On March 28th, the price of Dogecoin increased by 13.35%, reaching $0.21, which is the highest level since January 2022. In doing so, the popular memecoin outperformed most of its top competitors, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, over a 24-hour performance period. Now, let’s examine the main factors driving up the price of Dogecoin today.
Why Is Dogecoin Rising?
The gains in Dogecoin are part of an overall upward trend that saw its price recover by 79.5% from the local low of $0.122 set on March 20th, with Elon Musk being one of the main factors behind the sharp increase. Specifically, DOGE began to rise after Musk obtained three more money transmitter licenses from the states of Illinois, New Mexico, and Oregon to operate a payment service on the X social media platform.
Last year, Musk applied for licenses in 32 states. According to NMLS Consumer Access, he has received 23 approvals so far. These approvals are considered bullish for the Dogecoin market amidst speculation that Musk will integrate DOGE into the X payment platform. Market analyst Mishaboar shared the following comments on the matter:
“Last year Elon mentioned that the first phase of X Payments would not include crypto, and I’m not sure if that has changed now.”
However, Musk indicated that he could bring cryptocurrencies like DOGE to X Payments after partnering with some exchanges or brokerage platforms. Earlier this month, Musk stated he was open to accepting Dogecoin as a payment method for purchasing Tesla vehicles.
What’s Happening on the Dogecoin Front?
On March 28th, the open interest (OI) in Dogecoin perpetual futures contracts reached a record level of $1.77 billion, reminiscent of the fiery days of the 2021 rally. The funding rate for Dogecoin perpetual futures contracts also became a weekly 1.18%.
Positive funding rates and rising OI indicate that investors are generally optimistic about the future price direction of the asset and expect prices to rise. This sentiment could lead to increased buying pressure and, if other market conditions align, could drive prices higher, which seems to be the case with Dogecoin’s movements today.
