Weekly Market Highlights - Global Crypto Expansion Amid Regulatory Shifts

02 May 2025Macro/TradFiUS GDP shrank 0.3 per cent in Q1 2025, marking the first quarter of negative growth in three years, as global trade rifts hit the economy.SEC Chair Paul Atkins signals a pro-crypto shift, advocating for clearer digital asset regulations and a potential reversal of restrictive policies in his first public remarks at a crypto roundtable.Morgan Stanley plans to offer crypto trading through E*Trade by 2026, expanding access to digital assets for its wealthiest clients, who already have exposure to crypto ETFs and futures.BlackRock files to offer tokenized shares of its $150 billion Treasury Trust Fund via BNY Mellon.Nasdaq files a 19b-4 proposal to list and trade shares of 21Shares’ Dogecoin ETF, with Bloomberg analysts estimating a 75% approval chance, though the SEC delayed Bitwise’s application.21Shares files for a spot SUI ETF in the United States, expanding its crypto ETF offerings beyond Bitcoin and Ether.Strategy acquires 15,355 BTC for $1.42 billion, bringing its total holdings to 553,555 BTC, valued at $52 billion, funded by selling $1.4 billion in class A common stock and $37.5 million in STRK preferred shares.CryptoL1/L2:Developers introduce Ethereum R1, a new Layer 2 solution aimed at improving scalability and reducing transaction costs on the Ethereum network.1inch launches on Solana, planning cross-chain swaps.Sony's Soneium blockchain partners with Plume to offer access to real-world asset (RWA) products.Others:ARK Invest raises its 2030 bull-case bitcoin price projection to $2.4 million, citing aggressive modeling and growing institutional adoption.A suspicious transaction involving 3,520 BTC sparks a Monero price spike, with ZachXBT suggesting it may be theft-related.Hong Kong proposes a licensing regime for stablecoin issuers, aiming to regulate fiat-backed stablecoins by 2025, with penalties for non-compliance.The EU considers stricter regulations on stablecoin transactions, potentially requiring issuers to hold higher reserves and imposing limits on transaction volumes.Sam Altman’s eye-scanning crypto project Worldcoin launches in the U.S..Strategy reports a Q1 earnings miss but raises its 2025 bitcoin gain target to $15 billion, reflecting confidence in long-term crypto growth.Latest Binance Research Publications Check out our latest publications:Pectra and Fusaka Upgrades: What does it mean for Ethereum?Tariff Escalation and Crypto Markets: Impact AnalysisMonthly Market Insights - April 2025That’s a wrap!Binance ResearchAbout Binance Research: Binance Research is the research arm of Binance, the world's leading cryptocurrency exchange. The team is committed to delivering objective, independent, and comprehensive analysis and aims to be the thought leader in the crypto space. Our analysts publish insightful thought pieces regularly on topics related but not limited to, the crypto ecosystem, blockchain technologies, and the latest market themes.General Disclosure: This material is prepared by Binance Research and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities, cryptocurrencies or to adopt any investment strategy. The use of terminology and the views expressed are intended to promote understanding and the responsible development of the sector and should not be interpreted as definitive legal views or those of Binance. The opinions expressed are as of the date shown above and are the opinions of the writer, they may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by Binance Research to be reliable, are not necessarily all-inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by Binance. This material may contain ’forward looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any securities, cryptocurrencies or any investment strategy nor shall any securities or cryptocurrency be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the laws of such jurisdiction. Investment involves risks.