Crypto Market Pulse: Key Takeaways from Calendar Week 30 – 2025
Bitcoin dodges bears as institutional inflows hit 2025 highs—but can the rally outlast the Fed's next move?
DeFi's 'summer lull' narrative shattered by a surprise 47% spike in Layer-2 volumes. Meanwhile, NFT floor prices keep bleeding like a post-halving miner's margins.
Regulatory rumble: SEC delays another ETF decision, because why give Wall Street easy access when you can milk the drama?
Closing thought: If 'number go up' is your thesis, maybe diversify beyond that memecoin bag before the next leverage flush.
Trillion-dollar market gains crypto access
According to reports, Donald Trump plans to open the $9 trillion US retirement market to investments in cryptocurrencies, gold, and private equity. An upcoming executive order is expected to allow 401(k) plans to expand beyond traditional investments such as stocks and bonds to include alternative assets. US citizens can choose between 401(k) plans, IRAs, Roth IRAs, and pension funds for their retirement savings. A 401(k) is a tax-advantaged retirement account supported by employers and often includes matching contributions. It roughly corresponds to the second pillar in Switzerland, while IRAs are comparable to the third pillar and offer individual retirement planning options. Providers like Fidelity already offer niche solutions for crypto investments within these frameworks. However, these products are limited in availability and typically capped at a small portfolio share. The Trump administration has already taken initial steps to ease regulations for crypto investments in retirement accounts. The executive order aims to accelerate this process.
Ethereum benefits from regulatory progress
Last week, the US Congress passed the GENIUS Act, introducing clear regulations for stablecoins for the first time. The legislation requires full reserves and removes compliant issuers from the oversight of the SEC and CFTC. At the same time, the House of Representatives is working on bills to strengthen crypto market structure (CLARITY Act) and to ban a central bank digital currency (CBDC). These developments primarily benefit alternative digital assets (altcoins), which serve as the technological foundation for stablecoins, real-world assets (RWAs), and DeFi applications. Ethereum, the leading platform for institutional blockchain applications, has surged by over 50% since the beginning of the month.
US aims to ban CBDCs
Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are digital forms of government-issued currencies, issued directly by central banks. There are two types: retail CBDCs for individuals and wholesale CBDCs for banks and institutional users. Countries like China have been testing them for years, while the EU, India, and Brazil are working on concrete implementations and legal frameworks. CBDCs are considered attractive for faster transactions, improved financial inclusion, and more efficient monetary policy. At the same time, criticism is growing – mainly due to concerns over privacy intrusion, risks to banking system stability, and cybersecurity. In the US, the House of Representatives aims to block the introduction of a CBDC with new legislation.
History of the XRP Ledger
Also: The XRP Ledger was founded in 2012 by computer engineers David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb, and Arthur Britto. The project initially launched under the names Newcoin, later Opencoin and Ripple Labs, before settling on Ripple in 2015. Since then, Ripple has repeatedly faced legal challenges. James Butterfill, Head of Research at CoinShares, examines the project’s development and its current status.
