive real-world utility.

Chainlink and Mastercard Team Up to Let Three Billion Cardholders Buy Crypto On-Chain

Lele Jima
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0
Chainlink and Mastercard Team Up to Let Three Billion Cardholders Buy Crypto On-Chain

Following a partnership with Chainlink, Mastercard’s 3 billion cardholders can now purchase cryptocurrencies directly on-chain through fiat-to-crypto conversion.

The latest integration is expected to drive crypto adoption among individuals without prior exposure to Web3, enabling them to acquire digital assets without relying on centralized exchanges.

Web3 Entities Fostering the Integration

According to the announcement, several Web3 partners support the implementation, including XSwap, Shift4 Payments, Swapper Finance, and ZeroHash.

Each partner will play a different role in the integration. Chainlink, the major partner, provides the interoperability layer connecting Mastercard’s off-chain payment network with on-chain smart contracts to facilitate the crypto purchase. 

ZeroHash will provide the infrastructure enabling Mastercard cardholders to convert their fiat currencies to crypto in a regulated manner. While Shift4 Payments processes the Mastercard transaction, Swapper Finance, through Xswap, provides the front-end application for all crypto swaps, with liquidity sourced from decentralized exchanges like Uniswap. 

This indicates that Mastercard users will have their crypto transactions routed through Shift4 Payments for card processing, then into ZeroHash for regulatory compliance. Afterward, the transaction will be finalized on Swapper Finance/xSwap, where the actual fiat-to-crypto conversion occurs. 

Chainlink and Mastercard Execs React 

Chainlink’s co-founder, Sergey Nazarov, emphasized that the company was developed to bridge the gap between traditional and decentralized finance. 

He expressed excitement over Chainlink’s ability to connect traditional payments and Mastercard’s 3 billion cardholders with next-generation on-chain decentralized exchanges. 

“Collaborating closely with the Mastercard team on this innovative implementation has been great. It was a complex, multilayered collaboration, and I was thrilled to see Chainlink help make it possible,” Nazarov remarked. 

Raj Dhamodharan, VP of Blockchain at Mastercard, also commented on the development. He noted that, amid growing demand for easier access to digital assets, Mastercard is leveraging its global payments network to integrate off-chain transactions with on-chain commerce. 

Mastercard Crypto Ties 

Notably, Mastercard has been an active player in the crypto sector in recent years. It has promoted adoption by issuing cards that enable users to purchase cryptocurrencies and spend these assets across merchants on its payment network.

In 2023, crypto exchange Bit2Me partnered with Mastercard to launch a debit card, enabling crypto spending across 90 million stores globally. Additionally, the leading payment network partnered with Fasset to advance crypto adoption in Indonesia while broadening residents’ access to financial services. 

Recently, Mastercard has expanded its presence in the sector. As previously reported, it has partnered with Ripple to develop initiatives related to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). 

Last month, it also tapped Moonpay to facilitate stablecoin off-ramp payments for 150 million businesses. 

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