Ethereum News Today: BlockDAG's Surge Challenges Ethereum's Stumble: Crypto's Split Path

BlockDAG's presale has surpassed $420 million, marking one of the largest fundraising efforts in crypto history. The project's testnet, dubbed "Awakening," went live recently, confirming the blockchain's operational readiness ahead of its scheduled mainnet launch on October 1–2, 2025. The presale price remains locked at $0.0013, though the current batch is priced at $0.0015, reflecting a 2900% ROI potential for early buyers Coingabbar^[1]. Over 26.5 billion BDAG tokens have been sold, distributed to 312,000+ holders, with 20,000 X-Series miners shipped globally. The project's ecosystem includes 3 million users on the X1 app and a roadmap featuring UTXO removal, EVM compatibility, and cross-chain interoperability MyTokencap^[3].

Exchange partnerships are nearing finalization, with confirmed listings on MEXC, LBank, XT.com, CoinStore, and BitMart. Discussions with Coinbase, Gemini, and Crypto.com are ongoing Coingabbar^[1]. Analysts project a launch price range of $0.08–$0.12, based on a 150 billion total supply and 50 billion circulating tokens. Long-term forecasts suggest potential for $0.30–$1.00 if adoption grows steadily, though reaching $5–$10 remains speculative due to market caution Coingabbar^[1].

Ethereum (ETH) is testing key resistance near $4,550, with analysts divided on its trajectory. Institutional ETF inflows and declining exchange balances have bolstered optimism, but the asset has struggled to break above this level. Some predict ETH could rally to $5,000–$7,500 by year-end if it sustains momentum, while others warn of a potential pullback to $3,700–$3,800 before resuming an upward trend .

Stellar (XLM) is defending its $0.34–$0.35 support zone, a critical level for maintaining bullish momentum. Analysts note that holding this range could push the price toward $0.38–$0.50, while a breakdown risks a decline to $0.30. The token's ecosystem TVL growth and Fibonacci retracement levels at $0.35 suggest a defensive stance, though on-chain selling pressure remains a concern .

BlockDAG's testnet activation and Ethereum's price dynamics highlight contrasting narratives in the crypto market. While BlockDAG emphasizes infrastructure delivery and presale traction, Ethereum's performance hinges on overcoming technical resistance. Both projects face distinct challenges: BlockDAG must manage post-launch liquidity and token distribution risks, while Ethereum's success depends on broader market conditions and institutional adoption.