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Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit decided to enter the lending market

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Bybit lending

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has started to provide a service of providing hourly microcredits. The exchange announced this on its official website. From the description, it follows that the exchange does not provide loans by itself, but only brings together lenders and borrowers.

The exchange assures that the lending service is backed by “comprehensive security measures and risk control systems,” but no details are disclosed. Bybit stressed that customer funds “are held on the platform and used solely to support the lending business,” with no withdrawals for other purposes.

The minimum contribution to a credit account is $10 in USDC and $54 in USDT. What caused such a breakdown by stablecoin is unclear. At the same time, the amount of commissions is not trivial: the exchange charges 20% of each issued credit.

The new service is still fully available only through the mobile app. Through the web version, at the time of writing, you can only take microloans (the minimum microloan amount is $20). The exchange says users can earn up to 16.4 percent per annum on loans, but does not specify a breakdown of interest for different cryptocurrencies.

According to CoinMarketCap, the decentralized Aave protocol, which offers 150% APR on a TrueUSD (TUSD) stablecoin deposit records, the highest rate on credit deposits. The cryptocurrency lending market is experiencing bad times.

For example, the entire year 2022 was marked by a cascade of bankruptcies of cryptocurrency lending companies (Celsius, BlockFi, Genesis, Hodlnaut, etc.), which were found to have used customer funds in risky financial transactions. In 2023, problems in the lending market continued. For example, as the editorial board reported, Belgian crypto-exchange bit4you froze operations due to problems at its business partner, CoinLoan.

Cryptocurrency lender CoinLoan announced the closure of services (including cryptocurrency withdrawals) on April 24, 2023. What exactly caused the closure is unclear. The service was one of the top 10 lenders in the cryptocurrency market, according to CoinMarketCap. The platform is offering up to 6.2% APR on tether (USDT) stablecoin deposits, 5.2% for ether (ETH) and 4.2% for bitcoin (BTC). It is unclear what other trading venues may have used CoinLoan’s services.

We previously reported that Tether (USDT) trades at a premium to the U.S. dollar.

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Ripple v. SEC Lawsuit Updates, Cardano (ADA) Price Predictions, and More: Bits Recap Feb 7

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TL;DR

  • The legal battle between Ripple and the SEC continues, but recent changes in the regulator’s leadership may favor the company.
  • Analysts predict a parabolic rally for Cardano (ADA), with strong fundamentals and rising adoption signaling a possible breakout despite recent price declines.
  • Whales accumulated 750 million DOGE during the dip, and analysts see $0.17 as a potential bottom before a major price surge.

More Changes at the SEC

Over the past few years, Ripple secured some vital partial court wins that seemingly positioned the regulator as the underdog in the legal tussle. Most recently, the SEC enforced some amendments to its leadership, which could also be interpreted as good news for the company.

As CryptoPotato reported, the agency moved Jorge Tenreiro to its computer systems management department. The law expert joined the agency 11 years ago and signed the SEC’s notice of appeal in its case against Ripple.

The plea was submitted in October last year, challenging Judge Torres’ 2023 decision. At that time, she ruled that Ripple’s sales of XRP to retail investors through centralized exchanges did not violate securities regulations.

Earlier this year, the SEC’s former Chairman, Gary Gensler, stepped down. The agency had a quite hostile approach towards the cryptocurrency industry during his tenure, and somewhat expectedly, the XRP community cheered his resignation.

His role was succeeded by Mark Uyeda, who is pro-crypto and even criticized the SEC’s previous leadership for launching a war on the sector. 

ADA Bull Run in the Cards?

Cardano’s native token suffered the consequences of the market decline at the start of the business week and is currently deep in the red on a 7-day scale, trading at approximately $0.71 (per CoinGecko’s data).

ADA Price
ADA Price, Source: CoinGecko

However, many industry participants believe a fresh resurgence could be just around the corner. Such is the case with Ali Martinez, who observed ADA’s performance in the past years and assumed that it might be “at the very beginning of a monster parabolic rally.”

The X user Lucky was also bullish, telling his over 2 million followers on the social media platform that “strong fundamentals and rising adoption make Cardano a solid bet before the next big move.”

DOGE Price Predictions

Last but not least, we will touch upon the OG meme coin – Dogecoin (DOGE). Similar to ADA, it has also sank by double digits in the past week, but some factors signal a potential reversal.

DOGE Price
DOGE Price, Source: CoinGecko

Martinez recently disclosed that whales accumulated 750 million tokens during the correction, describing the move as “a strong sign of confidence in the market.”

For their part, the X users AMCrypto and KALEO outlined predictions for the near future. The former envisioned a potential decline to as low as $0.17 before a bull run to a new all-time high.

KALEO claimed that the current price level of $0.25 is “a solid entry and practically free compared to where we’ll see it a few months from now.” 

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Berachain Community Members Show Mix Reactions Following BERA Airdrop

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The Berachain team has finally released BERA airdrops to community members following the successful launch of the proof-of-liquidity layer-1 network.

However, the airdrops have received mixed reactions from community members, with users complaining that the allocation to certain groups was not fair.

BERA Airdrop Allocations

According to the Berachain tokenomics and airdrop overview, market participants eligible for the airdrops include testnet users, community members who deposited capital in the Boyco program, and holders of Berachain ecosystem non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Additionally, Binance Coin (BNB) holders, strategic partners, successful recipients of the Request for Broposal programs, holders of the Bong Bears NFTs who bridge their collectibles to Berachain, and users who constructively engaged with Berachain on X and Discord are eligible.

The Berachain Foundation, a non-profit organization piloting the affairs of the layer-1 network, allocated 1.65% BERA to testnet users, 2.35% BERA to Request for Broposal recipients, 2% to Boyco depositors, and 0.25% to X and Discord commentators. Holders of Berachain ecosystem NFTs received 0.25% of the amount, while the Berachain Foundation allocated 6.9% BERA to Bong Bears NFT holders. Strategic partners have been given 0.4% BERA, while BNB holders are to receive 2% BERA.

Notably, the airdrop makes up 15.75% of Berachain’s 500 million total supply. Although 107.48 million tokens are currently in circulation, the remaining will be released according to a linear vesting schedule over the next three years.

Mixed Reaction From Community

Berachain community members on X are complaining that the airdrop allocations are not fair. Some insist it is not right for testnet users, who have engaged with the network for years, to receive way fewer tokens than Bong Bears NFT holders. Some users revealed that they received substantial allocations, while others said they got none despite consistently interacting with the protocol over time.

Although pseudonymous Berachain co-founder Smokey the Bera explained that it is nearly impossible to target people perfectly during airdrops, community members are still voicing their grievances in the comment section. The pseudonymous crypto trader Jarzombek asserted that Smokey and the Berachain team members “rugged the most loyal community” by allocating 0.25% to holders of ecosystem NFTs.

Amid this chaos, the price of BERA has corrected a bit after rallying 1,346% to $14.46 after launch. Data from CoinMarketCap shows the token changing hands at $7.36 at the time of writing.

Meanwhile, the Berachain ecosystem has three main tokens: BERA, BGT, and HONEY. BERA is the native gas and staking token of the network, BGT is for governance and economic incentives, while HONEY is the chain’s native stablecoin.

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3 Reasons That Ripple (XRP) Is Preparing for a Major Rally

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TL;DR

  • Spot XRP ETF filings from well-known financial players could boost institutional and retail investment in the asset if approved.
  • Whales accumulated millions of tokens during the dip, and the RSI briefly dropped below 30, suggesting a potential price rebound.

The Potential Catalysts

Ripple’s XRP did not start the business week on the right foot, briefly tanking below $2 during the market correction witnessed on February 3. In the following days, the bulls reclaimed some lost ground, but the price remains deep in the red on a weekly scale, currently trading at around $2.37 (per CoinGecko’s data).

XRP Price
XRP Price, Source: CoinGecko

Despite the bearish environment, some essential factors hint that a move to the upside could be incoming. On February 6, Cboe BZX Exchange lodged 19b-4 filings on behalf of Canary Capital, WisdomTree, 21Shares, and Bitwise. The well-known asset managers seek to list the first spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the USA.

The filings represent a formal request submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The agency must approve or reject the application, often within 240 days.

A potential green light would grant American investors additional options to gain exposure to Ripple’s native token, which could create upward pressure on its price. 

The whales’ activity is another factor worth observing. The popular X user Ali Martinez revealed that large investors had accumulated 520 million XRP (worth over $1.2 billion at current rates) during the latest dip. 

Such actions reduce the circulating supply of the asset, possibly setting the stage for a rally (should demand keep its level or rise).

Last but not least, we will focus on XRP’s Relative Strength Index (RSI), which measures the speed and change of price movements. The technical analysis tool varies from 0 to 100, with readings below 30 indicating oversold conditions and a potential for a bounce. Earlier this week, the ratio plunged below the bullish mark, currently set at around 35. 

Bonus: Garlinghouse and Trump

The president of the USA, Donald Trump, started his second term at the White House with a bang, signing numerous executive orders and doubling down on his focus on the cryptocurrency industry. He reportedly plans to establish a crypto advisory council that may be comprised of some well-known names. 

One of the people who could find a place there is Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse. The advisors’ main role will be to design a comprehensive regulatory framework for the sector and work closely with Trump and David Sacks (whom the president tapped to serve as cryptocurrency and AI “czar”). 

Garlinghouse’s possible connection with the White House could have a significant impact on Ripple’s native token. He might advocate for clearer regulations surrounding the asset, which has faced scrutiny from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for years.

Ripple’s CEO and the American president have shown a close connection to each other, having a dinner meeting at the Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this year.

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