Crypto Market Update May 12: Gitcoin Spikes 79% and BUILDon Surges 55%

Crypto Fear & Greed Index Hits 49 As Overall Crypto Market Stays $2.8T

Overall Cryptocurrency News, 12 May 2026: Crypto market stays slightly bearish with $2.8T cap, minor 0.1% drop, mixed altcoin gains, rising stablecoin activity, and strong regulatory and institutional news shaping sentiment.

Major Crypto Market Events Today

Source: Forex Factory

Crypto Market Last 24 Hours Update: Prices, Volume & Trends

The global crypto market today reached a capitalization of $2.8 trillion, with a 0.1% markdown in the last 24 hours, while total trading volume was recorded at $89.2 billion.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) dominance in the industry remains strong at 58.2%, while Ethereum (ETH) holds 10%. The largest gainers in the industry over the past day are US Treasury-backed Stablecoin and the XRP Ledger Ecosystem.

Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) Price Analysis:

(Note: BTC and ETH are often viewed as less volatile historically, but still risky. The data recorded from CoinMarketCap)

• Bitcoin (BTC) price today reached $81,012.96, reduced 0.44% in the last 24 hours, with a trading volume of $30.72 billion and a market cap of $1.62 trillion.

• Ethereum (ETH) price today is at $2308.64, Plunge 2.02% in 24 hours with a trading volume of $15 billion and a capitalization of $278.6 billion.

Top Trending Crypto Coins Price in 24 Hours:

(Trending data is based on a combination of 24-hour price movement, trading volume, and CoinMarketCap.com trending metrics.)

• Bitcoin (BTC) is priced at $81,023.20, down 0.63% in 24 hours, with a trading volume of $30.2B.

• BUILDon is priced at $0.6206, Skyrockets 55.13%, TV of $128.65M.

• Solana (SOL) is priced at $96.64, up 0.63%, with a TV of $5.06B.

• LAB (LAB) is priced at $5.11, surges 6.7%, TV of $151.43M.

• Gitcoin (GTC) is priced at $0.1828, Spikes 79.47%, TV of $91.19M.

Top 3 Crypto Gainers in 24 hours (Ranked by 24-hour percentage gain):

• BUILDon price today (B): $0.6193, skyrocketed 54.14%, trading activity $129.35M.

• Humanity price today (H): $0.2739, climbed 26.67%, trading activity $64.53M.

• Venice Token price today (VVV): $17.11, jumps 12.36%, trading activity $105.89M.

Top 3 Crypto Losers in 24 hours (Ranked by 24-hour percentage loss):

• SKYAI price today (SKYAI): $0.4739, Slip 13.02%, trading activity around $108.07M.

• Pump. fun price today (PUMP): $0.002063, reduce 5.55%, trading activity near $79.37M.

• Zcash price today (ZEC): $552.52, Slide 5.27%, trading activity close to $855.31M.

Stablecoins and Defi Update:

• Stablecoins reflects 0.3% positive change over the past 24 hours, with a market capitalization of $318.3 billion and trading volume of $73.5 billion.

• The Overall (Defi) Decentralized Finance market decreased 0.7% over the last 24 hours, recording a market cap of $60 billion and trading volume (TV) at $5.6 billion. Defi dominance globally marked 2.1%.

Crypto Fear and Greed Index Today

Source: Alternative Me

Fear & Greed Index is 49 (neutral), slightly up from 48 yesterday and near 50 last week, but far above 16 last month (extreme fear). This shows recovery driven by reduced volatility and stabilizing prices, shifting sentiment from fear toward balance.

Latest Crypto Market News Today, May 12

(Note: All of these updates affect traders, as they impact liquidity, sentiment, and potential returns, and thus must be monitored closely.)

1. Consensys Pushes SEC for Wallet Safe Harbor: Consensys submitted a comment letter to the US SEC requesting a safe harbor for MetaMask-like wallets, arguing that broker-dealer rules may not fit self-custodial interfaces and crypto tools.

2. US Senate Advances Kevin Warsh Fed Nomination: US Senate voted 49–44, advancing Kevin Warsh’s nomination to the Federal Reserve Board for a 14-year term starting February 1, with bipartisan support, noting approval

3. Senate Reviews CLARITY Act Crypto Regulation Bill: US Senate Banking Committee will vote on the CLARITY Act as the crypto group Stand With Crypto pushes for clear digital asset regulation and market structure reform

4. FTX Alameda Unstakes $19.4M in SOL: FTX/Alameda unstaked 199,263 SOL worth $19.4M as part of ongoing bankruptcy liquidation, drawing attention to large crypto asset movement, as market monitors closely react to activity

5. Aave Updates rsETH Legal and DAO Process: Aave addressed the rsETH incident updates after the court modified restrictions allowing Arbitrum DAO voting and ETH transfer. While the legal process continues, the recovery plan proceeds forward, and progress is made

6. Ord.io Announces Shutdown on June 1: Ord.io announced a shutdown on June 1 after three years of serving over 1M users for Ordinals browsing and tools, open-sourcing data community tools preserved legacy

7. Zap Memecoin App to Shut Down June 1: Zap will shut down on June 1 due to slower-than-expected growth, advising users to export private keys and migrate their wallets, as some withdrawal guidance was provided clearly

8. 21Shares Launches Hyperliquid ETF THYP: 21Shares US launches THYP ETF tracking Hyperliquid Index with potential staking exposure under compliance conditions, according to prospectus details,  market debut watched closely, with institutional interest

9. MARA Reports $1.3B Net Loss in Q1: MARA reported $174.6M revenue and $1.3B net loss in Q1 2026 due to Bitcoin fair value adjustments, while holding 35,303 BTC, infrastructure expansion continues, and strategy

10. Ronin Migrates to Ethereum Layer 2 Network: Ronin will migrate to Ethereum L2 on OP Stack, reducing inflation below 1% and ending its sidechain model after the 2022 bridge hack history network upgrade

Comparative Insight

Bitcoin's dominance at 58.2% shows strong control, while Ethereum's at 10% highlights weaker momentum. Despite softness, altcoins like BUILDon and Gitcoin surged sharply, showing speculative inflows. Meanwhile, total volume at $89.2B signals active trading despite overall cautious sentiment.

What This Means for Cryptocurrency Users

Crypto users are facing mixed conditions with low volatility but strong rotation into altcoins. Regulatory updates, ETF launches, and liquidation events suggest short-term uncertainty. Traders must track sentiment shifts, as sudden pumps and dumps are still dominating intraday opportunities.

Risk Context: This commentary is not about long-term conditions and is merely informational. It does not point to the price or indicate an action to take on the investment.

CoinGabbar’s Opinion

The current crypto market scenario remains moderately risky due to mixed momentum, regulatory changes, and liquidation pressure. However, active trading volume and selective altcoin rallies create short-term opportunities. Investors should stay cautious, avoid over-leverage, and focus on strong fundamentals and risk management strategies.

Disclaimer: The information should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are very unstable and dangerous. You should never make an investment decision without doing your research (DYOR) and using a qualified financial advisor. All regions are not able to provide all the services or assets in question.