Bitcoin finished the week back above $97,000, extending its multi-week rally and confirming bullish momentum across spot and ETF markets. The move caps off a strong April, fueled by renewed institutional demand and improved sentiment in both BTC and ETH markets. At the same time, legacy financial firms are edging deeper into crypto, and political capital continues flowing into the sector. Volatility remains in play but capital is clearly flowing back onchain.

Bitcoin ETF Inflows Pass $1.5B as Institutions Load Up

Bitcoin ETFs extended their rally this week with over $1.5 billion in net inflows recorded between April 25 and May 1. BlackRock’s IBIT led the charge, bringing in $970.9M on April 28, followed by a strong $351.4M on May 1. Despite midweek outflows from Ark and Fidelity, momentum held steady, reflecting sustained institutional interest in BTC at current levels.

Ethereum ETFs Finally See Net Positive Week

Ethereum ETF products produced one of the biggest week of net inflows since February, totaling over $89 million. Inflows were strongest last Friday on April 25 with $104.1 million added, led by BlackRock (ETHA) and Fidelity (FETH). While the trend cooled this Monday and in the days following, net weekly flow remained positive, suggesting a potential shift in sentiment after months of steady outflows.

Trump Family’s USD1 Stablecoin Linked to $2B Binance Stake Bid

World Liberty Financial's USD1 stablecoin, associated with the Trump family, is being used by Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX to fund a $2 billion investment in Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. The announcement was made by World Liberty co-founder Zach Witkoff at the TOKEN2049 conference in Dubai. USD1 is a dollar-pegged stablecoin backed by U.S. Treasuries and cash equivalents, aiming to provide a transparent and regulated digital currency option. 

Vote to Launch SOL, ADA, and XLM on Metal X DEX and Lending

A new proposal is now live on the XPR Network Gov Dash that would fund the launch of Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), and Stellar (XLM) spot markets and lending support on Metal X. The proposal requests a grant for liquidity provisioning and market making. These assets have already been bridged via xTokens but remain inactive for trading. With approval, users will be able to trade and lend SOL, ADA, and XLM natively on Metal X DEX.

🗳️ XPR holders vote here: https://gov.xprnetwork.org/communities/3/proposals/680a5823f4f4d9492c3d68ec

LOAN Holders: Vote to Add SOL and ADA to the Lending Protocol

To go along with the above proposal to add the above assets to the DEX, there are two active proposals for LOAN token holders to decide whether to add Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA) to the LOAN Protocol lending markets. Both proposals offer options to enable lending with or without LOAN rewards. These integrations would expand the protocol’s supported asset set, attract new users from the Solana and Cardano ecosystems, and drive up TVL and borrowing activity across the network.

🗳️ Vote on SOL Lending: https://gov.xprnetwork.org/communities/5/proposals/6813cb29f27f8365c08a4e58

🗳️ Vote on ADA Lending: https://gov.xprnetwork.org/communities/5/proposals/6813cb6ef27f8365c08a4ef5

Top Gainers – LOAN Leads as Broader Market Steadies

Among Metal Pay listed assets, LOAN Protocol (LOAN) topped the charts this week with a +18.5% gain, driven by lending activity and community governance momentum. Metal Blockchain (METAL) and Ethereum (ETH) followed at +4.3% and +2.7%, respectively. Bitcoin (BTC) rose 2.1%, while Litecoin (LTC) lagged slightly at +1.1%. The broader market appeared to pause after April’s strong rally.

These assets and more are available on Metal Pay.