Tag: Standard Chartered

  • XRP Surges Over 60% as Whales Accumulate 470M Tokens and Analysts Eye $1.60 Breakout

    XRP Surges Over 60% as Whales Accumulate 470M Tokens and Analysts Eye $1.60 Breakout

    XRP has posted a gain of more than 60% over the past month, driven by significant whale accumulation, increased activity on the XRP Ledger, and bullish technical indicators. The token is currently trading near $1.50 after a slight dip of over 2% attributed to profit-taking. Market participants are closely watching the $1.60 level, which analysts see as the next critical resistance that could pave the way toward $2.

    Veteran trader Peter Brandt recently shared a chart showing a long-term target of $5.40 for XRP, representing a potential upside of about 260% from current prices. Brandt did not provide a specific timeline for this projection but emphasized that posting a chart does not constitute a trade recommendation. His analysis relies on historical chart patterns and market cycles.

    Analyst Targets and Institutional Outlook

    Standard Chartered has maintained an even more ambitious long-term forecast, reiterating a $28 price target for XRP by 2030. However, the bank revised its 2026 forecast downward from $8 to $2.80. Institutional interest continues to grow around XRP Ledger applications such as payments, liquidity, tokenization, stablecoins, and decentralized finance.

    Near-term technical analysts, including Ali Martinez, have identified $2 as a possible next target if XRP breaks above $1.60. Martinez also pointed to an inverse head-and-shoulders formation on the daily chart, which places a clear technical threshold between XRP’s current price and the next projected level.

    Whale Activity Accelerates

    Large XRP holders have been accumulating aggressively during the rally. On-chain data shows that wallets holding between 1 million and 10 million XRP added more than 470 million tokens within five days, worth approximately $724 million. Their combined holdings rose from nearly 12.37 billion to 12.80 billion XRP.

    Earlier in the rally, about 1.54 billion XRP moved into large wallets over a 96-hour period, signaling strong conviction among whales. This accumulation comes as traders watch whether XRP can clear the $1.60 resistance level.

    XRP Ledger Activity and Stablecoin Growth

    Account activity on the XRP Ledger has also increased. New accounts rose 34% to about 3,200 last week, while active accounts stood at 17,800. While wallet accumulation and account growth indicate broader participation, they measure different aspects of network health.

    Decentralized exchanges on XRPL processed about $4.38 million in trading volume over a recent 24-hour period, with the network recording 40,326 active addresses. Application fees totaled $130,926, far exceeding the base-layer chain revenue of $49,494.

    Stablecoin capitalization on the XRP Ledger has reached nearly $1.191 billion, with RLUSD identified as the native stablecoin. In comparison, total value locked in XRPL DeFi protocols is about $44.63 million, and real-world assets under management stand at $20.88 million. The stablecoin market is now more than 26 times larger than DeFi TVL, highlighting a growing use case for the ledger.

    The recent profit-taking was partly linked to geopolitical developments, including US President Donald Trump’s rejection of Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump expects talks with Iran to resume this week, adding an element of uncertainty to broader markets.

    As XRP’s monthly rally surpasses 60%, traders remain focused on the $1.60 level for the next directional move, while longer-term forecasts range from Brandt’s $5.40 target to Standard Chartered’s $28 projection for 2030.

  • Crypto Market Update: Bitcoin ETF Outflows, Ethereum’s Glamsterdam Upgrade, and SKY Token Price Target

    Crypto Market Update: Bitcoin ETF Outflows, Ethereum’s Glamsterdam Upgrade, and SKY Token Price Target

    Overview

    The crypto market saw major developments as spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $282 million in net outflows, while Ethereum targets October 6 for the Glamsterdam upgrade. Also, Standard Chartered predicts SKY token to rise to $0.325 and HYPE’s protocol revenue rises by 83.3%.

    Bitcoin Witnessed $282 Million in Net Outflow

    According to SoSoValue, the Bitcoin spot ETFs saw a total net outflow of $282.56 million yesterday. The Bitcoin Spot ETF with the highest net inflow yesterday was Morgan Stanley’s ETF MSBT, with a daily net inflow of $3.98 million, and the total historical net inflow of MSBT currently stands at $524.87 million.

    The Bitcoin Spot ETF with the highest net outflow yesterday was Ark Invest and 21Shares’s ETF ARKB, with a daily net outflow of $164.32 million, and the total historical net inflow of ARKB currently stands at $1.22 billion.

    The total net asset value of Bitcoin Spot ETFs is $97.49 billion, with an ETF net asset ratio of 6.28%. The historical cumulative net inflow has reached $55.17 billion.

    Ethereum Targets October 6 for Glamsterdam Upgrade

    Ethereum developers have tentatively scheduled the Glamsterdam upgrade for activation on Sepolia at 13:53 UTC on October 6, 2026. ACDC #186 meeting notes and subsequent reporting from Ethereum protocol researcher Christine D. Kim show that the date remains conditional. Developers had not completed a stable Glamsterdam activation on a private development network when they selected the Sepolia schedule.

    The testing plan has since moved forward by another iteration. Kim said on September 11 that attention had turned to Glamsterdam-Devnet-11, which is expected to launch on Monday, September 14. Earlier plans had identified Devnet-10 as the next major test.

    Nasdaq Puts $100 Million in Kraken

    Nasdaq, one of the world’s most important stock exchange operators, has announced a $100 million investment in Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, to jointly build the infrastructure that will bring publicly listed shares onto the blockchain. This Nasdaq-Kraken tokenized stock deal marks a genuine reversal of the narrative: traditional finance is not watching from the sidelines while crypto exchanges experiment with equity tokens. Wall Street is putting its own capital directly into crypto infrastructure.

    Nasdaq now owns equity in the venue it has picked to distribute its own tokenized shares outside the United States, and the deal lands nine days after Payward struck a comparable arrangement with the London Stock Exchange.

    Standard Chartered Expects SKY Token to Rise to $0.325

    Standard Chartered has issued its first coverage of Sky’s SKY token, setting a target price of $0.325 by the end of 2028, which is five times higher than the current $0.065. The bank expects that as USDS adoption and lending capacity expand, the value delivered to SKY token holders by Sky will exceed five times its current level by 2028. Data from DeFiLlama shows that USD Sky’s yield-bearing sUSDS token has a total value locked of $4.5 billion with an annualized yield of 3.6%.

    Geoff Kendrick, Global Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered, said Sky is a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform originally named MakerDAO, capable of issuing stablecoins, establishing governance frameworks, and charging wholesale interest rates to borrowers making it akin to a ‘federal bank.’

    HYPE’s Protocol Revenue Rises

    In the past 30 days, Hyperliquid protocol revenue amounted to approximately $59.84 million, a growth of 83.3% compared to the previous 30 days; revenue in the most recent 7 days reached about $11.57 million, a 12.7% decrease compared to the prior period.

    From August 12 to September 11, the cumulative HYPE burned by the Assistance Fund increased to 47.123 million tokens, with approximately 775.4 thousand newly burned in the past 30 days, valued at around $62.08 million. According to the official mechanism, the Assistance Fund automatically converts transaction fees allocated to it into HYPE, and HYPE within the fund is permanently removed from circulation and total supply.

    FAQs

    1. How much money flowed out of Bitcoin spot ETFs?

    Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded approximately $282.56 million in net outflows for the day. ARKB led withdrawals with $164.32 million, while MSBT recorded $3.98 million in inflows.

    2. When is Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade expected on Sepolia?

    Ethereum developers have tentatively targeted October 6, 2026, at 13:53 UTC for Glamsterdam’s Sepolia activation. The schedule remains conditional on successful development-network testing.

    3. Why is Nasdaq investing $100 million in Kraken’s parent company?

    Nasdaq is investing in Payward as the companies work together on infrastructure for tokenized publicly listed equities. The partnership highlights growing integration between traditional capital markets and blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

    4. What is Standard Chartered’s SKY token price target?

    Standard Chartered has reportedly set an end-2028 SKY price target of $0.325, around five times the stated current price of $0.065. The outlook is tied partly to USDS adoption and lending growth.

    5. How much revenue is Hyperliquid generating?

    Hyperliquid generated approximately $59.84 million in protocol revenue over the past 30 days, representing an 83.3% increase from the preceding period. Seven-day revenue stood at roughly $11.57 million.

  • Standard Chartered Launches Direct USDC Minting and Redemption for Institutional Clients in Dubai

    Standard Chartered Launches Direct USDC Minting and Redemption for Institutional Clients in Dubai

    Standard Chartered has become the first Global Systemically Important Bank to offer direct USDC minting and redemption services to eligible institutional clients. The service, launched through the bank’s Dubai International Financial Centre operations on July 2, 2026, integrates banking, custody, and digital asset access into a single onboarding process.

    In partnership with Circle, the issuer of USDC, Standard Chartered enables institutions to mint and redeem the stablecoin without needing a separate account with Circle. The bank stated that this launch marks the initial phase of a broader stablecoin strategy, with plans to expand into additional markets pending regulatory approvals.

    Dubai Operations Open USDC Access for Institutions

    Standard Chartered is the first systemically important bank licensed to offer institutional access to USDC minting and redemption through its own platform. The service connects fiat banking, digital asset infrastructure, and public blockchain networks under the bank’s existing compliance, governance, and risk management frameworks.

    Eligible clients can now access USDC through the bank’s Dubai operations. Future market expansions will depend on regulatory clearance and local market readiness, though the bank has not yet specified which regions will follow.

    This launch adds another regulated digital asset service to the United Arab Emirates, which has been developing a robust blockchain and stablecoin ecosystem. However, Standard Chartered has not disclosed client numbers, transaction limits, fees, or minimum account requirements.

    Service Supports Settlement, Treasury, and Liquidity

    The service targets institutional use cases such as on-chain settlement, treasury operations, and liquidity management. Clients can move value between traditional banking systems and blockchain networks through a single provider.

    Standard Chartered plans to combine banking, custody, and digital asset services within the same institutional offering, applying its normal controls to stablecoin-related transactions. Roberto Hoornweg, CEO of the bank’s corporate and investment banking division, noted that digital assets are becoming a key part of global financial infrastructure and that institutional clients expect “the same levels of trust and governance” found in traditional markets.

    The current offering focuses on minting and redemption. Clients can create USDC by transferring eligible funds through the bank and redeem the stablecoin back into fiat currency. Payment-related services remain under development, with no launch date announced.

    Circle Partnership Expands Institutional USDC Access

    Circle provides the USDC infrastructure behind the service. The company issues the stablecoin through regulated entities and manages the minting and redemption process. Kash Razzaghi, Circle’s Chief Commercial Officer, said financial institutions are seeking “trusted ways to access stablecoins” and blockchain-based markets, and that the partnership could support settlement, payments, and treasury operations while maintaining compliance standards.

    As of July 2, 2026, USDC traded near $1.00, with a market capitalization of approximately $73.2 billion and a 24-hour trading volume of about $15.6 billion. The stablecoin operates across several public blockchain networks and is widely used for transfers, settlement, trading, and liquidity management.

    Future versions of the service may support payment-related uses, but the bank has not provided a timeline. Retail customers are not included in the initial rollout.