Bitcoin Holds $70K: Empty Whale Wallets, Fresh Inflows, and Home‑Loan Collateral – Duong’s Low‑Key Playbook

Crypto markets are wobbling under a double‑whammy of US regulatory headwinds and Middle‑East geopolitical jitters. Coinbase’s Head of Global Investment Research, David Duong, chimed in on the chaos, pointing out the few bright spots that might keep the ship from capsizing into the abyss.

The so‑called Clarity Act, billed as a potential game‑changer for the sector, hit a snag in the Senate. Duong warned that if the bill doesn’t cross the finish line within six weeks, it could be shelved until 2027. The delay is being fed by debates over stablecoin rewards and the SEC’s jurisdiction, with Coinbase pushing for draft revisions it says would otherwise choke industry growth.

Despite the turmoil, Bitcoin has stubbornly clung to the $70,000 mark, a resilience Duong attributes to two main forces: first, the big‑ticket wallets that could have sparked massive sell‑offs are simply out of inventory, and second, fresh capital continues to pour into digital‑asset funds.

In a surprising twist, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have started treating crypto assets as collateral in their credit assessments. Thanks to a partnership between Coinbase and Better Home & Finance, borrowers can now pledge Bitcoin or USDC for home‑loan down payments without liquidating the assets. Duong hailed this as a “giant step” toward crypto being recognized as legitimate collateral in mainstream finance.

*This is not investment advice.