Yo DDians! How’s it going? Bitcoin tapped $110K again last week, reinforcing our faith that bulls are strong and here to stay. With institutional accumulation soaring and corporate interest in other major altcoins picking up as well, we are just getting started.
Here’s what we have for you in this issue –
- Solana – from meme coin blockchain to an institutional favorite
- Ripple’s ripping its old identity
- Rate cuts soon? Maybe not.
Is Solana the New Crypto Summer Showstopper?🫦
It seems so.
Solana isn’t a “memecoin blockchain” anymore, even though its journey on the use case ladder began that way.
But, in six months, it’s gone from being the blockchain for degens and meme coins to leading real economic value, DEX volume, and institutional inflows.
Let’s see how.
Data Demonstrates Domination
As per the Helius Solana Ecosystem Report (H1 2025), Solana accounted for:
- $56.8 million in daily real economic value — beating Ethereum + Bitcoin combined.
- 162 million+ daily transactions — with sub-second finality and zero downtime since early 2024.
Source: @0xMert_
- $890B in DEX volume (Jan–May 2025) — clearing 81% of all DEX trades.
Jito tips alone account for up to 66% of REV (Real Extractable Value), underlining that users are willing to pay real money for MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) priority.
With bots running ~50% of all swaps, Solana isn’t just fast — it’s automated.
And, all of this happens with median fees under $0.003. Beat that!
Blockbuster Wall Street Debut
Upon its U.S. launch, the REX-Osprey Solana Staking ETF ($SSK) immediately leaped to the top 1% of ETF launches ever with:
- $33 million worth of trading volume on day 1
- $12 million in inflows
- Staking yield exposure, unlike any BTC or ETH ETF
As per Bloomberg’s ETF analysts, it was one of the most successful crypto ETF debuts since the launch of Bitcoin ETFs.
And if exploding institutional interest is anything to go by, CME Solana futures’ open interest hit $167 million, a new all-time high.
Treasury Trend Picking Pace
After BTC and ETH, it’s SOL fuelling crypto treasury plans.
DeFi Development Corp. has become the first U.S.-listed firm to lead the way. They are raising $100 million via convertible notes to build a Solana treasury.
Source: @defidevcorp
This is their game plan:
- Buy back shares
- Acquire more SOL
- Position ahead of future Solana ETF approvals
With VanEck, 21Shares, and others lined up for true spot SOL ETFs — and with SEC sentiment warming, it looks like DDC’s bet will pay off well.
Bottom Line
Solana is evolving from a memecoin chain to an institutional-grade, high-performance financial layer, and the market is catching up fast.
- It’s already leading in usage metrics.
- Now, it’s grabbing ETFs, CME listings, and corporate treasuries.
- And it’s doing all of this while keeping fees low and UX slick.
The signs are too good to be ignored. Hope your SOL bags are big, fat, and ready for the ride ahead😉
Ripple Wants To Be THE BANK🪙
While a lot of crypto companies are looking to go public in the U.S. and gain legitimacy on Wall Street, Ripple is looking at a full Tradfi makeover, while retaining its crypto-nativity, by becoming a bank.
Source: @bgarlinghouse
Just days after Circle filed for a U.S. national bank charter, Ripple dropped its application at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
If approved, Ripple would be the only crypto firm with both federal (OCC) and state (NYDFS) oversight — a move that could give RLUSD unparalleled institutional credibility.
Why It Matters?
- Banking license = direct access to the U.S. financial system.
- Ripple’s Standard Custody is also aspiring for a Federal Reserve master account, which will let it hold RLUSD reserves with the Fed.
- The GENIUS Act (new stablecoin regulation) is about to change the game — and Ripple wants to be first in line when the rules take effect.
It isn’t just about successful positioning and running the stablecoin business anymore. Ripple has leveled up its game massively.
It is on its way to becoming a full-stack crypto bank, with custody, stablecoin issuance, direct settlement rails, and regulatory coverage from top to bottom.
We don’t need to tell you what you should be doing right now.😉
Hot Jobs Data Pours Cold Water Over Rate Cut Hopes😭
Increasing jobs and falling unemployment are bullish metrics for the economy, but not for markets. At least as far as rate cuts are concerned.
Confused? Let us explain.
Here’s what has happened:
- The U.S. economy just got a better-than-expected jobs report
- 147,000 jobs added in June vs. 111,000 expected.
- Unemployment fell to 4.1%, beating the 4.3% estimate.
Sounds like good news, doesn’t it? And it is.
But in Fed-speak? That’s bad news for anyone hoping for rate cuts. A stronger labor market gives Powell & Co. less ammo (and less urgency) to cut rates this year. Why?
More jobs = stronger economy = stickier inflation = Fed stays put = higher-for-longer interest rates = market cools off
Traders are losing hope of more rate cuts, too. As per the CME FedWatch chart, the odds for three cuts just got dunked by two cuts.
If this trend continues, we might be staring at zero cuts in 2025.
The Fed is data-dependent, and this data says, “What’s the hurry?”
Markets need to recalibrate expectations.
And if you’re still betting on a rate-cut-driven pump… You might want to hedge that bet.
But, we also believe that crypto markets have matured manifold in the last 5 years. While tempered rate cut expectations may douse hopes of a temporary pump, the larger rally is still on, courtesy of massive institutional adoption. That’s why we advise you to keep an eye on where the big money is flowing, as that holds the key to future market trends.
And with that, we would like to end this issue.
See you in the next one.
Ciao👋
