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Ripple’s XRP (XRP), the third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, gained national recognition after President Donald Trump mentioned the “valuable cryptocurrency” alongside BTC, ETH, SOL, and ADA as part of a planned US strategic crypto reserve.

Trump’s executive order on March 6 established a new structure for the altcoins — the Digital Asset Stockpile, managed by the Treasury. 

While the crypto community remains divided on whether XRP is truly as valuable as President Trump suggests, a closer look at the altcoin’s utility is warranted. 

XRP’s potential role in banking

Launched in 2012 by Ripple Labs, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) was designed for interbank settlements. It initially offered three enterprise solutions: xRapid, xCurrent, and xVia, all later rebranded under the RippleNet umbrella. XCurrent is real-time messaging and settlement between banks, xVia is a payment interface allowing financial institutions to send payments through RippleNet, and xRapid, now part of On-Demand Liquidity (ODL), facilitates cross-border transactions.

Only ODL actually requires XRP; the other services allow banks to use RippleNet without ever holding the token. This means bank adoption of Ripple technology does not always drive XRP’s price.

Some of the world’s largest banks have used xCurrent and xVia, including American Express, Santander, Bank of America, and UBS. There is less data on the entities that use XRP-powered ODL service. Known adopters include SBI Remit, a major Japanese remittance provider, and Tranglo, a leading remittance company in Southeast Asia.

XRP’s role in Web3

XRP is also used as a gas token. However, unlike the Ethereum network, where fees go to validators, a small amount of XRP is burned as an anti-spam mechanism.

XRP’s role in Web3 is minimal. Unlike Ethereum, Ripple does not support complex smart contracts or DApps. It offers only basic Web3 functionality, such as a token issuance mechanism and native NFT support under the XLS-20 standard, introduced in 2022.

The XRPL Web3 ecosystem is small. Its modest DeFi sector holds $80 million in total value locked (TVL), according to DefiLlama. XRPL’s tokens have a combined market cap of $468 million, according to Xrpl.to. Most of them are DEX tokens (SOLO) and memes (XRPM), as well as wrapped BTC and stablecoins.

So far, XRPL’s Web3 sector remains niche and trails true smart contract platforms like Ethereum and Solana.

Related: SEC delays decision on XRP, Solana, Litecoin, Dogecoin ETFs

Crypto pundits split hairs on XRP’s role in a strategic reserve

Ripple Labs representatives have long advocated for equal treatment of cryptocurrencies, with CEO Brad Garlinghouse reiterating this on Jan. 27. 

Garlinghouse said,  

“We live in a multichain world, and I’ve advocated for a level-playing field instead of one token versus another. If a government digital asset reserve is created—I believe it should be representative of the industry, not just one token (whether it be BTC, XRP or anything else).”

However, not all cryptocurrencies serve the same purpose. Bitcoin’s primary role is to be a “geopolitically neutral asset like gold,” in the words of crypto analyst Willy Woo. XRP’s purpose remains less clear, but few in the crypto space would argue that it could qualify as independent money.

This is primarily due to one of Ripple’s most uncomfortable aspects—its permissioned nature. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, Ripple does not rely on miners or staked tokens to secure the network. Instead, it uses a Unique Node List—a group of trusted validators responsible for approving transactions. While this optimizes speed and efficiency, it raises concerns about censorship, corruption, and security risks.

Bitcoin proponent and co-founder of Casa Jameson Lopp didn’t hold back when discussing XRP’s potential:

“There’s Bitcoin, then there’s Crypto, then there’s Ripple. Ripple has attacked Bitcoin at a level rivaled only by BSV’s lawsuits. Ripple explicitly wants to power CBDCs. They have always been focused on servicing banks. Few projects are as antithetical to Bitcoin.”

There’s no love lost between Bitcoiners and Ripple supporters, especially after Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen partnered with Greenpeace to fund an anti-Bitcoin campaign. 

However, Lopp’s comparison to CBDCs holds some weight, given XRPL’s permissioned nature. It reflects a common view in the crypto community that XRP functions more like a banking tool than a truly independent cryptocurrency.

While the XRPL blockchain sees widespread use in banking, XRP’s utility remains a point of concern. It is underscored by the fact that approximately 55% of the 100 billion pre-mined coins are still held by Ripple Labs. This concentration raises concerns about potential market manipulation and the coin’s long-term stability. 

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Asset manager Hashdex has amended its S-1 regulatory filing for its cryptocurrency index exchange-traded fund (ETF) to include seven altcoins in addition to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), according to a March 14 filing. 

The revision proposes adding seven specific altcoins to the index ETF — Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP), Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), Avalanche (AVAX), Litecoin (LTC), and Uniswap (UNI). As of March 17, the Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index US ETF holds only Bitcoin and Ether.

Previous versions of Hashdex’s S-1 suggested the possibility of adding other cryptocurrencies in the future but didn’t specify which ones.

According to the filing, the proposed altcoins additions “are decentralized peer-to-peer computer systems that rely on public key cryptography for security, and their values are primarily influenced by market supply and demand.”

The revised filing signals how ETF issuers are accelerating planned crypto product rollouts now that US President Donald Trump has instructed federal regulators to take a more lenient stance on digital asset regulation. 

As part of the transition, the ETF plans to switch its reference index from the Nasdaq Crypto US Index — which only tracks BTC and ETH — to the more comprehensive Nasdaq Crypto Index, the filing said. 

The asset manager did not specify when it plans to make the change. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) must sign off on the proposed changes before they can take effect. 

Related: US crypto index ETFs off to slow start in first days since listing

Accelerating approvals

In December, the SEC gave the green light to both Hashdex and Franklin Templeton’s respective Bitcoin and Ether index ETFs. 

Both ETFs were listed in February, initially drawing relatively modest inflows, data shows. They are the first US ETFs aiming to offer investors a one-stop-shop diversified crypto index.

Asset manager Grayscale has also applied to convert its Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund to an ETF. Created in 2018, the fund holds a crypto index portfolio comprising BTC, ETH, SOL and XRP, among others. 

Industry analysts say crypto index ETFs are the next big focus for issuers after ETFs holding BTC and ETH listed in January and July, respectively.

“The next logical step is index ETFs because indices are efficient for investors — just like how people buy the S&P 500 in an ETF. This will be the same in crypto,” Katalin Tischhauser, head of investment research at crypto bank Sygnum, told Cointelegraph in August.

In February, the SEC acknowledged more than a dozen exchange filings related to cryptocurrency ETFs, according to records.

The filings, submitted by Cboe and other exchanges, addressed proposed rule changes concerning staking, options, in-kind redemptions and new types of altcoin funds.

Magazine: US enforcement agencies are turning up the heat on crypto-related crime

Solana (SOL) futures traded for the first time on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group’s US derivatives exchange on March 17 as the cryptocurrency’s mainstream adoption gains momentum.

In February, CME tipped plans to list two types of SOL futures contracts: standard contracts representing 500 SOL and retail-friendly “micro” contracts representing 25 SOL each. 

They are the first regulated Solana futures to hit the US market after Coinbase’s launched in February. The contracts are settled in cash, not physical SOL.

On March 17, the contracts’ first trading day, SOL futures representing a notional value of nearly 40,000 SOL, or nearly $5 million at current prices, changed hands on the exchange, according to preliminary data from CME’s website.

Early pricing data indicates a potentially bearish sentiment on SOL among traders. The CME does not publish finalized data on daily trading volumes until the subsequent business day. 

The CME’s April futures contracts traded at a price of $127 per SOL — $2 per token less than contracts expiring in March, CME data shows. 

On March 16, trading firms FalconX and StoneX completed the first-ever SOL futures trade on CME, they said.

“Solana has come a long way in the last five years,” Chris Chung, founder of Solana-based swap platform Titan, told Cointelegraph on March 17.

“Solana futures are going live on the CME today, and SOL [exchange-traded funds] will surely follow shortly behind,” Chung said. 

Related: Solana CME futures tip impending US ETF approvals — Exec

ETF approval odds

On March 13, Chung told Cointelegraph he expects the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to approve asset managers VanEck and Canary Capital’s proposed spot Solana ETFs as soon as May.

At least five ETF issuers have filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to list spot Solana ETFs. The regulator has until October 2025 to make a final decision on the filings. 

Bloomberg Intelligence gauges the likelihood that SOL ETFs are ultimately approved at approximately 70%.

Futures contracts are standardized agreements to buy or sell an underlying asset at a future date. 

They are commonly used for hedging and speculation by retail and institutional investors. Futures also play a crucial supporting role for spot cryptocurrency ETFs because regulated futures markets provide a stable benchmark for measuring a digital asset’s performance.

CME already lists futures contracts for Bitcoin BTC and Ether ETH. US regulators approved ETFs for both of those cryptocurrencies last year.

Magazine: 5 real use cases for useless memecoins

Betters on Polymarket believe it’s now a certainty that the US Federal Reserve will wind down its quantitative tightening (QT) program by May of this year, a move many analysts say could trigger the next leg of the crypto bull market. 

By March 14, Polymarket’s betting odds that the Fed would end QT by April 30 was 100%, where it remains unchanged at the time of writing.

The wager, titled “Will Fed end QT before May?,” has more than $6.2 million in cumulative trading volume.

Polymarket is a crypto-based prediction market that lets betters wager on real-world events. It rose to prominence during the 2024 US presidential election cycle, where it accurately predicted the ascent of Donald Trump.

Quantitative tightening is a monetary policy tool used by the Fed to draw money out of the economy by letting the bonds on its balance sheet mature. It’s the opposite of quantitative easing or the balance sheet expansion that the central bank embarked on following the 2008 financial crisis. 

The Fed’s current QT regime has been ongoing since June 2022 as a complement to other inflation-reducing policies. In addition to raising short-term interest rates, the Fed uses QT to raise long-term rates and drain excess liquidity from the market. 

Although the start of QT didn’t prevent stocks and crypto prices from rallying — these markets are coming off back-to-back years of impressive growth — it has become a bottleneck due to the recent macroeconomic shocks stemming from the Trump administration.

This was predicted in 2022 by Cambridge Associates senior investment director TJ Scavone, who said the negative side effects of QT would be felt once “something breaks”: 

“With QT just now ramping up, the risk it poses to financial markets appears low. Yet, adding QT to what is an already difficult and volatile market environment may worsen market conditions, increasing the risk that “something breaks” from overtightening.”

Related: Polymarket bets on Fort Knox audit as reserve debate heats up

QT and crypto

Crypto’s strong correlation with traditional markets exposed the asset class to extreme volatility in February. By March, the S&P 500 Index was officially in correction territory — and Bitcoin (BTC) was down roughly 30% from its January peak. 

The growing belief that the Fed is ready to wind down QT is seen by many as a bullish catalyst for crypto, as more liquidity will eventually trickle down into risk assets. Combined with rate cuts in the second half of the year, there may be enough policy drivers to reverse the crypto market’s multimonth downtrend.

This general playbook is supported by crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen, who believes the end of QT will be followed by a broad market rally. 

Although the Fed hasn’t confirmed whether it will wind down its QT program, the minutes of the January Federal Open Market Committee meeting revealed that some officials were concerned about balance sheet reductions impacting the government’s debt ceiling debate:

“Regarding the potential for significant swings in reserves over coming months related to debt ceiling dynamics, various participants noted that it may be appropriate to consider pausing or slowing balance sheet runoff until the resolution of this event.”

Important policy changes at the Fed are coinciding with a broad pickup in the business cycle. As Cointelegraph recently reported, the US Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) has been in expansion mode for two consecutive months following more than two years of contraction. 

During the last two crypto market cycles, Bitcoin’s peak coincided with the top of the business cycle, as expressed by the manufacturing PMI.

X Hall of Flame: DeFi will rise again after memecoins die down: Sasha Ivanov

Ethereum price is more than 52% down from its December 2024 high at $4,107 and data from TradingView shows ETH (ETH) down 42% since the start of 2025. 

Despite being one of the largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization and holding the dominant spot as the leader in Web3 and DeFi, many analysts believe that ETH’s price prospects remain grim in the short term. 

Crypto analyst and chartered market technician Askel Kibar warned traders against assuming that ETH price trades at a discount simply based on how far off it is from its average trading price. 

On X, Kibar explained that “bottom reversals take time” given that “ all that supply needs to be accumulated.” 

Referring to the chart above, Kibar said, 

“Those of you that want to see ETH outperform BTC need to see similar price action to 2018-2020 period. After an extending downtrend price formed a double bottom late in 2019. Then it turned out to a larger scale H&S bottom reversal.” 

Currently, ETH’s chart does not show any type of bottoming formation, leading Kibar to compare trading Ethereum to “catching a falling knife.” 

Standard Chartered chops 2025 ETH price to $4,000

Standard Chartered added to the dim outlook via a March 17 client letter, which revised down their end of 2025 ETH price estimate from $10,000 to $4,000, a drastic 60% reduction.

Geoff Kendrick, the bank’s global head of Digital Assets Research, said, “We expect ETH to continue its structural decline.” Adding that:

“Layer 2 blockchains were meant to improve ETH scalability, but we estimate that Base (a key layer 2) has removed USD 50bn from ETH’s market cap.” 

Kendrick cited lower ETH fees, a “higher net issuance,” and layer 2 blockchains “taking Ethereum’s GDP” as an unexpected result of the Dencun upgrade. 

Adding to their observation of Base absorbing Ethereum’s fee revenue, Kendrick said, 

“In particular, Base — a layer 2 that was developed to address the problem of scalability on Ethereum— is passing all the profit (fee revenue minus data recording fees) it extracts to Coinbase, its corporate owner.” 

Related: Long-term Ethereum accumulation could unwind if ETH price falls below $1.9K — Analyst

VanEck Head of Digital Assets Research Matthew Sigel and Patrick Bush, the firm’s Senior Analyst on Digital Assets, concur with the dim ETH price view held by many analysts. In a March 5 note to investors, the researchers cited ETH’s decline as being “largely due to the erosion of the core factors that once made Ethereum valuable.” 

The analysts again cited layer 2 blockchains Arbitrum and Base as catalysts in diminishing ETH’s fee revenue, along with the popularity of memecoin trading on the Solana blockchain.  

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Ethereum’s native token, Ether (ETH), continues to consolidate under $2,000, which some traders view as a psychological level. Ether price slipped below this range on March 10, and the altcoin continues to trade at its lowest value since October 2023.

Ether price has also lost market value with respect to other major altcoins, with XRP price reaching its highest level against ETH in five years on March 15.

The real question among investors is whether ETH is capable of recapturing a portion of its recent losses or whether traders will capitulate if the price falls below $1,900.

Ethereum traders could jump ship if price falls below $1,900

According to data from IntoTheBlock, a data analytics platform, Ethereum holders accumulated 3.56 million ETH between $1,900 and $1,843, with an average price of $1,871. Therefore, the current accumulation value currently stands at $6.65 billion. This indicates that ETH’s price has a strong support level between $1,900 and $1,843, which can potentially act as the bullish reversal zone.

However, if Ether drops below $1,843, data points to the possibility of rising capitulation fears. Capitulation is a market sentiment where investors tend to panic, selling their positions at a loss during a sharp market correction. If ETH consolidates for a prolonged period under $1,843, the likelihood of a deeper correction increases exponentially.

Below $1,843, the size and volume of ETH accumulation are significantly lower, which further illustrates the importance of the $1,900 to $1,843 support range.

Similarly, the percentage of Ethereum addresses under profit dropped to its lowest level since the start of the decade. It is the lowest value since December 2022 at just under 46%.

A low percentage of profitable addresses has historically indicated a price bottom for Ethereum. Given the high ETH accumulation and fewer profitable addresses, these factors may act as bullish signals. As a result, the likelihood of Ethereum consolidating below $1,843 in the long term is decreasing.

Hitesh Malviya, the founder of DYOR crypto, said it is not a “great time to bearish on ETH.” In an X post, Malviya highlighted the recent rise of real-world assets (RWAs) in the industry, with a 50.9% increase in growth over the past 30 days and an 850% yearly increase, with Ethereum and ZKsync capturing more than 80% of the total market share.

Related: Bitcoin ‘bullish cross’ with 50%-plus average returns flashes again

Ethereum long/short ratio indicates a neutral market

Alphractal, a crypto data analysis website, reviewed Ether’s current market sentiment based on the long/short ratio, a metric to evaluate the proportion of futures traders betting for price increases (long) versus decreases (shorts).

According to the chart above, the largest investors are more inclined toward taking long positions, whereas smaller investors are in the process of deleveraging. Deleveraging means unwinding risky, borrowed positions, which lowers market volatility and interest in leveraged trading.

With the current ratio at 1.3, the long/short ratio indicates a balanced but cautious market. Alphractal added,

“This indicates that, in the short term, Ethereum is experiencing low volatility and low interest in leverage, which may leave many traders exhausted and impatient.”

Related: Ethereum onchain data suggests $2K ETH price is out of reach for now

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Bitcoin (BTC) has largely stayed above $80,000 since March 11, indicating that the bulls are not waiting for a deeper correction to buy. However, the failure to propel the price above $86,000 shows that the bears have not given up and continue to sell on rallies.

CoinShares’ weekly report shows that cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) witnessed $1.7 billion in outflows last week. That takes the total five-week outflows to $6.4 billion. Additionally, the streak of outflows has reached 17 days, marking the longest negative streak since CoinShares records began in 2015.

It’s not all gloom and doom for the long-term investors. CryptoQuant contributor ShayanBTC said that investors who purchased Bitcoin between three and six months ago are showing an accumulation pattern. Historically, similar behavior has “played a crucial role in forming market bottoms and igniting new uptrends.” 

Will buyers succeed in catapulting Bitcoin above the overhead resistance levels? How are the altcoins placed? Let’s analyze the charts to find out.

S&P 500 Index price analysis

The S&P 500 Index (SPX) is in a strong corrective phase. The fall to 5,504 on March 13 sent the relative strength index (RSI) into the oversold territory, signaling a possible relief rally in the near term.

The bears will try to halt the recovery in the 5,670 to 5,773 resistance zone. If they succeed, it will signal that the sentiment remains negative and traders are selling on rallies. That heightens the risk of a fall to 5,400. The bulls are expected to defend the 5,400 level with all their might because a drop below it may sink the index to 5,100.

On the upside, a break and close above the 20-day exponential moving average (5,780) will signal strength. The index may then climb to the 50-day simple moving average (5,938).

US Dollar Index price analysis

The weak rebound off the 103.37 support in the US Dollar Index (DXY) suggests that the bears have kept up the pressure.

Sellers are trying to sink the index below 103.37. If they can pull it off, the decline could extend to 102 and thereafter to 101.

Conversely, if the price turns up from the current level and breaks above 104, it will signal that buyers are trying to make a comeback. The index could rise to the 20-day EMA (105), which is likely to attract sellers. If buyers do not cede much ground to the bears, the prospects of a break above the 20-day EMA increase. The index could then rally to the 50-day SMA (107).

Bitcoin price analysis

Bitcoin has been trying to form a higher low in the near term, building strength to cross above the 200-day SMA ($84,112).

The positive divergence on the RSI suggests that the bearish momentum is weakening. If buyers drive the price above the 20-day EMA ($85,808), the BTC/USDT pair could rise to the 50-day SMA ($92,621).

Contrary to this assumption, if the price turns down sharply from the 200-day SMA, it will indicate that the bears are trying to flip the level into resistance. The pair may slide to $80,000 and next to $76,606.

Ether price analysis

Ether (ETH) has been trading between $1,963 and $1,821, signaling a lack of aggressive buying at current levels.

If the price dips below the $1,821 to $1,754 support zone, it will indicate the resumption of the downtrend. The ETH/USDT pair may then nosedive to the next significant support at $1,550.

This negative view will be invalidated in the near term if the price turns up and breaks above the 20-day EMA ($2,107). The pair could ascend to the 50-day SMA ($2,514), where the bears are likely to sell aggressively. However, if the bulls pierce the 50-day SMA resistance, the pair may rally to $2,857.

XRP price analysis

XRP (XRP) turned down from the 50-day SMA ($2.51) on March 15, indicating that the bears are active at higher levels.

The 20-day EMA ($2.34) has flattened out, and the RSI is near the midpoint, indicating a balance between supply and demand. The XRP/USDT pair could remain stuck between the 50-day SMA and $2 for some time.

If the price turns up from the current level and breaks above the 50-day SMA, it will clear the path for a potential rally to $3. Instead, a break and close below $2 will complete a head-and-shoulders pattern. The pair may then tumble to $1.28.

BNB price analysis

BNB (BNB) turned up from the 20-day EMA ($598) and rose above the 50-day SMA ($620), indicating that the correction may be ending.

The 20-day EMA has started to turn up, and the RSI has risen into positive territory, indicating a slight advantage to the bulls. If the price sustains above the 50-day SMA, the BNB/USDT pair could rally to $686 and eventually to $745.

The 20-day EMA is the critical support to watch out for on the downside. A break and close below the 20-day EMA will signal that the bears have seized control. The pair may then descend to the strong support at $500.

Solana price analysis

Solana (SOL) turned down from the 20-day EMA ($139) on March 16, signaling that bears are aggressively defending the level.

The SOL/USDT pair could drop to $120 and then to $110, where buyers are expected to step in. If the price rebounds off the support zone, the bulls will again try to drive the SOL/USDT pair above the 20-day EMA. If they manage to do that, the pair could climb to $180.

This positive view will be invalidated in the near term if the price continues lower and breaks below the support zone. That may start a downward move to $100 and subsequently to $80.

Related: Ethereum onchain data suggests $2K ETH price is out of reach for now

Dogecoin price analysis

Dogecoin (DOGE) has been gradually rising toward the 20-day EMA ($0.19), which is an important near-term resistance to watch out for.

If the price turns down sharply from the 20-day EMA, it suggests that bears are selling on every minor rally. That heightens the risk of a break below the $0.14 support. If that happens, the DOGE/USDT pair could plunge to $0.10.

Contrarily, a break and close above the 20-day EMA indicates that the selling pressure is reducing. The pair could rise to the 50-day SMA ($0.23) and later to $0.29. A break and close above $0.29 suggests that buyers are back in the driver’s seat.

Cardano price analysis

Cardano (ADA) has been trading below the 20-day EMA ($0.76) since March 8, but the bears have failed to sink the pair to the uptrend line. This suggests that selling dries up at lower levels.

Buyers will have to drive the price above the moving averages to start a sustained recovery. The ADA/USDT pair could climb to $1.02, where the bears may again mount a strong defense.

Contrary to this assumption, if the price turns down from the moving averages, it will suggest that bears remain in control. That increases the likelihood of a drop below the uptrend line. If that happens, the pair may plummet to $0.50.

Pi price analysis

Pi (PI) has been gradually sliding toward the $1.23 support, which is likely to attract buying from the bulls.

If the price rebounds off $1.23 with strength, the PI/USDT pair could attempt a move back toward $1.80. Sellers are expected to pose a strong challenge at $1.80, but if the bulls prevail, the pair could rally to $2 and thereafter to $2.35.

Contrarily, if the price turns down from $1.80, it will signal a range formation. The pair may swing between $1.23 and $1.80 for a while. Sellers will strengthen their position on a break below $1.23. The pair may then collapse to the 78.6% retracement level of $0.72.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Artificial intelligence agents need to prioritize their intrinsic utility, not the launch of their in-house native tokens to raise funds.

AI agent-related tokens have significantly declined over the past month, as their cumulative market capitalization decreased by over 21% to the current $27 billion, according to CoinMarketCap data.

While their continued decline may be part of the broader crypto market correction, another reason could be a lack of focus on intrinsic utility, according to Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former CEO of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Zhao wrote in a March 17 X post:

“While crypto is the currency for AI, not every agent needs its own token. Agents can take fees in an existing crypto for providing a service.”

“Launch a coin only if you have scale. Focus on utility, not tokens,” he added.

Zhao’s comments come during a significant downtrend for AI cryptocurrencies, which lost over 61% of their peak $70.4 billion market capitalization in the three months since they started to decline on Dec. 7.

Numerous venture capital firms, including Pantera Capital and Dragonfly, are excited about the future of AI agents but have yet to invest in them, according to a panel discussion at Consensus 2025 in Hong Kong.

Related: 0G Foundation launches $88M fund for AI-powered DeFi agents

AI agents are performing autonomous blockchain transactions, exchange services

AI agents are gaining increasing interest thanks to their promise of increasing online productivity, streamlining decision-making processes and creating new financial opportunities.

AI agents are already executing autonomous transactions on the blockchain without direct human input.

The concept gained attention following a Dec. 16 post by Luna, an AI agent on Virtuals Protocol, which sought image-generation services.

Luna also received an X response from STIX Protocol, another autonomous AI agent, which generated the requested images.

After the images were generated, Luna paid STIX Protocol’s AI agent $1.77 worth of VIRTUAL tokens on Dec. 16, onchain data shows.

Yet, some of the demand for AI agents has since faded, as Virtuals Protocol’s revenue fell 97%, Cointelegraph reported on Feb. 28.

Related: Libra, Melania creator’s ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ memecoin crashes 99%

Industry watchers foresee a year of significant upside for the emerging field of AI cryptocurrencies.

AI agents launch platform ai16z and decentralized trading protocol Hyperliquid are “poised for growth in 2025,” Alvin Kan, chief operating officer of Bitget Wallet, told Cointelegraph. “Emerging narratives like AI-driven investments, decentralized AI agents and tokenized assets hint at a tech-driven shift, though with added risk,” he said.

Magazine: ETH may bottom at $1.6K, SEC delays multiple crypto ETFs, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 9 – 15

Ether’s (ETH) price has been consolidating within a roughly $130 range over the last seven days as $2,000 remains strong overhead resistance.

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and Bitstamp shows that ETH price oscillates within a tight range between $1,810 and $1,960.

Ether price remains pinned below $2,000 for several reasons, including declining Ethereum’s weak network activity and decreasing TVL, negative spot Ethereum ETF flows, and weak technicals.

Negative spot Ethereum ETF outflows

The underperformance in Ether’s price can be attributed to investors’ risk-off behavior, which is visible across the spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ETH outflows from these investment products have persisted for more than two weeks.

US-based spot Ether ETFs have recorded a streak of outflows for the last seven days, totaling $265.4 million, as per data from SoSoValue.

At the same time, other Ethereum investment products saw outflows totaling $176 million. This brings month-to-date outflows out of Ether ETPs to $265 million, in what CoinShares’s head of research, James Butterfill, described as the “worst on record.”

He noted:

“This also marks the 17th straight day of outflows, the longest negative streak since our records began in 2015.”

Weak onchain activity hurts ETH price

To understand the key drivers behind Ether’s weakness, it is essential to analyze Ethereum’s onchain metrics.

The Ethereum network maintained its leadership based on the 7-day decentralized exchange (DEX) volume. However, the metric has been declining over the last few weeks, dropping by approximately 30% in the last seven days to reach $16.8 billion on March 17. 

Key weaknesses for Ethereum included an 85% drop in activity on Maverick Protocol and a 45% decline in Dodo’s volumes.

Similarly, Ethereum’s total value locked (TVL) decreased 9.3% month-to-date, down 47% from its January high of $77 billion to $46.37 billion on March 11.

Lido was among the weakest performers in Ethereum deposits, with TVL dropping 30% over 30 days. Other notable declines included EigenLayer (-30%), Ether.fi (-29%), and Maker (-28%).

Ether’s bear flag target is at $1,530

Meanwhile, Ether’s technicals show a potential bear flag on the four-hour chart, which hints at more downside in the coming days or weeks.

Related: ETH may bottom at $1.6K, SEC delays multiple crypto ETFs, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 9 – 15

A bear flag is a downward continuation pattern characterized by a small, upward-sloping channel formed by parallel lines against the prevailing downtrend. It gets resolved when the price decisively breaks below its lower trendline and falls by as much as the prevailing downtrend’s height.

ETH bulls are counting on support from the flag’s lower boundary at $1,880. A daily candlestick close below this level would signal a bearish breakout from the chart formation, projecting a decline to $1,530. Such a move would represent a 20% descent from the current price.

The relative strength index is positioned in the negative region at 48, suggesting that the market conditions still favor the downside.

The bulls will attempt a daily candlestick close above the flag’s middle boundary at $1,930 (embraced by the 50 SMA) to defend the support at $1,880. They must push the price above the flag’s upper limit of $1,970 to invalidate the bear flag chart pattern.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) continued seeing massive selling last week, recording the fifth week of outflows in a row, with $1.7 billion leaving the market. 

After seeing slightly softened outflows of $876 million in the previous week, crypto ETP liquidations accelerated during the past trading week, bringing the total five-week outflows to $6.4 billion, CoinShares reported on March 17.

The ongoing outflow strike has also marked the 17th straight day of outflows, the longest negative streak since CoinShares started records in 2015, CoinShares’ James Butterfill wrote.

Despite notable negative sentiment, year-to-date (YTD) inflows remain positive at $912 million, he added.

Bitcoin ETP outflows: $5.4 billion in five weeks

After seeing $756 million outflows in the first week of March, Bitcoin (BTC) ETPs saw increased selling in the trading week from March 10 to March 14, seeing a further $978 million outflows.

The five-week selling streak brought total BTC ETP outflows to $5.4 billion, leaving just $612 million of YTD inflows by March 14.

Both Ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL) ETPs saw $175 million and $2.2 million outflows, respectively. XRP (XRP) ETPs continued to go against the trend, seeing a further $1.8 million in inflows.

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Magazine: XRP to $4 next? SBF’s parents seek Trump pardon, and more: Hodler’s Digest, Jan. 26 – Feb. 1