Author: Imelda

Crypto ETPs End 5-Week Outflow Streak as Pepeto Emerges Top Presale

Crypto Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) attracted over $1.1 billion in net inflows during the week ending March 2, 2026, ending a five-week outflow streak that had weighed on market sentiment. BlackRock’s IBIT led Bitcoin ETF inflows, followed by Fidelity’s FBTC.

This institutional return to crypto markets signals a shift from fear to accumulation, creating favorable conditions for presale projects. Among these, Pepeto stands out with its $0.000000186 presale price and $7.5 million raised.

Key Pepeto Advantages:
– Founded by a Pepe cofounder who previously helped create PEPE, the fastest meme token to reach $7 billion market cap
– Building comprehensive infrastructure including PepetoSwap (zero-fee trading), cross-chain bridge (Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana), and dedicated exchange
– Contracts audited by SolidProof and Coinsult with zero critical vulnerabilities
– Live staking at 210% APY
– Potential returns: 269x at $0.00005, 537x at $0.0001

Comparison with Other Presales:
Pepepawn (PEPA): Raised $2.32 million across eleven stages, lacks Pepeto’s founding team credibility and product depth
OPZ: AI-powered self-custody solution raising $900,000 across thirteen stages at $0.04661, slower pace than Pepeto

The $1.1 billion ETP inflow during geopolitical tensions indicates institutional buyers are treating dips as accumulation opportunities. When ETP inflows sustain, capital typically rotates sharply into altcoins and presales.

Pepeto’s combination of proven team, approaching product launches, and strong community position it as a leading presale opportunity for 2026.

Ethereum Holds $2,080 Support as Staking Demand Hits Record High

Ethereum has started a new uptrend above the $2,050 resistance level, with ETH price surging past $2,080 and $2,120 before reaching $2,150. After hitting a high of $2,200, the price corrected downward, falling below $2,150 and the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level. ETH is currently trading above both the 100-hour Simple Moving Average and the $2,080 support.

Institutional sentiment shows mixed signals. U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs recorded net outflows of $90 million this week, dampening short-term bullish momentum as large investors appear to be de-risking ahead of macroeconomic changes. Despite this, Ethereum remains strong above historical support levels, with sellers unable to trigger a deeper correction.

Network fundamentals tell a different story. Ethereum’s validator entry queue has surged to 3.4 million ETH, creating a backlog of approximately 60 days. This represents a significant increase from about 904,000 ETH in early January, indicating strong staking demand. Major organizations and crypto exchanges are racing to stake their ETH holdings rather than sell during market surges.

Industry experts note that institutions need to generate returns from idle crypto assets, while analysts point to Ethereum’s potential in AI technology and payment systems as drivers of increased staking interest.

Technical indicators show mixed signals:
– RSI: 49 (neutral)
– MACD: -55.8 (strong negative trend)
– CCI: 143.8 (bullish)
– Stochastic Oscillator: 73.8 (bullish)

The $2,200 level represents both a technical and psychological barrier for Ethereum. A breakthrough could propel ETH toward $2,400. Current market structure favors patient investors as Ethereum builds a foundation for its next move.

Key support levels to watch:
– Initial support: $2,080
– Major support: $2,065 (50% Fibonacci retracement level)
– Further support: $2,020 and $1,980

While ETF outflows present a short-term setback, strong staking demand and network fundamentals suggest underlying strength. The battle between institutional sellers and network stakeholders continues to shape Ethereum’s price trajectory.

XRP ETF Inflows Surpass Bitcoin, Ethereum as Price Eyes $10 Target

XRP ETF products have recorded seven consecutive days of net inflows, pushing combined totals past $1.25 billion. This institutional momentum has outperformed both Bitcoin and Ethereum products on a percentage basis this year, strengthening predictions that XRP could reach $10.

Currently trading near $1.44, XRP benefits from Ripple’s expanding Prime institutional services globally. The broader cryptocurrency market surged 5% to $2.35 trillion following Iran’s peace talk signals, with Bitcoin clearing $73,000 on $1.4 billion in ETF inflows.

Technical analysis shows XRP building a double bottom pattern above $1.33 support. Historical data indicates March has averaged 18% returns for XRP over the past twelve years. A break above $1.67 would confirm the reversal pattern that price prediction models anticipate.

Meanwhile, Pepeto has crossed $7.5 million in fundraising with a complete exchange platform in development. Priced at $0.000000186 during its presale, the project offers 209% APY staking and aims to create a unified trading platform linking Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Solana through a single bridge.

AI models project XRP could see a 7x move to $10 as regulatory clarity and adoption accelerate. However, analysts note that even this optimistic projection would require significant time to materialize, while alternative opportunities like Pepeto’s presale offer different risk-reward profiles for investors seeking early-stage exposure.

The market recovery appears to be accelerating, with institutional conviction in XRP demonstrated through consistent ETF inflows. Bitwise leads XRP ETF holdings with $269 million in total assets under management.

Middle East Conflict Shakes Crypto Markets

Geopolitical tensions following strikes on Iran pushed cryptocurrency markets lower, with Bitcoin falling from $68,000 to around $66,000 and Ethereum dropping below $2,000. Despite the volatility, Bitcoin ETFs recorded modest inflows while altcoins showed mixed performance.

Bitcoin ETFs reported their first positive weekly result since early January with $800 million in inflows, though this wasn’t enough to offset previous losses. Since the start of the year, Bitcoin ETFs have lost approximately $1.8 billion, a significant contrast to the $3 billion-plus monthly inflows seen during strong periods in 2024 and 2025.

Ethereum traded just above $1,900 after falling from prices over $2,000. Ethereum ETFs gained $80 million last week but have recorded negative monthly results since November.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin expressed amazement on X that a solo developer theoretically implemented complex ETH upgrade goals in just two weeks using artificial intelligence. He noted that such AI-assisted “Vibe Coding” results were unimaginable six months ago, though he cautioned that bug fixing should remain a human responsibility. Buterin now expects faster technological development for Ethereum.

Among altcoins, KAVA surged 24% in 24 hours, making it the day’s biggest winner. The DeFi project, launched with Binance support in 2019, suffered a severe crash in 2023, and its recent price increase may be driven by speculation.

Zcash (ZEC) fell 6%, becoming the biggest loser among the top 30 cryptocurrencies, with a 13% weekly decline. Meanwhile, its main competitor Monero (XMR) gained 9% over the same period.

The crypto market sentiment barometer remains at “extreme fear,” reflecting the impact of Middle East bombings.

Geopolitical uncertainty drove record activity on prediction markets, with Polymarket attracting over $500 million in bets related to the Iran conflict. Derivatives exchange Hyperliquid also benefited from the situation, experiencing significantly higher trading volumes as traders turned to crypto platforms while traditional stock markets were closed over the weekend. Hyperliquid plans to enter the betting market as well.