XRP Ledger patches decade-old unlimited-minting bug as dollar strength drags Bitcoin below $83K

The day's dominant macro force was a stronger U.S. dollar, which pushed Bitcoin below $83,000 and kept most of the top 15 in the red. When the dollar strengthens, dollar-denominated assets like crypto tend to face headwinds — investors holding other currencies effectively pay more for the same exposure, which dampens demand at the margin. Bitcoin ended the session at $82,494, down 0.69%, while XRP fell 1.93% to $1.37. XRP's decline came despite — or perhaps partly because of — a significant disclosure: the XRP Ledger had quietly patched a decade-old bug that, if exploited, could have allowed an attacker to mint an unlimited quantity of XRP. The patch was applied without incident, but the revelation that such a vulnerability existed for years is the kind of news that prompts holders to reassess their confidence in the network's supply guarantees. XRP's supply cap is a core part of its value proposition; a bug that threatened it, even one now fixed, is not a minor footnote. Ethereum was the one notable exception in the top 15, gaining 0.63% to $2,520.74. No single catalyst explained the move — it appears to reflect mild rotation away from Bitcoin on a day when BTC faced specific dollar-strength pressure. Zcash also bucked the trend, rising 2.90%, though no clear fundamental driver was identified for that move. The Fear & Greed index sat at 69 — still in "Greed" territory — suggesting the broader market mood has not turned negative despite the day's red-leaning price action.

• –Ledger updated the public on the CryptoBilis hardware-implant breach: $93 million in affected funds has been traced and $10 million frozen, as the company works to limit reputational fallout from the supply-chain attack.
• –Standard Chartered launched institutional custody for Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin in Dubai and plans to integrate it as collateral with trading venue LMAX — a concrete step in traditional finance building on XRP Ledger infrastructure.
• –An international financial watchdog called for coordinated cross-border oversight and formal crisis planning for a potential stablecoin market failure, adding regulatory pressure to the sector at a moment when stablecoin legislation is advancing in multiple jurisdictions.