Key Points
- Solana and XRP experienced price drops following tariff announcements by U.S. President Donald Trump.
- Experts provide insights into Solana’s meme coin ecosystem and the potential of altcoin ETFs in 2025.
Solana and XRP have seen their prices decrease significantly in the past week, following key tariff announcements by President Donald Trump. This has had a negative effect on most altcoins, including Bitcoin, as traders consider the implications of developments in artificial intelligence and the hype around ETFs associated with Solana and XRP.
Insights on Solana’s Meme Coin Ecosystem and Altcoin ETFs
Two experts have shared their insights on the meme coin ecosystem of Solana and the possibility of altcoin ETFs in 2025, as the crypto market experiences changes.
On-chain metrics indicate a decline in the activity, participation, and relevance of the Solana blockchain among traders. There’s a downward trend in the 7-day moving average of active addresses on the network. This decline in active addresses could negatively impact fees collected and overall protocol revenue.
The number of new addresses is also decreasing, suggesting less participation from traders. This, combined with a drop in the total value of assets locked, highlights Solana’s struggle to maintain relevance and compete with other blockchains.
XRP Ecosystem Updates and Trump Effect
XRP’s price has fallen by 16% over the past week. This decline is largely due to a broader market correction, with Bitcoin’s drop pulling altcoins lower amid concerns over inflationary pressures.
Trump’s new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China have increased fears of rising inflation, while the U.S. Federal Reserve remains hesitant to cut interest rates in 2025.
Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, Stuart Alderoty, has expressed confidence in the new administration under Trump and expects a resolution to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s lawsuit against Ripple.
Alderoty is hopeful that Trump’s new crypto task force lead, SEC’s Hester Peirce, could lead to positive regulation. This could help resolve the conflict between the U.S. financial regulator and Ripple, a cross-border payment firm.
As traders digest the news of the trade war, the XRP price outlook remains negative, mirroring the rest of the altcoins in the top 30 tokens ranked by market capitalization.
Derivatives data indicate that over $332 million in crypto derivatives were liquidated in the past 24 hours. More than $11 million in Solana derivatives positions were wiped out, with bullish bets suffering the most compared to bearish positions.
XRP also saw a significant increase in options volume and open interest, reflecting the net value of all outstanding derivatives contracts. Over $14 million in derivatives positions were liquidated amid the market-wide correction.
On-chain data for XRP mirrors Solana’s trends, with total open interest and traded volume declining over the past week. This is reflected in the spot market, where XRP prices continue to drop. Funding rates have remained negative for two consecutive days, suggesting derivatives traders are turning increasingly bearish.
Solana maintains its long-term upward trend even as SOL consolidates near key support above the $200 level. Technical indicators such as the relative strength index and moving average convergence/divergence support a bearish outlook.
XRP is consolidating close to support at $2.3699, a key level for the altcoin. Technical indicators on the daily timeframe show a similar bearish outlook as for Solana.
The meme coin ecosystem and its rapid growth have catalyzed a rise in Solana’s market capitalization and its competition with Ethereum. The launch of Trump’s meme token on the Solana blockchain was a strategic move that fueled further gains in the SOL ecosystem.
Tim Ogilvie, Global Head of Institutional at Kraken exchange, believes that meme coins have the potential to significantly expand crypto adoption by tapping into contemporary zeitgeist. He sees Solana as the epicenter of the meme coin ecosystem, thanks to its high throughput and low transaction costs.
Nick Forster, founder at Derive.xyz, maintains optimism on altcoin ETF approvals in 2025. He believes that if the SEC approves active spot ETF filings for assets like Dogecoin (DOGE), Solana (SOL), XRP, and Litecoin (LTC) from major players like Bitwise and Grayscale, it will signal greater legitimacy for the digital asset industry and trigger more capital inflows, potentially driving prices upward.