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On this Thursday, Feb. 5, as Bitcoin sinks beneath the $70,000 floor for the first time in over a year, a sentiment fracture widens: XRP remains bullish while BTC and ETH are gripped by fear, SHIB loses critical support and Ripple’s top Japanese partner announces plans to build its own chain.
TL;DR
- XRP defies crowd panic, maintaining bullish sentiment, while Bitcoin and Ethereum plunge.
- Nearly $1 billion in liquidations drag BTC below $70,000 for the first time since Nov. 2024.
- SBI Holdings debuts Strium, a Ripple-linked blockchain for tokenized securities.
- Shiba Inu (SHIB) breaches final support at $0.00000680, opening 26% downside risk.
XRP disconnects from Bitcoin
Crowd data does not lie — at least not all at once. According to new metrics from Santiment, XRP sentiment remains firmly positive even as Bitcoin and Ethereum enter one of their most fear-driven zones in years. This is not just a random thing but rather an algorithmic divergence, supported by ratios from major crypto channels.
At the same time, the way people are positioned on derivatives is showing the same divide. XRP's long/short ratio is the most skewed in the majors, which shows that people are not too sure about it. This does not mean immunity, but it does show that XRP is a good bet in a falling market.
It is pretty obvious that if Bitcoin keeps dropping, people's feelings about it will change and the price will follow. But if BTC finds a foothold, XRP's positioning sets it up to outperform on the rebound, at least to $1.50s levels. We will know for sure once we see how much demand there is. Just keep an eye on the volume, not the talking.
Ripple's Japanese partner breaks formation with Strium blockchain
SBI Holdings, Ripple's big-time partner in Asia, just made a move that is shaking up Japan's blockchain scene. SBI is teaming up with Startale Group to launch Strium, a layer-1 network designed specifically for tokenized equities.
This is not just a hobby chain. SBI has 80 million users, an old financial infrastructure and one of the strongest institutional footprints in the region. The goal is to integrate Strium into the heart of SBI's digital asset ecosystem, connecting traditional finance and on-chain markets through regulated, enterprise-grade rails.
The first testnet rollout is coming soon. Ripple is still a key partner, but the launch of a sovereign L1 is a sign that institutional blockchain strategy in Asia is entering a new phase of diversification — from XRP Ledger too.
Shiba Inu (SHIB) risks 26% drop after losing final support
Shiba Inu just cracked. The token officially broke below $0.00000680, as per TradingView, its last major support from 2025, closing at $0.00000628 with over 5% daily losses. The chart setup is now firmly bearish, with no substantial support zones until the $0.00000500 range, about 26% below the current price.
The breakdown is technically huge. SHIB is trading below its 2025-2026 Fibonacci retracements, with the recent death cross (23-day moving average below 50-day) confirmed just a few days ago. Things are moving in a downward direction, and there are no signs of big investments or money coming in.
Unless SHIB gets back $0.00000680 pretty soon, it is probably going to hit the next major support level. Without high-volume demand returning, this is a falling knife with a bearish bias built in.
Crypto market outlook: BTC, XRP, SHIB price update
Bitcoin's big drop below $70,000 erased all the gains made after the 2024 election. During Asian trading hours, the liquidation engine kicked into overdrive, tallying between $955 million and $2.56 billion in forced exits across the top platforms.
BTC is now 44% below its October 2025 high of $126,000, with year-to-date losses nearing 20%. The crowd is extremely fearful, and that is usually a sign that the market is about to bounce back. But without more data from inflows or a derivatives reset, it is too soon to say for sure.
- Bitcoin (BTC): Must hold $67,200, or next stop is the $60,000 zone.
- XRP: Support sits near $1.25, with $1.56 resistance.
- SHIB: Danger zone until $0.00000500 unless 0.00000680 is reclaimed fast.
The next catalysts include Friday's macro flows, weekend whale action and whether sentiment recouples with price. Right now, XRP is getting a lot of support from the crowd, but SHIB is in free fall. Bitcoin is still the biggest risk.
Gamza Khanzadaev
Yuri Molchan
Tomiwabold Olajide
Arman Shirinyan
Caroline Amosun