Cryptocurrency
Usual Raises $10M in Series A Round Led by Kraken Ventures and Binance Labs

[PRESS RELEASE – Paris, France, December 23rd, 2024]
Usual, the decentralized stablecoin protocol, announces a $10M Series A funding round led by Binance Labs and Kraken Ventures, with participation from Galaxy Ventures, Guy from Ethena, Ondo, Coinbase Ventures, IOSG Ventures, OKX Ventures, Wintermute, Echo, Fasanara Digital, Symbolic Capital, Amber, GSR, Psalion, Hypersphere Ventures, Avid3, FunFair Ventures, Leadblock Partners, Phaedrus, JPEG Trading, White Loop Capital, and Krypital.
This funding milestone follows Usual’s achievements:
- Surpassing $1.4B in Total Value Locked.
- Ranking among the Top 5 stablecoins.
- Usual is the first fiat-backed stablecoin to demonstrate sustained hypergrowth since Circle.
Pioneering a New Era for Stablecoins and leading DeFi
Usual aiming to stand out with a DeFi-first spirit and an innovative model of redistributing ownership to its users. It represents a turning point for fiat-backed stablecoins, blending the security of real-world assets (RWAs) with DeFi’s composability and liquidity.
This summer, Usual became the fastest-growing stablecoin on Ethereum, achieving the first-ever hypergrowth for a fiat-backed stablecoin. By embracing synergies with projects like Ethena and Securitize (BlackRock BUIDL tokenizer), Usual is driving a new era of mature stablecoins that create meaningful opportunities for users beyond simple yield.
Notably, Usual has unlocked new avenues for collaboration with RWA tokenization platforms, as demonstrated by USYC’s growth via Usual’s ecosystem, showcasing the potential for creating real-world financial bridges in DeFi. More recently, Usual also adopted M^0 as an alternative collateral structure for its stablecoin, USD0.
Community-First Token Launch
Usual continues to push boundaries by committing 90% of its token allocation to the community. Already live on Binance’s spot market and following a successful community airdrop, Usual is now setting its sights on becoming one of the top 5 stablecoin projects.
Leadership Statements
Pierre Person, CEO and Co-Founder of Usual Labs commented on the news; “We are proud to announce this funding round, which cements Usual as one of the most promising projects of 2024 in both the stablecoin and DeFi ecosystems. This milestone will propel Usual’s expansion from DeFi into CeFi, with the support of backers who are committed to reshaping the stablecoin landscape.”
Adli Takkal Bataille, DEO and Co-Founder of Usual Lab commented on the news; “Over the past five months, Usual has demonstrated its robustness through an innovative model of value redistribution. We are bringing fiat-backed stablecoins into the DeFi era, and the next phase of our journey will accelerate this transformation, creating unprecedented opportunities for users.”
About Usual
Usual is a secure and decentralized fiat-backed stablecoin issuer that redistributes value and ownership through the $USUAL token
For more information, users can visit their website and X.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
Cryptocurrency
Ethereum Price Analysis: Can ETH Take Down This Key Resistance Level?

Ethereum recently bounced off the crucial $1.5K support level, but it’s still struggling to break through the bearish order block near the $1.8K mark. If it fails to clear this resistance, another pullback could follow.
Technical Analysis
By ShayanMarkets
The Daily Chart
The price created a clear bullish reversal pattern at the $1.5K support level and quickly rallied toward the order block located at the $1.8K mark. Meanwhile, if the market experiences a rejection from the order block, the bullish fair value gap located below the price can provide support and push the asset back higher.
With the 100-day MA taking a nosedive around the $2.2K level, this area is a probable bullish target for ETH on the daily timeframe.
The 4-Hour Chart
On the 4-hour timeframe, ETH created a clear bullish market structure shift, with the descending channel broken to the upside. An impulsive rally has taken the price from around the $1.5K area to the $1.8K level in only a few days.
The $1.8K resistance zone is a critical one, as it has previously provided support for the market several times over the last few months. Therefore, a bullish breakout above this area could be the beginning of a further bullish continuation.
Onchain Analysis
The Ethereum Open Interest chart from CryptoQuant offers valuable insight into the current derivatives market sentiment surrounding ETH.
During the last couple of cycles, Ethereum’s open interest has shown a strong correlation with price trends, rising steadily during bullish phases and dropping sharply during corrections.
In recent weeks, a slight recovery is visible. The asset has rebounded to $1.8K, and open interest is climbing again toward the $12B level. This rising open interest during a price recovery signals renewed speculative positioning, possibly anticipating a breakout or continued relief bounce.
However, considering past patterns, this also raises the risk of a volatile flush if the price stalls or reverses sharply again. Therefore, risk management will still be crucial in the coming weeks.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.
Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.
Cryptocurrency
Ripple Price Analysis: XRP Hits Key Resistance at $2.4 – Is a Drop to $2 Next?

Ripple has enjoyed a bullish rally in recent weeks, but the momentum now appears to be fading as buyers confront a significant resistance level. Technical signals suggest that the market is entering a cooling-off phase, marked by consolidation and potential short-term retracement.
XRP Analysis
By Shayan
The Daily Chart
On the daily timeframe, XRP’s uptrend has been met with strong resistance around the $2.4 mark, which also coincides with the upper boundary of a prolonged descending wedge pattern near $2.6. This zone is proving to be a robust supply region, as evidenced by the market’s inability to maintain upward momentum.
Despite the prior bullish impulse, the lack of follow-through buying and momentum at this level has triggered a mild rejection. This suggests that the recent rally may have exhausted itself for now, as buyers fail to overcome this decisive resistance.
The result is likely to be a short-term consolidation phase below the $2.4 region. This kind of corrective behavior is not unusual after a strong advance — it allows the market to digest gains, reset indicators, and potentially attract new demand before attempting another breakout.
The 4-Hour Chart
Zooming into the 4-hour timeframe, technical weakness becomes more pronounced. XRP has been rejected at the $2.4 resistance, retracing lower shortly after failing to break through.
A bearish divergence has also formed between the price and the RSI, highlighting weakening momentum even as the price tested new highs. Most critically, Ripple has broken below a prior swing low, printing a lower low, often an early signal of trend exhaustion and a potential structure shift.
This confluence of factors points toward a high probability of a retracement toward the $2 psychological level in the near term. Should demand fail to re-enter around this zone, deeper corrections could follow. However, if buyers step in with conviction, this region may serve as a launchpad for another breakout attempt toward $2.6 and beyond.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.
Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.
Cryptocurrency
Interesting Dogecoin (DOGE) Price Predictions: New ATH on the Way?

TL;DR
Dogecoin has surged by double digits in the past 14 days, prompting bullish predictions from analysts who see potential for further gains.
Whale accumulation and the possible launch of a spot DOGE ETF approval in the US are two key bullish factors that could support long-term upside, though the impact of recent purchases remains insignificant.
What Does the Future Hold?
The largest meme coin in terms of market capitalization saw its price rally by almost 15% in the past two weeks. It pumped to as high as $0.19 on April 26 before retracing to the current $0.18 (per CoinGecko’s data).
Numerous market observers have noted the positive performance lately, predicting a surge that has yet to stun the community. The X user Trader Tardigrade claimed DOGE has completed a price breakout when crossing $0.175, envisioning a rise above $0.20 in the following days.
CryptoBullet was also optimistic. The analyst believes the OG meme coin “prints a textbook accumulation cylinder,” and according to this pattern, we might witness a “giant pump” in the next few months. They forecasted a possible cycle top of over $3.20 by the end of the year and then a subsequent drop to the current levels by 2027.
Crypto Patel seems to be among the biggest bulls. The technical analyst argued that DOGE has bounced from the long-term support zone of $0.169 and could now be poised for a massive rally to as high as $32.
Of course, such a price explosion seems highly unrealistic at this stage, as it would require Dogecoin’s market capitalization to exceed $4 trillion. For comparison, the entire crypto sector is currently valued at just above $3 trillion.
The Bullish Factors
One element that could positively impact the valuation of the meme coin is the whales’ activity. X user Ali Martinez revealed that large investors (those holding between one million and ten million DOGE) have accumulated 100 million tokens over the past week.
The whales now own more than 10.5 billion DOGE, representing roughly 7% of the circulating supply of the asset.
Such accumulations are usually monitored by smaller players and could encourage them to hop on the bandwagon, too. Purchasing DOGE tokens also reduces the asset’s supply on the open market, which, combined with non-declining demand, could trigger price spikes. However, in this particular case the scooped up amount (worth less than $20 million) seems insignificant to propel that type of scenario.
Another factor worth exploring is the possible approval of a spot DOGE ETF in the United States. The investment vehicle would provide investors with an easy and regulated way to gain exposure to the meme coin.
Much like buying traditional stocks, the spot ETF would be available through authorized brokerage accounts. Investors would hold shares of the fund, while the fund itself would purchase and securely store the actual cryptocurrency to support those holdings.
The companies racing to launch such a product in the USA include 21Shares, Bitwise, and others. Earlier this month, 21Shares filed with the SEC for approval, naming Coinbase Custody as the custodian of the fund. Just a few days ago, Nasdaq submitted a form with the regulator, proposing the listing and trading of shares of the 21Shares Dogecoin ETF on its exchange.
Following that development, the approval chances before the end of 2025 climbed to 75% (according to Polymarket).
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
- Forex3 years ago
Forex Today: the dollar is gaining strength amid gloomy sentiment at the start of the Fed’s week
- Forex2 years ago
Unbiased review of Pocket Option broker
- Forex3 years ago
How is the Australian dollar doing today?
- Forex3 years ago
Dollar to pound sterling exchange rate today: Pound plummeted to its lowest since 1985
- Cryptocurrency3 years ago
What happened in the crypto market – current events today
- World3 years ago
Why are modern video games an art form?
- Commodities3 years ago
Copper continues to fall in price on expectations of lower demand in China
- Economy3 years ago
Crude oil tankers double in price due to EU anti-Russian sanctions