What could affect the price of IP?

Story’s price depends on how widely its programmable IP platform is adopted, the involvement of institutional investors, and how well it manages risks in a tough market environment.

1. IP Licensing Demand – Partnerships in areas like K-pop and AI data could boost the token’s usefulness.
2. Institutional Moves – Support from Grayscale Trust and Seoul Exchange might help stabilize the price.
3. Token Unlock Risks – Nearly 42% of tokens held by insiders will become available through 2029, which could lead to price drops.

Deep Dive

1. IP Licensing Growth (Positive/Mixed Impact)

Overview: Story recently teamed up with Lombard to allow Bitcoin-backed royalty payments and on-chain IP collateral, focusing on South Korea’s $13.6 billion creative market. Collaborations with popular IPs like Solo Leveling (a webtoon with over 14 billion views) and Moonbirds/Azuki NFTs aim to demonstrate how IP can be remixed and reused on the blockchain.

What this means: If big IP owners, such as BLACKPINK’s agency YG Entertainment, start using Story’s platform, it could increase transactions and demand for the $IP token. However, current fees generated by the platform are quite low ($15–$45 per day), so it’s unclear if this will significantly boost revenue soon (Delphi Digital).

2. Institutional On-Ramps vs. Token Unlocks (Mixed Impact)

Overview: Grayscale’s Story Trust manages $33 million in assets, and Seoul Exchange uses Story exclusively for real-world asset settlements, adding credibility. On the other hand, 321.8 million tokens (32% of the total supply) are still locked, with over $1.2 billion worth scheduled to unlock gradually through 2029.

What this means: Regulated investment options like the Grayscale Trust may attract cautious investors. However, as tokens held by early investors (including firms like a16z and Polychain) become available, there could be ongoing selling pressure, especially if adoption doesn’t meet expectations.

3. Market Sentiment & Competition (Negative)

Overview: The crypto Fear & Greed Index is low (29/100), showing that investors are cautious. Bitcoin’s dominance at 59% limits the growth of alternative coins like Story. Competitors such as City Protocol, which offers decentralized IP capital markets, challenge Story’s early lead.

What this means: In a risk-averse market, tokens with high fully diluted valuations (Story’s is $8.2 billion) tend to lose value. Story needs to show clear progress in areas like AI data licensing (through its Poseidon project) to stand out from other real-world asset platforms.

Conclusion

Story’s price will likely depend on turning its high-profile partnerships into real on-chain activity while managing the impact of token unlocks. The Lombard integration and Seoul Exchange partnership are positive signs, but broader market challenges and token release schedules limit growth potential. The key question is: Can Story’s protocol fees grow to $10,000 per day before token unlocks increase in 2026? Keep an eye on quarterly reports about partnership revenues and how many tokens are being staked.

What are people saying about IP?

Conversations around Story (IP) are swinging between optimistic bets on its programmable intellectual property (IP) platform and tough reality checks. Here’s what’s trending:

1. Story vs. Reality – Supporters highlight its AI-powered IP infrastructure, while critics point to low daily revenue of about $15
2. Buyback Impact – An $82 million token buyback is driving price increases despite weak financial performance
3. Unlock Concerns – Nearly 42% of tokens held by insiders will become available by 2026, which could affect price momentum

Deep Dive

1. @Paiin_ip: Layer 1 blockchain for culture, valued on future potential mixed

“$2.57 billion market cap vs. $8.33 billion fully diluted valuation… current fees: $17–$45/day. Bull case → $30B–$50B FDV if Story becomes the IP chain”
– @Paiin_ip (9.1K followers · 42K impressions · 2025-09-27 15:18 UTC)
View original post
What this means: Opinions are mixed because Story’s value depends heavily on its success in becoming the main blockchain platform for IP licensing and related products before a large number of tokens unlock in 2026.

2. @cryptothedoggy: Revenue reality check bearish

“$8.2 billion fully diluted valuation… $15/day in protocol fees → Price-to-Earnings ratio of 1,500,000. Break even by year 4525?”
– @cryptothedoggy (14K followers · 28K impressions · 2025-08-31 04:00 UTC)
View original post
What this means: Critics are bearish because Story generates very little revenue compared to its market value, raising doubts about its long-term viability.

3. @fineboytunde_: Supporting the vision bullish

“Low fees are by design… Heritage Distilling invested $80 million at $3.40. Buyback shows strong commitment”
– @fineboytunde (23K followers · 55K impressions · 2025-09-03 00:03 UTC)
[View original post](https://x.com/fineboytunde/status/1963030149080682755)
What this means: Supporters focus on strategic partnerships with well-known companies and the $82 million buyback program that helps reduce selling pressure on the token.

Conclusion

The overall view on Story (IP) is mixed. Some believe in its AI and IP infrastructure potential, while others worry about its high valuation without matching revenue. Partnerships with companies like Heritage Distilling and Grayscale Trust add credibility, but the large insider token unlock scheduled through 2026 remains a significant risk. Keep an eye on the upcoming IPKit SDK release in Q4 2025 for signs of adoption and whether daily fees rise above $100 to support its $1.74 billion market cap.

What is the latest news about IP?

Story is navigating important partnerships and market ups and downs, balancing new technology with the challenges of a volatile market. Here are the key updates:

1. Bitcoin-Backed IP Rails (October 16, 2025) – Story teamed up with Lombard to use Bitcoin technology for instant royalty payments and better IP security.
2. DAT Pivot Controversy (October 22, 2025) – Story joined Heritage Distilling to create a crypto treasury firm, but concerns about executive profits and regulations have surfaced.
3. Market Downturn Impact (October 16, 2025) – Story’s IP token dropped 9% as the crypto market fell due to global tensions.

Deep Dive

1. Bitcoin-Backed IP Rails (October 16, 2025)

What happened:
Story partnered with Lombard, a Bitcoin-focused decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, to manage intellectual property (IP) using Bitcoin as collateral. This means creators can license their work—like popular K-pop IPs such as Solo Leveling—and get paid royalties in Bitcoin. If the licensee doesn’t pay, smart contracts automatically handle the collateral. Lombard brings $3 billion in Bitcoin liquidity and works with Korean custodians like KODA, making this a strong link between traditional IP and crypto.

Why it matters:
This move could increase the usefulness of Story’s IP token by tapping into South Korea’s $13.6 billion creative market and Bitcoin’s large liquidity pool. However, success depends on whether creators are willing to adopt crypto-based royalty payments. (Crypto.news)

2. DAT Pivot Controversy (October 22, 2025)

What happened:
Story partnered with Heritage Distilling to launch a crypto treasury firm called DAT, similar to MicroStrategy’s approach of holding Bitcoin as a treasury asset. But a report from AP News raised concerns about these firms, pointing out issues like executives selling shares after the pivot (as seen with SRM Entertainment’s CEO) and increased regulatory scrutiny.

Why it matters:
While this partnership shows growing institutional interest, the long-term success of DATs is uncertain. Austin Campbell from NYU mentioned that the peak of DAT popularity might be over, highlighting worries about speculative investments in these tokens. (AP News)

3. Market Downturn Impact (October 16, 2025)

What happened:
The IP token fell 9% to $5.76 during a wider crypto market selloff caused by U.S.-China trade tensions and uncertainty around Federal Reserve policies. More than $647 million in liquidations happened, with IP performing worse than other tokens like Solana (-5.3%) and XRP (-3.4%).

Why it matters:
This drop shows that IP is sensitive to global economic risks despite its specialized use. Institutional investors pulled money out of Bitcoin ETFs ($104 million outflows), though Ethereum ETFs saw $170 million in inflows, indicating mixed investor confidence. (The Defiant)

Conclusion

Story’s partnership with Lombard and its DAT plans highlight efforts to bring IP monetization onto the blockchain. However, challenges remain from broader economic pressures and skepticism about crypto treasury firms. The big question is whether Bitcoin-backed royalty payments will catch on quickly enough before regulatory hurdles grow stronger.

What is expected in the development of IP?

Story’s roadmap is focused on building AI-native intellectual property (IP) infrastructure, with key milestones including:

1. IP Vault Launch (Late 2025) – A secure, on-chain storage solution for confidential IP data.
2. Chapter 2 Execution (2026) – Expanding AI data pipelines and enabling global IP tokenization.
3. Ecosystem Growth (Ongoing) – Forming partnerships to integrate IP tools into gaming and AI platforms.

Deep Dive

1. IP Vault Launch (Late 2025)

Overview:
Story plans to release IP Vault on its development network (devnet) in late 2025, with a full launch on the main network (mainnet) in 2026. This feature allows secure and programmable storage of sensitive IP data—like AI training datasets and encryption keys—directly on the blockchain. It also supports conditional access, so license holders can control who accesses their data. This is designed to attract large institutional IP owners (Crypto.News).

What this means:

• Positive: This boosts the platform’s usefulness for enterprises, such as Poseidon AI, which uses it for managing datasets. It could lead to more institutional adoption.
• Risk: Any delays or technical challenges in handling confidential data on-chain might slow down adoption.

2. Chapter 2 Execution (2026)

Overview:
Story’s “Chapter 2” focuses on building AI infrastructure by:

• Tokenizing real-world data, including robotics sensor data and biomedical patents.
• Creating programmable licenses for AI training pipelines.
• Monetizing viral user-generated content (UGC) through on-chain IP rights (Story Blog).

What this means:

• Positive: This positions Story as a key player in the rapidly growing AI data economy, which is valued at over $70 trillion.
• Neutral: Success depends on how widely AI companies adopt these tools and how clear regulations become around IP tokenization.

3. Ecosystem Growth (Ongoing)

Overview:
Story is actively partnering with platforms like Verse8 (an AI gaming platform) and integrating with popular NFT projects like Moonbirds and Azuki. These partnerships help embed Story’s IP tools into platforms with large user bases. Developers also get access to software development kits (SDKs) like IPKit to build IP-focused applications (Daily Hodl).

What this means:

• Positive: These efforts could increase transaction volume and demand for staking as apps like Aria (focused on music IP) grow.
• Risk: Current on-chain revenue is low (about $45 per day as of September 2025), indicating that adoption is still in early stages.

Conclusion

Story’s roadmap balances immediate technical improvements, like the IP Vault, with longer-term goals around AI and IP tokenization. While growing developer activity and partnerships are promising signs, the project’s success depends on overcoming challenges related to adoption. The big question remains: will Story become the go-to infrastructure for programmable IP, or will slower AI integration limit its potential?

What updates are there in the IP code base?

Story’s codebase has been actively improved with more validators added and stronger security measures put in place.

1. Validator Expansion (Aug 8, 2025) – The number of mainnet validators increased from 64 to 80.
2. Residual Reward Fix (Jul 22, 2025) – Fixed issues with how node operators receive rewards during unstaking.
3. Hardfork Security Upgrades (May 2, 2025) – Added encrypted keys and stricter transaction checks to boost security.

Deep Dive

1. Validator Expansion (Aug 8, 2025)

What happened: A required upgrade increased the number of validators on the main network by 25%, from 64 to 80. This helps spread out control of the network and makes it more secure and reliable.

The update changed the network’s rules to support 80 validators. It was built using Ubuntu 24.04 and Go 1.22.11, so node operators need to update their software to stay compatible.

Why it matters: More validators mean stronger security and better chances for the network to grow in the future. Node operators should update quickly to avoid syncing problems.
(Source)

2. Residual Reward Fix (Jul 22, 2025)

What happened: An optional patch fixed a bug where some rewards got stuck during partial unstaking, meaning node operators might not have received all their earnings.

This wasn’t a mandatory upgrade, but nodes syncing from the very beginning or before block 4,188,998 needed it to avoid issues.

Why it matters: This fix makes sure rewards are fairly distributed but doesn’t add new features. Operators with older nodes will see smoother syncing.
(Source)

3. Hardfork Security Upgrades (May 2, 2025)

What happened: The Ovid hardfork introduced several security improvements, including encrypted validator keys, faster syncing for Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, and stricter transaction rules.

It removed risky command-line options like --private-key, required using .env files for managing keys, and limited how often commission rates can change. It also added new APIs to better track delegation withdrawals.

Why it matters: These changes reduce security risks and protect node operators, making the network more reliable over time.
(Source)

Conclusion

Story’s latest updates focus on making the network stronger and more secure, supporting its goal to build enterprise-level IP infrastructure. Although short-term price swings continue (down 15% this week), these technical improvements show Story is evolving as a Layer 1 blockchain. It will be interesting to watch how validator decentralization changes after this expansion.

Why did the price of IP fall?

Story (IP) dropped 0.9% in the last 24 hours to $5.41, extending its decline over the past week to nearly 17%. Although today’s loss was small, it highlights ongoing negative pressure due to weak fundamentals and declining investor confidence.

1. Market-wide caution – Crypto Fear & Greed Index at 29, signaling Extreme Fear
2. Weak fundamentals – Very low daily on-chain revenue ($17–$45) compared to a $2.57 billion market cap
3. Technical signs – Price below important moving averages, with indicators showing oversold conditions

Deep Dive

1. Negative Market Sentiment (Mixed Effects)

Overview: The overall crypto market fell slightly by 0.4%, while Bitcoin’s dominance increased to 59.05% as investors move money into safer assets. Despite positive news about Story’s Lombard partnership on October 16, IP’s price underperformed, showing that investors are more focused on broader market risks than individual project updates.

What this means: In uncertain times, tokens with high fully diluted valuations (FDV), like IP’s 8.33 billion FDV, tend to face heavier selling pressure. The Fear & Greed Index reaching yearly lows (15 in March 2025) matches IP’s 61% price drop over the past 30 days.

2. Valuation Concerns (Negative Impact)

Overview: Critics point out that IP’s $2.57 billion market cap is not supported by its low protocol fees, which range from $17 to $45 daily, and a total value locked (TVL) of $29 million (source: @cryptothedoggy). The ratio of FDV to revenue is over 1.5 million, raising questions about the project’s long-term viability.

What this means: Without significant revenue growth, IP depends heavily on speculative ideas like combining AI, intellectual property, and real-world assets (RWA). Additionally, insiders plan to unlock 41.6% of tokens by 2026, which adds selling pressure. This was evident in September when the price dropped 50% after a cofounder left.

3. Technical Weakness (Bearish Signals)

Overview: IP’s price has fallen below its 30-day simple moving average (SMA) of $8.09 and its 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) of $6.16. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 36.91 indicates the token is oversold, but there are no clear signs of a price rebound yet.

What to watch: If IP can close above the $5.47 pivot point, it may stabilize. However, the MACD histogram at -0.1368 suggests that downward momentum is increasing.

Conclusion

IP’s recent price drop is due to a combination of cautious market sentiment, overvalued expectations, and technical weaknesses. While the Lombard partnership could provide long-term benefits by enabling Bitcoin-backed IP monetization, traders remain doubtful about any near-term positive triggers.

Key level to watch: Can IP hold the $5.00 psychological support? If it fails, the price could revisit the June low of $3.40, which was influenced by Heritage Distilling’s buyback activity.