HBAR Faces Strong Resistance While Open Interest Hits $420 Million

Hedera has recently gained attention as its futures Open Interest rose sharply to $420 million. This increase shows that traders are becoming more involved, especially through leveraged trades expecting large price changes. While news about a possible HBAR ETF has sparked public interest, the rising Open Interest points to a stronger flow of serious investment into the Hedera network.

Open Interest and Growing Market Sentiment

HBAR’s climb to a record $420 million in futures contracts signals that more traders are stepping in with leveraged bets, aiming to capitalize on volatility and momentum. This is not merely hype sparked by ETF speculation; rather, it indicates that significant capital is actively positioning itself in anticipation of sustained price moves.

This surge in futures activity aligns with rising funding rates on major derivatives platforms like Binance. After a stretch of negative funding, where shorts were paid to maintain positions, funding rates have flipped slightly positive, suggesting that longs now pay premiums to hold their bets. Such a shift reflects growing confidence among leveraged traders that upward momentum will continue.

According to Coinglass, around 2.36 million HBAR have left centralized exchanges in the past day. Moving tokens off exchanges often means investors prefer to keep control or hold for longer periods, which reduces quick selling. Together, this shows that both spot and derivative traders are feeling optimistic.

Technical Outlook Shows Both Strength and Caution

Looking at HBAR’s price lately, the situation is a bit complex. The token made a strong bounce from the $0.15 demand zone, creating a double-bottom pattern, a common sign of a trend change. This helped it recover a key mid-range level and triggered an upward move, confirmed by the Parabolic SAR indicator showing positive momentum.

The rally pushed HBAR above the $0.22 resistance, reaching a peak near $0.265 before retreating to around $0.233. However, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) now sits near 77.4, firmly in overbought territory. Historically, such readings often precede a local correction or a pause in upward momentum.

For bulls, the critical support zone lies between $0.20 and $0.22. Maintaining these levels would preserve the positive technical structure and potentially pave the way for another challenge of the $0.265 ceiling. Should momentum build, a push toward the $0.35 level becomes plausible.

Conversely, if HBAR falls below the $0.22 support, a correction to around $0.19 could threaten the bullish pattern. Given the overbought conditions and recent price pullback, cautious traders may await confirmation before committing further.

Institutional Adoption Builds Confidence

Beyond technicals and market speculation, institutional interest in Hedera has gained tangible momentum. Notably, Lloyds Bank and Aberdeen Asset Management have launched a pilot project using Hedera’s blockchain to tokenize real-world assets (RWA). This initiative, facilitated by Archax’s DeFi platform, tests blockchain-based financial processes with Aberdeen’s money market fund tokens.

Lloyds, with a market cap exceeding $60 billion, and Aberdeen, managing over $650 billion in assets, are not casual players. Their involvement lends Hedera a level of credibility few projects achieve at this stage. It signals that HBAR is not just a speculative token but a utility within enterprise-grade, compliant financial infrastructure, particularly relevant in the UK, where daily derivatives settlements exceed $5 trillion.

Moreover, this institutional backing complements the rising ETF interest, which some analysts estimate has a 90% chance of approval. The synergy between enterprise adoption and regulatory recognition creates a compelling bull case for HBAR’s future.

Insights on HBAR’s Price Action

HBAR’s recent performance shows a strong mix of technical progress and growing institutional support. The record high Open Interest in futures and large token withdrawals from exchanges suggest a confident market. At the same time, backing from major financial players is helping Hedera gain status as a serious platform for tokenized assets.

However, technical indicators show the token might be overbought, and resistance near $0.265 calls for caution. Investors should keep an eye on important support levels and carefully assess the market before making decisions. If these trends persist, HBAR has the potential to move up to $0.35.