Christian’s journey with the written word began long before the age of Bitcoin. In the hallowed halls of academia, he honed his craft as a feature writer for his college paper. This early love for storytelling paved the way for a successful stint as an editor at a data engineering firm, where his first-month essay win funded a months-long supply of doggie and kitty treats – a testament to his dedication to his furry companions (more on that later).

Christian then roamed the world of journalism, working at newspapers in Canada and even South Korea. He finally settled down at a local news giant in his hometown in the Philippines for a decade, becoming a total news junkie. But then, something new caught his eye: cryptocurrency. It was like a treasure hunt mixed with storytelling – right up his alley!

So, he landed a killer gig at NewsBTC, where he’s one of the go-to guys for all things crypto. He breaks down this confusing stuff into bite-sized pieces, making it easy for anyone to understand (he salutes his management team for teaching him this skill).

Think Christian’s all work and no play? Not a chance! When he’s not at his computer, you’ll find him indulging his passion for motorbikes. A true gearhead, Christian loves tinkering with his bike and savoring the joy of the open road on his 320-cc Yamaha R3. Once a speed demon who hit 120mph (a feat he vowed never to repeat), he now prefers leisurely rides along the coast, enjoying the wind in his thinning hair.

Speaking of chill, Christian’s got a crew of furry friends waiting for him at home. Two cats and a dog. He swears cats are way smarter than dogs (sorry, Grizzly), but he adores them all anyway. Apparently, watching his pets just chillin’ helps him analyze and write meticulously formatted articles even better.

Here’s the thing about this guy: He works a lot, but he keeps himself fueled by enough coffee to make it through the day – and some seriously delicious (Filipino) food. He says a delectable meal is the secret ingredient to a killer article. And after a long day of crypto crusading, he unwinds with some rum (mixed with milk) while watching slapstick movies.

Looking ahead, Christian sees a bright future with NewsBTC. He says he sees himself privileged to be part of an awesome organization, sharing his expertise and passion with a community he values, and fellow editors – and bosses – he deeply respects.

So, the next time you tread into the world of cryptocurrency, remember the man behind the words – the crypto crusader, the grease monkey, and the feline philosopher, all rolled into one.

Lace, a web3 non-custodial wallet developed by Input Output, is now multichain, with initial support including Bitcoin.

Input Output, an infrastructure and web3 research platform founded in 2015 by Charles Hoskinson and Jeremy Wood, announced the development via a press release on Mar. 20. Hoskinson is the founder of Cardano (ADA), one of the top cryptocurrency and blockchain projects.

According to IO, the Lace wallet’s non-custodial solution is now officially multichain. The launch expands the wallet’s support beyond Cardano, with initial support for Bitcoin (BTC).

“The future of blockchain is multichain, and with Lace, we’re making sure users have everything they need in one powerful, easy-to-use wallet. Building on the foundations we have established with Cardano, we identified Bitcoin as the logical next step. And we’re just getting started,” Brandon Wolf, general manager at Lace, said.

Lace now allows its users to store, manage, and transfer BTC.

According to IO, the integration of BTC is a milestone that brings web3 closer to reality.

This is because the support does not only help accelerate adoption for Bitcoin—it also boosts the broader ecosystem. As the top blockchain network sees increased traction across decentralized finance and smart contracts, several layer-2 solutions built on top of it are gaining further adoption.

“Bitcoin was the starting point for many people’s Web3 journey, and now we are witnessing its next evolution with the rise of Bitcoin DeFi. With Bitcoin integration now live, Lace is creating a seamless, intuitive gateway to maximise the best of blockchain innovation” Hoskinson said.

The integration provides an “intuitive gateway” that will help maximize blockchain innovation and add to the growth of DeFi, the Cardano founder added.

Other than DeFi, Lace’s web3 traction includes non-fungible tokens and multi-chain asset management.

Bitcoin continues to attract attention for its potential, with zero-knowledge powered platform BitcoinOS among those to champion its integration with crypto. 

The project’s open-sourcing of its BitSNARK v0.2 unlocks unlimited BTC programmability, the protocol’s team posted on X.  BitcoinOS’ code allows anyone to verify ZK proofs on Bitcoin.

Ethereum, like the broader crypto market, has experienced a sharp drop in price in recent weeks. From a high of $3,352 at the start of 2025, Ether now trades around $1,800 and $1,900, reflecting a sharp drop to the world’s second-biggest crypto by market cap. Looking at Ether’s bigger picture, it’s down 47% from last year’s value.

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If we go by the latest analyses and observations from commentators, Ether’s price correction will likely be extended. The altcoin is facing a huge bearish wave, with plenty of market factors undermining its price performance.

One significant factor is Standard Chartered’s recent decision to cut its price prediction by 60%, confirming market expectations.

News: Standard Chartered slashes ETH price target!

The bank cuts its 2025 ETH forecast from $10K to $4K, blaming Layer-2 networks like Base, which they say has drained $50B from Ethereum’s market value.#Ethereum #ETH #Crypto #Layer2 #Base #Blockchain

— Andres Meneses (@andreswifitv) March 17, 2025

Ethereum Faces A Descending Channel

Ethereum is currently in a price slump, and many experts expect a much deeper dive in the next few weeks. Ether’s price is currently floating above the $1,900 level as it continues its bearish price movements.

Analysts use the MACD indicator to verify and confirm the asset’s bearish sentiment. Also, the asset’s moving averages suggest a neutral trend and possible price consolidation.

Ethereum (ETH) remains in the correction zone today, trading around $1,874. The price continues to move in a descending channel, indicating a possible continuation of consolidation. Moving averages confirm the neutral trend: the price is holding below the 50-day and 200-day MA,… pic.twitter.com/R3vNqFBDkZ

— LVelarde (@0xvelarde) March 17, 2025

According to a crypto user named “LVelarde,” Ether’s price continues to follow the descending channel, suggesting price consolidation. The asset’s price is consolidating below its 5-day and 200-day moving averages, with traders looking for possible rejection or breakout. Since it fell below $2k, sentiments have been generally bearish, with many questioning its future price trends.

Standard Chartered Cuts Price Estimates For Ethereum

Even some of the biggest banks, like Standard Chartered Bank, are lowering their expectations of Ethereum. From a high of $10,000, the bank is reducing its price target to just $4,000, explaining that the Layer 2s are impacting its bottom line.

The bank added that changes and improvements to the blockchain affected its overall value, like its shift to the proof-of-stake and scaling roadmap.

Standard Chartered used Coinbase’s Base Layer 2 as an example, suggesting that the project has cost Ethereum $50 billion from its market cap. According to Geoff Kendrick, Standard Chartered analyst, Ethereum’s losses will continue as Base’s dominance in the industry continues.

Kendrick calls this the blockchain’s “midlife crisis”, adding that Ethereum’s chain has become a commodity with its Layer 2 framework.

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Things Ethereum Can Do To Address Its Slide

According to Kendrick, Ethereum can address its downturn in two ways. First, it can leverage its security-based dominance in the context of the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA). If Ethereum focuses on security, it can maintain its 80% market share.

Second, it can charge taxes for its Layer 2s, but it’s highly unlikely. Kendrick expects Ethereum to continue its underperformance in the short term.

Featured image from Bloomberg, chart from TradingView