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Tether (USDT) has emerged as a clear winner amid the ongoing banking crisis and crypto crackdown in the U.S.

On April 17, the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin's circulating market valuation reached nearly $81 billion, just 1.5% below its record high of $82.29 billion from a year ago. It has grown about 20% year-to-date (YTD) already and is now eyeing new all-time highs.

Tether rivals hit new yearly lows

USDT's growth came as Tether ate up the market share of its stablecoin rivals, USD Coin (USDC) and Binance USD (BUSD). That is due to crypto traders' belief that Tether's operations have no exposure to the potential banking crisis contagion.

For instance, the circulating market capitalization of the USD Coin, the second-largest stablecoin, has dropped over 25% YTD to $31.82 billion, its worst since October 2021, primarily due to its exposure to the failed Silicon Valley Bank. 

BUSD, on the other hand, has witnessed a 60% drop in market capitalization in 2023 to $6.68 billion, its lowest since April 2021, as the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) ordered Paxos, a regional crypto firm, to stop its mint and issuance. 

Tether (USDT) has emerged as a clear winner amid the ongoing banking crisis and crypto crackdown in the U.S.

On April 17, the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin's circulating market valuation reached nearly $81 billion, just 1.5% below its record high of $82.29 billion from a year ago. It has grown about 20% year-to-date (YTD) already and is now eyeing new all-time highs.

Tether rivals hit new yearly lows

USDT's growth came as Tether ate up the market share of its stablecoin rivals, USD Coin (USDC) and Binance USD (BUSD). That is due to crypto traders' belief that Tether's operations have no exposure to the potential banking crisis contagion.

For instance, the circulating market capitalization of the USD Coin, the second-largest stablecoin, has dropped over 25% YTD to $31.82 billion, its worst since October 2021, primarily due to its exposure to the failed Silicon Valley Bank. 

BUSD, on the other hand, has witnessed a 60% drop in market capitalization in 2023 to $6.68 billion, its lowest since April 2021, as the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) ordered Paxos, a regional crypto firm, to stop its mint and issuance. 

Bitcoin (BTC) headed lower into the April 17 Wall Street open as downside began liquidating longs.

Bitcoin price tipped for break below $29,000

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD wicking to $29,247 on Bitstamp — its lowest in a week.

Gains for Asian stocks failed to rescue the losses on the day, these beginning immediately after the April 16 weekly close.

Traders, many of whom had predicted a retest of $30,000 support, were unsurprised, with many hoping that the event would form a “buy-the-dip” opportunity before Bitcoin moved higher.

Popular trader Crypto Ed said that BTC/USD had “swept the lows,” while others focused on the area around $28,500 as a potential bottom zone.

Bitcoin (BTC) starts a new week under $30,000 as analysts’ predictions of a short-term support retest come true.

The largest cryptocurrency saw a classic dive following its latest weekly close as the latest gains evaporated, but will they return?

Ahead of a fairly innocuous week for macro data releases, catalysts are likely to come elsewhere as BTC price action decides on a key support zone.

Much is at stake for traders, as the week prior offered the opportunity to reinvestigate altcoins as Bitcoin itself cooled its upside. With a retracement now in effect, attention will be on whether those altcoins can hold at their own higher levels.

Under the hood, it appears to be business as usual for Bitcoin, with network fundamentals already at or near all-time highs, showing no definitive signs of a comedown this week.

Blockchain technology needs a benchmark communications standard that can be easily integrated by every network in order for a complete transition from Web2 to Web3 to occur, industry commentators say.

Many expect there will be multiple blockchains and such an ecosystem requires communication protocols similar to the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) used on the internet.

Ryan Lovell, director of capital markets at crypto price oracle solutions firm Chainlink Labs told Cointelegraph that blockchains without interoperability are like what computers are without the internet — isolated machines which cannot transfer data and value across networks.

“To realize a fully interoperable blockchain ecosystem at scale, there needs to be an open communication standard analogous to the TCP/IP, which currently serves as the internet's defacto connection protocol.”

Lovell believed a similar standard for blockchain networks would “pave the way for a seamless, internet-like experience” for the platform and their applications.