XRP’s on-chain story strengthened even as its price stayed stuck in neutral on Dec. 31, 2025 — trading around $1.87 — suggesting adoption advanced quietly beneath the surface.
What changed under the hood
- XRPL’s real-world asset (RWA) activity surged nearly 18% over the prior 30 days, making it the second-fastest-growing RWA network (behind Canton) and outpacing Ethereum, Solana and Avalanche in relative expansion. This points to growing adoption of tokenized finance and compliance-focused use cases.
- Exchange reserves plunged to roughly 1.6 billion XRP, a seven-year low down from about 3.76 billion in October, shrinking the immediate sell-side supply. Source: Glassnode
- U.S. spot XRP ETFs continued steady accumulation, recording roughly $15 million in daily inflows and extending a multi-week streak that likely helped absorb tokens pulled off exchanges.
Derivative and price structure
- Binance orderbook data showed dense unclaimed liquidity concentrated above $2.50–$3.20, areas where leveraged positions and liquidation interest cluster — effectively forming overhead resistance. Source: Steph Is Crypto
- Since mid-November, XRP traded in a fairly tight channel between $1.73 (support) and $2.32 (resistance). Momentum indicators reflected indecision: RSI sat near neutral and MACD signals were mixed. Source: TradingView
How these signals fit together
- The convergence of shrinking exchange supply, steady ETF demand and accelerating XRPL infrastructure suggests institutional and compliance-oriented adoption is rising even while spot price remains range-bound.
- Infrastructure-led adoption has historically preceded price discovery, but any meaningful breakout would likely require broader market liquidity and expanding traded volume to overcome concentrated overhead liquidity and mixed momentum.
Bottom line
XRP appears to be consolidating amid tighter supply and growing institutional participation — a setup that could set the stage for a move if broader liquidity and volume return. For now, price action remains muted while on-chain and derivatives dynamics quietly realign.
Disclaimer:
AMBCrypto's content is informational and not investment advice. Cryptocurrency trading is high-risk; readers should do their own research before making decisions. © 2026 AMBCrypto
CZ: Pakistan Racing to Crypto Leadership as PVARA Issues NOCs, Plans Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
CZ: Pakistan Racing to Crypto Leadership as PVARA Issues NOCs, Plans Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
Headline: Why CZ says Pakistan is racing to the front of the crypto world Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) landed in Pakistan this week with a message: the country is no longer a bystander in the crypto story — it’s accelerating toward leadership. His visit came as Pakistan rolls out major regulatory changes and the newly formed Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) issued its first-ever No Objection Certificates (NOCs), a tangible signal that regulation and market activity are finally converging. Fresh off a high-profile U.S. pardon, CZ argued that Pakistan’s combination of a young, fast-growing crypto user base and rapid policy moves gives it a rare chance to “leapfrog” legacy financial systems. “If we keep moving at this speed in five years, Pakistan will be one of the crypto leaders in the world,” he said. On capital flight and policy Addressing a perennial concern for emerging markets — capital flight — CZ offered a contrarian take. He warned that heavy-handed restrictions can backfire: “If you cannot take money out, foreign investments are unlikely to put money in.” His prescription is economic growth: make staying more profitable than leaving. He also suggested that regulators don’t have to choose between security and innovation — traditional banking tools like transaction limits and KYC can be mirrored in crypto to protect users without choking progress. CZ’s personal endorsement CZ underscored his confidence not just with words but with lifestyle. He described living outside the fiat system, using crypto for everyday expenses and earning in Bitcoin (BTC) and Binance Coin (BNB), positioning himself as a proof point for a future “governed by code rather than central bank policy.” “The crypto system has more volatility versus fiat… but if you look at the long term—10, 20, 50 years—crypto is going up,” he said. A government-level pivot: the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve CZ’s visit coincided with a major domestic development: Bilal bin Saqib, CEO of the Pakistani Crypto Council (PCC), announced plans to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR). That move — coupled with PVARA’s initial NOCs — signals that Pakistan’s public and private sectors are actively building crypto infrastructure and policy frameworks rather than merely tolerating informal markets. What it means Taken together, regulatory action, public endorsements from major industry figures, and nascent sovereign-level initiatives suggest Pakistan is shifting from cautious experimentation to deliberate adoption. If momentum holds, Pakistan may become a regional — if not global — example of how emerging economies can pair regulatory oversight with rapid crypto-driven innovation. Disclaimer: This content is informational only and not investment advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves high risk. Do your own research before making financial decisions.
Toncoin Rallies as Telegram Brings U.S. Self-Custodial Wallet — TVL and Liquidity Still Lag
Toncoin Rallies as Telegram Brings U.S. Self-Custodial Wallet — TVL and Liquidity Still Lag
Toncoin gains momentum as Telegram brings self-custodial wallet to U.S.—but liquidity lags Toncoin (TON) is picking up steam after a strong week of price action and a high-profile product rollout. With Telegram launching the network’s self-custodial wallet for U.S. users, interest is rising — and the market is responding. Price and technical picture - TON jumped nearly 10% over the past week after buyers re-entered following a mid-month dip. The token bounced from the $1.45–$1.50 zone and pushed toward $1.63, clearing short-term resistance (TradingView). - Momentum indicators have turned more supportive: RSI has improved, the MACD has flipped bullish, and price has trended toward the upper Bollinger Band, signaling rising volatility. It’s not an explosive rally yet, but the setup suggests upside may continue if volume follows. Why the catalyst matters Telegram’s U.S. rollout lets millions of users send, swap and store crypto natively inside a mainstream messaging app. The integration includes access to TON, Tether’s USDT, NFTs and other services within the Telegram ecosystem (announcement via X). Few blockchains have seen such seamless friction reduction into everyday apps — that utility could help drive sustained on-chain activity. On-chain and DeFi metrics - Total value locked (TVL) in TON’s DeFi ecosystem remains modest, around $85 million at the time of writing — well below the protocol’s previous highs (DeFiLlama). Large capital inflows haven’t arrived in force yet. - Stablecoin supply on TON is robust, hovering near $960 million, and daily app revenue and network fees are steady. Those figures point to active usage even if long-term liquidity locking is still limited. Bottom line Telegram’s wallet rollout is a clear adoption milestone for TON, and recent technicals support a near-term bullish bias. However, capital hasn’t fully followed the on-chain activity—liquidity and TVL remain subdued. If usage continues to rise inside Telegram and larger investors take notice, TON’s fundamentals could strengthen further. Disclaimer: This content is informational and should not be taken as investment advice. Cryptocurrency trading carries high risk; do your own research before making any decisions.
Institutions Tiptoe Back as Dollar Liquidity Recovers — Could Q1 2026 Spark a Crypto Breakout?
Institutions Tiptoe Back as Dollar Liquidity Recovers — Could Q1 2026 Spark a Crypto Breakout?
Headline: Institutions tiptoe back as global dollar liquidity turns — could Q1 2026 be the breakout? Institutions quietly re-entered the market on Dec. 30, signaling that the “crypto winter” narrative may be losing steam as global dollar liquidity shows signs of recovery. BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes says this shift is more than noise: he argues the aggressive contraction in dollar liquidity that pressured risk assets throughout 2025 bottomed in November, and liquidity is now beginning to creep higher — effectively handing a green light to the “money printer” thesis. On-chain analysts and macro commentators have picked up the same thread. Popular analyst Mister Crypto highlighted a potentially market-moving catalyst: a projected $8.165 billion liquidity injection from the Federal Reserve scheduled for Jan. 6. “We are now on the bullish side of the liquidity cycle… Quantitative Easing. Are you bullish on 2026?” he asked. ETF flows underscore the institutional pivot. After a bruising week that saw $1.12 billion in cumulative net outflows, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs snapped their losing streak on Tuesday with a sizeable $355 million inflow — erasing nearly a third of the prior week’s exits. Farside Investors’ tally shows the largest beneficiaries as: - BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT): $143.75 million - Ark 21Shares (ARKB): $109.56 million - Fidelity (FBTC): $78.59 million - Bitwise (BITB): $13.87 million - VanEck (HODL): $4.98 million - Grayscale (GBTC): $4.28 million That rebound follows a stark moment on Dec. 26, when funds lost $275.9 million — a session many viewed as the capitulation point of year-end de-risking. For December overall, spot Bitcoin ETFs shed about $744 million as investors contended with falling prices and the typical liquidity vacuum between Christmas and New Year. Spot Ether ETFs showed a similar late-month turn. After more than $196 million of outflows — including a heavy $95.5 million exit on Dec. 23 — Ethereum funds steadied on Dec. 30 with $67.8 million of net inflows. Despite these institutional inflows, price action has been cautious. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum remain in a wait-and-see mode: even as liquidity expands across major economies such as the U.S., China and Japan, BTC is still roughly 30% below its all-time high. In short, the fuel is being added to the system, but it hasn’t yet ignited a full speculative rally. Traders appear reluctant to take aggressive positions until macro signals and year-end positioning settle. What to watch in Q1 2026 - Fed liquidity operations (including the Jan. 6 injection) and whether they translate to broader risk-on flows - Continued spot ETF flows and whether Tuesday’s rebound becomes sustained - Price reaction from BTC and ETH as liquidity metrics improve Disclaimer: This article is informational and not investment advice. Trading, buying or selling cryptocurrencies carries high risk; do your own research before making any decisions. Source: AMBCrypto (reworked)
Whale Sells $330M ETH, Opens $750M Leveraged Bets — Market Split: Short Squeeze or Deeper Drop?
Whale Sells $330M ETH, Opens $750M Leveraged Bets — Market Split: Short Squeeze or Deeper Drop?
A giant whale’s big bet has the market divided: is this a catalyst for a sharp short-term bounce — or a setup for more downside? On-chain sleuths tracked a high-net-worth wallet that sold roughly $330 million of Ether and then opened nearly $750 million in leveraged long positions across Bitcoin, Ether and Solana, according to Lookonchain. The largest single exposure is a $598 million long on Ether entered at $3,147 with a liquidation price below $2,143. Lookonchain’s post lists the other legs with entry prices near BTC $87,883 and SOL $124.43. At the time of the moves, ETH was trading near $2,975. On-chain data indicates the whale is carrying almost $50 million in unrealized losses on those leveraged positions. The activity is part of a broader shift among big holders. Lookonchain and on-chain records show large flows into Ether: about $5 billion of Bitcoin was moved into ETH holdings since August, including an earlier swap that converted $2.59 billion in BTC into roughly $2.2 billion in spot ETH and a $577 million perpetual long. In one concentrated burst, nine large addresses added a combined $456 million in ETH in a single day. Analytics firm Nansen reports 19 wallets amassed a total of about 7.43 million spot ETH in recent weeks. But professional traders tell a different story. Nansen’s data also shows that high-performing traders trimmed bullish Ether exposure by $6.5 million in one day and are now net short about $121 million on ETH. The same cohort holds net short positions of roughly $192 million on Bitcoin and $74 million on Solana. That split — heavy spot accumulation by large holders versus tactical short positioning from experienced traders — leaves the market divided: spot buying can lift prices briefly, but seasoned traders appear positioned for further weakness. The broader market backdrop heightens the tension. Bitcoin and Ether failed to produce the typical year-end rally in December, a reminder of how fragile crypto markets can be when liquidity thins and risk appetite wanes. Bitcoin’s repeated attempts to reclaim key levels fell short, leaving the quarter in the red while traditional havens such as gold posted gains. Traders will now be watching whether BTC can hold key support into the new year or whether the failed rally presages a deeper reset before any sustained recovery. Takeaway: large-scale spot accumulation and a massive leveraged long by a whale could spark a short squeeze if momentum flips, but with smart-money traders positioned short and liquidity low, the easy path for a durable rally looks uncertain. Sources: Lookonchain, Nansen, TradingView.