A new report by Kaiko reveals that the liquidity for privacy tokens has plummeted to an all-time low of just $5 million.
This drop follows the delisting of several trading pairs by OKX for not meeting certain criteria.
Regulatory pressures have particularly impacted tokens like Monero (XMR) and Zcash (ZEC), pushing them to the brink of being delisted from platforms like Binance due to low liquidity.
Despite the market turmoil, the end of 2023 witnessed several notable developments. During last week’s sell-off, the trade volume on Korean exchanges reached a multi-year high. Bitcoin’s share rose to 32%, a level not seen since 2020, amid a general drop in altcoin trading volumes.
This shift in trading dynamics came despite increasing regulatory efforts in South Korea, including proposed rules for crypto exchanges and a ban on crypto purchases with credit cards.
The market for SOL (Solana) also saw positive trends. At times, SOL’s trading volume surpassed the combined volume of Bitcoin and Ether on several exchanges, a rare event in the crypto world. This surge in SOL’s market share, particularly against Ether, signals a shifting landscape in the altcoin domain.
Meanwhile, PYUSD has had a slow start in the crypto trading sphere. Despite being listed on several centralized exchanges, its trading volume remains significantly low compared to established stablecoins like Tether (USDT).
January 10 marks a pivotal moment in the cryptocurrency world, with the SEC set to decide on Ark’s spot Bitcoin ETF. Irrespective of the outcome, the market is bracing for more volatility.
This comes after Bitcoin ended the week on a positive note, following a price crash that led to hundreds of millions in liquidations. Initially attributed to an analyst’s speculation about the spot Bitcoin ETF decision, further reports indicate deeper underlying issues.
Before the crash, market indicators such as price slippage signaled trouble. Slippage rates on major exchanges like Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken rose above 0.02% on January 2, indicating deteriorating liquidity even as Bitcoin prices hovered around $45,000.
Futures markets also painted a picture of an overheated market. Bitcoin perpetual futures open interest in USD hit a peak of $10 billion in early December, the highest since November 2021.
This spike in open interest pointed to increased leverage in the market. Additionally, high volumes in options markets, particularly Bitcoin options on Deribit, indicated traders’ anticipation of volatility in light of the spot ETF decision.