Bitcoin and Ethereum traded lower today. BTC slipped 1% to $89,100 while ETH dropped 2% to $2,925. Solana and XRP both fell 2%, though altcoins like ZRO, AXS, and DASH rallied hard with double-digit gains. Gold pushed toward $5,000 per ounce, pulling some risk capital out of crypto.
The real noise came from institutional moves. Ledger, the hardware wallet maker, is gearing up for a $4 billion IPO with Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, and Barclays backing the deal. That's a major bet on mainstream adoption hitting critical mass. BitGo also went public, closing its first trading day just above its $18 IPO price, showing measured investor appetite for crypto infrastructure plays.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse predicted crypto could hit new highs in 2026 on the back of regulatory tailwinds and institutional inflows. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink weighed in too, calling for a single unified blockchain to handle tokenization and prevent corruption.
The wildcard was Trump suing JPMorgan for $5 billion over alleged political debanking. That lawsuit adds heat to the ongoing tension between crypto-friendly politicians and traditional finance gatekeepers. PWC analysts also declared crypto adoption "no longer reversible," signaling the industry has crossed a threshold most thought impossible five years ago.