The viral claims suggesting that XRP has no connection to payments are quickly falling apart under a basic review of official documentation. As misinformation spreads across social platforms, the publicly available documentation continues to reinforce the asset’s real, payment-centric utility, contradicting the narrative gaining traction online. How Documentation Debunks The XRP Role Speculation In an X post, a researcher known as SMQKE has revealed that the narrative claim that XRP is just a cryptocurrency with no connection to traditional finance payments is sharply contradicted by the documentation that defines the asset. A surface-level review has already shown just how inaccurate that statement is. Related Reading: Something Big Coming For XRP? Ripple Engineer Reveals Major Development According to SMQKE, unlike many cryptocurrencies built purely for decentralized experimentation, XRP was designed to operate within the existing traditional finance system. The report highlights that XRP was intended to enhance international money transfers by serving as a neutral bridge between currencies and providing liquidity. Furthermore, the documentation also shows that XRP is a digital asset engineered specifically to address long-standing inefficiencies in the traditional payment system. The conversation around RippleNet isn’t about experiments. Crypto analyst Xfinancebull highlighted that more than 300 banks are not testing RippleNet; they are partnering with it. Brad Garlinghouse isn’t speaking in vague possibilities; instead, he is forecasting where XRP could capture up to 14% of current SWIFT volume by 2030, which is an estimated $21 trillion in annual value moving across the XRP Ledger infrastructure. His focus is not on the chart price movements. It’s about how global financial plumbing is being re-engineered in real-time. The idea centers on a system where banks could settle cross-border transactions instantly 24/7, with lower operational fees, all powered by XRP. From this perspective, the transformation is being built. While the retail traders often react to every red candle, the institutions are entering partnerships and signing integrations. “You don’t buy XRP for today. You buy it for the financial world that is coming,” Xfinancebull noted. Major Capital Shifts From Observing To Building A recent move from Ripple has shifted conversations entirely. XFBAcademy has pointed out that banks didn’t raise $500 million to reshape the future of money, but Ripple did. Moves like this indicate exactly why the long-term outlook around XRP will continue to build strength. Meanwhile, real utility is finally being funded at the highest institutional levels. Related Reading: Ripple Exec Addresses Tax Issue On XRP Ledger, Where Does It Go? XFBAcademy explains that when names like Fortress, Citadel, Pantera, Brevan Howard, and Galaxy participate simultaneously, it’s not speculation, but a signal where infrastructure is heading. This raise isn’t fueled by speculative propaganda. Instead, it is tied to RLUSD, institutional rails, and the treasuries moving into on-chain. This kind of capital doesn’t chase existing narratives but actively builds new ones. The expert frames moments like these as the real turning points. These are the junctures when the smartest money transitions from observation to funding the new plumbing of global finance. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
Bitcoin’s grinding tape, tamed volatility and repeated, incremental all-time highs are not symptoms of a failed cycle but evidence of a market changing hands and changing character, according to Alex Thorn, Galaxy’s head of firmwide research in an interview released October 23. Bitcoin Bull Run Gone Quiet: Here’s Why The researcher argues that the driver capping bitcoin’s near-term upside is exogenous—US–China tariff risk—rather than any structural deterioration in the asset’s fundamentals or adoption. “I don’t yet think it’s more existential than that for the bull market,” he said, describing the current price action as “sort of crab,” with the market “still” climbing a wall of worry. The price discussion hinged on two linked observations. First, bitcoin is not trading like gold yet because “markets move on the margins,” and marginal flows still treat BTC as risk. Second, those margins are shifting, with passive, long-term allocators steadily absorbing distribution from older cohorts. “Significant distribution from old hands to new hands” has created resistance, he said, but that process is “healthy,” widening ownership and maturing the market. He framed a psychological and structural line of demarcation at six figures: “Maybe we delineate there the pre-$100K bitcoin world versus the post-$100K bitcoin world. I think it’s going to look a lot different.” Related Reading: Last-Ever Bitcoin Dip Below $100,000 Looms This Week, Standard Chartered Warns He contends gold’s behavior helps explain the present inter-asset divergence. “This still is the debasement trade…and it’s the anti-US government trade,” he said, noting that recent gold strength has been “all offshore,” with bids arriving “during European and Asian hours,” consistent with “foreign central banks and large…sovereign wealth funds” diversifying away from US exposure. By contrast, the bitcoin price is pinned to risk appetite at the edges of the market. That said, he expects the asset to converge toward a gold-like profile as ownership migrates to institutions: “BlackRock’s chilling the digital gold narrative…Fidelity, this is how they talk about it,” he said, adding that as more supply moves into the hands of registered investment advisors and passive vehicles, BTC “will…trade a lot more like a risk-off, non-sovereign scarcity hedge asset.” The near-term overhang, in his view, is the tariff scare that followed statements on October 10 about potential 100% levies on China, which “caused” a leverage washout and stalled a strong October. “Quite simply an abatement of the tariff war between the US and China…would sort of set us right back on course in risk markets,” he said, anticipating a compromise rather than a “protracted bloody trade war.” Thorn also downplayed the next Federal Reserve meeting as a catalyst for bitcoin’s direction, while acknowledging that with official economic data delayed, the Fed’s own proprietary datasets could make its communication unusually market-relevant: “They’re going to have data. We don’t have data, but they’ll share the data.” Galaxy Lowers EOY Bitcoin Price Prediction Against that backdrop, he marked down—but did not abandon—his year-end targets. “At the beginning of the year, I was calling for $150,000 and then $185,000 in Q4… I am going to materially draw down that prediction to maybe like $130,000 by EOY,” he said. Thorn described 2025’s path as a slow, volatile stair-step higher—“from like $100k to…$74k to then $126k to now $108l”—with realized volatility declining. To illustrate the regime change, host Joe Consorti highlighted a 90-day realized volatility reading near 29, far below the 2017 and 2021 cycle peaks, and summarized the shifting drivers: “It’s more of a macro trade than anything…moving much further into…being impacted…by the macro regime.” Related Reading: Bitcoin Could Drop To $97,500 If This Key On-Chain Level Fails, Glassnode Warns Institutional distribution channels were a recurring theme. The Galaxy research head pointed to wealth-platform access and custody bank initiatives as late-cycle but powerful accelerants. Thorn cited Morgan Stanley’s move to let advisors recommend a small allocation (2-4%) through spot ETFs and said that three of the four largest global custody banks have either launched or announced digital-asset custody, with one notable holdout. The implication, he argued, is that the ETF bid and wirehouse adoption are replacing the old, concentrated holder base: “The era of the early bitcoin adopter is now finally, I think, fully coming to an end. And now you’re in…whatever that stage is…this is going to be a widely owned macro asset in everybody’s portfolio.” NEW EPISODE: Over The Horizon ????️ Alex Thorn (@intangiblecoins) joins me to discuss: – Why markets are so anxious – Institutional adoption and Bitcoin’s next era – AI CapEx & lessons from the dot-com boom – The future of digital asset treasuries pic.twitter.com/pVuKs3MWJH — Horizon (@JoinHorizon_) October 23, 2025 Macro cross-currents complicate the timing. The AI capital-expenditure boom—he called it “the most important trend in markets”—is either nearing a speculative blow-off or, in a more geopolitical framing, just entering a Manhattan Project–style national-priority phase. If the latter proves correct, the knock-on effects for liquidity, rates, energy and semiconductors could be larger and longer-lived than typical tech cycles. But for bitcoin specifically, he kept coming back to tariffs as the decisive near-term swing factor and to microstructure as the reason the chart feels both heavier and sturdier than past cycles: a passive ETF bid absorbing OG supply at psychologically significant round numbers, without the “massive uplifts” that once followed fresh all-time highs. The base case he outlined is not euphoria but endurance. Or, as he put it more bluntly earlier in the conversation, the bull run hasn’t died—“it’s evolving.” At press time, BTC traded at $111,183. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Ethereum has finally broken free from a multi-year-long consolidation phase, reigniting bullish sentiment across the crypto market. After spending over three years struggling to hold above the $4,000 level, ETH has now confirmed a decisive breakout, a move seen as the start of its next major rally. With momentum building and technical indicators aligning, analysts suggest that a run toward the $7,000 region could be closer than ever Ethereum Breaks Free After 1,146 Days Of Consolidation Mags, a popular crypto analyst on X, recently shared a bullish update, noting that ETH could be on track to reach the $7,331 mark. According to the analyst, this target aligns with the broader bullish trend that has been forming since Ethereum’s breakout above key resistance levels. Related Reading: Global M2 Money Supply Says Ethereum Price Will Reach $20,000, Here’s When After more than 1,146 days of consolidation from its bottom, Ethereum finally broke above the crucial $4,000 level, marking a significant technical milestone. During this cycle, ETH had made three prior attempts to break past this resistance, each ending in rejection. However, the fourth attempt in August succeeded, confirming the breakout and signaling the start of a new bullish phase. Following the breakout, ETH has been consolidating above the $4,000 zone, building momentum for what could be the next leg upward. The stability around this level indicates that buyers are actively defending support, keeping the broader structure intact and setting the stage for a potential continuation toward higher targets. Mags also pointed out that Ethereum experienced a brief fakeout, where the price dipped below $4,000 to reach $3,800 before staging a sharp V-shaped recovery. This rebound, driven by strong buying pressure, further strengthens the bullish outlook. With the current price action holding firm, the analyst believes Ethereum is primed for a move toward the 1.618 Fibonacci extension level at $7,331, which could define the next major wave in its ongoing rally. Ethereum Confirms Major Structural Retest: The “V-Bottom” Is Holding Strong Galaxy, a prominent crypto analyst, recently shared an update noting that the ETH chart has successfully retested the “V-bottom” structure along with the major triangle pattern that dates back to 2021. This signals that the asset may be entering a new growth phase after consolidating for an extended period within these key technical formations. Related Reading: Ethereum Ready For Round 2? Analyst Forecasts Early October Rally Amid $4,200 Retest While Galaxy acknowledged that the road ahead won’t be smooth, with potential dips, periods of choppy price action, and stretches of low volatility, the overall outlook remains highly optimistic. The analyst believes that Ethereum is gradually positioning itself for a major move upward, with the current structure suggesting that a five-digit ETH is becoming an increasingly realistic target in the future. Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com
The platform will offer bitcoin, ether, Solana, and Paxos Gold trading and custody at launch, with more tokens to follow in the future.
Forward Industries kicked off its Solana treasury strategy with a 6.82 million SOL for about $1.58 billion, funded by its $1.65 billion PIPE financing.
With the funding, the Nasdaq-listed firm aims to be the largest public corporate owner of Solana's SOL.
The firm's common stock is now tradable on-chain through Superstate’s Opening Bell platform as SEC-registered tokens.
The firm, led by Mike Novogratz, projected its deal with AI cloud firm CoreWeave could generate $1 billion in annual revenue over 15 years.
Galaxy said the long-dormant wallet sold 80,000 BTC through the asset manager as part of the investor's estate planning.
The firm's stablecoin clearing system aims to facilitate adoption by solving the stablecoin sector's fragmentation problem.
Also joining the federation running nodes are blockchain developers Alchemy, bitcoin mining pool Antpool and hedge fund manager UTXO Management
Galaxy’s latest report shows crypto leverage fell overall, but structural shifts in DeFi, CeFi and treasury financing signal rising interdependence and hidden risk.
Crypto analyst Galaxy has drawn similarities between the current XRP price action and the 2017 bull run, when the altcoin recorded significant gains. He predicts the altcoin could soon rally to double digits, mirroring the 2017 rally. XRP Price To Rally To Double Digits As It Mirrors 2017 Rally In an X post, Galaxy indicated that the XRP price could rally to double digits as it mirrors the 2017 rally. He stated that XRP is almost perfectly following the breakout pattern of 2017 after 6 years of consolidation. The analyst added that the longer the consolidation, the bigger the price move. Related Reading: XRP Reaching Oversold Levels As Net Flows Turn Negative, What’s Next? His accompanying chart showed that the XRP price could rally to almost $40 on this breakout. The analyst seems convinced that the altcoin could witness such a parabolic move, considering that XRP surged by 61,000% in 280 days in 2017. The chart also showed that the altcoin will likely reach this target sometime next year. Crypto analyst Egrag Crypto has also stated that he expects the XRP price to reach between $27 and $33 in this market cycle. He believes that a repeat of the 2017 historical performance makes these price targets achievable for the altcoin. The analyst has also alluded to factors such as the XRP ETFs and Ripple’s expansion as factors that could drive this price surge. Meanwhile, crypto veteran Raoul Pal also affirmed that the XRP price has enough room to rally to the upside from its current level. He highlighted a bull flag that had formed for the altcoin, following its consolidation phase after last year’s rally. The veteran expects XRP to witness a bullish continuation after this consolidation phase, possibly rallying to as high as $5. This would mark a new all-time high (ATH) for the token. The Altcoin In A Bullish Phase Crypto analyst CobraVanguard asserted that the XRP price is in a bullish phase, while highlighting a falling wedge pattern that was forming for the altcoin. He remarked that this pattern indicates the altcoin’s potential to reach $3. However, the analyst warned that this setup could be invalidated if the wedge pattern is broken downwards with the strength of bearish candles. Related Reading: XRP Price Explosion To $5.9: Current Consolidation Won’t Stop XRP From Growing Meanwhile, crypto analyst Dark Defender noted that the XRP price is currently in Wave B of its Wave 2 corrective move. He predicts that the altcoin could rally to its current all-time high once the B and C waves are completed in this corrective wave. The analyst is also confident that the altcoin can rally to double digits in the long term. He once predicted that the altcoin could reach $18 based on his Elliott Wave Theory analysis. At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $2.38, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com
Asset prices across markets largely shrugged off surging Inflation expectations, with crypto prices consolidating sideways.
Galaxy shares surged 8% and are now 60% higher than their April lows.
Total crypto lending is still down 43% from its 2021 peak, but decentralized platforms have seen a significant growth, Galaxy reported.
The company is on the Financial Conduct Authority's investment firms register which is for firms that are authorized to perform MiFID investment services.
Agora's AUSD is the latest entrant into the burgeoning stablecoin market.
The move higher will be driven by institutional, corporate and nation-state adoption, the report said.
Leading marketplaces such as OpenSea, Blur and Magic Eden have seen increased activity since November, the report said.
Since the second quarter, Goldman Sachs has added $300 million to its portfolio in Bitcoin ETF holdings, increasing exposure by 71%.
The firm signed a non-binding deal with a hyperscaler firm to potentially allocate all of its 800 megawatts power to hosting high-performance computers.
This week’s Crypto Biz explores the launch of new crypto ETFs, CleanSpark’s acquisition of new mining sites, another round of conflict between Bitfarms and Riot, and more.
Galaxy launched a $113 million crypto fund on the week of the debut of the first spot Ether ETFs in the US. Nansen has also launched the industry’s first Ether ETF analytics dashboard.
Galaxy is one of several investors who have accused Richard Kim of misappropriating at least $3.67 million of company funds belonging to Zero Edge, his crypto casino.