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Between Oct. 25, 2024, and Jan. 16, 2025, XRP (XRP) had one of the best rallies of the current bull market, gaining 600% as investors piled in with the hope that a pro-crypto presidency would benefit Ripple and its cryptocurrency. During this time, the quarterly average of daily active addresses jumped by 490% and XRP price hit a 7-year high.XRP’s 1-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewFast forward to the present, and data shows that the speculative interest surrounding XRP is declining. Holders are increasingly facing losses rather than gains, which is dampening their risk appetite. “Retail confidence in XRP may be slipping”Since bottoming in 2022, Bitcoin (BTC) and XRP have gained 500% to 600%, but the bulk of XRP’s gains came from a parabolic price increase. Data from Glassnode shows that XRP daily active addresses jumped by 490%, whereas the same metric for Bitcoin increased by 10% over the past four months. XRP's new investor realized the cap. Source: GlassnodeThis retail-driven surge pushed XRP’s realized cap from $30.1 billion to $64.2 billion, with $30 billion of that inflow coming from investors in the last six months. The share of XRP’s realized cap held by new investors (less than six months) jumped from 23% to 62.8%, signaling a rapid wealth shift. However, since late February 2025, capital inflows have dipped significantly. XRP realized profit/loss ratio. Source: GlassnodeThe primary reason is that investors are currently locking in fewer profits and staring at higher losses. This can be identified by the realized loss/profit ratio, which has constantly declined since 2025. Glassnode analysts said, “Given the retail-dominated inflows and largely concentrated wealth in relatively new hands, this alludes to a condition where retail investor confidence in XRP may be slipping, and this may also be extended across the broader market.”Besides weakening confidence among newer investors, the distribution of XRP among whale addresses reflects a similar trend. Data shows a steady increase in whale outflows since the start of 2025, suggesting that large holders have been consistently trimming their positions. Over the past 14 days, over $1 billion in positions were offloaded at an average price of $2.10. Whale flow 30-day moving average. Source: CryptoQuantRelated: How many US dollars does XRP transfer per day?Can XRP hold the $2 support?XRP has found support at $2 multiple times over the past few weeks, but the chance of the altcoin dropping below this level increases with each retest. XRP 4-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewHowever, on the lower time frame (LTF) of the 1-hour and 4-hour charts, a bullish divergence can be observed for XRP. A bullish divergence occurs when the price forms a lower low and the relative strength index (RSI) forms a lower high. With a fair value gap between $2.08 and $2.13, XRP might see a relief rally into this range, especially if the wider crypto market undergoes an oversold bounce. On the higher time frame chart, XRP appears bearish due to the formation of an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern, with a measured target near $1.07. There is a chance that the altcoin finds support from the 200-day moving average (orange line) around the $1.70 to $1.80 mark, but XRP price has not tested this level since Nov. 5, 2024. XRP 1-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewRelated: Bitcoin drops 8%, US markets shed $2T in value — Should traders expect an oversold bounce?This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Economic uncertainty and a major crypto exchange hack pushed down the total value locked in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to $156 billion in the first quarter of 2025, but AI and social apps gained ground with a rise in network users, according to a crypto analytics firm.“Broader economic uncertainty and lingering aftershocks from the Bybit exploit” were the main contributing factors to the DeFi sector’s 27% quarter-on-quarter fall in TVL, according to an April 3 report from DappRadar, which noted that Ether (ETH) fell 45% to $1,820 over the same period.Change in DeFi total value locked between Jan. 2024 and March 2025. Source: DappRadarThe largest blockchain by TVL, Ethereum, fell 37% to $96 billion, while Sui was the hardest hit of the top 10 blockchains by TVL, falling 44% to $2 billion.Solana, Tron and the Arbitrum blockchains also had their TVLs slashed over 30%.Meanwhile, blockchains that experienced a larger volume of DeFi withdrawals and had a smaller share of stablecoins locked in their protocols faced extra pressure on top of the falling token prices.The newly launched Berachain was the only top-10 blockchain by TVL to rise, accumulating $5.17 billion between Feb. 6 and March 31, DappRadar noted.Market fall didn’t stunt AI and social app user growthHowever, the number of daily unique active wallets (DUAW) interacting with AI protocols and social apps increased 29% and 10%, respectively, in Q1, while non-fungible token and GameFi protocols regressed, DappRadar’s data shows.The monthly average of DUAWs interacting on the AI and social protocols rose to 2.6 million and 2.8 million, while DeFi and GameFi protocols fell double-digits. DappRadar said there was “explosive growth” in AI agent protocols, stating that they’re “no longer a concept.”“They’re here, and they’re shaping new user behaviors,” said the firm. Change in DeFi total value locked between Jan. 2024 and March 2025. Source: DappRadarRelated: Avalanche stablecoins up 70% to $2.5B, AVAX demand lacks DeFi deploymentMeanwhile, NFT trading volume fell 25% to $1.5 billion, with OKX’s NFT marketplace taking in the most sales at $606 million, while OpenSea and Blur saw $599 million and $565 million, respectively.Pudgy Penguins NFTs were the most sold collectibles at $177 million, while CryptoPunks NFTs netted $63.6 million from just 477 sales, DappRadar noted.“When analyzing top collections, CryptoPunks remains a staple — its prestige remains intact even as price fluctuations make it largely inaccessible for the average user.”Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple a ‘bad actor’ with no crypto legal precedent set

EigenLayer plans to start “slashing” restakers on April 17, resulting in the Ethereum restaking protocol’s “first feature-complete iteration,” it said in an April 2 announcement. Implementing slashing will mark EigenLayer’s final step toward establishing the protocol as “infrastructure for a new generation of verifiable apps and services built on the Verifiable Cloud,” it said in a post on the X platform.In 2024, EigenLayer started distributing rewards — including emissions of its native EIGEN token — to incentivize restakers. However, slashing has so far been limited to EigenLayer’s testnets.Once slashing is live, node operators and restakers will be able to voluntarily “opt-in,” resulting in a gradual transition for users, EigenLayer said in a blog post.Slashing starts on EigenLayer’s mainnet soon. Source: EigenLayerRelated: EigenLayer eyes consumer adoption post EIGEN unlock, founder saysGradual roll-outLaunched in 2023, EigenLayer secures third-party protocols — dubbed actively validated services (AVSs) — against a pool of “restaked” cryptocurrencies used as collateral. Restaking involves taking a token that has already been staked — posted as collateral with a validator in exchange for rewards — and using it to secure other protocols simultaneously. Slashing is the primary method for securing proof-of-stake protocols — including Ethereum as well as “restaking” protocols such as EigenLayer — and involves penalizing a network’s node operators for poor performance or misbehavior.“If Operators do not meet the conditions set, the AVS may penalize them. But, if the Operator runs the service successfully, AVSs can reward the Operator’s performance and incentivize specific activity,” EigenLayer said in an April 3 blog post. This “allows for a free marketplace where Operators can earn rewards for their work and AVSs can launch verifiable services,” the post said. EigenLayer’s total value locked (TVL) over time. Source: DeFILlamaGrowing ecosystemUpward of 30 AVSs are already live on EigenLayer’s mainnet, and dozens more are being developed.They include EigenDA — run by EigenLayer developer Eigen Labs — and ARPA Network, a protocol specializing in trustless randomization.In October, EigenLayer unlocked its native token, EIGEN. It is designed as a more flexible option for securing consensus-based protocols than other proof-of-stake tokens, such as Ether, according to EigenLayer.EigenLayer is prioritizing onboarding crypto-native apps in segments such as decentralized finance (DeFi) and gaming before expanding beyond Web3, founder Sreeram Kannan told Cointelegraph in October. “We’re starting with the inside-out approach, focusing on high-throughput consumer apps like DeFi and gaming, but once we grow a little bigger and have critical mass, we’ll go outside and start targeting broader consumer markets,” Kannan said.Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple a ‘bad actor’ with no crypto legal precedent set

The cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, backed by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, plans to move into a Miami-area office space, as US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement case may have reached its end.According to a March 31 post from Sterling Bay Properties, Gemini signed a lease for an office in Miami’s Wynwood Art District. The move would expand the exchange’s offices from Europe and New York to Florida, where some crypto companies are headquartered.Bloomberg reported Gemini was expected to move into the Miami office by May. Cointelegraph reached out to the exchange for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.Wrapping up regulatory issues?The move to Florida came amid a federal judge ordering a 60-day stay on the SEC’s lawsuit against Gemini Global Capital “to allow the parties to explore a potential resolution.” The enforcement action, filed in January 2023, alleges the crypto firm offered and sold unregistered securities through its Gemini Earn program. Cameron Winklevoss said in February that the regulator had closed an investigation into a separate matter involving Gemini. The firm also agreed in January to a $5 million penalty imposed by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission over alleged “false and misleading” statements related to its 2017 bid to offer Bitcoin (BTC) futures contracts.Related: Crypto PAC-backed Republicans win US House seats in Florida special electionsGemini reportedly filed confidentially for an initial public offering (IPO) earlier this year. The exchange may have pursued an IPO as early as 2021 before shares of many US-based crypto firms were publicly traded. Several crypto firms have regional offices in Miami, possibly due to Florida’s seemingly favorable regulatory environment and the lack of state income tax for residents. Ripple Labs has an office in the Wynwood neighborhood, not far from Gemini’s future location, and BTC miner MARA Holdings is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale.Magazine: Crypto City: The ultimate guide to Miami

XRP (XRP) stabilized near its $2 support after today’s marketwide sell-off sent the altcoin and several other cryptocurrencies close to their swing lows. Data now shows the XRP/USD pair exhibiting early signs of a bullish breakout. Ripple’s RLUSD integration could boost XRP priceRipple’s integration of its RLUSD stablecoin into its cross-border payments system, Ripple Payments, could significantly boost XRP’s price by enhancing its utility and liquidity. On April 2, Ripple, the company behind XRP, announced that it had integrated its stablecoin into the company's cross-border payments system to boost adoption for Ripple USD (RLUSD).RLUSD, a USD-pegged stablecoin launched in December 2024, complements XRP by providing stability for transactions, while XRP serves as a fast, liquid bridge currency. This dual-asset strategy targets the $230 billion cross-border payments market, and ims to increase demand for both assets. Source: X / RippleRLUSD’s market cap now stands at $244 million, with 87% growth in March alone, according to data from rwa.xyz. As adoption grows, financial institutions using Ripple Payments may rely more on XRP for liquidity, especially in volatile corridors. Pairing RLUSD with XRP on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and exchanges could drive trading volume and activity on XRPL’s decentralized exchange, tightening XRP’s supply. Positive sentiment from RLUSD’s success could also lift XRP’s value, with analysts suggesting increased adoption might push XRP toward $3.50 or higher.“Ripple's $RLUSD integration is a pivotal move for cross-border payments,” said crypto market insights provider Alva in an April 3 post on X.As a result, “optimism around $RLUSD soaring, with eyes on its ripple effect on XRP,” Alva said, adding:“Overall: A solid play for strengthening Ripple's ecosystem and pushing stablecoin adoption forward. Get ready for potential shifts!”Related:  How many US dollars does XRP transfer per day?XRP pattern points to $3.51 targetXRP’s price action between Jan. 16 and April 3 has led to the formation of a symmetrical triangle pattern on the daily chart. The price is retesting the lower trendline of the triangle at $1.98, suggesting that a rebound could be in the making.Note that the price has successfully rebounded from this trendline two to three times in the past, with each retest leading to a significant price recovery.If a similar scenario plays out, XRP could recover from current levels and with good volumes, it may break above the triangle’s descending trendline at $2.40 (embraced by the 50-day SMA).The target is set by the distance between the triangle’s lowest and highest points, which would bring XRP price to $3.51, an approximate 73% gain from the current price.XRP/USD daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewSeveral analysts also share similar bullish outlooks for the altcoin, citing XRP’s adoption, chart technicals and the end of Ripple’s long-standing case with the SEC as the reasons. Citing a chart similar to the one shared above, XRP investor Steph Is Crypto said the price was “heavily compressing” before a massive breakout. “This breakout will create many new millionaires!”Using Elliott Wave theory, crypto analyst Dark Defender shared an optimistic price prediction for XRP, saying that the token’s correction in the monthly timeframe “will be over within weeks.”His targets remain between $5 and $18 in the medium and long term.When #XRP hit $3.3999, we set a 5 Elliott Wave Structure and explained that XRP completed the Monthly 3rd Wave and entered into correction, Wave 4.We set the Wave 4 dip with a precision of $2.02.B is in action; we also have precise levels for B Wave. While everybody… pic.twitter.com/CVlrkaVged— Dark Defender (@DefendDark) April 2, 2025According to CasiTrades, the XRP’s relative strength index shows a bullish divergence on multiple timeframes and this signals a price bottom, and an upside target of $3.80.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.