US Senator Cynthia Lummis has dismissed claims that the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act fails to protect decentralized finance innovators from legal repercussions, rebutting that recent changes to the draft will make it the “strongest protection for DeFi and developers ever enacted.”
Her comments on Friday came in direct response to crypto lawyer Jake Chervinsky, who argued that Title 3 of the current draft undermines the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act — another crypto bill focused on developer protections — by subjecting non-custodial software developers to know-your-customer obligations.
“Don’t believe the FUD,” Lummis said, adding, “We have worked on a bipartisan basis for the last few weeks to make changes to Title 3 that make this bill the strongest protection for DeFi and developers ever enacted. We have to pass the Clarity Act to get these protections.”
The latest changes to the CLARITY Act have not been publicly released.
Chervinsky said these DeFi protection provisions have been overshadowed by intense focus on stablecoin rewards provisions in the CLARITY Act.
His biggest issue with the Senate Banking Committee’s latest CLARITY Act draft is that Title 3’s money transmitter definitions could still expose many non-custodial DeFi builders to liability.
This is despite the CLARITY Act incorporating the BRCA in section 604, which clarifies that non-controlling developers and providers of non-custodial software are not to be treated as financial institutions subject to Bank Secrecy Act KYC obligations.
“The biggest challenge is ensuring non-custodial software developers aren’t misclassified as money transmitters,” Chervinsky argued.
“That’s non-negotiable for DeFi, and it’s still unsettled.”
His concerns come amid several high-profile prosecutions and convictions of developers in the US in recent months, including Tornado Cash co-founder, Roman Storm, who was convicted in August 2025 of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.
US lawmakers have said the CLARITY Act is moving closer toward a Senate Banking Committee markup expected in April after recent bipartisan progress on stablecoin rewards provisions.
Passage of the CLARITY Act is necessary to ensure DeFi developers are afforded legal protections under the BRCA, Lummis noted.
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Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said stablecoins will be the crypto sector’s “ChatGPT moment” for businesses in search of faster, more efficient payments, and that many companies are already discussing and strategizing how to implement stablecoins into their operations.
“You have boards of directors and CEOs of companies, whether it’s Fortune 500 or Fortune 2000, they’re asking their treasurers, they’re asking their CFOs, hey, what are we doing with stablecoins,” Garlinghouse told FOX Business on Friday.
“Giving the treasurer and the CFO that option is the unlock,” he said.
Garlinghouse said this unlock would be “the ChatGPT moment of crypto” because it would be the entry point for businesses to access a broader range of blockchain-based services.
Garlinghouse speaking with FOX Business on Friday. Source: FOX Business
Bloomberg Intelligence predicted in early January that stablecoin flows could increase at a compounded annual growth rate of 80% to $56.6 trillion by 2030, a rise that would make stablecoins one of the most important payment tools in global finance.
Garlinghouse noted that stablecoins processed more than $33 trillion in trading volume last year, though nearly 90% of that came from Tether’s USDt (USDT) and Circle’s USDC (USDC).
Ripple launched a competitor stablecoin — Ripple USD (RLUSD) — in December 2024, which is currently the 10th largest stablecoin by market cap at $1.4 billion, CoinGecko data shows.
Ripple also strengthened its blockchain payments infrastructure last year with the acquisition of institutional-based prime brokerage Hidden Road for $1.25 billion and corporate treasury platform GTreasury for $1 billion.
Meanwhile, Garlinghouse said Ripple is set to have a “record quarter,” adding that the company has been “on a tear” since the Hidden Road and GTreasury acquisitions.
Market structure legislation will push crypto industry forward
Garlinghouse said stablecoin payments and broader blockchain adoption would be accelerated by the CLARITY Act, should it pass Congress and be signed into law.
“A lot of eyes are on what is US regulation going to look like and is it going to get done,” he said. “We want to make sure we can’t have another Gary Gensler moment where they try to weaponize policy in a way that is about politics, not about what’s good for the United States.”
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Bitcoin’s fall below the $66,000 support heightens the risk of a drop to the $62,500 level.
Select major altcoins have broken below their immediate support levels, opening the gates for further downside.
Bitcoin (BTC) is under pressure from the bears, who are attempting to sustain the price below the $66,000 level. The uncertainty regarding the US and Israel-Iran war is capping the upside and putting downside pressure. US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded $171 million in outflows on Thursday, the biggest since the $348 million in redemptions on March 3, according to Farside Investors data.
Although BTC is facing selling on rallies, the bulls have successfully defended the $60,000 level since Feb. 6. Glassnode said in its latest Week On-chain newsletter that the sharp contraction in BTC’s entity-adjusted realized profit from $3 billion per day in July 2025 to $0.1 billion currently suggests that the bear market is transitioning into its later stages.
Crypto market data daily view. Source: TradingView
A positive sign in favor of the bulls is that BTC whales and sharks have continued to accumulate. Santiment said in a post on X that large BTC holders owning between 10 and $10,000 BTC have boosted their holdings by 0.45% in the past month. Historically, an upside breakout happens when large wallets are accumulating, and retail is selling.
Could BTC and select major altcoins hold on to their crucial support levels? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.
Bitcoin price prediction
Buyers could not maintain BTC above the $72,000 level on Wednesday. That may have attracted sellers who pulled the price below the support line of the ascending triangle pattern on Friday.
If the BTC price closes below the support line, the bullish pattern will be invalidated. That may intensify selling, pulling the BTC/USDT pair to the $62,500 to $60,000 support zone.
Instead, if the price turns up sharply from the current level and breaks above the $72,000 level, it suggests that the bulls are attempting to get back into the driver’s seat. The pair may then challenge the crucial $74,508 resistance. If buyers overcome the barrier, the pair may surge to $84,000.
Ether price prediction
Ether (ETH) turned down and fell below the breakout level of $2,111 on Thursday, indicating that the bears are trying to make a comeback.
Sellers kept up the pressure and pulled the ETH/USDT pair below the 50-day SMA ($2,044) on Friday. The ETH price may decline to the $1,900 level, which is likely to attract buyers. However, if the bears prevail, the pair may collapse to the vital $1,750 support.
This negative view will be invalidated in the near term if the price turns up sharply and breaks above the $2,200 level. That enhances the prospects of a rally above the $2,400 level.
BNB price prediction
BNB (BNB) has been oscillating between $570 and $687 for the past few weeks, signaling buying near the support and selling close to the resistance.
There is minor support at $607, but if the level gives way, the BNB/USDT pair may slump to the $570 level. A strong bounce off the $570 support suggests that the pair may remain inside the range for a while longer.
The next trending move is expected to begin on a close below $570 or above $687. If buyers clear the overhead hurdle, the BNB price may jump to $790. Alternatively, a close below $570 might sink the pair to the psychological level at $500.
XRP price prediction
XRP (XRP) turned down from the moving averages on Thursday, indicating that the bears remain in control.
The XRP price may slide to $1.32 and then to $1.27. Buyers will attempt to aggressively defend the $1.27 level, but if the bears prevail, the XRP/USDT pair may decline to the support line.
The first sign of strength will be a close above the moving averages. The pair may then rise to the breakdown level of $1.61, which is expected to pose a substantial challenge for the bulls. If buyers pierce the $1.61 level, the next stop is likely to be the downtrend line.
Solana price prediction
Buyers attempted to push Solana (SOL) above the $95 resistance on Wednesday, but the bears held their ground.
The SOL price has dipped below the 50-day SMA ($86), indicating that the bulls have given up. That suggests the SOL/USDT pair may extend its stay inside the $76 to $95 range for some more time.
The next trending move is expected to begin on a break above or below the range. If the bulls propel the price above $95, the pair may reach the $117 level. On the downside, a close below $76 might sink the pair to $67.
Dogecoin price prediction
Dogecoin (DOGE) rose above the moving averages on Wednesday, but the bulls could not sustain the higher levels.
The DOGE price turned down on Thursday, and the bears have pulled the DOGE/USDT pair below the critical $0.09 support. If the sellers sustain the price below $0.09, the pair may collapse to $0.06.
Buyers are unlikely to give up easily. They will attempt to defend the $0.09 level and swiftly push the price above the moving averages. If they succeed, the pair may ascend to $0.10 and later to $0.12.
Hyperliquid price prediction
Hyperliquid (HYPE) turned down from $41.59 on Wednesday but is likely to find support in the zone between the 20-day EMA ($37.64) and the breakout level of $36.77.
If the HYPE price bounces off the $36.77 level, it suggests that the bulls are trying to flip the level into support. Buyers will endeavor to strengthen their position by pushing the HYPE/USDT pair above the $43.77 level. If they can pull it off, the pair may start its northward march toward $50.
Contrary to this assumption, if the price continues lower and breaks below $36.77, it suggests that the bulls are losing their grip. The pair may tumble to the 50-day SMA ($33.34), which is likely to attract buyers.
The ADA/USDT pair turned down sharply on Thursday, signaling that the bears had renewed their selling. There is strong support at $0.25, but if the level breaks down, the ADA price may slump to $0.22.
This negative view will be invalidated in the near term if the price turns up sharply from the $0.25 level and closes above the moving averages. That clears the path for a rally to the downtrend line.
Bitcoin Cash price prediction
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) fell below the 20-day EMA ($468) on Thursday, indicating that the bears are attempting to retain control.
The BCH/USDT pair may descend to the $443 support, which is a crucial level to watch out for. If the bears sink the BCH price below the $443 level, the pair will complete a bearish head-and-shoulders pattern. That may start a drop to $375.
On the contrary, if the price turns up from the $443 level, it signals solid buying at lower levels. The pair may form a range between $443 and the 50-day SMA ($491) for some time. Buyers will have to push and maintain the price above the 50-day SMA to signal the start of a sustained recovery toward $520.
Chainlink price prediction
Chainlink’s (LINK) rebound fizzled out at $9.50 on Wednesday, indicating that the bears are selling on rallies.
The price turned down sharply on Thursday, and the bears have pulled the LINK/USDT pair below the support line of the ascending channel pattern. If the LINK price closes below the channel, the pair may drop to $8.05 and then to $7.15.
Buyers are likely to have other plans. They will attempt to retain the price inside the channel and push the pair above the $9.50 level. If they do that, the pair may rally to the resistance line.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Harvey AI secures $200M funding at $11B valuation as survey shows 50% of UK law firms now deploy legal AI tools. Here’s how top firms are using it.
Legal AI startup Harvey just closed a $200 million funding round that values the company at $11 billion—a staggering figure that reflects how quickly generative AI is reshaping professional services. The timing isn’t coincidental: new survey data shows half of UK law firms have already deployed legal-specific AI tools, though only 20% have embedded them into standard workflows.
That gap between experimentation and operational change? That’s where the real money is.
The Numbers Behind the Hype
The Briefing AI Leaders Community Index surveyed more than 70 senior leaders across leading UK law firms and found adoption accelerating across the full lifecycle of legal work—summarization, data extraction, document review, due diligence, research, drafting, and knowledge management.
Harvey’s growth trajectory backs this up. The platform now claims over 100,000 lawyers across more than 1,300 organizations in 60 countries. Founded in 2022 by Winston Weinberg, a former securities litigator, and Gabriel Pereyra from Google DeepMind, the company has moved from startup curiosity to enterprise standard faster than most legal tech plays.
Where Firms Are Actually Seeing ROI
Forget the generic “AI will transform everything” pitch. Here’s what’s actually working:
Summarization at Honigman: The firm delivered a complete set of deposition summaries plus thematic analysis in under a day. Previous timeline? Several associates working for two weeks. The workflow handles new transcripts without restarting the entire process.
Data extraction at Haynes Boone: Projects that required months of manual review now complete in hours. Director of Practice Innovation Tony Capecci put it bluntly: attorneys focus on validating outputs and drawing insights rather than combing through documents.
Document review at King & Wood Mallesons: Teams centralize massive document sets—like steering committee minutes—into shared workspaces for continuous analysis. The same dataset gets reused across multiple workflows, from witness identification to affidavit drafting.
The Due Diligence Angle
German firm Hengeler Mueller offers perhaps the most compelling use case for time-sensitive deal work. Pierre Zickert, their Head of Legal Technology, says Harvey helps teams “gain a rapid overview of large data rooms” and identify key documents “significantly more efficiently than has ever been possible by human effort.”
What’s notable: even trainees days into the firm are building sophisticated workflow agents for due diligence. Not basic prompts—structured logic applied in real client work.
What This Means for the Market
The $11 billion valuation—up from previous rounds—signals investor confidence that legal AI isn’t just a productivity tool but a fundamental shift in how professional services operate. Harvey competes in a space that includes Casetext (acquired by Thomson Reuters), Luminance, and various LLM wrappers, but its enterprise penetration suggests it’s pulling ahead.
The 30-point gap between firms deploying AI (50%) and those embedding it in workflows (20%) represents the next battleground. Vendors that can close that gap—turning experiments into daily operations—will capture the lion’s share of legal tech spending.
For law firms still on the sidelines, the competitive pressure is building. When your rival delivers deposition analysis in a day instead of two weeks, that’s not just efficiency—it’s a pricing advantage.
Crypto hasn’t struggled because the technology was flawed. Instead, it faltered as a result of the incentive structures the industry created, which have quietly turned it into something that works against the very people it was supposed to serve.
Since 2017, every crypto market cycle has followed the same pattern. Each cycle started with excitement, followed by retail inflows, a velocity trap and catastrophic drawdowns, and ended in an erosion of trust that takes months, if not years, to rebuild. Each cycle begins with optimism, peaks at overconfidence and concludes with panic and despair.
Most of the time, crypto users are quick to blame market conditions, macro headwinds and regulation. Yes, they’re important factors. What actually determines outcomes, cycle after cycle, is how the incentives are designed.
Crypto loses everyday users because the system quietly pushes them to take the biggest risks. This begins with psychology: Traders often adopt the mindset that “the higher the return desired, the greater the risk required.”
A small token balance earning just a fraction of a percent through staking doesn’t feel like real progress. Yes, the staking market surpassed $245 billion, but platforms generally offer 2%-10% APY, which, for balances of a couple thousand dollars or less, might yield less than $100 in annual profits.
Meanwhile, take derivatives platforms. They provide their users sophisticated and high-leverage trading opportunities and processed a record $85.7 trillion in trading volume in 2025.
“Just stake” isn’t enough anymore
Native staking is straightforward and relatively safe; rewards come directly from the network itself. Staking alone doesn’t fix the deeper problem. The platforms built around it still promote speculation, high leverage, trading driven by FOMO and risky looping strategies.
What retail investors need is a way to participate without constant exposure to risk or serving as exit liquidity for faster, better-informed market players.
What’s the solution? Creating a savings product with capital preservation as a core design goal.
The “savings layer” concept
A crypto savings layer needs to be built around a clear set of rules. These principles are non-negotiable, as they have a great, positive influence on user behavior. Examples of this include capital preservation, full transparency and rewards for discipline over speed or speculation. The savings layer should also work just as well for a 10-USDt (USDT) balance as for a 100,000-USDt one.
The “real” world already offers products designed around trust and capital preservation, rather than speculation.
Consider the United Kingdom’s Premium Bonds. They don’t promise high fixed yields. What they do is preserve your capital while giving you a chance at prizes.
According to NS&I, 71,722,056 prizes were paid out in 2025, totaling 4.95 billion pounds ($6.6 billion), with over 470,000 new accounts opened and eligible Premium Bonds holdings growing to 134.6 billion pounds.
Yes, it is not a blockchain product. It’s a well-designed savings program. The lesson is still simple: There’s a reason to participate, you understand how it works and your money stays safe.
In the United States, prize-linked savings has gained traction for similar reasons. This kind of incentive layer makes it easier for people to build consistent saving habits.
The mechanics of a “saving layer concept” in crypto must be simple enough to explain in one or two sentences.
If a person can’t explain in plain terms to their friends where their rewards come from, that means the design isn’t transparent enough. Whether rewards are generated from transparent sources or from a clearly defined chance-based model, the system must be honest about what it can offer people, and what it cannot.
The most crucial aspect is that incentives must work even with small balances. The system must reward consistency over speed, and discipline over speculation, so that staying involved matters more than getting in early.
Just as important is what the system should not do. Destructive risk shouldn’t be the default option, as the goal is to minimize losses, keep users in profit and encourage long-term participation.
That is what a savings layer actually means: a system designed to help everyday users stay in the game, not one that quietly pushes them out.
Rewriting the system
If the next cycle doesn’t introduce ways to protect everyday users, they will keep experiencing crypto as a story that always ends the same way: big hype, big promises and painful collapses.
What needs to change is not the technology but what the technology is optimized for. Products must be built to reduce losses, not to maximize turnover. These changes must take place now, unless industry players want to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
Crypto’s future comes down to a single choice: protect everyday users or keep optimizing for short-term gains. Only one of those leads somewhere worth going.
Opinion by: Ilya Tarutov, founder of Tramplin.
This opinion article presents the author’s expert view, and it may not reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. This content has undergone editorial review to ensure clarity and relevance. Cointelegraph remains committed to transparent reporting and upholding the highest standards of journalism. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the company.
Bitcoin (BTC) neared $66,000 at Friday’s Wall Street open as analysis called US inflation trends “objectively unsustainable.”
Key points:
Bitcoin drops further on oil-supply woes as Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz.
BTC price performance is set to seal its sixth straight month of losses at the March close.
Traders eye the lows with $70,000 back as resistance.
Oil squeeze creates US bond-market havoc
Data from TradingView captured ongoing BTC price losses, which approached 4% on the day and threatened to turn March into Bitcoin’s sixth consecutive “red” month.
Macro headlines drove weakness across risk assets. US stocks opened downward after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, sharpening nerves over global oil supplies.
With the US-Iran war set to extend into April, markets showed stress everywhere — including US bonds.
“The US bond market is in major trouble today,” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter warned in a post on X.
Kobeissi noted that the 10-year Treasury note was now at its highest levels since the war began, creating a major headache for the Federal Reserve as it tries to tame inflation as labor-market conditions worsen.
“In less than one month, markets have gone from discussing rate cuts to rate hikes, with the base case showing a Fed PAUSE for the next 18 months,” it continued.
“Keep in mind, the Fed was cutting interest rates because the labor market was weak, and it remains weak. However, inflation expectations have just become an even bigger problem than the labor market. This is objectively unsustainable.”
Federal Reserve target rate probabilities (screenshot). Source: CME Group FedWatch Tool
“Inflation expectations have become so bad that the market is trading like an emergency Fed rate hike is imminent,” Kobeissi founder Adam Kobeissi added.
Analyzing four-hour time frames, Telegram trading resource Technical Crypto Analyst predicted a “likely” return to $64,000 next.
“BTC has clearly broken its ascending trendline and is now showing lower highs under the 70–72K supply, confirming a short-term bearish shift; with price losing the 68K support, continuation toward the 64–65K demand zone is likely, and only a reclaim above 70K would invalidate the bearish momentum,” it told subscribers.
Data from CoinGlass revealed the high stakes for price into the March monthly close, with BTC/USD readying its first six straight months of losses since the end of its 2018 bear market.
“Indeed seeing the market derisking into the weekend as expected and as we’ve been seeing several weeks now,” trader Daan Crypto Trades continued.
“Eyes on that $65.6K low from last week Monday. Main area to watch for me will be the range low. Seeing there’s still quite a bit of liquidity around that area.”
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Bitcoin (BTC) dropped toward $67,000 during the European trading session on Friday despite an increase in long-term buying. Exchange withdrawals also increased to 16-month highs, suggesting reduced “immediate selling pressure,” a new analysis said.
Key takeaways:
Bitcoin withdrawals from exchanges increases, reducing BTC available for sale.
Long-term holders accelerate accumulation, adding 155,450 BTC over the past 30 days.
Bitcoin analysts view $65,000–$66,000 as a potential support zone for a bounce.
Bitcoin supply tightens as long-term buying accelerates
CryptoQuant’s exchange flow data highlighted “renewed signs of supply tightening,” as large Bitcoin withdrawals continue across major exchanges.
The chart below shows that investors withdrew nearly $1.6 billion of BTC from Bitfinex on March 16, as shown by the orange bar in the chart below.
Since then, the trend has expanded across other major exchanges, with a $678 million withdrawal from OKX on Sunday, a $728 million withdrawal from Kraken on Monday, and another $400 million in BTC leaving Binance on Wednesday.
“This pattern suggests that the latest wave of withdrawals is no longer isolated to one platform,” CryptoQuant analyst Amr Taha said in his latest QuickTake analysis.
Bitcoin: LTH net position change. Source: Glassnode
When Bitcoin leaves exchanges while LTHs expand their positions, it “usually signals lower immediate sell pressure and stronger conviction from investors with a longer time horizon,” Amr Taha said.
If this trend continues, the market could be entering another phase where tightening sell-side liquidity and stronger LTH demand “create a more supportive backdrop for price,” the analyst added.
Bitcoin price to revisit $65,000 before bounce
As Cointelegraph reported, $70,000 remains the key for the Bitcoin bulls and that losing it could trigger the next leg down.
The BTC/USD pair was trading below $67,000 at the time of writing, below the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) and the 200-week exponential moving average (EMA).
“It’s quite clear that there’s not enough strength for the markets to move higher after that rejection at $75K,” MN Capital founder Michael van de Poppe said in a recent X post.
An accompanying chart suggested that the price was seeking to print a higher low within the $65,000 to $66,000 range, failing which “we’ll start to see an acceleration downwards,” van de Poppe said, adding:
“I would be looking at longs in the lower-$60K range.”
BTC/USD daily chart. Source: Michael van de Poppe
The Glassnode liquidity heatmap highlighted “stronger” whale bid orders near $65,000, suggesting that the BTC price could retest this area before a bounce.
Bitcoin whale orders. Source: CoinGlass
As Cointelegraph reported, a break and close below the ascending trend line at $68,000 could result in Bitcoin price dropping toward $60,000, where it could consolidate next.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
AAVE trades at $104.87 with bearish momentum as technical indicators signal potential drop to $101 support before any recovery attempt toward $109 resistance.
While specific analyst predictions are limited for the current timeframe, on-chain metrics suggest Aave faces significant technical headwinds. According to available data, a previous prediction from early January anticipated a recovery to the $185-$195 range over 3-4 weeks, though this forecast appears overly optimistic given current market conditions.
Market data platforms indicate that AAVE’s current positioning near multi-month lows reflects broader DeFi sector challenges, with the token trading significantly below its 200-day moving average of $182.46.
AAVE Technical Analysis Breakdown
The technical picture for AAVE reveals concerning momentum signals. With an RSI of 40.34, the token sits in neutral territory but is approaching oversold conditions. The MACD histogram at 0.0000 indicates bearish momentum has stalled but hasn’t reversed, suggesting sellers remain in control.
AAVE’s position within the Bollinger Bands tells a compelling story. At 0.14 on the %B indicator, the token trades very close to the lower band at $102.29, indicating potential oversold conditions. However, the middle band at $111.30 represents significant resistance that must be reclaimed for any meaningful recovery.
Key moving averages paint a bearish picture across all timeframes. The 7-day SMA at $108.57 sits well above current prices, while the 20-day SMA at $111.30 continues to act as dynamic resistance. Most concerning is the massive gap to the 200-day SMA at $182.46, highlighting the severity of AAVE’s decline from previous highs.
Aave Price Targets: Bull vs Bear Case
Bullish Scenario
For AAVE price prediction bulls, the immediate target is reclaiming the $107.26 resistance level, followed by a test of the stronger $109.65 resistance. A decisive break above $109.65 could trigger short covering and propel AAVE toward the $115-$120 range, targeting the upper Bollinger Band.
Technical confirmation would require RSI breaking above 50 and MACD histogram turning positive. Volume expansion above the recent average of $9.8 million would validate any upward breakout attempt.
Bearish Scenario
The Aave forecast appears more bearish in the near term. Failure to hold current levels could see AAVE test the $101.61 strong support level. A break below this critical zone opens the door to further downside toward $95-$98, representing a -10% decline from current levels.
Risk factors include continued DeFi sector weakness, regulatory uncertainties, and the technical pattern suggesting further consolidation below key moving averages.
Should You Buy AAVE? Entry Strategy
Conservative investors should wait for a clear break above $109.65 with volume confirmation before considering long positions. For risk-tolerant traders, the $101-$103 zone offers a potential accumulation area with tight stop-losses below $100.
A dollar-cost averaging approach between $101-$107 may be prudent given the high volatility indicated by the 14-day ATR of $6.20. This represents nearly 6% daily price swings, requiring careful position sizing.
Stop-loss levels should be placed below $100 for long positions, while profit-taking opportunities exist at $109 and $115 resistance levels.
Conclusion
The AAVE price prediction suggests a challenging period ahead, with the token likely to test $101 support before any meaningful recovery attempt. While oversold conditions may provide short-term bounce opportunities, sustained upside requires breaking multiple resistance levels and broader DeFi sector improvement.
Confidence level: Medium (60%) for downside test to $101, Low (35%) for immediate recovery above $110. Traders should exercise caution and employ proper risk management given AAVE’s elevated volatility.
This analysis is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry substantial risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results.
Crypto exchange Coinbase Global has launched a mortgage structure with Better Home & Finance that lets qualified borrowers pledge digital assets held in Coinbase accounts to fund down payments on standard conforming mortgages designed in accordance with Fannie Mae guidelines.
According to Coinbase, the structure enables borrowers to pledge digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) or USDC (USDC) as collateral for a separate loan used to fund the down payment, while the primary mortgage remains a standard, Fannie Mae–backed loan. Better will originate and service the mortgages.
When rolled out, the new development could mark a shift in how crypto assets are used in US housing finance, extending their role from qualifying assets in underwriting to a more direct component of mortgage financing.
The news follows earlier regulatory signals to integrate crypto into mortgage frameworks. In June, the US Federal Housing Finance Agency directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare proposals to recognize cryptocurrency as an asset in mortgage risk assessments without requiring conversion to US dollars.
It also builds on a series of developments integrating crypto into home lending, with lenders like Newrez and Rate recently recognizing crypto holdings in underwriting, signaling a broader push to embed crypto across the mortgage stack.
Cointelegraph reached out to Fannie Mae for more information but did not receive a response before publication.
Pledging crypto for down payments comes with added risks
According to Coinbase, borrowers would take out a standard conforming mortgage while using a separate loan secured by crypto holdings to cover the down payment.
The setup allows buyers to retain exposure to digital assets, but replaces upfront cash with additional debt.
Coinbase said the model introduces constraints tied to pledged assets, with borrowers unable to trade collateral while it is locked.
The company said market volatility alone does not trigger margin calls as long as borrowers continue making payments, and mortgage terms remain unchanged once the loan is active.
The model also introduces new risks tied to the pledged assets. While price swings do not directly affect the mortgage, they may still influence borrower risk exposure and financial decisions over time.
Lenders have been gradually integrating crypto into mortgage underwriting
The new development follows several US lenders that recently incorporated crypto assets into mortgage processes.
On Jan. 17, loan servicer Newrez said it would allow borrowers to use BTC, Ether (ETH), crypto ETFs and stablecoins as qualifying assets in underwriting, without requiring liquidation.
On Feb. 23, mortgage lender Rate launched its RateFi program, which allows verified crypto holdings to count toward reserves and, in some cases, income. However, borrowers are still required to convert their crypto into cash for down payments and closing costs.
Ex-Congressman Ryan frames crypto as a housing tool
Ahead of the rollout, Cointelegraph’s Turner Wright spoke with former Ohio Representative Tim Ryan, a member of Coinbase’s advisory council who has focused on middle-class affordability, including housing.
Ryan cast mortgage financing as a practical, real-world use case for crypto, arguing that digital assets can unlock wealth for early investors and help address one of the biggest barriers to homeownership — the down payment.
“Digital assets have a place for working-class people… all the way down to getting a home,” Ryan said. “To see the industry move into… the housing sector… is a really huge deal.”
Affordability remains a major challenge for US homebuyers. Despite slower activity tied to low inventory and elevated mortgage rates, the average home price still exceeded $405,000 in the fourth quarter.
The median home price has come down from its 2022 peak but remains elevated relative to incomes. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
A 20% down payment, often required to avoid private mortgage insurance, would still cost buyers more than $80,000, a hurdle that could be less challenging now for crypto investors.
Additional reporting by Sam Bourgi and Turner Wright.
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Opinion by: Samuel Owusu-Boadi, founder of WellsForAll
Over the past decade, crypto philanthropy has exploded. From a niche experiment to a transformative force channeling billions into global causes, crypto philanthropy’s moment has arrived.
According to data from The Giving Block, crypto donations exceeded $1 billion in 2024, proving that blockchain-based giving is now a legitimate, more transparent (in theory) and efficient alternative to traditional charity fundraising. While these figures show momentum, scale alone does not equate to success, especially in philanthropic projects across Africa.
Across the African continent, many crypto philanthropy initiatives are designed as moments — token launches, non-fungible token drops and campaigns designed to generate attention, capital and optimism in short bursts. These hype cycles rarely account for what happens after the launch window closes. No long-term systems are built to facilitate continued investment and oversight.
Why is this an issue? Public good projects cannot function on hype cycles. They require assets that endure for decades, with maintenance schedules, governance structures and local accountability.
There is no shortage of donation campaigns for philanthropic projects in Africa. What is lacking is long-lasting infrastructure. When philanthropy is structured around visibility rather than durability, the result is predictable: short-term relief followed by quiet failure.
The transparency illusion
Crypto philanthropy evangelists often point to blockchain’s transparency as a solution to these shortcomings. Onchain records can show where funds move, when they move and who authorized them. As valuable as this type of insight is, it is also incomplete.
Transparent records alone solve little without tangible truth on the ground. A transaction hash cannot confirm that infrastructure remains functional, that communities continue to benefit or that maintenance funding still exists. Blockchain systems can record intent, but they cannot verify tangible outcomes in the projects that crypto philanthropy seeks to enable. Academic research has highlighted that while blockchain may improve traceability, it does not automatically guarantee accountability or effect without additional systems that sit beside or within it to link the two.
Without on-the-ground presence and continuous oversight, onchain transparency risks becoming nothing more than performative in its credibility. Accountability must exist where the physical infrastructure exists, which means establishing frameworks outside of the distributed ledger that can track and measure tangible outputs. If effect is only measured at the transaction level, the most important question in any philanthropy project goes unanswered: Did lives meaningfully improve?
Ignoring local ownership makes failure inevitable
This gap between digital transparency and physical reality becomes more frustrating when projects are designed without the input from the communities they aim to serve. Many crypto philanthropy initiatives are conceived and executed by teams that have never visited the regions affected by their decisions.
Without local leadership overseeing these projects, responsibility evaporates once funding slows. Infrastructure that lacks community ownership will deteriorate quickly. Without clearly defined custodianship and locally managed maintenance resources, even well-funded projects deteriorate once initial enthusiasm fades.
At times, crypto-backed charitable initiatives in Africa treat local ownership as a cultural nicety, or an afterthought, rather than the heart and soul of the project. Communities must co-manage and protect assets if those assets are expected to survive. Projects that treat beneficiaries as end users rather than stewards inevitably collapse.
Charity tokens create dependency instead of dignity
Considering these observations, it becomes quite clear that most charity tokens and crypto fundraising models are designed to deliver temporary relief. They perform well at mobilizing attention and capital quickly but struggle to support systems that operate year after year.
Shifting the aim toward structural infrastructure enables philanthropic projects to function as a type of economic infrastructure, where longevity and sustainability are properly accounted for, and not merely as a charitable intervention. When clean water systems, schools or clinics remain operational over long periods, they reduce dependency rather than reinforce it.
Dignity emerges not from receiving aid, but from creating systems from that aid that truly stand the test of time and endure.
Without long-term operational thinking, projects inadvertently recreate the very dependency dynamics they claim to disrupt.
Repeated failure harms the entire crypto industry
The consequences of these failures extend beyond individual projects. Whenever an initiative collapses, or public trust in a crypto-backed charity project erodes, not only is the power of philanthropy questioned, but so is belief in blockchain itself. With these failures, skepticism toward future crypto-powered initiatives only gets louder.
Africa experiences this damage the most. Failed experiments leave behind broken infrastructure and weakened confidence, making it harder for responsible models to gain support and traction. Philanthropy should never be treated as an experimental case study or showcase for blockchain technology. When human well-being is at stake, failure is not as abstract as we like to think.
For the crypto industry, this represents a credibility challenge. If blockchain is to play a meaningful role in global development, it must demonstrate discipline, restraint and accountability — not novelty for its own sake.
Maturity, not abandonment
With all this being said, is it time to abandon crypto philanthropy projects? Certainly not. Crypto advocates often highlight the advantages of digital assets in philanthropy, including borderless transfers, reduced transaction costs and immutable records. These benefits are real and largely undisputed.
For blockchain to contribute meaningfully to sustainable effects, then it must be treated as governance infrastructure rather than a marketing fundraising function. That means prioritizing local ownership, multi-year planning, maintenance funding and accountability frameworks that extend beyond the ledger.
Until crypto philanthropy builds systems instead of hype, it will continue to fail the communities it claims to serve.
Opinion by: Samuel Owusu-Boadi, founder of WellsForAll.
This opinion article presents the author’s expert view, and it may not reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. This content has undergone editorial review to ensure clarity and relevance. Cointelegraph remains committed to transparent reporting and upholding the highest standards of journalism. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the company.
