Market
Experts Raise Red Flags Over Finances
Circle’s initial public offering (IPO) filing has raised concerns among industry experts, who are sounding alarms over the company’s financial health, distribution costs, and valuation.
While the move marks a significant step toward mainstream financial integration, experts’ skepticism casts doubt on the company’s long-term prospects.
Analysts Highlight Red Flags With Circle IPO
On April 1, BeInCrypto reported that Circle had filed for an IPO. The company plans to list its Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under “CRCL.”
Circle’s IPO filing reveals revenue of $1.67 billion in 2024, a notable increase from previous years. However, a closer examination of the company’s financials has uncovered some challenges.
Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Assets Research at VanEck, noted that revenue increased 16% year over year. Yet, at the same time, the company reported a 29% decrease in EBITDA year over year, indicating a decline in operational profitability. Additionally, net income fell by 42%, reflecting a significant drop in overall profitability.
Sigel pointed out four factors contributing to the decline in these financial metrics. He explained that the company’s rapid expansion and new service integrations negatively impacted net income.
Furthermore, the discontinuation of services like Circle Yield reduced other revenue streams. This, in turn, exacerbated the decline in profitability.
“Costs related to restructuring, legal settlements, and acquisition-related expenses also played a role in the decline in EBITDA and net income, despite overall revenue growth,” Sigel added.
Importantly, he focused on Circle’s increased distribution and transaction costs. Sigel revealed that the cost rose due to higher fees paid to partners like Coinbase and Binance.
A related post by Farside Investors on X (formerly Twitter) shed further light on these expenses.
“In 2024, the company spent over $1 billion on “distribution and transaction costs,” probably much higher than Tether as a % of revenue,” the post read.
This prompts speculation that Circle may be overspending to maintain its market share in the competitive stablecoin sector. The company’s historical performance further fuels skepticism.
Farside Investors added that in 2022, Circle recorded a staggering $720 million loss. Notably, the year was marked by significant turmoil in the crypto industry, including the high-profile collapses of FTX and Three Arrows Capital (3AC).
This suggests that Circle may be vulnerable to market shocks. Thus, it calls into question the company’s risk management capabilities—especially in the inherently volatile crypto market.
“The gross creation and redemption numbers are a lot higher than we would have thought for USDC. Gross creations in a year are many multiples higher than the outstanding balance,” Farside Investors remarked.
In addition, analyst Omar expressed doubts about Circle’s $5 billion valuation.
“Nothing to love in the Circle IPO filing and no idea how it prices at $5 billion,” he questioned.
He drew attention to several concerns, including the company’s gross margins being severely impacted by high distribution costs. The analyst also pointed out that the deregulation of the US market is poised to disrupt Circle’s position.
Additionally, Omar stressed that Circle spends over $250 million annually on compensation and another $140 million on general and administrative costs, raising questions about its financial efficiency. He also noted that interest rates—core income drivers for Circle—will likely decline, presenting additional challenges.
“32x ’24 earnings for a business that just lost its mini-monopoly and facing several headwinds is expensive when growth structurally challenged,” Omar said.
Ultimately, the analyst concluded that the IPO filing was a desperate attempt to secure liquidity before facing serious market difficulties.
Meanwhile, Wyatt Lonergan, General Partner at VanEck, shared his predictions for Circle’s IPO, outlining four potential scenarios. In the base case, he forecasted that Circle would capitalize on the stablecoin narrative and secure key partnerships to drive growth.
In a bear case, Lonergan speculated that poor market conditions might lead to a Coinbase buyout.
“Circle IPOs, the market continues to tank, Circle stock goes with it. Poor business fundamentals cited. Coinbase swoops in to buy at a discount to the IPO price. USDC is all theirs at long last. Coinbase acquires Circle for something close to the IPO price, and they never go public,” Lonergan claimed.
Lastly, he outlined a probable scenario where Ripple bids up Circle’s valuation to a staggering $15 to $20 billion and acquires the company.
Disclaimer
In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.
According to a new report from Pine Analytics, token deployers on Pump.fun systematically funded sniper wallets to buy their own meme coins. This impacted over 15,000 token launches on the platform.
These sniper wallets operated primarily during US trading hours, executing standardized, profitable strategies. Unrelated bot activity obscures their behavior, making it extremely difficult to isolate these wallets—and they can readily adapt to new countermeasures.
Snipers Roam Free on Pump.fun Meme Coins
Pump.fun has remained one of the most popular meme coin launchpads on Solana despite persistent controversies and other criticism.
However, Pine Analytics’ new report has uncovered a new controversy, discovering systematic market manipulation on the platform. These snipes include as much as 1.75% of all launch activity on Pump.fun.
“Our analysis reveals that this tactic is not rare or fringe — over the past month alone, more than 15,000 SOL in realized profit was extracted through this method, across 15,000+ launches involving 4,600+ sniper wallets and 10,400+ deployers. These wallets demonstrate unusually high success rates (87% of snipes were profitable), clean exits, and structured operational patterns,” it claimed.
Solana meme coin deployers on Pump.fun follow a consistent pattern. They fund one or more sniper wallets and grant them advance notice of upcoming token launches.
Those wallets purchase tokens in the very first block and then liquidate almost immediately—85% within five minutes and 90% in just one or two swap events.
Pump.fun meme coin developers exploit this tactic to create the appearance of immediate demand for their tokens. Retail investors, unaware of the prior sell‑off, often purchase these tokens after the snipe, giving developers an unfair advantage. This constitutes market manipulation and erodes trust in the platform.
Pine Analytics had to carefully calibrate its methods to identify genuine snipers. Apparently, 50% of meme coin launches on Pump.fun involve sniping, but most of this is probably bots using the “spray and pray” method.
However, by filtering out snipers with no direct links to developer wallets, the firm missed projects that covered their tracks through proxies and burners.
In other words, the meme coin community does not have adequate defenses against systematic abuse on Pump.fun. There are a few possible ways that the platform could flag repeat offenders and sketchy projects, but adaptive countermeasures could defeat them. This problem demands persistent and proactive action.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to enact such policies. Meme coin sniping is so systematic that Pump.fun could only fight it with real commitment.
Analysts think that building an on-chain culture that rewards transparency over extraction is the best long-term solution. A shift like that would be truly seismic, and the meme coin sector might not survive it.
Disclaimer
In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.
Solana (SOL) continues to show strength across multiple fronts, maintaining a bullish structure on its Ichimoku Cloud chart while gaining momentum in key market metrics. The BBTrend indicator has turned higher again, signaling renewed buying pressure after a brief cooldown.
On-chain activity remains strong, with Solana leading all blockchains in DEX volume and dominating fee generation thanks to the explosive growth of meme coins and launchpad activity. With SOL now trading above a key resistance level, the path is open for further upside—though a loss of momentum could still trigger a retest of lower supports.
Solana Maintains Bullish Structure, but Momentum Faces Key Test
On Solana’s Ichimoku Cloud chart, the price is currently above the Kijun-sen (red base line) but has dipped below the Tenkan-sen (blue conversion line), signaling weakening short-term momentum.
The flattening Tenkan-sen and price behavior suggest possible consolidation or the early stages of a pullback. Still, with the price holding above the Kijun-sen, medium-term support remains intact.
The overall Ichimoku structure remains bullish, with a thick, rising cloud and leading span A well above span B—indicating strong underlying support.
If Solana finds support at the Kijun-sen and climbs back above the Tenkan-sen, the uptrend could regain strength; otherwise, a test of the cloud’s upper boundary may follow.
Meanwhile, Solana’s BBTrend is currently at 6, extending nearly ten days in positive territory after peaking at 17.5 on April 14. The recent increase from 4.26 to 6 suggests renewed bullish momentum following a brief cooldown.
BBTrend, or Bollinger Band Trend, tracks the strength of price movement based on Bollinger Band expansion.
Positive values like the current one point to an active uptrend, and if the BBTrend continues to rise, it could signal stronger momentum and potential for another upward move.
Solana Dominates DEX Volume and Fee Generation as Meme Coins Drive Ecosystem Growth
Solana has once again claimed the top spot among all chains in DEX volume, recording $15.15 billion over the past seven days. The combined total of Ethereum, BNB, Base, and Arbitrum reached $22.7 billion.
In the last 24 hours alone, Solana saw $1.67 billion in volume, largely fueled by its booming meme coin ecosystem and the ongoing launchpad battle between PumpFun and Raydium. Adding to this good momentum, Solana recently surpassed Ethereum in Staking Market Cap.
When it comes to application fees, Solana’s momentum is just as clear. Four of the top ten fee-generating apps over the past week—PumpFun, Jupiter, Jito, and Meteora—are Solana-focused.
Pump leads the pack with nearly $18 million in fees alone.
Solana Breaks Key Resistance as Uptrend Targets Higher Levels, but Risks Remain
Solana has finally broken above its key resistance at $136, flipping it into a new support level that was successfully tested just yesterday.
Its EMA lines remain aligned in a bullish setup, suggesting the uptrend is still intact.
If this momentum continues, SOL price could aim for the next resistance zones at $147 and $152—levels that, if breached, open the door to a potential move toward $179.
The current structure favors buyers, with higher lows and strong support reinforcing the trend.
However, if momentum fades, a retest of the $136 support is likely.
A breakdown below that level could shift sentiment, exposing Solana to deeper pullbacks toward $124 and even $112.
Disclaimer
In line with the Trust Project guidelines, this price analysis article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. BeInCrypto is committed to accurate, unbiased reporting, but market conditions are subject to change without notice. Always conduct your own research and consult with a professional before making any financial decisions. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.
According to a new report, 15 firms and individuals from the crypto industry donated more than $100,000 to President Trump’s Inauguration, totaling over $85 million.
Almost all of these companies apparently received direct or indirect benefits from Trump’s administration. This includes dropped legal proceedings, lucrative business partnerships, participation in Trump’s Crypto Summit, and more.
Crypto Industry Went All-In on Trump’s Inauguration
Since promising to bring friendlier regulations on the campaign trail, Donald Trump attracted a reputation as the Crypto President.
Trump’s Inauguration festivities included a “Crypto Ball,” and several prominent firms made donations for these events. Today, a report has compiled all crypto-related contributions of over $100,000, revealing some interesting facts.
Since taking office, President Trump and his family have been allegedly involved in prominent crypto controversies, and these donations may be linked to several of them.
For example, eight of the donors, Coinbase, Crypto.com, Uniswap, Yuga Labs, Kraken, Ripple, Robinhood, and Consensys, had SEC investigations or lawsuits against them closed since Trump’s term began.
The commission might have dropped its probe against these companies anyway due to its changing stance on crypto enforcement. However, being in the President’s good books likely helped the process.
Further Alleged Benefits for Donors
In other words, nearly half the firms that made donations to Trump’s Inauguration have seen their legal problems cleared up quickly. This isn’t the only regulation-related benefit they allegedly received.
Circle, for example, recently made an IPO after openly stating that Trump’s Presidency made it possible. Galaxy Digital received SEC approval for a major reorganization, a key step for a NASDAQ listing.
Other donors, such as Crypto.com and ONDO, got more direct financial partnerships with businesses associated with the Trump family.
Previously, Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, anticipated a crypto bull market under Trump. Also, XRP, Solana, and Cardano were all unexpectedly included in the US Crypto Reserve announcement.
All three of these companies made major donations to Trump’s Inauguration.
It seems that most of the firms involved got at least some sort of noticeable benefit from these donations. Donors like Multicoin and Paradigm received invitations to Trump’s Crypto Summit, while much more prominent groups like the Ethereum Foundation got snubbed.
Meanwhile, various industry KOLs and community members have already alleged major corruption in Trump’s crypto connections.
While some allegations might lack substantial proof, the crypto space has changed dramatically under the new administration, for both good and bad.
Disclaimer
In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.
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Hong Kong’s Securities Association Tips Authorities On Crypto Self-Regulation
