A $23M XRP trade executed across multiple exchanges in 60 seconds signals coordinated institutional positioning rather than speculation. XRP exchange balances fell to eight-year lows near 1.6B tokens while seven spot ETFs now hold $1.3B in assets. Historical patterns show it leads altcoin rotations by several weeks. XRP altcoin season 2026 may have just announced itself. That's why this event is being read as an early warning rather than a reaction. As capital begins rotating from Bitcoin into higher-beta assets, XRP often reflects that shift first. This pattern places renewed focus on whether altcoin season is starting in 2026, where leadership emerges quietly before the broader market catches on. According to analyst Xaif Crypto, the trade hit multiple exchanges simultaneously, indicating systematic execution rather than a one-off bet. That pattern usually comes from algorithms designed to test liquidity and enter positions quickly, even at higher costs. When capital moves this fast, it reflects urgency rather than curiosity. Volume led price, not the other way around—and that sequence rarely belongs to retail traders. Exchange balances kept falling toward eight-year lows around 1.6 billion XRP, large wallets continued accumulating, and ETF-linked flows stayed positive even as Bitcoin funds saw outflows. It marked conviction forming beneath the surface, not excitement chasing headlines. Large investors use it to test whether capital can move into higher-beta assets without disrupting liquidity. XRP trades deep order books, carries regulatory clarity following the SEC settlement, and has real transaction flow tied to payments through RippleNet. That combination attracts early rotation when sentiment turns constructive. Smaller tokens don't offer the same balance of scale and stability. XRP outperformed while broader altcoins lagged, with a 25% gain in the first week of January 2026 compared to Bitcoin's 5.5%. Exchange balances kept shrinking, whale activity hit a three-month high with 2,802 transactions over $100,000 on January 7, and institutional positioning tilted toward large-cap alternatives. Historically, this setup leads to broader participation by several weeks. XRP has a habit of moving before the crowd. Across multiple cycles, its early strength has signaled broader rotation, shaping expectations for altcoin performance in 2026. In 2017, XRP surged months before altcoins entered full momentum. Volume expanded while price stayed compressed, signaling accumulation rather than hype. As XRP rallied first, Bitcoin dominance slid sharply, and capital rotated outward. XRP broke out after a long base while most altcoins lagged. Institutional accumulation and brief volume bursts appeared weeks before broader participation. Supply has tightened with exchange balances down 57% from October levels. Volume has accelerated, and XRP is again outperforming the pack. The structure supports a rotation process that begins with large-cap liquidity before spreading wider. XRP's case for leading the 2026 altcoin rally rests on tightening supply and steady institutional demand. Exchange balances sit near eight-year lows at roughly 1.6 billion XRP, while ETF holdings continue to pull tokens out of circulation. Seven spot XRP ETFs now trade in the United States with combined assets exceeding $1.3 billion and approximately 746 million XRP locked in custody. The technical structure shows XRP emerging from a multi-year compression that has historically preceded strong expansions. Together, these factors open a realistic path toward the $4 to $5 range if momentum sustains. Heavy profit-taking near recent highs, slowing ETF inflows, or a sharp Bitcoin breakout could unwind momentum. XRP holding above $2.10 support keeps the signal intact. Losing it would shift this move from leadership to a false start. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) has given back everything it gained in 2025. The rally started in early January and peaked at… Vanguard's XRP ETF decision just broke years of crypto silence. As 2026 begins, XRP ETFs have delivered the most compelling institutional adoption story in crypto—yet price hasn't followed. Ripple recently raised $500 million at a $40 billion valuation.

A $23M XRP trade executed across multiple exchanges in 60 seconds signals coordinated institutional positioning rather than speculation. XRP exchange balances fell to eight-year lows near 1.6B tokens while seven spot ETFs now hold $1.3B in assets. Historical patterns show it leads altcoin rotations by several weeks. XRP altcoin season 2026 may have just announced itself. That's why this event is being read as an early warning rather than a reaction. As capital begins rotating from Bitcoin into higher-beta assets, XRP often reflects that shift first. This pattern places renewed focus on whether altcoin season is starting in 2026, where leadership emerges quietly before the broader market catches on. According to analyst Xaif Crypto, the trade hit multiple exchanges simultaneously, indicating systematic execution rather than a one-off bet. That pattern usually comes from algorithms designed to test liquidity and enter positions quickly, even at higher costs. When capital moves this fast, it reflects urgency rather than curiosity. Volume led price, not the other way around—and that sequence rarely belongs to retail traders. Exchange balances kept falling toward eight-year lows around 1.6 billion XRP, large wallets continued accumulating, and ETF-linked flows stayed positive even as Bitcoin funds saw outflows. It marked conviction forming beneath the surface, not excitement chasing headlines. Large investors use it to test whether capital can move into higher-beta assets without disrupting liquidity. XRP trades deep order books, carries regulatory clarity following the SEC settlement, and has real transaction flow tied to payments through RippleNet. That combination attracts early rotation when sentiment turns constructive. Smaller tokens don't offer the same balance of scale and stability. XRP outperformed while broader altcoins lagged, with a 25% gain in the first week of January 2026 compared to Bitcoin's 5.5%. Exchange balances kept shrinking, whale activity hit a three-month high with 2,802 transactions over $100,000 on January 7, and institutional positioning tilted toward large-cap alternatives. Historically, this setup leads to broader participation by several weeks. XRP has a habit of moving before the crowd. Across multiple cycles, its early strength has signaled broader rotation, shaping expectations for altcoin performance in 2026. In 2017, XRP surged months before altcoins entered full momentum. Volume expanded while price stayed compressed, signaling accumulation rather than hype. As XRP rallied first, Bitcoin dominance slid sharply, and capital rotated outward. XRP broke out after a long base while most altcoins lagged. Institutional accumulation and brief volume bursts appeared weeks before broader participation. Supply has tightened with exchange balances down 57% from October levels. Volume has accelerated, and XRP is again outperforming the pack. The structure supports a rotation process that begins with large-cap liquidity before spreading wider. XRP's case for leading the 2026 altcoin rally rests on tightening supply and steady institutional demand. Exchange balances sit near eight-year lows at roughly 1.6 billion XRP, while ETF holdings continue to pull tokens out of circulation. Seven spot XRP ETFs now trade in the United States with combined assets exceeding $1.3 billion and approximately 746 million XRP locked in custody. The technical structure shows XRP emerging from a multi-year compression that has historically preceded strong expansions. Together, these factors open a realistic path toward the $4 to $5 range if momentum sustains. Heavy profit-taking near recent highs, slowing ETF inflows, or a sharp Bitcoin breakout could unwind momentum. XRP holding above $2.10 support keeps the signal intact. Losing it would shift this move from leadership to a false start. But data shows that people with one habit have more than double the savings of those who don't. And no, it's got nothing to do with increasing your income, savings, clipping coupons, or even cutting back on your lifestyle. It's much more straightforward (and powerful) than any of that.

Last week Wells Fargo begun to amass Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) in substantial amounts. This development has elicited reactions from the cryptocurrency community, including a response from Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance. Wells Fargo's decision to purchase large quantities of Bitcoin comes at a time of increasing uncertainty in the wider cryptocurrency market. Such significant Bitcoin acquisitions by traditional banks are seldom accidental, suggesting a long-term strategy and anticipation of future Bitcoin growth. While traders are increasingly divesting their Bitcoin holdings due to market uncertainty, on-chain data shows that 655,498 BTC is currently held on Binance as traders return more tokens to the exchange. Why It Matters: Wells Fargo's move to accumulate Bitcoin in large quantities is a significant development in the cryptocurrency market. This indicates a shift in attitude by traditional financial institutions towards digital currencies, suggesting they see potential for future growth in Bitcoin. Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. This article Binance Founder CZ Encourages Crypto Holders While Wells Fargo Buys Bitcoin originally appeared on Benzinga.com Inicia sesión para acceder a tu cartera de valores

“Historically, Satoshi-era miners move their Bitcoin at key inflection points.” The move comes a month after two so-called Bitcoin whales who had not touched their wallets since 2011 and 2012 moved their entire balances to unknown wallets. The crypto transaction monitoring platform Whale Alert noted on December 5 that one of the wallets had sat dormant for over 13 years. The latest transaction has generated much speculation online, with some X users commenting that Bitcoin whales tend to sell their coins when they think markets are rallying. Sani, the founder of the Bitcoin transaction analysis site TimechainIndex, took to X to post blockchain data showing that a miner with funds in 40 Pay-to-Public-Key wallets had sent $181 million worth of Bitcoin to Coinbase crypto exchange wallets. Pay-to-Public-Key wallets were popular in the early days of Bitcoin, but have since become largely obsolete, with modern users favoring more private alternatives. “A miner just sold 2,000 Bitcoin from block rewards dormant since 2010,” Sani wrote. Bitcoin prices have held steady just above $90,000 for most of the weekend, despite bullish predictions from the investment firm heavyweight VanEck. VanEck last week said Bitcoin prices could reach the $2.9 million mark by 2050. “In a hyper-Bitcoinisation scenario where Bitcoin captures 20% of international trade and 10% of domestic GDP, the implied value per coin could reach $53.4 million,” wrote researchers Matthew Sigel and Patrick Bush. Sigel and Bush explained that this scenario “requires Bitcoin to achieve parity with or surpass gold as a primary global reserve asset, constituting nearly 30% of world financial assets.” In November, Galaxy Digital said Bitcoin was maturing and warned that the days of traders making “1,000x, 100x, or even possibly 10x gains” were over.

Samson Mow, the CEO of pro-crypto firm Jan3, has shared his ambitious targets for 2026. Samson's Predictions for 2026 🥂➡️ $1.33M #Bitcoin➡️ ♎️🕯️➡️ At least 1 country launches #BitcoinBonds➡️ @elonmusk goes hard into BTC➡️ $MSTR to $5,000➡️ Bitcoin outperforms metals According to recent estimates by Forbes and Bloomberg, Musk is worth anywhere between $600 billion and $700 billion, and if he goes hard into the digital currency economy, it will be a massive boom for the market. While the decision to go on the offensive and buy Bitcoin rests solely on Musk's eccentric shoulders, he has done it before. Back in 2021, Musk dropped a bombshell by announcing a major $1.5 billion Bitcoin purchase through Tesla, representing roughly 10% of the company's cash on hand. Because of Musk's history of impulsive, rash decisions when buying or selling Bitcoin, the crypto community might be apprehensive about his involvement. He usually tries to dominate the news headlines after investing in a company or asset, as seen in his 2021 BTC purchase and his 2022 hostile takeover of Twitter. However, it is no secret that Musk prefers Bitcoin over fiat. Elon Musk described Bitcoin as a “less dumb form of liquidity than cash”. Musk has given little indication of such an aggressive pivot, and it remains to be seen whether he will go through with it.

Bitcoin four-year price cycles and bear markets remain relevant, the latest power law analysis says. 2026 may see a BTC price support showdown with $65,000 as the key level. New analysis by Jurrien Timmer, director of global macro at Fidelity Investments, flags $65,000 as the next key BTC price battleground. After hugging its power law trendline for much of the current bull market, BTCUSD could now be due for a retest of a lower support line — one currently at $45,000. Power law attempts to give price a “fair value,” and history shows that trips toward the support line have often accompanied long-term bottoms. The analysis called into question whether or not Bitcoin is still subject to four-year price cycles. “The idea that Bitcoin has ‘graduated' into a no-bear-market S-curve price regime misunderstands how prices form,” he argued. Eng added that Bitcoin now faces longer price cycles and lower overall volatility. BTCUSD has never ended a post-halving year lower than when it began, and reactions include dropping the cycle theory altogether. Eng, however, predicts that “compressed” power law readings demand an upward relief rally. “Bitcoin isn't stalling it's coiling below its long-term growth law, and history says resolution comes by price catching up, not the law giving way,” he told X followers this weekend. Bitcoin is Compressed Below Its Growth Law, and Compression Always Resolves Upward Bitcoin still obeys a single power law with extraordinary stability (R² ≈ 0.96) across 15+ years bubbles and crashes are oscillations, not regime changes. CUSIP Database provided by FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved. SEC fillings and other documents provided by Quartr.© 2026 TradingView, Inc.

Ethereum's price action has spent an unusually long time moving sideways, and this behavior has tested the patience of many long-term bullish investors. When speaking of sideways movement, this movement has dragged on for many months, although Ethereum did manage to make a new all-time high in 2025. Interestingly, a technical analysis shared on X by Egrag Crypto shows how Ethereum's current price action fits into previous playouts when viewed through an inverted monthly chart. The analysis is based on an inverted monthly Ethereum chart, which offers an interesting perspective that flips conventional interpretations of price movement. Ethereum's inverted monthly chart shows a consistent pattern that's changing with time in market structure across multiple cycles. A look at the inverted chart shows that previous price cycles were characterized by short accumulation phases followed by aggressive moves. As the market matured, those accumulation zones stretched out, and the resulting moves became less violent and more controlled. The first instance was in 2016, when Ethereum traded in a range for about 10 months before breaking out and going on a violent drop. The current cycle, however, is playing out with a much longer accumulation. Therefore, the eventual drop should be shorter, according to Egrag Crypto. What looks like a downside move on this view actually points to upside expansion on the real Ethereum price chart. It may not match the explosive nature of early-cycle rallies, but it is expected to be more orderly, sustained, and carry Ethereum to new price highs. This region represents initial resistance that must be cleared to confirm a bullish continuation. Only after a decisive move above this range would the $6,000 to $7,500 zone come into focus as a realistic upside target. The analysis also highlights a defined risk scenario. CUSIP Database provided by FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved. SEC fillings and other documents provided by Quartr.© 2026 TradingView, Inc.

Bitcoin sits still, altcoins barely move, and trading volumes have dropped to levels not seen in years. Exchanges that once saw billions in daily trades now report numbers closer to multi-year lows. What does this mean for your portfolio? In crypto terms, an happens when trading activity freezes up. Prices don't crash hard, but volumes collapse. Liquidity dries up, making markets slow and risky. After big bull runs, like in 2017, volumes tanked for months. Traders called it an ice age because everything felt frozen. It's like the party ended, and everyone went home. On major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase, total crypto trading volume fell below $50 billion per day recently. That's a huge drop from the $200 billion highs in early 2024. Bitcoin dominance is up, but even BTC volumes are down 60%. Stablecoins like USDT still move, but that's mostly for parking funds, not real trading. On-chain data from Glassnode shows active addresses at 2022 lows. Several factors piled up to create this freeze: This perfect storm turned into a full . Volume spikes on news could signal recovery. History shows ice ages end with massive thaws. Trading volumes crash, but fundamentals like decentralization endure. Stay informed, hold steady, and position for the melt-up. Q: How long will the ice age last?A: Past ones lasted 6-18 months. Q: Is it safe to buy now?A: Risky, but DCA works in lows. Q: Which coins will survive?A: BTC, ETH, and real utility tokens. Keywords: , trading volumes crash, Bitcoin freeze, crypto market analysis. Discuss this news on our Telegram Community. Please leave a feedback to help us serve you better Disclaimer: Blockmanity is a news portal and does not provide any financial advice. Blockmanity's role is to inform the cryptocurrency and blockchain community about what's going on in this space. Please do your own due diligence before making any investment. Blockmanity won't be responsible for any loss of funds. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Blockmanity is one of the leading sources of information and analysis on the digital assets market since its establishment in 2018. Our team is dedicated to providing comprehensive coverage of key developments. We focus on a range of topics, including Bitcoin, DeFi, NFTs, and web3, in order to offer a comprehensive overview of the crypto asset market.

Save now on essential digital access to trusted FT journalism on any device. Savings based on monthly annualised price. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Complete digital access with exclusive insights and industry deep dives on any device. Delivery Monday - Saturday, including FT Weekend and FT Digital Edition: all the content of the FT newspaper on any device. Savings based on annual price. Check whether you already have access via your university or organisation. Discover all the plans currently available in your country Includes exclusive features and content. See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.

Figure Technology Solutions (FIGR) is back in the spotlight after its shares reached fresh highs, helped by expectations of further Federal Reserve rate cuts and heightened attention on its new blockchain lending initiatives. The recent buzz around Figure's RWA Consortium, Solana based stablecoin launch and rate cut expectations has coincided with strong momentum, with a 7 day share price return of 32.78% and a 30 day share price return of 46.11%, while the 90 day share price return of 37.47% suggests interest has been building rather than fading. If this kind of fintech momentum has your attention, it could be a good time to see which other names are moving in high growth tech and AI stocks. With FIGR now above its average analyst target and trading near recent highs, the key question is whether the current price already reflects its blockchain lending story and expectations for potential rate cuts, or if the market is still underpricing future prospects. For a fintech name like FIGR that is focused on blockchain based lending, trading and investing platforms, a premium P/S can often reflect expectations for strong top line expansion rather than current earnings power. Here, the Statements Data flags that FIGR is expensive based on its 32.5x P/S against both the US Consumer Finance industry average of 1.6x and a peer average of 2.3x. That kind of gap suggests the market is pricing in a very optimistic revenue path and profitability profile rather than treating FIGR like a typical consumer finance stock. See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown. However, there are clear risks here, including execution around the blockchain lending rollout and the chance that rate cut expectations or analyst targets prove too optimistic. Find out about the key risks to this Figure Technology Solutions narrative. While the P/S ratio paints FIGR as expensive, our DCF model also points to a rich setup. FIGR trades at US$58.08 compared with an estimated fair value of US$14.97, which suggests the current price already bakes in a lot of optimism. The real question for you is whether the story justifies paying this much above our DCF number, or if expectations have simply run too far ahead. Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value. Simply Wall St performs a discounted cash flow (DCF) on every stock in the world every day (check out Figure Technology Solutions for example). You can track the result in your watchlist or portfolio and be alerted when this changes, or use our stock screener to discover 877 undervalued stocks based on their cash flows. If you see the figures differently or prefer to rely on your own work, you can stress test the data and shape a custom view in minutes: Do it your way. A great starting point for your Figure Technology Solutions research is our analysis highlighting 2 key rewards and 2 important warning signs that could impact your investment decision. If FIGR has caught your eye, do not stop there. Use the Simply Wall St Screener to size up fresh opportunities that match your style and risk tolerance. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Our new AI Stock Screener scans the market every day to uncover opportunities. • Dividend Powerhouses (3%+ Yield)• Undervalued Small Caps with Insider Buying• High growth Tech and AI CompaniesOr build your own from over 50 metrics. A financial technology company, provides blockchain-based products and solutions in the United States. You should not rely on any advice and/or information contained in this website and before making any investment decision we recommend that you consider whether it is appropriate for your situation and seek appropriate financial, taxation and legal advice.