Bitcoin Slips Below $68,000 as $65,000 Emerges as the Market’s Critical Test
Bitcoin has resumed its downward drift after failing to hold above $70,000, pushing price action into a fragile zone where $65,000 is rapidly becoming the market’s key battleground. The move matters because it signals weakening short-term conviction following a strong recovery rally, raising questions about whether buyers are willing to defend higher levels or step aside for a deeper reset. What Triggered the Latest Decline After topping out at $72,256, Bitcoin began to lose traction, slipping below the $68,800 support level and then falling through $68,000. The pullback erased more than half of the prior rebound from the $60,500 swing low, with BTC breaking below the 50 percent Fibonacci retracement of that move. Price is now trading below the 100 hourly simple moving average, a level often used to gauge short-term trend direction. On the hourly BTC/USD chart, a bearish trend line has formed with resistance near $68,200, based on data from Kraken. Market Reaction Shows Controlled Selling, Not Panic Despite the slide, selling pressure has remained relatively orderly. There has been no sharp liquidation cascade, suggesting traders are reducing exposure cautiously rather than exiting aggressively. This measured response indicates the market is still treating the move as a correction within a broader range, rather than the start of a disorderly breakdown. Technical Signals Tilt Bearish in the Short Term Momentum indicators reflect growing downside pressure. The hourly Relative Strength Index has moved below the 50 level, indicating that bearish momentum is gaining control. At the same time, the hourly MACD is accelerating in the bearish zone, reinforcing the view that sellers currently dominate short-term price action. Immediate resistance sits at the trend line near $68,200, followed by $69,000. A sustained move above $69,000 would be needed to shift momentum and reopen the path toward $70,000, $71,500, and potentially $72,000 to $72,500. Why $65,000 Has Become the Psychological Line If Bitcoin fails to reclaim $69,000, attention is likely to shift quickly to the downside. Initial support is near $66,000, with $65,000 standing out as a major technical and psychological level. That zone aligns with the 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement of the rally from $60,500 to $72,256, a level closely watched by both discretionary traders and algorithmic systems. Below $65,000, support levels thin out, with $63,500 and $62,000 coming into focus. The broader structure shows $61,200 as the last major support before recovery prospects become increasingly uncertain. Trader Psychology Reflects Caution, Not Capitulation The current price action suggests traders are hesitant to add risk ahead of clear confirmation. Buyers appear willing to defend deeper support levels but are reluctant to step in aggressively near resistance. For short-term participants, $65,000 represents a decision point. Holding that level could reinforce the idea of a healthy consolidation, while a breakdown would likely shift sentiment toward capital preservation. What Comes Next for Bitcoin In the near term, Bitcoin’s direction hinges on whether it can stabilize above $65,000 and reclaim lost ground near $69,000. Until one of those levels breaks decisively, BTC is likely to remain range-bound, with volatility driven by short-term positioning rather than fresh conviction. The post appeared first on CryptosNewss.com #BTC $BTC
Ripple Adds Secure Key Management and Staking Tools for Banks and Custodians
Ripple has expanded its institutional custody capabilities by integrating hardware security and staking infrastructure, a move aimed at simplifying how banks and regulated custodians manage and deploy digital asset services. The update matters because it addresses two of the biggest friction points for institutions entering crypto markets, secure key management and compliant access to proof-of-stake yield, without forcing firms to operate their own validators or security infrastructure. What Ripple Announced and Why It Matters In a statement released Monday, February 9, Ripple confirmed new collaborations with Securosys, a Swiss-based cybersecurity firm, and Figment, a major staking infrastructure provider for proof-of-stake networks. The integrations enhance Ripple’s institutional custody platform, enabling regulated financial institutions to manage cryptographic keys through on-premise or cloud-based hardware security modules, while also offering staking services on networks such as Ethereum and Solana. Analysts noted that this approach lowers operational complexity for banks and custodians that want to offer custody and staking but lack the internal resources to manage validators or advanced key management systems. Context: Ripple’s Expanding Institutional Strategy These upgrades follow Ripple’s acquisition of Palisade, a French-regulated digital asset custody and wallet infrastructure provider, and the integration of Chainalysis compliance tools into its platform. Together, these components allow institutions to combine custody, staking, and real-time compliance monitoring within a single operational framework, a requirement that has become increasingly important as regulatory scrutiny intensifies. Ripple emphasized that the new integrations streamline deployment timelines and accelerate the launch of institutional custody services, positioning the company beyond its traditional focus on cross-border payments. Market Reaction and Industry Response The announcement did not trigger immediate market volatility, reflecting a broader trend where infrastructure upgrades are viewed as long-term positioning rather than short-term catalysts. Instead, analysts framed the development as a strategic signal. Ripple is building institutional-grade plumbing at a time when demand for compliant custody and yield products is growing, even as regulatory clarity around staking remains uneven. How Institutions Are Thinking About Staking Institutional interest in proof-of-stake networks has continued to rise as firms look for yield opportunities that align with regulated frameworks. Figment’s role is central here. In October last year, the company expanded its collaboration with Coinbase, enabling clients of Coinbase Custody and Prime to stake multiple proof-of-stake assets, including Ether, Solana, Sui, Aptos, and Avalanche, through Figment’s infrastructure. This shift highlights how institutions increasingly prefer outsourcing validator operations to specialized providers rather than managing them internally. Ripple’s Broader Ambitions Beyond Payments Ripple described itself as a technology company and digital payment network serving financial institutions, while also issuing the XRP token and RLUSD, a US dollar-pegged stablecoin launched in late 2024. The custody upgrades arrive shortly after Ripple introduced a corporate treasury platform designed to integrate traditional cash management systems with digital asset technology. Taken together, these moves signal Ripple’s intention to expand into custody, treasury, and post-trade services, positioning itself as a full-stack blockchain infrastructure provider for regulated businesses. Competitive Pressure Across the Blockchain Ecosystem Ripple is not alone in this push. As competition intensifies, Anchorage Digital confirmed late last year that it had launched staking support for the Hyperliquid ecosystem, enabling HYPE staking through its institutional platform. The service was made available via Anchorage Digital Bank in Singapore and its self-custody wallet, Porto, with Figment managing validator operations. At the same time, sources pointed to growing experimentation with Bitcoin-native yield models that do not rely on staking, reflecting demand for alternative income strategies. Earlier this month, Fireblocks announced plans to integrate the Stacks blockchain, expanding institutional access to Bitcoin-based lending and yield products. What Comes Next Ripple’s custody and staking upgrades place it squarely in the race to become a core infrastructure provider for institutional crypto services. As proof-of-stake adoption expands and compliance expectations tighten, platforms that can bundle security, custody, staking, and monitoring are likely to gain traction among regulated firms. Takeaway Ripple’s latest integrations underscore a broader industry shift toward modular, institution-first crypto infrastructure. While market reaction was muted, the strategic implications point to a longer-term competition over who controls the rails of institutional digital asset services. The post appeared first on CryptosNewss.com #Ripple #XRP $XRP