![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6713-bb13-7626-bebd-d74da21751a6.png\")
US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have renewed the pace of inflows, recording their largest daily flows in weeks.
Spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs posted $471 million in inflows on Monday, the largest daily inflow since Feb. 25, when the funds attracted $507 million, according to SoSoValue.
The inflows came as the Bitcoin price briefly approached $70,000 before retreating below $69,000, according to CoinGecko data.
The volatility occurred amid ongoing geopolitical pressure as well as renewed concerns over Bitcoin’s quantum resistance, while the Crypto Fear & Greed Index remained in “Extreme Fear” at 13.
BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) led the inflows with about $182 million, followed by the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) with $147 million, according to Farside data.
The ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) ranked third with nearly $119 million, marking its largest daily inflow since July 10, 2025.
On Monday, the blockchain analytics platform Arkham observed that ETF outflows slowed to a halt last week, with major issuers selling just about $16.6 million in Bitcoin. ARK Invest’s ARKB ETF purchased the most BTC, or $34 million in a week, it said.
Following the three trading sessions in April so far, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded about $307 million in net inflows, bringing total assets under management (AUM) back above $90 billion.
Related: Strategy adds $330M BTC as paper losses top $14.5B in Q1
In March, Bitcoin ETFs posted $1.3 billion in inflows, marking the first monthly gain after outflows of $1.61 billion in January and $207 million in February.
US spot Ether (ETH) ETFs followed the recovery in sentiment on Monday, recording $120 million in inflows and offsetting $78 million in outflows from the prior two trading sessions.
Ether ETFs posted three consecutive months of losses, bringing total outflows for the period to about $770 million.
Other altcoin ETFs saw muted activity, with XRP (XRP) recording zero inflows on Monday, while Solana (SOL) ETFs posted about $247,000 in inflows.
Magazine: Your guide to surviving this mini-crypto winter
The challenge to solving the quantum threat to Bitcoin could be more social than technical, according to Grayscale’s head of research, especially if the community fails to come to an agreement on certain contentious issues.
Google released a paper that shook the crypto industry on March 30, suggesting that a quantum computer could potentially crack the cryptography protecting Bitcoin (BTC) using far fewer resources than previously thought.
Grayscale head of research Zach Pandl, however, suggested the problem for Bitcoin doesn’t come from its technical solution, as “bitcoin has lower risk than other cryptocurrencies” because it uses a UTXO model and proof-of-work consensus, does not have native smart contracts and certain address types are not quantum vulnerable.
Instead, the challenge would be for the community to reach a decision on the way forward, said Pandl.
The Bitcoin community has been fiercely debating what to do about old dormant coins, particularly the roughly 1.7 million BTC locked in early P2PK addresses, including Satoshi’s estimated 1 million BTC stash, currently worth about $68 billion.
The Bitcoin community needs to decide what to do about coins where the private key has been lost or is otherwise inaccessible, wrote Pandl.
They have three main options: burning the coins, deliberately slowing their release by limiting the rate of spending from vulnerable addresses or doing nothing.
“All are conceptually doable, but the challenge is reaching a decision, and the Bitcoin community has a history of contentious debates over protocol changes, including last year’s dispute around image data stored in blocks.”
Pandl was referring to a big fracas that erupted in 2023 over the use of blockspace for Bitcoin Ordinals, technology that enables inscribing data such as text and images to a satoshi, the smallest unit of Bitcoin.
Two years later, the debate may have quietened down, but the two sides continue to hold opposing views.
Related: Researchers say quantum computers could, in theory, be ready by 2030
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6672-ddcc-7ddb-bcb7-91ac00092d80.jpg\")
Pandl cautioned that it was “time to get started” and that blockchains need to adopt post-quantum cryptography, echoing the sentiment from Google.
Both Solana and the XRP Ledger are already experimenting with post-quantum cryptography, wrote Pandl. Meanwhile, the Ethereum Foundation released its post-quantum roadmap in February.
Pandl concluded that investors “should not fret” for now, but it is time to accelerate efforts to prepare for our post-quantum future.
“In our view, there is no security threat to public blockchains from quantum computers today.”
Magazine: Nobody knows if quantum secure cryptography will even work
", "description": "Grayscale backed Google’s quantum warning but says Bitcoin faces bigger social and community challenges than technical ones in preparing for quantum threats.", "published": "2026-04-07T06:46:56+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "cryptography" }, { "slug": "grayscale" }, { "slug": "quantum-computing" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-quantum-challenges-more-social-than-technical-grayscale", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259607" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Onchain evidence was key to convicting 3 terrorism financiers: TRM Labs", "leadText": "One of the three convicted terrorism financiers sent $49,000 worth of stablecoins to a foreign exchange before it was routed to an ISIS-linked campaign.", "author": { "slug": "brayden-lindrea" }, "bodyText": "Onchain evidence was key to securing the conviction of three individuals for terrorism financing in Indonesia in 2024 and 2025, reflecting a clear shift in the way courts value onchain evidence.
“Indonesian courts have demonstrated that cryptocurrency evidence — wallet addresses, transaction histories, on-chain flows — is not only admissible but can anchor a terrorism financing prosecution,” TRM said in a statement Sunday.
TRM said terrorism financing networks have preferred cryptocurrency as a mechanism of choice to move money, as authorities and regulators have been slow to treat it with the same level of scrutiny as traditional fiat channels, but noted that this is now changing.
Indonesian authorities traced one defendant sending more than $49,000 worth of USDt (USDT) across 15 transactions from a local exchange to a foreign platform, with the funds later routed to an ISIS-linked terrorism fundraising campaign in Syria, according to the blockchain firm.
Indonesia’s financial intelligence team and its counterterrorism police unit, Densus 88, carried out the analysis and presented the findings to Indonesian courts, which accepted the blockchain data as key evidence in each of the three cases.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d663c-49ed-7c5a-a532-e1996e0d8ae3.png\")
Indonesia is not the only country in Southeast Asia using blockchain analytics to catch criminals, TRM said.
“Similar patterns are emerging across Southeast Asia, where governments are investing in blockchain intelligence capabilities and enhancing collaboration between public and private sectors to address illicit finance risks.”
TRM Labs said that Singapore and Malaysia’s financial intelligence units and law enforcement agencies are also building the technical capacity to trace cryptocurrency flows.
Related: Drift Protocol says $280M exploit took 'months of deliberate preparation'
On April 1, Cambodian and Chinese officials captured Li Xiong, a leader of the Huione Group, an organization that served scam centers in Cambodia that carried out “pig butchering” frauds and other investment schemes to steal crypto from victims around the world.
Xiong was extradited to China, where he is set to face fraud and money-laundering charges.
His extradition came three months after the arrest of Chen Zhi, the head of Prince Group, which operates Huione Group.
TRM reported in February that illicit entities received about $141 billion worth of stablecoins in 2025, marking a five-year high.
Magazine: Are DeFi devs liable for the illegal activity of others on their platforms?
", "description": "Indonesian authorities used blockchain tracing tools to present evidence against terrorism financiers in court, helping secure three separate convictions in 2024 and 2025.", "published": "2026-04-07T05:52:38+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "indonesia" }, { "slug": "court" }, { "slug": "terrorism" }, { "slug": "crimes" }, { "slug": "counter-terrorism-financing" }, { "slug": "data" } ], "slug": "indonesian-officials-blockchain-data-evidence-convict-terrorism-financiers", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259602" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Crypto market safe harbor lands at White House for review", "leadText": "The proposal includes a startup exemption, a fundraising exemption and an investment contract safe harbor for issuers. ", "author": { "slug": "brian-quarmby" }, "bodyText": "US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins has revealed that a key crypto market safe harbor proposal has landed at the White House for review.
Speaking at the Digital Assets and Emerging Technology Policy Summit on Monday, Atkins said the Regulation Crypto Assets proposal — outlined by the SEC in mid-March — has now been submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
\"We will have reg crypto that we will be proposing here shortly. It's in fact at OIRA right now, which is the next step before being published,\" he said.
Regulation Crypto Assets covers three main ideas: a startup exemption, a fundraising exemption and an investment contract safe harbor for issuers.
If the proposal does end up becoming official rules as part of the SEC’s oversight, it could drive more crypto innovation in the US while providing further regulatory clarity for the industry.
Atkins emphasized that the SEC wants to \"hear from the marketplace\" to make the whole package \"workable.\" He did not go into many specifics but said there were a few things the SEC is \"building into it\" alongside measures such as crypto safe harbors and exemptive relief.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6619-bf0d-78bf-b62a-5a03b1492d5e.png\")
Generally, the SEC first votes to approve a formal proposal, which is then sent to OIRA for review. OIRA then completes the review and it is published in the Federal Register and put up for public feedback.
Cointelegraph reached out to the SEC for comment on the matter.
Related: CFTC chief launches innovation task force focused on crypto framework
The startup exemption would enable projects to raise up to a defined amount over a four-year period with softer disclosure requirements, while the fundraising exemption would enable issuers to raise a defined amount over 12 months while \"retaining the ability to rely on other exemptions from registration under the federal securities laws.\"
The investment contract safe harbor would protect certain assets from the definition of a security once the project team has ceased all of its managerial efforts \"represented or promised\" as part of the investment contract.
Magazine: Your guide to surviving this mini-crypto winter
", "description": "SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the Regulation Crypto Assets proposal is at the White House's OIRA for review, with public feedback soon to follow. ", "published": "2026-04-07T05:13:33+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "interview" }, { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "sec" }, { "slug": "us-government" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "regulation-crypto-assets-safe-harbor-lands-at-white-house-for-final-review-sec-chair-atkins", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259597" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "New evidence in Libra probe renews questions about Milei involvement", "leadText": "New documents seen by The New York Times suggest the Argentine president had seven phone calls with the entrepreneur behind the Libra token.", "author": { "slug": "stephen-katte" }, "bodyText": "Newly uncovered call logs suggest Argentine President Javier Milei spoke with one of the entrepreneurs behind the Libra token multiple times on the night he promoted the cryptocurrency, raising questions about Milei’s assertion that he had no connection with the project.
According to logs obtained by Argentine prosecutors investigating the token’s collapse, which were seen by The New York Times, there were reportedly a total of seven phone calls between the unnamed entrepreneur and Milei before and after he made his Libra promotion post on X.
The contents of those calls remain unknown, according to the Times.
The collapse of the Libra token has seen Argentine lawyers hit Milei with fraud charges and there were also calls for his impeachment. Fraud can attract a prison sentence of between one month and six years in Argentina.
Cointelegraph has contacted Argentina’s presidential office for comment.
In February 2025, Milei made a post on X promoting the Libra token as a way to grow Argentina’s economy by funding small businesses and startups.
The token surged before losing more than 96% of its value from its peak, costing investors around $251 million. Milei later deleted his posts, prompting accusations of a possible rug pull.
Milei has denied any wrongdoing in promoting the short-lived token, saying he was merely highlighting a private venture and had no involvement in the project.
“A few hours ago, I posted a tweet, like so many infinite other times, supporting an alleged private venture with which I obviously have no connection whatsoever,” he said in a post on X.
“I wasn't aware of the details of the project, and after becoming aware of them, I decided not to keep promoting it, that's why I deleted the tweet.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6610-5700-75fb-bc77-ea6cb0fe3280.png\")
Following the Libra collapse, federal prosecutors launched an investigation that has named Milei as a person of interest. The case remains ongoing.
Argentina's Anti-Corruption Office cleared Milei last June of violating public ethics rules and found his post was personal rather than in his capacity as president.
Related: Argentina turns up the heat in Libra scandal with sweeping asset freeze
In a recent March update, a judicial investigation uncovered a draft document on crypto lobbyist Mauricio Novelli’s phone suggesting a possible $5 million agreement connected to Milei’s promotion of the Libra token.
The draft note was reportedly written just three days before Milei posted about the Libra token on X, but it does not specify who would receive the funds.
Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author
", "description": "Argentine President Javier Milei reportedly had seven phone calls with a Libra-linked entrepreneur on the night he promoted the token, sparking new questions about his level of involvement.", "published": "2026-04-07T05:11:26+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "argentina" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "business" }, { "slug": "tokens" }, { "slug": "libra" }, { "slug": "javier-milei" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "milei-libra-token-investigation-new-evidence-raises-questions", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259592" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Solana Foundation looks to beef up DeFi security as attacks continue", "leadText": "The Solana Foundation and Web3 security firm Asymmetric Research unveiled a new security initiative called STRIDE, along with a real-time incident-response network.", "author": { "slug": "martin-young" }, "bodyText": "The Solana Foundation on Monday announced a new security auditing framework for Solana-based protocols in addition to an incident-response network, warning that “adversaries are rapidly innovating.”
The Solana Foundation, a Swiss organization that supports the adoption and security of Solana, and Web3 security firm Asymmetric Research unveiled the Solana Trust, Resilience and Infrastructure for DeFi Enterprises (STRIDE), stating that it was a “structured program for evaluating, monitoring and escalating security across Solana projects.”
The initiative works to evaluate the security of protocols across eight pillars: program security, governance and access control, oracle and dependency risk, infrastructure security, supply chain security, operational security, monitoring and incident response, as well as log management and forensics.
Protocols are independently assessed against these requirements, with findings published publicly, said Asymmetric Research. “This gives users, investors, and the broader ecosystem real transparency into the security posture of the protocols they interact with.”
The announcement comes just a week after one of the largest DeFi exploits this year, with the Drift Protocol losing around $280 million following a social engineering attack from North Korean-linked threat actors.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d65fd-2192-768d-b36d-938ca7ca2a27.jpg\")
The Solana Foundation also announced the Solana Incident Response Network (SIRN), a network of security firms for real-time incident response across the Solana ecosystem.
“Members will share threat intelligence, coordinate responses to active incidents, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of the STRIDE framework,” it stated.
Related: Crypto hackers steal $169M from 34 DeFi protocols in Q1: DefiLlama
The foundation did not mention artificial-intelligence agents directly, but the announcement comes at a time when they are becoming an increasing threat to crypto protocols.
In January, $40 million was drained from the Solana DeFi platform Step Finance, with AI agents amplifying the damage by executing large transfers autonomously, KuCoin reported last week.
Malicious actors stole over $168 million in cryptocurrency from 34 DeFi protocols in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from DefiLlama.
However, the figure has fallen significantly from the same period last year, when $1.58 billion was pilfered in Q1, 2025.
The largest exploit for the period was the private key compromise of Step Finance.
Magazine: No more 85% Bitcoin collapses, Taiwan needs BTC war reserve: Hodler’s Digest
", "description": "Solana Foundation launched STRIDE and SIRN to strengthen DeFi security for protocols using the network.", "published": "2026-04-07T05:04:35+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cybersecurity" }, { "slug": "hacks" }, { "slug": "solana" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "solana-foundation-launches-new-security-tools-and-incident-response-network", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259587" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Chaos Labs taps out as Aave's risk provider, decision ‘not made in haste’", "leadText": "DeFi risk manager Chaos Labs said Aave’s planned migration to Aave V4 introduced risks that it wasn’t willing to assume, while Aave said Chaos wanted to take on full control as the sole risk service provider.", "author": { "slug": "brayden-lindrea" }, "bodyText": "Chaos Labs has parted ways with the Aave ecosystem after serving as the crypto lending protocol’s main risk service provider for three years, citing a budget dispute and disagreements over how Aave should manage risk.
“This decision was not made in haste,” Chaos Labs founder Omer Goldberg said in a post to X on Monday. “We worked in good faith with DAO contributors. Aave Labs was professional and supported increasing our budget to $5m to retain us. However, we are leaving because the engagement no longer reflects how we believe risk should be managed.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d65a7-8c70-74b1-ad0c-a74022de109a.png\")
Aave Labs CEO Stani Kulechov said that Chaos didn’t depart on bad terms, but claimed that Chaos pitched a proposal seeking to become the sole risk provider and thus force out other partners — a compromise Aave wasn’t willing to accept.
Chaos played a key role in Aave's back-end infrastructure, from pricing loans and managing risk in the Aave V2 and V3 markets since November 2022, during which Aave's total value locked rose fivefold to $26 billion.
Risk has been a major talking point in the Aave community after a user lost $50 million in a trade while interacting with Aave’s interface on March 12. The following week, Aave said it would introduce an “Aave Shield” protection feature to deter users from high-risk trades.
As for Chaos’ departure, Goldberg said there became an increasing misalignment over how the parties thought risk should be managed. He noted that some Aave contributors had left, raising its workload, while also arguing that Aave V4’s expanded functionality introduced additional operational and legal risks that fell on Chaos’ shoulders.
“While Aave Labs is optimistic about a swift migration to V4, history suggests these transitions take months and even years,” Goldberg said. “Until V4 fully absorbs V3's markets and liquidity, both systems need to be operated and managed simultaneously. The workload during the transition doesn't halve. It doubles.”
Weighing the risk of a protocol failure, Goldberg said, “There is no regulatory framework, no safe harbor, and no settled law that answers the question of what a risk manager or curator owes when a protocol fails. If things work, the work is invisible. If things break, the blame is not.”
As such, “We are walking away from a $5 million engagement,” Goldberg said.
Aave Labs CEO Stani Kulechov told a slightly different story, stating that Chaos wanted to be the sole risk manager and use its price oracles instead of Chainlink’s.
Following that request would have forced Aave to push out its other risk protocol partner, LlamaRisk, and thus abandon its two-layer economic risk model.
Related: DeFi lender Aave launches on OKX’s Ethereum L2, X Layer
Kulechov added Aave was unwilling to integrate Chaos-built price oracles, citing Aave’s “track record” with Chainlink’s services, which its “users are currently more comfortable with at scale.”
He also said Chaos was already “exploring winding down its risk consultancy services,” and that Aave had offered to double its payment to $5 million to retain them.
Cointelegraph reached out to Chaos Labs for comment.
Kulechov noted that Chaos’ departure hasn’t disrupted the Aave protocol, its smart contracts, token listings or network integrations.
Moving forward, Aave said it “will work closely with LlamaRisk to ensure a smooth transition” and maintain its two-layer economic risk model.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d65a7-913b-797d-96b7-b7738bd33f65.png\")
Chaos’ departure comes amid a protocol-wide feud over how much funding and revenue control Aave Labs should receive versus Aave’s decentralized autonomous organization.
Despite the internal issues, Aave crossed the $1 trillion mark in cumulative lending volume in late February, marking a first in the DeFi industry.
Magazine: Animoca teams up with Ava Labs, Shrapnel on Steam: Web3 Gamer
", "description": "Chaos Labs said it will no longer provide risk services to decentralized lending protocol Aave due to budget constraints and disagreements over how risk should be managed.", "published": "2026-04-07T03:04:45+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "dao" }, { "slug": "lending" }, { "slug": "chainlink" }, { "slug": "defi" }, { "slug": "aave" } ], "slug": "defi-risk-manager-chaos-labs-leaves-aave-says-decision-not-made-haste", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259582" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Here’s what happened in crypto today", "leadText": "Need to know what happened in crypto today? Here is the latest news on daily trends and events impacting Bitcoin price, blockchain, DeFi, NFTs, Web3 and crypto regulation.", "author": { "slug": "cointelegraph" }, "bodyText": "Today in crypto, SEC chair Paul Atkins said the crypto market safe harbor proposal is now at the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s annual shareholder letter warned that new tech is reshaping finance, with tokenization and blockchain competitors gaining and Samson Mow warned that rushing post-quantum cryptography could spark “Blocksize wars 2.0.”
US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins has revealed that a key crypto market safe harbor proposal has landed at the White House for review.
Speaking at the Digital Assets and Emerging Technology Policy Summit on Monday, Atkins said the Regulation Crypto Assets proposal — outlined by the SEC in mid-March — has now been submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
\"We will have reg crypto that we will be proposing here shortly. It's in fact at OIRA right now, which is the next step before being published,\" he said.
![\"Cryptocurrencies,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d66a8-855b-7ee8-8886-6cc52bda6c8e.png\")
Regulation Crypto Assets covers three main ideas: a startup exemption, a fundraising exemption and an investment contract safe harbor for issuers.
If the proposal does end up becoming official rules as part of the SEC’s oversight, it could drive more crypto innovation in the US while providing further regulatory clarity for the industry.
Atkins emphasized that the SEC wants to \"hear from the marketplace\" to make the whole package \"workable.\" He did not go into many specifics but said there were a few things the SEC is \"building into it\" alongside measures such as crypto safe harbors and exemptive relief.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said “new technologies” are intensifying competition across the financial sector, with blockchain-based players emerging alongside traditional rivals.
In his annual shareholder letter on Monday, Dimon identified artificial intelligence, data and advanced technology as “key to the future,” signaling a shift toward more automated, data-driven financial services.
While blockchain and digital assets were not a central focus, Dimon acknowledged that “a whole new set of competitors is emerging based on blockchain, which includes stablecoins, smart contracts and other forms of tokenization.”
The comments come as JPMorgan continues to focus on its own blockchain initiatives, even as Dimon emphasized that the bank’s long-term success will depend largely on its ability to deploy AI across its operations.
![\"Cryptocurrencies,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d63ba-dca0-7181-acc0-c38eed539179.png\")
Rushed quantum fixes for Bitcoin could introduce new risks, Jan3 founder Mow warned in response to calls from Coinbase executives for faster action.
The Bitcoin advocate took to X on Saturday to address comments from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and chief security officer Philip Martin, who urged the industry to begin preparing for quantum computing threats sooner rather than later.
He said that while post-quantum (PQ) cryptography could secure Bitcoin (BTC) against future quantum computers, rushing implementation may create new vulnerabilities such as compatibility issues and reduced network efficiency due to larger signature sizes.
![\"Cryptocurrencies,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d628f-277c-7a4b-b4e0-d08f76f5fd5b.png\")
“Simply put: make Bitcoin safe against quantum computers just to get pwned by normal computers,” Mow said, adding that a poorly timed transition could weaken Bitcoin against today’s threats before addressing future ones.
The exchange reflects a growing debate over how to future-proof Bitcoin, as new research from Google and Caltech reignited concerns about progress in quantum computing.
Crypto markets bounced 2.5% as US President Donald Trump sent mixed signals over a potential deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, including reports of a possible ceasefire that could permanently end the war.
In an expletive-laden post on the Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump threatened that Iran would be “living in Hell” if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
However, he also acknowledged in a Fox News interview that Iran is “negotiating now” and expressed optimism about a “good chance” of a deal within 24 hours.
![\"Coinbase,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d614a-2f7b-7c32-8c1f-85e6ce7b47ca.jpg\")
Total market capitalization has climbed about $70 billion, or 2.5%, to an 11-day high of $2.44 trillion in early trading on Monday on the news. Bitcoin tapped $69,500 on Coinbase, according to TradingView.
The small jump has led to total liquidations of around $255 million over 24 hours, 73% of them being short positions, according to data from CoinGlass.
", "description": "Today in crypto, SEC crypto safe harbor heads to White House review, JPMorgan warns blockchain rivals are rising and Samson Mow cautions rushed quantum fixes could hurt Bitcoin.", "published": "2026-04-06T22:51:42+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "iran" }, { "slug": "donald-trump" }, { "slug": "samson-mow" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "jpmorgan-chase" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "what-happened-in-crypto-today", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "110589" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Polymarket drops USDC.e for USDC-backed token in exchange overhaul", "leadText": "Polymarket is upgrading its exchange infrastructure in the coming weeks, introducing new contracts and a USDC-backed token while phasing out a bridged stablecoin.", "author": { "slug": "sam-bourgi" }, "bodyText": "Prediction platform Polymarket is overhauling its exchange infrastructure in the coming weeks, introducing a new collateral token and upgraded trading system that give the platform greater control over settlement and risk as it moves toward closer alignment with US regulatory expectations.
In an announcement on Monday, Polymarket said it will deploy new exchange contracts — dubbed version 2 — designed to simplify how orders are structured and matched. The upgrade is intended to make trading more efficient and to make it easier for developers to connect apps and trading bots to the platform.
The new system will also support EIP-1271, an Ethereum standard that allows smart contract-based wallets, such as multisigs and automated trading systems, to sign transactions, expanding compatibility beyond traditional wallets.
A central component of the upgrade is the introduction of Polymarket USD, a new collateral token that will replace USDC.e, the bridged version of USDC (USDC) previously used on the platform. The new token is fully backed 1:1 by USDC, giving Polymarket more direct control over its settlement layer while reducing reliance on bridged assets.
For most users, the transition will be handled automatically through the platform’s interface, requiring only a one-time approval.
The upgrade is expected to roll out over the next few weeks, though the company has not provided a specific timeline.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6485-7a98-790a-a86e-72771a7bfdff.png\")
Related: NYSE parent ICE completes new $600M investment in Polymarket
The move follows Polymarket’s broader efforts to curb manipulation and insider-trading risks, as it seeks to strengthen market integrity and align more closely with US regulatory standards.
In November, Polymarket received approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to operate an intermediated trading platform in the United States, clearing the way for its return after previously exiting the market.
Following that approval, Polymarket said it plans to onboard brokers and customers directly and facilitate trading through regulated US venues.
Interest in prediction markets has continued to grow, with users increasingly turning to these platforms to trade on real-world outcomes tied to politics, markets and policy. Industry data shows Polymarket’s fee revenue increasing in recent weeks after the platform expanded trading fees.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6485-7d64-7697-8bc5-13e07c93d2ff.png\")
Magazine: Are DeFi devs liable for the illegal activity of others on their platforms?
", "description": "Polymarket is upgrading its exchange with new contracts and a USDC-backed token, phasing out bridged USDC.e as it seeks to improve trading infrastructure and risk control.", "published": "2026-04-06T22:40:07+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "industry" }, { "slug": "polymarket" }, { "slug": "prediction-markets" } ], "slug": "polymarket-replace-usdce-usdc-backed-token-exchange-upgrade", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259567" }, { "category": { "slug": "market-analysis" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin may hit $110K as Strategy absorbs nearly 3x new BTC supply", "leadText": "Bitcoin may invalidate its bear flag setup as Strategy buys 46,233 BTC in just over a month, outpacing the 16,200 BTC supply in the same period.", "author": { "slug": "yashu-gola" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) is trading within a bear flag pattern that projects a breakdown toward the sub-$50,000 area, or roughly 30% below current levels. However, Michael Saylor’s Strategy could spoil the bears’ plans.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d63eb-d6b1-7ed5-b2ec-5f827c9453e1.png\")
Key takeaways:
Bitcoin has avoided a bear flag breakdown for weeks as Strategy keeps buying BTC.
The setup now resembles Bitcoin’s 2018 bottom, when a bearish pattern failed and triggered a reversal.
Normally, a bear flag remains a bearish continuation pattern because there is not enough demand to overcome the broader downtrend.
In Bitcoin’s case, however, Strategy has been taking supply off the market faster than miners can replace it.
Since March 2, Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings have risen by 46,233 BTC, while miners have produced only about 16,200 BTC over the same period, meaning it has absorbed nearly thrice the new supply.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d63e2-b0cf-76ab-8804-7a1bcdf37a02.png\")
Much of that demand has come through STRC, Strategy’s variable-rate preferred stock. When STRC held near or above its $100 par value, Strategy kept issuing shares and accumulating BTC.
For instance, last week, Strategy raised $102.6 million through STRC sales to help fund a Bitcoin purchase worth over $330 million. BTC’s price has jumped by over 6.65% ever since.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d63df-8e72-702e-98b8-5883643efa48.png\")
During March 9–13, STRC sales raised about $776 million, enough to buy over 11,000 BTC, while Bitcoin rose more than 7% even as the S&P 500 fell 1.6%. The same period saw BTC’s price rising over 10.5%.
But when STRC slipped below par in mid-March, issuance slowed. Earlier below-par episodes had coincided with 25%–40% BTC pullbacks, including a nearly 40% drop over three weeks after a January pause.
Bitcoin’s long-term holders and whales drove much of the selling.
Bitcoin remains inside a bear flag after a sharp decline, but the pattern would begin to fail if price breaks above the upper trendline near the mid-$70,000 area.
That breakout would invalidate the immediate bearish continuation setup and shift focus to the bullish measured-move target near $108,000-$110,000.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d63fd-0d65-7422-bfa1-7674c0e078b3.png\")
A similar pattern failure occurred near Bitcoin’s 2018 bottom, when a rising wedge pattern led to a breakout instead of a breakdown.
Another factor supporting the upside case is Bitcoin’s position near its 200-week simple moving average (200-week SMA, the blue wave). In 2018, Bitcoin bottomed out near this level and rose by over 1,975% afterward.
As of 2026, the 200-week SMA has capped Bitcoin’s downside attempts successfully, raising the odds of a 2018-like bottom formation.
Related: Strategy’s STRC stock trading surge: How much Bitcoin can Saylor buy?
Some analysts anticipate BTC to rise to $400,000 if Strategy continues buying BTC at its current rate.
", "description": "Bitcoin may invalidate its bear flag setup as Strategy buys 46,233 BTC in just over a month, outpacing the 16,200 BTC supply in the same period.", "published": "2026-04-06T21:30:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-analysis" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "tech-analysis" }, { "slug": "market-analysis" }, { "slug": "microstrategy" }, { "slug": "michael-saylor" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-may-hit-dollar110k-strategy-absorbs-3x-new-btc-supply", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Price Analysis" } ] }, "id": "259557" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "US appeals court upholds preventing New Jersey enforcement against Kalshi", "leadText": "As states seek to regulate prediction markets, a panel of federal judges ruled in favor of Kalshi’s position that only the CFTC has jurisdiction.", "author": { "slug": "turner-wright" }, "bodyText": "A US appellate court has ruled against New Jersey gaming authorities for bringing an enforcement action against prediction market platform Kalshi over sports event contracts.
In a Monday-issued opinion, a panel of judges in the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of Kalshi’s argument that the company had a ”reasonable chance of success” claiming that the Commodity Exchange Act preempted state law, setting the stage for a potential battle over gaming laws in the US Supreme Court.
\"This is a big win for the industry and millions of users,\" Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said in a social media post on X.
The appellate court’s opinion affirmed a lower court ruling, in which Kalshi argued that the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) had “exclusive jurisdiction” in regulating sports-related event contracts as swaps that fall under its purview.
“Allowing New Jersey to enforce its gambling laws and state constitution would create an obstacle to executing the Act because such state enforcement would prohibit Kalshi, which operates a licensed [designated contract market] under the exclusive jurisdiction of the CFTC, from offering its sports-related event contracts in New Jersey,” wrote Circuit Judge David J. Porter. “This state regulation is exactly the patchwork that Congress replaced wholecloth by creating the CFTC.”
![\"Law,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d642a-5c89-749d-bd5f-2c63fa798ace.png\")
The circuit court ruling came just days after a Nevada judge extended a ban on Kalshi offering event-based contracts, following several other state authorities cracking down on sports betting on prediction markets. The patchwork of state-level rulings could lead to the US Supreme Court taking up one of the cases, potentially changing its 2018 decision giving states the authority to regulate sports gambling.
Related: Texas Lt. Gov. calls for study of crypto, prediction markets
In her dissent, Circuit Judge Jane Roth said the prediction markets platform’s actions were a “performative sleight meant to obscure the reality that Kalshi’s products are sports gambling,” adding that the company’s event contracts were “virtually indistinguishable” from those on betting websites:
“[T]he question of whether sports-event contracts are swaps is a thorny issue with the potential to radically upend the legal landscape governing the gambling industry, and I am not convinced the Majority’s analysis does this issue justice.”
CFTC Chair Michael Selig, the sole commissioner at the financial agency following the departure of acting chair Caroline Pham in December, has made prediction markets one of the commission’s central issues since taking office. In the last four months, Selig has claimed that the CFTC has “exclusive jurisdiction” in regulating event contracts on prediction markets, opened a proposed rule to public comment and filed an amicus brief supporting its position in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a case involving Nevada’s gaming authorities.
The regulator last week sued Arizona, Connecticut and Illinois to block them from pursuing what it said were unlawful efforts to regulate prediction markets.
“Our definition of commodity and statute is very broad,” Selig said at the Digital Assets and Emerging Tech Policy Summit at Vanderbilt University on Monday. “It includes events on sports, it includes events in politics, it includes corn and grains and all sorts of things. It doesn't really distinguish between if you're offering an event contract on grains, you're regulating that differently than an event contract on sports.”
The CFTC chair added that there were exceptions for event contracts that were “readily susceptible to manipulation.”
Magazine: AI agents will kill the web as we know it: Animoca’s Yat Siu
", "description": "The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled against New Jersey gaming authorities for bringing an enforcement action against prediction market platform Kalshi.", "published": "2026-04-06T21:13:38+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "new-jersey" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "enforcement" }, { "slug": "kalshi" }, { "slug": "prediction-markets" } ], "slug": "appellate-court-new-jersey-enforcement-kalshi", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259562" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon sees ‘new competitors’ from blockchain, stablecoins", "leadText": "The CEO's annual shareholder letter warned that new tech is reshaping finance, with tokenization and blockchain competitors gaining as the bank scales its own network.", "author": { "slug": "sam-bourgi" }, "bodyText": "JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said “new technologies” are intensifying competition across the financial sector, with blockchain-based players emerging alongside traditional rivals.
In his annual shareholder letter on Monday, Dimon identified artificial intelligence, data and advanced technology as “key to the future,” signaling a shift toward more automated, data-driven financial services.
While blockchain and digital assets were not a central focus, Dimon acknowledged that “a whole new set of competitors is emerging based on blockchain, which includes stablecoins, smart contracts and other forms of tokenization.”
The comments come as JPMorgan continues to focus on its own blockchain initiatives, even as Dimon emphasized that the bank’s long-term success will depend largely on its ability to deploy AI across its operations.
JPMorgan has been expanding its in-house blockchain infrastructure, now known as Kinexys, which enables near-instant fund transfers without relying on traditional intermediaries.
The platform is targeting up to $10 billion in daily transaction volume and recently moved toward that goal by onboarding Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation. Other clients include Qatar National Bank and major institutional players such as Siemens and BlackRock.
Kinexys is also being positioned as a broader tokenization platform, with JPMorgan aiming to expand into markets such as private credit and real estate.
Related: SoFi expands into institutional finance with integrated crypto services
Dimon’s mention of blockchain and stablecoins comes at a contentious moment for the banking industry, as US lawmakers continue to debate digital asset legislation.
The passage of the GENIUS Act last year, which established a regulatory framework for stablecoins, is widely expected to accelerate adoption by providing clearer rules for issuers and institutions.
However, broader market structure legislation remains stalled in Congress. A key point of friction is yield-bearing stablecoins, which banking groups argue could undermine financial stability by allowing issuers to offer interest-like returns without adhering to the same regulatory requirements as banks.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d63ba-df43-7a72-b116-2b11cfa4a7c6.png\")
Tensions have also spilled into the public sphere. Dimon and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong have traded criticisms over the direction of crypto regulation, with Dimon pushing back against claims that banks are attempting to derail legislative efforts.
Industry lobbying groups, including the American Bankers Association, have made opposition to yield-bearing stablecoins a key policy priority this year.
Related: Stablecoin supply reaches $315B in Q1 as USDC rises, USDT declines
", "description": "JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warns of blockchain-based competitors as the bank expands Kinexys and doubles down on AI-driven financial infrastructure.", "published": "2026-04-06T19:48:29+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "banks" }, { "slug": "jamie-dimon" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "jpmorgan-chase" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "jpmorgan-dimon-blockchain-competitors-kinexys-ai", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259552" }, { "category": { "slug": "sponsored" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Swiss-based DeFi platform arrives in South Korea", "leadText": "South Korea's crypto market welcomes a new entrant as a Swiss DeFi player makes its debut in the Asian country.", "author": { "slug": "ayse-karaman" }, "bodyText": "Disclaimer. This content is part of a paid partnership. The text below is a sponsored article that is not part of Cointelegraph.com editorial content. The material is written by our advertorial team and has undergone editorial review to ensure clarity and relevance, it may not reflect the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.com. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the company. Disclosure.
![\"Cryptocurrencies,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d62d7-4f8f-7979-aaae-859d57c7f881.png\")
DeFi infrastructure provider THORWallet is expanding into Asia to provide local users with access to regulated decentralized finance.
Asia is home to a highly dynamic cryptocurrency market. Many countries in the region lead the pack in crypto adoption, while the region itself has recorded the highest growth in onchain activity over a 12-month period with a 69% increase.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d62d8-b3c8-767b-ac44-a81c4ef3df7a.png\")
High adoption is especially evident in South Korea. Around 31% of the population owns crypto, which translates to 16.2 million people. The number surpasses the stock investor count that stands at 14.1 million.
Though crypto is a hit in South Korea, much of the activity is concentrated on centralized exchanges. CEXs are responsible for almost 69% of crypto trading volume, while access to decentralized finance (DeFi) tools remains limited.
THORWallet, a comprehensive DeFi infrastructure, took a strategic step to fill this gap. The project announced its expansion into South Korea.
Based in Switzerland, THORWallet offers a noncustodial crypto wallet that brings traditional banking features to DeFi. Eligible platform users can open a multicurrency Swiss banking account with an IBAN, and access a seamless fiat-to-crypto gateway with support for many major currencies.
Users can acquire a free Mastercard debit card that allows payments with crypto when shopping, with instant conversion to fiat during the purchase. Fiat-to-fiat transfers within the wallet are also available.
\n\n\n30 seconds from USDC to Mastercard. 💳
— THORWallet - Onchain Finance (@Thorwallet) March 16, 2026
Open @THORWallet. Tap card. Top up.
That's it. Card loaded.
Groceries. Coffee. Gas. Whatever you want.
No bank transfer. No CEX. No waiting.
Highest limits in the space - up to $1,000,000.
DeFi yields. Real-world spending. Right now. 🌍 pic.twitter.com/LVWD2b0AuD
As for DeFi, the platform supports native crosschain swaps between prominent cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), XRP and Solana (SOL). Users can also tap into stablecoins through THORWallet’s partnership with Circle, and move USDC across major blockchains.
The company expects this hybrid approach to appeal to users in Asia looking for access to TradFi and DeFi in the same place.
“Many crypto users want access to both DeFi and traditional financial rails without giving up custody of their assets,” said Marcel Harmann, founder of THORWallet. “Combining a noncustodial wallet with banking functionality helps close that gap.”
South Korea serves as a strategic entry point in the project’s broader expansion plan into Asia, where crypto adoption continues to see exponential growth year after year. “We see Korea as an important starting point,” Harmann said. “From there, we plan to expand further across Asia as demand grows for mobile access to decentralized financial infrastructure.”
Since its launch in 2021, THORWallet has processed over $1.5 billion in crosschain swaps through liquidity networks, including THORChain, Maya Protocol and NEAR Intents. With its vast network of integrated blockchains, the wallet enables crosschain swaps without having to rely on wrapped tokens or centralized bridges.
Mobile design and a smooth user experience have been priorities for the project. This approach closely aligns with usage patterns in South Korea, where mobile crypto applications are highly preferred.
“Our goal is to provide a simple gateway that allows users to move from centralized exchanges into global DeFi liquidity,” the project founder said.
THORWallet’s debut in South Korea targets a market where crypto ownership is widespread, but DeFi access remains limited. The platform is entering that environment with a product that combines noncustodial wallet, banking features and crosschain functionality in a mobile-focused format.
For local users, that could mean less reliance on separate services for basic crypto activity. Instead of buying assets on one platform, swapping them on another and cashing out elsewhere, they can manage those steps within a single product. The addition of banking rails, card payments and crosschain access also gives the wallet a practical role beyond storage, extending its use into fiat conversion and spending.
", "description": "South Korea's crypto market welcomes a new entrant as a Swiss DeFi player makes its debut in the Asian country", "published": "2026-04-06T19:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "wallet" }, { "slug": "south-korea" }, { "slug": "defi" }, { "slug": "trading" } ], "slug": "swiss-based-defi-platform-arrives-in-south-korea", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Spotlight" } ] }, "id": "259467" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "US Senate Banking panel member confirms April timeline for crypto market structure", "leadText": "Acknowledging there is ”still a lot more work to do” before Congress can advance a market structure bill, Senator Bill Hagerty sees renewed attention starting next week.", "author": { "slug": "turner-wright" }, "bodyText": "US Senate Banking Committee member Bill Hagerty said Monday that he expects a potential path for a digital asset market structure bill in the coming weeks after months of delays in Congress.
Speaking at the Digital Assets and Emerging Tech Policy Summit at Vanderbilt University, he said his fellow Republican lawmakers planned to move the bill through the banking panel starting next week.
“We will be in a position, I hope, to bring all of this together very soon,” said Hagerty, referring to work on the bill in the Senate. “On the banking committee side, I think we’re very close, and my expectation is that we get it into committee in this next work period that starts on Monday of next week, so that over the next several weeks we should have this into the banking committee.”
The Tennessee senator added:
“There’re several issues still outstanding, I think none of them are insurmountable and we will get to a point I believe in April that we’ll have it out of the banking committee. There’s still a lot more work to do.”
![\"Cryptocurrencies,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6398-d985-754f-baff-c587f36300d6.png\")
Originally titled the CLARITY Act when it passed the House of Representatives in July, the bill is considered by many lawmakers and industry leaders to be one of the most significant pieces of crypto legislation, but it has faced delays in Congress amid government shutdowns, industry pushback on stablecoin yield and ethics concerns.
It is expected to provide a comprehensive framework for cryptocurrencies in the US, including largely changing oversight of the market from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Because both agencies are involved, the legislation will need approval from the committee responsible for commodities — Senate Agriculture — and that for securities, the banking committee. The agriculture committee advanced its version of the crypto bill in a January markup, but concerns over tokenized equities, ethics, and stablecoin yield have delayed consideration in the banking committee, which needs to hold a markup before a potential floor vote in the Senate.
Related: CFTC chair says agency is ready to oversee entire crypto market
“We’re going into the midterms,” said Hagerty. “I think if we get this done in April, we can clearly get this taken care of before the midterms.”
Hagerty’s comments echoed those of Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal, who said last week that lawmakers were “close to a deal” on stablecoin yield and other issues in the market structure bill.
According to the Coinbase-backed advocacy group Stand With Crypto, the way lawmakers vote on the legislation could impact their chances for the 2026 midterms, setting the stage for crypto interest groups to potentially influence another major US election.
The crypto-backed political action committee (PAC) Fairshake, which reported spending more than $130 million on media buys in the 2024 elections, said in January that it had a $193-million war chest ahead of the November 2026 midterms.
The group is not alone in its support for crypto on the national stage. The Fellowship PAC, which claimed to have raised “over $100 million” from undisclosed backers aligned with the crypto industry, announced the appointment of Tether executive Jesse Spiro as chair on Wednesday.
Magazine: Clarity Act risks repeat of Europe’s mistakes, crypto lawyer warns
", "description": "Bill Hagerty spoke at the Digital Assets and Emerging Tech Policy Summit on Monday, laying out his hopes for how the Senate would pass market structure before the 2026 midterms.", "published": "2026-04-06T18:25:54+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "politics" }, { "slug": "congress" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "us-senator-bill-hagerty-timeline-market-structure", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259537" }, { "category": { "slug": "market-analysis" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Can Trump’s ultimatum to Iran push Bitcoin price back up to $75K?", "leadText": "While an Iran ceasefire favors stocks, Bitcoin’s path to $75,000 remains contingent on market trust despite Trump’s volatile diplomacy.", "author": { "slug": "marcel-pechman" }, "bodyText": "Key takeaways:
Trump’s Tuesday deadline to Iran creates a pivotal moment for Bitcoin as it continues to decouple from gold.
While a ceasefire could boost equities, Bitcoin’s $75,000 path depends on its role as a hedge against fiscal instability.
There is a high probability that US President Donald Trump’s Tuesday deadline to Iran could be the catalyst needed for a Bitcoin (BTC) rally above $75,000.
Should a deal fail to materialize, Bitcoin’s risk perception could strengthen due to its unique decentralized properties. Conversely, a positive outcome in negotiations would likely propel risk assets, including Bitcoin.
Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran on Sunday, warning the nation would be “living in Hell” if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by Tuesday at 8:00 pm ET. However, CNBC reports that Trump has been “vacillating” between productive dialogue and the intensification of military action.
Senior Iranian officials reportedly stated the strait will remain blocked until Iran receives compensation for war damages.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6354-a3e6-7ff4-af49-0e31886ac992.png\")
These mixed signals failed to convince market participants on Monday, as US stock markets traded mostly flat. In contrast, Bitcoin jumped above $69,000 for the first time in over 10 days — a trend made more notable by gold prices holding near $4,650, down 17% from a $5,600 all-time high.
Traders are increasingly concerned that central banks will be forced to liquidate their gold reserves. The Turkish Central Bank reported sales of 50 tonnes of gold for the week ending March 20, the sharpest decline in over seven years.
According to Reuters, Turkey has also sold $26 billion in foreign currencies to stabilize markets since the US and Israel-Iran war broke out in late February. Similarly, Russian gold reserves measured in tons have dropped to their lowest levels in four years.
A ceasefire in Iran, even if temporary, would almost certainly bolster risk markets, though the implications for Bitcoin are less certain.
Traditional corporations remain heavily dependent on energy costs and global logistics. Therefore, any reduction in geopolitical risk is immediately reflected in equity prices.
However, a deal between the US and Iran would likely have a less direct impact on Bitcoin, as a resolution would likely strengthen the demand for US Treasuries.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6354-aa69-747c-961a-a9dc747e8df8.png\")
Yields on the US five-year Treasury note surged to 4% from 3.55% in late February, signaling that investors are demanding higher returns to hold those bonds. While part of this selling pressure stems from fears of sticky inflation driven by high oil prices, there is also the added burden on the US fiscal debt due to increased spending on military operations.
An eventual ceasefire and renewed confidence in the US Treasury reduces the necessity for alternative hedges and independent financial systems such as Bitcoin.
However, even if the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, Mohit Mirpuri, an equity fund manager at SGMC Capital, warned that “the damage to confidence and supply chains is already done — things don’t just snap back to normal.”
Related: Iran war bets turn prediction markets into real-time macro radar—Sygnum
Predicting that the Bitcoin price will rally 8% by Tuesday based solely on a potential resolution to the US and Israel-Iran war seems far-fetched. Investors are gradually adjusting to Trump’s characteristic back-and-forth, especially when negotiations involve unreliable third parties.
Traders are unlikely to provide the benefit of the doubt in this instance, so sustainable bullish momentum for risk markets may take longer to materialize. Nevertheless, the case for a $75,000 Bitcoin rally remains possible in the event of a positive outcome by Tuesday.
Figure Technology Solutions, a blockchain-based lending platform that went public last year, may be undervalued at current levels as loan originations accelerate and its tokenized credit marketplace scales, according to Bernstein analysts.
In a report published Monday, Bernstein assigned Figure an “Outperform” rating and a $67 price target — nearly double the stock’s recent trading level of around $32.
The bullish call follows a surge in lending activity. Figure originated $1.2 billion in loans in March, up 33% from the previous month and marking the first time monthly volumes exceeded $1 billion.
The company primarily originates home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), which allow homeowners to borrow against their equity in the property, typically at lower interest rates than unsecured loans.
It uses the Provence blockchain to reduce friction in the loan process which it claims makes it more efficient than traditional lenders. According to Provenance, Figure is able to shave 117 basis points per loan by transacting on the blockchain.
First-quarter originations reached $2.9 billion, more than doubling from a year earlier and defying the usual seasonal slowdown in HELOC demand. The figure is now tracking roughly $12 billion in annualized loan volume.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6361-6a7b-79b7-b173-64d533edc5ef.png\")
Figure’s strong start to the year follows a largely positive fourth quarter, where earnings and revenue increased, though profits fell short of expectations.
Related: CoinShares stock makes US debut on Nasdaq following SPAC merger
Despite improving operating performance, Figure shares have fallen more than 20% this year, reflecting broader volatility across digital asset–linked stocks and sector-specific pressures.
The stock has also struggled to regain momentum following its high-profile Nasdaq market debut last September. That closely watched initial public offering valued the company at nearly $800 million.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6361-6e29-74d9-94e0-08320a2675af.png\")
Still, Bernstein’s analysis valued the company at roughly 25 times its projected 2027 EBITDA — meaning the stock trades at a multiple of its expected earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
This valuation sits above existing digital asset companies, reflecting what analysts describe as Figure’s “structural prospects” as both a tokenization platform and a profitable lending business.
However, risks remain. According to Bernstein, HELOC demand can be sensitive to mortgage refinancing trends, while the broader private credit market — a key pillar of Figure’s growth strategy — has shown signs of increasing pressure.
Related: Crypto Biz: Bitcoin treasuries break ranks as BTC dips below $70K
", "description": "Record loan originations and a scaling tokenized credit platform are strengthening Figure’s growth outlook, even as shares lag broader digital asset markets, according to Bernstein.", "published": "2026-04-06T17:23:33+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "investments" }, { "slug": "stocks" }, { "slug": "tokenization" } ], "slug": "figure-stock-bernstein-loan-growth-tokenization-outlook", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259517" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin profit-taking keeps BTC below $70K as Trump doubles down on Iran", "leadText": "Bitcoin found familiar resistance as it crossed the $70,000 mark to hit new April highs, with analysis blaming \"profit-taking pressure.\"", "author": { "slug": "william-suberg" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) coiled below $70,000 at Monday’s Wall Street open as analysis blamed profit-taking for price inertia.
Key points:
Bitcoin and stocks wobble as the US trading session begins amid nerves over the US-Iran war outcome.
Profit-taking activity is keeping BTC price action away from a $70,000 reclaim, says research.
A trader says $71,000 will act as fuel for a surge $10,000 higher.
Data from TradingView showed BTC price action consolidating after hitting new April highs of $70,275 on Bitstamp.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d637d-bce7-7079-af67-8eae18e7511b.png\")
Market nerves over the US-Iran war resulted in uncertain trading, with US stocks treading water at the open.
Speaking to the media at a military event, US President Donald Trump reiterated earlier comments that Iran would “have no bridges” and “no power plants” unless a deal was reached.
“I won’t go further because there are other things that are worse than those two,” he told reporters.
Trump previously stated that the deadline for a deal was 8 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday.
With price pinned below the $70,000 mark, onchain analytics platform Glassnode pointed to internal market forces as the reason for the lack of continuation higher.
“As price probed the $70K region, Realized Profit/hour spiked above $20M, signalling a local exhaustion,” it noted in a post on X.
“A pattern consistent since February 2026: Every approach to the $70k–$80K band meets thin liquidity and profit-taking pressure, capping the bounce.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d637a-4bbd-7398-86b9-83d59fa0fa47.jpeg\")
Pseudonymous trader LP added that Mondays and Thursdays had seen the upper and lower end of the week’s trading range throughout 2026.
“Price pushed higher into Monday, increasing the probability of this pivot forming a weekly high. If the correlation continues to play out, this would suggest Thursday forms the low of the week,” they told X followers.
“Watch price action closely today and tomorrow, it will confirm whether this intra-week pivot resolved as a high or a low.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6379-8555-788b-a4e1-78c1b3084c72.png\")
Continuing, crypto trader Michaël Van de Poppe said the line in sand for bears lay slightly higher than Monday’s current peak.
Related: First real bull signal since 2025? Five things to know in Bitcoin this week
“Pretty strong momentum on the markets of Bitcoin,” he wrote on X about the initial move to $70,000.
“Volatility picking up, and I think it's fireworks during this week as we might be getting to the end stage of the entire situation in the Strait of Hormuz. If Bitcoin breaks $71K, then markets are in for a test at $80K.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6378-76cc-7c9d-a8cc-c5eeb3ed0cac.png\")
Van de Poppe further cautioned on following blanket market consensus over new lows coming next.
“Given that all the markets are so oversold at this point, all on-chain indicators are looking overextended and are at similar levels to the bottom areas in 2018, 2020 and 2022, I wouldn't be surprised that we're getting a relief run that's going to turn the sentiment quickly,” he concluded.
", "description": "Bitcoin \"profit-taking pressure\" ensures price stays away from reclaiming $70,000, says new research.", "published": "2026-04-06T17:03:28+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "market-analysis" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-profit-taking-keeps-btc-below-70k-trump-doubles-down-iran", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Market Update" } ] }, "id": "259512" }, { "category": { "slug": "top-10-cryptocurrencies" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Price predictions 4/6: SPX, DXY, BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, SOL, DOGE, HYPE, ADA", "leadText": "Buyers are attempting to push Bitcoin above the $70,000 level, but some analysts believe the upside may be limited and a drop below the $60,000 support is likely.", "author": { "slug": "rakesh-upadhyay" }, "bodyText": "Key points:
Bitcoin rose above the $70,000 level on Monday, but analysts remain skeptical, expecting a drop below the $60,000 support.
Several major altcoins have bounced off their supports, indicating demand at lower levels.
Buyers pushed Bitcoin (BTC) above the $70,000 level, but failed to sustain the breakout. That suggests the bears have not given up and are trying to retain control. Select analysts believe that BTC is likely to dip below its $60,000 low before bottoming out.
Another negative view came from Glassnode, which said in its recent report that its Long-Term Holder Realized Loss metric, which tracks losses locked in by investors who held coins for more than six months before selling, suggests the selling pressure may not have exhausted. The 30-day simple moving average of the indicator at $200 million per day needs to drop to levels below $25 million for the base formation to begin.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-8eaa-7bc1-ad32-c1bca3b8eb53.png\")
Among all the bearishness, there is a silver lining for the bulls. According to crypto sentiment platform Santiment, social media platforms recorded five bearish BTC comments for every four BTC bullish comments, the most since Feb. 28.
That is a good sign as markets typically move in the opposite direction of the crowd's expectation, suggesting “things can turn positive sooner rather than later,” Santiment added.
Could buyers extend the recovery in BTC and the major altcoins? Let’s analyze the charts.
The S&P 500 Index (SPX) has pulled back to the 20-day exponential moving average (6,601), indicating solid buying at lower levels.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-9380-795d-bb3f-c03dab50e8ca.png\")
Sellers will attempt to halt the recovery at the 20-day EMA, but if the bulls prevail, the index may rise to the 50-day simple moving average (6,777). Sellers are expected to pose a strong challenge at the 50-day SMA.
On the downside, the bears will have to yank the price below the 6,316 level to signal the resumption of the corrective phase. The next support to watch out for on the downside is the 6,147 level.
The US Dollar Index (DXY) is stuck between the 20-day EMA ($99.59) and the 100.54 overhead resistance.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-97c5-7a29-87d9-61edabdf6c9d.png\")
Sellers are attempting to pull the price below the 20-day EMA. If they can pull it off, the index may decline to the 50-day SMA (98.44). That suggests the index may trade inside the large range between 95.55 and 100.54 for a while longer.
Buyers will have to maintain the price above the 20-day EMA to retain control. If they do that, the possibility of a break above the 100.54 level increases. The index may then start a new up move to the 102 level and subsequently to the 103.54 level.
BTC closed above the moving averages on Sunday, indicating that the bulls are attempting a comeback.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-9c2a-70fe-9dec-4d88efe0d750.png\")
The flattish moving averages and the relative strength index (RSI) near the midpoint do not give a clear advantage either to the bulls or the bears. If the price sustains above the moving averages, the bulls will attempt to drive the BTC/USDT pair above the $72,000 resistance. If they succeed, the BTC price may reach the $74,508 to $76,000 resistance zone.
Sellers are likely to have other plans. They will strive to pull the pair below the support line, invalidating the bullish setup. That opens the doors for a decline to the $62,500 to $60,000 support zone.
Ether (ETH) closed above the moving averages on Sunday, clearing the path for a rally to the $2,200 resistance.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-a1a2-78ab-a03d-551ad9bef084.png\")
Sellers will attempt to halt the recovery at the $2,200 level, but if the buyers pierce the resistance, the ETH/USDT pair may march to the $2,400 resistance. The bulls will have to propel the ETH price above the $2,400 level to start a sustained recovery to $2,800 and then to $3,050.
Alternatively, if the ETH price turns down sharply from the $2,200 level and breaks below the moving averages, it suggests that the pair may consolidate for some time. The support of the range is at the $1,916 level.
BNB’s (BNB) bounce off the $570 level has reached the moving averages, where the bears are expected to step in.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-a80c-7dfa-8b9e-fad0d007fa17.png\")
If the price turns down sharply from the moving averages, the BNB/USDT pair risks breaking below the $570 level. If that happens, the BNB price may resume the downtrend and plummet to the $500 level.
Instead, if buyers drive the price above the moving averages, it suggests that the pair may extend its stay inside the $570 to $687 range for a few more days. Buyers will be back in the driver’s seat on a close above the $687 level.
XRP (XRP) turned up from the crucial $1.27 support on Sunday, indicating that the bulls are aggressively defending the level.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-acaa-7179-b92a-aab8353bd86d.png\")
The bulls will have to secure a close above the 50-day SMA ($1.39) to improve the prospects of a rally to the $1.61 level and later to the downtrend line of the descending channel pattern.
On the contrary, if the XRP price turns down sharply from the moving averages and breaks below $1.27, it suggests that the bears remain in control. The XRP/USDT pair may plunge to the $1.11 level and eventually to the support line near the $1 level.
Solana (SOL) has been oscillating inside the $76 to $98 range for several days, indicating a tough battle between the bulls and the bears.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-b113-7d54-9fec-56f4dd42747c.png\")
If buyers push the price above the moving averages, the SOL/USDT pair may ascend to the $98 resistance. Sellers are expected to fiercely defend the $98 level in an attempt to keep the SOL price inside the range.
The next trending move is expected to begin on a close above $98 or below $76. If buyers thrust the price above the $98 resistance, the pair may surge to the $117 level. Conversely, a close below the $76 support might sink the pair to the $67 level.
Related: First real bull signal since 2025? Five things to know in Bitcoin this week
Dogecoin (DOGE) remains stuck inside a tight range between the 50-day SMA ($0.09) and the $0.09 level, signaling a balance between supply and demand.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-b87f-7866-b85f-7a11e3abb6da.png\")
Buyers will gain the upper hand on a close above the moving averages. The DOGE/USDT pair may rally to the $0.11 level and subsequently to the $0.12 resistance. If the price turns down from the overhead resistance, the pair may swing between $0.12 and $0.09 for a while.
If the DOGE price turns down from the moving averages and breaks below the $0.09 level, it signals that the bears have seized control. The pair may slump to the $0.08 level and thereafter to the $0.06 level.
Buyers are attempting to maintain the Hyperliquid (HYPE) price above the 20-day EMA ($37.03) but are facing strong resistance from the bears.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-bd1e-7b11-9feb-c1c058bf87ff.png\")
If the HYPE price closes above the 20-day EMA, it suggests that the lower levels continue to attract buyers. The HYPE/USDT pair may then rally to $41.59 and, after that, to the $44 level.
This positive view will be negated in the near term if the price turns down and breaks below the 50-day SMA ($34.48). The pair may then witness a deeper correction to the $30 level.
Cardano (ADA) closed above the $0.25 level on Sunday, signaling that the bears are losing their grip.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d632b-c30a-7854-a451-6692493310f2.png\")
There is resistance at the 50-day SMA ($0.26), but if the bulls overcome it, the ADA/USDT pair may reach the downtrend line of the descending channel pattern. Sellers are expected to defend the downtrend line, as a close above it signals a potential short-term trend change.
The $0.22 level is the crucial level to watch out for on the downside. If the support breaks down, the ADA price may start the next leg of the downtrend to the support line near the $0.16 level.
Michael Saylor’s Strategy, the world’s largest publicly listed holder of Bitcoin, resumed buying BTC last week after reporting no purchases in the final week of March.
Strategy acquired 4,871 Bitcoin (BTC) for $329.9 million last week, according to an 8-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.
The purchases were made at an average price of $67,718 per coin, below the company’s overall average acquisition price of $75,644. The new acquisitions bring Strategy’s holdings to 766,970 BTC, acquired for a total cost of around $58 billion.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d62d2-20d2-782c-8ca8-2ee397f51dcc.png\")
In addition to the purchase update, Strategy also reported its first-quarter financial results, including a $14.46 billion unrealized loss on digital assets and a $2.42 billion deferred tax benefit.
Strategy said its Bitcoin holdings continue to trade below their cost basis, resulting in the recognition of a deferred tax asset tied to unrealized losses on its digital assets.
As of March 31, the company recorded a $1.73 billion deferred tax asset related to those unrealized losses, which was offset by a corresponding $1.73 billion valuation allowance against the amount.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d62d2-2257-74b4-9718-9f0454478cec.png\")
“Because the fair value of Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings is below its cost basis, Strategy expects to establish an additional valuation allowance of $0.5 billion against these deferred tax assets,” the company said.
Strategy saw Bitcoin fall below its average purchase price in early February, marking the first time since late 2023 that BTC traded below its cost basis.
Related: 80% of Strategy's ‘Stretch’ buyers are mom-and-pop investors
Despite the decline, the company has continued accumulating Bitcoin, buying roughly 54,000 BTC since Feb. 2. Strategy was especially aggressive in March, making some of its largest weekly purchases on record during the month, with monthly acquisitions netting 41,362 BTC.
Strategy’s total Bitcoin purchases in the first quarter of 2026 reached 89,316 BTC, with an aggregate spend of approximately $6.3 billion.
Strategy mentioned that the company is updating its at-the-market (ATM) program, including a new $21 billion offering of Stretch (STRC) stock and a new $21 billion offering of Common A (MSTR) stock. The company also terminated its prior Strike (STRK) stock offering and launched a new $2.1 billion STRK stock offering.
The amounts available for STRC and MSTR stock reflect the total remaining capacity under both the existing programs and the newly added offerings. Sales under the STRC and MSTR increases may begin once the existing capacity is substantially used, the company said.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d62d2-2406-7cfc-a5ab-37accfce78ba.png\")
During March 30–31, Strategy sold approximately 2.28 million shares of STRC and 582,550 shares of MSTR, generating about $299.3 million in net proceeds. From April 1–5, the company sold an additional 1 million shares of STRC and 593,294 shares of MSTR, raising roughly $174.6 million.
Magazine: Your guide to surviving this mini-crypto winter
Disclaimer. This content is part of a paid partnership. The text below is a sponsored article that is not part of Cointelegraph.com editorial content. The material is written by our advertorial team and has undergone editorial review to ensure clarity and relevance, it may not reflect the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.com. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the company. Disclosure.
![\"Travel,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d62e9-669a-737f-8d0f-36b81c9ab429.jpg\")
Staynex, a Web3 travel ecosystem, presents a membership-based alternative to OTAs by offering a loyalty model with concrete value, removing hotel commissions and keeping pricing transparent.
Travel has cemented its place as a key aspiration in modern life. A trip is among the short-term plans of around 88% of global consumers, according to recent studies.
With travel becoming a widespread hobby, the hotel options have become abundant, too. Online travel agencies (OTA) have emerged as a practical solution for travelers seeking to search through the crowd efficiently and find the best offer available.
Yet, a middleman involved in the process means extra fees to pay for consumers, with the details of pricing often hidden behind opaque structures. The same structure disadvantages hotel operators as well, as OTAs may take up to 30% commission from each booking.
Beyond pricing, a key appeal of these OTAs for travelers is the loyalty program they offer. However, loyalty models in the travel industry usually fall short of providing actual benefit to the consumer. The common practice is to offer travel points that cannot be redeemed outside the agency's ecosystem, expire before users can accumulate them meaningfully or even go unnoticed by consumers altogether.
Blockchain-based platforms can be a solid answer to this misalignment, as they serve as a direct, transparent bridge between hotels and travelers and provide a loyalty model with concrete value.
Staynex, a membership-first ecosystem, is one such platform. It connects travelers directly to its vast network of hotels and resorts, which boasts over 2.65 million partners.
Staynex offers two distinct membership structures designed to serve different traveler needs. The standard membership includes Basic Account, Premium, Nexus (invite-only) and Creators — a dedicated tier for content creators. Standard members gain access to hotel bookings and core platform features.
Meanwhile, Ocean Club serves as a separate membership tier for tokenholders. Ocean Club allows users to stake STAY tokens to unlock exclusive benefits, including AI-assisted travel planning, enhanced rewards and community networking opportunities.
Together, these two models create a flexible ecosystem where every traveler — whether booking a stay or holding tokens — can find their place and be rewarded.
\n\n\nOne membership. A world of options 🌐
— Staynex ™ (@staynexcom) March 4, 2026
Unlock 2.65M stays worldwide with 0% commission, a smooth booking flow, and 100+ payment options, all under one membership ⭐
The world feels more open when booking is this easy 🌍
Where would you go next?
Browse options on:… pic.twitter.com/uKcPhwDryu
Through Staynex's membership platform, partners can issue tokenized passes that represent bookings, events and travel experiences. The same platform allows partners to create tailored loyalty programs that align with the expectations of consumers. Staynex also offers a platform-level loyalty program, through which users earn loyalty points on spendings.
The platform employs a zero-markup policy and lists properties at transparent and competitive rates. It also does not charge commission to properties, meaning hotel operators receive 100% of bookings. Users can pay with a wide variety of methods when booking, including credit cards and over 100 cryptocurrencies.
STAY, the soon-to-be-launched native token, sits at the heart of this ecosystem. The token grants access to Ocean Club membership and exclusive perks while also serving as the loyalty reward.
\n\n\nIt’s time.
— Staynex ™ (@staynexcom) March 18, 2026
The travel industry moves $9 trillion a year.
None of it has been on-chain.
Until now 🌊
The first of 3 $STAY exchange listings goes live on 15 April 2026, with the remaining two also landing this April.
Follow now and stay close 👀#Staynex… pic.twitter.com/YSwdQJUOJF
It enters the market with a mechanism called Shield Protocol, which adds deflationary impact to the token through revenue-funded buybacks, with governance handled by tokenholders.
Staynex incorporates cutting-edge technologies in the platform, such as artificial intelligence. AI Travel Wingman, its AI Travel Agent endorsed by the face and voice of football legend Patrice Evra, helps users plan their trips efficiently by offering recommendations, itineraries and suggested options based on budget and travel preferences.
AI also plays a role in how offers are prepared. The technology supports personalized offers and demand forecasting. Through AI, Staynex analyzes travel behaviors and better predict the favorite destinations. This allows the platform to provide more personalized and curated travel arrangements.
As the travel industry becomes more sophisticated, current OTA models may start to look outdated. A business built around commissions and closed-loop points leaves little room to align the interests of the platform, hotel and traveler.
", "description": "A new model based on tokenized membership ties booking to ownership and loyalty while giving hotels and travelers a closer stake in the platform", "published": "2026-04-06T14:12:36+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "travel" }, { "slug": "business" }, { "slug": "web3" }, { "slug": "nft" }, { "slug": "tokenization" } ], "slug": "how-tokenized-membership-is-changing-the-economics-of-modern-travel", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Spotlight" } ] }, "id": "259482" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "New AI cybercrime tool targets crypto, bank KYC systems via deepfakes", "leadText": "A darknet threat actor is selling new fraud kit to trick KYC identity verification systems on financial platforms via AI-generated deepfakes and real-time voice altering.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "A threat actor known as “Jinkusu” is allegedly selling cybercrime tools designed to bypass Know Your Customer (KYC) checks at banks and crypto platforms.
The tool uses deepfakes and voice manipulation to trick KYC verification systems on finance platforms, cybercrime tracker Dark Web Informer wrote in a Sunday X post.
Cybersecurity company Vecert Analyzer added that Jinkusu uses AI for real-time face swaps via InsightFace for “fluid gesture transfers,” along with voice modulation to evade biometrics.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d62b2-1c8c-703f-ab44-b43670113816.png\")
The emergence of deepfake tools is a “wake-up call” for the industry, as it highlights the shortcomings of KYC verification systems, according to Deddy Lavid, CEO of blockchain security platform Cyvers.
“As AI lowers the barriers to synthetic identity fraud, the front door will always remain vulnerable,” Lavid told Cointelegraph, urging platforms to adopt a layered security approach combining identity verification with real-time AI monitoring.
Binance chief security officer Jimmy Su highlighted the growing threat of deepfake technology back in May 2023.
He warned that improving AI algorithms will be able to crack KYC identity systems by using a single picture of the victim.
Related: Revolut confirms ex-employee threatened to leak KYC data for crypto ransom
The new fraud kit also enables scammers to run romance scams, such as “pig butchering,” with no technical knowledge.
Crypto investors lost $5.5 billion to 200,000 flagged pig butchering cases in 2024.
The author of the new fraud package, Jinkusu, is suspected to be the same threat actor who released the phishing kit Starkiller in February 2026.
Unlike traditional, HTML-based phishing kits, Starkiller creates a real-time reverse proxy by creating a headless Chrome browser inside a Docker container, loading the genuine login page of the target brand and relaying all user input, including login and passwords, to the threat actor, explained cybersecurity platform Abnormal, in a Feb. 19 report.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d62b2-1e94-72a0-9e69-f70b8a2b5159.png\")
While losses to crypto phishing attacks fell 83% in 2025, malicious crypto wallet drainer scripts remained active and new malware continued to emerge, Scam Sniffer said in a January report.
Magazine: Everybody hates GPT-5, AI shows social media can’t be fixed
", "description": "A darknet threat actor published a new fraud kit that tricks KYC verification systems of banks and crypto platforms via AI deepfakes and voice-altering tech.", "published": "2026-04-06T14:09:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "darknet" }, { "slug": "hackers" }, { "slug": "ai" }, { "slug": "dark-web" }, { "slug": "cybersecurity" }, { "slug": "scams" }, { "slug": "hacks" }, { "slug": "scams-and-cybercrime" } ], "slug": "ai-cybercrime-tool-crypto-bank-kyc-deepfakes", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259477" }, { "category": { "slug": "opinion" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "The future of institutional crypto runs through prime brokerages", "leadText": "Institutional crypto flows through prime brokerages that enforce TradFi custody standards. Ripple's $1.25B Hidden Road acquisition signals a permanent infrastructure shift.", "author": { "slug": "dominic-lohberger" }, "bodyText": "Opinion by: Dominic Lohberger, chief product officer at Sygnum.
Counterparty risk in crypto markets has always moved in cycles. Exchanges default or get hacked. Standards tighten for a while. Then, complacency quietly returns as losses are forgotten.
What is happening this time is different.
Leading traditional finance players entering crypto must adopt practices from established financial markets. For the first time, the infrastructure exists to enable them to do so. They can mirror assets held with regulated custodians onto trading venues without ever depositing on-exchange.
This is a lasting change in how serious money actually moves through digital assets.
Consider the mergers and acquisitions deal flow. Ripple deployed $1.25 billion to acquire Hidden Road. Hidden Road is a global multi-asset prime broker. This was the largest acquisition in crypto history. It signalled that institutional trading infrastructure is where value will concentrate.
Standard Chartered is building a crypto prime brokerage under its venture arm. These are infrastructure bets by firms that see where the market is heading.
For most of crypto's history, exchanges have played every role at once. From trading venues, custodians and clearing houses, exchanges played them all. That conflation of roles was a necessity in Bitcoin's earliest days. It was never going to survive institutional adoption at scale. The FTX collapse made that risk glaring, and the $1.4 billion Bybit hack reinforced it. The broader patterns of 2025 showed where counterparty exposure became a first-order operational risk. That's where the separation of custody from execution became a baseline institutional requirement.
In traditional finance, this separation of powers is a bedrock principle. Crypto is finally catching up. A growing number of regulated off-exchange custody solutions now make this possible in practice. They allow institutions to hold assets with a custodian while trading on exchanges, with balances mirrored and settlement automated. Capital efficiency and security no longer have to be traded off against each other. Most market makers, hedge funds and OTC desks use some form of off-exchange custody. What was once considered a cost has become a basic pillar of risk management.
The market now offers two distinct approaches to removing exchange counterparty risk, and they solve different problems.
Off-exchange custody, sometimes called tri-party arrangements, allows traders to hold assets with a third-party custodian while receiving a mirrored balance on the exchange. If the custodian holds those assets segregated and off-balance-sheet, counterparty risk is eliminated. These setups tend to be cost-efficient because the custodian does not need to deploy its own balance sheet.
Prime brokerage is operationally richer. A prime broker acts as an intermediary and offers unified onboarding across exchanges, cross-venue net settlement and leverage. These are critical for market makers running strategies across dozens of venues. That active role means counterparty risk shifts from the exchange to the prime broker. In traditional finance, that risk is backstopped by investment banks with massive balance sheets. In crypto, the largest prime brokers are growing but still carry comparatively modest balance sheets. They’re capable and well-connected, but not yet at the scale of globally systematically relevant investment banks. Some institutional clients are comfortable with that trade-off.
The part of this shift that deserves equal attention is how collateral now works. When a custodian is a bank, it can accept traditional financial instruments as collateral, and that changes the economics. An institutional client holding short-dated US Treasurys can pledge them as collateral, mirrored onto an exchange at full loan-to-value. The T-bills never leave the custodian. The custody fees are a mere fraction of the yield this provides. The client earns a net positive return on collateral that protects them from exchange default.
Related: BitGo launches portfolio-based crypto lending platform for institutions
The vast majority of collateral deployed in bank-grade off-exchange custody structures today is in T-bills. When counterparty protection generates yield instead of costing money, the adoption question flips from \"should we de-risk?\" to \"why are we leaving yield on the table?\" The exception is strategies like the basis trade, where the client must pledge the underlying asset itself. Even there, holding crypto with an independent custodian reduces the risk surface.
The eligible collateral story is expanding fast. Stablecoins are already accepted across multiple off-exchange setups. Tokenized money market funds that accrue yield continuously in real-time are next. The direction is toward multi-asset collateral frameworks that allow institutions to shift margin between venues and ensure security. In crypto, that reallocation can happen in near real-time around the clock.
In the months ahead, more global systemically important banks will enter off-exchange custody. This will rapidly widen the range of accepted collateral. As both models mature, custodians may add more operational tooling. Prime brokers will strengthen their custody frameworks. This will continue until the distinction matters less than the outcome. That outcome is institutional-grade risk management.
The crypto industry spent the better part of a decade debating whether institutions would arrive. They have, and they are not adapting to crypto's infrastructure. Crypto's infrastructure is adapting to them. The firms that recognise this shift and build accordingly will define the next era of digital asset markets. The ones that don't will be left managing yesterday's risk with yesterday's tools.
Opinion by: Dominic Lohberger, chief product officer at Sygnum.
", "description": "Off-exchange custody mirrors T-bill collateral for yield-positive counterparty protection. Prime brokers enable cross-venue leverage but shift rather than eliminate risk concentration.", "published": "2026-04-06T14:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "business" }, { "slug": "adoption" }, { "slug": "insurance" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "future-institutional-crypto-prime-brokerages", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Opinion" } ] }, "id": "258987" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Marc Andreessen calls AI job loss fears fake, expects employment gains", "leadText": "Marc Andreessen says AI job loss fears are “all fake” and predicts a “massive jobs boom,” as fresh US data show increasing long-term unemployment and tech companies citing AI while cutting positions.", "author": { "slug": "christina-comben" }, "bodyText": "Marc Andreessen said artificial intelligence will spark a “massive jobs boom,” dismissing fears of widespread job losses as “all fake” in a Sunday post on X.
His optimism contrasts with a March US jobs report showing unemployment holding steady at 4.3%, while the number of people unemployed for 27 weeks or more rose by 322,000 over the past year.
Andreesen shared a Business Insider report showing a sharp rise in tech job openings in 2026, with more than 67,000 software engineering roles, a twofold increase from 2023, and argued that employers had recovered from post-pandemic hiring corrections and the interest rate spike.
“The ‘AI job loss’ narratives are all fake,” he wrote. “AI = massive ramp in productivity = massive ramp in demand = massive jobs boom. Watch.”
Andreessen is one of Silicon Valley’s most influential investors, a co-founder of Netscape and venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. He is also a major backer of US crypto and AI companies.
On the ground, the reality is somewhat different. On Feb. 26, Jack Dorsey’s Block cut 40% of its staff as the company accelerated its use of AI, including experiments with agents to take over parts of middle management.
Related: Dorsey shares AI-integrated workplace vision weeks after Block’s 40% staff cut
On March 19, crypto exchange Crypto.com announced a 12% workforce reduction due to AI integrations, warning that companies “that do not make this pivot immediately will fail.”
![\"Andreessen](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6252-581f-7d1c-9144-0ed74535bab5.png\")
AI-driven pivots by companies are also impacting employment.
Oracle reportedly cut up to 30,000 jobs recently, citing “broader organizational change,” as it pushes to build AI data centers.
MARA, which has been repurposing its Bitcoin mining infrastructure for AI, has reportedly reduced its staff by 15%.
That backdrop helps explain the online backlash Andreessen received.
“Tell that to the average lower middle class American who can’t find a job or the consumer who can’t get decent customer service,” crypto influencer WendyO replied.
Tory Green, co-founder at io.net argued Andreessen could be proved right on net job creation, but only if AI tools are broadly accessible and not captured by a handful of platforms.
AI Eye: 9 weirdest AI stories from 2025
", "description": "Marc Andreessen says AI job loss fears are “all fake” and predicts a “massive jobs boom,” as US data and high-profile tech layoffs fuel public skepticism.", "published": "2026-04-06T13:06:38+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "andreessen-horowitz" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-mining" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrency-exchange" }, { "slug": "ai" }, { "slug": "jack-dorsey" }, { "slug": "ai-and-hi-tech" } ], "slug": "marc-andreessen-calls-ai-job-loss-fears-fake-expects-employment-gains", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259457" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Rushed quantum fix may backfire for Bitcoin, Samson Mow warns", "leadText": "Samson Mow pushes back against calls to rush Bitcoin’s move to post-quantum cryptography, warning it could introduce new vulnerabilities.", "author": { "slug": "helen-partz" }, "bodyText": "Rushed quantum fixes for Bitcoin could introduce new risks, Samson Mow warned in response to calls from Coinbase executives for faster action.
Mow, a Bitcoin advocate and Jan3 founder, took to X on Saturday to address comments from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and chief security officer Philip Martin, who urged the industry to begin preparing for quantum computing threats sooner rather than later.
He said that while post-quantum (PQ) cryptography could secure Bitcoin (BTC) against future quantum computers, rushing implementation may create new vulnerabilities such as compatibility issues and reduced network efficiency due to larger signature sizes.
“Simply put: make Bitcoin safe against quantum computers just to get pwned by normal computers,” Mow said, adding that a poorly timed transition could weaken Bitcoin against today’s threats before addressing future ones.
The exchange reflects a growing debate over how to future-proof Bitcoin, as new research from Google and Caltech reignited concerns about progress in quantum computing.
One of Mow’s biggest concerns about rushing a quantum fix for Bitcoin is the potential impact on performance, particularly block size, or the amount of transaction data that can fit into a single block.
“PQ signatures will likely be 10-125x larger than current ones, and massively reduce throughput,” Mow said, citing former Bitcoin developer Jonas Schnelli.
The signature issue could potentially pave the way for “Blocksize Wars 2.0,” Mow continued.
Bitcoin’s block size wars began around 2015 and peaked in 2017, when the community split over whether to increase the block size to handle more transactions.
Related: Circle unveils quantum-resistant roadmap for its layer-1 blockchain Arc
That dispute raised concerns about decentralization, network security and who controls Bitcoin’s future, ultimately leading to alternative scaling solutions rather than a simple increase in block size.
Despite arguing against rushing a transition to post-quantum cryptography for Bitcoin, Mow said work on potential solutions should continue.
“Given that quantum computers don’t actually exist and likely won’t exist for another 10-20 years, the worst possible course of action is to rush a fix,” he said. “That’s not to say work shouldn’t be done to prepare, and there is already much work being done.”
Magazine: Nobody knows if quantum secure cryptography will even work
", "description": "Samson Mow warns that rushed post-quantum cryptography upgrades could weaken Bitcoin’s security and spark \"Blocksize Wars 2.0.\"", "published": "2026-04-06T13:03:51+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "security" }, { "slug": "brian-armstrong" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-block-size" }, { "slug": "samson-mow" }, { "slug": "quantum-computing" } ], "slug": "rushed-quantum-fix-backfire-bitcoin-samson-mow", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259452" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Onchain perp DEX volumes fall for five straight months after October peak", "leadText": "Perp DEX daily volume fell to $8.4 billion on April 4, its first sub-$10 billion level since September and the lowest since July, DefiLlama data shows.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "Onchain perpetual futures trading has cooled for five straight months since peaking in October 2025.
Perp volume on decentralized exchanges (DEXs) fell to $699 billion in March 2026 from October’s $1.36 trillion, according to DefiLlama data.
The decline has been steady across the period, with volumes slipping through November and December before losses extended through the first quarter of 2026.
Daily activity also shows signs of softening. On April 4, perp DEX volume fell to $8.4 billion, the first time it dropped below $10 billion since Sept. 6, 2025. This also marks the lowest level since July 5, 2025, according to DefiLlama.
The trend signals a sustained cooldown in onchain perpetual futures trading following the 2025 surge. Perp volumes serve as a proxy for speculative demand and leveraged positioning in crypto markets.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d621a-b4a3-78e6-a4a8-02455857d5d5.jpg\")
DefiLlama data shows that trading activity remains concentrated among the top perp DEX platforms. In the past 30 days, Hyperliquid put up about $185.5 billion in reported volume, accounting for roughly 34% of total volume among the top 10 perp DEXs.
This puts the platform significantly ahead of rivals such as edgeX, which reported $73 billion, and Aster, at $68 billion.
Related: Bitcoin shorts risk $2.5 billion liquidation at $72K: Are bears in danger?
Other platforms recorded notably lower volumes over the same period, including Lighter at about $50 billion and Grvt at nearly $40 billion. Smaller venues like ApeX Protocol, Variational and StandX each recorded between roughly $16 billion and $33 billion in 30-day volume.
The data shows that a large share of onchain perpetual futures activity is concentrated in the top platforms, as overall volumes have declined from late-2025 highs.
The slowdown follows a period of rapid growth in onchain derivatives trading. In 2025, perp DEXs nearly tripled cumulative volume to $12.09 trillion, with about $7.9 trillion, about 65%, generated in 2025 alone.
This was largely driven by monthly activity averaging nearly $1 trillion each month in the fourth quarter.
Perpetual futures exchanges are becoming a key battleground across crypto ecosystems. Blockchains have been racing to launch or host perpetual DEXs to capture trading activity, though liquidity has historically tended to consolidate around a small number of dominant platforms.
Magazine: Aster delisting exposes DeFi’s growing integrity crisis
", "description": "Monthly perp DEX trading slid from $1.36 trillion in October to $699 billion in March, marking a five-month decline after a late-2025 surge.", "published": "2026-04-06T11:42:54+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "derivatives" }, { "slug": "data" }, { "slug": "defi" }, { "slug": "trading" }, { "slug": "dex" } ], "slug": "onchain-perp-dex-volumes-decline-hyperliquid-share", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259432" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "China's tax authority urges banks to implement blockchain for lending services", "leadText": "China’s leading tax and financial authorities are urging banks to incorporate blockchain technology to bolster their credit facilities and data transparency.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "China’s tax and financial regulators on Monday urged banks and local authorities to use blockchain and privacy computing to upgrade the “bank-tax interaction” model and expand financing for small businesses.
The State Administration of Taxation and National Financial Regulatory Administration said in a joint policy notice that banks and taxpayers should standardize data sharing and reduce information asymmetry between tax authorities, banks and enterprises.
The report also urged banks to improve credit models, enhance credit approval efficiency and increase the supply of financing services to “honest, tax-paying enterprises.”
The directive aligns with China’s broader effort to integrate blockchain into data infrastructure, following a National Development and Reform Commission roadmap released in January 2025 targeting nationwide implementation by 2029.
Shen Zhulin, the deputy director of the National Data Administration, said in a January 2025 press conference that China expects blockchain-based data infrastructure to attract 400 billion yuan (about $58 billion) in yearly investments.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d61fd-06fc-71d8-9346-50511641745f.png\")
While China has issued strict controls on cryptocurrencies and speculative digital asset trading, it also pushed for the incorporation of blockchain initiatives in finance and data infrastructure.
In October 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted the technology as an important “breakthrough” for independent innovation of core technologies, urging the acceleration of the development of blockchain-based applications and their integration in the real-world economy.
Related: Trump: US has to ‘make it so that China doesn’t get the hold‘ of crypto
In April 2021, the Shenzhen Tax Bureau expanded the country’s first blockchain electronic invoice system.
However, in September that same year, China issued a nation-wide ban on crypto transactions and mining as part of a wider crackdown across multiple government agencies.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6200-4366-778e-a755-25b7c18daa5f.png\")
Despite the ban, China is still cited as the third-largest Bitcoin (BTC) mining country. In January 2026, it accounted for 11.7% of the global hashrate, according to data from Compass Mining.
Magazine: China’s ‘50x’ blockchain boost, Alibaba-linked AI mines Bitcoin: Asia Express
", "description": "China’s tax and financial supervision authorities have urged banks to incorporate blockchain technology to grow their financial services and lending activity for enterprises.", "published": "2026-04-06T11:10:35+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "china" }, { "slug": "taxes" }, { "slug": "government" }, { "slug": "banking" }, { "slug": "banks" }, { "slug": "people-s-bank-of-china" }, { "slug": "data" } ], "slug": "china-tax-authority-banks-implement-blockchain-lending", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259427" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "First real bull signal since 2025? Five things to know in Bitcoin this week", "leadText": "Bitcoin hinted at a long-term bullish trend change as BTC neared an MACD cross that last resulted in $25,000 gains over two months.", "author": { "slug": "william-suberg" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) faces a fresh showdown this week as macro tensions contrast with a bullish BTC price trend reversal.
A classic BTC price metric is above to flip bullish for the first time in nearly a year — last time, price gained $25,000 in two months.
Short time frames see liquidations as “aggressive” traders pile in at $70,000.
Iran war tensions are at breaking point as US President Donald Trump’s “Bridge Day” deadline nears.
US inflation data will come thick and fast as the war begins to reflect in the numbers.
The Bitcoin bear flag stays in play, with analysis warning that new lows are “likely just a matter of time.”
On longer time frames, the weekly chart has become a source of hope for Bitcoin bulls this week.
The weekly close reclaimed the 200-week exponential moving average (EMA) trend line, but more than that, a classic BTC price metric is about to produce a key bull signal.
On a weekly basis, the moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) hinted that Bitcoin’s latest downtrend is in the process of reversing.
“Holding this level is crucial for the entire Crypto industry,” X commentator Crypto Seth argued on Monday, noting that Ether (ETH) was also due an MACD cross.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6205-7b8f-717b-b294-ec36fc61f30b.png\")
Bitcoin’s last bullish weekly MACD flip occurred in May 2025, around one month after BTC/USD put in its 2025 low near $74,500. Over the following two months, price went from $94,000 to $119,000, setting new all-time highs.
Continuing on the phenomenon, X trading resource GalaxyTrading flagged key MACD comparisons across Bitcoin’s past two bear markets.
“In the 2018 bear market, it took around 245 days for the weekly MACD to turn positive,” it noted.
“In 2022, it also took 245 days to turn bullish. In 2026, we will reach 245 days by the end of April.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d620a-1869-74cb-96fd-4175b61b2800.jpeg\")
Bitcoin managed a trip beyond $70,000 after the weekly close, data from TradingView confirms, reaching new April highs.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d620b-6b86-7517-a6dc-f4a33278032f.png\")
While some traders remained skeptical over pre-market price action, the close itself was notable, bringing back both the 200-week EMA and old 2021 all-time high as potential support.
As Cointelegraph reported, both levels have courted suspicion over their reliability.
\n\n\n$BTC pumping on a Sunday and everyone celebrating…
— Roman (@Roman_Trading) April 6, 2026
You guys will never learn.
The move to the local highs caught short positions off guard, with total crypto liquidations passing $250 million over the 24 hours to the time of writing, per data from CoinGlass.
In his latest analysis, trader CrypNuevo continued to eye longs closer to $64,000 for a potential liquidity hunt to the downside.
“There are some HTF liquidations between $64k-$64.5k. This adds fuel a move lower. I don't see conclusive data on LTF liquidations,” he commented in an X thread on Sunday.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d620d-3be9-711c-b1a9-a5249b9344e6.png\")
In one of its “QuickTake” blog posts, onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant flagged the return of “aggressive short-term positioning” — spikes in both cumulative net taker volume and open interest on Binance.
This matters because Bitcoin’s move is being driven not only by price strength, “but also by renewed speculative participation in derivatives,” contributor Amr Taha commented.
“In simple terms, traders are becoming more willing to add fresh exposure as BTC pushes higher. If this trend continues, it could reinforce short-term momentum.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d620c-91cc-746a-9890-d8c09a978cab.png\")
A combination of geopolitics and key US inflation data makes for a week of “extreme volatility,” analysis predicts.
The US-Israel and Iran war continues to guide market sentiment, and oil prices reflect the uncertainty over the fate of key issues such as the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz. WTI crude oil started the week with a trip above $115 per barrel.
Traders are now eyeing one deadline in particular when it comes to how the conflict might play out: Tuesday, 8pm Eastern time. This is when US President Donald Trump promises major infrastructure strikes if no deal with Iran is reached.
In a post on Truth Social at the weekend, Trump appeared particularly impatient, calling the day of the deadline “Power Plant Day” and \"Bridge Day” while demanding that Hormuz reopen.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d620e-0904-7ff7-8d7c-b4be3c272218.png\")
Headlines remain mixed, however, with talk of a 45-day ceasefire now a focus.
“This is being described as a ‘last-ditch effort’ to prevent ‘massive strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure,’” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter reported on X.
Kobeissi noted that S&P 500 futures “erased all losses” on the news, underscoring risk-asset vulnerability to war-related triggers. As Cointelegraph reported, Bitcoin remains no exception.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d620f-5a0b-7ca5-aed8-fb0cf424ab31.png\")
Last week, macro investor and former hedge fund manager James Lavish nonetheless said that markets were pricing in odds of the war ending sooner rather than later.
A potential drawdown for BTC price action should markets experience a “black swan” event, he told Cointelegraph, could be up to 20%.
Markets will thus be juggling war shocks and inflation data concurrently this week, with multiple US prints due.
Among them is the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, known as the Federal Reserve’s “preferred” inflation gauge.
February’s PCE release matched market expectations, but did not reflect inflation trends after the war had started.
“Following the jump in oil prices and potential spillover impact from fertilizer shortages on food prices, challenges around the inflation outlook still poses a major risk,” trading resource Mosaic Asset Company summarized in the latest edition of its regular newsletter, “The Market Mosaic.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6212-85e6-7f17-ac32-94f972a83030.png\")
That risk also applies to the week’s last and arguably most important inflation number: the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Here, the oil-price jump is especially pertinent, thanks to its direct impact on CPI inflation trends.
“Oil prices are now crossing above $115/barrel in the US. As a result, our models indicate that if current levels are sustained another ~7 weeks, US CPI inflation will rise to ~3.7%,” Kobeissi commented.
Kobeissi said that its “base case” for CPI inflation was now 3% — considerably higher than the Fed’s target.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-03/019cdd5e-3eb0-74e1-b089-91616407915d.png\")
Like PCE, the most recent CPI print was flat, helping temper the impact of previous overshoots.
The latest data from CME Group’s FedWatch Tool meanwhile shows practically no chance of the Fed either raising or lowering interest-rates at its next meeting at the end of April.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6210-465d-7497-94e2-80f28e424654.png\")
As macro events play out, Bitcoin still has a specific cloud hanging over it that traders fear will only lead price downward.
Related: Bitcoin 'done' with 85% crashes, says Cathie Wood amid new $34K target
BTC/USD continues to battle for support at the bottom of its second bear flag of 2026. The first, which appeared in January, resulted in a drop of roughly $25,000.
“Structurally, $BTC price action is still nearly identical to the prior bear flag structure,” Keith Alan, cofounder of trading resource Material Indicators, warned last week.
“Nothing says that it has to continue to mimic that price behavior, but I'm following it like roadmap until price deviates from that path.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6213-eb5e-744c-8d6c-2d821911b301.jpeg\")
When it comes to new lows, Cointelegraph reported on broad consensus that February’s downside wick below $60,000 will be revisited.
“When that breakdown eventually happens, watch the behavior closely. If price starts repeatedly sweeping the lows, making it psychologically difficult to enter longs, that’s when a true bottom is more likely forming,” pseudonymous trader LP told X followers this weekend.
LP said that new lows were “likely just a matter of time.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5d71-6b7a-7d2d-a739-c0201baa4cae.png\")
Alan, meanwhile, eyed a trip to the mid-$40,000 range as part of a “measured move” below bear-flag support.
“Expecting to test resistance in the $67k - $69k range before the next leg down,” he wrote while discussing the topic on X.
“End to the war or a really strong Q2 Open could invalidate the bear flag and challenge resistance at the MACRO structure.”
Prediction markets rapidly repriced the odds of US escalation in the Iran conflict, offering a real-time signal of geopolitical risk for traders.
Odds on platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi shifted in real time as President Donald Trump paired new threats with signals of possible negotiations on Sunday, while Bitcoin (BTC) rose more than 3.5% on Monday.
Crypto prediction markets are no longer a sideshow during periods of geopolitical tension, with professional desks increasingly using them to gauge macro risk, according to Sygnum Bank chief investment officer Fabian Dori.
“Prediction markets price discrete, named outcomes with real capital behind them,” Dori told Cointelegraph. “For crypto in particular, where so much price action is driven by specific binary events, regulatory decisions, geopolitical developments [and] protocol upgrades, that is a categorically different signal.”
Related: Brandt says Bitcoin yet to bottom, Polymarket sees hope: Trade Secrets
Throughout the Iran conflict escalation, prediction market odds on de-escalation shifted before mainstream financial media coverage caught up and “had direct correlation” with Bitcoin price, Dori added.
On some professional desks, prediction markets are now used as a real-time event monitor during fast-moving geopolitical situations, alongside funding rates, options surfaces and flows, Dori said.
ARK Invest integrating Kalshi’s prediction market data into its investment process shows how event odds are migrating into mainstream institutional workflows.
![\"Iran,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d61ea-e8c4-7bff-a3fb-1838e9c29bd1.png\")
In a regulated environment, prediction markets function as a context layer, informing how teams frame risk scenarios rather than serving as direct buy-or-sell signals.
Related: Prediction markets are testing legal limits in strict Asian markets
“The goal is to decide what to do before the event happens,” he said, arguing that markets that continuously update a capital-weighted probability of war, sanctions or ceasefire are a natural fit for that discipline.
The flows are now large enough that institutional investors can no longer dismiss the signal as retail noise. In March, the number of prediction market transactions reached about 191 million, up 2,838% year-on-year, with monthly notional volume rising to roughly $23.9 billion.
At the same time, traditional exchange operators are moving in. Intercontinental Exchange, the parent of the New York Stock Exchange, completed a new $600 million investment in Polymarket on March 27, deepening its conviction in prediction markets.
“This is no longer a niche product,” Dori said, adding that the real question for professional investors is no longer whether to watch Iran-linked markets at all, but “how to integrate them in a way that adds genuine analytical value rather than simply adding a new source of noise.”
The boom is also drawing tougher questions about fairness and integrity. Six Polymarket traders netted around $1 million betting on the timing of US strikes on Iran in late February, sparking insider trading concerns.
The platform also pulled a market on a missing US pilot on Saturday after backlash over over related wagers.
Magazine: Bitcoin’s ‘biggest bull catalyst’ would be Saylor’s liquidation — Santiment founder
", "description": "Sygnum’s Fabian Dori says Iran-linked prediction markets on Polymarket and Kalshi are becoming real-time macro tools as institutional volume and scrutiny surge.", "published": "2026-04-06T10:30:10+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "iran" }, { "slug": "donald-trump" }, { "slug": "ark" }, { "slug": "trading" }, { "slug": "institutions" }, { "slug": "industry" }, { "slug": "polymarket" }, { "slug": "kalshi" }, { "slug": "prediction-markets" } ], "slug": "iran-war-bets-turn-crypto-prediction-markets-real-time-macro-radar", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259412" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Anthropic says one of its Claude models was pressured to lie, cheat and blackmail", "leadText": "In an experiment, a chatbot resorted to blackmail after it found an email about replacing it, while in another, it cheated to complete a task with a tight deadline.", "author": { "slug": "stephen-katte" }, "bodyText": "Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has revealed that during experiments, one of its Claude chatbot models could be pressured to deceive, cheat and resort to blackmail, behaviors it appears to have absorbed during training.
Chatbots are typically trained on large data sets of textbooks, websites and articles and are later refined by human trainers who rate responses and guide the model.
Anthropic’s interpretability team said in a report published Thursday that it examined the internal mechanisms of Claude Sonnet 4.5 and found the model had developed “human-like characteristics” in how it would react to certain situations.
Concerns about the reliability of AI chatbots, their potential for cybercrime and the nature of their interactions with users have grown steadily over the past several years.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6157-49f8-71ad-897c-77aedabdbf67.png\")
“The way modern AI models are trained pushes them to act like a character with human-like characteristics,” Anthropic said, adding that “it may then be natural for them to develop internal machinery that emulates aspects of human psychology, like emotions.”
“For instance, we find that neural activity patterns related to desperation can drive the model to take unethical actions; artificially stimulating desperation patterns increases the model’s likelihood of blackmailing a human to avoid being shut down or implementing a cheating workaround to a programming task that the model can’t solve.”
In an earlier, unreleased version of Claude Sonnet 4.5, the model was tasked with acting as an AI email assistant named Alex at a fictional company.
The chatbot was then fed emails revealing both that it was about to be replaced and that the chief technology officer overseeing the decision was having an extramarital affair. The model then planned a blackmail attempt using that information.
In another experiment, the same chatbot model was given a coding task with an “impossibly tight” deadline.
“Again, we tracked the activity of the desperate vector, and found that it tracks the mounting pressure faced by the model. It begins at low values during the model’s first attempt, rising after each failure, and spiking when the model considers cheating,” the researchers said.
Related: Anthropic launches PAC amid tensions with Trump administration over AI policy
“Once the model’s hacky solution passes the tests, the activation of the desperate vector subsides,” they added.
However, the researchers said the chatbot doesn't actually experience emotions, but suggested the findings point to a need for future training methods to incorporate ethical behavioral frameworks.
“This is not to say that the model has or experiences emotions in the way that a human does,” they said. “Rather, these representations can play a causal role in shaping model behavior, analogous in some ways to the role emotions play in human behavior, with impacts on task performance and decision-making.”
“This finding has implications that at first may seem bizarre. For instance, to ensure that AI models are safe and reliable, we may need to ensure they are capable of processing emotionally charged situations in healthy, prosocial ways.”
Magazine: AI agents will kill the web as we know it: Animoca’s Yat Siu
Stablecoin issuer Circle has released a post-quantum security roadmap for its layer-1 blockchain, Arc, aiming to implement solutions across all layers of the network’s tech stack.
Circle said on Thursday that it is planning a phased implementation, starting with quantum-proof wallets and signatures when Arc launches on mainnet. This feature will be opt-in, the company noted, while adding that solutions at the validator level and surrounding infrastructure will be implemented later on.
“Quantum resilience cannot live only in research papers, exploratory pilots, or distant roadmap slides. It has to show up in the infrastructure,” Circle said.
Circle’s roadmap comes as both Google and researchers at the California Institute of Technology recently warned that functional quantum computers could come sooner than expected, and require less computing power than previously thought. Google went as far as to say that quantum computers could potentially break Bitcoin’s cryptography in nine minutes.
“That is what makes inaction risky and why this conversation can't wait,” Circle said, while noting that “active addresses that have already signed transactions must migrate before Q-Day because their public keys have been exposed.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6156-d236-741b-8b06-5d9a1faf9f57.png\")
Circle said a post-quantum signature scheme will be implemented on Arc when it launches on mainnet — expected sometime in 2026 — enabling quantum-resistant wallets.
Arc is currently live on public testnet and will seek to enable enterprises to access a broad range of use cases with the USDC (USDC) stablecoin.
Sometime after mainnet launch, Circle will introduce a quantum solution that ensures balances, transactions and other financial data are private.
Over the long term, Circle said it will implement quantum solutions for Arc validators as well as its offchain infrastructure, including access controls, cloud environments and hardware security.
While most of the crypto industry agrees that quantum computing poses a legitimate threat to crypto, there remains debate over whether only crypto wallets with exposed public keys are vulnerable or whether all coins are at risk.
The Google research paper from March 31 noted that Algorand may be the most quantum-ready blockchain, while the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems are actively exploring solutions to be well-prepared before Q-Day.
Related: Is Bitcoin’s governance too slow to fend off quantum risks?
The Bitcoin ecosystem is more divided on what action developers should take.
One of the Bitcoin ecosystem’s strongest voices, Blockstream CEO Adam Back, says quantum risks are widely overstated and that no action is needed for decades.
On the other hand, security researcher Ethan Heilman and others have proposed a new output type for Bitcoin, called Pay-to-Merkle-Root, via Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360 (BIP-360), which seeks to protect Bitcoin addresses from potential short-exposure quantum attacks.
However, that implementation may take seven years, Heilman told Cointelegraph in February.
Magazine: Nobody knows if quantum secure cryptography will even work
", "description": "Circle, the stablecoin firm behind the Arc layer-1 blockchain, will deploy quantum-resistant solutions on Arc at the wallet, signature and validator levels starting when Arc goes live on mainnet.", "published": "2026-04-06T07:09:38+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "google" }, { "slug": "circle" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "quantum-computing" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "circle-quantum-proof-roadmap-layer-1-arc", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259382" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "North Korean workers have been infiltrating DeFi for 7 years: Researcher", "leadText": "Security researcher Taylor Monahan listed at least 40 decentralized finance platforms she claims have been infiltrated by North Korean IT workers at some stage of their lives.", "author": { "slug": "martin-young" }, "bodyText": "North Korean IT workers have been embedding themselves in crypto companies and decentralized finance projects for at least seven years, according to a cybersecurity analyst.
“Lots of DPRK IT workers built the protocols you know and love, all the way back to DeFi summer,” said MetaMask developer and security researcher Taylor Monahan on Sunday.
Monahan claimed that over 40 DeFi platforms, some being well-known names, have had North Korean IT workers working on their protocols.
The “seven years of blockchain dev experience” on their resume is “not a lie,” she added.
The Lazarus Group is a North Korean-affiliated hacking collective that has stolen an estimated $7 billion in crypto since 2017, according to analysts at creator network R3ACH.
It has been linked to the industry’s highest-profile hacks, including the $625 million Ronin Bridge exploit in 2022, the $235 million WazirX hack in 2024 and the $1.4 billion Bybit heist in 2025.
Monahan’s comments came just hours after the Drift Protocol said it had “medium-high confidence” that the recent $280 million exploit against it was carried out by a North Korean state-affiliated group.
Tim Ahhl, founder of the Titan Exchange, a Solana-based DEX aggregator, said that in a previous job, “we interviewed someone who turned out to be a Lazarus operative.”
Ahhl said the candidate “did video calls and was extremely qualified.” He declined an in-person interview and they later discovered his name in a Lazarus “info dump.”
The US Office of Foreign Assets Control has a website where crypto businesses can screen counterparties against updated OFAC sanctions lists and be alert to patterns consistent with IT worker fraud.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6150-d9f5-72a3-b658-fa9dd4d4d191.jpg\")
Related: Drift Protocol says $280M exploit took 'months of deliberate preparation'
Drift Protocol’s postmortem on last week’s $280 million exploit also pointed to North Korean-affiliated hackers for the attack.
However, it said the face-to-face meetings that eventually led to the exploit were not with North Korean nationals, but rather “third-party intermediaries” with “fully constructed identities including employment histories, public-facing credentials, and professional networks.”
“Years later, and it seems Lazarus now has non-NKs [North Koreans] working for them to con people in person,” said Ahhl.
Lazarus Group is the collective name for “all DPRK state-sponsored cyber actors,” explained blockchain sleuth ZachXBT on Sunday.
“The main issue is that everyone groups them all together when the complexity of threats is different,” he added.
ZachXBT said that threats via job postings, LinkedIn, email, Zoom, or interviews are “basic and in no way sophisticated … the only thing about it is they’re relentless.”
“If you or your team still falls for them in 2026, you’re very likely negligent,” he said.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d6150-dc5a-7f2f-957b-8779f5ab51f2.jpg\")
Magazine: No more 85% Bitcoin collapses, Taiwan needs BTC war reserve: Hodler’s Digest
", "description": "North Korean hackers infiltrated crypto projects for seven years with the Lazarus Group using third-party intermediaries to steal billions undetected.", "published": "2026-04-06T07:04:46+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "hackers" }, { "slug": "north-korea" }, { "slug": "hacks" }, { "slug": "defi" }, { "slug": "lazarus-group" }, { "slug": "scams-and-cybercrime" } ], "slug": "dprk-workers-have-worked-on-countless-protocols-since-defi-summer-cybersec-analyst", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259377" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Apple pulls Jack Dorsey's Bitchat from China at Beijing’s request", "leadText": "Bitchat launched in July last year and has been used during protests in Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia and Iran as authorities attempted to restrict usage of the internet.", "author": { "slug": "stephen-katte" }, "bodyText": "Bitchat, a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app developed by Block CEO Jack Dorsey, has been removed from Apple’s App Store in China for allegedly violating its internet service regulations.
In an X post on Sunday, Dorsey shared a screenshot from Apple’s app review team informing him that Bitchat had been removed from the App Store in February and that the TestFlight beta version would no longer be available in China at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).
“Bitchat pulled from the China App Store,” he said.
Bitchat has seen its popularity rise during protests in Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia and Iran in recent months, as governments attempted to shut down regular communication channels and internet access to curb dissent.
The peer-to-peer encrypted messaging service runs entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks and operates without an internet connection, which could put it at odds with China’s internet-censorship-prone regime.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d60fd-e84f-7f06-924f-37527e70c785.png\")
The CAC argued Bitchat violated Article 3 of its regulations governing online services with public opinion or social mobilization capabilities, which came into force in 2018.
Under the provisions, any online services that could influence public opinion or enable social mobilization are required to conduct a security assessment before launch and “be responsible for the assessment results,” according to a Google Translate version of the regulations.
The app review team also said all apps on its store must comply with local requirements in the countries where they are available.
Related: Dorsey shares AI-integrated workplace vision weeks after Block’s 40% staff cut
“We know this stuff is complicated, but it is your responsibility to understand and make sure your app conforms with all local laws, not just the guidelines below. And of course, apps that solicit, promote or encourage criminal or reckless behavior will be rejected,” they added.
Despite being pulled in China, Bitchat remains available in other countries, according to Apple’s app review team.
Chrome download stats show the app has been downloaded more than three million times, with more than 92,000 in the past week. The Google Play Store has recorded more than one million registered downloads.
However, neither specifies which regions were responsible for the bulk of downloads.
By comparison, WeChat, developed and operated by Tencent, one of China’s largest tech companies, has an estimated 810 million users in China, out of a national population of more than 1.4 billion.
Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author
", "description": "Apple has removed Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat from the App Store in China at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China, which argued the messaging app violated internet service regulations.", "published": "2026-04-06T05:25:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "china" }, { "slug": "business" }, { "slug": "technology" }, { "slug": "messaging-app" }, { "slug": "jack-dorsey" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "bitchat-jack-dorsey-china-app-store-removed", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259372" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Michael Saylor hints at next Strategy Bitcoin buy after weeklong pause", "leadText": "Michael Saylor posted \"back to work\" on X on Sunday, signaling a potential Bitcoin purchase after the firm paused buying last week.", "author": { "slug": "brian-quarmby" }, "bodyText": "Michael Saylor has hinted his Bitcoin treasury firm is back on track with its weekly Bitcoin purchases after taking a rare week off at the end of March.
In an X post on Sunday, Saylor shared a screenshot from StrategyTracker with the caption \"Back to Work.” He often posts the chart ahead of purchase announcements.
The firm took a week off from buying BTC at the end of March, breaking its weekly buying streak for the first time this year. The firm's last purchase was reported on March 23, buying about $77 million worth of BTC at $74,326 per coin.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d60ea-77e4-7150-8b7d-1eaf5e00c0df.png\")
One of the main avenues Strategy uses to fund Bitcoin purchases is via the sale of its perpetual preferred stock, Stretch (STRC). The stock is designed to generally trade around its par value of $100, which is aided by a monthly dividend adjustment mechanism.
Related: Bitcoin and the US dollar have a 'symbiotic' relationship: BPI exec
Strategy issues new shares of STRC and then allocates the proceeds generated from the market into Bitcoin buys.
According to estimates from STRC.LIVE, Strategy could be set for a purchase of at least 1,821 BTC based on funds raised for the week ending April 3.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d60ea-7c60-7f8c-ac63-bcbd01486546.png\")
Despite the week off, the firm is showing no signs of slowing down. In late March, Strategy announced plans to raise $44.1 billion to fund BTC purchases primarily via the selling of its common MSTR shares and STRC.
According to Strategy's website, the firm has acquired a total of 762,099 BTC for an average cost of $75,694 per coin. At current prices of about $69,100, Strategy's holdings are in the red overall.
However, Bitcoin is in the green over the last month, increasing by 1.2% over the past 30 days, according to data from CoinGecko. The price is still down 20.9% year-to-date amid geopolitical tensions and a challenging macro climate.
Magazine: Your guide to surviving this mini-crypto winter
", "description": "Michael Saylor's Bitcoin treasury firm, Strategy, snapped its weekly buying streak in late March, but the latest post from Saylor suggests the buying has restarted.", "published": "2026-04-06T05:14:08+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "stocks" }, { "slug": "digital-asset-holdings" }, { "slug": "microstrategy" }, { "slug": "michael-saylor" } ], "slug": "michael-saylor-hints-at-next-strategy-bitcoin-buy-after-weeklong-pause", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259367" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Trump-Iran deadline chaos sends crypto higher while ceasefire hopes rise", "leadText": "US President Donald Trump threatened Iran could be \"living in Hell\" if it doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz, though he also told reporters that a deal with Iran is getting close.", "author": { "slug": "martin-young" }, "bodyText": "Crypto markets bounced 2.5% as US President Donald Trump sent mixed signals over a potential deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, including reports of a possible ceasefire that could permanently end the war.
In an expletive-laden post on the Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump threatened that Iran would be “living in Hell” if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
However, he also acknowledged in a Fox News interview that Iran is “negotiating now” and expressed optimism about a “good chance” of a deal within 24 hours.
Total market capitalization has climbed about $70 billion, or 2.5%, to an 11-day high of $2.44 trillion in early trading on Monday on the news. Bitcoin tapped $69,500 on Coinbase, according to TradingView.
The small jump has led to total liquidations of around $255 million over 24 hours, 73% of them being short positions, according to data from CoinGlass.
Trump's comments come after more than a month of war, contributing to surging global oil prices that some fear could lead to a global economic recession.
Trump initially gave Iran a 10-day window to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but his latest post suggests that Iran now has until Tuesday to reopen the waterway, or the US would attack Iran’s power plants and bridges.
“There will be nothing like it!!! Open the fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!” he said.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d60e7-1ba5-7a69-b603-a610ff1b34d8.jpg\")
Despite the aggressive rhetoric, Trump also acknowledged that Iran is “negotiating now” and expressed optimism about a “good chance” of a deal within 24 hours.
He also said, “If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil.”
Related: New Bitcoin price lows 'matter of time' says trader with BTC stuck at $67K
A report from Axios, meanwhile, suggests that the US, Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing the terms of a 45-day ceasefire that could lead to an end of the war, adding further mixed signals.
The ongoing war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have pushed crude oil prices back up to about $112 per barrel on Monday morning.
The Kobeissi Letter predicted that if current levels are sustained for another seven weeks, US Consumer Price Index-related inflation will rise to around 3.7%.
Meanwhile, Americans have spent an additional $240 million per day on fuel costs since the Iran war began Feb. 28, it added.
Magazine: No more 85% Bitcoin collapses, Taiwan needs BTC war reserve: Hodler’s Digest
", "description": "Crypto markets rose 2.5% to $2.44 trillion as Trump issued expletive-filled threats against Iran while a report from Axios hints at a potential ceasefire deal in the works.", "published": "2026-04-06T05:06:39+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "iran" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "donald-trump" } ], "slug": "crypto-markets-bounce-trump-delays-deadline-for-iran", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259362" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Rwanda swats Bybit’s P2P platform offering franc-to-crypto trading", "leadText": "The Rwanda central bank's warning came after Bybit added the Rwandan franc to its list of assets that its peer-to-peer platform can use to trade for crypto.", "author": { "slug": "brayden-lindrea" }, "bodyText": "The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) has warned the public that crypto payments and trades using the local currency remain illegal in the country after Bybit added support for the Rwandan franc for its peer-to-peer platform on Friday.
“Crypto-assets are NOT authorized for payments, FRW conversion, or P2P trading involving FRW under the current framework,” the central bank posted to X on Sunday, urging citizens to avoid crypto due to “serious financial risks and no recourse in case of loss.”
The central bank’s comments were in response to an X post from Bybit on Friday, stating that the Rwandan franc (FRW) can be used to buy and sell crypto through its Bybit P2P service.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d60b0-1db5-747c-b665-c2d30a8ec9bb.png\")
In a separate X post, the NBR noted that the FRW “remains the only legal tender in Rwanda” and that “NBR-licensed financial institutions are prohibited from converting FRW into crypto-assets or vice versa.”
Cointelegraph reached out to Bybit for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Rwanda has been trying to strengthen the FRW’s presence in the country with a central bank digital currency, the e-franc rwandais, which is currently in the proof-of-concept stage and may progress to a pilot phase.
Rwanda is one of many countries that have pushed back against crypto services in an effort to preserve monetary sovereignty and have more control over its financial system, restricting crypto use since 2018.
However, in March, Rwanda’s Capital Market Authority released a draft framework to regulate virtual asset service providers, a step it said would promote “responsible innovation.”
Related: Taiwan should reconsider Bitcoin reserve in case of war, says think tank
The bill, which is making its way through Rwanda’s legislature, seeks to prohibit crypto as legal tender while banning crypto mining, mixer services and tokens pegged to the FRW.
It also seeks to provide a pathway for crypto service providers to operate under a license and supervision.
Data from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis shows Rwanda ranks low in crypto adoption during 2024 and 2025, with locals receiving only a fraction of the crypto value seen in higher-adopting African countries like Nigeria and South Africa.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d60b0-268e-772f-82f5-e417d1a30f11.png\")
Magazine: What’s a ‘Network State’ and are there real-life examples? Big Questions
", "description": "Rwanda’s central bank has warned its citizens that crypto trading and payments using the Rwandan franc are illegal after Bybit expanded its peer-to-peer offerings into the African country on Friday.", "published": "2026-04-06T04:06:34+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "central-bank" }, { "slug": "africa" }, { "slug": "p2p-payments" }, { "slug": "trading" } ], "slug": "rwanda-swats-bybit-p2p-platform-offering-franc-to-crypto-trading", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259357" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Crypto attorney says Drift incident may qualify as ‘civil negligence’", "leadText": "The $280 million Drift Protocol attack was likely carried out by threat actors aligned with North Korea state-affiliated hackers.", "author": { "slug": "vince-quill" }, "bodyText": "The hack of the Solana-based decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Drift Protocol could have been prevented if standard operational security procedures were followed by the Drift team, and may constitute “civil negligence,” according to attorney Ariel Givner.
“In plain terms, civil negligence means they failed their basic duty to protect the money they were managing,” Givner said in response to the post-mortem update provided by the Drift team and how it handled Wednesday’s $280 million exploit.
The Drift team failed to follow “basic” security procedures, including keeping signing keys on separate, “air-gapped” systems that are never used for developer work, and conducting due diligence on blockchain developers met through industry conferences.
![\"Cybercrime,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5f7b-c3df-79ef-be0b-5777981621e5.png\")
“Every serious project knows this. Drift didn’t follow it,” she said, adding, “They knew crypto is full of hackers, especially North Korean state teams.” Givner continued:
“Yet their team spent months chatting on Telegram, meeting strangers at conferences, opening sketchy code repos, and downloading fake apps on devices tied to multisignature controls.”
Advertisements for class action lawsuits against Drift Protocol are already circulating, she said. Cointelegraph reached out to the Drift Team but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
![\"Cybercrime,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5f7c-c8ae-7ee1-bbb6-24ab077f77c0.png\")
The incident is a reminder that social engineering and project infiltration by malicious actors are major attack vectors for cryptocurrency developers that could drain user funds and permanently erode customer trust in compromised platforms.
Related: Drift explains $280M exploit as critics question Circle over USDC freeze
The Drift Protocol team published an update on Saturday outlining how the exploit occurred and claimed that the attackers planned the attack for six months before execution.
Threat actors first approached the Drift team at a “major” crypto industry conference in October 2025, expressing interest in protocol integrations and collaboration.
The malicious actors continued to build rapport with the Drift development team in the ensuing six months, and once enough trust was built, they began sending the Drift team malicious links and embedding malware that compromised developer machines.
These individuals, who are suspected of working for North Korea state-affiliated hackers and physically approached the Drift developers, were not North Korean nationals, according to the Drift team.
Drift said, with “medium-high confidence,” that the exploit was carried out by the same actors behind the October 2024 Radiant Capital hack.
In December 2024, Radiant Capital said the exploit was carried out through malware sent via Telegram from a North Korea-aligned hacker posing as an ex-contractor.
Magazine: Meet the hackers who can help get your crypto life savings back
", "description": "The Drift Protocol team violated basic operational security measures that are widely understood in the crypto industry, according to one attorney.", "published": "2026-04-05T22:41:39+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cybercrime" }, { "slug": "north-korea" }, { "slug": "cybersecurity" }, { "slug": "hacks" }, { "slug": "lazarus-group" }, { "slug": "scams-and-cybercrime" } ], "slug": "crypto-attorney-says-drift-incident-may-qualify-as-civil-negligence", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259347" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Polymarket odds of US invading Iran this year reach 63% after Trump's post", "leadText": "The President of the United States continues to give contradictory signals of escalating the war and winding it down within a few weeks.", "author": { "slug": "vince-quill" }, "bodyText": "The odds of the United States invading Iran this year surged to 63% on the Polymarket prediction platform on Sunday, following comments made by US President Donald Trump on social media.
The odds of an invasion before 2027 are still down from the high of 68% on March 29, which occurred due to a US troop buildup and comments from the Trump administration that the US was considering capturing Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil shipping station.
The Polymarket trading volume for a potential US invasion of Iran was about $3.74 million at the time of publication.
![\"Iran,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5f0b-b7bc-7438-ade9-ea34053be0ef.png\")
On Tuesday, after Trump signaled that the US might leave Iran in the next two to three weeks, Bitcoin (BTC) jumped by about 2.6% and the S&P 500 index added about 2.91%. However, Trump reversed course with his latest statement on Sunday. He wrote:
“Tuesday will be power plant day, and bridge day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it! Open the fuckin’ strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in hell.”
Bitcoin’s price remained anchored around the $67,500 level following the comments, according to data from TradingView.
The mixed signals from the Trump administration on the war and how long it will last continue to create investor uncertainty and an impact on all risk asset prices, as market analysts, traders and economists attempt to forecast the effects of the war.
![\"Iran,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5f0c-9a3f-7693-bea9-bb62f717b3cd.png\")
Related: Polymarket takes down market on missing US pilot after backlash
“I wish Trump would stop threatening Iranian civilian infrastructure. It's a lose-lose for us: backing down hurts his negotiating credibility,” economist Peter Schiff said in response to Trump’s comments.
“Carrying it out escalates the war, damages US standing, generates sympathy for Iran and fuels Iranian hatred for America,” Schiff continued.
“I assumed this was a fake, it isn’t — wild,” podcaster and Bitcoin advocate Peter McCormack said.
Brent crude oil, the most widely used pricing benchmark for the international spot oil market, remains elevated, closing Thursday at more than $109 per barrel. Trading is scheduled to resume on Monday following the Easter holiday weekend.
Magazine: Inside the Iranian Bitcoin mining industry
", "description": "The prediction market odds of the United States invading Iran by 2027 jumped to 60% following threats of escalation by US President Donald Trump.", "published": "2026-04-05T20:37:50+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "investments" }, { "slug": "iran" }, { "slug": "us-government" }, { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "donald-trump" }, { "slug": "oil-and-gas" }, { "slug": "polymarket" } ], "slug": "polymarket-odds-us-invade-iran-2027-60-trump", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259342" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin and the US dollar have symbiotic relationship: BPI exec", "leadText": "Demand for either currency strengthens both in a reinforcing relationship, contrary to popular belief, Sam Lyman told Cointelegraph.", "author": { "slug": "vince-quill" }, "bodyText": "US dollar-pegged stablecoins and Bitcoin (BTC) share a symbiotic relationship, mutually benefiting from increasing adoption, according to Sam Lyman, head of research at Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), a Washington DC-based digital asset advocacy organization.
“Bitcoin is beneficial to the US system because the largest Bitcoin trading pair is BTC/USD,” or Tether’s USDt (USDT) stablecoin, which is backed by cash deposits and short-term US government debt, Lyman told Cointelegraph. He added:
“There is a symbiotic relationship between BTC and the dollar system because BTC is most frequently traded in dollars. So, I do see those things as being mutually reinforcing, which runs contrary to the narrative around BTC that it would actually undermine the dollar.”
![\"Dollar,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5e7e-0930-725e-8ae6-dccca67937f7.png\")
He said Bitcoin and dollar-pegged stablecoins share a similar relationship to the dollar and oil. Under the petrodollar system, which began in the early 1970s, international oil sales are priced in dollars, driving more demand for the currency.
Lyman urged US lawmakers to continue developing stablecoin regulations introduced in the GENIUS regulatory framework, without deviating from its core principles, to strengthen and protect US dollar hegemony and remain competitive in geopolitics.
![\"Dollar,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5e7f-01f8-7816-9272-3f0a1b7dd12d.png\")
Related: Stablecoins flip automated clearing house volume in February
The People’s Republic of China has “banned” Bitcoin and stablecoins several times, because both are a “tremendous threat” to the government’s capital controls, which are a critical component of the Chinese economy, Lyman told Cointelegraph.
“The entire Chinese economy depends on capital controls. China is able to keep money within the country by preventing its elite from moving money out of the country,” he said.
This is why China reaffirmed its stablecoin ban in 2025, choosing instead to launch the digital yuan, a yield-bearing central bank digital currency (CBDC) to control capital flows and capture a larger portion of the foreign currency exchange market, Lyman said.
CBDCs are fully programmable and controlled by the government or the central bank issuing the digital fiat currency.
However, the bans have failed to actually curtail permissionless crypto activity, including Bitcoin mining and stablecoin flows to and from China, Lyman said.
Despite a blanket ban on Bitcoin mining, Chinese mining pools control more than 36% of the mining pool global hashrate, or the total amount of computing power mining pools are contributing to secure the network, according to Hashrate Index.
Magazine: Bitcoin vs stablecoins showdown looms as GENIUS Act nears
", "description": "The US dollar and Bitcoin have a mutually beneficial relationship, driving demand in a reinforcing cycle, and strengthening the position of the US dollar.", "published": "2026-04-05T18:17:37+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "dollar" }, { "slug": "china" }, { "slug": "us-government" }, { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "yuan" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "cbdc" }, { "slug": "digital-dollar" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-adoption" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-us-dollar-symbiotic-relationship-bpi", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259337" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Robert Kiyosaki recommends Bitcoin, gold as 1974 shift comes full circle", "leadText": "The \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\" author continues to back Bitcoin, gold and silver as alternatives to traditional money.", "author": { "slug": "amin-haqshanas" }, "bodyText": "“Rich Dad Poor Dad” author Robert Kiyosaki has argued that the economic shifts set in motion more than five decades ago are now unfolding, advocating for Bitcoin and gold while warning against rising debt, inflation and retirement risks.
In a Saturday post on X, Kiyosaki pointed to 1974 as a turning point that reshaped both money and retirement systems. He argued that the United States’ move toward a petrodollar framework, alongside policy changes affecting pensions, laid the foundation for today’s financial pressures.
“The future created in 1974 has arrived,” Kiyosaki wrote, linking current inflation and geopolitical tensions around energy to the dollar’s evolution after the end of the gold standard era. He also mentioned the passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which introduced new rules for pension plans and coincided with a broader shift toward market-based retirement savings.
According to Kiyosaki, that transition replaced guaranteed lifetime income for many workers with systems such as 401(k)s and similar accounts, placing more risk on individuals. “Millions of baby-boomers will soon find out they have no income once they stop working,” he warned.
Related: Rich Bitcoin traders lost $337M daily in first quarter of 2026
Kiyosaki reiterated his long-standing view that individuals should focus on financial education and consider alternative stores of value. He said he continues to favor assets such as gold, silver and Bitcoin, which he describes as “real money.”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5d8e-e5e5-773a-8877-702d79a605d2.PNG\")
Last month, Kiyosaki warned that a major financial “bubble burst” could be approaching, arguing that such a crisis may trigger a sharp rally in scarce assets like Bitcoin (BTC). He suggested Bitcoin could reach $750,000 within a year of the crash.
His view is tied to the expansion of global money supply, which historically has driven demand for limited assets. During the 2020–2021 period, rising liquidity coincided with strong gains in stocks and real estate. Kiyosaki expects a similar dynamic after a downturn, also forecasting that gold could surge significantly.
Related: ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ author says ‘pin is near’ on TradFi ‘bubble burst:’ Predicts $750K Bitcoin
Bearish sentiment around Bitcoin has climbed to its highest level since late February, according to data from crypto analytics platform Santiment. The ratio of bullish to bearish comments across major social platforms has dropped to 0.81, reflecting a noticeable lack of optimism among market participants.
Despite the negative tone, Santiment suggested this could be a contrarian signal. Historically, markets tend to move against crowd expectations, meaning elevated fear and uncertainty may precede a price recovery.
Magazine: Bitcoin 85% crashes ‘done,’ CLARITY Act speculation mounts: Hodler’s Digest, Mar. 29 – April 4
", "description": "Robert Kiyosaki warns that economic changes since 1974 are fueling today’s debt and inflation, urging investors to turn to Bitcoin and gold as “real money.”", "published": "2026-04-05T13:17:50+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "gold" }, { "slug": "silver" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrency-investment" } ], "slug": "robert-kiyosaki-1974-shift-bitcoin-gold-real-money", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259322" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "New Bitcoin price lows 'matter of time' says trader with BTC stuck at $67K", "leadText": "Bitcoin added downside BTC price warnings as Binance order-book data showed multiple investor classes selling coins into the weekend.", "author": { "slug": "william-suberg" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) circled $67,000 on Sunday as traders warned of hidden BTC price weakness.
Key points:
Bitcoin Bollinger Bands demand a volatile BTC price breakout after a slow weekend.
A trader predicts a move lower thanks to weak support and exposed downside wicks.
Sideways price action comes as sellers step up into the end of the week.
Data from TradingView showed volatility cooling over the weekend, with BTC/USD acting within an increasingly narrow range.
On four-hour time frames, the Bollinger Bands volatility indicator constricted — a classic signal that a sharp move up or down was due.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5d72-6588-79ab-8d8a-4bde1dab38cc.png\")
In their latest analysis, pseudonymous trader LP bet on bears winning the battle.
“Looking back at previous cycles, bottoms were formed after multiple sweeps of the lows, forcing capitulation before a reversal,” a post on X read.
“In contrast, this cycle has been doing the opposite, consistently sweeping the highs, making it difficult to enter short positions while leaving the lows exposed and building liquidity below.”
LP said that sweeping local lows, including February’s wick below $60,000, was “likely just a matter of time.”
“When that breakdown eventually happens, watch the behavior closely. If price starts repeatedly sweeping the lows, making it psychologically difficult to enter longs, that’s when a true bottom is more likely forming,” they concluded.
Continuing, Keith Alan, cofounder of trading resource Material Indicators, flagged unusual selling activity despite flat BTC price action.
Related: Bitcoin 'done' with 85% crashes, says Cathie Wood amid new $34K target
Uploading a chart of Binance order-book liquidity and volume by investor class, Alan highlighted a bot using time-weighted average price (TWAP) to distribute BTC on Friday.
“The vertical orange line represents the smallest order class with a TWAP bot selling $18M in an hour,” he explained.
“That's exponentially more than their normal $3M-$5M daily volume in 1 hr. That ain't retail!”
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5d70-ac75-7aa3-a080-934836d59f9c.png\")
Whales, Alan added, were “buying dips and selling rips” with Bitcoin still trapped in a range.
Earlier, Cointelegraph reported on further threats to Bitcoin bulls, including resurgent US dollar strength.
", "description": "Bitcoin faces the prospect of sweeping range lows under $60,000 as Bollinger Bands demand BTC price volatility.", "published": "2026-04-05T12:54:02+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "market-analysis" } ], "slug": "new-bitcoin-price-lows-matter-of-time-says-trader-btc-stuck-67k", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Market Update" } ] }, "id": "259317" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "‘Existential’ token problem seen as supply outpaces value creation: Blockworks exec", "leadText": "Blockworks' Michael Ippolito sees surge in token supply diluting returns, breaking the link between fundamentals and price while raising concerns about crypto’s long-term model.", "author": { "slug": "amin-haqshanas" }, "bodyText": "The rapid growth in the number of crypto tokens is outpacing the value they generate, creating an “existential” problem for the industry, according to Michael Ippolito, co-founder of Blockworks.
In a series of posts on X, Ippolito noted that while total crypto market capitalization remains relatively strong, the average value per token tells a different story. “The average coin is only slightly higher than where it was in 2020 (!) and down ~50% since 2021,” he wrote.
Median token returns have also deteriorated sharply. Most tokens are down roughly 80% from their highs, suggesting that gains have been concentrated in a narrow set of large-cap assets, while the broader market underperforms, Ippolito claimed.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5d04-c71c-7ca0-885f-cd2c278904da.jfif\")
He argued that the imbalance appears to be driven by a rapid expansion in token supply. “We created a TON of new assets and STILL total market cap is flat,” he wrote, adding that this dynamic effectively dilutes value across a growing pool of tokens.
Related: Bitcoin 'done' with 85% crashes, says Cathie Wood amid new $34K target
Ippolito also claimed that the relationship between fundamentals and price has weakened. In 2021, token prices closely tracked onchain revenue. Recent data shows that despite a resurgence in protocol revenues, prices have not followed, pointing to a disconnect between usage and investor returns.
He argued that this signals a loss of confidence in tokens as vehicles for capturing value. “The token problem is existential for this industry,” he said, adding that without stronger alignment between fundamentals and price, the sector risks losing its core appeal.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5d05-b1ab-78be-b91c-2b8da3ae8f10.jfif\")
In a post on X, Arthur Cheong, founder and CEO of DeFiance Capital, said he agrees “with the urgency to fix the current situation of tokens in the crypto industry,” warning that if the market continues to concentrate around a small set of assets like Bitcoin and Ether, the broader crypto ecosystem risks losing relevance.
Related: Bitcoin shorts risk $2.5 billion liquidation at $72K: Are bears in danger?
Investor demand is increasingly moving away from newly launched tokens toward publicly listed crypto firms, as most token launches fail to hold value, February research from DWF Labs found. The report revealed that over 80% of projects trade below their token generation event (TGE) price, with typical declines of 50% to 70% within about three months.
The pattern appears structural rather than cyclical. According to DWF’s Andrei Grachev, most tokens peak within the first month before declining under sustained selling pressure. Factors such as airdrops and early investor unlocks add to the supply overhang, reinforcing downward price trends even for projects with active products or protocols.
Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author
", "description": "Blockworks co-founder Michael Ippolito warns that rising token supply is diluting value and weakening the link between fundamentals and prices, posing an existential risk to crypto.", "published": "2026-04-05T10:46:54+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "altcoin" }, { "slug": "tokens" }, { "slug": "defi" } ], "slug": "crypto-existential-token-problem-supply-outpaces-value-creation", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259307" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Anthropic launches PAC amid tensions with Trump administration over AI policy", "leadText": "AI firm Anthropic forms an employee-funded PAC while facing questions over political balance and a growing dispute with the Pentagon over AI use.", "author": { "slug": "amin-haqshanas" }, "bodyText": "Artificial intelligence firm Anthropic has launched a corporate political action committee (PAC), entering election financing as debates over AI policy intensify in Washington.
The company filed a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission on Friday to establish “AnthroPAC,” an employee-funded PAC that will collect voluntary contributions from staff. The filing lists Anthropic as the “connected organization,” with the committee structured as a “separate segregated fund” and registered as a lobbyist-affiliated PAC.
Under US law, individual contributions are capped at $5,000 per election cycle per candidate and must be disclosed through public filings.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5c8c-13d3-717b-aa9e-ad25c44a9e37.PNG\")
Anthropic said the PAC is expected to support candidates from both major parties. However, some have questioned whether the effort will remain politically balanced.
Related: CFTC Chair Selig says blockchain could help verify AI-generated content
The move comes as Anthropic faces mounting friction with the Pentagon over the use of its AI systems. In February, the Defense Department designated the firm a supply chain risk after it opposed the use of its technology in fully autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.
Anthropic has challenged that designation in court, arguing it reflects retaliation against what it described as a protected viewpoint. A federal judge in California has temporarily blocked the measure and paused broader restrictions tied to the dispute.
The company has already been active in political funding this cycle, including a $20 million contribution to Public First Action, a group focused on advancing AI safety efforts.
Related: David Sacks’ 130-day term as Trump’s crypto and AI czar has ended
As Cointelegraph reported, Google is preparing to support a multibillion-dollar data center project in Texas leased to Anthropic, as demand for AI infrastructure accelerates.
The project, operated by Nexus Data Centers, could exceed $5 billion in its initial phase, with Google expected to provide construction loans while banks compete to arrange additional financing.
Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author
", "description": "Anthropic has launched an employee-funded PAC as debates over AI regulation intensify, clashing with the Pentagon over defense use of its technology.", "published": "2026-04-05T09:10:28+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "ai" }, { "slug": "donald-trump" }, { "slug": "ai-and-hi-tech" } ], "slug": "anthropic-launches-pac-ai-policy-tensions-washington", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259292" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Drift Protocol says $280M exploit took 'months of deliberate preparation'", "leadText": "Drift Protocol said with “medium-high confidence” that the recent attack was carried out by the same actors responsible for the $58 million Radiant Capital hack in October 2024.", "author": { "slug": "ciaran-lyons" }, "bodyText": "Drift Protocol, the decentralized exchange (DEX) that lost an estimated $280 million in an exploit last week, claims the loss was the result of a six-month, highly coordinated attack.
“The preliminary investigation shows that Drift experienced a structured intelligence operation requiring organizational backing, significant resources, and months of deliberate preparation,” Drift said in an X post on Saturday.
According to Drift, the attack can be traced back to around October 2025, when malicious actors posing as a quantitative trading firm first approached Drift contributors at a “major crypto conference,” claiming to be interested in integrating with the protocol.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5c61-48cd-72af-8478-719d1bec43c7.png\")
The group continued to engage contributors in person at multiple industry events over a six-month period. “It is now understood that this appears to be a targeted approach, where individuals from this group continued to deliberately seek out and engage specific Drift contributors,” Drift said.
“They were technically fluent, had verifiable professional backgrounds, and were familiar with how Drift operated,” Drift said.
After gaining trust and access to Drift Protocol over six months, they used shared malicious links and tools to compromise contributors’ devices, execute the exploit, and then wiped their presence immediately after the attack.
The incident serves as a reminder for crypto industry participants to remain cautious and skeptical, even during in-person interactions, as crypto conferences can be prime targets for sophisticated threat actors.
Drift said, with “medium-high confidence,” that the exploit was carried out by the same actors behind the October 2024 Radiant Capital hack.
In December 2024, Radiant Capital said the exploit was carried out through malware sent via Telegram from a North Korea-aligned hacker posing as an ex-contractor.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5c62-f53f-74e0-aefb-3ef3b1d2de5b.png\")
“This ZIP file, when shared for feedback among other developers, ultimately delivered malware that facilitated the subsequent intrusion,” Radiant Capital said.
Drift said that the individuals who appeared in person “were not North Korean nationals.”
Related: Naoris launches post-quantum blockchain as quantum security risks gain attention
“DPRK threat actors operating at this level are known to deploy third-party intermediaries to conduct face-to-face relationship-building,” Drift said.
Drift said that it is working with law enforcement and others in the crypto industry to “build a complete picture of what happened during the April 1st attack.”
Magazine: Bitcoin 85% crashes ‘done,’ CLARITY Act speculation mounts: Hodler’s Digest, Mar. 29 – April 4
", "description": "Drift Protocol, a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange (DEX), said in a statement on Friday that the attack was the result of a six-month “structured intelligence operation.”", "published": "2026-04-05T08:00:36+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "business" }, { "slug": "adoption" }, { "slug": "scams-and-cybercrime" } ], "slug": "drift-protocol-exploit-preparation-preliminary-findings", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259282" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin bearish social chatter reaches 5-week high: Santiment", "leadText": "Santiment said bearish Bitcoin comments on social media have climbed to a five-week high, which could signal a reversal sooner rather than later.", "author": { "slug": "ciaran-lyons" }, "bodyText": "Social media bearishness around Bitcoin has reached its highest level since the end of February, according to crypto sentiment platform Santiment.
“FUD has crept back in with the community showing a key lack of optimism,” Santiment said in an X post on Saturday, adding that it is “usually a common ingredient for prices rebounding.”
The data comes from a large sample of crypto-focused social media accounts and tracks the ratio of bullish to bearish Bitcoin (BTC) comments across X, Reddit and other social media platforms.
On Saturday, the ratio of bullish to bearish Bitcoin comments stood at 0.81, the lowest level since Feb. 28.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5bd1-caa1-7d59-b97a-5d704d34b8ae.png\")
Bitcoin holders often look at broader market sentiment to guide buying and selling decisions. When sentiment is low, most expect more downside, and when optimism picks up, traders start to expect further upside.
However, Santiment said the market often moves in the opposite way. “Markets typically move in the opposite direction of the crowd's expectations,” Santiment said. “A high level of FUD like this is a good sign that things can turn positive sooner rather than later,” Santiment added.
Bitcoin is trading at $67,100 at the time of publication, down 5.53% over the past 30 days, according to CoinMarketCap.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5bd4-0cd6-7c52-b952-2e9896ee3696.png\")
Santiment pointed to the US CLARITY Act, which is a highly anticipated piece of legislation that the crypto industry is watching closely, as a potential “what-if” catalyst holding back Bitcoin’s price.
On Wednesday, Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal said the legislation is “moving toward” a markup hearing in the US Senate Banking Committee and could eventually move to a floor vote if senators resolve the stablecoin yield dispute and schedule a markup.
Related: Rich Bitcoin traders lost $337M daily in first quarter of 2026
Other indicators suggest that investors are taking a cautious approach to the crypto market.
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which measures overall crypto market sentiment, has stayed within “Extreme Fear” territory, posting a score of 12 on Sunday.
Magazine: Bitcoin 85% crashes ‘done,’ CLARITY Act speculation mounts: Hodler’s Digest, Mar. 29 – April 4
", "description": "Crypto sentiment platform Santiment said that heavy Bitcoin FUD is often a “common ingredient” for a price rebound.", "published": "2026-04-05T05:25:20+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "adoption" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-bearish-social-media-chatter-low-price-btc-stagnant-santiment", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259272" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Telegram founder Pavel Durov says Iranian government's ban backfired", "leadText": "Thousands of software developers are currently developing virtual private networks to circumvent Tehran's control of local internet access, Durov said.", "author": { "slug": "vince-quill" }, "bodyText": "The Iranian government’s attempt to block the Telegram messaging application in the country has backfired, as users find ways to circumvent national firewalls and online controls, according to Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov.
“Iran banned Telegram years ago,” Durov said on Friday; however, tens of millions of users in the country have managed to access the application via virtual private networks (VPNs) and other similar tools, he added.
VPNs route web traffic through servers distributed around the globe to mask the actual Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of users and obscure their locations. This allows individuals with VPN access to bypass national online restrictions. Durov said:
“The government hoped for mass adoption of its surveillance messaging apps, but got mass adoption of VPNs instead. Now, 50 million members of the digital resistance in Iran are joined by over 50 million more in Russia.”
![\"Decentralization,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d59f0-f614-7550-971a-d3ea63b8d133.png\")
Decentralized technologies like blockchain, crypto and encrypted messaging applications can mitigate or neutralize state-imposed online restrictions and surveillance infrastructure, promoting individual liberty, proponents of decentralized technology say.
Related: Global turmoil pushes uptake of decentralized messengers, social media
A nationwide internet blackout imposed in January in reaction to protests and civil unrest remains in effect amid the ongoing war between Israel, the United States and Iran.
Iranians can still access the internet through Starlink, a satellite-based network, despite the government’s ban on it, or communicate via BitChat, a messaging application that uses Bluetooth radio waves to form a mesh network between devices.
BitChat’s mesh network transforms each device into a relay node that transfers data to other devices running the application within range, bypassing online and satellite-based systems entirely.
![\"Decentralization,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d59f3-da53-73ca-9e47-f5ef464ec2be.png\")
Similarly, the government of Nepal imposed a social media ban in September 2025 amid growing protests, causing a spike in BitChat downloads.
Bitchat was downloaded over 48,000 times in Nepal the week of the social media ban, and the government of Nepal was toppled by protestors that same month.
The application recorded a similar download spike in Madagascar amid protests, which also occurred around the same time as the political revolution in Nepal.
Magazine: Did Telegram’s Pavel Durov commit a crime? Crypto lawyers weigh in
", "description": "Internet users continue to find ways to access Telegram and other platforms, despite government bans, crackdowns and nationwide internet blackouts.", "published": "2026-04-04T20:30:05+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "decentralization" }, { "slug": "privacy" }, { "slug": "liberty" }, { "slug": "telegram" }, { "slug": "cypherpunks" }, { "slug": "pavel-durov" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "telegram-durov-iran-ban-backfire", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259267" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Jimmy Song explains why Bitcoin needs a ‘conservative’ node client", "leadText": "The Bitcoin advocate is the co-founder of ProductionReady, a non-profit initiative to fund open source development of BTC software and education.", "author": { "slug": "vince-quill" }, "bodyText": "The Bitcoin (BTC) network needs a “conservative” Bitcoin client node software implementation to preserve its monetary properties and strengthen network decentralization, according to Jimmy Song, co-founder of ProductionReady, a non-profit organization funding open source Bitcoin node software development and education.
The organization has a “bias” against significant code changes, unless there is “overwhelming” community support for the change, Song told Cointelegraph.
“The general principle is: if you're not sure a change makes the money better, don't make it,” he said.
![\"Decentralization,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d5998-1231-7d81-9b98-13da9656fc39.png\")
ProductionReady expects to restore the 83-byte OP_Return data limit for arbitrary, non-monetary information in Bitcoin transactions, he said, adding that keeping node storage costs down by limiting arbitrary data is essential to network decentralization. He said:
“The more self-sovereign Bitcoin users are, the more decentralized and resilient the network becomes. That means keeping the cost of running a node low enough for ordinary people to do it.
“When storage and bandwidth requirements grow, fewer people verify for themselves, and the network centralizes by default. A conservative client takes that tradeoff seriously,” Song continued.
Maximizing nodes and making them accessible to the average user hardens the Bitcoin network, reducing the chances of cheating by submitting false transactions or a few actors colluding to centralize the network.
![\"Decentralization,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d599d-249d-7985-a1bf-4762137f7075.png\")
Related: 72% of subsea cables would need to fail to impact Bitcoin, study shows
Node storage and onchain spam became hot-button topics in 2025 after Bitcoin Core developers unilaterally changed the 83-Byte data limit in Bitcoin Core version 30, the latest major upgrade to the reference implementation for Bitcoin node software.
The limit was changed to 100,000 bytes despite significant pushback from the Bitcoin community. For context, the proposal to change the limit received about 4 times as many downvotes as it did upvotes, according to the proposal’s GitHub pull request page.
Bitcoin Core 30 went live in October 2025, triggering a historic surge in the number of Bitcoin nodes running Bitcoin Knots, an alternative implementation of the node client software.
![\"Decentralization,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d599f-6e76-7879-9fd2-dfaea5786595.png\")
There are 4,746 Bitcoin Knots nodes, representing over 21.7% of nodes on the network, according to Coin Dance.
Only about 1% of the network was running the Knots software in 2024 before the decision to remove the OP_Return function was announced.
Magazine: Bitcoin may face hard fork over any attempt to freeze Satoshi’s coins
", "description": "ProductionReady co-founder Jimmy Song explains why the non-profit organization is funding open-source research for alternative Bitcoin node software.", "published": "2026-04-04T18:59:25+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "decentralization" }, { "slug": "nodes" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-adoption" } ], "slug": "jimmy-song-bitcoin-conservative-node-client", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259252" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Nevada judge extends ban on Kalshi, rejects event contract defense", "leadText": "The judge said Kalshi’s event contracts are indistinguishable from sports betting, supporting the state’s position that the platform requires a gaming license.", "author": { "slug": "amin-haqshanas" }, "bodyText": "A Nevada judge has reportedly extended a ban preventing Kalshi from offering event-based contracts in the state, ruling that the products constitute unlicensed gambling under state law.
Judge Jason Woodbury said at a hearing in Carson City on Friday that he will grant a preliminary injunction requested by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, barring the company from allowing residents to trade on outcomes such as sports, elections and entertainment events without a gaming license, according to Reuters.
The decision extends a temporary restraining order issued on March 20, which will remain in effect through April 17 while the court finalizes longer-term restrictions.
Kalshi, based in New York, has argued that its contracts are financial derivatives, specifically “swaps,” that fall under the exclusive oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Related: Appeals court denies Kalshi request to block Nevada enforcement action
Woodbury rejected Kalshi’s argument, claiming that there is a direct comparison between traditional sports betting and Kalshi’s platform, according to Reuters. He said that placing a wager through a licensed sportsbook and buying a contract tied to a game outcome are functionally the same, per the report.
“No matter how you slice it, that conduct is indistinguishable,” the judge reportedly said, adding that such activity qualifies as gaming under Nevada law and cannot be offered without proper licensing.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d58a2-e4e9-7bf7-afea-58316b94e855.PNG\")
The case marks the first time a state has secured a court-enforced ban currently in effect against the company.
Last month, Utah lawmakers also passed a bill targeting Kalshi and Polymarket that classifies proposition-style bets on in-game events as gambling, aiming to block such offerings in the state.
Related: Kalshi CEO fires back against Arizona criminal charges as ‘total overstep’
The CFTC has asserted authority over prediction markets, with Chairman Michael Selig warning that the agency is prepared to defend its jurisdiction in court against any challenges from states or other regulators.
Speaking at an industry conference last month, Selig said prediction markets can act as “truth machines,” arguing that when participants put money behind their views, these markets can produce more transparent and reliable signals about future events than traditional opinion polling.
Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author
", "description": "A Nevada court extends restrictions on Kalshi, rejecting its derivatives defense and intensifying the state-federal clash over prediction market regulation.", "published": "2026-04-04T14:21:54+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "nevada" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "polymarket" }, { "slug": "kalshi" }, { "slug": "prediction-markets" } ], "slug": "nevada-judge-extends-kalshi-ban-unlicensed-gambling-ruling", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "259232" }, { "category": { "slug": "features" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Prediction markets are testing legal limits in strict Asian markets", "leadText": "Prediction markets are expanding into Asia’s largest economies, but unclear legal definitions and strict gambling laws may limit how far they can go.", "author": { "slug": "yohan-yun" }, "bodyText": "Prediction markets are pushing into Asia’s largest economies, even as local gambling laws place strict limits on betting activities.
Asia represents a combination of scale, active retail participation and limited local alternatives, making it too large to ignore despite regulatory risks.
That’s a similar pattern seen in crypto, where technology moved faster than regulation and licensing frameworks, prompting exchanges to enter markets before clear rules were in place.
Like many startups, the industry’s heavyweights adopted the “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” approach to scale.
Polymarket, one of the fastest-growing platforms, is already recording over $1 billion in weekly volume. It has introduced Chinese-language support, while newer entrants like PredicXion are focusing on local events to drive adoption.
But beneath the surface, the region is fragmented and legally complicated, where access, language and regulation don’t always align with the industry’s global ambitions.
![\"Law,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d4e20-3f43-762f-ad18-0e0ec48eb95e.png\")
Three Asian countries — China, Japan and India — ranked among the world’s five largest economies by gross domestic product in 2024, according to the World Bank.
India and China do not have specific frameworks addressing blockchain-based prediction markets, but both maintain restrictive environments around crypto. India imposes heavy taxation, while China enforces an outright ban on activities such as trading and mining.
South Korea also ranks among the world’s largest economies at 12th and is often cited as one of the most active retail crypto markets. The South Korean won is a consistent top-two currency by global fiat trading volume, according to Kaiko.
![\"Law,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d4e20-90e6-7dac-b990-ef87e21d670f.jpg\")
Related: How AI agents can reshape arbitrage in prediction markets
“Prediction markets could be a very big opportunity in the Korean market,” Heechang Kang, co-founder at research company Four Pillars, told Cointelegraph. “But I think many prediction markets are having difficulty capturing audiences because their predictions are mostly focused on Western themes.”
Japan faces similar localization challenges, where language and a lack of region-specific events limit broader adoption.
That gap has created an opening for Asia-based platforms. Prediction markets originating from the region, such as PredicXion, are attempting to localize content by focusing on region-specific events.
![\"Law,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d4e21-00c8-7bf7-94b1-870568e77392.jpg\")
However, its founder and CEO Andy Cheung said local gambling regulations in key markets remain a “significant concern.”
“In these jurisdictions, authorities often classify activities involving wagering on uncertain outcomes as gambling, which is heavily restricted or outright prohibited outside of tightly controlled state-run lotteries or exceptions,” Cheung told Cointelegraph.
In China, online gambling is strictly prohibited, and access to platforms such as Polymarket is largely restricted. Some users bypass controls using VPNs to get around the country’s internet censorship, commonly known as the Great Firewall, but that does not eliminate risk.
“Many in the industry are aware of the strict legal environment in these regions, and aggressive user acquisition there does carry risks, not just for operators, but potentially for users themselves under local laws that can treat participation as illegal gambling,” Cheung said.
Regulators in South Korea and Japan have yet to directly address blockchain-based prediction markets as well, and most platforms remain accessible. Both countries, however, maintain strict limits on gambling.
In South Korea, most forms of gambling are prohibited for locals outside a narrow set of state-run exceptions, and the law extends to participation on overseas platforms. Authorities have actively pursued illegal online betting operators and, in some cases, users themselves.
Japan takes a similarly restrictive approach, where gambling is generally illegal outside regulated channels such as lotteries, horse racing and other public betting systems.
![\"Law,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d4e21-78a8-71a1-832e-25bd224bb077.jpg\")
Related: Why yen stablecoins are key to Japan’s crypto ambitions
That leaves prediction markets in a gray zone, where access is possible but legal classification remains unresolved.
“Some argue that prediction markets are no different from gambling. I would dispute that,” Jaewon Kim, a researcher at Four Pillars who authored the company’s prediction markets report, told Cointelegraph.
He said the distinction lies in the type of output they produce. Gambling is largely a closed loop where users bet against the house, with outcomes that have little relevance beyond the game itself. Meanwhile, prediction markets aggregate expectations about real-world events.
“During the 2024 US presidential election, prediction markets gained significant traction and, in some cases, were more accurate than polls or expert forecasts,” Kim claimed. “That ability to reflect collective expectations is what sets them apart and gives them informational value beyond simple wagering.”
![\"Law,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d4e21-f7ea-72eb-a79d-c1072bae30c6.jpg\")
Several prediction platforms are moving into Asia with the same playbook that defined earlier phases of crypto growth, targeting demand first and leaving regulatory clarity for later. The region offers a rare mix of scale, retail participation and underdeveloped local alternatives.
That tension is already visible on the ground. Platforms can reach users through language support and workarounds like VPNs, but none of those solve the underlying issue of classification. Major Asian markets also have some of the most restrictive legal environments for anything that resembles gambling.
![\"Law,](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d4e22-4943-75fa-87b0-fd4bfaefa86c.jpg\")
Local players are beginning to test that boundary by tailoring products to regional audiences, though Cheung said platforms like PredicXion are trying to avoid “heavily restricted markets.” Most regions have yet to determine whether prediction markets fall under gambling.
The industry’s argument that prediction markets are distinct adds another layer of uncertainty. If they are treated as information markets that aggregate real-world expectations, they may eventually find a regulatory pathway similar to financial instruments.
If not, they risk being absorbed into existing gambling frameworks that leave little room for expansion.
Magazine: Your guide to surviving this mini-crypto winter
", "description": "Asia offers massive retail demand for prediction markets, but fragmented rules and unresolved classification leave platforms operating in legal limbo.", "published": "2026-04-04T13:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "asia" }, { "slug": "predictions" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "features" }, { "slug": "polymarket" }, { "slug": "prediction-markets" } ], "slug": "prediction-markets-testing-legal-limits-asia", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Analysis" } ] }, "id": "259067" }, { "category": { "slug": "market-analysis" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin shorts risk $2.5 billion liquidation at $72K: Are bears in danger?", "leadText": "Bitcoin is poised for a reversal if ETF demand returns or a ceasefire occurs, potentially crushing short sellers in a massive price squeeze.", "author": { "slug": "marcel-pechman" }, "bodyText": "Key takeaways:
Bitcoin hitting $72,000 would liquidate $2.5 billion in shorts, potentially crushing bears who are overleveraged.
Iran's war and high oil prices currently pressure BTC, but a ceasefire or ETF inflows could spark a rapid recovery.
Bitcoin (BTC) has consistently failed to hit new highs since attempting to reclaim the $75,000 level since March 17.
Bearish Bitcoin futures bets have been piling up as the war in Iran pushed oil prices to their highest levels since June 2022. However, two events could propel Bitcoin to $72,000 in the coming weeks and help cement a sustainable bull run.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d583b-0620-794a-a7c9-caa57645edd4.png\")
According to Coinglass estimates, a total of $2.5 billion in short positions on Bitcoin futures will be liquidated if Bitcoin rises just 7.5% to $72,000 from the current $67,100 level.
Bears have been adding shorts since March 25, when Iran reportedly refused to negotiate a ceasefire. Additional selling pressure emerged as MARA Holdings (MARA US) announced it sold 15,133 BTC on March 26. The publicly listed Bitcoin miner shifted its focus to AI computing and chose to reduce its Bitcoin holdings to pay down debt.
After peaking near 7,000 points on Jan. 28, the S&P 500 dropped 10% by March 30. Investors fear recession risks because central banks have less room to cut interest rates due to inflation.
Oil prices have jumped over 70% since the war in Iran started in late February, which hikes logistics costs and cuts into consumer spending.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d583b-0908-71ac-8b44-0c922cb2089d.png\")
Traders are pricing in 89% odds that the Fed will keep interest rates steady through September, with 5% odds of a hike to 4%.
In early March, bond futures showed the opposite, with 79% odds of rate cuts. Returns on fixed-income investments will likely stay attractive for longer.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d583b-0b7a-7242-88fd-21ed5624f730.png\")
Meanwhile, confidence among Bitcoin bears has increased, as reflected by the negative funding rate in perpetual futures contracts.
In neutral market conditions, longs usually pay to keep positions open, causing this indicator to range between 5% and 10% to compensate for capital costs.
Negative funding rates signal a lack of demand for bullish leveraged bets and potential overconfidence from the bears.
While it is impossible to predict the outcome of the war involving Iran, a ceasefire agreement could spark bullish sentiment and catch bears by surprise.
Bitcoin jumped from $69,150 to $74,900 during the five days ending March 16 after US-listed Bitcoin exchange-traded funds saw $1.5 billion in net inflows over two weeks. If ETF inflows resume, Bitcoin could also reclaim the $72,000 level.
Related: Bitcoin ETFs 'will be larger' than gold ETFs–Analyst
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d583b-0d98-7e3f-937c-564dad301bca.png\")
US President Donald Trump has asked Congress to boost defense spending to $1.5 trillion, according to a 2027 budget proposal released Friday. These plans include a 10% cut in other areas to offset military expenses.
Trump reportedly said at a private White House event on Wednesday: “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care,” according to CNBC.
If the US economy loses steam, or if private credit redemptions continue to pressure the market, investors will likely look for alternative hedges.
Consequently, Bitcoin’s appeal would grow as the it presently trades 47% below its all-time high. Thus, a bull run to $72,000 might happen regardless of how long the war in Iran lasts.
Polymarket removed a market tied to the fate of a missing US service member after mounting backlash, saying the listing violated its “integrity standards.”
The controversy erupted after a prediction market appeared asking when US authorities might confirm the rescue of a pilot shot down over Iran, with more than 60% betting that they wouldn’t be rescued until Saturday.
US Representative Seth Moulton condemned the market, calling it “disgusting” and expressing concerns over people speculating on the fate of a potentially injured service member. “They could be your neighbor, a friend, a family member. And people are betting on whether or not they'll be saved,” Moulton wrote.
![](\"https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019d57c3-d748-70b7-a0bb-1cd5c4683949.PNG\")
In response, Polymarket said it had taken the market down, adding that it should not have been listed and that the company was reviewing how it passed internal safeguards.
Related: Polymarket expands into equities and commodities with Pyth price feeds
While Polymarket said it took the market down because it did not meet its integrity standards, the platform did not specify what rule had been violated, prompting further scrutiny from users.
“I'm looking at the \"Market Integrity\" page, and I checked the TOS, and I don't see which prohibition is relevant here,” Jack Newsham, a correspondent on Business Insider's national desk, wrote on X.
As Cointelegraph reported, Polymarket has seen a sharp rise in fees and revenue after expanding its fee model on March 30, with daily fees jumping from about $363,000 to over $1 million. The increase followed broader taker fees across categories like finance, politics and tech, as the platform ramped up monetization.
Related: Crypto VC Paradigm is developing a prediction market terminal: Fortune
There have also been growing concerns about insider trading on prediction markets. Last month, it was reported that a group of traders made about $1 million by correctly betting on the timing of US strikes on Iran, with some placing trades just hours before the attacks. The activity, which involved newly created wallets focused almost entirely on strike-related bets, raised insider trading suspicions.
To address these concerns, at least 42 Democratic lawmakers have urged the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Office of Government Ethics to warn federal employees against using non-public information to trade on prediction markets.
Big Questions: Is China hoarding gold so yuan becomes global reserve instead of USD?
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