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Europe’s Growing Admiration for Crypto

FinCrypt Staff

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Europe's Growing Admiration for Crypto

Payal Shah, CME Group

At a glance:

  • Europe is the second largest cryptocurrency economy in the world, accounting for 17.6% of global transaction volume
  • The launch of Micro Euro-denominated Bitcoin and Ether futures contracts aims to accelerate the institutionalization of the European crypto market

European investors have become a leading force in the crypto world, and their fervor is expected to keep pace this year and beyond.

Central, Northern and Western Europe (CNWE) is the second largest cryptocurrency economy in the world, behind North America. The region accounted for 17.6% of global transaction volume between July 2022 and June 2023, according to Chainalysis’ 2023 Cryptocurrency Geography Report.

There are four main factors behind Europeans’ adoption of crypto:

1. Shutdowns in other regions

With cryptocurrency crackdowns in Asia, the digital asset drama of 2022, and ongoing regulatory sanctions in the US, European crypto markets have benefited from less intensive regulatory scrutiny.

The euro is the second most traded fiat currency for spot crypto transactions after the US dollar (USD), with increasing liquidity. Transaction volume in Europe was mainly driven by the decline in trading activity in Asia, where countries such as China have banned cryptocurrency trading and mining. There is also a huge amount of activity in decentralized finance (DeFi) coming out of Europe, familiarizing European markets with the notion of disintermediated financial transactions.

Growth is also driven by institutional flows. Year to date, 24% of Bitcoin and Ether futures volume on CME Group has been traded in the EMEA region.

Given the recent volatility in the euro forex markets and the recent USD/EUR parity, access to BTCUSD-based spot markets is more expensive for investors funded in euros or with euro income.

2. Liquidity at the heart of investments

For an asset to be invested in by institutions, it needs to have sufficient liquidity. European institutions have access to exchanges that offer a wider range of crypto ETFs, exchange-traded notes (ETN), funds, derivatives, perpetual contracts and a growing set of platforms to transact on.

Reliable on-ramps have improved notably over the past few years, as a handful of European exchanges have raised significant funding rounds and global exchanges have expanded their European presence.

3. Income through decentralized finance (DeFi)

Across the region, DeFi is the most popular service category, accounting for 54.8% of cryptocurrency value received. DeFi has played a key role in CNWE’s adoption of crypto in recent years, particularly with decentralized exchanges (DEXes).

Why are European investors betting on DeFi? The answer can be summarized in two words that characterize the European banking landscape: performance and technology.

European institutions are used to receiving interest payments on their bank deposits and typically consider an account that offers a rate above inflation to be a valuable investment option. However, with interest rates hovering close to zero or even dipping into negative territory in recent years, institutions have been forced to look elsewhere for income. There is growing recognition that yield should be sought in technology ventures, with DeFi platforms emerging as alternative paths.

This evolving dynamic is bringing crypto assets closer to integration with traditional financial systems, opening new avenues for generating income for both investors and entrepreneurs. The recent performance of crypto markets, coupled with in-depth analysis of investment trends, underlines robust demand for such assets. The resulting wave of innovation meets this demand and could end up benefiting all types of market participants.

4. Technological advances

European financial institutions are eager adopters of technical advances, a trend that stems from their historical emphasis on IT infrastructure, surpassing that of North American banks. This inclination was driven by the need to remain competitive compared to their US counterparts.

Innovation has been key to driving the recent expansion of the banking sector, to the point that many Europeans can’t remember the last time they used a paper check.

Consequently, financial institutions are beginning to view decentralized finance not as a threat but as a promising opportunity. Several prominent exchanges are already preparing for the convergence of traditional and crypto asset trading. Many banks are pursuing blockchain-based centralized and decentralized applications and have intentions of offering cryptocurrency trading, a process that will likely accelerate as their institutional clients become more active in the field.

Regional Risk Management

As growth in the eurozone continues apace, the importance of regionalized risk management tools will become more prevalent.

Euro-denominated, euro-margined Micro Bitcoin Euro and Micro Ether Euro futures contracts provide market participants with additional tools to hedge exposure to bitcoin and ether – the two largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

Find out more about the CME Group

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We are the editorial team of FinCrypt, where seriousness meets clarity in cryptocurrency analysis. With a robust team of finance and blockchain technology experts, we are dedicated to meticulously exploring complex crypto markets with detailed assessments and an unbiased approach. Our mission is to democratize access to knowledge of emerging financial technologies, ensuring they are understandable and accessible to all. In every article on FinCrypt, we strive to provide content that not only educates, but also empowers our readers, facilitating their integration into the financial digital age.

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Markets

Crypto Markets Rebound as Spot Bitcoin ETFs Attract Massive Inflows

FinCrypt Staff

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Crypto Markets Rebound Ahead of Early Ethereum ETF Approval

This week saw $722 million worth of Bitcoin spot ETF inflows, including the largest daily inflow in a month.

Cryptocurrency markets rallied on Wednesday, driven by inflows into spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) is up 3% over the past 24 hours to last change hands at $65,200, according to CoinGecko. Ethereum (ETH) is up 2% and is trading at $3,471. Solana (SUN) and Polkadot (POINT) increased by 4%.

Bitcoin spot ETFs saw $422 million in daily inflows on Tuesday, the highest in the past 30 days, according to Far side data, . The all-time record for a single day was $1.05 billion on March 12.

Among Tuesday’s top contributors, BlackRock’s IBIT led with $260 million in inflows, followed by Fidelity’s FBTC with $61 million. This week has already seen more than $722 million in inflows.

Among the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market cap, Worldcoin (WLD) led with a 28% increase, followed by Helium (HNT) with 20% and Lido DAO (LDO) with 15%.

Worldcoin, a decentralized identity project led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, announced is extending the lockups for early investors and team members. This means that tokens will be gradually released through 2029, instead of the original 2027 plan. Token unlocks are generally seen as a negative because they increase supply and early investors can sell their tokens for profit.

Meanwhile, XRP, the token of the XRP Ledger network, jumped 8% after the CME and CF benchmarks introduced new indices and reference rates for XRP.

U.S. stocks faced a downturn on Wednesday. The S&P 500 fell 1%, while the Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average both fell 2%.

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Altcoins on the cusp of a major breakout – WLD, AR, and INJ prices could surge by 20% in the coming days

FinCrypt Staff

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Altcoins on the cusp of a major breakout – WLD, AR, and INJ prices could surge by 20% in the coming days

Crypto markets appear to have been taken over by the bulls as major tokens have surged above their crucial resistance zone. Bitcoin surged above $65,000 while Ethereum was above $3,500, and XRP, which had remained passive for quite some time, surged over 40% in the past few days to hit $0.6. The uptrend has been captured in most altcoins, with Worldcoin (WLD), Arweave (AR), and Injective (INJ) leading the rally. Here’s what to expect for these tokens in the coming days.

Worldcoin (WLD) Price Analysis

O Worldcoin Price has been trading inside a descending wedge since it marked a new ATH near $12 in the final days of Q1 2024. The recent price action helped the price break out of the upper resistance of the wedge, breaking above the crucial resistance zone between $2.21 and $2.39. Market sentiments have changed, but technicals suggest that the bulls may remain passive for a while, which could offer some room for a bearish pullback.

The price broke out of the wedge with a significant increase in volume, but the current volume suggests that the bulls have taken a step back. Meanwhile, the RSI is about to reach the upper boundary, which could attract bearish forces. Additionally, the DMI has undergone a bullish crossover, but the decline in the ADX suggests that the rally may remain consolidated above the gains. Therefore, the WLD price is expected to maintain a horizontal consolidation between $3 and $3.3 and trigger a fresh rally to $4.4 during the next bullish rally.

Arweave (AR) Price Analysis

Arweave formed a strong base around $25, which helped the rally trigger a recovery during the bearish attack. Mt. Gox and German terror forced the price to fall below $20. However, the recent price action has brought the altcoin within the bullish range and raised expectations of maintaining a decent uptrend for a few more days.

AR price has hit one of the major resistances around $30 to $31.5, which could act as a strong base once overcome. The buying volume is slowly increasing, which could keep the bullish hopes for the rally high. Moreover, the supertrend has just flashed a buy signal, indicating a clean reversal of the trend. Therefore, AR price seems primed to maintain a healthy uptrend and rally above $40. However, if the bulls maintain a similar trend, making new highs above $50 may not be a tedious task for the bulls.

Price Analysis of Injective (INJ)

Injective price has been showing sharp strength since the beginning of the year and hence, the recent turnaround is expected to revive a good uptrend going forward. The bears engulfed the rally to a large extent, but the recent price action suggests that the bulls have regained their dominance. Therefore, INJ price is expected to maintain a strong uptrend with a bearish interference on the way down.

INJ price has surged above the lower support zone and has registered consecutive bullish candles. Although the volume is below the required levels, the OBV is maintaining a sharp uptrend. Furthermore, the Ichimoku cloud lead span B is heading towards the lead span A and a healthy crossover indicates the start of a new uptrend. However, INJ price may be out of the bears’ reach once it secures the resistance zone between $30.77 and $32.12, which seems to be on the horizon.

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Ethereum at $3.5K, Exchange Supply Hits 34-Month High

FinCrypt Staff

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Ethereum at $3.5K, Exchange Supply Hits 34-Month High

Ethereum (ETH) supply on exchanges has hit a 34-month high as the asset’s price surpassed the $3,500 mark.

ETH has risen 2.3% over the past 24 hours and is trading at $3,490 at the time of writing. The second-largest cryptocurrency — with a market cap of $419 billion — briefly touched an intraday high of $3,517 earlier today.

ETH Price, Whale Activity, RSI, and Exchange Supply – July 17 | Source: Santiment

Ethereum’s daily trading volume also increased by 7.6% to reach $19.8 billion.

According to data provided by Santiment, the supply of Ethereum on exchanges has reached $19.52 million ETH. This level was last seen in September 2021, when the asset was trading around the same price.

On the other hand, data from the market intelligence platform shows that the number of whale transactions has fallen by 12% in the last day — falling from 8,730 to 7,629 unique transactions per day.

The move shows that the supply of Ethereum on exchanges has been increasing with small deposits rather than large transactions from whales.

Additionally, the ETH Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently hovering at the 60-mark, per Santiment. The indicator shows that Ethereum is slightly overbought at this price point, but it may not be in a critical position due to its large market cap.

One of the main drivers of Ethereum price increase is ETH spot expectations ETFs in the US Investment products are scheduled to start trading on July 23rd.

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Markets

Bits + Beeps: How to Play the ‘Trump Trade’ in Cryptocurrencies After the Assassination Attempt

FinCrypt Staff

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Bits + Bips: How to Play the ‘Trump Trade’ in Crypto After the Assassination Attempt

Also, how much will the Fed cut rates (and when)? What will be the inflows into ETH ETFs? And what is the near future for Bitcoin?

Posted on July 17, 2024 at 12:00 PM EST.

Listen to the episode at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Capsules, Source, Podcast Addict, Pocket molds, Amazon Musicor on your favorite podcast platform.

In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Alex Kruger and Joe McCann, joined by guest Jack Platts, dive into the market reaction to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, analyzing how this event will influence the 2024 US presidential election and the cryptocurrency markets.

They also cover potential rate cuts: Could there be a cut in July? How big could the September rate cut be? Could the decision be influenced by the upcoming election?

They also give their predictions on what percentage of BTC ETF inflows the ETH ETFs will reach, and James talks about what he expects for Grayscale’s ETHE (hint: his outlook would be positive for ETH).

Finally, they delve into what’s next for Bitcoin as the German government runs out of BTC and Mt. Gox distributions begin. Just now?

Program Highlights:

  • Whether Trump’s shooting decided the election and whether the event caused a “flight to safety”
  • How election markets are becoming a place to watch election probabilities and whether cryptocurrencies “lean right”
  • Whether rate cuts will occur in July or September and by how much they will cut: 25 bps or 50 bps
  • How Joe sees the relationship between global liquidity cycles, rate cuts, and the potential rise of Bitcoin
  • What are the new updates about Ethereum ETFs and their expected launch?
  • Why Solana Hasn’t Performed Significantly Better Since Trump News
  • What Market Breadth Indicates About the Current Market Rally and the Impact of Rates on Small Caps
  • Everyone’s predictions on ETH ETF inflows and how much outflow we’ll see on Grayscale’s ETHE
  • What’s Next for BTC After German Government Exits Bitcoin and Mt. Gox Giveaways Starting This Week

Hosts:

Guest:

  • Jack PlattsCo-Founder and Managing Partner of Hypersphere Ventures

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