By
Chimamanda U. Martha
June 28th, 2024
Analysts believe that the receiver might be consolidating its assets ahead of a potential approval by the SEC.
An Ethereum whale just shelled out $171,263 as payment for a single transaction on the network. This payment comes amid anticipation in the broader cryptocurrency community. Many look forward to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) giving the final nod for trading on spot Ethereum ETF, a trend that is arguably fueling rushed buying.
According to Whale Alert, the $171,263, equivalent to 49 ETH was paid by an anonymous actor. The huge gas fees paid have sparked speculation among members of the community.
💸 A fee of 49 #ETH (171,263 USD) has just been paid for a single transaction!https://t.co/GP9MsvNHJV
— Whale Alert (@whale_alert) June 28, 2024
The Implications of High Ethereum Transaction Fees
As per market dynamics, the receiver “0x6b75d8af…00b4009a80” must have placed a high premium on the transaction to part with such a huge amount in fees. Similarly, the sender “0xc7bbec68…99ba1b0e9b” is likely a whale possibly seeking funds.
The decision to sell while ETH price is on a downward slope suggests desperation. It now remains to be seen how many traders are willing to make related expenses to get their transactions prioritized. If this comes off as a one, then there is no major concern, but a recurrence might place undue pressure on retail traders.
However, analysts believe that the receiver might be consolidating its assets ahead of a potential approval by the SEC. Notably, Ethereum in the past 24 hours, dropped 0.18% to trade at $3,439.03.
Significantly, given a recent report by Coinspeaker that the spot Ethereum ETF could be approved by July 4, market watchers are monitoring the impact a favorable nod will have on price. Regardless, reports indicate that the Gary Gensler-led regulatory body and asset managers are in advanced stages of conversation.
Some analysts, however, do not see the final nod from the SEC creating a major shift in price when compared to Bitcoin. In their view, Ethereum attracts less institutional interest and the price may well crash upon approval. As such, some foresee a bearish performance post-approval.
Anticipating SEC’s Decision and Its Impact
Despite this sentiment in some quarters, historical evidence suggests the opposite. Notably, Bitcoin soared to an all-time high above $73,000 sometime in March. BTC achieved this feat less than ten weeks after the US SEC gave the green light.
Whilst institutional interest in Ethereum may pale in comparison to Bitcoin, the digital asset has other factors in its favor. Notably, some observers see the upcoming presidential election and growing interest among the general populace to use crypto as a hedge against inflation. This makes up factors that could cause a shift in perception.
Meanwhile, recently, there has been an uptick from institutional investors amid the anticipated crypto bullish sentiments. As per data by Santiment, some whales are shoring up their assets. A group of Ethereum addresses with a balance between 10K and 100K acquired over $840 million Ether within a 48-hour period.
With just a few days to July, all eyes are on the SEC to see if the much-awaited greenlight for S-1 registrations will be granted.