Nearly 40% of tradable altcoins are hovering close to their all-time lows, with liquidity tightening sharply outside Bitcoin and Ethereum. The split is becoming clearer: large-cap assets are holding up better, while smaller tokens face weak depth and heavier pressure.
Analysts said the pattern points to investors concentrating holdings in bigger, more established coins during a risk-off stretch. In practical terms, Bitcoin and Ethereum remain relatively resilient, major altcoins are under pressure, and smaller altcoins sit near record lows with very limited liquidity. Capital is not leaving evenly. It is clustering.
Strategy sold 3,588 BTC while Saylor kept the long-term message intact
Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, returned to social media to restate his long-term view on Bitcoin. He argued that Bitcoin’s importance over the next decade may depend less on protocol upgrades and more on broader adoption and integration across industries.
The comments came as Strategy had quietly sold 3,588 BTC for $216 million to meet dividend obligations. The contrast stood out: a public case for Bitcoin’s long-run significance alongside a balance-sheet move driven by corporate needs.
Ripple and Coinbase secured fresh regulatory approvals
Ripple received full Crypto Asset Service Provider, or CASP, authorization from Luxembourg’s financial regulator. The approval allows the company to offer regulated crypto payments across 30 countries in the European Economic Area, and the report said it brings Ripple into full alignment with the European Union’s MiCA framework.
Coinbase also obtained an investment services license in the UK from the Financial Conduct Authority. That approval lets Coinbase offer equities trading to retail users, while institutional clients can access derivatives. In Brussels, the European Parliament adopted a policy paper calling on the European Commission to examine how DeFi, staking, and NFTs could be addressed within a broader regulatory structure beyond the current MiCA rules.
AI spending, phishing losses, and SWIFT’s blockchain pilot moved in parallel
Outside crypto-native firms, investment activity continued. BlackRock launched a new iShares Nasdaq-100 ETF aimed at investors seeking exposure to large technology companies. South Korean telecom company KT pledged 18 trillion won, about $13 billion, for AI development, with blockchain technology and stablecoin solutions included in future projects.
Security risks remained visible. An Ethereum wallet owner lost nearly $1 million in USDT after signing a phishing approval that drained the wallet immediately. At the same time, SWIFT introduced a blockchain-based ledger pilot for live transactions, designed to support cross-border transfers using tokenized bank deposits and to enable 24/7 settlement.
TCC jumped while TAC slid on a flash crash
Among individual tokens, TCC posted a strong rise as speculation tied to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, gained traction and attention followed the project’s donation to GiggleAcademy. TAC moved the other way, falling sharply after a flash crash tied to thin liquidity and security concerns. The divergence across altcoins has become harder to ignore.