SINGAPORE, May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Since the start of May, macro tailwinds have gained momentum—U.S. inflation cooled, trade tensions began to ease, and the Fed has injected fresh liquidity. Bitcoin has surged back above $100,000, with ETH and SOL also posting strong gains. Yet beneath the surface of this rally, volatility risks remain. In this edition of HTX DeepThink, Chloe (@ChloeTalk1) from HTX Research unpacks the macro catalysts, institutional activity, and market structure to assess whether this rally can truly last.

Expectations for Rate Cuts Strengthened, Fed Liquidity Improves

The U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released on May 13, 2025, showed further cooling of inflation, reinforcing market expectations for Fed rate cuts later this year. Headline CPI rose 2.3% year-over-year (vs. 2.4% expected, 2.6% previous), marking the lowest level since March 2021; core CPI was 2.8% (in line with expectations, 3.0% previous). However, it is important to note that the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, core PCE, stood at 2.3% in March, still above the 2% target.

Market support also stemmed from a phase of expanding macro liquidity. The Fed’s total assets rose slightly from $6.70 trillion on April 30 to $6.73 trillion in early May. FED Net Liquidity (balance sheet + TGA – RRP) increased from $4.89 trillion to $4.94 trillion over the same period, injecting about $50 billion of net liquidity. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury General Account (TGA) balance rose to $583 billion, while the Reverse Repo Facility (RRP) balance dropped to a record low of $78 billion. This improvement in liquidity was mainly driven by the Fed slowing the pace of QT (reducing Treasury redemptions to $5 billion), the post-tax season Treasury cash inflows, and money market funds reallocating capital out of the RRP.

A significant risk remains, however: should a debt ceiling agreement be reached in July or August, substantial Treasury issuance to replenish the TGA, coupled with an almost depleted RRP buffer, could lead to a tightening of system liquidity once again, potentially exerting downward pressure on risk assets.

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Institutional Inflows Power Crypto Rally

Boosted by the improving macro backdrop, crypto market flows rebounded significantly. Bitcoin (BTC) futures open interest (OI) remained at elevated levels, with CME data showing about 660,000 BTC, representing 3.4% of circulating supply, highlighting strong institutional positioning. BTC OI on crypto-native exchanges also rose by 12%, with positions largely concentrated around the $100,000 level. Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) derivatives markets also saw a strong recovery, with ETH OI rising 15% since the first week of May and SOL rebounding 18% from late April lows. On-chain data showed ETH short-term holder (STH) profit addresses rising to approximately 90% and SOL to 88%, approaching historically high thresholds (>90% usually signals local top risk), raising concerns over near-term profit-taking pressures.

Data from Deribit showed that the near-term implied volatility of Bitcoin options decreased from 65% prior to the CPI release to 58%, reflecting expectations of short-term price stability and encouraging some institutions to sell options to capture premium yields. The ETH options market displayed a longer-dated bullish structure, with strong demand for $4,000–$5,000 call options expiring in December, suggesting institutional investors are positioning early for the next potential rally.

Macro Tailwinds Drive Bullish Bias, But Volatility Risks Linger

In summary, the combination of macro liquidity expansion, cooling CPI strengthening rate-cut expectations, sustained institutional allocation, and a rebound in derivatives market risk appetite has driven the strong May rally in BTC, ETH, and SOL.

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However, in the short term, the high percentage of short-term holders in profit and the concentration of leveraged positions imply that any breakout or breakdown of key technical levels could trigger concentrated profit-taking and liquidation cascades, leading to heightened volatility. The overall market structure remains defined by a medium-term structural bull trend combined with a short-term consolidation phase.

*The above content is not an investment advice and does not constitute any offer or solicitation to offer or recommendation of any investment product.

About HTX DeepThink:

HTX DeepThink is a flagship market insights column created by HTX, dedicated to exploring global macro trends, key economic indicators, and major developments across the crypto industry. In a world where volatility is the norm, HTX DeepThink aims to help readers “Find Order in Chaos.”

About HTX Research

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HTX Research is the dedicated research arm of HTX Group, responsible for conducting in-depth analyses, producing comprehensive reports, and delivering expert evaluations across a broad spectrum of topics, including cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and emerging market trends.

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Blockchain’s evolution continues at breakneck speed, shifting from niche applications into mainstream finance, supply-chain integrity, and social impact initiatives. Today’s briefing spotlights five stories that illustrate this maturation: Cardano’s seamless asset integration in the privacy-focused Brave browser; a strategic partnership between Cokeeps and Maybank Trustees to bring tokenized wealth management to institutional clients; Ripple’s leadership framing blockchain as the dismantler of traditional banking silos; the UNDP’s pilot using distributed ledgers to improve HIV treatment tracking across Eurasia; and a novel IoT-blockchain collaboration to authenticate fine wines end-to-end. In this op-ed–style roundup, we analyze not only the mechanics of each announcement but also their broader implications for Web3’s scaling, DeFi’s credibility, and blockchain’s social-good potential.

1. Cardano Integrates Native Blockchain Assets into Brave Browser

What Happened
On May 13, Cardano foundation engineers unveiled a collaboration with Brave Software to natively support Cardano blockchain assets—ADA tokens and native tokens—within Brave’s wallet panel. Users can now view balances, send ADA, stake directly, and interact with back-end metadata for Cardano NFTs, all without leaving the Brave interface. This move follows Brave’s earlier Ethereum and Solana integrations, signaling a multi-chain future for privacy-centric browsers.

Analysis & Implications

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• User Experience Leap: By embedding Cardano functionality at the browser level, Brave eliminates friction for onboarding new users who would otherwise juggle external wallets or browser extensions. Easier access to staking and NFT markets could drive stronger engagement for Cardano’s ecosystem.

• Multi-Chain Convergence: Brave’s strategy underscores the shift from siloed blockchain apps toward unified, chain-agnostic user experiences. As Web3 users demand seamless access across protocols, wallets and browsers will compete to offer the most inclusive multi-chain dashboards.

• Cardano’s Market Position: For Cardano, this integration is a validation of its low-fee, high-throughput value proposition. While Ethereum remains dominant in DeFi and NFTs, Cardano’s energy efficiency and growing dApp roster may attract users seeking alternatives—especially if wallet UX barriers continue to fall.

Opinion
Brave’s embrace of Cardano assets exemplifies the coming era of “wallet-agnostic” access, where the browser becomes the front door to multiple blockchains. For Cardano, it’s a critical trust signal that boosts on-ramps and could accelerate liquidity in its DeFi protocols. Yet success hinges on robust in-browser security and responsive UI design—any wallet bugs or performance lags will erode the trust this collaboration seeks to build.

Source: CoinDesk

2. Cokeeps & Maybank Trustees Develop Blockchain Asset-Management Solutions

What Happened
Malaysia’s Cokeeps, a digital-asset custody pioneer, has partnered with Maybank Trustees to design and deploy tokenized asset-management platforms for institutional investors. The joint solution leverages a permissioned blockchain to record ownership of tokenized bonds, real-estate funds, and alternative-assets, while integrating smart-contract–driven compliance checks and real-time audit trails.

Analysis & Implications

• Institutional Adoption: By combining Cokeeps’s custody technology with Maybank’s regulatory expertise and trustee services, the duo addresses two perennial barriers to institutional crypto investment: custody risk and compliance certainty. This model could serve as a blueprint for other Asia-Pacific custodians.

• Tokenization Benefits: Tokenized securities on a shared ledger can reduce settlement times from days to seconds, lower transaction costs, and open fractional-ownership models—broadening access to asset classes historically reserved for high-net-worth individuals.

• Regulatory Alignment: Embedding KYC/AML logic into smart contracts ensures that every token transfer automatically enforces jurisdictional rules. As regulators worldwide demand transparent on-chain auditability, such integrated controls will become table stakes for institutional offerings.

Opinion
This collaboration exemplifies how established financial institutions can embrace blockchain without ceding control. Rather than disrupting Maybank’s trustee role, tokenization enhances it—transforming trustees from manual record-keepers into guardians of programmable assets. The real test will be scale: can the platform handle high-volume trading with uncompromised security and consistency? If so, we may see a wave of legacy banks repackaging their services through blockchain rails.

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Source: The Star

3. Ripple Board Member: “Blockchain Is Unbundling Banks”

What Happened
On May 14, Stuart Alderoty, a board member at Ripple Labs, declared in an industry webcast that blockchain technology is fundamentally “unbundling” traditional banking services—payments, settlements, custody, and compliance are each evolving into modular, chain-native offerings. He argued that banks will increasingly source best-of-breed infrastructure from fintech and blockchain providers rather than maintain monolithic, in-house systems.

Analysis & Implications

• Modular Finance: Alderoty’s vision anticipates a composable finance ecosystem: banks orchestrate various on-chain services—liquidity pools, cross-border rails, automated KYC—via APIs, akin to how e-commerce platforms integrate third-party payment gateways and fraud-prevention tools today.

• Competitive Pressure: Incumbent banks face competition not only from neobanks but also from protocol-level service providers (e.g., on-chain oracles, decentralized exchanges). To retain clients, banks must either build or partner to offer seamless, blockchain-enhanced products.

• Industry Collaboration: Ripple itself underscores this shift: its On-Demand Liquidity service unbundles foreign-exchange and settlement from legacy correspondent banking, delivering real-time cross-border payments at reduced cost.

Opinion
The unbundling thesis places a premium on interoperability and standards. Without common protocols, financial services risk siloed “rails” that mimic today’s fragmented SWIFT-based processes. Collaborative industry consortia—like the U.K.’s Project Rosalind or Japan’s mHUB—will be crucial to define shared messaging formats and governance frameworks. For blockchain to truly disaggregate banking, ecosystem players must coalesce around open, secure standards.

Source: U.Today

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4. UNDP’s Big Ideas: Using Blockchain to Fight HIV in Eurasia

What Happened
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its “Big Ideas” pilot in Eurasia, deploying a blockchain-enabled platform to manage HIV treatment data across multiple countries. The solution uses a hybrid public-private ledger to ensure patient anonymity while providing authorized clinics and NGOs with secure, immutable access to treatment adherence records and drug-dispensation logs.

Analysis & Implications

• Data Privacy & Integrity: The hybrid architecture combines zero-knowledge proofs on a public chain—verifying treatment events without exposing personal health information—with a consortium chain that controls participant permissions. This dual model balances transparency and confidentiality.

• Cross-Border Collaboration: HIV programs often span regions with varying healthcare regulations. A shared blockchain registry simplifies data exchange, reducing duplication and ensuring each patient’s history is up to date, even when they move between clinics or countries.

• Scalability & Sustainability: Running on energy-efficient proof-of-stake networks and leveraging off-chain data storage for sensitive medical records, the platform minimizes transaction costs while maintaining high throughput—essential for scaling across thousands of patients.

Opinion
UNDP’s blockchain pilot represents a maturation of social-impact use cases—from proof-of-concepts to production-grade systems. By prioritizing patient privacy and regulatory alignment, this model could extend to other health-data challenges, such as vaccine distribution or epidemic tracking. The key will be forging long-term partnerships between multilateral organizations, local health authorities, and blockchain providers to sustain and expand the network beyond the pilot phase.

Source: UNDP

5. Identiv, ZaTap & Genuine Analytics Digitally Authenticate Fine Wines

What Happened
Identiv, ZaTap, and Genuine Analytics have unveiled a joint solution that employs specialized IoT tags and blockchain to verify the provenance of fine wines. Each bottle is fitted with a tamper-evident sensor that records temperature, humidity, and location data onto a permissioned ledger. Consumers can scan an NFC-enabled label to view the wine’s end-to-end history—from vineyard pressing to cellar aging and global shipping.

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Analysis & Implications

• Counterfeit Mitigation: The fine-wine market suffers from widespread fraud, with counterfeit bottles estimated to comprise up to 20% of high-end sales. Immutable provenance records and sensor-backed condition reports significantly raise the bar for authenticity verification.

• Consumer Trust & Engagement: Beyond security, the solution enhances the collector experience—buyers gain confidence in their purchase and a richer narrative around each vintage’s journey, potentially commanding higher resale values on secondary markets.

• Cross-Industry Potential: This IoT-blockchain fusion can be adapted for other luxury goods—artworks, haute horlogerie, or premium spirits—where provenance and condition are paramount.

Opinion
By blending real-world data streams with ledger immutability, this collaboration exemplifies blockchain’s most compelling value proposition: trusted digital twins of physical assets. However, the system’s integrity depends on robust IoT security—if sensors are spoofed or tampered with, the chain of trust breaks. Stakeholders must therefore enforce secure tag provisioning, periodic audits, and tamper detection measures to uphold the solution’s credibility.

Source: PR Newswire

Conclusion

Today’s blockchain dispatch underscores a pivotal shift: decentralized ledgers are weaving into the fabric of finance, social impact, and supply-chain integrity. From Brave’s browser-level Cardano support to tokenized asset platforms, from the unbundling of banking services to health-data pilots and luxury-goods authentication, blockchain is proving its versatility and maturing beyond speculative markets. As on-chain and off-chain worlds converge, interoperability, security, and standards will determine which projects scale and which falter. For stakeholders across Web3, DeFi, and enterprise IT, the imperative is clear: embrace modular architectures, uphold rigorous governance, and focus on real-world value—only then will blockchain realize its promise of trust, transparency, and transformative efficiency.

The post Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – May 14, 2025 appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.

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• Consensus 2026 marks a significant milestone with its return to Hong Kong and debut in Miami, expanding the reach of the world’s longest-running and most influential crypto conference.
• Following a sold-out debut in 2025, Consensus Hong Kong returns from February 10–12, 2026, convening global leaders to accelerate cross-border innovation and drive East-West collaboration while boosting the Hong Kong economy.
• Consensus Miami debuts May 5–7, 2026, at the iconic Miami Beach Convention Center bringing three days of high impact programming, top tier dealmaking and cultural convergence to North America’s crypto capital.
• Both events will feature Consensus’s signature top-flight programming curated by CoinDesk, as well as a dynamic show floor of industry leading sponsors alongside specialized experiential activations. Also returning is the world-renowned Consensus Hackathon and CoinDesk PitchFest competition, connecting attendees, developers and startups with the most influential voices in crypto, blockchain, Web3 and AI.

HONG KONG and MIAMI, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CoinDesk, the most trusted media, events, indices, and data platform for the global crypto economy, today announced the next chapters for Consensus, the world’s longest-running and most influential crypto and blockchain gathering. Following its triumphant debut in 2025, Consensus will return to Hong Kong from February 10–12, 2026, and for the first time, Miami from May 5–7, 2026. This expansion marks a significant milestone for the conference as it continues to grow its global footprint.

Hong Kong: A proven hub for innovation

Building on the success of its sold-out inaugural event, which attracted nearly 10,000 attendees from over 100 countries and contributed an estimated HK$275 million to the local economy, Consensus Hong Kong 2026 is set to accelerate the dialogue between East and West and capture the next wave of innovation, adoption, and deal-making in crypto, AI, and blockchain.

The 2025 debut witnessed industry-altering announcements from regulators and financial institutions, featured 300+ high-caliber speakers from the Hong Kong government, global regulatory bodies, and industry leaders including Binance, Circle, Coinbase, and Google. The 2026 event will occupy the largest floor of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, delivering an expanded experience with signature programming, startup and developer competitions, and networking opportunities. Consensus also included marquee special events across iconic Hong Kong venues, and fostered 350+ side events during its debut year.

Michael Lau, Chairman of Consensus, expressed his enthusiasm, “The overwhelming success of Consensus Hong Kong 2025 was a testament to Hong Kong’s status as a leading global FinTech hub and its unique role as a gateway to Asia. This vibrant city, with its dynamic ecosystem and entrepreneurial spirit, has proven the demand for a world-class conference. We are excited to return with an even larger platform to host the most influential voices in blockchain, Web3, and AI, and to create unparalleled networking opportunities.”

Miami: A new frontier for Consensus

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As Consensus expands its global reach, 2026 will not only mark a return to Hong Kong but also introduce Miami, Florida, as a new host city from May 5–7 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Located in one of the world’s leading tech and crypto hubs, and a direct gateway to Latin America, positioning the event at the strategic crossroads of global capital, talent, and innovation. The Miami event is poised to facilitate consequential conversations and business opportunities while serving as a pivotal meeting point for innovators and leaders from around the world.

Brad Spies, Managing Director of Consensus, said, “Consensus has a long history of bringing together diverse groups from across crypto, finance, tech, policy, AI and culture to connect, do business, and showcase the future. Miami allows us to supercharge Consensus, and advance Web3 in one of the most fun and attractive cities on the planet.”

Both events will feature Consensus’s signature top-flight programming curated by CoinDesk, massive B2B and networking engines, and best in class events and production. There will be a special focus on continuing the success of its Hackathon and PitchFest, which draw the most promising tech talent and early-stage Web3 start-ups from around the world. Attendees can look forward to a series of dynamic discussions, iconic moments, and unforgettable experiences in two of the world’s most vibrant cities.

Tickets for Consensus Hong Kong 2026 and Consensus Miami 2026 are now available. Secure your spot today to be part of the world’s largest and longest-running crypto festival.

Media Contact:
[email protected] 

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About Consensus

Consensus by CoinDesk is the world’s longest running and most influential gathering for the crypto, blockchain, and AI industries. Bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators, it helps you understand the future of digital assets with discussions on key topics such as DeFi, Web3, AI, the evolving regulatory landscape and more.

With a mix of panels, keynotes, and networking opportunities, Consensus provides a platform to explore the latest trends shaping the digital economy. Whether you’re an industry veteran or just entering the space, this event offers valuable insights and connections in a rapidly evolving field.

About CoinDesk

CoinDesk is the most trusted media, events, indices, and data company for the global crypto economy. Since 2013, when the price of Bitcoin was $50, CoinDesk Media has led the story of the future of money and investing, illuminating the transformation in society and culture that comes with it. Our award-winning team of journalists delivers news and unparalleled insights that bring transparency, comprehension, and context.

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CoinDesk gathers the global crypto, blockchain, and Web3 communities at annual events such as Consensus, the world’s largest and longest-running crypto festival. CoinDesk Indices offers expertise in digital asset indices, data, and research to educate and empower investors. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by Bullish Group. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. For more information on CoinDesk media and events, please visit CoinDesk.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include “forward-looking statements” relating to future events or the Bullish Group’s future financial or operating performance, business strategy, and potential market opportunity. Such forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Bullish Group, are inherently uncertain and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, and the Bullish Group undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements.

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