As the artificial intelligence industry booms, more investors are showing interest in AI crypto projects. In fact, the sector has grown several folds to a market cap of $29 billion as seen on CoinGecko. 

Fartcoin and AI16z, both launched in October 2024, are some of the newbies in the market that have grown to a valuation of over $300,000. iDEGEN, the uncensored AI agent, is set to capitalize on this boom. 

Meanwhile, Ripple remains one of the top-performing crypto majors as more entities file for XRP ETFs. With a crypto-friendly US administration and increased global adoption, Ripple price is set for a breakout. 

Ripple ETFs expected to yield an XRP price breakout

Ripple remains one of the top-performing crypto majors as more entities file for Ripple ETFs. In recent days, SEC acknowledged receiving proposals from Grayscale, Bitwise, and CoinShares. Cboe BZX Exchange is the latest to join the list after filing its proposal to list WisdomTree XRP Fund.

Investors are optimistic of the approval of these filings under the leadership of pro-crypto SEC Chair, Paul Atkins. Coupled with the friendly environment harnessed by President Trump and the expected surge in Ripple adoption, the crypto is set for a breakout in the ensuing months. 

At its current level, the bulls are gathering enough momentum to break the resistance at $2.7450. If successful, the next target will be at $2.9100. This thesis will remain valid for as long as the crypto remains above the crucial support zone of $2.3357.

iDEGEN set for 100x growth as it positions itself in the looming US-China AI supremacy battle 

Even before hitting the public shelves on 27th February, iDEGEN is already stirring the waters in the AI meme space. Since its launch in November 2024, it has raised more than $23.9 million from over 25,000 holders.  

Since its inception, iDEGEN’s creators have been keen on introducing developments that will set it apart from its competitors for the good of its holders. For instance, the AI agent started on a black slate and relied on crypto degens on X to learn, adopt, and tweet. 

The community took it upon itself to raise it and shape it as it desired. It is this engagement that bolstered the project’s virality; a necessary component of a successful meme coin. The hype had it trending in both the US and the UK. 

Besides, its V2 and V3 upgrades have expanded iDEGEN’s reach. It has gone on to integrate the ultra-popular DeepSeek; strategically positioning itself in the looming US-China AI supremacy battle.

Additionally, there are rumors of a listing on Binance. Whether or not this will materialize, iDEGEN has the potential to record 100x growth in the coming months. Hurry up and buy iDEGEN here.

Solana price readies for recovery on the back of the filed ETFs

In one month, Solana price has plunged by about 40% amid the risk-off mood that recently swept across the cryptocurrency market. However, it is set for recovery as more companies seek SEC’s approval for Solana-based ETFs. This includes forms like Bitwise, Canary, and VanEck.

With an RSI of 33, it is bordering the oversold territory. Besides, the indicator is facing upwards; hinting at a rebound. 

At its current level, the bulls are defending the support at $167.34 as they gather enough momentum to break the resistance at $186.21. It may remain within this range in the near term as the death cross pattern remains in place. However, with improved market sentiment, Solana price has the potential to rebound to the 50-day EMA at $205.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the imprisoned former CEO of FTX, is hoping that President Trump will pardon him. In a recent interview, he portrayed his own conviction as part of the anti-crypto overreach of Biden’s Presidency.

However, while Bankman-Fried was a free man and a billionaire, he donated millions against Trump in the 2020 election. Securing a pardon under these circumstances may be a long shot.

Will Trump Pardon Sam Bankman-Fried?

Sam Bankman-Fried, one of the biggest criminals in crypto history, is trying to get out of federal prison. He has consistently petitioned for his release since the legal battle begun in 2022, but with little success.

Now, however, Bankman-Fried is looking for a new strategy, hoping that President Trump will pardon him.

“My judge, Judge Kaplan, is one of Trump’s judges in New York, which is sort of part of a larger fight going on between the incoming Trump DOJ and what they see from Biden’s DOJ. I know there have been discussions of a pardon… Given what President Trump has seen of the DOJ and its politicization, I think there is a real conversation happening around that.” says Bankman-Fried.

Before FTX came crashing down in 2022, Bankman-Fried was one of the biggest figures in the international crypto space. He was a major Democratic donor, contributing to Joe Biden’s 2020 victory over Donald Trump, but all his political capital disappeared with his empire.

Recently, prosecutors made an exception for him when announcing an end to crypto crackdowns.

However, now that Trump is in charge, this may present a new opportunity. He pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, whose decade-long imprisonment was a cause célèbre in the crypto community after petitions from Ulbricht’s mother. Bankman-Fried’s own parents noticed this and began asking President Trump to pardon their son last month.

In his first interview from prison with The New York Sun, Bankman-Fried was very light on directly praising Trump in his pardon requests.

Instead, he acknowledged his past ties with the Biden administration and claimed that he became dissatisfied with its crypto policies. He alleged that his own conviction was a casualty of this government overreach, which Trump can correct:

“I viewed myself at the time as sort of center-left, and that’s not how I view myself anymore. By 2022, I had spent a bunch of time in Washington, D.C., working with legislators, regulators, and the executive branch, and I became really frustrated and disappointed with what I saw of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party. Particularly on crypto policy, the Biden administration was just incredibly destructive and difficult to work with. I think my case fits into that broader context,” Bankman-Fried claimed.

It’s presently unclear whether this framing will do much to move President Trump. Although Bankman-Fried claimed that he also donated to Republicans, he nonetheless directly backed Trump’s opponent with millions of dollars.

In other words, although Bankman-Fried maintains his innocence, a pardon seems like a real long shot.

Bankman-Fried Still Claims to be Innocent

Sam Bankman-Fried says that the prosecutors pushed some “very big misinformation during his trial.” They also provided misleading information about his luxury apartment complexes, according to the FTX founder.

He also firmly denies that FTX and Alameda Research were bankrupt or insolvent.

“Both companies had enough to make good on all their liabilities. What happened was a liquidity crisis, a run on the bank. We had more in assets than in debt, but all of a sudden there was a big demand on cash delivery immediately,” he claims.

Regardless of his claims, Bankman-Fried’s colleagues, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh, as well as Caroline Ellison, testified against him during the trial. All of them received much lighter sentences due to their cooperation.

Although the founder made some remarks about his mistakes, he claimed his sentencing was exaggerated. However, the crypto community might not agree.

After a few days of broad decline, the crypto market is showing signs of recovery, with the total market cap rising by $58 billion in the past 24 hours. 

Amid this rebound, a number of altcoins are drawing significant attention due to ecosystem updates and notable price movements. Here is a closer look at today’s trending tokens.

MANTRA (OM)

OM, the native coin of the real-world asset (RWA) Layer-1 (L1) blockchain Mantra, is one of the trending altcoins today. It has grabbed investors’ attention because of Mantra’s newly launched  RWAccelerator, a startup accelerator program backed by Google Cloud that drives the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs).

The program, announced at Consensus Hong Kong, will provide funding, mentorship, AI-driven resources, and technical support for real estate and finance startups. 

However, its price performance has remained muted to this development. The coin trades at $7.37 at press time, noting a 3.2% decline over the past day. During that period, its trading volume totaled $219 million, falling 43%.

A decline in an asset’s price and trading volume signals weakening market interest and reduced liquidity. Therefore, OM risks plummeting to $5.41 if this trend persists. 

On the other hand, a surge in the demand for the altcoin could trigger a rally toward its all-time high of $8.12.

PAIN (PAIN)

The newly launched Solana-meme coin PAIN is another trending altcoin today.  PAIN has made a strong debut, reaching a market capitalization of $168 million within 17 hours of its launch, with a trading volume of $93 million.

As of this writing, the meme coin trades at $16.99, having declined 10% in price in the past 24 hours. Its falling Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the hourly chart confirms the dropping demand for PAIN. It is in a downward trend at 56.87

An RSI reading of 56 indicates moderate bullish momentum, but its decline suggests weakening buying pressure. If the downtrend continues, it could signal a shift toward neutral or bearish territory.

If this decline continues, PAIN’s price could drop to $5.74.

On the other hand, if demand climbs, its price could touch $57.13

Shadow (SHADOW)

SHADOW is another trending altcoin today because its value has rocketed over 50% in the past 24 hours. It currently trades at $168.27, with sustained demand among market participants.

This is reflected by its positive Balance of Power (BoP), which is at 0.77 at press time. The indicator measures the strength of buyers versus sellers in a market. A positive BoP indicates buyers have greater control, signaling bullish momentum.

If buying pressure remains strong, SHADOW could reclaim its all-time high of $199.68.

Conversely, a spike in selloffs could cause a price decline to $154.13.