ETH rally returns? Whales & ETFs say yes

June 27, 2025

Reading time: 5 minutes

Ethereum rebuilds momentum: ETF inflows, whale buys, and price reclaim fuel optimism

Key points:

  • Ethereum is holding above key support levels, with analysts predicting a potential reversal toward $2,850.

  • ETF inflows surged over 400% this week to $206 million, while whale and retail demand show strong signs of recovery.

News - Ethereum appears to be rebuilding bullish momentum after weeks of choppy action. As of press time, ETH is hovering above the $2,450 mark, having bounced from last week’s sell-off triggered by geopolitical tensions. Analysts now see this level as crucial, both technically and psychologically, for Ethereum to begin a broader rally.

On the technical front, ETH recently reclaimed two major support levels: the $2,250 horizontal area and a long-term ascending trendline. A confirmed close above $2,520 could cement the bullish reversal. Although indicators like the RSI and MACD remain mixed, the short-term wave count signals an end to the recent correction.

Adding to the optimism, ETF inflows into Ethereum have exploded—weekly figures surged 400% to $206 million, reflecting growing institutional conviction. The Smart Money Index (SMI) for ETH also climbed 1% this week, aligning with this renewed investor confidence.

Whales double down, firms pivot to ETH - Glassnode data shows Ethereum whales bought over 1 million ETH on June 16, the largest daily accumulation since 2018. Retail demand is rising too, with Ether ETFs seeing $232.4 million in total inflows over three days.

Meanwhile, Bit Digital, once a top Bitcoin mining firm, is going all-in on Ethereum. The company announced a $150 million offering to purchase more ETH, while offloading its BTC reserves to become a pure ETH staking and treasury entity.

What’s next? - If Ethereum closes above $2,520 this week, analysts expect a run toward $2,850. But if demand weakens, a pullback to $2,185 remains on the table. Either way, the bullish case is gaining weight—thanks to whale accumulation, institutional flows, and market sentiment turning in ETH’s favor.

Crypto’s $2.1B wake-up call: H1 2025 becomes hack hellscape

Key points:

  • Crypto losses topped $2.1 billion in H1 2025, driven by North Korea’s $1.5B Bybit hack and a sharp rise in infrastructure attacks.

  • Over 80% of stolen funds stemmed from private key thefts, front-end hijacks, and insider access, with average hack size doubling YoY.

News - Crypto investors endured their worst six months on record, with over $2.1 billion in digital assets stolen across 75 incidents during H1 2025, nearly matching all of 2024’s losses. According to TRM Labs, this marks a 10% jump over the previous record set in H1 2022, and a clear escalation in both frequency and sophistication.

The most staggering blow came from the now-confirmed $1.5 billion Bybit exploit in February, attributed to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. This single incident accounts for nearly 70% of total losses this year and pushed the average hack size to $30 million, double the $15 million seen in H1 2024.

But North Korea isn’t alone. In June, Israeli-linked group Gonjeshke Darande (Predatory Sparrow) drained $90 million from Iran’s Nobitex exchange in what appears to be a politically motivated attack, sending funds to burn-addresses.

Infrastructure is the new battleground - TRM Labs confirmed that over 80% of the stolen funds originated from infrastructure-level breaches, including seed phrase thefts, social engineering, and compromised front-ends, rather than traditional smart contract exploits, which accounted for just 12%.

A geopolitical storm brews - These attacks are no longer just criminal, they’re covert acts of digital warfare. With state actors increasingly exploiting crypto as a tool of geopolitical leverage, TRM warns that only a global, multi-layered security response can stem the rising tide.

Across Protocol hit by $23M DAO scandal, ACX crashes 40%

Key points:

  • ACX plunged over 10% in 24 hours and is now 91% below its ATH, following DAO manipulation and insider trading allegations.

  • The controversy centers on $23M in token transfers allegedly approved via insider-controlled wallets; Risk Labs denies wrongdoing.

News - Across Protocol’s governance model is under intense scrutiny after a public exposé accused its founders of manipulating DAO votes to funnel $23 million in ACX tokens to their for-profit affiliate, Risk Labs. The scandal has tanked ACX’s price by over 10% in a day and more than 40% in the past month.

The allegations were made by pseudonymous developer Ogle, who claims core team members, including co-founder Hart Lambur, used undisclosed wallets to approve two major proposals: one in 2023 for 100 million tokens and another in 2024 for 50 million more, under the guise of protocol funding. These wallets, tied to Risk Labs insiders, reportedly accounted for over 14% of the vote, enough to sway the outcome.

While Risk Labs claims it’s a Cayman Islands nonprofit, legal ambiguity persists. No official nonprofit registry confirms the status, and critics argue the firm still operates with commercial incentives. Lambur insists the tokens were used to build Across v3 and v4, with all grants transparently earned and vesting over four years.

Binance listing sparks insider trading accusation - LayerZero’s Bryan Pellegrino accused Lambur of front-running ACX’s surprise Binance listing in December 2024. Lambur denied any advance knowledge, pointing to public wallet activity and zero communication with Binance in the months leading up to the listing. He slammed the accusations as a competitive smear campaign.

Sentiment crash reflects DAO trust woes - Beyond the public spat, the real damage may be reputational. With ACX now trading near $0.13, 91% off its all-time high, traders appear spooked by the broader implications for DAO integrity. The case underscores a growing criticism: that many DAOs are decentralized in name only, with insiders still pulling the strings.

U.S. Blockchain Bill clears House: Innovation play or global catch-up?

Key points:

  • The U.S. House has passed the Deploying American Blockchains Act (H.R. 1664), tasking the Department of Commerce with coordinating national blockchain policy.

  • The bill now heads to the Senate and could reshape federal efforts around digital identity, supply chains, tokenization, and open-source innovation.

News - On June 26, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2025 (H.R. 1664), marking a historic pivot from fragmented oversight to centralized blockchain leadership. The bill, which garnered bipartisan support, empowers the Department of Commerce to spearhead national strategies across public and private sectors.

Backed by Representatives Kat Cammack and Darren Soto, the legislation establishes a “Blockchain Deployment Program” to guide innovation, promote interoperability, and develop technical standards. It tasks the Commerce Department with coordinating advisory committees, comprising federal agencies, developers, cybersecurity experts, and rural voices, to define best practices in decentralized identity, fraud prevention, and infrastructure resilience.

Commerce takes the lead - For the first time, the U.S. government is formalizing blockchain oversight under a single federal agency. The bill bars compulsory data-sharing from private firms, instead fostering voluntary collaboration through public-private partnerships. It also mandates annual reporting to Congress, highlighting risk assessments, regulatory updates, and forward-looking recommendations.

This move is viewed by many as a late but vital response to blockchain leadership strides by nations like China, Singapore, and the UAE. Industry groups, including the Digital Chamber of Commerce, have endorsed the bill for providing clarity and a federal “landing zone” for innovation.

Next stop: The Senate - While House approval is a milestone, the bill’s fate now lies with the Senate, where a companion version introduced by Senators Moreno, Blunt Rochester, and Sheehy awaits deliberation. If passed, H.R. 1664 could solidify a long-awaited U.S. blockchain strategy, potentially laying the groundwork for Web3 integration into sectors like finance, logistics, and digital infrastructure.

Crypto scams uncovered

  • Evita Pay CEO charged for $530M laundering to sanctioned Russian banks: U.S. authorities charged Iurii Gugnin, CEO of Evita Pay, with laundering $530 million in Tether between June 2023–January 2025 to help sanctioned Russian banks (VTB, Sberbank) evade restrictions.

  • 90 of Australia’s top crypto ATM users are victims: AUSTRAC revealed that among the 90 highest-volume crypto ATM users in Australia, most were scam victims—one elderly woman deposited over A$430,000 after falling prey to romance and investment fraud.

  • DOJ has seized record $225M in confidence scam crypto: In June 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture action targeting $225.3 million in Tether, tracing proceeds from a sprawling “confidence-style” crypto investment fraud, marking the largest seizure linked to such scams.

Top 3 coins of the day

Sei (SEI)

Key points:

  • At press time, SEI was trading at $0.29, reflecting a 13.51% increase over the last 24 hours.

  • The RSI stood at 65.53, while the Madrid Ribbon showed strong bullish crossover momentum.

What you should know:

SEI has rallied over 50% since mid-June, breaking above key Madrid Ribbon resistance with strong volume support. The RSI at 65.53 remains just below the overbought zone, hinting at possible short-term consolidation. The uptrend is backed by institutional accumulation and regulatory momentum. Circle disclosed 6.25M SEI holdings, and Trump-linked World Liberty Financial bought $1M worth, now up nearly 80%. SEI was also chosen for Wyoming’s fiat-backed stablecoin pilot, boosting its real-world credentials. Speculation around a SEI ETF has further fueled demand. Financial firm Canary’s filing reportedly has a 90–95% approval chance, adding to investor optimism. On-chain activity has also surged, with SEI becoming the second-largest EVM chain by users and hitting $1.2B in total value locked. If SEI holds above $0.23 (upper ribbon support), bullish momentum could persist. But a drop in volume or RSI reversal may signal cooling ahead.

Aptos (APT)

Key points:

  • At press time, APT was trading at $5.06, reflecting a 3.79% increase over the last 24 hours.

  • The price pierced through the midline of the Bollinger Bands, while the Squeeze Momentum Indicator flipped to green, signaling potential bullish continuation.

What you should know:

APT’s rally gained traction after Bitwise submitted an amended S-1 for its Aptos spot ETF, echoing the structure used in past Bitcoin/ETH approvals. Analysts now place ETF approval odds near 90%, fueling speculative demand. Adding to its narrative, Aptos has attracted $349M via BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized fund, cementing its role in real-world asset adoption. Technically, APT broke past the $4.85 pivot and reclaimed its midline, with volume and the Squeeze Momentum Indicator both confirming trend reversal. The lower Bollinger Band served as key support during the recovery phase, while expanding bands now hint at rising volatility. The token may next test the $5.15 resistance zone for further gains.

XRP (XRP)

Key points:

  • At press time, XRP was trading at $2.08, reflecting a 0.89% decline over the last 24 hours.

  • The Supertrend indicator remained in bearish territory, while the DMI showed -DI above +DI, signaling continued selling pressure.

What you should know:

XRP remained under pressure after the court rejected Ripple and the SEC’s $50 million settlement motion, extending legal uncertainty. The news triggered renewed sell-offs, with whales reportedly moving over $497 million in XRP across wallets and exchanges. On the charts, XRP failed to break past the $2.32 Supertrend resistance, with bearish cues confirmed by the -DI dominance on the DMI and an ADX near 15, suggesting weak trend strength. Unless the price reclaims the $2.20–$2.32 zone, downside risk toward the $2.00 support remains elevated. A potential reversal hinges on clarity around Ripple’s appeal path.

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