Minseung Kang

Bitcoin (BTC) briefly slipped below $70,000. As of 22:38 on the 10th, BTC was trading at $69,754, up 1.33% from the previous day on Binance’s USDT market. (₩102.26 million on the Upbit exchange). Meanwhile, according to CrypPrice, the “kimchi premium” for major virtual assets (cryptocurrencies) including Bitcoin (BTC) stood at -0.34% on the day.

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum (ETH), argued that Ethereum’s staking architecture should be simplified to lower barriers to participation. According to Coinpedia, a cryptocurrency-focused media outlet, on the 10th, Buterin noted that staking infrastructure has recently become overly complex, limiting participation by retail users and institutions. He said, "The goal of this project is to make it as easy as possible for institutions to run decentralized staking—effectively in one click." The Ethereum Foundation is currently testing a new staking system based on distributed validator technology (DVT), using roughly 72,000 ETH. The technology is designed to enable validator nodes to be operated in a distributed manner across multiple computers rather than on a single server. Under this approach, users do not need to build complex infrastructure to run a staking node. Participants choose a computer on which to run the node and generate a configuration file, after which the system automatically handles network connections, validator operations, and other tasks. Buterin also pointed to the perception that running blockchain infrastructure is an area only experts or specialized organizations can manage as a problem. He said, "The idea that running infrastructure is very hard and something only experts can do runs counter to the spirit of decentralization." Over the long term, he said it could also be possible to run a node and start staking with a single command via simple deployment tools such as Docker. Meanwhile, participation in Ethereum staking remains elevated. About 3.2 million ETH are currently in the validator entry queue, with the average waiting time around 55 days. Across the network, roughly 37.5 million ETH are staked, equivalent to about 31% of Ethereum’s total supply.

XRP is holding within a defined price range and continues to trade sideways despite institutional outflows. According to crypto-focused media outlet BeInCrypto on the 10th, XRP has remained in a range between $1.31 and $1.43 even as roughly $30 million in institutional investment funds flowed out over the past week. Institutional investors are said to have pulled about $30 million from XRP last week. Over the same period, XRP was reportedly the only major altcoin to see fund outflows. A similar trend was seen in the ETF market. XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded outflows of about $22 million last week, with an additional roughly $18 million exiting early this week. On-chain data, however, point to accumulation led by retail investors. Indicators tracking changes in exchange balances show XRP has been steadily leaving exchanges over the past 30 days. Meanwhile, when crypto moves from exchanges to external wallets, it is generally interpreted not as preparation to sell but as a transfer for long-term holding. This can reduce potential sellable supply in the market and support price stability.

The cryptocurrency market’s total capitalization staged a sharp rebound, rising by about $140bn in a single day. According to crypto-focused outlet Finbold on the 10th, the total crypto market cap was estimated at about $2.41tn. That marks an increase of roughly $140bn from the past 24 hours’ low of about $2.27tn. The rebound was led by gains in major large-cap tokens. Bitcoin rose about 4.74% to $70,862, keeping its market cap around $1.4tn. Ethereum climbed about 3.40% to $2,063, bringing its market cap close to about $248.9bn. Elsewhere, BNB advanced to about $647.76 and XRP to about $1.41, with market caps of roughly $88.3bn and $86.1bn, respectively. Markets say improved risk sentiment was driven by expectations that tensions in the Middle East may ease. Analysts point to comments by President Donald Trump suggesting that Iran-related conflict could end soon, helping to temper anxiety around global risk assets. Easing geopolitical stress also pushed oil prices lower and left the dollar slightly softer—factors seen as supportive for risk assets such as crypto. Derivatives market positioning further amplified the upswing. With investors having built substantial short positions amid geopolitical risks and macro uncertainty, the initial price move triggered liquidations, resulting in a short squeeze, according to analysts. Expectations of changes in the US regulatory environment also appear to have buoyed sentiment. As discussion advances around the Clarity Act and stablecoin-related legislation, hopes have risen that regulatory uncertainty in the crypto market could ease. Still, some in the market argue that the rebound looks more like a technical bounce driven by short covering and improved sentiment than fresh inflows. Volatility may persist depending on concerns over slowing global growth, geopolitical variables and the direction of monetary policy.

The Winklevoss twins have reportedly moved Bitcoin they held to an exchange wallet. According to BlockBeats, a crypto-focused media outlet, blockchain data analytics platform Arkham Intelligence said on X (formerly Twitter) that the Winklevoss twins have transferred about $130 million worth of Bitcoin to Gemini’s exchange hot wallet since last week. Arkham Intelligence said the transfer could be preparation for a sale. The twins were previously known to have held Bitcoin equivalent to about 1% of the total circulating supply at one point. They are still holding Bitcoin worth about $764 million, and their cumulative investment gains in Bitcoin are estimated at around $1.8 billion.

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), the largest publicly listed holder of Bitcoin (BTC), has reportedly made additional Bitcoin purchases using funds raised through preferred share issuance. According to CoinDesk, a crypto-focused media outlet, Strategy is estimated to have recently bought about 1,420 bitcoins with proceeds secured through the issuance of its perpetual preferred stock, STRC. STRC is a perpetual preferred stock product introduced in July last year as part of Strategy’s effort to finance Bitcoin purchases. Trading volume in STRC was tallied at about $300 million on the day, far exceeding the roughly $124 million average daily volume over the past 30 days. The estimate was calculated based on the size of At-the-Market (ATM) share issuance executed in the market. The methodology assumes that 40% of trading volume above $100 million reflects ATM issuance, then estimates the Bitcoin purchase amount after excluding broker fees of about 2.5%. Strategy also bought about 18,000 bitcoins worth roughly $1.3 billion last week. Strategy describes STRC as having a structure similar to a short-term, high-yield savings product. The company recently raised STRC’s dividend rate to 11.5%, and the preferred shares pay monthly cash dividends. Strategy also said in a recent filing that it revised its sales agreement to allow multiple sales agents to sell the same securities in a single day, including during off-exchange hours. The move is intended to enable additional trade execution in premarket or after-hours sessions. Meanwhile, Strategy shares rose about 3% in premarket trading on the day to around $143 per share.

Robert Kiyosaki, the bestselling author of 'Rich Dad Poor Dad', renewed his warning of a potential shock to global financial markets and recommended holding tangible assets such as gold, silver and Bitcoin (BTC). According to The Crypto Basic, a digital-asset news outlet, Kiyosaki said in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), “Hold assets such as gold, silver, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stakes in actively operating oil wells.” He argued that the global financial system remains fragile, and mentioned the possibility that a large-scale financial market shock could occur around 2026. Kiyosaki previously projected the possibility of the biggest stock market crash in history in his 2013 book 'Rich Dad’s Prophecy'. Kiyosaki claimed that “the structural problems exposed by the 2008 global financial crisis were not properly resolved,” adding that “those vulnerabilities still remain in the financial system.” He specifically pointed to the private credit market as the epicenter of the next financial shock. He warned that “if problems arise in the private credit market, it could deliver a swift and major shock to the entire financial system.” On asset-defense strategy, he stressed that “tangible assets such as gold and silver, along with Bitcoin and Ethereum, are likely to hold their value during periods of economic instability.” He also described silver to individual investors as a relatively accessible investment asset. He explained that “you can start investing by buying ‘junk silver’ such as old silver coins for about $10.”

Hyperliquid’s native token, HYPE, is rebounding as trading volume surges on major exchanges. According to crypto-focused outlet U.Today on the 10th, HYPE’s trading volume rose about 178% over the past 24 hours. Over the same period, the price also jumped 12%, climbing to around $34. The rally is seen as stemming from a breakout above a recent technical resistance zone alongside increased derivatives trading. HYPE appears to have strengthened its upside momentum after breaking above the $30–$32 resistance band that had previously capped gains. Derivatives activity also climbed sharply. Hyperliquid’s futures trading volume totaled about $2.85 billion in a single day, pointing to rising speculative demand. Some analysts also say the upswing accelerated as certain short positions were forcibly liquidated during the move.

The total market capitalization of stablecoins climbed to a record $312.4 billion. Among them, the Sky (SKY) Protocol’s stablecoin USDS is growing rapidly and expanding its market share. According to crypto-focused outlet BlockBeats on the 10th, based on DefiLlama data, the total stablecoin market cap stood at about $312.4 billion as of that day. This marks an all-time high. Over the past week, the stablecoin market cap increased by about 1.18%. By market share, Tether (USDT) accounted for about 58.9%, the largest portion, followed by Circle’s USDC at about 25%. Sky Protocol’s stablecoin USDS has recently seen a sharp increase in issuance. USDS supply rose about 26.7% over the past month, and its current market cap is about $7.92 billion, with market share around 2.5%. Sky Protocol’s revenue metrics are also rising quickly. Recently, daily protocol fees were about $1.1 million, daily protocol revenue about $600,000, and annualized protocol revenue is estimated at about $211 million. Meanwhile, Sky Protocol’s yield-bearing stablecoin sUSDS posted a roughly 14.6% increase in TVL (total value locked) over the past seven days to about $6.06 billion, ranking first in the market. Ethena’s sUSDE followed at about $3.53 billion. A yield-bearing stablecoin refers to a stablecoin that generates interest simply by being held, beyond merely being pegged to $1.

Bitcoin (BTC) briefly recovered $71,000. As of 17:35 on the 10th, BTC is trading at $70,986, up 4.66% from the previous day on Binance’s USDT market (₩103.78 million on Upbit). Meanwhile, according to Crypprice on the day, the kimchi premium for major virtual assets (cryptocurrencies) including Bitcoin (BTC) stands at -0.47%.

Veteran trader Peter Brandt, known for accurately calling Bitcoin’s (BTC) 2018 crash, has pointed to the potential for further gains ahead. According to crypto-focused outlet U.Today on the 10th, Brandt said in a recently released analysis of Bitcoin’s long-term chart that “a substantial portion of selling pressure has been exhausted following the sharp decline in late January and early February this year,” adding that “the market is showing a gradual basing process within a volatile range-bound phase.” He explained that “rather than a sharp V-shaped rebound, Bitcoin is building a base in the form of a gentle rising channel,” and that “even during the recent pullback, the price reached precisely the lower support zone of the long-term uptrend curve.” Brandt analyzed that “this support zone has historically acted as a floor before the start of major rallies,” and that “the current short-term basing process is unfolding above the long-term support line.” He cautioned, however, that “Bitcoin is still in the phase of testing the upper end of the recent range near $70,000, so the uptrend has not been confirmed,” adding that “whether it rises further will depend on a breakout of this level and market momentum.”

An analysis suggests that Bitcoin (BTC) is increasingly likely to return to the $70,000–$80,000 price range after holding key support levels despite recent geopolitical tensions and a broader pullback in global financial markets. On the 10th, crypto-asset (cryptocurrency) services firm Matrixport said in a market analysis posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “Bitcoin has broadly remained range-bound since early February,” adding that “even as geopolitical tensions have risen, U.S. employment indicators have weakened, and global equities have generally undergone a correction, Bitcoin is still showing strong resilience.” It continued, “Despite a sharp jump in international oil prices over the weekend, Bitcoin fell only to around the $66,000 support level, and that price zone continues to act as support,” explaining that “the likelihood is gradually increasing that Bitcoin will regain bullish momentum and return to the $70,000–$80,000 trading range.” Matrixport added that as the market gradually absorbs the Iran-related geopolitical shock, Bitcoin may be able to recover back to the upper trading range.

The Flow (FLOW) Foundation has filed for a court injunction to block domestic crypto exchanges from ending trading support, as the token’s price posts a sharp short-term surge. According to industry sources on the 10th, the Flow Foundation on the 9th filed an application with the Seoul Central District Court for an injunction to suspend the effectiveness of delisting measures, requesting that Upbit, Bithumb and other domestic exchanges halt their decisions to end trading support for FLOW. The scheduled date for the end of trading support is the 16th. The news sent FLOW sharply higher. According to CoinMarketCap, FLOW was trading at $0.06231 as of the day, up about 50.28% over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the foundation said trading support for FLOW remains in place as normal on major global exchanges. It added that Binance recently announced a joint resolution plan with the Flow Foundation and removed its monitoring tag, and that HTX has confirmed the same measure.

All of the roughly 320 bitcoins (BTC) that were recovered after being stolen during access to a phishing site have been sold and transferred to the state treasury. According to the industry on the 10th, the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office is said to have sold, in stages over about 11 days from the 24th of last month through the 6th, 320.88 bitcoins it recovered last month, transferring a total of KRW 31.58863 billion to the state treasury. The bitcoins were assets prosecutors had seized and kept in custody as criminal proceeds. However, circumstances indicating they were stolen and moved outside during access to a phishing site in August last year were reportedly confirmed. After identifying the theft, prosecutors pinpointed the wallet to which the bitcoins had been moved and, in cooperation with domestic and overseas virtual-asset exchanges, blocked transactions. They then succeeded in recovering the assets on the 19th of last month. Meanwhile, prosecutors are conducting an investigation into the operator of the phishing site and related domain registration firms, among others.