Friday Forecasts: 18/7/25

Your weekly pulse on markets, narratives, protocols, and policy.

Market Pulse

Crypto bounces on renewed optimism House could pass key stablecoin legislation this week

Cryptocurrencies and several stocks tied to the ecosystem rallied Wednesday after the House approved the procedural vote to consider three key crypto regulation bills after Republican lawmakers halted their passage Tuesday.

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Standard Chartered launches bitcoin, ether spot trading for institutional clients

HONG KONG, July 15 (Reuters) – Standard Chartered (STAN.L), opens new tab will allow institutional clients to trade bitcoin and ether through its UK branch, the bank said on Tuesday, becoming what it said was the first global systemically important bank to offer such crypto services.

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Narratives to Watch

Coinbase’s $100 billion milestone sparks trillion-dollar company speculation

Coinbase has crossed a significant milestone, reaching a market capitalization of over $100 billion amid renewed momentum across the crypto sector.

According to Google Finance data, shares of Coinbase (COIN) reached a new all-time high of $398.50 during trading hours on July 14. However, the stock’s value ended the day at around $394, reflecting a 2% increase during the period.

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Solana Price Eyes $200 As Bulls Challenge $170 Resistance Level

Solana price could be on its way up towards its major resistance of around $170. This is after rallying strongly from its June lows. SOL recently tumbled above the $162-165 supply zone, only to fall to $168.

Solana has condensed around $163. It is currently facing a rejection test of the same range. This has been rejected several times below the level of $170. Should this consolidation prevail, then a fresh effort to crack the $170 price level may occur.

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Protocol Watch

El Salvador Crosses Bitcoin Holdings Over $760 Million

El Salvador’s Bitcoin (BTC) holdings have skyrocketed, crossing $760 million as the value of BTC surpassed $122,000 over the weekend. Despite enduring the failure of Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, the country continued to buy holdings in digital assets. Several industry leaders and sovereign powers criticized El Salvador’s planning, which has now shaped into a fruitful investment.

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Nasdaq-listed Sonnet BioTherapeutics agrees to $888 million merger to become Hyperliquid Strategies, launch HYPE treasury

Nasdaq-listed Sonnet BioTherapeutics, Inc. has agreed to merge with Rorschach I LLC to become Hyperliquid Strategies, Inc. and launch a treasury strategy.

Rorschach I LLC is a newly formed company by an entity affiliated with Atlas Merchant Capital LLC, an affiliate of Paradigm Operations LP, and additional sponsors, according to a Monday press release.

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Ripple Taps Luxembourg to Launch RLUSD Stablecoin Across Europe

The company has established a local entity—Ripple Payments Europe SA—and is now preparing to apply for an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license, which would give RLUSD passporting rights across all 30 EEA countries.

The choice of Luxembourg reflects Ripple’s emphasis on working with regulators rather than bypassing them. With a well-connected financial ecosystem and key banking partners like BNY Mellon based locally, the country offers Ripple a compliant path to scaling RLUSD under MiCA’s stringent reserve and transparency rules.

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Regulatory Radar

Citigroup considers issuing its own stablecoin, CEO says

NEW YORK, July 15 (Reuters) – Citigroup (C.N), opens new tab may issue its own stablecoin in an effort to facilitate digital payments, the bank’s CEO, Jane Fraser, told analysts on a post-earnings conference call on Tuesday.

“We are looking at the issuance of a Citi stablecoin, but probably most importantly is the tokenized deposit space, where we’re very active,” she said. “This is a good opportunity for us.”

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Crypto bills set to advance this week take industry closer to mainstream

July 14 (Reuters) – The crypto industry will take a step closer to going mainstream this week as a series of industry-friendly bills progress through Congress, paving the way for digital assets to potentially be further integrated into traditional finance.

The House of Representatives is set to pass a series of crypto-related bills in a week which the Republican majority has dubbed “crypto week.” The most notable is a bill that would establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins and is likely to advance to President Donald Trump’s desk.

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Moonrig Perspective

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