Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin Amsterdam: Focus on BTC fundamentals, says Edward Snowden

“We’re contorting ourselves to pass through the keyhole of tyranny.” Edward Snowden’s words to the audience at the packed Genesis Stage hall at Bitcoin Amsterdam stressed the preeminent cryptocurrency’s ever-increasing importance in a world beset by creeping government surveillance, devaluing fiat currencies and restrictive policies.
The renowned whistleblower’s address summed up a recurring theme during the conference, driving home the role of decentralized protocols like Bitcoin and Nostr in giving individuals some control over their wealth and privacy.
Cointelegraph spoke to prominent Bitcoin developers, investors, builders and supporters attending the two-day conference at the picturesque Westerpark neighborhood in Amsterdam. Amid the ongoing cryptocurrency bear market, the event attracted a couple of thousand attendees searching for the latest news and insights in the Bitcoin (BTC) industry.

While many prominent figures highlighted the value proposition of Bitcoin as a store of value against the diminishing purchasing power of fiat currencies, Snowden was critical of the continual focus on the value of BTC over its importance as a decentralized tool:
“We are all part of a bigger game, and Bitcoin is one of the strongest levers in that. The systems that we are influencing, that we are exerting leverage on, [such as] payments and finance, will shape what the world of tomorrow looks like.“
Snowden’s address arguably attracted the biggest gathering of visitors during the conference, as he revisited Bitcoin’s role in his journey rebelling against the United States government and its wanton surveillance of citizens.
In 2013, Snowden used Bitcoin to pay for the servers that hosted classified information sent to journalists that would reveal the National Security Agency’s overreach into the lives of American citizens. As Snowden elaborated, Bitcoin’s growing prominence has led to increasing opposition from governments, lawmakers and legacy financial institutions.
“We don’t want to focus on things like ETFs [exchange-traded funds]; we need to focus on the fundamentals.”
Snowden added that the potential influence of Bitcoin ETFs on the value of the cryptocurrency represents “subordination, a kind of subjugation, a process of taming” that is being played out by institutions that regulate traditional financial spheres.
Snowden also shared his belief that Bitcoin has “a privacy problem,” highlighting the emergence of obfuscation tools like CoinJoin and mixers as important but equally indicative of the pressure facing the decentralized protocol.
“Acting in secret is not freedom. The necessity of CoinJoins and so on — that is because you are unfree. Proof of funds is proof of unfreedom.”
Snowden said that society needs to stop asking for permission by continuing to innovate with the creation of decentralized tools that do not heed the powers that be, referring to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s actions against the wider cryptocurrency space in 2023 as a prime example of the control that currently exists:
“All of the people tracking price and looking at headlines involving the SEC, Gary Gensler is not daddy Bitcoin, I don’t really care what he thinks, and I don’t think you should either.“
The whistleblower also tipped his hat to the creation of Nostr, which he described as powerful in conceptualizing the integration of free speech and free trade. The creators of Nostr would later unpack the genesis of the platform at the conference, which also drew a significant crowd.
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Cryptocurrency
UFC Legend Conor McGregor Wants a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve in Ireland

Conor McGregor, the 36-year-old UFC legend with 22 wins and 6 losses, has urged his homeland to become a crypto hub by implementing a digital asset reserve.
He asserted that crypto in its origin was “founded to give power back to the people,” and noted that he will co-host a Twitter (X) space to “talk about what I want to see changed.”
Crypto in it’s origin was founded to give power back to the people.
An Irish Bitcoin strategic reserve will give power to the people’s money.
I will be cohosting a Twitter space to talk about what I want to see changed.
Victory to Ireland!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 9, 2025
While he spoke about both crypto and Bitcoin in terms of Irish reserve, many of the comments below his original post urged him and his country to focus only on the largest digital asset.
Anthony Pompliano was among the first to pick up McGregor’s call for a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve in Ireland and, expectedly, praised the move.
The notion of countries adopting BTC as a strategic reserve asset has been talked about for years within the community. However, it was just a distant dream until very recently.
The idea is that bitcoin has similar qualities like gold, and the yellow metal used to back numerous fiat currencies and is still held en mass by numerous central banks. So, why not BTC, right?
Well, the critics have argued for the past few years that bitcoin is too young and volatile and hasn’t matured yet to be in such a responsible position. After the US elections, though, the tides have turned.
Current US President Donald Trump has dabbled with the idea of establishing a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve in the country, and there are multiple discussions on the matter among different countries. Although it still feels too early, as most are just that – discussions or blatant rejections – it could be considered as a move in the right direction. It has to start from somewhere, right?
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Cryptocurrency
Ripple’s Price Underperforms, But Here’s Some Really Good News for XRP

TL;DR
- Ripple Labs received some good news this past week from the SEC, but the native token hasn’t really picked up the pace, unlike many of its rivals.
- Now, though, analysts tend to believe that the asset is due for some big gains.
The broader crypto market was revived in the past week as bitcoin finally broke above $100,000 and tapped a new multi-month peak at over $104,000. Many altcoins, such as DOGE, SOL, and HYPE, posted impressive gains, and so did ETH. In fact, Ethereum’s weekly increase stands at over 31%.
At the same time, XRP is also in the green, of course, but its weekly surge stands at just over 9%. On a monthly scale, it has added 21% (impressive, yes) but nowhere near as notable as ETH’s 54% surge or even BTC’s 28% jump.
What’s even more surprising is that the SEC officially filed for a settlement in the legal case against Ripple Labs and wants just a $50 million penalty payment, which is a fraction of the $2 billion it initially asked for.
Nevertheless, XRP still managed to break through an important resistance set at $2.26 and closed well above it on the daily. The short-term target for the asset is at $2.6, said Ali Martinez, who posted an update today with even more good news for XRP’s future price performance.
The analyst with over 137,000 followers on X said the SuperTrend Indicator had just flashed a buy signal for XRP.
The SuperTrend indicator just flashed a buy signal for $XRP! pic.twitter.com/I6X7crn1zE
— Ali (@ali_charts) May 10, 2025
Chad Steingraber found some similarities between the current market structure and the events that transpired in January. At the time, XRP’s Open Interest soared to almost $5 billion, and its price skyrocketed from $2.3 to roughly $3.4 within a week. Now, the Open Interest is close to those levels.
XRP Open Interest building up to $4.6Billion.
It was last at this level back in January which then sent the price from $2.30 to $3.30 over the course of one week. https://t.co/SWinGvu7jY pic.twitter.com/Ax0sy93eZS
— Chad Steingraber (@ChadSteingraber) May 10, 2025
BitGuru noted that XRP had broken out of a double bottom and is “riding a strong uptrend with higher highs.” If it manages to stay above $2.23, which is far below the current price tag of $2.4, it could experience another bullish leg up, they added.
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Cryptocurrency
DOGE Explodes by 35% in 2 days But Is That Just the Start?

TL;DR
- Meme coin season seems to be returning as numerous representatives of that niche have recorded massive gains, including their leader.
- DOGE’s price has soared by double-digit on a daily, weekly, and monthly scale, but analysts seem to be aligned in thinking that this is just the start.
Recall that DOGE’s price had tumbled to a multi-month low of $0.13 just several weeks back, during the darkest hours of the Trade War between the US and essentially the rest of the world. As the global macro conditions improved, though, so did the crypto market, and Dogecoin has been among the frontrunners of gains.
Fast forward to May 8, the OG meme coin’s price stood at around $0.17. In just a short 48-hour period, its price skyrocketed by 35% to its highest levels since early March of $0.23.
Popular crypto analysts quickly picked up the move and outlined even more bullish price targets for the largest meme coin. Ali Martinez was among the more modest ones, envisioning a price surge to $0.27 as DOGE has rebounded “strongly from its ascending support trendline.”
#Dogecoin $DOGE is rebounding strongly from its ascending support trendline, eyeing a potential move toward $0.27. pic.twitter.com/E3BVdOfo2s
— Ali (@ali_charts) May 10, 2025
Satoshi Flipper was even more bullish, indicating that DOGE’s price against the dollar is “ripping” and their chart predicts a price surge toward $0.4.
Cephii told their almost 80,000 followers on X that Dogecoin will have a new floor price because of the ETFs that they believe have a “high likelihood of being approved.” They advised people to hold and continue buying if the price slips to $0.19 once again.
$doge will have a new price floor because of the ETF’s which have a high likelihood of being approved. ETF’s will result in more $doge being held indefinitely too even if they are only minimally popular. As a store of value, $doge market cap is very sensible given how well know… pic.twitter.com/EBh7Geesql
— Cephii (@Cephii1) May 10, 2025
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