TL;DR

• Coinbase’s latest listing efforts triggered a price increase for some cryptocurrencies.
• However, the rally was short-lived, and the involved ones erased much of the gains in the past several hours.

The Latest Additions

The US-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase officially added support for three digital assets: PancakeSwap (CAKE) on the Ethereum network, Subsquid (SQD) on the Arbitrum network, and Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) on the Solana network.  

The news was released yesterday (June 11), while trading services with the aforementioned tokens will become available to users from today.

The announcements caused a price uptick for all involved coins. CAKE pumped by 6% to as high as $2.69, FARTCOIN rallied above $1.50, while SQD hit a new all-time high of $0.28. It is important to note that the entire crypto market was booming yesterday following the positive US CPI data and the developments in the USA-China trade relations. 

In the following hours, the sector headed south, and Coinbase’s newly added tokens lost much of their recent gains. As of this writing, SQD remains in the green zone, whereas FARTCOIN and CAKE have charted losses on a 24-hour scale.

The initial pump of the tokens shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, Coinbase is one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world, and its support boosts their liquidity, accessibility, and overall reputation.

This theory has been backed up numerous times in the past several months. At the start of the year, the meme coin Peanut the Squirrel (PNUT) witnessed a 30% price increase after Coinbase introduced it on its platform.

Just days later, another meme – Toshi (TOSHI) – exploded by triple digits after the exchange added it to its roadmap. This is a special zone where assets must meet certain criteria before being officially listed. 

Different Story When Delisting

Towards the end of May, the company announced that users will no longer be able to conduct trading services with Helium Mobile (MOBILE), Render (RNDR), Ribbon Finance (RBN), and Synapse (SYN) starting from June 26. 

“MOBILE, RNDR, RBN, & SYN are being delisted because new versions of these tokens have been released. As a result, the original versions of these tokens no longer meet our listing criteria,” it said at the time.

The delisting effort triggered a substantial pullback for the affected ones, with SYN suffering the most significant loss of around 15%. 

As the global crypto landscape matures, Africa is undoubtedly emerging as one of the hottest regions to watch – where regulatory clarity, grasroots adoption, and institutional interest are starting to covnerge.

Positioning itself at the centr of this transformation, VALR is a Johannesburg-based exchange that’s now leading the continent in terms of trading volumes.

In the following interview, Ben Caselin, the Chief Marketing Officer at VALR, as well as a veteran of crypto hubs such as Hong Kong and Dubai, shares his perspective on the state of Bitcoin adoption in underserved communities, the evolving role of decentralized finance, and why integrity as opposed to hype may be crypto’s biggest asset.

How would you characterize the current state of the cryptocurrency market in South Africa, and what unique challenges or opportunities does it present?

The South African market for crypto has come a long way and is well-positioned to see more growth in the coming years. 

Crypto adoption, particularly around stablecoins and Bitcoin, is taking place at all levels of society. There are numerous projects driving the uptake of Bitcoin in townships and among communities who have for too long been excluded from the traditional financial system. 

At the same time, we have seen pronounced institutional interest in crypto assets, from companies adding Bitcoin to their treasuries and remittance companies looking to leverage stablecoin infrastructure, to banks looking into expanding their services to accommodate for crypto. 

With regulatory frameworks evolving globally, how is VALR navigating the changing regulatory landscape in South Africa and other markets where you’re expanding?

In South Africa, already for years, VALR has closely worked with the country’s regulator, the FSCA, and we maintain healthy communication channels. In my view, South Africa’s regulatory regime is among the world’s foremost, perhaps even better than those in places like Singapore or Hong Kong.  

We do also have approval, through Poland, to offer crypto services in the European Union, but regulatory developments in Europe have been somewhat constrained. We continue to follow such developments closely. At the same time, we are exploring other licenses that can make it easier for VALR to pursue global expansion.

What trends are you observing around institutional adoption of crypto in South Africa and across the African continent?

In South Africa, especially since the FSCA’s licensing regime has come into effect, we have seen interest from a range of financial services providers looking to expand their offerings to their customers. 

We are partnering with several remittance companies, where VALR provides the necessary infrastructure and liquidity and, similarly, we are closely working with some of the largest banks in Africa to assist them in expanding their services to include crypto as well. We are not yet in a position to give any more information, but we do expect to make announcements around these developments in the next few months. 

I believe that within the next two to three years, we will see most major banks in Africa offer access to bitcoin and USD-pegged stablecoins to their customers, and all major remittance companies leverage crypto infrastructure to optimise for cross-border payments. 

How does VALR approach the integration or support of decentralized finance (DeFi) within its ecosystem, and what role do you see DeFi playing in Africa’s financial future?

We hold the view that DeFi is here to stay, but also that from a user experience perspective, DeFi is not for everyone. 

On VALR, we have recently launched ‘DeFi Lending’, making it very easy for customers to earn a yield on their stablecoins and tokens by lending out their assets on platforms like Aave, without actually having to leave the VALR platform at all. This is one of the ways in which we are working to make crypto accessible to more and more people from all walks of life.

What specific measures does VALR take to ensure the security of customer assets and data, particularly given the rise in cyber threats targeting exchanges?

VALR takes security very seriously. We have a strong and pro-active security team who monitors activities at all levels of operation. We also work with external security firms for regular penetration testing, and constantly tighten security based on evolving threats. Other than that, we don’t share details about the specific measures we take. 

How do you balance innovation and compliance in a space that is constantly evolving and often ahead of regulation?

We strive to balance innovation and compliance through communication. We are  law-abiding, we don’t go where we are not welcome, and we believe that being compliant is the surest way to protect customers over the long term. 

We are also relatively conservative when it comes to token listings and leveraged trading and even our marketing spend is measured. We aim to establish VALR as a trusted financial institution that can be around for decades. 

Perhaps most importantly, VALR is a values-driven organisation, which means that we never compromise on our values for the sake of profit. Instead, we believe that principles like truthfulness, integrity and service set us up for long-term growth and will guide us well into the future. 

As VALR expands internationally, how do you plan to maintain trust, transparency, and alignment with local financial and legal standards across jurisdictions?

From day one, which is now over 7 years ago, VALR has upheld the highest standards of integrity – this makes it easier for us to obtain licenses as they become available around the world, since we are compliant by default.

In other words, unlike some of our competitors, we don’t go around breaking rules and then proceed to get our act together as regulation takes shape. Instead, forfeiting superficial growth we take a gradual approach to global expansion and prioritise doing so in a safe and sustainable manner. This has worked well for VALR and continues to be our approach into the future. 

Disclaimer: The content shared in this interview is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, investment recommendation, or endorsement of any project, protocol, or asset. The cryptocurrency space involves risk and volatility. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with qualified professionals before making any financial decisions. This interview was conducted in cooperation with VALR, who generously shared their time and insights. The content has been reviewed and approved for publication in mutual understanding. Minor edits have been made for clarity and readability, while preserving the substance and tone of the original conversation.

After saying that it’s an honor to be called the first crypto President, Donald Trump promised that more favorable legislation is coming that will help the US dominate the future of the entire market.

Bitcoin’s price posted a minor recovery after Trump’s statement started to circulate online, going from its intraday bottom of under $107,000 to almost $108,000.

BREAKING:

PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS THEY ARE WORKING TO PASS MORE PRO #BITCOIN AND CRYPTO POLICIES

VERY BULLISH! pic.twitter.com/UqHdV7t789

— Crypto Rover (@rovercrc) June 12, 2025

Trump outlined in his statement that his administration ended Biden’s war on crypto on Day 1, which included replacing the former SEC Chair, Gary Gensler, with Paul Atkins. Recall that the US securities watchdog dropped countless lawsuits against numerous crypto companies in the past few months, including Kraken, Binance, Coinbase, and many others.

Consequently, Trump’s administration “unleashed” American innovators to do what they do best – lead the technology world. The POTUS also outlined all positive developments that the industry experienced in the past few months, including the national Bitcoin reserve, the digital asset stockpile, and the upcoming GENIUS stablecoin bill.

Additionally, Trump noted that they will continue working to create “clear and simple market frameworks that will allow America to dominate the future of crypto and Bitcoin.”

BTC’s price jumped by around a grand in the past several minutes, perhaps driven by the renewed hype from the US President. Nevertheless, the asset remains around 4% away from its all-time high, registered on May 22, and is slightly down on the day as well.