• Ethereum co-founder has sold 1,400 UNI coins, alongside KNC and DINU tokens, for 16,796 USDC.
• The transaction comes as bears dominate the broader market.
• UNI bulls should hold prices above $5 to support short-term recoveries.

Cryptocurrencies display bearishness as Bitcoin wavers below $90,000, currently trading at $89,800.

Amidst the pessimistic sentiments, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sparked the altcoin community by reducing his crypto holdings, including 1,400 UNI coins (according to Arkham data).

Alongside Uniswap, Buterin has also dumped 10,000 KNC and 40 trillion DINU tokens, netting 16,796 USDC.

While the transaction might seem modest in dollar amount, any transfer from a top figure like Buterin often gains traction due to its psychological impact on investors and the community.

Is this a routine portfolio adjustment or a lack of conviction in UNI’s short-term performance?

Generally, transactions from leading crypto influencers create notable temporary volatility, prompting quick actions from traders.

Broad market context: bears dominate

Vitalik has reduced exposure to Uniswap as the overall market remains deteriorated.

Cryptocurrencies have been under immense selling pressure lately, with bullish news sparking short-lived gains, only to be followed by significant dips.

Faded liquidity has limited price rallies even after key updates like rate cuts.

Uniswap, as a leading DeFi token, tends to mirror broader sentiments, and high-profile dumps can catalyse significant short-term price fluctuations.

Thus, attention has shifted to native UNI’s performance, and of course, what to expect in the near term.

UNI price outlook

Vitalik Buterin’s selloff coincides with UNI price underperformance.

UNI wavers at $5.40 after a slight 0.87% decline over the last 24 hours.

The digital token showcases a notable post-rally retracement followed by extended consolidations.

UNI price rallied toward $9.8 – $10 in early last month before prolonged downtrends.

The momentum faded amid intensified broader selling pressure, compressing Uniswap’s price into a constricted range.

The UNI price faces its first crucial resistance at $5.80-$6.00, beyond which buyers can extend to $6.50.

Adequate trading volumes will push the alt towards $7.50 and possibly $8.50.

That would mean a nearly 60% upside from Uniswap’s current market price.

On the other hand, UNI boasts a reliable support at $5.10 – $5.20.

Failure to hold this region could trigger dips below $5.00, invalidating the potential upside.

Persistent bearishness might send Uniswap toward $4.50 and the $4.00 support level.

Prevailing broader sentiments and exit from influential individuals like Buterin suggest the downside as the path with fewer resistances for UNI.

Meanwhile, UNI enthusiasts will track overall market performance in the coming sessions, considering the alt’s massive correlation.

All eyes remain on the bellwether crypto.

Bitcoin should overcome the resistance at $94,000 and reclaim $100,000 to flip broader sentiments to bullish.

The post Uniswap price outlook as Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin offloads UNI tokens appeared first on CoinJournal.

The tension between decentralized finance and traditional Wall Street players resurfaced this week after Uniswap founder Hayden Adams publicly accused Citadel Securities of influencing U.S. regulators to impose stricter rules on the DeFi sector.

Adams’ comments, shared across social media, sparked a wide-ranging debate over who should be considered a financial intermediary in blockchain-based markets, and whether the rules of traditional finance should apply to open-source developers.

Adams claimed that Citadel, led by CEO Ken Griffin, has been lobbying the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to classify DeFi developers, validators, liquidity providers and even front-end operators as broker-dealers.

Citadel’s Filing Raises Concerns Over Tokenized Markets

At the center of the dispute is Citadel’s December 2 filing to the SEC. The document argues that many blockchain-based systems effectively bring together buyers and sellers in ways that resemble traditional exchanges.

As such, Citadel says they should be regulated under the same standards, even if those systems operate through smart contracts rather than centralized infrastructure.

Citadel warned that tokenized U.S. equities trading on DeFi platforms could create a “shadow equity market” outside the national market system, reducing regulatory oversight and fragmenting liquidity.

The firm’s letter also rejects the idea that technology differences justify regulatory exemptions, insisting that “the same activity should face the same rules” regardless of whether it is powered by algorithms or legacy systems.

DeFi advocates counter that this perspective ignores the design of decentralized protocols, which can function without centralized control and often rely on open-source contributions rather than corporate governance.

Adams Pushes Back Against “Fair Access” Claims

Adams criticized Citadel’s assertion that DeFi systems cannot provide “fair access,” calling the argument inconsistent with how traditional market makers operate. He argued that open-source protocols can lower barriers to participation, unlike centralized trading venues where access is limited by intermediaries.

Developers and community members echoed this point, noting that the DeFi ecosystem encompasses a broad range of models, from fully permissionless exchanges to platforms that rely on more centralized components.

Some community voices added that regulatory conversations often lack clarity because “DeFi” itself encompasses many different structures.

The exchange comes at a time when the SEC has repeatedly taken enforcement action against DeFi teams. The agency has emphasized that it assesses economic realities rather than decentralization labels, citing past cases such as the Rari Capital settlement in 2024.

If regulators adopt Citadel’s framing, entities involved in developing or maintaining DeFi protocols could face registration requirements designed for traditional broker-dealers.

Industry participants warn that such a shift could make open-source projects difficult to operate, raising questions about the future of permissionless finance in the United States.

As the debate continues, the clash highlights a deeper divide between emerging decentralized systems and established financial institutions, one that is increasingly shaping regulatory policy discussions in Washington.

Cover image from ChatGPT, UNIUSD chart from Tradingview