I've been in crypto since 2017, and this volatility feels different. It's not just the usual market cycles; there's genuine regulatory concern driving the uncertainty.
Last week's Senate Banking Committee hearings were particularly troubling. Senator Warren's proposed "Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act" seems to be gaining traction, and the industry's pushback hasn't been as coordinated as I'd hoped.
That said, not all crypto sectors are suffering equally. I've been watching AI-powered DeFi protocols like Fetch.ai (FET-USD) and Ocean Protocol (OCEAN-USD), which have actually grown despite the broader market downturn. Fetch.ai is up an impressive 28% this month alone, trading at $4.17.
"The intersection of AI and blockchain is where the real innovation is happening," says Maria Stankevich, Chief Business Development Officer at EXMO.com, whom I interviewed last week. "These projects are solving real problems, not just creating speculative assets."
For retail investors (like me and probably you), the key question is: what now? Personally, I'm holding my core positions but not adding more until there's clarity on the regulatory front. The proposed SEC rules expected next month could be a game-changer — for better or worse.
In the meantime, Bitcoin's dominance index has climbed to 52%, suggesting investors are retreating to the relative safety of the original cryptocurrency. Not a bad strategy, if you ask me.
