The post Ripple News: XRP Whale Wallets Hit Record High as ETF Holdings Climb to $1.44 Billion appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

XRP may still look stuck on the charts, but bigger holders clearly haven’t stopped accumulating. According to on-chain data shared by Santiment, the XRP Ledger has now reached an all-time high of 332,230 wallets holding at least 10,000 XRP.

The findings show that it has been steadily growing since June 2024, even through all the sideways price action and volatility this year. Though the numbers aren’t great, out of more than 7.7 million activated XRP addresses, wallets holding 10,000 XRP or more are considered part of a pretty exclusive bracket. Based on XRP rich list data, that amount puts a holder roughly in the top 5% globally.

Santiment says this kind of wallet growth usually points to long-term conviction rather than short-term trading. In simple terms, larger holders seem more interested in positioning early instead of waiting for hype and momentum later.

But here’s the catch: the accumulation keeps growing even though XRP is still trading below previous highs. Instead of chasing breakouts, many holders appear more comfortable buying during uncertainty.

ETF Exposure Keeps Expanding

On the other hand, big firms are showing interest in XRP products. According to Whale Insider, ETF clients recently bought another $5.31 million worth of XRP, pushing total XRP ETF-held assets to around $1.44 billion. While Bitcoin and ETH ETFs saw a routine outflow in comparison, XRP stayed positive on the trend.

JUST IN: ETF clients buy $5.31 million worth of $XRP, bringing total ETF-held net assets to $1.44 billion. pic.twitter.com/MlFWceZYkS

— Whale Insider (@WhaleInsider) May 13, 2026

That’s adding to the idea that institutions are still quietly building exposure even while retail traders grow frustrated with XRP’s slow movement.

February Panic Didn’t Last

Santiment also highlighted that more than 4,500 large XRP wallets disappeared between February 6 and 8 earlier this year.

However, the firm says that the drop was likely tied to the broader crypto market liquidation event on February 5 rather than anything directly related to XRP itself.

Since then, the number of large wallets has fully recovered and pushed to fresh all-time highs again.

XRP Still Needs a Breakout

Moving on to XRP, price action remains stuck inside a tight consolidation range along with much of the crypto market.

Macro analyst Neel said XRP still needs a clean break above the $1.60 level before any meaningful short-term rally can begin. According to him, a move above $2.00 would likely trigger stronger momentum and shift sentiment more aggressively bullish again.

$XRP remains stuck in a tight range along with the broader crypto market.

It needs a clear break above $1.60 for any meaningful short-term rally.

A move above $2.00 would generate fresh momentum.

CTs are clearly not happy with this sideways price action. pic.twitter.com/GprmtU2EFP

— Neel (@NeelMacro) May 12, 2026

For now, though, many traders across crypto social media remain frustrated with XRP’s sideways movement even as accumulation quietly continues in the background.

The post CFTC Chair Says Bitcoin Ban Has Slim to None Odds as Strategic Reserve Announcement Nears appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

The Trump administration is continuing to double down on its pro-crypto stance, and recent comments from CFTC Chair Mike Selig gave one of the clearest signals yet about how Washington now views Bitcoin and digital assets.

Speaking during a conversation on the Market Disruptors Podcast with Mark Moss, Selig said the chances of the United States banning Bitcoin are now “slim to none.

“I think we must create a space for Bitcoin and crypto assets to flourish here,” Selig explained. “A space that’s future-proof, right? A space that we can’t have government coming in and seizing people’s crypto assets and Bitcoin.”

He argued that private property rights remain a core American principle and said those protections should extend to self-custody wallets and digital assets as well.

“This country was founded on the premise of private property,” he said. “All of our rights are derived from the right to own our own stuff.”

Trump Administration Pushes Crypto Roadmap

Selig repeatedly described Donald Trump as a “crypto president,” saying the White House is actively involved in shaping a long-term crypto roadmap for the country.

“We put out a report that really lays out what I believe is the blueprint to make the United States the absolute leader in crypto,” Selig said.

He pointed to the launch of regulated Bitcoin futures during Trump’s earlier administration as a major turning point for institutional adoption. Now, the White House is backing legislation like the Genius Act for stablecoins and the Clarity Act for broader crypto regulation.

Selig said the goal is to protect developers, exchanges, and self-custody users while preventing another version of “Operation Choke Point” or large-scale debanking of crypto businesses.

Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Narrative Grows

The conversation also touched on the growing Strategic Bitcoin Reserve narrative inside Washington.

Recently, White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt revealed that new announcements tied to the reserve and a broader digital asset stockpile could arrive “in the coming weeks.”

WHITE HOUSE DOUBLES DOWN ON THE STRATEGIC BITCOIN RESERVE

Crypto Advisor Patrick Witt says $BTC is part of the “financial infrastructure of the future”.

New reserve announcements coming soon. https://t.co/WdcNwnvMQa pic.twitter.com/4msYVpWfjp

— CryptosRus (@CryptosR_Us) May 13, 2026

“We will be making announcements around the strategic Bitcoin reserve digital asset stockpile,” Witt said. “These assets are the new infrastructure, the new architecture of the financial future.”

He added that the administration now views Bitcoin similarly to gold and sees digital assets as increasingly important to America’s economic and national security strategy.

“We need to be leading on these,” Witt added, “and thinking very, very forward in terms of how we are approaching these assets.”

The post Pi Network News Today: Why Is Pi Network Rejecting Some KYC Applications? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Pi Network has addressed one of the biggest concerns inside the community lately, the “Tentative KYC” status. As the network keeps expanding, Pi revealed that more than 18.1 million users have now passed KYC verification, while over 16.7 million users have already migrated to Mainnet.

According to Pi, KYC remains one of the most important parts of the ecosystem because the entire network runs on a strict “one person, one account” system. The idea is to keep bots, fake accounts, and duplicate users out while protecting real Pioneers and keeping mining rewards fair.

So, What Does “Tentative KYC” Actually Mean?

Pi clarified that Tentative KYC does not mean your application was rejected.

Instead, it simply means the system needs a few extra checks before giving final approval. Some users may be asked to complete liveness checks, while others could go through additional reviews depending on their case.

Pi says these extra steps are important because allowing fake or duplicate accounts onto Mainnet could hurt the ecosystem long term.

To make things faster, the network has now rolled out new AI-powered upgrades behind the scenes. According to Pi, the updated system combines AI models, liveness verification, and application analysis to process applications more efficiently.

The company says millions of Tentative accounts have already been moved into eligible status, while the overall KYC backlog has also been reduced significantly.

Community Starts Discussing “Step 8” Again

The update also sparked renewed discussion about the mysterious “Step 8” issue many users still face.

I recall PiCoreTeam mentioning the KYC categorization to include palm authentication. Those who are currently on step 8 haven't received palm authentication yet. So, what's the next step? pic.twitter.com/4h7mV9N3PG

— 𝕏 FireSide | Pi π (@fireside_pi) May 13, 2026

A Pi-focused community account pointed out that the Pi Core Team had previously mentioned palm authentication as part of future KYC verification upgrades.

The account questioned what the next step could be for users currently stuck on Step 8 who still haven’t received any palm authentication requests yet.

Why Pi Says Strict KYC Matters

Pi says stricter verification is necessary to protect the ecosystem as the network grows.

Without proper KYC checks, duplicate accounts could enter Mainnet, mining rewards could become unfair, and apps built on Pi would struggle to trust user authenticity.

According to the team, verified participation will ultimately support future payments, digital services, commerce apps, and other real-world utilities built on the network.

The post TRON Defies Crowd Doubt as TRX Climbs Back Above $0.35 appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

TRON (TRX) has been quietly gaining strength again while much of the crypto market remains focused on meme coins, AI projects, and newer Layer-2 networks. Despite the criticism that has followed the project for years, TRX has managed to climb nearly 26% over the last three months and is now trading back above $0.35 for the first time since September 2025.

At the time of writing, TRON is trading around $0.3494 with daily trading volume close to $738 million. The network currently has a circulating supply of nearly 94.8 billion TRX.

What makes the move interesting is that the broader sentiment around TRON remains divided.

Why TRON Still Faces Heavy Criticism

According to analytics platform Santiment, much of the skepticism tied to TRON still traces back to Justin Sun’s long-standing reputation within crypto.

Over the years, Sun has regularly faced accusations involving aggressive promotion tactics, market manipulation claims, lawsuits, and broader regulatory scrutiny. Even now, many retail traders continue viewing TRON as “too controversial” or “too risky” compared to newer ecosystems gaining momentum across the market.

The analytics firm also noted that despite TRX performing strongly throughout 2026, a large part of the crypto crowd still distrusts the project because of associations with earlier hype-driven market cycles.

Stablecoins Have Become Both TRON’s Strength and Weakness

Another major source of criticism has been TRON’s massive role in global stablecoin transfers. The network processes enormous USDT volumes because of its fast settlement speeds and low transaction fees.

However, critics argue that the same efficiency has also made TRON a preferred network for suspicious wallet activity and illicit transfers. Headlines involving Tether freezes linked to TRON wallets have repeatedly added to negative sentiment around the chain this year.

At the same time, some traders remain unconvinced by TRON’s ecosystem growth because much of the expansion has been driven by stablecoin activity and yield products rather than consumer-facing applications or flashy innovation narratives.

Why The Doubt May Actually Be Helping TRX

Ironically, Santiment says the constant skepticism surrounding TRON may actually be supporting the rally instead of hurting it.

Markets often struggle most when retail sentiment becomes overly euphoric. TRON, however, has spent much of 2026 climbing while hesitation, fear, and doubt remained dominant across social discussions.

In Santiment’s view, that lack of crowd conviction may still be leaving room for TRX to continue moving higher while much of the market looks elsewhere.

The post Ethereum Co-Founder Joseph Lubin Names His Top Two Suspects for Satoshi Nakamoto appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin has reignited debate around the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto after saying cryptographer Len Sassaman and early Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney remain the strongest candidates behind Bitcoin’s creation.

During a recent interview, Lubin discussed Bitcoin’s future, the growing risks from quantum computing, and what could eventually happen to Satoshi’s untouched Bitcoin wallets.

“It’s definitely not Adam,” Lubin said while dismissing theories surrounding Adam Back. “But Len Sassaman and Hal have been, in my opinion, the leading candidates for a very long time.”

Dormant Bitcoin Fuels Satoshi Speculation

The Finney and Sassaman theories have continued gaining traction largely because of the enormous amount of early Bitcoin that has never moved.

Finney was famously the first person to receive Bitcoin directly from Satoshi in 2009 and accumulated significant early BTC holdings before passing away in 2014. Sassaman, who died in 2011, is widely respected in cryptography circles, with some researchers believing he may have helped write or structure the original Bitcoin whitepaper.

Supporters of the theory argue that the untouched “Satoshi coins” linked to Bitcoin’s earliest wallets may effectively be removed from circulation entirely.

Macro investor Fred Krueger recently added to that narrative, arguing the dormant stash worth of $87.8 billion was likely controlled by Finney and Sassaman, effectively removing them from circulation.

Lubin Warns Bitcoin Faces Quantum Threat

Moving on, Lubin also warned that future advances in quantum computing could eventually threaten Bitcoin wallet security.

According to him, Bitcoin may need to migrate users toward quantum-secure wallets to protect funds and preserve the network long term.

“As we ponder the quantum threat, Bitcoin will have to migrate to quantum-secure wallets,” he explained.

That transition, however, could create major debates around old inactive wallets, including coins potentially tied to Satoshi Nakamoto.

What Happens to Satoshi’s Bitcoin?

Lubin further suggested Bitcoin may ultimately rely on social consensus to decide how dormant wallets are treated during a future quantum-security migration.

“Here’s the deadline… if you don’t switch, move your coins by that deadline, then you’re out of luck,” he said.

While he acknowledged that such a move would raise difficult questions around Bitcoin property rights, he argued that protecting the network remains the priority.

“We want Bitcoin to survive. We want Bitcoin to be very strong because Bitcoin represents decentralized economic bandwidth,” he added.

The post Grayscale Files for First-Ever Spot Privacy Coin ETF With Zcash Push appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Grayscale Investments is making a major move toward privacy coins after officially filing to convert its Zcash Trust into a spot ETF. If approved, it would become the first-ever spot ETF tied to a privacy-focused crypto asset. The filing was submitted to the U.S. SEC on May 8 and follows the same strategy Grayscale previously used for its Bitcoin and Ethereum products.

The timing grabbed attention across the crypto market. Earlier this year, the SEC reportedly ended its long-running review of privacy coins without taking enforcement action against Zcash, removing a major layer of uncertainty that had been hanging over the sector for years.

At the same time, institutional interest appears to be growing fast. Tushar Jain recently revealed that Multicoin Capital has been building a large ZEC position since February as a macro hedge play. Following the ETF filing news, Zcash rallied sharply toward the $600 mark and climbed back into the top 15 crypto assets by market capitalization. 

For many traders, the filing feels like a signal that privacy coins are slowly moving back into the institutional conversation again.

Custody Questions Still Hang Over Zcash

Despite the excitement, some major hurdles still remain. Around 30% of Zcash’s circulating supply currently sits inside shielded privacy pools, creating challenges for institutional custody, auditing, and proof-of-reserves requirements. Most ETF structures typically rely on transparent wallet systems for compliance reporting.

Still, Grayscale continues aggressively expanding its crypto ETF lineup. In recent months, the company has also filed spot ETF applications tied to Cardano, XRP, Dogecoin, and NEAR Protocol as competition for institutional crypto products continues heating up.

ZEC Rally Cools After Massive Run

The ETF filing helped fuel a huge rally in ZEC over the past week. The token surged from below $420 to nearly $640 before cooling back toward the $550 area on May 11. Even after the pullback, ZEC remained up roughly 33% over seven days, keeping its market cap near $9.31 billion and maintaining its position as the largest privacy-focused cryptocurrency.

Crypto analyst Crypto_Paykash said ZEC is now entering a consolidation phase, with lower highs starting to appear after the explosive rally from around $325. According to him, if support breaks, the price could revisit the $535 to $550 liquidity zone before another breakout attempt. Still, he noted that after nearly doubling without a meaningful correction, the current cooldown remains healthy unless broader macro support fully breaks down.

The post Solana Token Linked to Roaring Kitty Account Erases $10 Million After Post Deletion appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Two posts appeared on the verified X account of Keith Gill, known online as Roaring Kitty, on Monday, May 11, before being deleted within an hour. The posts included a Pump.fun contract address linked to a Solana-based meme coin called Red Kitten Crew, ticker RKC, and a short cartoon clip with the text “red bandit crew 4 life.”

The token surged to nearly a $12 million market cap within minutes of the posts going live. When the posts were deleted, the price collapsed just as fast. No statement has been issued from Gill or anyone representing him confirming or denying the posts at the time of writing.

According to Lookonchain, a now-deleted post from Roaring Kitty’s X account shared the Pump.fun address for RKC, triggering a rapid buying frenzy across Solana meme coins.

Within just 20 minutes, the token surged to an $11–12 million market cap before crashing sharply after the post disappeared. Nearly $10 million in market value vanished during the collapse as panic selling accelerated.

Blockchain data showed more than $10.5 million in sell volume hit the token during the meltdown.

Insider Dumping Allegations Emerge

Investigators claim the developer behind the token may have heavily profited from the hype before the crash.

Lookonchain reported that the developer spent only 20 SOL, worth roughly $1,950, across 10 wallets to buy 395.18 million $RKC tokens, equal to 39.52% of the total supply.

The wallets later dumped the entire position for 5,071 SOL, worth nearly $495,000. The creator also reportedly collected another 1,209 SOL, or around $118,000, in Pump.fun creator fees.

Wallet concentration also raised concerns, with several wallets controlling large portions of the supply during the rally.

Similar Meme Coin Rug Pulls Have Happened Before

Crypto user StarPlatinum suggested Roaring Kitty’s account may have been hacked, comparing the situation to previous celebrity meme coin incidents.

Roaring Kitty account got hacked and launched $RKC

Over 80 wallets just extracted $2,864,364 from crypto

The hackers made +$500,000

here’s what happened:

The metadata links to Roaring Kitty’s X account

But the creator/dev on PumpFun appears as:… pic.twitter.com/l41NdIpp9L

— StarPlatinum (@StarPlatinum_) May 11, 2026

One of the closest examples was the hack involving Matt Furie, creator of PEPE, whose social media account was previously used to promote fake meme tokens before prices collapsed.

Other celebrity-linked meme coin controversies tied to hacked or fake endorsements have also caused millions in trader losses across Solana and Ethereum meme coin markets.

Traders Warn About Extreme Risk

The $RKC drama generated more than 600 mentions on X within hours as large crypto influencers discussed the situation.

Still, analysts warned that bundle concentration appeared extremely high, possibly above 70%, meaning insiders may have controlled most of the token supply.

Many traders now believe $RKC may remain only a short-term momentum play unless Roaring Kitty officially confirms involvement with the project.

The post XRP, Bitcoin and Ethereum as Institutional Collateral Is the Next Step Says Ripple Prime CEO appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Ripple Prime CEO Mike Higgins says cryptocurrencies like XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana could soon play a much larger role in institutional finance through cross-margining and collateral systems.

Speaking about the future of tokenized finance, Higgins explained that institutions may eventually use digital assets, stablecoins, and tokenized money market funds as collateral for settlement and margin requirements, rather than relying solely on dollars or U.S. Treasuries.

“Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana tokenizing anything of value as collateral for margin and settlement is the next step,” Higgins said.

XRP Utility Expands Beyond Payments

According to Higgins, the next phase of crypto adoption is not just about trading or payments but about using blockchain assets as high-grade collateral across financial markets.

He explained that cross-margining allows institutions to use assets efficiently across multiple products without first liquidating positions. This could improve capital efficiency while increasing the real-world utility of blockchain networks like the XRP Ledger.

Higgins also pointed out that major crypto assets are increasingly being treated similarly to products listed on regulated exchanges, especially as institutional infrastructure continues improving.

“We’re still early on in the space,” he said, while noting that trading opportunities across crypto spot markets, futures, ETFs, and perpetual swaps remain significant.

Ripple’s Hidden Road Acquisition Plays Key Role

Higgins linked this vision directly to Ripple’s acquisition of Hidden Road, which now operates as Ripple Prime.

The platform focuses heavily on cross-margining between crypto spot markets, ETFs, futures, and options markets.

According to Higgins, institutions are already building strategies involving spot Bitcoin, Bitcoin ETFs, and CME futures contracts. However, he believes stronger infrastructure is still needed to support smoother cross-market settlement and collateral management.

The comments highlight Ripple’s broader push into institutional finance as the company continues expanding beyond payments and deeper into tokenization, trading infrastructure, and digital asset settlement services.

The post Bitcoin Treasury Strategy Shifts as Michael Saylor Reveals When Strategy Could Sell BTC appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Michael Saylor has spent years telling investors to “never sell your Bitcoin,” but during a recent appearance on The Wolf Of All Streets Podcast at Consensus Miami, the Strategy chairman explained why the company may occasionally sell portions of its Bitcoin holdings.

Strategy currently holds around 818,000 BTC worth nearly $65 billion, making it the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder. However, Saylor said showing a willingness to sell small amounts of Bitcoin is important for protecting the company’s balance sheet and preserving Bitcoin’s role as a liquid corporate asset.

“If the market thought we would never sell it, the credit rating agencies would say, ‘Well, then I guess it’s not an asset,’” Saylor explained during the interview.

Why Strategy May Sell Bitcoin

According to Saylor, Bitcoin gives Strategy access to between $20 billion and $100 billion in market liquidity that is independent of equity or debt markets. He said refusing to ever use that liquidity could actually weaken the company’s financial structure.

Saylor clarified that Strategy would only sell very small portions of Bitcoin tactically. “We might sell 20 basis points of Bitcoin,” he said, adding that the company would likely buy back five to ten times more BTC within the same month.

“If you sell $100 million of Bitcoin in the same month that you buy $1 billion or $2 billion of Bitcoin, we’re still net buyers,” Saylor said.

He also explained that occasional Bitcoin sales could help the Strategy fund STRC dividends or unlock billions in tax credits tied to higher-cost Bitcoin purchases.

Meanwhile, Strategy CEO Phong Le told CNBC the company would only sell Bitcoin when doing so becomes “more accretive to shareholders” than issuing additional stock.

STRC and Yield Coins Enter Hypergrowth

A major part of the discussion focused on STRC, Strategy’s preferred share product, which Saylor said has grown from zero to $8.5 billion in just eight months.

According to Saylor, DeFi platforms are already tokenizing STRC into yield-generating digital assets, while projects like Apex and Saturn are reportedly attracting millions of dollars in inflows daily.

Saylor believes digital yield products could become a multi-billion-dollar industry within months as investors move away from low-yield stablecoins and traditional money markets.

“The bottom line is we’re in a hypergrowth stage,” Saylor said.

Bitcoin Treasury Companies Face Market Pressure

Saylor’s comments come as several Bitcoin treasury firms and miners have recently sold BTC during the broader crypto downturn.

Public miners, including MARA Holdings, Riot Platforms, and Core Scientific, sold more than 32,000 BTC during Q1 2026 to help finance AI and high-performance computing expansion.

Meanwhile, smaller Strategy-style treasury firms like Nakamoto, Empery Digital, and Sequans were forced to sell portions of their Bitcoin holdings after BTC plunged nearly 50% from its all-time high near $126,000.

Saylor also addressed long-term Bitcoin accumulation directly during the interview.

“I’m buying the top forever,” he said. “I’ll be happy to buy at $200,000, $1 million, $2 million, even $16 million per Bitcoin.”