1:00 pm ▪ 5 min reading ▪ by Luc Jose A.

Between revolutionary announcements, technological developments and regulatory turmoil, the crypto ecosystem continues to prove that it is both a land of limitless innovation and a battleground of regulatory and economic struggles. Here’s a condensed overview of last week’s most notable news surrounding Bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance, Solana, and Ripple.

Bitcoin whales control 40% of supply

Bitcoin whales, those investors who hold significant amounts of BTC, have already accumulated more than 40% of the total crypto supply. This trend, observed since mid-March, reveals an increase in these entities’ confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term potential, despite market concerns about price fluctuations. However, such concentration could lead to price manipulation and increased volatility, posing significant risks to market stability.

Binance reaches 200 million users

Binance has surpassed the 200 million user mark. Since its inception in 2017, Binance has innovated by offering diversified services, from spot trading to futures contracts and decentralized finance (DeFi). This significant milestone reflects user loyalty and trust and demonstrates Binance’s commitment to making cryptocurrencies accessible to everyone. Beyond simple exchange, Binance promotes education and innovation in the blockchain sector through initiatives such as Binance Academy and Binance Research. This impressive growth highlights the success of Binance’s vision and its pivotal role in the global adoption of cryptocurrencies.

ECB reopens the floodgates: good news for Bitcoin

The European Central Bank (ECB) decided to reduce its key interest rate from 4.50% to 4.25%, the first in five years, despite the recent increase in annual inflation. This decision aims to relaunch the European economy, facilitating access to credit, although Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, highlighted the geopolitical and economic uncertainties that could affect inflation and energy prices. This rate cut is viewed favorably for Bitcoin, providing a haven from the volatility of fiat currency. Furthermore, the ECB will begin to gradually sell the 1.85 billion euros in debt accumulated during the pandemic from July onwards, a process that will take two decades.

Robinhood acquires Bitstamp for 200 million

Robinhood announced the acquisition of Bitstamp, one of the oldest crypto exchange platforms, for $200 million. This strategic decision aims to expand Robinhood’s influence in the crypto sector despite regulatory pressures from the US SEC. Bitstamp, with its more than 50 licenses and registrations worldwide, represents a significant opportunity for Robinhood to expand its user base and attract institutional customers. This acquisition could strengthen Robinhood’s position in the global crypto market, although regulatory challenges remain. Robinhood users will benefit from a more secure and robust platform thanks to the Bitstamp integration.

Ethereum ready for Pectra in Q1 2025

Ethereum plans to release a major upgrade, Pectra, in the first quarter of 2025, promising significant improvements for users and developers. This update includes innovations such as the EVM Object Format (EOF) and EIP-7702, with the aim of increasing the security and efficiency of smart contracts while providing greater flexibility in transactions. Pectra will integrate around 19 EIPs to address issues such as high transaction fees on layer 2 platforms. The release schedule has been carefully chosen to avoid rushing before Devcon, ensuring full feature integration and effective deployment monitoring. This update is part of a broader roadmap, with planned future improvements such as the Osaka update and PeerDAS integration to improve scalability and decentralization.

Here’s this week’s essential recap. But if you want a more detailed summary and in-depth analysis straight to your inbox, don’t hesitate to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

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Lucas José A.

Graduated in Science from Toulouse and holder of a blockchain certification consultant delivered by Alyra, I am back on the Cointribune adventure in 2019. Harness the potential of blockchain to transform various sectors of the economy, and gain price engagement to raise awareness and inform the big public about this constantly evolving ecosystem. My goal is to enable you to better understand blockchain and take advantage of the opportunities it offers. I strive now to provide an objective to analyze current affairs, to decrypt market trends, to convey the latest technological innovations, and to measure in perspective the economic and social outcomes of this revolution in March.

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author and should not be considered investment advice. Do your own research before making any investment decisions.

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