Bitcoin held steady above the $30,000 mark over the weekend despite minor pullbacks across altcoins. As of the latest data, BTC/USD trades at $30,325—up 14.9% in the past week and an impressive 82.69% year-to-date (YTD). After briefly surging past $31,000 and reaching a one-year high on Friday, Bitcoin has entered a consolidation phase near the $30k level.
A breakout above the key resistance at $31,250 could propel Bitcoin toward $32,000 or even $34,000. Conversely, a drop below the critical $30,000 psychological support may trigger a bearish move toward $28,250.
Ethereum (ETH), meanwhile, saw a slight dip of 1.8% in the last 24 hours but maintains a weekly gain of 9.6%, trading just under $1,900. The total cryptocurrency market cap stands at $1.22 trillion with $35.2 billion in 24-hour trading volume.
Positive regulatory developments emerged from Japan, where the National Tax Agency revised tax laws to exclude unrealized gains on self-issued crypto tokens from taxation—a significant relief for blockchain startups issuing native tokens.
On the other hand, regulatory scrutiny intensified in the U.S., as Nevada’s Department of Business and Industry revealed that state-chartered crypto custodian Prime Trust faced a shortfall in customer funds and failed to meet withdrawal requests. The firm, which previously served FTX, Binance.US, and Celsius Network, was ordered to cease operations violating state regulations.
What’s Fueling Bitcoin’s Momentum?
Bitcoin has climbed over 12% since the start of the month, largely driven by institutional momentum—most notably BlackRock’s filing for a spot Bitcoin ETF. This landmark move has reignited investor confidence and drawn renewed interest from traditional financial institutions embracing digital assets.
Further boosting sentiment, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the nation's first leveraged Bitcoin futures ETF, offered by Volatility Shares and set to begin trading on June 27 on CBOE BZX Exchange.
Beyond institutional adoption, market structure plays a crucial role. According to Kaiko, Bitcoin’s market depth has declined by 20% since January 2025, making prices more sensitive to large trades. CCData reports aggressive buying activity in orders exceeding 5 BTC, indicating strong accumulation by institutional players.
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Jamie Sly, Head of Research at CCData, noted: “Bitcoin's recent surge is largely driven by large trades within a less liquid market.” With daily trading volume down to ~$24 billion—far below the $100 billion highs of 2021—even modest demand can trigger significant price swings.
Market analysts remain optimistic about long-term trends. Mark Yusko of Morgan Creek Capital believes the current rally marks the beginning of a broader bull market tied to Bitcoin’s four-year halving cycle. Bitwise CEO Matt Hougan echoed this sentiment, stating that pent-up demand will fuel stronger performance as prices rise.
While traditional finance (TradFi) giants like BlackRock, Citadel Securities, and Fidelity enter the space, broader macroeconomic conditions remain uncertain—leaving open whether the worst is truly behind us.
Top Performers: DeFi Tokens Shine
As crypto markets rallied, decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens outperformed the broader market. Over the weekend, top DeFi assets surged:
- COMP jumped 30%
- UNI rose 12%
- CRV, DYDX, and CAKE gained around 7%
- SNX spiked 19% before retreating
Total Value Locked (TVL) in DeFi protocols increased by over 10% in ten days to $44.94 billion (DeFi Llama). The DeFi sector’s market cap now stands at $47.44 billion—up 14.2% since June 15.
This resurgence follows increased regulatory pressure on centralized exchanges like Coinbase and Binance. A June 22 DappRadar report highlighted rising on-chain activity across DeFi dApps such as Lido, Convex Finance, Pendle, and Polygon’s PoS Chain bridge.
Notably, LSTfi—the integration of liquid staking tokens into DeFi—is gaining traction by offering additional yield opportunities for token holders.
Other notable gainers:
- ApeCoin: +13%
- Radix: +12.5%
- Monero: +8.8%
- Ton: +8%
Aave (AAVE): Leading the DeFi Charge
Among all performers, Aave (AAVE) stood out with a remarkable 33% weekend gain. The token briefly touched nearly $76 before pulling back 10.6% on Monday to trade at $65.12. Despite this correction, AAVE remains up 29% in the past week.
With a market cap of $947.7 million and trading volume spiking 156% to $490.6 million, AAVE is showing strong market engagement. Though still down 90.15% from its all-time high of $661.69, its recovery momentum is building.
On-chain data reveals a whale accumulation of $13.2 million worth of AAVE on June 25 (Lookonchain). Meanwhile, Aave’s TVL grew from $3.68 billion earlier this year to $5.62 billion (DefiLlama), reflecting growing protocol usage.
DappRadar shows a 28% month-over-month increase in unique wallets interacting with Aave—signaling rising user adoption.
Aave is a decentralized lending and borrowing platform founded by Stani Kulechov in Switzerland in 2017 (originally ETHLend). Users earn interest by supplying assets or borrow against collateral—all without intermediaries.
The native AAVE token serves as a governance asset, granting holders voting rights and reduced fees. Originally issued as LEND tokens during a 2017 ICO that raised $16.2 million, LEND was swapped 1:100 for AAVE in 2020.
Recently, Aave’s Lens Protocol introduced Lens Improvement Proposals (LIPs) to guide decentralized development. This follows a major $15 million funding round led by IDEO CoLab Ventures, with participation from top VCs and DAOs including General Catalyst, Blockchain Capital, Flamingo DAO, and angel investors like Uniswap’s Hayden Adams and OpenSea’s Alex Atallah.
👉 Explore how decentralized lending platforms are evolving in 2025.
Worst Performer: Conflux (CFX) Takes a Hit
Despite broad market gains, some altcoins declined. Curve (CRV) initially rose 5.6% only to reverse and drop 6.9%. Other losers included:
- Maker (MKR): -7.7%
- Ethereum Classic (ETC): -6%
- Decentraland (MANA): -3%
Conflux (CFX): Sharp Weekend Drop
Conflux (CFX) led the losses with a 15% weekend decline. Trading at $0.234, the $483.4 million market cap token also fell further on Monday after briefly surging 50% the prior week.
Trading volume dropped over 26% to $64.84 million during the correction. Still, CFX remains up 26.9% over seven days and 938.4% YTD—though down 86.5% from its peak.
CFX powers the Conflux Network, a public blockchain focused on scalability and security for dApps and Web3 applications. Dubbed "China’s MATIC," it enables low-cost transactions and gas fee payments.
In 2023, Conflux partnered with China Telecom to launch blockchain-enabled SIM cards and recently teamed up with dappOS, a Binance Labs-backed Web3 operating protocol, to enable seamless cross-chain experiences without extra gas fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did Bitcoin consolidate around $30,000?
A: After hitting a one-year high near $31,000, Bitcoin entered a consolidation phase due to profit-taking and reduced liquidity. Thin market depth amplifies volatility, leading to short-term stabilization before potential breakout or pullback.
Q: Is DeFi making a comeback in 2025?
A: Yes. Regulatory scrutiny on centralized exchanges has redirected attention to decentralized alternatives. Rising TVL, increased wallet activity, and innovations like LSTfi indicate strong DeFi momentum.
Q: What caused Aave’s price surge?
A: A combination of whale accumulation ($13.2M), rising TVL (now $5.62B), growing user engagement (+28%), and major funding for its Lens Protocol ($15M) fueled AAVE’s rally.
Q: Why did Conflux drop despite strong YTD gains?
A: After a sharp 50% weekly rise, CFX experienced technical retracement common in volatile markets. Increased selling pressure over the weekend led to a 15% correction despite solid ecosystem developments.
Q: How does low market liquidity affect crypto prices?
A: Lower liquidity means fewer orders on order books. As a result, even moderate-sized trades can significantly impact prices—leading to sharper rallies or drops with minimal volume.
Q: Can institutional interest sustain the bull market?
A: Institutional adoption—like BlackRock’s ETF filing—adds legitimacy and capital inflow. However, sustained growth depends on macroeconomic conditions, regulatory clarity, and broader market participation.
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