The post Why BELIEVE Token Crashed More Than 99% Today? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

BELIEVE token is back under pressure, dropping nearly 19% in a day as serious legal charges against its founder, Benjamin Pasternak, shake already fragile market confidence. 

According to New York Criminal Court records, Pasternak has been charged with second-degree strangulation and assault, with a court appearance scheduled for June 11. The timing couldn’t be worse for a token that has been struggling to maintain relevance.

Pasternak is facing serious charges, including a felony that could lead to at least 2 years in prison, along with fines and restitution. He also faces a misdemeanor assault charge that could carry up to 1 year in jail. The case is tied to an alleged domestic incident, and he has pleaded not guilty ahead of his court hearing.

From Viral Boom to Near Wipeout

The latest drop is only a continuation of a much larger breakdown. BELIEVE, once trading at $0.3569 during its peak in May 2025, has now collapsed to around $0.00075, marking a staggering decline of over 99%.

This isn’t a normal correction. It reflects a complete erosion of confidence, where early hype has given way to sustained selling pressure and a lack of meaningful recovery. The token’s price structure shows no signs of stability, with each bounce failing to hold.

Rug Pull Concerns Resurface

The legal case has also revived earlier concerns around a potential rug pull. Pasternak had previously been linked to allegations involving millions in suspected fund mismanagement, and while those claims remain unresolved, they are now back in focus.

For traders, this creates a layered risk, legal uncertainty, and unresolved financial questions. That combination tends to accelerate exits rather than attract new capital.

At Risk-Off

At this point, BELIEVE is no longer moving on hype or growth; it’s reacting to risk, which makes recovery much harder in crypto markets.

The project itself started as a SocialFi platform on Solana, allowing users to easily launch tokens through social media using a no-code system tied to liquidity pools. Previously known as Clout, it rebranded to BELIEVE in early 2025 and quickly gained traction, pushing its token to an all-time high of $0.3569 while generating over $6 billion in trading volume and $54 million in fees.

The post Exclusive: Clarity Act Delay Could Cost The Industry Everything, WalletConnect CEO Speaks Out appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

The Digital Asset Market Structure CLARITY Act is hitting a key moment, with Senate talks now slipping into May due to delays around stablecoin rules. Most issues are close to being sorted, but timing is becoming the real problem.

According to the reports, with a tight calendar and a possible July vote window, the bill still has a shot in 2026, but there’s very little room left for further delays.

Against this backdrop, WalletConnect CEO Jess Houlgrave, in an exclusive interview with Coinpedia, shared her take on what this means for crypto adoption and where the Clarity Act still falls short.

Clarity Is Improving, But Not Complete

Houlgrave said the current version of the Clarity Act is “a step forward for the industry,” especially with clearer roles for the SEC and CFTC, defined registration paths, and better treatment of developers and self-custody.

At the same time, she made it clear that the framework is not finished. 

“The Senate process is still unsettled on stablecoin yield, the DeFi provisions, and how network tokens are defined in practice,” she said, adding that these are foundational pieces that still need to be resolved.

Stablecoins Move Closer to Real Payments

On stablecoins, Houlgrave pointed to a more practical shift. With frameworks building on top of earlier efforts like the GENIUS Act, she said payment providers now have a clearer path.

“The upside is a permitted payment stablecoin framework, clearer custody rules, and a path to integrate stablecoin rails alongside existing systems,” she explained. That said, compliance remains a key layer, even if the tooling to support it already exists.

The Biggest Unlock for Crypto Adoption

For Houlgrave, the single most important regulatory decision is around self-custody.

“Giving self-custodial infrastructure a clear, durable safe harbour” would unlock growth, she said, pushing back against the idea that non-custodial software should be regulated like financial intermediaries. According to her, that confusion has slowed product development and pushed innovation offshore.

Global Fragmentation Still a Risk

While progress is visible globally, she noted that different jurisdictions are still working with different assumptions.

“Today it works despite the regulatory stack, not because of it,” she said, highlighting the need for interoperability as crypto payments scale across borders.

What Happens If It Passes

If the Clarity Act moves forward, Houlgrave expects immediate shifts in sentiment, even if full implementation takes time.

“Clarity Act passing is the starting gun, not the finish line,” she said.

Still, clearer compliance paths, institutional capital inflows, and deeper banking integration are likely to follow quickly, especially in payments and on-chain settlement.

The post Analyst to Charles Hoskinson: Ripple’s SEC Victory Gave Crypto the Legal Clarity You Now Benefit From appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

When Charles Hoskinson and others in the crypto space talk about operating with regulatory clarity today, one name rarely gets the credit it deserves: Ripple.

That is the argument analyst Bradley Kimes made in a recent podcast, and it is starting to cut through as new money flows into crypto and asks the obvious question — how did we get here?

The Fight Most People Have Already Forgotten

The SEC versus Ripple case did not end quietly. It ended after years of litigation, and somewhere between $150 and $200 million was spent by Ripple defending its position. Brad Garlinghouse and Chris Larsen could have walked away earlier. A settlement was available. They chose not to take it.

“Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse, and Chris Larsen could have gotten out of that case much earlier if they were just worried about themselves,” Kimes said. “They could have gotten out free and clear. They chose to stay in for the longer fight for the betterment of the entire space.”

That fight produced something no other crypto project has: a court-tested legal position on token classification, won through litigation rather than granted through lobbying. The clarity that followed did not appear by accident. Someone paid for it.

$13 Trillion Waiting for a Switch to Flip

Kimes frames the current market as a holding pattern. Institutional money is present but not fully deployed. It is, in his words, “sitting on the sidelines” waiting for the Clarity Act to advance through the Senate before making deeper commitments to the projects and infrastructure it already believes in.

The numbers he points to are significant. Around $13 trillion in annual transactional volume tied to GTreasury operations, plus additional multi-trillion flows through Ripple Prime, formerly Hidden Road. None of it, he says, currently runs on blockchain rails.

“That’s a $13 trillion light switch just waiting to go.”

He argues that once regulatory clarity arrives, those flows do not gradually migrate. They move fast. Companies are already sitting on prepared announcements and product launches, fingers on the press release button, waiting for the moment the framework is confirmed.

Why Ripple Is Already Inside the Room

What separates Ripple from most of the projects that will benefit from the Clarity Act, according to Kimes, is that Ripple is not waiting to be let in. It is already inside regulated financial conversations, already past the classification hurdles that others are still navigating, and already connected to the institutional infrastructure that will need to move first.

XRP’s commodity designation, he says, removes constraints that earlier created uncertainty around token holdings and institutional participation. The legal groundwork is done. The regulatory groundwork is nearly done. What remains is the moment the switch flips.

The post Asteroid Shiba Price Crashes 12% After 700,000% Rally: What Comes Next? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Asteroid Shiba is down nearly 12% in 24 hours, trading around $0.00036. The drop comes as profit-takers exit after one of the most explosive meme coin runs of 2026, where the token surged over 700,000% in a single week from near-zero to a high of $0.00046, driven by viral retail interest and buzz around SpaceX and Elon Musk-linked space narratives.

The sell-off is not tied to any project issue. Early buyers made massive gains fast and cashed out. One wallet turned $575 into $1.17 million in a matter of days. When gains are that large, selling pressure follows naturally.

Bitcoin dominance is also rising, pulling liquidity away from high-risk tokens and making it harder for meme coins to hold momentum. Despite the drop, Asteroid Shiba still holds a market cap above $160 million.

Three Reasons the Rally May Not Be Over

The token’s chart still shows a pattern of higher highs and higher lows since the CTO takeover, a structure that points to sustained buying interest rather than a one-time spike. The jump from near-zero to a nine-figure market cap in days shows early-stage momentum may still have room to run.

The space narrative also remains alive. With the SpaceX IPO story continuing to circulate and Elon Musk keeping space themes in public conversation, Asteroid Shiba stays relevant across social media, which is often all a meme coin needs to attract fresh attention.

Wallet distribution is also healthier than most meme coins at this stage. Larger holders make up a bigger share of participation, and the well-publicised profit stories from early traders are bringing new speculative money back into the token.

The Risk

Meme coins at this stage live and die by attention. The fundamentals here are thin, the volatility is extreme, and one shift in market sentiment can wipe gains fast. The structure looks bullish, but nothing about this token is built to last without continued narrative momentum.

The post Traders Bet on $100K Bitcoin Price as Breakout Rally Erases Weeks of Sideways Pain appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Bitcoin has finally broken out of its long sideways phase that lasted for weeks between roughly $65,000 and $75,000. Price has now moved into the $77,500–$78,000 zone, shifting the market from consolidation into what looks like an early trend phase. In under two weeks, BTC is up nearly 10%.

Prediction Markets Turn More Bullish at $90K Level

Prediction markets are now showing stronger upside conviction. According to The Kobeissi Letter, Bitcoin carries around a 61–62% probability of hitting $90,000 in 2026, while the chance of $100,000 sits near 42–44%. Additionally:

• $80,000 hit: 93% probability (Volume: $520,115)
• $90,000 hit: 61% probability (Volume: $418,516)
• $100,000 hit: 42% probability (Volume: $1,309,607)

Downside probabilities remain limited but present:

• $70K retest: 12%
• $65K or lower: under 5% combined

Kalshi data aligns with this structure, showing about a 40% chance of Bitcoin reaching $100,000 by the end of 2026, but only a small probability in the near term.

Macro Tailwinds Support the Move

The rally is not happening in isolation. Easing geopolitical tension, especially the extended Iran ceasefire, has improved global risk sentiment. Equities have stabilized, and crypto is benefiting from that rotation back into risk assets. Ethereum is also recovering near $2,400, while XRP and other altcoins are following slowly.

$100K Possible?

Bitcoin is recovering after a sharp drop from recent highs, but price action remains choppy with no clear breakout yet. It’s hovering near the $80K resistance zone as sentiment slowly improves. $90K and $100K are still long-term possibilities in prediction markets, but not strongly priced in right now, with traders still divided on whether that level is likely in the near term.

The market is bullish again, but not euphoric yet, and that’s typically where stronger trend phases begin. Till then, levels to watch include $73,000 support, with Fed rate cuts and ETF inflows potentially fueling a rally.

The post Which Crypto Tokens Benefit Most From the RWA Supercycle?  appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Analyst Tim Warren, in his latest video, says while retail investors are losing interest, major institutions like BlackRock, JPMorgan, DTCC, and Goldman Sachs are positioning for a huge move into real-world assets (RWAs). The focus is on tokenizing traditional assets like U.S. treasuries, real estate, bonds, and loans, bringing them onto blockchain rails.

If regulations like the Clarity Act come into place, trillions of dollars could start flowing into this space, making RWAs one of the biggest narratives of the next cycle.

Chainlink: The Backbone of the RWA Ecosystem

Chainlink sits at the center of this shift, acting as the infrastructure layer that connects real-world data to blockchain. It provides key services like secure price feeds, proof-of-reserves verification, and NAV calculations, tools institutions need before moving capital on-chain.

It’s already integrated with major players like SWIFT, Aave, and Ondo Finance. Its cross-chain system (CCIP) allows tokenized assets to move seamlessly across different blockchains with institutional-grade security.

Warren said LINK is trading around $9.15, with a possible short-term dip to $7.5–$6.5. Long-term projections vary widely, with conservative targets near $50 and aggressive estimates reaching $100–$200.

Ondo Finance: Bringing Treasuries On-Chain

Next up is Ondo Finance, which focuses on bringing U.S. treasuries on-chain. Products like USDY and OUSG are already gaining traction, with over $3 billion locked in.

Backed by major firms like BlackRock and Fidelity, Ondo is positioned as a direct link between traditional finance and crypto. It’s trading near $0.25 right now, with a possible drop to $0.20 or even $0.14. But if RWAs take off, projections go as high as $5–$10.

Hedera: Enterprise-Grade Infrastructure

Hedera is another pick, designed specifically for enterprise use. It offers fast speeds, low fees, and compliance-ready systems, things institutions care about.

It’s already being used in real-world cases like tokenized real estate, with backing from companies like Google and IBM. HBAR is around $0.086, with downside risk toward $0.072–$0.055. In a strong cycle, targets range from $0.60 to above $1.

Ethereum: The Core Settlement Layer

Warren also points to Ethereum as the main base for tokenized assets. Most RWAs are already being built or traded on Ethereum because of its deep liquidity and strong ecosystem.

Institutions like BlackRock and JPMorgan are already using it for tokenized products. ETH is around $2,300, with possible dips to $1,600 or $1,200. Long-term projections stretch from $8,000 to as high as $25,000.

Canton Network: Built for Institutional Privacy

Finally, Canton Network is being positioned as a privacy-focused system for institutions. It’s designed for regulated finance, handling assets like treasuries, loans, and money markets.

With firms like DTCC and Goldman Sachs already involved, and plans for live treasury settlements in 2026, it’s gaining traction. It’s trading near $0.15, with projections between $0.50 and $1.60, though Warren says it may not follow typical crypto cycles.

The post XRP Could Become Default Institutional Pick by 2026, Analysts Say appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

XRP is drawing attention from institutional investors, not because of speculation, but because of what it does, according to analysts who appeared on The XRP Podcast.

Mickle, speaking alongside host Paul Barron, said large capital allocators are entering crypto through a fundamentally different channel than before. Rather than picking individual tokens, institutions are now coming in through ETFs and managed products, which has raised the bar for what gets considered.

For Mickle, XRP clears that bar. Cross-border payments remain slow and costly across the global banking infrastructure, and XRP addresses that problem directly. That clarity, he argued, is exactly what institutional decision-makers respond to.

“XRP is going to be a very obvious thing to them in terms of the potential use case. It plays perfectly into where these institutions understand the pain,” Mickle said. 

ETF Inflows Signal Shifting Appetite

XRP-linked ETFs recorded $1.28 billion in inflows over eight consecutive days, a run Mickle described as structurally meaningful rather than noise-driven.

Once an asset enters ETF frameworks, he said, it transitions from a speculative position to a portfolio allocation decision. That shift expands the pool of eligible buyers significantly, particularly among funds and institutions that cannot justify direct token exposure.

XRP ETFs are increasingly appearing alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum in institutional conversations, according to Mickle, suggesting the asset is moving into the mainstream of crypto portfolio construction.

Narrative Clarity as a Competitive Edge

Mickle also pointed to something less quantifiable but equally important in institutional finance: simplicity of narrative.

Bitcoin carries a digital gold framing. XRP is positioned to fix inefficiencies in how money moves globally. That operational framing, he argued, is easier to present internally, easier to justify to compliance teams, and easier to allocate around compared to more complex crypto ecosystems.

“Simplicity is what institutions actually buy,” he said.

2026 Outlook

If ETF adoption continues at its current pace and payment infrastructure inefficiencies remain unresolved, Mickle believes XRP may stop being an optional allocation and become a default consideration in institutional portfolios by 2026.

The post Ripple Says National Bank SoFi Listing Grows XRP Utility, Community Says Not So Fast appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

SoFi has added XRP to its crypto platform, and Ripple wasted no time calling it a win. But inside the XRP community, the reaction is more complicated.

The national bank now lets users deposit and hold XRP alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. Ripple framed the listing as a step toward broader participation, arguing that putting XRP inside a regulated banking app means more people can access it with less friction.

The problem is that users cannot withdraw XRP to external wallets. That single limitation has shifted the conversation from adoption to whether this move means anything at all.

Access Is Not the Same as Usage

More people holding XRP inside more systems builds utility over time. Getting into a regulated, nationally chartered bank is not a small thing, and the visibility alone matters.

Critics disagree. If XRP cannot move off the platform, it cannot be used in cross-border payments, DeFi, or self-custody. It sits inside the app and goes nowhere. For an asset whose core value proposition is fast, low-cost settlement, that is a significant caveat.

One community member put it plainly, asking how this increases utility when XRP is locked inside a SoFi account and is not being used for cross-border payments, the way SoFi uses the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

SoFi’s support team responded publicly, confirming that crypto withdrawals are coming soon without giving a specific date.

A Longer Game?

Not everyone is writing the integration off. Analyst Bill Morgan said Ripple may have a deliberate longer-term plan behind the listing. In his view, the limited launch could be intentional, with deeper functionality rolling out once deposit volumes grow. He also flagged RLUSD, Ripple’s stablecoin, as a possible next step if the partnership expands.

Where XRP Stands

XRP currently ranks as the fourth largest cryptocurrency by market cap, sitting at roughly $89B billion. The SoFi listing adds a retail banking channel, but without withdrawal support, its practical impact on network activity remains limited for now.

The debate cuts to something XRP holders have argued about for years: the difference between price exposure and actual utility. SoFi gives users the former. Whether the latter follows depends on what comes next.

The post Justin Sun Sues Trump’s World Liberty Financial Over Frozen Tokens appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Justin Sun has filed a lawsuit in a California federal court against World Liberty Financial, a DeFi project backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., over a dispute involving frozen tokens and governance control.

Sun says the issue began when the team froze all his WLFI holdings, removed his voting rights, and allegedly threatened to permanently burn his tokens. He calls this the breaking point.

Today, I filed a lawsuit in California federal court against World Liberty Financial to protect my legal rights as a holder of $WLFI tokens.
 
I have always been—and remain—an ardent supporter of President Trump and his Administration’s efforts to make America crypto friendly.…

— H.E. Justin Sun (@justinsuntron) April 22, 2026

He also says he tried multiple times to resolve the matter privately, but the team refused to unfreeze his tokens or restore his rights, leaving him with no option but to move to court.

“I have tried in good faith to resolve this situation with the World Liberty project team without resorting to litigation. But the project team has refused my requests to unfreeze my tokens and restore my rights as a token holder. They have left me with no choice but to turn to the courts.”

Frozen Tokens and Lost Control

Sun’s main issue is control over his tokens. He says his WLFI holdings are locked, and he’s fully excluded from governance decisions. He argues there was no clear explanation or justification for the freeze, and that being locked out also prevents him from voting on matters affecting his own investment. 

He adds that he was once a major early backer of the project but is now in direct conflict with it.

Governance Proposal Adds Pressure

However, the dispute intensified after a governance proposal from World Liberty Financial introduced stricter rules, including:

• A 10% advisor token burn requirement
• A 2-year cliff plus 2-year vesting for early investors
• Indefinite token locks for users who don’t explicitly accept the terms

Sun criticized this setup, saying it effectively forces investor compliance, especially since frozen holders cannot vote against the proposal in the first place.

Smart Contract Allegations and Backlash

Tension increased further when Sun alleged that the WLFI smart contract may contain a hidden blacklisting function capable of freezing or restricting tokens at will. He raised concerns about transparency and control within the system.

WLFI rejected these claims, accusing Sun of “playing the victim” and making baseless allegations, while also suggesting potential legal action against him, turning the dispute into a full standoff.

Political Context and Court Battle

Despite the lawsuit, Sun clarified that his support for U.S. President Donald Trump and the administration’s pro-crypto stance remains unchanged. He stresses that the dispute is strictly with the project team, not political leadership.

As both sides refuse to back down, the case has now moved into the legal system, raising wider questions about investor rights, governance power, and control in politically linked crypto projects.

The post Pi Network News: Developers Can Now Test Subscription Smart Contracts Before Full Rollout appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Pi Network has rolled out Pi Request for Comment 2 (PiRC2), opening its testnet subscription smart contracts for developers and the community to review, test, and give feedback. The move is aimed at stress-testing recurring payment systems inside the ecosystem before full deployment.

The update focuses on a subscription smart contract system that enables recurring payments directly on-chain.

Also Read : Pi Network News: Industry Asks Why Binance Listed a 95% Crash Token When Millions of Pi Holders Await

What PiRC2 Brings

The system allows users to approve a subscription once, after which payments can be executed automatically on a set schedule. Unlike traditional models that lock full funds upfront, Pi’s approach keeps funds in the user’s wallet and only deducts when a payment is triggered.

It is built using Soroban technology from the Stellar ecosystem, using token allowance mechanisms for controlled and secure billing. Developers can also design flexible payment structures, including weekly, monthly, or usage-based models, depending on their application needs.

The framework is aimed at practical use cases such as digital memberships, AI tools, streaming services, e-commerce subscriptions, and local service billing systems. Users retain full control over their subscriptions, with the ability to pause, modify, or cancel at any time.

Security is handled through automated smart contract execution, reducing manual intervention. Transactions are recorded on-chain, making the system transparent and harder to manipulate, while also removing intermediaries from the payment flow.

Community Response

A Pi Network community account, 𝕏 FireSide, described the release as a transparency milestone, stating that smart contract code has been made publicly available on GitHub for testing and auditing. It also highlighted early technical progress, including a Pi Node-based RPC successfully connecting to smart contracts, suggesting deeper infrastructure integration.

Pi Price Outlook

Pi Network is currently trading around $0.16–$0.17 with a market cap of $1.7B+. Despite steady interest, it remains over 90% below its all-time high of $2.98.

The outlook remains mixed. Retail engagement is still strong, but price action is largely driven by speculation rather than real utility at scale. Supply unlock pressure also remains a key factor limiting upside.

The post Arrington Revisits His 2017 XRP Call: What He Got Right and Why It Still Matters appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

In a recent Onchain Economy episode, Michael Arrington doubled down on a long-standing belief that XRP has been misunderstood for years. He pointed out that critics labeling it a “banking coin” missed the bigger picture, arguing that XRP is actually a foundational part of the crypto ecosystem.

“Ripple and XRP have been completely misunderstood in the last decade. Skeptics of XRP would call it the corporate coin, the banking coin.”

Arrington also reflected on entering XRP early in 2017, during the ICO boom, when it traded between $0.03 and $0.05, well before most institutional narratives formed.

Ripple’s Execution Sets It Apart

A major theme in his analysis is Ripple’s consistency. He credited Chris Larson for the original vision and Brad Garlinghouse for executing it over time. Unlike most crypto projects that faded after the ICO era, Ripple continued building through acquisitions and product expansion.

He stresses that this mission-driven approach is what makes Ripple stand out in an industry where many projects have failed to deliver.

Stablecoin Push Could Fuel Growth

Arrington highlighted Ripple’s stablecoin strategy as a trigger catalyst. According to him, this move makes it “inevitable” that more startups will begin building within the XRP ecosystem, similar to how early internet infrastructure attracted developers.

This aligns closely with the earlier breakdown; both point to stablecoins as a growth driver rather than a threat to XRP’s relevance.

Fixing Crypto’s Infrastructure Gap

Another critical point is infrastructure. Arrington stressed that crypto still lacks the advanced tools available in traditional finance, especially for institutional players.

Ripple’s push into prime brokerage (Ripple Prime) was shown as a major step. He said that it was a missing backbone for crypto markets, something that exists in traditional finance but is still underdeveloped in crypto.

Validation: Same Narrative, Stronger Conviction

Overall, his views are focused on XRP’s misunderstood narrative, Ripple’s execution, and the importance of infrastructure and stablecoins.

Arrington concluded in a note that if Ripple continues executing, there may be no upper limit to how big the XRP ecosystem can become.