Bitcoin managed to defend the $96,000 level during yesterday’s correction, and the asset now sits above a grand higher in a calm weekend landscape.

The altcoins have bounced off, and Binance Coin leads the pack with a substantial increase, followed by SOL, AVAX, SUI, and others.

BTC Back to $97K

The previous weekend went badly for the primary cryptocurrency as US President Trump began a trade war with China, Canada, and Mexico. The tariffs he imposed on those countries led to an immediate crash in the crypto market, with BTC slumping from $106,000 on Friday to $97,000 on Sunday.

The correction worsened on Monday morning as the asset fell below $92,000 for the first time in a few weeks. However, the bulls finally stepped up at this point and didn’t allow a further breakdown beneath $90,000. Just the opposite, bitcoin recorded another ten grand move, this time in the opposite direction, and tapped $102,000.

It couldn’t maintain its run, though, and returned to five-digit price territory almost immediately. The second attempt to break above $100,000, which came on Friday, was also stopped in its tracks, and the subsequent rejection pushed BTC south to $96,000 yesterday.

It defended that line and now sits around $97,000 following a minor daily increase. Its market cap has gone up to $1.925 trillion on CG, but its dominance over the alts has taken a hit and is down to 58.2%.

BNB on the Run

Most altcoins have turned red today after yesterday’s crash. Ethereum is above $2,650 once again after a minor 2% increase. XRP is heading toward $2.5, following a 3.5% rise. Similar price pumps are evident from DOGE, LINk, ADA, and XLM. Solana, Avalanche, SUI, HBAR, and SHIB have recorded more impressive gains.

Binance Coin has stolen the show today. BNB has soared by nearly 12% in the past 24 hours and now trades at a multi-day peak of $645.

Other impressive gainers from the top 100 alts include FLOKI (14%), IMX (13%), FET (12%), TIA (11%), and RENDER (10%).

The total crypto market cap has added around $80 billion and is above $3.3 trillion now.

The research arm of the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has released a report highlighting insights for the digital asset market in January 2025. It outlined how the crypto market reacted to several factors, including United States policy narratives, in the first few weeks of the year.

According to Binance Research, early January saw the crypto market cap recover from a downturn experienced in December 2024, peaking at $3.76 trillion. This recovery was partly fueled by the change in U.S. administration and potential pro-crypto regulations.

ETF Filings Rise in Pro-Crypto U.S. Administration

After his inauguration, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that banned the creation of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and explored the establishment of a national crypto reserve. These factors drove positive momentum in the market until late January, when the emergence of an artificial intelligence (AI) model, DeepSeek, shook the stock and crypto markets alike.

DeepSeek became the most downloaded AI app, overthrowing OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This development triggered heightened volatility that has rolled into February, fueled even further by concerns about U.S. tariff policies.

While the market struggles to recover, there has been a new wave of crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), especially since the departure of the former head, Gary Gensler. Binance Research revealed that there are currently 47 active ETF filings in the United States, spanning 16 crypto asset categories, including meme coins.

Meme Coins and AI Narratives Dominate

Speaking of meme coins, Binance Research discovered that the emergence of token launchpads fueled a meme coin mania, leading to the creation of more than 37 million assets. Analysts predict that at least 100 million cryptocurrencies will be in circulation by the end of 2025.

Unfortunately, this massive rise in the number of cryptocurrencies has divided capital, making it more difficult for tokens to sustain prices or reach high valuations. The influx of new tokens has also fueled speculation, reduced attention spans, and discouraged long-term holding. The top 100 tokens still account for 98% of the total crypto market cap. Regardless, some narratives in the market, like the decentralized finance AI (DeFAI) sector, remain robust and are attracting more capital.

Meanwhile, Solana’s decentralized exchange (DEX) volumes have surpassed those of Ethereum monthly since October 2024, with the network leading in the meme coin and AI agent narratives. Last month, the Solana-to-Ethereum DEX volume ratio reached its all-time high of over 300%.

Adin Ross and Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengtson have revealed their intention to create a cryptocurrency-driven Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) server.

The duo, both highly influential in the gaming and streaming communities, announced their plans during a livestream, highlighting their goal of integrating a custom digital token into the game’s economy.

Rockstar’s Policies Could Pose Challenges

“When GTA 6 drops, me and Ricky are going to make the biggest server together,” Ross said on Monday.

“I promise you, it’s going to be completely crypto. Everything pro-crypto about it. It’s going to change the game.”

Banks elaborated on the project, stating that the server’s economy would be powered by “a newly-made coin,” while Ross added that they would invest significant funds into its development.

Essentially, their vision centers on a blockchain-based in-game economy. However, Rockstar Games, the developer behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, has historically opposed the use of cryptocurrency and NFTs in its games.

In 2022, the company published an article that says it prohibits the integration of such assets in player-run servers for GTA Online and Red Dead Online.

The policy led to the shutdown of several community-operated servers. Among those affected was The Trenches, a GTA Online server backed by rapper Lil Durk that featured NFTs. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, also took legal action against multiple servers.

Speculation and Rumors

Despite the restrictions, speculation persists about whether Rockstar’s position might change with the new GTA 6. Some rumors going around in the community have suggested that the upcoming game could introduce crypto-based rewards or payment options. However, there has been no official communication from the team on the matter.

Further, Take-Two Interactive has previously shown interest in blockchain technology through its acquisition of Zynga in 2022. The company, known for its mobile gaming portfolio, has been involved in several NFT-based gaming projects.

At the time of the deal, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that the company had “Web3 opportunities” in mind that could be pursued in collaboration with Zynga. Notably, this hasn’t been officially linked to the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

Additionally, the Rockstar owner was part of a $40 million funding round for Web3 gaming startup Horizon Blockchain back in 2022.

With GTA 6 expected to launch later this year, its developer’s policies will play a crucial role in determining the feasibility of Ross and Banks’ crypto-driven server.