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Ethereum Price Eyes $4,000 as ETF Demand Rises

With Bitcoin holding steady at around $104k, Ethereum is gearing up for a potential breakout. Will ETH reach the $4,000 mark?

As Bitcoin consolidates above $104,000, Ethereum is gaining bullish momentum. This shift comes as a delayed effect of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s steady interest rates, which have helped boost the broader altcoin market.

Ethereum has surpassed the $3,200 mark, increasing the likelihood of a breakout. Could this rally propel Ethereum to the $4,100 level? Let’s explore the possibilities.

Ethereum Eyes Potential Breakout Rally to Cross $4,000 

On the 4-hour chart, the Ethereum price trend reveals a bullish reversal with a double-bottom pattern. As predicted in our last article, the reversal rally crosses the 23.6% Fibonacci level at $3,248. 

Ethereum Price Chart
Ethereum Price Chart

The recovery rally has also stretched the upper Bollinger band, reflecting a 1.12% surge in the last 4 hours. Having completed a post-retest reversal at the 23.6% Fibonacci level, Ethereum’s uptrend is likely to challenge the overhead resistance trendline.

With the rally continuing, the Bollinger bands suggest a potential breakout. However, the DMI indicator points to some minor weakness in the underlying strength.

Additionally, the ADX line is trending downward, which suggests that if the uptrend doesn’t sustain, Ethereum could face a pullback.

Demand Resurfaces in Ethereum ETFs

Supporting the bullish case, institutional demand for Ethereum is making a comeback. On January 30, the total daily net inflow for Ethereum ETFs rose to $67.77 million. Leading the charge, BlackRock acquired $79.86 million worth of Ethereum.

Other notable buyers included Fidelity and Grayscale, with purchases of $15.41 million and $12.79 million, respectively.

The only seller on January 30 was the Grayscale mini-Ethereum trust, which released $40.29 million. The remaining five U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs registered no inflows.

Ethereum ETFs
Ethereum ETFs

Ethereum Price Targets 

Based on the In/Out of the Money chart from Intotheblock, Ethereum nears a crucial resistance zone between $3,264-$3,342. This zone holds 6.26M ETH, making it a high-supply zone. 

Currently, the at-the-money zone holds 7.85 million ETH between $3,109 and $3,264, indicating a crucial level.

Ethereum Levels
Ethereum Levels

Furthermore, Fibonacci levels on the daily chart highlight crucial targets at the 50% and 100% retracement levels, at $3,509 and $4,079, respectively.

On the downside, the $3,000 support zone is expected to remain strong through Q1 2025.

Bitcoin Price to Hit $1M by January 2027 Based on This New Model

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Bitcoin price could surpass the $1 million mark in January 2027, with a potential to reach higher levels by 2030.

This is according to a recently published paper by Dr Murray Rudd and Dennis Porter of Satoshi Action Fund, a prominent Bitcoin advocacy group.

The paper proposes a demand and supply equilibrium framework to forecast the asset’s price, accounting for its fixed supply and evolving demand.

Specifically, the study combines a constant elasticity of substitution (CES) demand function with Bitcoin’s inelastic supply curve. 

A CES demand function is a mathematical formula used to show how demand for an asset can change in response to changes in its price and the prices of related assets.

By adjusting these parameters, using Bitcoin’s price and supply at the time of the 2024 halving and noting the function’s intersections with the asset’s inelastic supply curve, the model forecasts its price under different conditions.

With this model, the paper’s authors see Bitcoin surpassing the $1 million mark by autumn 2028 in the conservative scenario. This scenario assumes demand remains at levels seen in mid-December 2024, driven largely by exchange-traded funds.

However, in the bullish scenario, which is the paper’s headline target, the asset hits the coveted milestone in January 2027. Here, the authors cite the effect of growing corporate adoption sparked by MicroStrategy and the demand that could come from proposed strategic reserves from several U.S. states and countries worldwide.

Notably, the Satoshi Action Fund has been a major advocate for these reserves in multiple U.S. states, and their efforts appear to be seeing results. As the group’s CEO and co-author of the recent paper, Dennis Porter, has recently highlighted, at least 11 states are considering proposals to establish strategic Bitcoin reserves, with about five more expected to join soon.

In essence, the motivation for the recent paper was to highlight Bitcoin’s potential as a reserve asset.

Dogecoin Price Outlook: Will a 25% Rally Follow, or Is This Another Fakeout?

Despite a triangle breakout, Dogecoin is pulling back for a critical retest. Will this lead to a bounce back to $0.4157?

As Bitcoin drops below the $105,000 mark, the meme coin sector has experienced a slight pullback. However, recent bullish sentiment has shifted Dogecoin towards a potential recovery rally. With growing market optimism, investors are staying vigilant, waiting for the next move.

Currently, DOGE is trading at $0.3277, with a market cap of $48 billion in the $92 billion meme coin sector. As the leading meme coin, Dogecoin continues to attract attention from traders, presenting a potential breakout rally.

Dogecoin Analysis Reveals 25% Bullish Potential

On the 4-hour chart, Dogecoin broke above the local resistance trendline, as our last analysis predicted. However, this bullish breakout fails to sustain momentum, resulting in three consecutive bearish candles.

The recent rejection indicates a momentary struggle between bulls and bears. This comes as a retest of the broken resistance trendline, but DOGE also fails under the 38.20% Fibonacci level at $0.33.

COINBASE:DOGEUSD Chart Image by Trojan69420

Amid the short-term decline, the 24-hour volume has also plunged, signaling reduced market activity.

Meanwhile, the accumulation/distribution indicator reveals stagnancy near 17.61 billion, suggesting indecision among traders. As volumes decline during the retest phase, the chances of a post-retest reversal have significantly increased. If buying pressure builds up, a quick rebound may follow.

Dogecoin Speculations Shift, Funding Rate Reveals Underlying Strength

As volatility in the broader market increased, the Dogecoin derivatives market witnessed a quick shift. The open interest of Dogecoin has declined by 1.14% to $3.96 billion, reflecting reduced participation from traders.

Dogecoin Derivatives
Dogecoin Derivatives

Furthermore, the long-to-short ratio over the past 24 hours is at 0.9755, which indicates a higher number of bearish positions and an uncertain short-term sentiment.

Despite the declining Dogecoin prices, the funding rate remains at 0.0088%. This reflects the strength of bullish players who are willing to pay the premium to hold long positions.

Their confidence remains intact as they anticipate Dogecoin to rally further, pushing prices towards key resistance levels.

Analyst Projects 10% Hike in DOGE

Supporting the chances of a bullish recovery, crypto analyst Ali Martinez has highlighted a symmetrical triangle breakout in Dogecoin. In an X post, Martinez noted the breakout rally in DOGE is likely to challenge the $0.36 mark.

This indicates an upside potential of nearly 10%. However, the ongoing pullback has brought DOGE down to $0.3277 from its previous level of $0.33807. If buying momentum resumes, DOGE could quickly reclaim lost ground.

Key Dogecoin Levels

Based on the Fibonacci levels, a potential post-retest reversal will likely challenge the 78.60% Fibonacci level at $0.4157. This suggests an upside potential of more than 25%, making DOGE an interesting asset to watch.

On the flip side, the $0.30 support level will hold the meme coin against short-term volatility spikes in the market. A breakdown below this level could lead to further corrections.

Aggrieved Investor Sues Solana Memecoin Launchpad Pump.fun Alleging Securities Violation  

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The legal woes of Solana-based meme coin generator Pump.fun have heightened as the project now faces a second-class action within a month. 

On January 30, Diego Aguilar, an alleged Pump.fun investor, filed a lawsuit against the project in a New York federal court. Aguilar alleged that all meme coins created on the platform are unregistered securities. 

Complaint Against Pump.fun 

According to the plaintiff, Pump.fun generated at least $500 million in fees from creating these ‘highly volatile’ meme coins. The complaint identified Baton Corporation, a company based in the U.K., as the creator of Pump.fun.

Notably, it also named three other individuals as co-founders, such as Noah Tweedale (CEO), Alon Cohen (COO), and Dylan Kerler (CTO). 

Aguilar accused Pump.fun and its creators of working with social media influencers to create and market tokens deemed as securities. The plaintiff disclosed that he lost significant funds by investing in three meme-based tokens created on Pump.fun such as FRED, FWOG, and GRIFFAIN.  

Despite acknowledging that Pump.fun did not create these tokens, the plaintiff contended that the platform provided the issuers with automated tools, enabling anyone to create and sell worthless tokens within minutes. 

Based on this, the complaint referred to Pump.fun as a joint issuer of all the tokens launched on its platform.

Notably, the suit seeks rescission of all tokens purchased through Pump.fun, attorney’s fees, and monetary damages for investors. New York-based law firm Wolf Popper LLP filed the lawsuit on behalf of Aguilar. 

Previous Suit Against Pump.fun 

It bears mentioning that this law firm had collaborated with Burwick Law to sue Pump.fun earlier this month. In that suit, Kendall Carnahan, who stood as the lead plaintiff, accused Pump.fun of exploiting users. Moreover, Carnahan alleged that the platform was instrumental in promoting inappropriate content relating to sexual and child abuse. 

Furthermore, the suit claimed that Pump.fun violated federal securities laws by facilitating the sale of PNUT, which it labeled a security. 

Despite its legal woes, Pump.fun has continued to witness increased user activity. Data from Dune Analytics show that Pump.fun’s weekly trading volume reached an all-time high (ATH) of $3.3 billion. 

FOX Business Confirms More XRP ETF Filings Next Week as Market Heats Up

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Amid multiple XRP ETF filings, FOX Business journalist Eleanor Terrett has issued an insider hint on the possibility of more activities around XRP ETFs next week.

Terrett made the disclosure in a tweet on Thursday, reacting to news that billion-dollar asset manager Grayscale is now pursuing an XRP ETF.

Latest Update on XRP ETF

Yesterday, Grayscale, in collaboration with NYSE, submitted a crucial registration statement for an XRP ETF. The filing informs the SEC of the decision to convert Grayscale’s already thriving XRP Trust into an ETF, thereby opening up even more access to XRP amid growing institutional interest.

For context, the Grayscale XRP Trust re-launched five months ago and has since attracted over $16 million in assets under management. According to the latest filing with the SEC, the trust ranks among the most prominent XRP funds worldwide.

The firm aims to grow the fund by converting it from a trust to an exchange-traded fund with the NYSE.

More Filing Activities for XRP ETFs

As the news of this filing stirs excitement in the XRP community, FOX correspondent Terrett has disclosed that more filings are in the works and could surface as early as next week.

“Look out for more filing activity by issuers with XRP ETF applications next week,” Terrett teased in the tweet.

Hint at more XRP ETF
Insider hint on XRP ETF activities

Reacting to these ongoing developments, members of the XRP community view them as further signs of major demand for XRP in traditional financial markets.

In a tweet, Vet, co-founder of XRPCafe, stressed that XRP ETF filings wouldn’t happen without demand. “Clients are asking for it,” he said, emphasizing how investors increasingly seek exposure to XRP.

With Grayscale’s filing, the number of asset managers that have officially communicated their intent to offer an XRP ETF is now eight. These include Bitwise, CoinShares, and WisdomTree, among others.

Will BlackRock File an XRP ETF?

Meanwhile, the filing that many in the XRP community are most eager to see is one from BlackRock, the financial behemoth with $10 trillion in assets under management. BlackRock already has ETF products for Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Its Bitcoin spot ETF has been highly successful, attracting over $40 billion in inflows in just one year. It even ranked among the top three best-performing ETFs of 2024 globally.

Given this success, the XRP Army is eagerly hoping for a similar position for XRP, anticipating a BlackRock ETF.

However, the firm has clarified that its current two ETFs still have low adoption among clients. Essentially, it is focusing its energy on expanding its Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs rather than pursuing a new product with XRP.

Nonetheless, with the latest teaser of more XRP ETFs surfacing next week, the XRP Army finds reasons to believe BlackRock could be part of the equation.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s Parents Seek Presidential Pardon Over Son’s 25-Year Sentence

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Speculation suggesting that disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried could be a free man has emerged as his parents explore a White House executive pardon.

According to Bloomberg, SBF’s parents, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, are exploring other possibilities for freeing their son. With a September 2024 ruling appeal looking tedious, the former Stanford Law School professors have turned their attention to pro-crypto US President Donald Trump.

The report, citing unidentified people familiar with the issue, uncovered that the high-caliber professors have met with lawyers and figures close to the president to establish contact with the White House. Specifically, Bankman and Fried are inquiring if Trump will be interested in granting their son a clemency.

A Ross Ulbricht-Inspired Ploy

Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents are particularly optimistic about the idea following Trump’s changing stance on digital assets. The 47th president grew lenient with the sector in his second term, juxtaposing his disposition towards Bitcoin in his first tenure.

Furthermore, Bankman and Fried draw inspiration from Trump’s pardon of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht. For context, the president fulfilled his campaign promises to overturn Ulbricht’s double life sentencing, announcing his pardon on January 22.

Meanwhile, the nature of Bankman-Fried’s case differs from Ulbricht’s. The disgraced former crypto mogul was indicted for fraud and high-level client extortion.

SBF’s Indictment

A federal court sentenced Sam Bankman-Fried to 25 years in prison after finding him guilty of seven charges, including wire fraud and securities fraud. The sentencing followed lengthy legal proceedings after FTX’s November 2022 implosion.

The exchange moved from a multi-billion-dollar firm to nothing, highlighting Sam Bankman-Fried’s mismanagement. Meanwhile, Binance’s efforts to salvage FTX fell through after due diligence.

Growing Pardon Request

Jeffrey Grant, a New York white-collar defendant, told Bloomberg that clemency filings from inmates have increased recently following Trump’s Ulbricht pardon. He stated that he has received at least 100 pardon inquiries recently.

Moreover, Sam Mangel, another white-collar consultant, also confirmed the growing optimism of a pardon among prisoners upon Trump’s inauguration. He also disclosed he is working on a couple of cases but received clear instructions within the Trump circle to avoid requests relating to sex crimes, violence, and illegal immigration.

Former FTX executive Ryan Salame is among those seeking a presidential pardon. Notably, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and received a seven-year sentence.

Kraken Reintroduces Staking for US Users, Supporting Cardano, Solana, and Ethereum

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Kraken has reintroduced crypto staking services for users in the United States.

This comes nearly two years after halting the program due to a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

Notably, the new offering is available in 37 states and two territories, allowing eligible users to stake supported tokens through Kraken Pro. The exchange plans to expand access to more states as regulations permit.

Resuming Staking Services in the US

The reintroduction of staking follows Kraken’s February 2023 decision to discontinue its staking-as-a-service program after reaching a $30 million settlement with the SEC.

The regulatory action asserted that the company’s previous staking service violated securities laws. Now, Kraken has adjusted its approach, enabling U.S. clients to stake digital assets in compliance with regulations.

Eligible users can participate in bonded staking, which requires storing assets for a set duration. The exchange entrusts these staked assets to validators responsible for block production and transaction validation. Validators return staking rewards to Kraken, which then distributes them to clients after deducting applicable fees.

Kraken’s Global Head of Consumer, Mark Greenberg, described the relaunch as a major win for the company and the broader U.S. crypto industry.

kraken annoucement
Kraken announcement

Supported Tokens and Network Security

Kraken’s staking services support 17 digital assets, including Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Polkadot (DOT), and Cardano (ADA).

U.S. clients will also have access to re-staking, which allows them to stake ETH for use in EigenLayer projects that benefit from Ethereum’s security.

Kraken Staking History

Notably, Kraken initially introduced on-chain staking in 2019, providing clients with a means to participate in securing proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains.

PoS mechanisms have gained traction in recent years, with a growing number of staking opportunities available. The ability to stake digital assets contributes to blockchain network security by increasing decentralization and validating transactions.

Kraken’s move to reinstate staking for U.S. clients aims to align available services with those offered to its global user base.

Omni Founder Shares What Could Make XRP a $1 Trillion Asset

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Austin King, founder of Omni and a longtime collaborator with Ripple, recently outlined what he believes could push XRP to become a $1 trillion asset. 

According to King, XRP’s chances of reaching a $1 trillion market cap could depend on interoperability and expanding its utility across the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. In a post, he explained why this approach is important and how Ripple is setting itself up to capitalize on the opportunity.

XRP Could Thrive on Interoperability and Tokenization

King stressed that interoperability is the missing piece needed to take XRP to the next level. He highlighted Ripple’s co-founder Chris Larsen’s comments from a previous interview, where Larsen noted that while globalization has made progress in data and shipping interoperability, the financial sector lags behind. 

Notably, Larsen argued that enabling seamless interaction between financial networks could onboard billions of people into a more inclusive global system.

For context, Ripple’s way of tapping into this potential involves leveraging its strong relationships with traditional finance companies to tokenize real-world assets on the XRP Ledger. Interestingly, Ripple CTO David Schwartz has continued to stress this vision.

In one interview, Schwartz noted that the company’s long-term vision includes enterprise-focused products like stablecoins, asset tokenization, and lending services. These initiatives look to bridge traditional finance with DeFi. Notably, this could create opportunities for new revenue streams and expand the utility of XRP.

Speaking further, King revealed that Omni is partnering with Ripple to facilitate this vision. The collaboration starts with Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, which will enable the tokenization of assets from the XRP Ledger into the broader DeFi ecosystem. 

King believes this could generate up to 400 times more revenue for XRP than the current fee model by integrating tokenized assets into the $125 billion multi-chain DeFi economy. He also confirmed there are ongoing private discussions with Ripple leadership about future initiatives to advance the tokenization strategy further.

ETF Wrappers and Inclusion in US Strategic Reserve 

Meanwhile, in addition to interoperability, two other catalysts that could support XRP’s rise to a $1 trillion market cap are ETF products and its potential inclusion in a U.S. strategic reserve. 

Specifically, several asset managers, including Canary Capital, Bitwise, WisdomTree, 21Shares, and CoinShares, have filed applications to launch XRP-based ETFs. The approval of such products could bring in substantial institutional investment and bolster demand for XRP. 

Industry experts believe these filings have a higher chance of approval under the new leadership at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In addition, recent developments in U.S. policy have triggered bullish speculations. A recent executive order from former President Donald Trump established a Presidential Working Group to evaluate crypto policies, including the creation of a digital asset stockpile. 

As the largest “Made in America” crypto asset, XRP could be a strong contender for inclusion in this reserve. If realized, this potential development could massively bolster XRP’s adoption and valuation, possibly contributing to its journey to the $1 trillion market cap.

Currently, Bitcoin (BTC) is the only crypto asset that has crossed the $1 trillion valuation mark. At a $1 trillion valuation, XRP price would rise to $17, considering the current circulating supply of 57.6 billion tokens.

Bitfinex Securities to Launch Tokenized Bitcoin Mining Product Under El Salvador’s Flexible Digital Asset Laws

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Bitfinex Securities, a digital securities exchange affiliated with Tether, plans to introduce the Blockstream Mining Note 2 (BMN2) under Salvadoran regulations. 

The tokenized financial product, which provides investors with exposure to Bitcoin mining, follows the success of BMN1, which was issued in Luxembourg. The upcoming issuance in El Salvador aims to offer broader accessibility due to the country’s flexible digital asset laws.

BMN2’s Upcoming Launch

BMN2 builds on the model of BMN1, a Luxembourg-issued financial product that generated substantial returns. Over three years, BMN1 distributed over 1,212 BTC to investors, translating to approximately $70.7 million and delivering a 108% return on capital. Bitfinex Securities aims to list BMN2 on its platform within the first quarter of the year, enabling direct buying and selling.

Unlike Luxembourg, where non-qualified investors must meet a $100,000 minimum investment, El Salvador has no such requirement.

The country’s Digital Assets Law allows broader investor participation. This change lowers entry barriers and attracts a wider range of investors. Bitfinex Securities is currently working with El Salvador’s National Commission for Digital Assets (CNAD) to secure approval for the launch.

Tokenized Offerings in El Salvador

In a separate initiative, Bitfinex Securities recently launched a tokenized public offering of U.S. Treasury bills under El Salvador’s Digital Asset Issuance Act.

Built on Bitcoin’s Liquid network, the tokenized T-bills provide exposure to short-term U.S. Treasury securities denominated in U.S. dollars. This development aligns with the exchange’s broader strategy of expanding digital financial products in the country.

Meanwhile, Tether, the sister company of Bitfinex Securities, is also deepening its presence in El Salvador.

In January, the company disclosed relocating its operations and subsidiaries to the country. This move follows CNAD’s approval in August 2023, which granted Tether a Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) license and permission to issue stablecoins.

The relocation reflects El Salvador’s pro-Bitcoin policies, which have positioned the nation as a key hub for digital asset initiatives.

SEC Approves NYSE Request to Trade Bitwise Dual Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF

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Investors can now gain exposure to another ETF holding Bitcoin and Ethereum, thanks to the SEC approval of the NYSE Arca filing.  

On Thursday, the U.S. SEC assented to NYSE’s filing to list and trade shares of Bitwise’s Ethereum and Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). 

According to a statement, the securities watchdog issued its approval on an accelerated basis. The SEC emphasized that it finds NYSE Arca’s “proposal consistent with the Exchange Act and rules applicable to a national securities exchange.” 

SEC Approval 

For context, NYSE officially filed to list and trade shares of Bitwise’s spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF on November 26, 2024. Afterward, the filing was published in the Federal Register on December 16, 2024, with an amended filing submitted on January 21, 2025. 

The investment product aims to expose investors to Bitwise’s Bitcoin and Ethereum based on their market cap weightings. Following its review, the SEC found that NYSE Arca’s filing is similar to previous spot Bitcoin ETF and spot Ethereum ETP proposals approved in the past. 

“NYSE Arca’s amended filing is similar to filings for other spot bitcoin and spot ether ETPs approved by the Commission. Accordingly, the Commission finds good cause to approve the Proposal on an accelerated basis,” an excerpt from the SEC notice read. 

The development comes over a month after the U.S. SEC approved similar products from Hashdex and Franklin Templeton. As previously reported, the Hashdex ETF will trade on the Nasdaq, while investors can trade Franklin’s fund on Cboe BZX. 

Bloomberg ETF Analyst Reacts, Says Litecoin ETFs Are Next

In a tweet, Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, disclosed his earlier expectations about the SEC approving the Bitwise dual Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF. 

However, Balchunas pointed out that the approval was faster, with the SEC issuing this decision in 45 days compared to the expected wait time of 240 days. Notably, Balchunas hopes that the speed of the approval indicates that the current SEC leadership will be faster. 

Furthermore, he emphasized that ETF filings relating to Litecoin are the next in line for consideration.  

Crypto ETF Applications Soar  

Recall that the previous administration hesitated to approve spot ETFs of Bitcoin and Ethereum. However, the ultimate approval came after a court order mandated the SEC to reconsider its stance on Grayscale’s decision to convert its Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) to a spot ETF.

In January 2024, the SEC approved multiple spot Bitcoin ETFs. A few months later, it also approved several applications for spot Ethereum ETF. 

Following Donald Trump’s re-election, several asset management companies filed multiple crypto-related applications, including the recently approved NYSE Arca filing. These companies hope to take advantage of Trump’s pro-crypto support to introduce more crypto ETFs. 

Interestingly, other prospective issuers are also filing for ETFs that track the prices of altcoins like XRP, Solana, Dogecoin, and Litecoin. The odds of the potential approval of these applications have soared tremendously due to the inception of a pro-crypto administration led by Trump.