Institutional interest in Bitcoin propels Ethereum’s price to 60-day highs above $1,860, while UK authorities’ planned ban on DeFi lending markets raises significant concerns.
Institutional interest in Bitcoin propels Ethereum’s price to 60-day highs above $1,860, while UK authorities’ planned ban on DeFi lending markets raises significant concerns.
Ethereum (ETH) taps new 60-day peaks as institutions amplify Bitcoin demand
Ethereum (ETH) surged to a new 60-day high above $1,865 on Friday, continuing its bullish trend. The surge coincides with historically high institutional demand for Bitcoin ETFs.
Unprecedented inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs, which saw cumulative purchases of nearly $4 billion over nine days of buying, are largely to blame for the upward pressure.
The price of ETH has clearly benefited indirectly from the heightened investor interest on Friday, since this event has dispersed favorable tailwinds into the larger altcoin industry.
The market’s prospects for further institutional involvement were further bolstered when MicroStrategy revealed plans to raise more money for Bitcoin accumulation.
Because traders expect secondary momentum into Layer-1 altcoins, Ethereum’s market value has traditionally responded favorably to macro crypto inflows, despite the fact that its own use case is different.
UK regulators move to ban crypto loans with credit cards
A potential prohibition on crypto-backed lending was announced by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), marking a change in regulations that might have significant effects for decentralized finance (DeFi).
Citing systemic dangers to consumer protection and the larger financial system, the policy targets the expanding practice of making loans secured by cryptocurrency assets.
Closed-door discussions with the Bank of England and other international banking authorities preceded the idea. Concerns about opaque decentralized credit institutions and under-collateralized loans are at the core of the crackdown. Platforms headquartered in the UK would be prohibited under the FCA’s framework from providing loans backed by cryptocurrency assets, such as stablecoins and well-known tokens like Bitcoin and Ether.
With a 90-day discussion period before the final parliamentary assessment in Q3 2025, the draft law is now available for public comment.
DeFi crackdown could further erode Ethereum’s market share
Ethereum is still the leading platform in the DeFi ecosystem, which might suffer a serious setback as a result of the FCA’s planned prohibition.
Ethereum accounted for $51.9 billion, or 52% of the overall market share, of the $101.7 billion total DeFi loan and staking value locked (TVL) as of Friday. According to DeFiLlama, this is a significant decline from its peak of 71% during the 2021 bull market.
Major Ethereum-hosted protocols like Aave, Compound, and Lido may witness a decline in user engagement and cash influx from the region if the UK ban is implemented. The depth of the ecosystem may be weakened, especially if UK-based liquidity providers and institutional platforms completely eliminate exposure to DeFi.
There is also a danger to staking payouts, which are mostly reliant on borrowing volume and token usefulness. Reduced loan activity can cause yields to drop, which might have a ripple impact on Ethereum’s staking systems. Ethereum’s market share of all cryptocurrencies may further decrease in this situation.
Ethereum price forecast today: ETH targets $1,920 as bullish structure strengthens
As it continues to approach the $1,865 mark on Friday, the price of Ethereum is progressively forming a bullish shape. Recent sessions have seen the ETH price action remain resilient, maintaining a strong hold above the 20-day exponential moving average around $1,754, which has subtly turned into the base of this upward trend.
As can be seen below, even if overall market sentiment is still cautious, ETH candles have gotten tighter around the top of their daily ranges, indicating growing pressure from buyers.
Today’s Ethereum price prediction suggests a cautiously upbeat outlook. Though not yet overextended, momentum is growing as the Relative Strength Index rises to 58.02. Since late April, the Parabolic SAR has moved consistently below the price, supporting the idea that upward momentum is solidifying. In the meantime, the Bollinger Band Percent at 140.12 shows increasing volatility, which, when combined with narrowing consolidation, is sometimes a sign of breakout activity.
Should Ethereum successfully break over the 50-day EMA barrier around $1,858, bulls may have enough conviction to drive prices up to the $1,920 region. However, if this momentum pauses, the structure is still susceptible to a fall, with $1,754 probably serving as the crucial support level where mood can change again.
XRP news: Ripple’s 20 billion Circle deal likely a rumor – here’s why
The possible $20 billion purchase of stablecoin issuer Circle by Ripple has caused division in the XRP community.
After a $5 billion transaction fell through, speculations of a $20 billion merger have surfaced, putting cryptocurrency behemoths Ripple and Circle back in the limelight. There is disagreement among experts over whether Ripple will make a significant investment to purchase the stablecoin issuer; some believe the $20 billion offer is too good to be true.
The possibility of Ripple’s $20 billion offer for Circle and its possible effects on the XRP ecosystem are examined in this article.
Will Ripple buy Circle for $20B?
All eyes are on Ripple’s intensifying efforts to buy Circle, a move that might strengthen its dominance in the stablecoin market, as the most recent development within the XRP ecosystem. After its $5 billion Circle transaction fell through, Ripple is reportedly moving forward with a fresh $20 billion plan. Although Ripple has not disclosed its plans to acquire Circle, Scott Melker of The Wolf of All Streets has provided expert observations that indicate CEO Brad Garlinghouse may be contemplating a significant bid increase.
Community questions the alleged ‘unrealistic’ Circle bid
Many doubt the deal’s feasibility despite growing rumors of Ripple’s possible $20 billion Circle acquisition. Dom Kwok, an industry analyst, for example, said that the XRP platform’s ultimate bid for Circle would probably be between $6 billion and $6.5 billion. The amount a buyer pays over the target company’s value to encourage the sale is known as the acquisition premium, and this is the basis for his assessment. Typically, this premium falls between 20% and 30%.
The expert said that a 20% premium would value the offer at $6 billion, while a 30% premium would value it at $6.5 billion, assuming that Circle is valued at about $5 billion. The expert dispels the speculations that Ripple may pay an astounding $20 billion to acquire the USDT issuer with this thorough examination.
John Deaton, an attorney for XRP, has raised an intriguing point about the transaction amid these rumors. The XRP lawyer emphasized that Ripple and Coinbase, a leading cryptocurrency exchange that currently owns a minority share in the stablecoin issuer, might engage in a “bidding war.”
But it may be a game-changer for Ripple if it eventually buys Circle, one of the biggest stablecoin issuers.
