XRP Ledger (XRPL) Achieved the first zero-knowledge (ZK) privacy transaction on the testnet, reaching a historic milestone by enabling on-chain data verification without exposing any information. This breakthrough, combined with the planned launch of native XRP lending functionality (which can unlock up to $100 billion in funds) and AI-driven security mechanisms, makes XRPL the next-generation private and compliant financial services platform for institutions.

Have you ever wondered why news about American regulators' actions so strongly shake the entire crypto market? I’ve observed this for a long time and realized—it's all about the SEC's influence on the global financial system. Let's understand what this organization actually is and why traders around the world keep a close eye on it. The SEC is the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States, a federal agency established back in 1934 after the Wall Street crash. Its mission is to enforce securities laws and protect investors' interests. It sounds boring, but in reality, it’s one of the most influential financial agencies in the world. Currently, the SEC is headed by Gary Gensler, and his stance on crypto is quite strict. He believes that most crypto assets are unregistered securities and demands that the industry comply with all established rules. He recognizes Bitcoin only as a commodity, but tokens, ICOs, and stablecoins all come under close scrutiny. Structurally, the SEC consists of five main divisions: Investment Management, Corporate Finance, Market Oversight, Legal, and the Office of Risk and Innovation. Each department is responsible for its segment. Now, the most interesting part—its influence on the crypto market. Although the SEC’s authority officially extends only to the U.S., in practice, it affects the entire world. Why? Because the American financial market is the center of the global economy, and any decision made here sends waves worldwide. Recall 2023—the lawsuits against a major crypto platform and a well-known exchange caused panic. Accusations that they traded unregistered securities led to a massive price drop. Earlier, there was a legal dispute with Ripple over XRP—this lasted for years and created huge uncertainty. It’s especially interesting how the SEC monitors stablecoins. When in 2023, legal proceedings against the issuer of BUSD began, the stablecoin’s price plummeted, even though it’s supposed to be a stable asset. This showed that even supposedly protected assets depend on regulatory decisions. DeFi and decentralized protocols are also gradually coming under scrutiny. The SEC demands compliance with established standards—from registration to disclosure. The simple conclusion: if you’re serious about working in the crypto market, you need to understand the SEC’s stance and keep an eye on its actions. It’s no longer just an American agency—it’s one of the main factors influencing the global crypto market. Gensler and his team clearly intend to regulate the industry more strictly, and this will continue to impact all our portfolios for a long time.

Cryptocurrencies compatible with ISO 20022 have been showing interesting developments over the past few years. While cryptocurrencies that conform to the ISO 20022 standard, the financial messaging protocol announced by SWIFT, are actually quite limited, they have recently gained attention in the current market cycle. Bitcoin and Ethereum do not support this standard. That’s understandable, as they were created in 2009 and 2015 respectively, well before ISO 20022 was announced by SWIFT. Of course, that’s only natural. On the other hand, XRP was created in 2012 and still supports this standard. The reason is simple: because Ripple, a centralized company, led the development, they could intentionally implement compatibility with the standard. Currently, there are eight major cryptocurrencies known to support ISO 20022: XRP, ADA, HBAR, ALGO, QNT, IOTA, XDC, and XLM. Looking at market trends from last year through early this year, it’s clear that among these coins, some have emerged as winners while others lag behind. XRP stands out overwhelmingly. Until the second half of 2024, it was below $1, but then it surged dramatically, surpassing $3. This is the first time in seven years it has reached that level. Considering that the all-time high was $3.80 in January 2018, there’s still some distance to go. However, since that peak was driven by a bubble, the current movement might have different underlying factors. ADA also has a relatively large market cap among ISO 20022-compatible cryptocurrencies, but it hasn’t risen as sharply as XRP. It surpassed $1 last year, but it’s still below the $3.10 high of 2021. Interestingly, the market may not have fully priced in its support for this standard yet. It’s also worth observing the movements of XLM and HBAR. XLM hit a high of $0.9 in 2021, then remained subdued for a long time, but recently has climbed back above $0.5. HBAR experienced a more rapid surge, rising from below $0.05 to $0.36. After a correction, it seems to have started rising again in 2025. ALGO and IOTA are different cases. Both have fallen more than 85% and 90% respectively from their all-time highs. ALGO dropped from $3.20 in 2019, and IOTA from $5.70 in December 2017. Since entering 2025, they’ve shown some signs of recovery, but it appears to be a small rebound within a long-term downtrend. QNT and XDC show different patterns. QNT has fallen 72% from its recent high, while XDC’s decline is smaller at around 30%. XDC is particularly interesting, having surged rapidly from the second half of last year, reaching above $0.13 from $0.03. QNT also experienced a significant rise but has since entered a correction phase. The compatibility with the ISO 20022 standard may be starting to function as a new narrative within the cryptocurrency market. However, not all supported coins are rising equally; project-specific fundamentals and market perceptions also play a significant role. If this standard begins to be used for settlement between financial institutions, the value proposition of the supported cryptocurrencies could change accordingly.