Stellar’s XLM token endured sharp swings over the past 24 hours, tumbling 3% as institutional selling pressure dominated order books. The asset declined from $0.39 to $0.38 between September 14 at 15:00 and September 15 at 14:00, with trading volumes peaking at 101.32 million—nearly triple its 24-hour average. The heaviest liquidation struck during the morning hours of September 15, when XLM collapsed from $0.395 to $0.376 within two hours, establishing $0.395 as firm resistance while tentative support formed near $0.375.

Despite the broader downtrend, intraday action highlighted moments of resilience. From 13:15 to 14:14 on September 15, XLM staged a brief recovery, jumping from $0.378 to a session high of $0.383 before closing the hour at $0.380. Trading volume surged above 10 million units during this window, with 3.45 million changing hands in a single minute as bulls attempted to push past resistance. While sellers capped momentum, the consolidation zone around $0.380–$0.381 now represents a potential support base.

Market dynamics suggest distribution patterns consistent with institutional profit-taking. The persistent supply overhead has reinforced resistance at $0.395, where repeated rally attempts have failed, while the emergence of support near $0.375 reflects opportunistic buying during liquidation waves. For traders, the $0.375–$0.395 band has become the key battleground that will define near-term direction.

Technical Indicators

• XLM retreated 3% from $0.39 to $0.38 during the previous 24-hours from 14 September 15:00 to 15 September 14:00.
• Trading volume peaked at 101.32 million during the 08:00 hour, nearly triple the 24-hour average of 24.47 million.
• Strong resistance established around $0.395 level during morning selloff.
• Key support emerged near $0.375 where buying interest materialized.
• Price range of $0.019 representing 5% volatility between peak and trough.
• Recovery attempts reached $0.383 by 13:00 before encountering selling pressure.
• Consolidation pattern formed around $0.380-$0.381 zone suggesting new support level.

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Vietnam has launched a state-run pilot to allow the offering, issuance and trading of crypto assets under strict rules. The Resolution takes effect on September 9, 2025, and will run for five years.

According to the text of the measure, the program tightly limits who may issue tokens, who may run trading markets, and how both foreign and domestic investors may take part.

Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc has signed the resolution that sets out a framework for the issuance and trading of crypto assets, the Government Electronic Newspaper of Vietnam reported Tuesday.

High Capital And Institutional Rules

Organizations that want to run crypto trading markets must meet steep capital and ownership tests. The Resolution sets a minimum contributed charter capital of 10,000 billion Vietnamese Dong.

At least 65% of that charter capital must be held by organizations, and over 35% must be held by at least two institutions such as commercial banks, securities companies, fund managers, insurance firms or tech firms.

Foreign ownership in licensed providers is capped at 49%. Leadership and staff rules are also strict: the General Director must have two years of relevant experience and the Chief Technology Officer must have five years, the resolution states.

Firms must employ at least 10 staff in technology roles with certified network security training, and at least 10 staff with securities practice certificates. The infotech system must meet Level 4 information security standards before it goes live.

Asset Backing And Investor Access

Based on reports, tokens issued in the pilot must be backed by real underlying assets. Securities and fiat currencies are not allowed as underlying assets. Offerings may be directed to foreign investors, and trading among foreign investors must occur through service providers licensed by the Ministry of Finance.

Issuers are required to publish a prospectus and related documents at least 15 days before an offering. Participants are responsible for making sure public information is accurate and timely.

Services Allowed And Risk Controls

Licensed crypto-asset service providers will be allowed to organize trading markets, offer custody, operate issuance platforms and self-trade within the rules. Providers must have clear processes for risk management, deposit and asset handling, transaction and payment flows, AML/CFT checks and monitoring for financing of weapons of mass destruction.

Internal control and transaction monitoring systems must be in place, along with procedures for handling conflicts of interest, customer complaints and compensation, according to the resolution.

Trading Controls And Penalties

Domestic investors may open accounts with licensed providers to deposit, buy and sell crypto assets. But six months after the first crypto-asset service provider is licensed, any domestic trading that bypasses licensed platforms will face administrative sanctions or criminal prosecution depending on the violation’s severity.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

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Norway is reportedly planning to introduce a temporary ban on the development of new data centres linked to crypto mining, Reuters reported on June 20.

According to the report, the government is expected to implement the restrictions before the end of the year, citing environmental and energy concerns.

The government says the aim is to preserve electricity for more productive uses.

Karianne Tung, Norway’s Minister for Digitalization and Public Administration, said authorities want to reduce crypto mining activity as much as possible. She added that these operations offer limited economic benefit, bringing in few jobs or tax revenue, despite consuming large volumes of energy.

Meanwhile, this stance puts Norway at odds with a growing number of countries turning to Bitcoin mining to utilize surplus energy and boost national income.

Notably, countries like El Salvador, Belarus, and Pakistan have embraced state-backed mining programs, which support local economies, help stabilize energy grids, and lower electricity costs for citizens.

Norwegian firm embraces Bitcoin

While the government is pushing back against mining, Norwegian companies are deepening their involvement in Bitcoin.

Data from Nordics Bitcoin reveals that Aker ASA, a major industrial holding company, currently holds 754 BTC, valued at over $80 million, making it the country’s largest corporate holder of the asset.

Crypto-focused firm K33 has also increased its accumulation, acquiring 25 BTC this year and signaling plans to increase its holdings to 1,000 BTC.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Block Exchange recently purchased 6 BTC and expects to expand its reserve to 10 BTC by the end of June as part of an exploratory initiative.

These moves suggest that Bitcoin continues to gain traction as a treasury asset among Norwegian firms despite the political headwinds.

The corporate interest aligns with a global trend that has seen the top crypto become a prominent player in the international financial system.

Mentioned in this article

Nearly three-quarters of all daily deposits across major exchanges consisted of coins that had last moved less than 24 hours earlier, pointing to high-frequency repositioning activity rather than strategic distribution.

This type of churn, dominated by recent outputs and large-value transactions, suggests that the bulk of near-term sell-side pressure stems from professional entities cycling liquidity or managing inventory rather than from broader capitulation among long-term participants.

The dominance of ultra-fresh supply is consistent across the dataset. On average, coins younger than 24 hours comprised 75.3% of all daily inflows between April 6 and May 6. The highest single-day reading occurred on May 6, when this bracket represented 86.2% of all inflows.

Another spike in short-term coin movement appeared on May 3, when the 1–7 day age band surged to 44.3%. This was the only day in the sample when longer, though still recent, coin movement outpaced same-day turnover.

Despite these variations, the overarching pattern remains unchanged: the vast majority of inflows are driven by coins that were either newly minted or recently circulated rather than by older or untouched holdings.

Long-term holders, meanwhile, have shown almost no activity in this period. Coins older than one year comprised just 0.7% of all inflows on average, peaking at 7.6% on April 10 but otherwise remaining below 1%. This lack of participation from older supply indicates that deep-pocketed holders continue to exercise patience, opting to hold rather than take advantage of recent price strength. Their absence also limits the probability of an abrupt surge in exchange-based supply that could weigh on price action in the short term.

The nature of inflows is further clarified by examining the value distribution of these deposits. Transfers between 100 BTC and 1,000 BTC accounted for a dominant share of daily inflow value, averaging 47.8% over the past week and reaching as high as 67.8% on May 3. These block-sized transfers signal activity from institutional desks, custodians, or ETF market makers rather than retail participants.

Supporting this, the 1,000–10,000 BTC band grew from a 7.9% average share in mid-April to 10.7% in early May, with a notable 30.5% spike on April 29. Although infrequent, a single 10,000+ BTC transfer was recorded on April 25, contributing 2.1% of that day’s volume. Large-scale movements like this one are rare and likely represent internal rebalancing or cross-platform transfers rather than simple liquidation.

Retail activity appears minimal by contrast. Inflows below 1 BTC averaged just 3% across the entire period. This low figure reinforces the idea that current exchange activity is primarily driven by institutional actors rather than a groundswell of smaller traders or panic selling. It also highlights the ongoing detachment between retail sentiment and market structure, as price volatility continues to be shaped primarily by large-scale movements rather than grassroots engagement.

When age and value are combined, a clear pattern emerges. The overwhelming share of exchange deposits originates from coins moved within the same day, and those deposits are increasingly delivered in large batches. This convergence of freshness and scale points toward automated or desk-based activity such as arbitrage, liquidity provisioning, or ETF-related demand. This behavior differs from past market tops or panic-driven phases, where older supply resurfaces, and smaller holders dominate the outflow pattern.

The persistent absence of older coins suggests that long-term holders are not seizing recent price moves as an opportunity to exit. Instead, exchange deposits remain structurally tied to professional cycles. The dominance of block-sized transfers also implies that any sustained price swings will likely require confirmation through more profound shifts in coin age distribution or a rise in retail-sized flow.

Finally, the reappearance of larger whale-sized inflows in early May followed the changes in Bitcoin derivatives markets, including a jump in open interest and increased directional positioning. The expansion of the 1,000–10,000 BTC bracket could be an early indicator of strategic reallocation or upcoming large-volume trades, especially as ETF flows and institutional interest continue to dominate spot volumes.

The post Bitcoin exchange inflows show heavy institutional activity, virtually no LTH selling appeared first on CryptoSlate.

XRP’s price movement over the past two weeks has been characterized by sharp fluctuations that have kept traders on edge. The token briefly plunged below $2 before staging a rapid recovery that saw it climb as high as $2.8, all within just a few days. 

This interesting price action is an extension of the entire crypto market, which ended February on a crazy decline before bouncing back in early March. This bounce back was sparked by Donald Trump’s hinting about a crypto reserve in the US. However, on-chain data shows that the surge has been met with an equally dramatic sell-off by large holders.

Trump’s Crypto Announcement Causes XRP Price Surge

XRP enjoyed a sudden upward jolt following a surprise announcement by Donald Trump on Sunday, March 2. The US president revealed plans for a US Crypto Strategic Reserve that would include XRP alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano. The prospect of government-backed crypto reserves fueled a buying frenzy across the entire market. XRP registered an intraday rally of over 30% after Trump’s statement, briefly pushing its price towards the $3.00 mark​ again. 

However, the celebratory mood proved short-lived. Within a day of the announcement, XRP gave back a chunk of its gains as sell orders flooded the market. After peaking above $2.8 during the Trump-fueled rally, the price quickly retreated by about 10%. By Tuesday, the asset was trading in the mid-$2 range again.

Interestingly, on-chain data shows that whale investors (those holding massive positions) have unloaded record amounts of the token in the wake of the rally. Miles Deutscher, a crypto market analyst, highlighted the trend on X (formerly Twitter) with a stark observation using data from the on-chain analytics platform CryptoQuant.

Deutscher’s post was accompanied by a chart pointing to heavy profit-taking by whales, and he described the market’s behavior as a textbook distribution phase. 

The Altcoin In The Distribution Phase

A distribution phase is a period when early investors cash out en masse following a strong rally. In the case of XRP, early investors are those who bought the token during its multi-year bear rut under $0.5. This is based on a momentum that had been growing since late 2024, which saw the altcoin climb more than 500% from roughly $0.55 in early November to over $3 by January 2025.

As shown by the chart above, whales have been selling for a while and continue to do so after the recent Trump-induced rally. Particularly, the CryptoQuant chart shows negative whale flows peaking at over 180 million XRP in early March, which is its highest level in years. 

Interestingly, exchange data shows a concurrent jump in supply on trading platforms. Binance, for example, has seen its XRP reserves spiking from 2.72 billion to 2.90 billion tokens in recent days.

At the time of writing, the token is trading at $2.46 and is starting to recover towards $3 again.

Featured image from Medium, chart from Tradingview.com