Crypto is quiet... For Now: Weekly Update

This week felt like a tug-of-war between bullish dreams and macro reality. Optimism surged early as Ripple scored a legal win and Solana ETFs hit the market. But by Friday, risk-off sentiment pulled everything back. Is this the start of a healthy pullback or just the market catching its breath? Either way, traders are skittish, sentiment is mixed, and the road ahead looks bumpy.

Market Overview

• Total Market Cap: ~$2.8T
• Fear & Greed Index: ~24 (Fear)
• Bitcoin Dominance: ~59%

Markets are in limbo. Bitcoin dominance remains strong, while altcoins continue to chop. A lingering fear suggests people are still apprehensive. Overall, the market’s mood could be summed up as cautious optimism tempered by macro jitters. Traders are on alert: bullish news is emerging, but confidence is fragile after the late-week drop.

Major Asset Performance

• BTC: ~$84K (flat)
• ETH: ~$1,850 (down, ETH/BTC at multi-year low)
• XRP: Spiked to ~$2+ (legal win)
• SOL: ~$126 (volatile, ends flat)
• DOGE, ADA, BNB: Slight declines

Bitcoin (BTC) rode a rollercoaster – it climbed from the low-$80Ks back toward $88K mid-week, only to sink back to about $84K after Friday’s dump​. Essentially, all its weekly gains were wiped out, leaving BTC roughly flat over the period. Ethereum (ETH) lagged notably: it’s ending near $1,850 per coin and actually lost ground both in USD and against BTC (hitting a five-year low in BTC terms)​.

Investors appear to be parking value in Bitcoin for now, at Ether’s expense. Solana (SOL) was choppy as well – despite some bullish buzz (new ETFs, see below), SOL is around $126 today, not far from where it started. It seems the Solana news was a wash price-wise after some mid-week volatility. The standout was XRP, which surged on the Ripple court news to around $2+ – making it briefly the 3rd-largest crypto by market cap​. XRP’s double-digit percentage jump gave the altcoin market a jolt of energy.

Ripple Beats the SEC

Crypto legal victory of the year? It certainly felt that way when Ripple Labs triumphed over the U.S. SEC this week. Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced that the SEC is dropping its appeal in the long-running case – effectively ending the 4+ year battle over XRP’s status​.“This is it – the moment we’ve been waiting for. The SEC will drop its appeal – a resounding victory for Ripple, for crypto, every way you look at it,” Garlinghouse proclaimed on X​.The news came during a major industry summit and was met with cheers in the crypto community. Within an hour, XRP’s price spiked ~9%, and by the next day XRP had leapfrogged to become the third-largest crypto asset at a $146B market cap​.Community reaction was jubilant – not just among XRP holders (the self-proclaimed “XRP Army”), but across crypto, many saw it as a win for the entire industry against regulatory overreach.

Project Spotlight – Keeta

Keeta is a next-gen Layer 1 blockchain designed to compete with Ripple in cross-border payments. Built from the ground up with high throughput and interoperability in mind, Keeta claims settlement times under 400 milliseconds and is said to process up to 10 million transactions per second.

Keeta aims to unify disparate payment networks, allowing digital assets to flow directly across blockchains without intermediaries. It features a robust compliance layer with native identity verification and support for regulatory requirements, making it attractive to institutions.

The Keeta token (KTA) has drawn attention recently after reports of investment from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, sending the price surging.

With Ripple facing regulatory hurdles and legacy limitations, Keeta markets itself as a faster, more modern alternative — one designed for both compliance and scale. If it gains traction with banks or fintech firms, it could become a key competitor for crypto payment infrastructure.

Pros: Blazing fast settlement, cross-chain support, compliance-ready.Cons: Still early-stage, institutional traction TBD, needs adoption to prove out.

Solana's Ad Controversy

Solana's Foundation posted (then deleted) an ad that took aim at gender identity, sparking backlash. CEO Anatoly Yakovenko issued a public apology, vowing to stay out of culture wars. A PR misfire, but the quick response helped restore some community trust.

Brazil Eyes Bitcoin Reserves

Brazil is considering adding Bitcoin to its sovereign reserves, with a proposed bill suggesting a 5% BTC allocation. If passed, this could mark the first time a G20 nation formally backs Bitcoin at scale — and a huge signal of long-term adoption.

Recommended Resource / Deep Dive

"State of Stablecoins 2025" by Artemis & Dune Covers the 63% YoY growth of stablecoin supply and why it matters. Essential reading for understanding the stablecoin layer powering crypto markets.

Closing Thoughts

A chaotic week with both big wins and some cautionary tales. Ripple's victory, Brazil's BTC buzz, and Solana's ETF moment all point to rising legitimacy — but sentiment remains fragile.

Stay sharp, stay skeptical, and see you next week.