Displaying items by tag: crypto

Bitcoin has fallen under $92,000, extending its pullback from October’s record highs and raising questions about whether this is a brief correction or the start of another four-year cycle downturn. 

Analysts point to last month’s $19 billion in liquidations, combined with profit-taking by long-term holders, as key drivers of the recent slide. The decline also coincides with bitcoin’s historically vulnerable post-halving window, creating what some call a “self-fulfilling prophecy” of selling pressure. 

Still, firms like Bernstein argue the data supports consolidation toward a new bottom rather than the massive 60–70% drawdowns seen in past cycles. Institutional ETF adoption, supportive signals from the Trump administration, and continued large-scale.

Finsum: A break below the critical $93,000 level could also trigger a major buying opportunity for investors. 

Public companies’ Bitcoin holdings jumped nearly 40% in Q3 2025, even as the cryptocurrency’s price stayed below $115,000. According to Bitwise, 172 firms now collectively hold about 1.02 million BTC—roughly 4.8% of total supply—driven by large additions from players like Strategy and Japan’s Metaplanet. 

Despite this record accumulation, enthusiasm across crypto equities has cooled, with companies such as Metaplanet seeing share prices tumble more than 70% from their peaks. 

Analysts suggest Bitcoin’s muted response reflects low market liquidity and the nature of institutional buying, which mostly occurs off exchanges and doesn’t immediately move prices. Broader macroeconomic uncertainty, from renewed trade tensions to shifting Fed policy expectations, has also dampened risk appetite. 

Finsum: Many market observers remain optimistic, expecting Bitcoin to regain upward momentum once retail demand and liquidity return later in the year.

In the evolving “post-60/40” investing landscape, alternatives often come with higher fees and reduced liquidity, but investors tolerate these trade-offs for the potential of higher returns and skilled management. Wealth managers stress that allocations should reflect an investor’s liquidity needs, risk tolerance, and experience, with recommendations ranging from a cautious 10% to as high as 50% for those with no short-term cash flow requirements. 

While some, like Marina Wealth’s Noah Damsky, seek niche managers with unique strategies, others—such as International Assets Advisory’s Ed Cofrancesco—favor straightforward private real estate projects for their simplicity and transparency. 

Ballast Rock Private Wealth’s Andrew Mescon highlights private credit and private equity secondaries as compelling opportunities, citing diversification, downside protection, and discounts to net asset value as advantages. Managers also note the growing role of evergreen fund structures, which can ease liquidity constraints and broaden access to these asset classes. 

Finsum: Ultimately, successful alternative investing hinges on aligning product complexity, fees, and liquidity with each investor’s unique financial situation.

PayPal announced a new service called “Pay with Crypto,” which will enable businesses to accept over 100 types of cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin and ethereum. The system allows users to pay with popular crypto wallets like Coinbase and MetaMask, with all payments instantly converted into fiat or PayPal’s U.S.-dollar-backed stablecoin, PYUSD. 

Aimed at streamlining cross-border transactions, the service promises lower fees, with a promotional 0.99% transaction rate through July 2026—well below typical credit card processing costs. 

CEO Alex Chriss highlighted that merchants can receive dollars within seconds, bypassing the volatility and technical challenges typically associated with crypto payments. Businesses can begin opting into a beta rollout in the coming weeks, with broader availability expected later this year. 

Finsum: The launch coincides with a major policy shift as the GENIUS Act, the first U.S. crypto legislation, was recently signed into law, solidifying regulatory support for stablecoins and digital assets.

Once viewed as a fringe asset, bitcoin is rapidly gaining traction with Fortune 500 firms, many of which are now embracing it as a legitimate component of corporate finance. Major players like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and GameStop have turned to convertible notes and other financing mechanisms to amass sizable bitcoin holdings, effectively using the asset as both a store of value and a treasury strategy. 

This shift has catalyzed the development of sophisticated instruments like structured notes—offering downside protection or leveraged upside—alongside Bitcoin-backed loans and custodial accounts with embedded yield features. While these tools may seem like responsible financial innovations, they walk a fine line between risk management and speculative engineering, especially as regulatory and accounting treatment remains murky. 

The entrance of mainstream institutions and the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs have brought new legitimacy, but corporate treasurers still face complex questions about liquidity, governance, and portfolio fit.

Finsum: Whether bitcoin serves as a smart hedge or a risky gamble depends on each company’s capital strategy, tolerance for volatility, and long-term vision.