Web3 personalities discuss crypto investing topics such as Bitcoin, altcoins, treasures and dark pools.
It’s still early to invest in Bitcoin
“Despite the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, Bitcoin has remained incredibly resilient over the past week, and has held above the psychologically important level of $100,000 for more than 40 days.
“(The recent) dot plot from the Federal Reserve was somewhat of a relief, with projections of two rate cuts this year alleviating fears of no more cuts at all in 2025. There is also a glimmer of hope for a resolution to the Middle East conflict.
“But beyond this short-term noise, there are even more reasons to be optimistic. BTC’s recent strength isn’t only a testament to its resilience, or its growing appeal as a safe-haven asset, but also its growing importance as an alternative to the devaluing US dollar and a legitimate long-term treasury asset.
“With both corporations and governments pouring billions into Bitcoin treasuries, led by Michael Saylor himself with his most recent $1.05 billion purchase, it is no wonder BTC remains firmly above $100,000. These corporations know one thing for sure – even at this level, they’re still early to the Bitcoin bandwagon.”
– Elliot Johnson, CEO of the Bitcoin Treasury Corporation (BTCT)
Bitcoin consolidating, altcoins diverging
“Despite a mildly positive inflation print in the U.S., with consumer prices rising slightly less than expected, financial markets have remained hesitant. Ongoing geopolitical tensions and renewed tariff rhetoric from Donald Trump continue to weigh on investor sentiment, preventing a clear upward breakout. Nevertheless, major U.S. equity indices remain within striking distance of their all-time highs, supported by a still accommodative macro backdrop.
“In the crypto market, Bitcoin appears to be entering a consolidation phase. From a technical standpoint, the asset has formed a potential double top on the chart, suggesting a short-term correction may be underway. Bitcoin has spent the majority of the year trading within the $90,000–$110,000 range, which may once again serve as a key support and accumulation zone before any renewed attempt at a new all-time high.
“Altcoins, on the other hand, are showing signs of divergence. Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and XRP have been trading sideways and remain significantly below their previous peaks. This subdued performance also reflects a declining short-term correlation with Bitcoin. However, Solana stands out as a coin with potential upside, particularly if speculation around a forthcoming ETF approval translates into fresh capital inflows.
“Meanwhile, gold prices are showing strength and appear poised to challenge new all-time highs. This reflects continued demand for safe-haven assets across both institutional and retail portfolios. The sustained bid in gold reinforces broader market concerns about persistent global economic risks despite the relatively stable inflation outlook.”
– Ruslan Lienkha, chief of markets, YouHodler
Bybit Solana DEX
“The launch of Byreal on Solana marks a truly innovative moment for crypto. Interest in decentralized finance (DeFi) is booming, with recent figures showing decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume growing 460% since 2023, while active DeFi loans have risen 357% as the supply of stablecoins has nearly doubled.
“To see a centralized exchange giant like Bybit weigh in on DeFi with its own DEX is a big moment. Bybit is one of only a handful of projects to have even highlighted the need to bridge centralized and decentralized finance in the crypto ecosystem, let alone address it.
“Through incorporating features like request for quote and concentrated liquidity market maker rooting, Byreal will give Solana users access to deeper liquidity alongside the user-friendly experience large CEXs are known for. This is yet another milestone for a rapidly evolving financial sector coming to understand its potential and power.”
– Charles Wayn, co-founder of Web3 growth platform Galxe
Prepare for Altcoin Summer
“The stars are finally aligning for an altcoin resurgence this summer. Solana ETF approval odds have skyrocketed on Polymarket, the SEC is showing signs of openness toward DeFi, and on-chain data points to users returning to Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche.
“But don’t expect this rising tide to lift all boats. The real test now is whether projects spent the quiet months building for longevity – investing in their UX, their community, and their brand.
“The projects that kept users and investors in mind, even when the spotlight moved on, are the ones best positioned to break out. Those that coasted through the downturn may find that even a bull run can’t save a weak foundation.”
– Alice Shikova, marketing lead at digital identity platform SPACE ID
BTC treasuries
“The wave of companies building corporate Bitcoin treasuries is growing every week, to a point where critics are questioning whether some of them are simply jumping on the bandwagon for PR purposes.
“However, though we don’t know the inner motivations of every company that has recently announced a Bitcoin strategy, the logic is just as sound for a coffee chain as it is for a financial services or crypto mining company.
“Over time, Bitcoin has proven itself to be a better hedge against inflation than many other asset classes, even gold. In fact, it remains the best-performing asset over five years, up more than 1,000%, while gold has returned 92.5% over the same period. Meanwhile, the US dollar has lost more than 20% of its value over the last five years due to inflation.
“Add to this the devaluation of the greenback, with the DXY index down 9.4% over the last six months and projected to fall another 9% by this time next year by Morgan Stanley, and suddenly adding Bitcoin to a corporate treasury seems like a prudent choice.
“This trend we are seeing isn’t just a PR stunt – it’s a way to protect businesses from fiat currency devaluation and guarantee competitiveness and longevity.”
– Johnson
Bitcoin showing conflicting signs
“BTC quotes are currently in a state of uncertainty. On the one hand, many global traders are gradually withdrawing from the US currency and shifting to more risky assets, including cryptocurrencies. This has a positive effect on the BTC exchange rate.
On the other hand, the price on the BTC chart is behaving extremely erratically, and there is currently a possibility of a local price hike. There is a ‘Head and Shoulders’ picture, which, when implemented in its scenario, can lead to a correction in the price of BTC to the level of $92,000 per BTC.”
– Sergei Gorev, head of risk, YouHodler
Trump-Musk spat’s outsized crypto influence indicative of a major problem, but positives are there
“Seeing wild market swings because Elon Musk and Donald Trump are throwing punches at each other on X is both annoying and revealing. Annoying, because we’re still letting loud personalities move the market; revealing, because it shows the crypto ecosystem is still fragile and in desperate need of liquidity.
“If the crypto market reacts so violently to an emotional social media post that has nothing to do with the ecosystem itself, it clearly isn’t grounded in fundamentals. Instead, it’s still running on emotion and thin liquidity. And that needs to be fixed.
“If we zoom out and follow the serious money, it paints a very different picture. BlackRock is making real moves into tokenized assets, while JP Morgan, Citi, and Franklin Templeton are all actively planning RWA strategies. The reason they are all-in on RWA tokenization is because they understand that these assets bring reliable liquidity that is immune to intense volatility, and that’s what decentralized finance (DeFi) needs to prosper.
“We’re still a long way off a fully functional, stable global open financial system, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Assets like real estate and gold, representing more than four times global GDP, have barely started moving on-chain. When they finally do, we won’t care who’s yelling on social media, because the crypto market will have real liquidity as a foundational layer.
“Regardless of the current noise, blockchain is not going anywhere. This ecosystem will outlive both Musk and Trump, and will continue to grow and thrive. Then, with trillions of dollars in RWAs tokenized, we’ll look back at moments like this as part of the transition toward something much more solid. This noise is simply part of the ride.”
– Kevin Rusher, founder of Real World Asset (RWA) borrowing and lending ecosystem RAAC
DEX dark pools
“While ‘dark’ decentralized exchange (DEX) pools may sound intimidating, they are anything but. As CZ, the co-founder of Binance, has proposed, providing a trading environment where front-running, enormous slippage, and high trading costs are neutralized is not just essential to protect big investors, but also for the growth of decentralized finance (DeFi).
“Some might paint this as an attempt to reduce transparency, but that is misguided. Indeed, when we look at traders like James Wynn, who recently announced losses of $17.5 million due to inherent DEX vulnerabilities, we see the double-edged sword that is transparency in the DEX ecosystem.
“Dark pools, aka private decentralized trading spaces not accessible to the general investing public, are an increasing necessity for institutional investors that want, and should, be able to take advantage of the investment opportunities available in DeFi without being hunted by snipers after big arbitrage opportunities.
“And this becomes even more important at a time when we see increased DEX trading, with recent data suggesting that DEXs captured 25% of global spot crypto trading volume in May, representing an all-time high compared to centralized exchanges.
“If we want the decentralized ecosystem to grow, then it needs to become safe for large investors to operate in. Only then will it attract the liquidity and – more importantly – the stability that the DeFi and larger cryptocurrency ecosystem needs.”
– Wayn