On May 1 of this year, the U.S. Federal Reserve System (FRS) announced its decision to maintain the current level of the key interest rate despite expectations of changes. This decision had a significant impact on the cryptocurrency market, particularly on Bitcoin, whose value fell. A similar policy to maintain rates is expected next month, June.

The decision to keep the rate unchanged was made in light of the current inflation exceeding forecast levels. The head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, noted that this approach would help avoid market volatility similar to what was seen in 2019. He confirmed that the current rate is expected to be maintained in June, and the next meeting of the FRS leadership is scheduled for June 11-12. According to CME estimates, the likelihood of rate cuts is extremely low, only 8.9%.

The day after the Fed's announcement, on May 2, Bitcoin showed a decrease, falling below the $57,000 mark. This was the second drop following May 1, when the cryptocurrency market weakened due to news of the arrest of the former head of the Binance crypto exchange, CZ Zhao, who received four months of imprisonment out of the 36 months sought by the prosecution. Despite his legal troubles in the U.S., Zhao continued negotiations with notable figures such as OpenAI founder Sam Altman, discussing potential investments in neural network development.