Weekly crypto update Weekly crypto update Weekly crypto update

Crypto Weekly: Shaky markets while stablecoin adoption increases

Mads Eberhardt

Cryptocurrency Analyst

Summary:  The sharp drop in the crypto space in the beginning of the week triggered all-time high trading volumes in Bitcoin. Furthermore, big news were out from the US Treasury regarding the use of stablecoins.


For the first time, Bitcoin experienced a drop of $10,000 in under 48 hours

From being traded at approximately $41,000 on Sunday, Bitcoin fell to a low of $30,500 yesterday evening according to TradingView. Rumours started to circulate shortly thereafter on what contributed to the drop, and it seemed to be a hefty sell-off by miners as well as others who were taking in profits from the recent surge. This sell-off contributed to panic to some extent across the whole cryptocurrency market.

Bitcoin volume at its all-time-high upon increased volatility

The sell-off resulted in all-time highs in the traded Bitcoin volume as it hit $11 billion based on the eight biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, beating the 2017 bull run. There has been a lot of talks about institutional interest in this circle. However, it also looks like more retail investors are finding their way to the space as the PayPal volume for cryptocurrencies also hit a new high yesterday of $242M.

Bakkt will not support XRP, making XRP’s legal issues worse

Yesterday, Intercontinental Exchange’s subsidiary called Bakkt said that it will go public through a SPAC deal. Bakkt is planning to launch an app for cryptocurrency trading in March. That app will however not let clients trade XRP, the fourth biggest cryptocurrency measured on market capitalization. Without Bakkt having disclosed the reason behind this decision, it is most likely due to XRP’s legal issues. At the end of December 2020, XRP was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US for assumingly having issued more than $1 billion in tokens without registering it as a security. As many cryptocurrency exchanges and fund managers are not legally allowed to handle securities, an avalanche of delisting’s followed as Bitstamp, Coinbase, Binance.US and more exchanges delisted the cryptocurrency, contributing to a sharp price decline. Once again, it shows the power that the regulators have on the development of respective cryptocurrencies. A power, which should never be underestimated.

US Treasury allows US banks to use public blockchains and USD stablecoins

The power of regulators can also contribute positively which was demonstrated last week in the stablecoin space. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency under the US Treasury stated last week that US-based banks are allowed to use stablecoins and blockchain for settlements and payments. The CEO and co-founder of Circle, Jeremy Allaire, who issues the second-biggest stablecoin called USDC together with Coinbase, stated that this is a huge win” for crypto and stablecoins as it paves the way for the use of stablecoins as a mainstream payment medium. Stablecoins experienced significant growth last year where the Tether supply grew from $4.1B to $21B while the USDC supply grew from around $520M to $4B at the end of the year.

BTC against USD. Source: CoinMarketCap.
ETH against USD. Source: CoinMarketCap.
Disclaimer

Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Limited prepares and distributes information/research produced within the Saxo Bank Group for informational purposes only. In addition to the disclaimer below, if any general advice is provided, such advice does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of trading any financial instrument as trading can result in losses that exceed your initial investment. Please refer to our Analysis Disclaimer, and our Financial Services Guide and Product Disclosure Statement. All legal documentation and disclaimers can be found at https://www.home.saxo/en-au/legal/.

The Saxo Bank Group entities each provide execution-only service. Access and use of Saxo News & Research and any Saxo Bank Group website are subject to (i) the Terms of Use; (ii) the full Disclaimer; and (iii) the Risk Warning in addition (where relevant) to the terms governing the use of the website of a member of the Saxo Bank Group.

Saxo News & Research is provided for informational purposes, does not contain (and should not be construed as containing) financial, investment, tax or trading advice or advice of any sort offered, recommended or endorsed by Saxo Bank Group and should not be construed as a record of our trading prices, or as an offer, incentive or solicitation for the subscription, sale or purchase in any financial instrument. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. All trading or investments you make must be pursuant to your own unprompted and informed self-directed decision. No Saxo Bank Group entity shall be liable for any losses that you may sustain as a result of any investment decision made in reliance on information on Saxo News & Research.

To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, such content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, would be considered as a marketing communication.

None of the information contained here constitutes an offer to purchase or sell a financial instrument, or to make any investments.Saxo Capital Markets does not take into account your personal investment objectives or financial situation and makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the information nor for any loss arising from any investment made in reliance of this presentation. Any opinions made are subject to change and may be personal to the author. These may not necessarily reflect the opinion of Saxo Capital Markets or its affiliates.

Please read our disclaimers:
- Full Disclaimer (https://www.home.saxo/en-au/legal/disclaimer/saxo-disclaimer)
- Analysis Disclaimer (https://www.home.saxo/en-au/legal/analysis-disclaimer/saxo-analysis-disclaimer)
- Notification on Non-Independent Investment Research (https://www.home.saxo/legal/niird/notification)

Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Limited
Suite 1, Level 14, 9 Castlereagh St
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Contact Saxo

Select region

Australia
Australia

The Saxo trading platform has received numerous awards and recognition. For details of these awards and information on awards visit www.home.saxo/en-au/about-us/awards

Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Limited ABN 32 110 128 286 AFSL 280372 (‘Saxo’ or ‘Saxo Capital Markets’) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saxo Bank A/S, headquartered in Denmark. Please refer to our General Business Terms, Financial Services Guide, Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination to consider whether acquiring or continuing to hold financial products is suitable for you, prior to opening an account and investing in a financial product.

Trading in financial instruments carries various risks, and is not suitable for all investors. Please seek expert advice, and always ensure that you fully understand these risks before trading. Saxo Capital Markets does not provide ‘personal’ financial product advice, any information available on this website is ‘general’ in nature and for informational purposes only. Saxo Capital Markets does not take into account an individual’s needs, objectives or financial situation. The Target Market Determination should assist you in determining whether any of the products or services we offer are likely to be consistent with your objectives, financial situation and needs.

Apple, iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. AppStore is a service mark of Apple Inc.

The information or the products and services referred to on this website may be accessed worldwide, however is only intended for distribution to and use by recipients located in countries where such use does not constitute a violation of applicable legislation or regulations. Products and Services offered on this website is not intended for residents of the United States and Japan.

Please click here to view our full disclaimer.