The Trend Continues: South Carolina Joins States Exploring Bitcoin Reserves
South Carolina has taken a significant step toward potentially allowing Bitcoin into its state financial strategy. State Representative Jordan Pace introduced the “Strategic Digital Assets Reserve Act” (House Bill 4256) on March 27.
The proposed legislation would permit the state treasurer to allocate up to 10% of certain state funds into cryptocurrencies, with a specific emphasis on Bitcoin. If enacted, South Carolina would join a growing number of US states exploring Bitcoin as a potential strategic reserve asset.
HB 4256 specifically enables the current South Carolina treasurer, Curtis Loftis, to establish and manage a state Bitcoin reserve. The text references a potential holding ceiling of up to 1 million BTC, language that mirrors ambitions discussed related to federal plans under the Trump administration.
If adopted, these state Bitcoin holdings could potentially be allocated across various state accounts, including the General Fund and the Budget Stabilization Reserve Fund (often called a “rainy day” fund).
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According to tracking data from Bitcoin Law, approximately 42 similar Bitcoin reserve-related bills have been introduced across 24 states to date, with around 36 reportedly still active legislative items.
This state-level proposal comes as related activity occurs nationally. Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at creating a federal Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, intended to comprise assets seized via forfeiture cases rather than new purchases.
Separately, Arizona has advanced two bills (SB 1373 and SB 1025) concerning state holding of digital assets obtained through various means.
Kentucky also recently took a pro-crypto stance ; Governor Andy Beshear signed House Bill 701 to ensure protections for Bitcoin self-custody and node operation, while preventing discriminatory zoning against Bitcoin miners.
While policymakers deliberate Bitcoin’s role in state and federal strategies, market analysts currently offer differing short-term views on its price trajectory. Analyst “Mister Crypto,” for instance, suggests Bitcoin is nearing a potential breakout from a triangular consolidation pattern observed on its chart.
Such technical patterns often precede a bullish rally if resistance is overcome. His analysis indicates that a successful breach of upcoming resistance could position Bitcoin to target significantly higher price levels in the months ahead.
In contrast, analyst “CryptoGoos” predicts Bitcoin dominance —BTC’s share of the total crypto market capitalization—is likely to fall soon.
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CryptoGoos suggests BTC dominance is approaching a long-term resistance level on its chart and could face a sharp decline. If this analysis proves correct, such a pattern has historically signaled the potential start of an “altcoin season,” a period where alternative cryptocurrencies may generate larger percentage gains relative to Bitcoin.
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Ether Balance on Exchanges Hit Record Lows, Can It Trigger a Major Rebound?
Ethereum (ETH) continued to trade subdued for most of Thursday, extending its two-week-long price range amid market indecision.
Notably, since experiencing a sharp drop on February 3 and subsequently recovering, the second-largest cryptocurrency has been confined within a tight channel, with price oscillating between the $2,800 resistance level and the $2,500 support zone.
However, despite this weakness, something is brewing under the hood, an underlying shift that could trigger a major breakout for ETH.
One of the most notable developments in the Ethereum market is the sharp decline in the amount of ETH held on exchanges. According to crypto analytics firm Santiment, currently, only 6.38% of the total ETH supply remains on centralized trading platforms, marking the lowest level since the cryptocurrency’s inception.
“From a long-term perspective, ETH continues to move off of exchanges and into cold wallets at a shocking pace…Meanwhile, the community has been showing some renewed interest in crypto’s 2 market cap asset here in February.” The firm tweeted Tuesday.
Notably, approximately 4.36 million ETH has been withdrawn since early 2024, reducing selling pressure and setting the stage for a potential rally if demand increases.
Another bullish factor is the decline in Ethereum transaction fees. On Wednesday, Santiment highlighted that the average ETH transaction fee now sits at $0.41, significantly lower than the $15.21 high seen in the past two years. Lower fees indicate reduced network congestion, making Ethereum more accessible to new investors and developers and, in turn, strengthening ETH’s value.
Beyond exchange balances and fees, optimism surrounding Ethereum’s upcoming Pectra hard fork on April 8 is also surging. On Tuesday, analysts at QCP Capital noted that Ethereum upgrades often follow a “buy the rumor, sell the news” pattern. They highlighted how ETH’s price doubled before the 2022 Merger and surged 30% after Shanghai in 2023, suggesting that if history repeats, a similar upswing could unfold post-Pectra.
Some analysts argue that Solana (SOL), once a top Ethereum competitor, is losing credibility due to a series of meme coin scandals, including LIBRA, which could drive capital back to ETH.
“Solana’s narrative as the best chain for retail adoption has shifted to one of fraud and insider trading, The hate on Ethereum for UX, lack of interop, and social layer dichotomies has been progressing steadily in a stronger way than ever. Tides are shifting. Watch SOLETH as a barometer.” Rollup Ventures co-founder Andy said on Tuesday.
Ethereum was trading at $2,730.37 at press time, up 0.39% in the past 24 hours.