Plus: BNB hits $1K for the first time ever

GM. Bartender said "last call," but we're still pouring hopium shots like it's happy hour.

Here's the serving:

🍍 The FOMC meeting happened.

🏛️ New ETF rules.

🎉 BNB all-time high.

🍋 Best Web3 wallets, Trump Bitcoin statue + more

🍍 Market flavor today

Crypto Market Cap: $4.11T 2.17% (24H)
Name		Price	24H	7D
	Bitcoin BTC	$117,505.41	1.50%	2.75%
	Ethereum ETH	$4,598.60	2.10%	3.87%
	XRP XRP	$3.12	3.16%	4.16%
	BNB BNB	$994.26	4.63%	10.77%
	Solana SOL	$247.81	5.35%	9.39%

Ok, so it finally happened: for the first time this year, the Fed cut interest rates by 25 basis points.

Which Fed Chair Jerome Powell said they did as a risk-management cut.

Basically, they're tryna balance two problems at the same time:

👉 Inflation is still higher than their goal → which argues against cutting;

👉 But the job market is weakening → which argues for cutting.

Now, the Fed's logic is that once unemployment rises too fast, the damage to jobs and incomes can be hard to reverse.

So, instead of waiting until the labor market is clearly in trouble, they're easing just a little now to reduce that risk.

Now, here's how the crypto market took it:

👉 Bitcoin dipped to about $115K right after the announcement → then rebounded to ~$117K;

👉 Ethereum decreased to ~$4.4K → then climbed back to ~$4.6K.

👉 Other altcoins were mixed, check that out here.

Uhh… not exactly the monster pump some people might've hoped for.

This was actually because everyone already knew this cut was coming. When markets expect something, they price it in ahead of time.

What really mattered was the vibe coming from Powell:

👉 If he sounded dovish (open to cutting a lot more), markets would've rallied harder;

👉 If he sounded hawkish (worried about inflation, not eager to cut), assets might've dipped harder.

And his tone was cautious. He left the option open for more cuts, but he didn't commit to a big, fast easing cycle.

In other words, he didn't give traders a new reason to rush in, but he didn't scare them either.

So, what could actually move crypto next? More Fed cuts (especially if faster/larger than expected), more ETF inflows, and buy-pressure from corporations.

For now, the mood's bullish… but not full send. One foot on the gas, one foot on the brake.

🥝 Memecoin harvest

Warning: looking at this list may cause sudden FOMO and uncontrollable dopamine increases ⚠️

Data as of 05:00 AM EST.

Check out these memecoins and plenty more here.

🏛️ New ETF rules

For some investors, buying crypto feels like eating at that one sketchy-looking restaurant in town that only takes cash and doesn't have a menu you can read.

It's not that the food's bad - it's just that the experience is confusing.

And crypto can also be confusing: to get started, you have to set up a special account, learn how wallets work, worry about hacks, deal with exchanges that don't feel like your normal bank, yada yada yada.

That's where ETFs come in.

They give you a way to buy exposure to crypto through your regular brokerage account - no need to learn about crypto wallets or use crypto apps.

But there's a problem: there aren't many crypto ETFs out there.

Because up until now, launching a spot crypto ETF was a nightmare.

If a stock exchange wanted to list one, they had to file a 19b-4 rule change request with the SEC - basically asking the regulator to rewrite its own listing rules just to allow that single ETF.

The SEC would then run a full review: open it up for public comment, extend deadlines, and sometimes drag the process out for 240 days.

And every new ETF had to go through this all over again from scratch.

But... notice how I said "up until now"?.. 😏

That's because the SEC threw this old system INTO THE MF GARBAGE, and they've introduced something new: generic listing standards.

This means that from now on, instead of a case-by-case review, exchanges will follow a standing rulebook.

If the ETF meets certain requirements (like the coin having an active futures market for at least six months), it can go live much faster.

As in, the approval process could shrink from eight months down to about 75 days.

And that's a big deal. Because:

→ It means more ETFs can actually make it to market;

→ Which makes crypto way more accessible & gives institutions an easier entry point;

→ And when access and demand go up... prices may follow 😏

Ws in the chat.

🎉 BNB ATH

BNB has entered the four-digit villa for the first time ever, as it set a new all-time high above $1K.

Big achievement unlocked! 🥳

And what pushed it there? Let's break it down 👇

1/ Just vibes, man

Rate cuts gave the overall crypto market a little reassurance.

Nice, but that actually wasn't the main driver here.

2/ Legal stuff

Back in 2023, Binance settled with the US DOJ - and part of their deal was that Binance would have an independent compliance monitor looking over its shoulder for three years.

Recently, tho', word got out that the DOJ might end that monitor requirement early.

And that would mean fewer costs, fewer restrictions, and more freedom for Binance to run its business. Investors like that 😏

3/ Growth

Binance partnered with Franklin Templeton (the $1.5T asset manager) to build tokenized investment products.

Now, Franklin Templeton isn't straight-up buying BNB, but just like point #2 in this list, the partnership is good for Binance - which generally means more relevance and potential demand for BNB.

4/ On-chain activity

In just the last six months on BNB Chain:

👉 Daily transactions went up by 143%;

👉 Total unique addresses increased by 20%;

👉 Total value locked (TVL) rose 51%.

That's "someone's been hittin' the gym" kinda growth right there.

All considered, where does that leave BNB?

Well, right now, it's in price discovery.

That's finance bro-speak for when an asset trades at levels it's never hit before, so there's no past price history to guide where it might stall or bounce.

Traders are watching the $1K level because it's a big psychological milestone. Prices often stall or swing around such numbers because that's where many people set buy and sell orders.

👉 If the positive momentum keeps coming, $1K could flip from being a ceiling to being the new floor;

👉 But if the positive news fades or the broader crypto market goes risk-off, BNB is likely to lose that level and fall back into its previous range.

We'll see 👀

🍋 News drops you can't miss

🔐 Thinking about which Web3 wallet won't make you lose your marbles? We've rounded up the best picks so you can skip the trial-and-error.

🗽 Some crypto bros put up a statue of Donald Trump holding a Bitcoin near the US Capitol. The statue stood on the National Mall, across from Union Square in Washington, DC.

🤖 David Sacks, an adviser on AI and crypto, is being questioned about how much time he's spent in his short-term government role. His spokesperson says he hasn't gone over the workday limit for temporary federal employees.

⚖️ Donald Trump claims The New York Times damaged the reputation and value of the TRUMP token. He's seeking $15B in damages in a lawsuit.

⛪️ A Denver court ordered a local pastor and his wife to return $3.3M+ to investors after breaking state financial laws. They promoted a church-themed token.

🍌 Juicy memes