Bitcoin has surged to $101,401.81, reclaiming the $100,000 price level for the first time since January, driven by renewed bullish sentiment and increased institutional investments. This surge is also reflected in other cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin Cash, which rose 16.17% to $418.10, and Wrapped Bitcoin, up 4.90% to $101,412.12.
Bitcoin has reclaimed the $100,000 price level for the first time since January, showing a renewed bullish sentiment among investors. According to CoinGecko data, the price of Bitcoin increased by 4.2% from an intraday low of $95,967 and reached $100,869 on May 8, at 3:22 pm UTC. This is the third time Bitcoin has exceeded the six-figure mark since it broke the barrier on December 5, 2024. The second instance happened on January 20, before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.
Unlike earlier $100,000 breakthroughs, this surge coincides with Bitcoin's market dominance above 60%. Analysts note that even during its past market peak levels, Bitcoin’s dominance was less than 60%, at 52% in December 2024 and 54% in January 2025. The recent uptick in dominance also mirrors the levels from the beginning of 2021, when Bitcoin traded at approximately $36,000.
According to market analysts, political, institutional, and macroeconomic factors increase prices. Others attribute it to US-UK trade deal speculation, declining bond yields, a weaker dollar, and higher institutional investments in spot Bitcoin ETFs which recorded inflows worth $1.8 billion in the past week.
Coinbase has revealed the purchase of crypto derivatives exchange Deribit in a $2.9 billion deal, marking the biggest crypto acquisition ever. Under the agreement, $700 million in cash and 11 million shares of Coinbase Class A common stock will be used. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approvals.
According to Coinbase’s VP of Institutional Product Greg Tusar, the acquisition will significantly advance Coinbase's derivatives business. Tusar emphasized that combining Coinbase’s resources with Deribit's market leadership would enhance their trading platform, enabling seamless access to spot, futures, perpetual futures, and options.
Deribit CEO Luuk Strijers said the merger would enhance liquidity and expand product offerings. After the acquisition, Deribit founders John and Marius Jansen are expected to step down, allowing Coinbase to integrate its extensive regulatory framework and global brand presence.
Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade adopted EIP-7702, which improved account abstraction and made smart contract functionality more accessible. Wallets like Ambire and Trust Wallet have already integrated support for the new features, and thus, users can now make transactions using stablecoins instead of Ether for gas fees.
Ambire CEO Ivo Georgiev hailed the upgrade as a significant enhancement in user experience. It would make existing accounts act as smart contracts without needing new on-chain addresses. Trust Wallet also launched programmable wallets with multi-action transaction capabilities and sponsored gas fees, aiming to simplify decentralized finance (DeFi) interactions.
Experts in the industry see the Pectra upgrade as a crucial step toward wider implementation of Ethereum's smart account technology. They believe this development could increase the network's usability and, in time, attract more institutional interest as the ecosystem grows.