German economy expected to only post marginal growth this year, says banks association

<p class="text-align-justify">That's a downgrade to their previous forecast of 0.7%. Meanwhile, they see the economy growing by 1.4% in 2026. Overall, that points to a slower recovery but a better outlook at least considering the government's spending package.</p> This article was written by Justin Low at www.forexlive.com.

UK trade bodies ask government to make crypto a ‘strategic priority’

Several British trade associations have asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to appoint a special envoy dedicated to crypto and for a dedicated action plan for digital assets and blockchain technology.In a March 31 letter, the coalition of six UK digital economy trade bodies urged Starmer’s special adviser on business and investment, Varun Chandra, for a “greater strategic focus and alignment to deliver investment, growth and jobs” for the crypto industry. The group, which consisted of the UK Cryptoasset Business Council, Global Digital Finance, The Payments Association, Digital Currencies Governance Group, the Crypto Council for Innovation and techUK, noted the US policy shift on crypto under President Donald Trump and his appointment of a crypto czar.Britain’s commitment to an economic trade deal focused on technological cooperation with the US “presents a significant opportunity to mirror the United States’ ambition in fostering leadership in blockchain, digital assets, and other emerging financial technologies,” the letter stated. The group recommended that the UK appoint a blockchain special envoy, similar to the US, to coordinate policy, foster innovation, and position the country competitively in global markets.The trade bodies also called for the development of a dedicated government action plan for crypto and blockchain technology, including a concierge service to attract high-potential firms.They added that the government should acknowledge and leverage the commonalities between blockchain, quantum computing and artificial intelligence technologies, including potential applications for government services.Another recommendation was to create a high-level industry-government-regulator engagement forum to ensure informed decision-making and cross-sector collaboration.The UK crypto and tech associations lobbying the government for a policy shift. Source: LinkedIn“With deep pools of talent, access to capital, world-class academic institutions, and sophisticated regulators, the UK provides an environment where digital assets and blockchain innovation can thrive,” they stated. Related: UK should tax crypto buyers to boost stock investing, economy, says bankerThe coalition argues that crypto and blockchain technology could boost the UK economy by 57 billion British pounds ($73.6 billion) over the next decade, with the sector potentially increasing global gross domestic product by 1.39 trillion pounds ($1.8 trillion) by 2030.Tom Griffiths, the co-founder and managing partner of crypto compliance advisory firm BitCompli, said in response to the letter on LinkedIn that the Financial Conduct Authority “has a lot of talent and a good sight of future plans, but the UK is definitely losing pace with Dubai, Singapore, and other EU jurisdictions.”“Now is the time for the FCA to act, or the UK will lose out on this huge opportunity, which is digital assets and all the benefits this sector can bring, not only now but over the next 20 years,” he added.Magazine: Bitcoin ATH sooner than expected? XRP may drop 40%, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 23 – 29

North Korea tech workers found among staff at UK blockchain projects

Fraudulent tech workers with ties to North Korea are expanding their infiltration operations to blockchain firms outside the US after increased scrutiny from authorities, with some having worked their way into UK crypto projects, Google says.Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) adviser Jamie Collier said in an April 2 report that while the US is still a key target, increased awareness and right-to-work verification challenges have forced North Korean IT workers to find roles at non-US companies.“In response to heightened awareness of the threat within the United States, they’ve established a global ecosystem of fraudulent personas to enhance operational agility,” Collier said. “Coupled with the discovery of facilitators in the UK, this suggests the rapid formation of a global infrastructure and support network that empowers their continued operations,” he added. Google's Threat Intelligence Group says North Korea's tech workers expanded their reach amid a US crackdown. Source: GoogleThe North Korea-linked workers are infiltrating projects spanning traditional web development and advanced blockchain applications, such as projects involving Solana and Anchor smart contract development, according to Collier. Another project building a blockchain job marketplace and an artificial intelligence web application leveraging blockchain technologies was also found to have North Korean workers. “These individuals pose as legitimate remote workers to infiltrate companies and generate revenue for the regime,” Collier said. “This places organizations that hire DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] IT workers at risk of espionage, data theft, and disruption.”North Korea looking to Europe for tech jobsAlong with the UK, Collier says the GTIG identified a notable focus on Europe, with one worker using at least 12 personas across Europe and others using resumes listing degrees from Belgrade University in Serbia and residences in Slovakia. Separate GTIG investigations found personas seeking employment in Germany and Portugal, login credentials for user accounts of European job websites, instructions for navigating European job sites, and a broker specializing in false passports.At the same time, since late October, the North Korean workers have increased the volume of extortion attempts and gone after larger organizations, which the GTIG speculates is the workers feeling pressure to maintain revenue streams amid a crackdown in the US. “In these incidents, recently fired IT workers threatened to release their former employers’ sensitive data or to provide it to a competitor. This data included proprietary data and source code for internal projects,” Collier said. Related: North Korean crypto attacks rising in sophistication, actors — ParadigmIn January, the US Justice Department indicted two North Korean nationals for their involvement in a fraudulent IT work scheme involving at least 64 US companies from April 2018 to August 2024.The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also sanctioned companies it accused of being fronts for North Korea that generated revenue via remote IT work schemes.Crypto founders have also been reporting an increase in activity from North Korean hackers, with at least three founders reporting on March 13 that they foiled attempts to steal sensitive data through fake Zoom calls.Having audio issues on your Zoom call? That's not a VC, it's North Korean hackers. Fortunately, this founder realized what was going on.The call starts with a few "VCs" on the call. They send messages in the chat saying they can't hear your audio, or suggesting there's an… pic.twitter.com/ZnW8Mtof4F— Nick Bax.eth (@bax1337) March 11, 2025In August, blockchain investigator ZachXBT claimed to have uncovered a sophisticated network of North Korean developers earning $500,000 a month working for “established” crypto projects.Magazine: Lazarus Group’s favorite exploit revealed — Crypto hacks analysis

Kentucky joins Vermont and South Carolina in dropping Coinbase staking suit

Kentucky’s finance watchdog has dismissed its lawsuit against Coinbase over the exchange’s staking rewards program, following its peers in Vermont and South Carolina.Kentucky’s Department of Financial Institutions filed the stipulation to dismiss jointly with Coinbase on April 1, ending the state’s legal action against the exchange first filed along with 10 other state regulators in June 2023.Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal posted to X on April 1, calling for Congress “to end this litigation-driven, state-by-state approach with a federal market structure law.”Source: Paul GrewalFinancial regulators from 10 states launched similar suits against Coinbase in June 2023, on the same day the Securities and Exchange Commission sued the exchange — a lawsuit the SEC dropped last month.Seven suits against Coinbase still activeAlabama, California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington and Wisconsin are the seven states that are still continuing with their lawsuits, which all allege Coinbase breached securities laws with its staking rewards program.Vermont was the first state to end its suit against Coinbase, with its Department of Financial Regulation filing an order to rescind the action on March 13, noting the SEC’s Feb. 27 decision to drop its action against the exchange and the likelihood of changes in the federal regulator’s guidance.The South Carolina Attorney General’s securities division followed Vermont days later, dismissing its lawsuit in a joint stipulation with Coinbase on March 27.Related: South Carolina dismisses its staking lawsuit against Coinbase, joining VermontKentucky’s decision to drop its case against Coinbase follows just days after the state’s governor, Andy Beshear, signed a “Bitcoin Rights” bill into law on March 24 that establishes protections for crypto self-custody and exempts crypto mining from money transmitting and securities laws.The axed state-level lawsuits come amid a stark policy change at the SEC, which has dropped or delayed multiple lawsuits against crypto companies that it filed under the Biden administration.The federal securities watchdog has also created a Crypto Task Force that is engaging with the industry on how it should approach cryptocurrencies.Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

Why Trump's Tariffs Could Actually Be Good for Bitcoin

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Bitcoin traders are overstating the impact of the US-led tariff war on BTC price

Despite Bitcoin’s 2.2% gains on April 1, BTC (BTC) hasn’t traded above $89,000 since March 7. Even though the recent price weakness is often linked to the escalating US-led global trade war, several factors had already been weighing on investor sentiment long before President Donald Trump announced the tariffs.Some market participants claimed that Strategy’s $5.25 billion worth of Bitcoin purchases since February is the primary reason BTC has held above the $80,000 support. But, regardless of who has been buying, the reality is that Bitcoin was already showing limited upside before President Trump announced the 10% Chinese import tariffs on Jan. 21.Gold/USD (left) vs. Bitcoin/USD (right). Source: TradingView / CointelegraphThe S&P 500 index hit an all-time high on Feb. 19, exactly 30 days after the trade war began, while Bitcoin had repeatedly failed to hold above $100,000 for the previous three months. Although the trade war certainly affected investor risk appetite, strong evidence suggests Bitcoin's price weakness started well before President Trump took office on Jan. 20.Spot Bitcoin ETFs inflows, strategic Bitcoin reserve expectations and inflationary trendsAnother data point that weakens the relation with tariffs is the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which saw $2.75 billion in net inflows during the three weeks following Jan. 21. By Feb. 18, the US had announced plans to impose tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, while the European Union and China had already retaliated. In essence, institutional demand for Bitcoin persisted even as the trade war escalated.Part of Bitcoin traders’ disappointment after Jan. 21 stems from excessive expectations surrounding President Trump’s campaign promise of a “strategic national Bitcoin stockpile,” mentioned at the Bitcoin Conference in July 2024. As investors grew impatient, their frustration peaked when the actual executive order was issued on March 6.A key factor behind Bitcoin’s struggle to break above $89,000 is an inflationary trend, reflecting a relatively successful strategy by global central banks. In February, the US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index rose 2.5% year-over-year, while the eurozone Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 2.2% in March.Investors turn more risk-averse following weak job market dataIn the second half of 2022, Bitcoin’s gains were driven by inflation soaring above 5%, suggesting that businesses and families turned to cryptocurrency as a hedge against monetary debasement. However, if inflation remains relatively under control in 2025, lower interest rates would favor real estate and stock markets more directly than Bitcoin, as reduced financing costs boost those sectors.US CPI inflation (left) vs. US 2-year Treasury yield (right). Source: TradingViewRelated: Coinbase sees worst quarter since FTX collapse amid industry bloodbathThe weakening job market also dampens traders’ demand for risk-on assets, including Bitcoin. In February, the US Labor Department reported job openings near a four-year low. Similarly, yields on the US 2-year Treasury fell to a six-month low, with investors accepting a modest 3.88% return for the safety of government-backed instruments. This data suggests a rising choice for risk aversion, which is unfavorable for Bitcoin.Ultimately, Bitcoin’s price weakness stems from investors' unrealistic expectations of BTC acquisitions by the US Treasury, declining inflation supporting potential interest rate cuts, and a more risk-averse macroeconomic environment as investors turn to short-term government bonds. While the trade war has had negative effects, Bitcoin was already showing signs of weakness before it began.This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Backpack opens claims process for former FTX EU users

Crypto exchange Backpack has initiated the first phase of the claims process for former FTX users in Europe.According to an April 1 announcement, users will need to create an account on the exchange, submit Know Your Customer information, and connect it to their FTX EU claim account.Backpack has not set a deadline for this phase of the claims process and has yet to provide a timeline for when distributions will begin. Users will face a withdrawal fee of €5 ($5.39) for claims under €2,000 ($2,158) and 0.25% for amounts above it.Source: Armani FerranteBackpack acquired FTX EU in January 2025 to offer crypto derivatives, including perpetual futures, throughout Europe. The acquisition marked the end of a lengthy battle to buy the European arm of the bankrupt exchange. Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante said at the time of the acquisition that the company was committed to returning FTX EU funds as fast and as safely as possible.FTX creditor activist Sunil Kavuri told Cointelegraph in January 2025 that the sale of FTX EU to Backpack added “further confusion and nervousness among FTX EU customers and the repayment of their funds.”“Some FTX EU customers signed up to these distributors, and they are confused about who will be distributing their funds back to them — Backpack, Kraken or Bitgo,” Kavuri said at the time.Related: FTX’s 2-year repayment delay is a ‘win,’ claims trader who predicted FTX’s collapseDetails on the first part of the claims processFor distribution amounts, the FAQ page on Backpack’s website states that all positions were closed using market prices at the time the exchange was shut down, and each was settled in euros.Furthermore, users with pending cryptocurrency withdrawals on Nov. 11, 2022, should have filed a claim in FTX’s US bankruptcy proceedings. Such users may be eligible to receive distributions from the FTX Recovery Trust, which Backpack is not involved with.Additionally, EU residents who signed up for FTX before March 7, 2022, are not considered FTX EU customers and should file their claims with FTX International, not Backpack.FTX Estate’s next round of distributions on May 30FTX Digital Markets, separate from FTX EU, distributed its first round of reimbursements on Feb. 18, with exchanges BitGo and Kraken facilitating the distributions. That first round of reimbursements went to “Convenience Class” members, those with claims under $50,000. The next round of reimbursements tied to FTX’s US bankruptcy proceedings is set to go out on May 30 and includes creditors under Class 5 Customer Entitlement Claims and Class 6 General Unsecured Claims. FTX is expected to use $11.4 billion to make the paymentsMagazine: The $2,500 doco about FTX collapse on Amazon Prime… with help from mom

Crypto miner backs US senator&#039;s efforts to incentivize using flared gas

Texas Senator Ted Cruz proposed a bill aimed at incentivizing crypto miners to use flared gas for energy generation in the state.In an April 1 notice, Cruz said he had introduced the Facilitate Lower Atmospheric Released Emissions, or FLARE, Act in the US Senate, aiming to make Texas “the number one place for Bitcoin mining.” Bitcoin (BTC) miner MARA Holdings endorsed the proposed legislation on X, claiming it would reduce emissions and “unlock stranded energy.”April 1 draft of FLARE Act. Source: Ted CruzAccording to the text of the bill, the FLARE Act proposed amending the US Internal Revenue Code to incentivize market participants — including digital asset miners — that could “capture gas that would otherwise be flared or vented and to use such gas in value-added products.” If signed into law, the legislation would take effect on properties put into service starting in 2026.A US Senator serving since 2013, Cruz, a Republican, has sometimes proposed legislation that aligns with mainstream figures in his party, including US President Donald Trump. He introduced a bill in March to prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency and disclosed personally holding up to $100,000 in Bitcoin as of August 2024.Related: Bitcoin mining using coal energy down 43% since 2011 — ReportThis is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Circle officially files for Initial Public Offering with SEC

Stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Group has filed an S-1 registration statement for an initial public offering in the US, an April 1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows.The USD Coin (USDC) issuer is planning to list its Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CRCL,” the filing shows.Circle’s prospectus does not detail the number of shares to be offered or what the IPO target price will be.The IPO filing also showed that Circle brought in $1.67 billion in revenue for 2024 — marking a 16% year-on-year increase — while its EBIDTA (Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization) fell 29% to $284.8 million.Circle’s financials over the last three years ended Dec. 31. Source: SECThis is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Trump-affiliated crypto mining venture mulls IPO — Report

American Bitcoin Corp., a Trump family-backed crypto mining operation, has plans to raise additional capital, including through an initial public offering (IPO), according to an April 1 report by Bloomberg.  On March 31, Hut 8 — a publicly traded Bitcoin (BTC) miner — acquired a majority stake in American Bitcoin (formerly American Data Centers), whose founders include Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. After the deal announcement, Hut 8 transferred its Bitcoin mining equipment into the newly created entity, which is not yet publicly traded. While American Bitcoin will focus on crypto mining, Hut 8 plans to target data center infrastructure for use cases such as high-performance computing. The deal “evolves Hut 8 toward more predictable, financeable, lower-cost-of-capital segments,” Asher Genoot, CEO of Hut 8, said in a statement.“So you can see this in the long term as two sister publicly traded companies,” Genoot told Bloomberg. “One that is energy, infrastructure data centers and the other one that’s Bitcoin, AISCs and reserves and together they form a vertically integrated company that has some of the best economics out there.” According to Bloomberg, American Bitcoin is working with Bitmain, a Chinese Bitcoin mining hardware supplier. Bitmain has faced scrutiny after the US blacklisting of its artificial intelligence affiliate Sopghgo, Bloomberg reported. Bitcoin mining revenues per quarter. Source: Coin MetricsRelated: Analysts eye Bitcoin miners’ AI, chip sales ahead of Q4 earningsPivoting to new business linesBitcoin miners are increasingly pivoting toward alternative business lines, such as servicing artificial intelligence models, after the Bitcoin network’s April 2024 “halving” cut into mining revenues.Halvings occur every four years and cut in half the number of BTC mined per block.Miners are “diversifying into AI data-center hosting as a way to expand revenue and repurpose existing infrastructure for high-performance computing,” Coin Metrics said in a March report.Declining cryptocurrency prices have put even more pressure on Bitcoin miners in 2025, according to a report by JPMorgan.Magazine: Elon Musk’s plan to run government on blockchain faces uphill battle

U.S. Agencies Must Reveal Bitcoin and Crypto Holdings by April 5

The deadline for U.S. federal agencies to disclose their crypto holdings is rapidly approaching, with April 5 set as the date for agencies to report their Bitcoin and other digital asset holdings to the Secretary of the Treasury. This requirement is part of President Donald Trump’s executive order signed on March 6, which established a … Continue reading "U.S. Agencies Must Reveal Bitcoin and Crypto Holdings by April 5"

Stablecoin Giant Circle Files for IPO

Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Circle. (Getty Images)

GameStop Has $1.5B of Bitcoin Buying Power After Closing Convertible Note Sale

GameStop (John Smith/VIEWpress)

Ethereum&#039;s weekly blob fees hit 2025 lows

The Ethereum network’s main source of income from layer-2 (L2) scaling chains — “blob fees” — has sunk to the lowest weekly levels so far this year, according to data from Etherscan. In the week ending March 30, Ethereum earned only 3.18 Ether (ETH) from blob fees, according to Etherscan, or approximately $6,000 US dollars as of April 1. This figure marks a 73% drop from the prior week and a more than 95% decline from the week ending March 16, when Ethereum’s income from blob fees exceeded 84 ETH, Etherscan said in an X post. Source: EtherscanRelated: Ethereum fees poised for rebound amid L2, blob uptickPost-Dencun growing painsIn March 2024, Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade migrated L2 transaction data to temporary offchain stores called “blobs.”The upgrade cut costs for users but also reduced overall fee revenue for Ethereum — initially by as much as 95%, according to data from asset manager VanEck.“ETH Fees Were Weak Due to Lack of Blob Revenues as L2s Have Not Filled Available Capacity,” Matthew Sigel, VanEck’s head of digital asset research, said in a Nov. 1, 2024, post on the X platform.Since then, growth in blob fees has been unsteady. Ethereum’s weekly blob fee income peaked at nearly $1 million in November before declining sharply in recent weeks, according to data from Dune Analytics. Ethereum’s blob fee income has been uneven. Source: Dune AnalyticsEthereum’s ongoing struggle to earn meaningful income from blob fees underscores concerns about the network’s scaling model, which relies heavily on L2s for transaction throughput.“Ethereum’s future will revolve around how effectively it serves as a data availability engine for L2s,” arndxt, author of the Threading on the Edge newsletter, said in a March 31 X post. According to an X post by Michael Nadeau, founder of The DeFi Report, L2 transaction volumes would need to increase more than 22,000-fold for blob fees to fully offset Ethereum’s peak transaction fee revenues. However, Ethereum’s economics are still evolving. For instance, the network’s Pectra Upgrade — which aims to significantly change how Ethereum allocates blob space — is scheduled for this year. “The plan is simple: scale Ethereum as much as possible to capture as much marketshare as we can - worry about fee revenue later,” Sassal, founder of The Daily Gwei, said in a March 17 X post. Magazine: AI agents trading crypto is a hot narrative, but beware of rookie mistakes

APX Lending gains exemptive relief from Canadian Securities Administration

APX Lending, a crypto-backed loan company, has gained exemptive relief from the Canadian Securities Administration (CSA) to offer crypto-backed loans without requiring traditional dealer registration or prospectus filings.“Over the last 2 years, APX developed a […] regulatory framework in collaboration with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) to facilitate this, as no such framework previously existed in Canada,” a spokesperson for APX told Cointelegraph. “This exemption is specific to APX and does not establish a precedent for other companies.”The platform currently supports Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) as backing collateral for loans in Canadian or US dollars. APX plans to add more digital assets and fiat currencies options in the near future.The company claims to be expanding its reach to the United States, with future expansions planned for Australia and New Zealand pending regulatory approval. Andrei Poliakov, founder and CEO of APX Lending, said in a statement:“By engaging with Canadian regulators and leading the way in Canada, we are setting a new benchmark for compliance and security in crypto-backed lending, helping retail and institutional borrowers unlock liquidity while maintaining ownership of their digital assets."APX loans range from 20%-60% loan-to-value (LTV), with an automated liquidation mechanism triggered at 90% if no corrective action is taken by the borrower to top up collateral or partially repay the loan when LTV reaches the 80% warning level and they are notified of the potential liquidation.Loan terms range from three months to five years, reflecting the comparatively flexible structure of crypto-backed lending versus the more rigid and often less accessible options found in traditional financial systems.APX Lending is registered with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC). Its key competitors in the local market include Ledn, Nexo, and YouHodler, among others.APX Lending founder and CEO Andrei Poliakov onstage at the Blockchain Futurist Conference in 2024. Source: Blockchain Futurist ConferenceRelated: What Canada’s new Liberal PM Mark Carney means for cryptoCanada’s shifting political landscape could spell trouble for crypto regulationsRecently elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is a former central banker who once criticized Bitcoin for being supply-capped, calling the 21 million maximum supply a “serious deficiency.”In a speech to the Scottish Economics Conference at Edinburgh University in March 2018, Carney said: “Recreating a virtual global gold standard would be a criminal act of monetary amnesia.”Carney’s critical view of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies may influence the direction of regulation in Canada and raise uncertainty about the future of the country’s crypto industry.However, Carney’s 2025 platform outlined goals to make Canada a global leader in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and “digital industries” amid increasing geopolitical competition and trade tensions with the United States.Magazine: Home loans using crypto as collateral: Do the risks outweigh the reward?

OpenAI’s $40B Raise Calms Market Jitters, Sends CoreWeave and AI Tokens Higher

Cloud Based Artificial Intelligence Computing Company CoreWeave Has IPO On Nasdaq Exchange. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Blockchain Association CEO will move to Solana advocacy group

Kristin Smith, CEO of the US-based Blockchain Association, will be leaving the cryptocurrency advocacy group for the recently launched Solana Policy Institute.In an April 1 notice, the Blockchain Association (BA) said Smith would be stepping down from her role as CEO on May 16. According to the association, the soon-to-be former CEO will become president of the Solana Policy Institute on May 19.The association’s notice did not provide an apparent reason for the move to the Solana advocacy organization nor say who would lead the group after Smith’s departure. Cointelegraph reached out to the Blockchain Association for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith’s April 1 announcement. Source: LinkedInSmith, who has worked at the BA since 2018 and was deputy chief of staff for former Montana Representative Denny Rehberg, will follow DeFi Education Fund CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine, leaving his position to join the Solana Policy Institute as CEO. According to Whitehouse-Levine, the organization plans to educate US policymakers on Solana.This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Ethereum prints 4 consecutive red monthly candles, but data points to an ETH/BTC bottom

Ethereum’s native token, Ether (ETH), registered four consecutive red monthly candles after the altcoin dropped 18.47% in March. The altcoin’s current market structure reflects a sustained bearish trend not seen since the bear market of 2022. With each monthly close taking place below the previous month’s low, analysts are beginning the debate about whether ETH is approaching a bottom or if there is more downside ahead for the altcoin. Ethereum/Bitcoin ratio hits new 5-year lowOn March 30, the Ethereum/Bitcoin ratio dropped to a five-year low of 0.021. The ETH/BTC ratio measures ETH’s value against Bitcoin (BTC), and the current decline underlines Ether’s underperformance against Bitcoin over the past five years. In fact, the last time the ETH/BTC ratio dipped to 0.021, ETH was valued between $150-$300 in May 2020. Ethereum/Bitcoin 1-month chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewData from the token terminal showed Ethereum’s monthly fees dropped to $22 million in March 20205, its lowest level since June 2020, indicating low network activity and market interest. Ethereum fees represent the cost users pay for transactions, which is influenced by network demand. When network fees begin to drop, it indicates reduced network utility. Ethereum fees and price. Source: token terminalDespite the price action and revenue malaise, Ethereum analyst VentureFounder said that the ETH/BTC bottom could occur over the next few weeks. The analyst hinted at a potential bottom between 0.017 and 0.022, suggesting that the ratio might drop further before a recovery. The analyst said, “Maybe another lower low RSI and one more push downward lots of similarity with 2018-2019 Fed tightening & QE cycle, expecting the first higher high after May FOMC when Fed ends QT & begin QE.”Ethereum/Bitcoin analysis by venture founder. Source: X.comRelated: Ethereum price down almost 50% since Eric Trump's 'add ETH' endorsementHistorical odds favor a short-term bottomSince its inception, ETH has registered three or more consecutive bearish monthly candles on five occasions, and each time, a short-term bottom was the result. The chart below shows that the most back-to-back red months occurred in 2018, with seven, but prices jumped 83% after the correction. Ethereum monthly chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewIn 2022, after three consecutive bearish months, ETH price consolidated in a range for almost a year, but the bottom was in on the third bearish candle in June 2022. Historically, Ethereum has a 75% probability of having a green month in April. Based on Ethereum’s past quarterly returns, the altcoin experienced the least number of drawdowns in Q2 compared to other quarters. With the average returns in Q2 as high as 60.59%, the likelihood of positive returns in April. Ethereum Quarterly returns. Source: CoinGlassRelated: Why is Ethereum (ETH) price up today?This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

GoMining launches $100M Bitcoin mining fund for institutional investors

GoMining, a platform that allows users to mine Bitcoin (BTC) through data centers, is launching a $100 million Bitcoin mining fund for institutional investors. Custodied by Bitgo, the fund promises annual distributions from mining yield and a strategy that focuses on Bitcoin rewards and reinvestment.GoMining’s Alpha Blocks Fund comes as more companies have added Bitcoin to their balance sheets, capturing enthusiasm surrounding the resurgence of the world’s top cryptocurrency by market capitalization. Companies that have done so, including Japan’s Metaplanet and medical technology company Semler Scientific, have seen their stock prices increase.“Unlike passive equity investments, the Alpha Blocks Fund offers direct exposure to mined Bitcoin via a fully managed, compounding hashrate strategy,” a GoMining spokesperson told Cointelegraph.“BTC rewards are reinvested to increase the fund’s hashrate and improve miner efficiency — creating real, yield-driven outcomes. Our model is built for performance, not market sentiment, and integrates utility-based advantages that listed mining companies typically don’t offer.”According to a press release shared with Cointelegraph, GoMining Institutional operates with 7.3 Exahash of active hash power.Related: Is cryptocurrency mining still profitable in 2025?“This framework ensures compliance with relevant regulatory requirements and supports our focus on delivering institutional-grade exposure to Bitcoin mining yield strategies,” said the spokesperson, adding that retail users can access a separate digital mining product. The fund will charge a 2% flat annual management fee, with no performance fees applied. While GoMining’s Bitcoin fund caters to institutional investors, its flagship product is geared toward retail miners who may lack the funds to create a heavy-duty mining rig. In 2024, it revealed an attempt to gamify Bitcoin mining through the use of non-fungible tokens.Institutional investment in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies like Ether (ETH) has been on the rise since 2024, when the first cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds were launched in the United States. Regulatory clarity from Europe’s MiCA and the enthusiasm for digital assets in the United States might be changing institutional investors’ skepticism about cryptocurrencies. In March 2025, a report by Coinbase revealed that 83% of institutions are planning a crypto allocation.Magazine: AI may already use more power than Bitcoin — and it threatens Bitcoin mining

Crypto Advocate Kristin Smith to Exit Blockchain Association for New Solana Group

Beltway Confidential: Inside the D.C. Crypto Scene, Austin Convention Center: Unlock Stage, Austin, Texas, USA - 28 Apr 2023

Is Hope a Strategy? Bitcoin Reclaims $85K Ahead of Trump 'Liberation Day' Tariff Announcement

Trump

Web3 Has a Memory Problem — And We Finally Have a Fix

(Jimmy Sime/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

US lawmaker will reintroduce crypto retirement bill to help Trump agenda

For the second time, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is set to reintroduce a bill aimed at allowing Americans to add cryptocurrency to their retirement savings plans.In a March 31 Fox News interview, Sen. Tuberville said he planned to reintroduce his “Financial Freedoms Act” legislation after two failed attempts to get the legislation through Congress in 2022 and 2023. In announcing the bill, the Alabama senator said he wanted to help US President Donald Trump’s perceived role as a “crypto president.” “Give people a chance to breathe for once [...] let them do what they do best [which] is invest their money,” said the senator. The Financial Freedom Act, which Tuberville first introduced in the US Senate in May 2022, proposed scaling back regulations with the Department of Labor over the types of investments used in 401(k) retirement plan fiduciaries. The senator said he would reintroduce the bill on April 1, but congressional records showed no movement at the time of publication.Related: Trump-linked crypto ventures may complicate US stablecoin policyThis is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Risk to Bitcoin Buying Plans Makes Strategy a Sell, Says Wall Street Analyst

Strategy CEO Michael Saylor at the Digital Asset Summit in New York City on March 20, 2025. (Nikhilesh De)

Grayscale files S-3 for Digital Large Cap ETF

Asset manager Grayscale has filed to list an exchange-traded fund (ETF) holding a diverse basket of spot cryptocurrencies, US regulatory filings show.On April 1, Grayscale submitted an S-3 regulatory filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is required to convert the non-listed fund to an ETF. The Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund, which was created in 2018 but is not yet exchange-traded, holds a crypto index portfolio comprising Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP) and Cardano (ADA). As of April 1, the fund has more than $600 million in assets under management (AUM) and is only available to accredited investors (entities or individuals with high net worth), according to Grayscale’s website.The filing follows an Oct. 29 request by NYSE Arca, a US securities exchange, for permission to list the Grayscale index fund. Grayscale’s digital large cap fund holds a diverse basket of digital assets. Source: GrayscaleRelated: US crypto index ETFs off to slow start in first days since listingIndex ETFs in focusThe filing underscores how ETF issuers are accelerating planned crypto product launches now that US President Donald Trump has led federal regulators to a softer stance on digital asset regulation. In December, the SEC greenlighted the first batch of mixed crypto index ETFs. However, the funds — sponsored by Hashdex and Fidelity — hold only Bitcoin and Ether. They have seen relatively modest inflows since debuting in February.  In February, the SEC acknowledged more than a dozen exchange filings related to cryptocurrency ETFs, according to records. The filings address issues such as staking and options for existing funds as well as new fund proposals for altcoins such as SOL and XRP. According to industry analysts, crypto index ETFs are a main focus for Wall Street's issuers after ETFs holding BTC and ETH debuted last year. “The next logical step is index ETFs because indices are efficient for investors — just like how people buy the S&P 500 in an ETF. This will be the same in crypto,” Katalin Tischhauser, head of investment research at crypto bank Sygnum, told Cointelegraph in August.Magazine: How crypto laws are changing across the world in 2025

Bitcoin price flips volatile as traders eye $84.5K breakout

Bitcoin (BTC) repeated earlier volatility at the April 1 Wall Street open as US trade tariff talk kept markets nervous.BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewBitcoin stays erratic ahead of crunch tariffsData from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD making rapid moves within its weekly trading range of around $83,000.US stocks ticked lower at the open, while gold came off fresh all-time highs of $3,149 per ounce.Talk of recession began to return to the spotlight ahead of US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day,” due on April 2 and on which he promised to unveil a new round of trade tariffs.“Equity markets are clearly pricing-in a recession: The S&P 500 is down -2% since Fed rate cuts began in September 2024,” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter wrote in part of an X thread on the topic.Kobeissi referred to the Federal Reserve easing of financial policy in the form of interest rate cuts — something now on pause but which markets see resuming in June, per data from CME Group’s FedWatch Tool.Fed target rate probabilities for June 18 FOMC meeting. Source: CME GroupWhile this would be a clear bullish catalyst for crypto and risk assets, Kobeissi noted that history had not favored strong equities rebounds under similar circumstances.“In the case of rate cuts during a recession, the S&P 500 declined -6% in 6 months -10% within 12 months,” it continued.“The AVERAGE post-pivot return is +1% in 6 months.”S&P 500 performance comparison. Source: The Kobeissi Letter/XTrading firm QCP Capital was similarly cautious about the overall market landscape thanks to macroeconomic forces.“With consumer confidence plumbing 12-year lows and equity markets already rattled by a 4-5% weekly drawdown, the timing couldn't be worse,” it wrote about tariffs in its latest bulletin to Telegram channel subscribers. “There is a real risk that a broad and aggressive regime could deepen recession fears and send risk assets spiraling. That said, political theatre often leaves room for recalibration. A softer-than-expected rollout could offer markets a brief reprieve.”BTC price action heads to key resistanceBTC price action thus left market observers keen for stronger signals over momentum, even as fundamental support at $80,000 held firm.Related: Bitcoin sellers 'dry up' as weekly exchange inflows near 2-year low“Some upside momentum today, but it’s still just a 3-wave move, and resistance is holding strong,” trading channel More Crypto Online summarized about an Elliott Wave schematic for the 30-minute chart, adding that “the rally’s got more to prove.”BTC/USD 30-minute chart. Source: More Crypto Online/XPopular trader Jelle noted BTC/USD respecting the 50-week simple moving average (SMA), currently at $76,600, as support.Bitcoin, he hoped, would reclaim $84,500 as its next leg up, having rejected there earlier in the day.BTC/USD 1-week chart with 50SMA. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewQCP meanwhile shared positive news from investors eyeing possible higher levels to come next.“On our desk, activity was skewed bullish into Asia open,” it reported. “Buyers were seen taking topside exposure ($85k-$90k strikes) and selling downside risk ($75k strikes), a potential bet on a firmer start to Q2.”This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Multiple altcoins crash on April Fools’ day, crypto market holds steady

A number of altcoins and memecoins saw a sharp sell-off on April Fools’ Day, April 1, with some tokens, including Act I The AI Prophecy, dropping nearly 60% in minutes.Act I The AI Prophecy (ACT), a token associated with the eponymous project focused on artificial intelligence, plunged 58% from $0.19 to $0.08 in less than an hour on April 1, with its market cap shedding $96 million, according to data from CoinMarketCap.The sharp drop of ACT came along with notable red action in the altcoin market, with memecoins like sudeng (HIPPO), CZ’S Dog (BROCCOLI), Kishu Inu (KISHU), DeXe (DEXE), dForce (DF) and more seeing significant price declines.Cryptocurrency market at a glance. Source: Coin360The broader crypto market hasn’t reacted negatively to panic in altcoin markets, with major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) remaining green at the time of writing.Act I “fully aware of the situation” The massive drop in the ACT token has not gone unnoticed on social media, with Act I taking to X to assure its community that the project is fully aware of the current situation.“Our team is actively investigating and working collaboratively with all relevant parties to address this matter,” Act I wrote, adding that it also started developing a “response plan” with its trusted partners.Source: Act I The AI ProphecySome crypto commentators linked the sudden price movement to a margin update by Binance.Binance’s leverage update triggers a $3.8 million whale liquidationAccording to data from the blockchain analytics tool Lookonchain, Binance’s update of leverage and margin tiers on tokens like ACT on April 1 has triggered some massive liquidations among whales.“Binance updated leverage and margin tiers on tokens like ACT — and a whale got liquidated for $3.79M at $0.1877,” Lookonchain said in an X post.Source: LookonchainAccording to a blog post by Binance, its derivatives platform, Binance Futures, updated to leverage and margin tiers for pairs such as ACT versus Tether USDt (USDT) at 10:30 UTC.Related: Listing an altcoin traps exchanges on ‘forever hamster wheel’ — River CEOThe update affected existing positions opened before the update, potentially leading to some position expirations, Binance noted.Speculation over Wintermute sellingThe altcoin bleeding came amid community speculation surrounding selling by the global algorithmic trading firm Wintermute, which reportedly liquidated multiple altcoin positions on April 1.Some market observers even suggested that the selling was due to a hack, while many expressed confusion over possible reasons for the selling’s root cause.“MMs don’t just nuke their own books for fun. Either it’s a hack, insolvency, or someone is getting margin called hard,” DEFI Kadic commented.Some also speculated about Wintermute interacting with the USD1 stablecoin by Donald Trump-linked World Liberty Financial.Source: Daniele (Degen Arc)“That being a major deal for them, they are derisking all assets that might be non-compliant or non-matching the new brand direction they are taking of an institutional player,” the X user claimed.Wintermute co-founder and CEO Evgeny Gaevoy denied the company’s involvement in the altcoin massacre on April 1 in a social media exchange with X user ilikeblocks.“Not us [for what it's worth], but also curious about that post mortem,” Gaevoy wrote.Source: ilikeblocks and Wintermute co-founder and CEO Evgeny Gaevoy (wishfulcynic)Ilikeblocks later posted to express regret for their initial allegation about Wintermute.“They’re making markets better for all of us and in comparison to their competition they’re really not that shady,” they added.Cointelegraph approached Wintermute for comment regarding the market action but did not receive a response by the time of publication.Magazine: Memecoins are ded — But Solana ‘100x better’ despite revenue plunge

Bitcoin’s quantum-resistant hard fork is inevitable — It’s the only chance to fix node incentives

Opinion by: Dr. Michael Tabone, senior economist for CointelegraphBitcoin (BTC) has long been hailed as unbreakable and untouchable, a digital stronghold against the forces of change. Bitcoin’s bedrock of security is facing its first true test with quantum computing, which should be addressed sooner rather than later. Its cryptographic armor will crack if not addressed, forcing the network to adapt or perish.Bitcoin’s node count is growing, but incentives are still absentBitcoin’s full node network has grown over time, a sign of increasing adoption and a more robust infrastructure, but the core issue remains. The voluntary act of running a node still has no financial incentive. Miners earn rewards for securing the network, yet full node operators get nothing for their role in keeping Bitcoin decentralized.At the same time, a significant portion of these nodes are run by exchanges, custodians and large mining pools. These are centralized entities with financial incentives to maintain control. Suppose Bitcoin’s node network continues to expand without proper incentives. In that case, the risk remains that validation will become increasingly dependent on a few well-funded players rather than a truly distributed base of individual users (see Figure 1).FBitcoin node operation has increased by only 15,605 in 8 years. Source: Bitnodes.io All of this comes as running a Bitcoin node has never been easier. Plug-and-play solutions like Umbrel, Start9, RaspiBlitz, Cubit and Ronin Dojo allow anyone to set up a full node on low-cost hardware with minimal technical knowledge. These tools have lowered the barrier to entry, making node operation more accessible than ever before.Yet adoption remains stagnant. Despite the ease of setup, most Bitcoin users still do not run their own nodes. The reason is simple: There is no financial incentive to do so.Recent: Decentralization is in danger — We can fix itUnlike miners, who earn block subsidies and transaction fees for securing the network, full node operators receive nothing. They validate transactions, enforce consensus rules, and contribute to Bitcoin’s decentralization, yet their efforts go unrewarded. As a result, node operation remains an ideological commitment rather than an economically viable activity.If Bitcoin must be forked, we must use it to strengthen decentralizationCritics of the proposal argue that Bitcoin’s monetary policy should remain untouched. Others warn that introducing full node incentives could lead to Sybil attacks, where bad actors spin up thousands of fake nodes to exploit rewards. These concerns are valid — but they ignore the larger reality.Bitcoin is on the path toward a forced consensus change. The honest debate is not whether Bitcoin should change but whether we will use this moment to strengthen it. If full Bitcoin node incentives are implemented correctly, they could drive a surge in node adoption, strengthening the network’s censorship resistance and reinforcing its decentralization. This would reduce dependence on large mining pools and exchanges for validation, spreading control more evenly among individual participants. Bitcoiners will have to continue pushing to keep Bitcoin resilient against corporate influence in a post-quantum world where security and decentralization will matter more than ever in the years ahead.Poorly designed incentives could introduce risks, particularly Sybil attacks, where bad actors spin up thousands of fake nodes to exploit rewards. These challenges can be solved with the right Sybil resistance mechanisms in place. Ignoring them entirely would be far riskier than addressing them head-on.Source: Michael TaboneBitcoin’s future depends on this momentBitcoin’s greatest strength is its ability to remain decentralized and censorship-resistant. But that strength is not automatic; it requires an infrastructure that encourages broad participation.The quantum-resistant hard fork will be a once-in-a-generation event. We may not get another chance if we fail to use it to fix Bitcoin’s broken incentive structure. Bitcoin’s future depends on getting this moment right.This conversation should continue, but you should have some skin in the game and run a node yourself first. Opinion by: Dr. Michael Tabone, senior economist for Cointelegraph.This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Bybit to shut down NFT marketplace as trading volumes decline

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has announced the shutdown of its non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace.In an April 1 announcement, Bybit warned its users that its NFT marketplace will cease operations on April 8, 2025, at 4:00 pm (UTC). Furthermore, at that time, the exchange will also shut down its Inscription Marketplace and its initial decentralized exchange offering initiative.Related: Bybit: 89% of stolen $1.4B crypto still traceable post-hackThe announcement explains that the measures are part of Bybit’s “efforts to streamline our offerings.” The decision follows a similar decision by major NFT marketplace X2Y2 announced earlier this week.Charu Sethi, president at NFT-focused Polkadot and Kusama chain Unique Network, told Cointelegraph at the time that the market moved on from speculative to utility-based:“The speculative phase focused on collectibles and trading is over, but NFTs are now entering their next growth era as core infrastructure enabling massive opportunities in gaming, AI, fan engagement and content authentication.“The NFT market is on a downward trendThe non-fungible token market at large is seeing a significant downturn. Daily NFT trading volume was over $18 million 364 days ago and stands at $5.34 million at the time of publication — a 70% fall.Related: Bitcoin NFTs, layer-2 and restaking hype ‘completely gone’The fall is even more dire when contrasted with the heights reported on Dec. 17, 2024, when volume exceeded $113.6 million. Since then, volume has fallen by over 95%.NFT marketplace daily trading volume. Source: Token TerminalWeak investor interest in speculative NFTs is felt throughout the market. Reports resurfaced earlier today show that NFT project Gutter Cat Gang (GCG) saw a rocky token launch of its GANG token on Apechain on March 31, attributed to a “technical issue” by a third party. However, others pointed to reportedly low interest in the token.Data shared online indicated that the project only attracted 3.66 Ether (ETH), worth about $6,800, in its token sale. This is a far cry from the project’s $1 million target — but the team has not yet addressed those claims.A late March report shows that NFT sales dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2025, plunging 63% year-over-year. Still, the report points out some outliers such as Doodles, Milady Maker and Pudgy Penguins all outperforming expectations.Magazine: Trump-Biden bet led to obsession with ‘idiotic’ NFTs —Batsoupyum, NFT Collector

U.S. Openness to Crypto Could Raise Risk Levels in TradFi, European Regulators Say

European Union (Christian Lue / Unsplash)

U.S.-Listed Bitcoin Miners Shed 25% of Their Market Cap in March: JPMorgan

JPMorgan (Shutterstock)

Coinbase sees worst quarter since FTX collapse amid industry bloodbath

Publicly traded US-based crypto exchange Coinbase saw its worst quarter since the collapse of crypto exchange FTX in 2022.Coinbase shares started 2025 trading at just over $257 on Jan. 2 and ended the quarter at a little over $172 on March 31, a dip of 33%, according to market data.This makes the first quarter of 2025 the worst for Coinbase’s stock performance since the collapse of FTX in November 2022. In Q4 of that year, its share price went from nearly $66 on Oct. 3 to $35.4 on Dec. 30 — a loss of 46.36%.Coinbase shares year-to-date price chart. Source: Google FinanceCoinbase has gained a significant foothold in the crypto market. Its prevalence is so substantial that some industry experts recently told Cointelegraph that Coinbase’s emergence as the Ethereum network’s largest node operator raises concerns about network centralization.Related: South Carolina dismisses its staking lawsuit against Coinbase, joining VermontCoinbase is expected to release its 2025 financials in early May. The firm’s recent shareholder letter shows that the company has generated approximately $750 million in transaction revenue through Feb. 11 and expects subscription revenue between $685–765 million. While Coinbase has not yet released its Q1 profit figures, MarketBeat analysis estimates them to be around $1.87 billion.A large-scale crypto downturnCoinbase is in good company, as most publicly traded crypto companies reported similar results in the first quarter of 2025. Major crypto mining firm Marathon Digital Holdings started Q1 at nearly $17.5 and closed it at $11, a loss of over 37%.Competing crypto mining firm Riot Platforms opened Q1 2025 at just under $10.5 and closed it at $7.12, a loss of over 32%. Bitfarms, an energy infrastructure and crypto mining firm, opened the year at $1.56 and closed the first quarter at $0.7882, losing nearly half its value.Related: Riot appoints adviser with experience pivoting BTC mining assets to AIData center and crypto mining firm Hut 8 started the year at $21.1 and ended the quarter at $11.62, resulting in a loss of nearly 45%. The firm continues painting red candles at the time of writing despite its recent partnership with US President Donald Trump’s sons to launch American Bitcoin, aiming to build the world’s largest Bitcoin mining operation with strategic reserves.The list continues with data center and mining firm Hive Digital Technologies, with its stock going from $2.97 to $1.45 in Q1 2025, losing more than half its price. Lastly, mining hardware producer Canaan Creative started the quarter at $2.11 and ended at $0.8778 for a loss of nearly 58.4%.Geopolitics plays a roleThe broader stock market, not just the crypto industry, has also seen a significant hit widely attributed to recent geopolitical shifts. United States stock market index S&P 500 opened the quarter at $5,890 and closed it at $5,610 — losing over 4.75%.Market participants feel uncertain as United States President Donald Trump continues waging a trade war on multiple fronts. This week, reports suggest that concerns over a global trade war continue to pressure traditional and cryptocurrency markets as investors brace for a potential US tariff announcement on April 2.Founder of Obchakevich Research, Alex Obchakevich, told Cointelegraph that “Trump's tariffs are weighing heavily on the market, making it as unpredictable as possible.” He pointed out that Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) is holding up surprisingly well, with its price losing just under 3.95% as it went from $300.11 down to $288.27 during Q1 2025. He said:“Its stock has held up thanks to a bet on Bitcoin and 400% growth in 2024.”Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

Go Fast, Get Rekt

(Batyrkhan Shalgimbekov/Unsplash)

Zodia Custody CFO Jonathan Hugh Left the Crypto Firm Earlier This Year

Exit, Departure

Hacker transfers $70M out of payment platform UPCX

An unauthorized party withdrew approximately $70 million in digital assets from open-source payment platform UPCX, according to a security alert issued on April 1.The blockchain security firm Cyvers flagged suspicious activity involving 18.4 million UPC tokens, estimating the value of the compromised funds at around $70 million.Cyvers said someone accessed a UPCX address and upgraded its ProxyAdmin contract. The attacker then executed a function that allows admins to withdraw, leading to fund transfers from three different management accounts. At the time of writing, the stolen tokens had not been swapped for other crypto assets.Cointelegraph has contacted UPCX for comments but did not receive an immediate response. UPC price dips by 7% amid unauthorized transferUPCX acknowledged it had detected “unauthorized activity” involving its management accounts. The team suspended deposits and withdrawals for UPCX in response to the incident. It said user assets are unaffected by the issue and said it is actively investigating the matter. UPC’s token price dropped amid news of the incident. According to CoinGecko, UPC’s token prices dropped 7%, from a high of $4.06 to a low of $3.77 during the incident. UPCX 24-hour price chart. Source: CoinGeckoThis is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Tether Bought 8,888 Bitcoin in Q1 for $735M; Total Holdings Rise to 92.6K

(NikolayFrolochkin/Pixabay)

CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: SUI Gains 4.6%, Leading Index Higher

9am CoinDesk 20 Update for 2025-04-01

Smart money concepts (SMC) in crypto trading: How to track &amp; profit

Key takeawaysSmart money consists of institutional investors with advanced tools and knowledge that can influence crypto market trends.Key concepts like order blocks, liquidity zones and fair value gaps can help traders align with smart money strategies.Real-time tracking tools such as Glassnode, Nansen and CoinGecko allow traders to follow smart money’s moves and capitalize on them.Following the movements of smart money is akin to navigating the open sea, using their wake to position yourself for success in the crypto market.Smart money refers to the money being invested by individuals or organizations that know the markets inside and out. We’re talking about institutional investors, hedge funds and well-seasoned traders. These are the big players who have access to more information and tools than most of us, and they use that knowledge to make strategic decisions.In the crypto world, “smart money” is especially powerful because the market is still growing and changing quickly. These investors have a massive impact on the market — their moves can shake things up, push prices up or down, and even shift the way people feel about a particular coin or token.For example, when major players like BlackRock launch a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), it can send waves through the market, influencing Bitcoin’s (BTC) price and the broader market. How do institutional investors influence crypto market trends?Institutional investors have huge financial muscle, and when they enter the crypto market, they can make a big impact in several ways:Liquidity and stability: These investors bring in large amounts of capital, which makes it easier to buy and sell without dramatically affecting prices. This helps stabilize the market and makes it more attractive for other investors to get involved. When more money is flowing in and out smoothly, it creates a healthier, more balanced market. Price movements and volatility: When these big players make large investments (or sell off their holdings), it can cause prices to move quickly, either up or down. While this can create volatility, it also opens the door for traders to take advantage of those price swings.Regulation and legitimacy: As institutional investors get involved, they push for clearer regulations, which helps bring more legitimacy to the crypto space. For instance, the approval of Bitcoin ETFs has given institutional investors a regulated way to invest in Bitcoin, and that’s made the market more credible overall.In short, smart money is invested by experienced, informed players who make strategic moves, while ordinary money is often invested by individuals without deep market knowledge or insight.Smart money concepts (SMC) in crypto tradingSMC is a trading strategy focused on analyzing and capitalizing on the movements of smart money. The key elements of SMC include order blocks, liquidity zones and fair value gaps. Let’s break these down simply.Order blocks (OB)Order blocks are areas on the chart where big investors (the smart money) are making large buy or sell orders. These areas usually act like walls of support or resistance, meaning they are strong levels where prices tend to bounce back. You can spot order blocks by looking for clusters of high-volume candlesticks at certain price levels. These are often periods of sideways price movement followed by a sharp move up or down. When the price comes back to these areas, expect it to react in some way, as that’s where the smart money has been. Liquidity zonesLiquidity zones are collections of buy and sell orders at certain price points. These are like gathering spots where a lot of market participants are placing their orders, creating areas where price reversals or breakouts are likely to happen. Smart money investors love these zones because they can place large trades without drastically moving the market in one direction or the other. By understanding where liquidity zones are, you can predict where the market might go next.Fair value gaps (FVG)A fair value gap occurs when there’s a big imbalance between the buy and sell orders for an asset, creating a gap on the chart. This usually happens when the price moves quickly without much trading in between, and you can spot these gaps as spaces between candlesticks. These gaps act like magnets for the price — markets often return to fill these gaps before continuing their trend. When you spot a gap, it could be a great opportunity to enter the market, knowing the price might come back to fill it before resuming its movement.How to track smart money moves in real timeThere are several tools that help decode blockchain data and spot smart money maneuvers instantly.GlassnodeCategory: On-chain analyticsWebsite: glassnode.comGlassnode gives you visibility into blockchain data that’s not available through price charts alone. It shows how crypto is flowing between wallets, exchanges and large holders — perfect for tracking institutional activity.Key features for smart money tracking:Exchange inflows/outflows: Watch for sudden spikes in BTC or Ether (ETH) moving in/out of exchanges — often a sign that big players are preparing to buy or sell.Whale metrics: Metrics like “Number of addresses holding 10K+ BTC” help identify when whales are accumulating or distributing.Realized cap and dormancy: This tells you whether older coins are moving, often a clue that long-term holders (smart money) are repositioning.Top tip! If you notice a sharp drop in exchange reserves for ETH on Glassnode, that could signal whales are withdrawing ETH to cold storage (a bullish sign). Combine this with price action, and you may have a high-confidence entry point.Nansen Category: Wallet and whale tracking Website: nansen.aiKey features for smart money tracking:Smart money dashboard: A curated list of wallets considered “smart” based on their historical returns and behavior.Token god mode: See what tokens smart money is buying or selling and how holdings have changed over time.Real-time alerts: Set alerts for transactions by specific wallets or token movements.Top tip! Suppose that you see that multiple smart money wallets started buying a low-cap altcoin over the past 24 hours. That might be a sign they know something before the broader market does. You can monitor for a breakout and act accordingly.CoinGecko Category: Market data and volume analysis Website: coingecko.comKey features for smart money tracking:Volume spikes: Watch for sudden increases in 24-hour volume that are not yet reflected in price — often a prelude to a move.Liquidity data: Find coins with deep liquidity where institutions might be operating.Exchange data: Monitor volume by exchange — if one exchange suddenly has massive buy pressure, smart money might be active there.Top tip! Perhaps a small-cap token sees a 5x spike in volume on Binance but hasn’t moved much in price yet. That divergence can indicate accumulation — you could do a deeper dive with onchain tools Nansen or Glassnode to confirm.Santiment Category: Market sentiment and onchain analytics Website: santiment.netKey features for smart money tracking:Social volume and sentiment: Gauge hype levels around tokens — smart money often moves counter to the crowd.Whale transaction count: See how many large transactions (e.g., $100,000+) are happening for a given coin.Development activity: Some smart money tracks developer activity as a proxy for long-term value.Top tip! A token sees decreasing positive sentiment but a spike in whale transactions. That disconnect can signal smart money is accumulating while retail exits — a classic contrarian play.ChainalysisCategory: Blockchain forensics and risk detectionWebsite: chainalysis.comChainalysis is more focused on risk detection and compliance, but it can still be useful to track large, high-risk wallet movements and avoid traps or manipulated markets.Key features for smart money tracking:Address labeling: Know whether a wallet belongs to an exchange, scam, hacker group or institutional custodian.Transaction monitoring: Track big inflows/outflows and the origin of funds — are they from DeFi protocols, over-the-counter (OTC) desks or mixers?Risk scoring: Avoid getting caught in tokens or wallets associated with pump-and-dump schemes or hacks.Top tip! If you see a large amount of ETH being sent from a wallet flagged as a known DeFi VC to an exchange, that could be a sign of upcoming selling pressure. Conversely, tracking inflows to cold wallets from institutions can be a bullish signal.Follow the Man o’ WarThink of crypto trading as the open sea, with smart money as powerful Man o’ War ships, navigating with advanced tools and knowledge. As a retail trader, you may not be in control of these ships, but you can follow their course.Using platforms such as Glassnode, Nansen, CoinGecko, Santiment and Chainalysis, you can track the movements of smart money in real-time. While you might not steer the ship, by observing its wake, you can adjust your course and position yourself for profitable opportunities.You don’t need to command the ship — just follow its lead to find your way to safe, profitable shores.

Former Blade of God X exec claims game ‘abandoned’ Web3

A former executive of the Web3 game Blade of God X (BOGX) has accused the project of abandoning its blockchain-based roadmap after raising funds through the crypto space.On April 1, BOGX’s former chief marketing officer Amber Bella claimed in an X post that despite being funded by Web3 sources, the game “completely abandoned” its Web3 goals and the team working on its Web3 features. “Web3 was completely abandoned, and my Web3 team’s salaries went from delayed payments to no payments at all,” Bella claimed.The former game executive also said that instead of compensating users and repaying funds to non-fungible token (NFT) buyers, the game’s founder, Tnise Liu Yang, decided to block her from all personal communication channels.Related: Kalshi sues Nevada and New Jersey gaming regulatorsFormer BOGX exec says founder avoided refund conversation In the X thread, Bella claimed she attempted to convince Yang to properly liquidate the game’s Web3 assets, but the BOGX founder blocked all communications. Bella wrote: “When I requested that Tnise refund all sold NFTs and properly address the Web3 community, including returning the in-game purchases made by Web3 users during the third test, I discovered I had been blocked from all personal communication channels without any advance notice.”Bella said this happened when she proposed “settling the Web3 side” responsibly if they were to shift the game into a fully Web2 project. In addition, the former exec accused the game’s Web2 team of claiming prizes allocated for players. Bella said that while the Web3 team was working to improve player benefits, they discovered that the Web2 team was using their own accounts to complete and claim cash prizes that should’ve gone to players. “They concealed this from the Web3 team entirely and initially denied it when confronted. Only when we presented evidence showing that the accounts were linked to their own wallets did they finally remove these accounts,” Bella wrote. Cointelegraph reached out to Blade of God X for comments but did not receive a response by publication. BOGX is a game action role-playing game (RPG) developed by Void Labs. On May 11, 2024, Web3 investment fund OKX Ventures announced its investment in the game. In a now-deleted press release, OKX Ventures wrote that the game "merges advanced AI agents with blockchain technology." Magazine: Classic Sega, Atari and Nintendo games get crypto makeovers: Web3 Gamer

Bitcoin Miner Hut 8 Could Look to Acquire a Hyperscaler, Clear Street Says

Whirring away on a shelf at the back of Alta Novella's turbine room are 40 ASIC bitcoin miners. (Sandali Handagama/CoinDesk)

Crypto Exchange OKX Appoints Linda Lacewell as New Chief Legal Officer

OKX President Hong Fang speaking at Consensus Hong Kong, 2025 (CoinDesk)

Bitcoin mining using coal energy down 43% since 2011 — Report

The use of hydrocarbon fuels in mining Bitcoin has seen a sharp decline over the past 13 years, with the use of coal energy in mining dropping significantly. The share of coal energy use in Bitcoin (BTC) mining has dropped from 63% in 2011 to 20% in 2024, an average annual decrease of roughly 8%, according to a new report released on March 31 by the MiCA Crypto Alliance.In parallel, the share of renewable energy used in Bitcoin mining has steadily increased, growing at an average rate of 5.8% per year.Bitcoin absolute energy consumption trends and share of renewable and coal energy. Source: MiCA Crypto AllianceThe data reflects a steady shift of Bitcoin mining to cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions, with the study forecasting further decarbonization and mitigation of BTC’s environmental footprint in the coming years.Global coal energy use surged to new highs in 2024The transition comes amid rising global coal consumption, adding contrast to Bitcoin’s changing energy profile.According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a Paris-based intergovernmental policy organization, global coal use surged to a new record in 2024, estimated at 8.8 billion tonnes.Global coal consumption from 2000 to 2026. Source: IEAAccording to the IEA, global demand for coal energy is set to stay close to record levels through 2027 as emerging economies like India, Indonesia and Vietnam are expected to see a sharp rise in coal consumption in the coming years.Five scenarios for Bitcoin’s energy path to 2030The report lays out five future scenarios for Bitcoin’s carbon footprint, ranging from a bearish $10,000 BTC price to an ultra-bullish $1 million scenario.The study specifically included five BTC price scenarios, with $10,000 considered as a low price scenario, a base price scenario at $110,000, a medium price scenario at $250,000, a high price scenario at $500,000 and a “very bullish” price scenario at $1 million per BTC.Peak annual carbon footprint estimations for different Bitcoin price scenarios and IEA’s different energy transition scenarios. Source: MiCA Crypto AllianceIn a medium price scenario, renewable energy is estimated to constitute between 59.3% and 74.3% of Bitcoin’s total electricity usage, depending on the policy scenario, excluding nuclear energy use, the report stated.Related: Crusoe to sell Bitcoin mining business to NYDIG to focus on AIThe report also mentions an expected peak in Bitcoin mining energy consumption around 2030, echoing a similar forecast in a study by the digital asset platform NYDIG released in September 2021.According to NYDIG’s estimations, even in a high-price scenario, Bitcoin’s electricity consumption would peak at 11 times its 2020 level, but it will only account for 0.4% of global primary energy consumption and 2% of global electricity generation.Magazine: Bitcoin ATH sooner than expected? XRP may drop 40%, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 23 – 29

Some Crypto Tokens Plunge 50% Within Minutes on Binance Amid Suspected Trading Bot Glitch

Crypto prices took a late plunge. (Mike Powell/Getty Images)

Metaplanet adds $67M in Bitcoin following 10-to-1 stock split

Japan-based Metaplanet has expanded its Bitcoin holdings, purchasing 696 BTC for 10.152 billion yen ($67 million), the company announced in an April 1 post on X. The investment pushes Metaplanet’s total Bitcoin stash to 4,046 BTC, valued at over $341 million at the time of writing.Source: MetaplanetStock split targets investor accessibilityThe acquisition comes shortly after Metaplanet issued 2 billion Japanese yen ($13.3 million) of bonds to buy more BTC, Cointelegraph reported on March 31.Source: Simon GerovichThe move also comes shortly after Metaplanet’s 10-to-1 reverse stock split. The company had previously warned in a Feb. 18 filing that its share price had risen significantly, creating a high barrier to entry for retail investors.“We implemented a reverse stock split consolidating 10 shares into 1. Since then, our stock price has risen significantly, and the minimum amount required to purchase our shares on the market has now exceeded 500,000 yen, creating a substantial financial burden for investors,” according to a Feb. 18 notice.Stock split announcement. Source: MetaplanetThe stock split aims to lower the price per trading unit to improve liquidity and expand the firm’s investor base.Metaplanet stock split history. Source: Investing.comThe 10-to-1 stock split was completed on March 28, according to investing.com.Related: $1T stablecoin supply could drive next crypto rally — CoinFund’s PakmanMetaplanet, often referred to as “Asia’s MicroStrategy,” aims to accumulate 21,000 BTC by 2026 as part of its strategy to lead Bitcoin adoption in Japan. With 4,046 BTC in its treasury, it currently ranks as the ninth-largest corporate Bitcoin holder globally, according to Bitbo data.Related: Crypto trader turns $2K PEPE into $43M, sells for $10M profitStrategy is also buying the Bitcoin dipMetaplanet’s purchase comes during a period of institutional dip buying, with Michael Saylor’s Strategy announcing its latest acquisition on March 31. Strategy purchased 22,048 Bitcoin for $1.92 billion at an average price of $86,969 per Bitcoin in its latest weekly BTC haul.The company now holds over 528,000 Bitcoin acquired for $35.63 billion at an average price of $67,458 per BTC, Saylor said in a March 31 X post.Source: Michael SaylorInstitutions are showing confidence in Bitcoin despite the global market uncertainty around US President Donald Trump’s looming tariff announcement, which may create significant volatility in both crypto and traditional markets.“Risk appetite remains muted amid tariff threats from President Trump and ongoing macro uncertainty,” Nexo dispatch analyst Iliya Kalchev told Cointelegraph.The April 2 announcement is expected to detail reciprocal trade tariffs targeting top US trading partners, a development that may increase inflation-related concerns and limit demand for risk assets like Bitcoin.Magazine: SCB tips $500K BTC, SEC delays Ether ETF options, and more: Hodler’s Digest, Feb. 23 – March 1

Tether adds 8,888 Bitcoin in Q1 as holdings exceed $8.4B

Tether, issuer of the USDT stablecoin, acquired 8,888 Bitcoin in the first quarter of 2025, according to onchain data.Onchain transaction data shows that Tether moved its newly acquired Bitcoin (BTC), worth roughly $750 million at the time of writing, from a Bitfinex address to a wallet it controls. Data provided by onchain analytics platform Arkham Intelligence shows that the firm currently holds 100,521 BTC, worth about $8.46 billion.Tether’s Bitcoin balance chart. Source: Arkham IntelligenceThe news follows mid-February reports that Tether could be forced to sell part of its Bitcoin holdings to comply with proposed US regulations. JP Morgan wrote in a report that potential stablecoin regulation could consider a significant portion of the firm’s current reserve as non-compliant:“Under the proposed bills, Tether would have to implicitly replace its non-compliant assets with compliant assets. […] This would imply sales of their non-compliant assets (such as precious metals, Bitcoin, corporate paper, secured loans.”Still, Tether argued against the conclusion of the JP Morgan analyst. A Tether spokesperson criticized the analysts in correspondence sent to Cointelegraph, saying “they understand neither Bitcoin nor Tether” and highlighting that the US stablecoin laws have yet to be finalized.Related: Binance ends Tether USDT trading in Europe to comply with MiCA rulesTether becomes an investment powerhouseTether reported $13 billion of profit in 2024, leading to a significant capital reserve that the firm funneled into large-scale investment ventures. As a result of this explosive growth, the stablecoin issuer became the world’s seventh-largest buyer of US Treasurys, surpassing financially significant countries such as Canada, Taiwan, Mexico, Norway and Hong Kong.At the end of March, Tether invested 10 million euros ($10.8 million) in Italian media company Be Water. In February, the firm acquired a majority stake in Juventus FC, a major Series A football club based in Turin, Italy, and also sought to acquire a majority stake in South American agribusiness Adecoagro.The firm’s influence is already growing as a result of those investments. Rumble, a video platform in which Tether invested $775 million in late 2024, recently announced the launch of its wallet for content creator payments with support for Tether’s USDt.Related: ‘Stablecoin multiverse’ begins: Tether CEO Paolo ArdoinoUSDt keeps growingTether’s USDt is the world’s leading stablecoin and the third digital asset by market cap, according to CoinMarketCap data. At the time of writing, USDt’s total supply stands at just under 148 billion.Ignoring the minor deviations from the US dollar’s value, that supply would place the current market cap at almost $148 billion. Whale Alert data shows that on March 31, Tether minted a billion dollars worth of USDt on the Tron blockchain.USDt minting, burning and Bitcoin price. Source: Whale AlertBitcoin’s price has historically tended upward following upticks in USDt minting and large-scale USDt minting has usually followed significant Bitcoin price increases. David Pakman, managing partner at crypto-native investment firm CoinFund, recently said that the global stablecoin supply could surge to $1 trillion by the end of 2025, potentially becoming a key catalyst for broader cryptocurrency market growth.Magazine: Chinese Tether laundromat, Bhutan enjoys recent Bitcoin boost: Asia Express

Crypto ETP outflows, explained — What investors need to know

What are crypto ETP outflows? Crypto ETPs give exposure to digital assets via traditional financial instruments. When more money exits these products rather than entering them, it is known as an “outflow” rather than an “inflow” — i.e., more people are selling than buying. Crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) hold crypto assets as their underlying commodity. The goal is for them to provide an exchange-traded investment for investors who want exposure to crypto without directly buying the digital assets. Many investors, particularly institutions, prefer this method, as it opens up crypto investing within traditional financial instruments. There is no need to venture into unregulated market areas or take responsibility for the security and safety of crypto assets. There are several types of crypto ETPs available, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded commodities (ETCs) and exchange-traded notes (ETNs). Most famously, Bitcoin ETFs were approved and began trading in January 2024. These crypto ETPs are widely traded and often account for the majority of trading volumes — both inflows and outflows. If you’ve been following the price action of cryptocurrency like Bitcoin (BTC), then you’ll likely have seen stories about crypto ETP outflows. So, what are crypto ETP outflows? This occurs when money flows out of these investment products, indicating that the market is eager to sell off positions. The reasons for this can vary, including profit-taking, negative market sentiment or risk adjustment.Crypto ETP investment trendsThese crypto fund outflows can be large and drive serious volatility in the markets. For example, in March 2025, global crypto products shed $1.7 billion over the course of a week. This compounded outflow totals $6.4 billion in the trailing five weeks. During this time, 17 consecutive days of outflows were recorded, causing the longest streak since records began in 2015. As an investor, understanding ETP flow offers insight into institutional investor sentiment. This can often precede the wider market movements in the coming days and weeks. Outflows can signal warning signs of a changing market dynamic. In the case of record-breaking outflows, it could point to a shift in how institutional money is viewing risk within the crypto markets.  Factors driving crypto ETP outflows ETP outflows are driven by a mix of factors, which include economic conditions, industry concerns, regulation, market cycles and more, that can be used to spot upcoming market moves. So, if ETP flows can be a useful way to gauge sentiment changes in the market, then it is critical to understand what drives these flows. Crypto markets are fickle and can move quickly on news cycles. Adding to this, there are several other common factors that correlate to driving ETP outflows:Macroeconomic headwinds: Economic uncertainty and bad news can lead to money flooding out of risky assets. This often includes US Federal Reserve policy concerns, inflation data and interest rate uncertainty. Security concerns: Hiccups within the industry can make investors nervous, especially during news of fraud and hacks such as the $1.5-billion Bybit hack in early 2025.Regulation development: Shifting government positions on crypto can lead to money flows. Particularly, anti-crypto political moves and taxation can spook ETP investors. Market cycles: After significant market gains, pullbacks start to occur as institutions enter a profit-taking phase to book in their profits. This selling action draws money out of the market. Institutional sentiment: Major financial institutions make up a significant chunk of the market. If they decide to reassess their crypto allocation, outflows can begin as strategies move to less risky assets. Technical indicators: Many investors watch technical indicators closely. If key support levels are broken on major cryptocurrencies, selling pressure intensifies quickly.Often, multiple factors, as explained above, can create a perfect storm for retreating investor sentiment and lead to an unprecedented scale of outflows. Understanding these factors can help you to spot the difference between normal volatility and fundamental market shifts. Impact of ETP outflows on crypto markets Crypto ETP outflows are signals of significant sentiment shifts, which in turn continue to put downward pricing pressure on crypto markets. Prolonged outflow streaks are cause for concern for crypto investors, as they indicate a critical shift in investor sentiment for cryptocurrency. Long streaks suggest that market conditions have become particularly challenging. Generally, outflows start with Bitcoin ETPs, as it is the most well-known and largest cryptocurrency. This can then spread to ETPs for other assets like Ether (ETH) before creating a loss of confidence in the whole crypto market. During these periods, you’ll quickly see direct price pressure on crypto assets trickle down the markets. During large ETP outflows, cryptocurrency experiences significant price corrections, which can hit 20% or more in a matter of weeks. Liquidity is also affected, with total assets under management (AUM) dropping by billions of dollars. With more sellers than buyers in the market, the reduced liquidity makes selling harder for many crypto assets, further adding to the downward price pressures. Market sentiment quickly becomes contagious as negativity spreads from institutions to retail investors. When this happens, even the strongest growth streaks can be terminated as excitable bull runs halt. ETP outflow indicators Knowing the key indicators can help provide early warning signals for investors looking to anticipate big market moves. The concentration of flows in specific products and understanding regional discrepancies can create targeted monitoring to spot investment opportunities. Indicators favored by investors include:Volume: Unusual spikes in ETP trading volumes usually precede large outflow events. Typically, this spike can signal something important about investor sentiment or market conditions. For instance, a large uptick in volume may indicate that investors are preparing for or responding to news, market movements or shifts in sentiment.Premium/discount shifts: Premiums and discounts refer to the difference between the price at which an ETP is trading in the market and its actual net asset value (NAV), which is the value of the assets held. Shifts in premium/discount can give insight into market sentiment or potential future price movements. For instance, if an ETP that usually trades at a premium suddenly starts trading at a discount, it could signal waning investor confidence in the underlying assets or broader market concerns.Leading product indicators: Leading product indicators are products or assets that tend to signal broader market trends. For example, a movement in the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), a dominant Bitcoin ETF, can indicate growing institutional interest in Bitcoin, which may signal future market growth. These products often lead the way for similar assets or broader market sectors. The performance of industry-leading products is closely monitored by investors, as their price fluctuations can act as a barometer for upcoming trends in both crypto and traditional markets, helping predict broader market shifts.Institutional holdings reports: Institutional holdings refer to the positions held by large investment entities like mutual funds, pension funds and hedge funds. These firms often hold large quantities of assets or securities, and their decisions can have a significant impact on the market. A change in major institutional positions could indicate a shift in how these large players view the market or specific assets. For example, if a large institutional investor starts reducing its position in a particular stock or ETP, it might signal that the investor believes the asset’s price is going to decrease or that they are adjusting their portfolio based on broader economic factors.Flow momentum indicators: Flow momentum indicators track the rate at which capital flows in or out of a market or asset. An acceleration in outflows typically signals panic or growing market uncertainty as investors rush to withdraw funds. Conversely, the deceleration of outflows suggests a stabilization in sentiment, as fears may subside or investors look to reenter the market. Monitoring these indicators helps investors assess the intensity of market sentiment over short (days/weeks) and medium (months) terms, offering insights into whether the market is facing a temporary dip or a more prolonged downturn.Regional flow discrepancies: Regional flow discrepancies refer to the varying capital outflow patterns across different geographic regions. During market sell-offs, US-based investors often lead the way in pulling funds out of the market due to their significant market share and risk appetite. This can result in more substantial outflows in US markets compared to other regions. However, these discrepancies can also present opportunities for international investors, especially when one region shows resilience while others are panicking. Tracking regional trends is crucial for understanding the global dynamics that drive market movements and investor sentiment.Cross-asset correlations: Cross-asset correlations examine how different asset classes, like cryptocurrencies and traditional financial markets, move in relation to one another. Typically, high-risk assets like Bitcoin often show a correlation with tech stocks or other volatile assets. When traditional markets experience turbulence, such as a downturn in equities, crypto markets may also dip as investors seek safety. Conversely, during periods of growth in traditional markets, cryptocurrencies might see inflows as investors look for higher returns. Understanding these correlations enables investors to make more informed decisions by anticipating how crypto markets will react to broader economic conditions. Crypto ETP inflows and outflows: 2024–Q1 2025 trends and insights In 2024, crypto ETPs saw record inflows of $44.2 billion, led by Bitcoin and Ether products, despite minor year-end outflows. However, 2025 experienced a sharp reversal, with significant outflows starting in February, resulting in $2.55 billion in net inflows by March 10.Here are the key highlights of 2024–2025 crypto ETP flows:2024 net inflows: According to CoinShares, the total net inflows for 2024 reached $44.2 billion, a 320% increase from the previous record of $10.5 billion set in 2021.Bitcoin ETPs inflows: Bitcoin ETPs alone saw $38 billion in inflows, accounting for 29% of Bitcoin’s total AUM of $130 billion.Ether ETPs inflows: Ether-based ETPs also performed well, with late 2024 momentum pushing annual inflows to $4.8 billion, representing 26% of ETH’s $18.6 billion AUM.Minor outflows in 2024: Despite the overall positive net inflows, there were periods of outflows, notably in the last trading week of 2024, which saw $75 million in net outflows, as reported on Jan. 6, 2025.Overall positive net inflows in 2024: These outflows were minor compared to the year’s inflows, and overall, 2024 had no significant net outflows, with the net flow being positive at $44.2 billion.Strong start to 2025: The year 2025 started strongly, with the first three days of January 2025 seeing $585 million in inflows.2025 net inflows by Feb. 10: By Feb. 10, 2025, year-to-date net inflows reached $7.3 billion, with five consecutive weeks of inflows, including a notable week ending Feb. 10 with $1.3 billion in inflows, where Ether ETPs saw $793 million in inflows, outpacing Bitcoin.Reversal of inflows starting Feb. 17, 2025: However, there was a sharp reversal starting from the week ending Feb. 17, 2025, with the first significant weekly net outflows of $415 million, according to CoinShares.End of 19-week inflow streak: This marked the end of a 19-week inflow streak post-US election, amassing $29.4 billion, far surpassing the $16 billion in the first 19 weeks of US spot ETF launches in 2024.Continued outflows in late Feb. 2025: The outflows continued, with the week ending Feb. 24, 2025, seeing $508 million in Bitcoin outflows, and the week ending March 3, 2025, recording the largest weekly outflows on record at $2.9 billion, bringing the three-week total to $3.8 billion.March 2025 outflows: The week ending March 10, 2025, saw another $876 million in outflows, bringing the total outflows over these four weeks to $4.75 billion. Starting the week of March 17, cryptocurrency ETPs saw liquidations accelerate, with $1.7 billion in outflows recorded. This brought the total outflows over the past five weeks to $6.4 billion, according to CoinShares’ report. Crypto ETP inflows surge; AUM declines (as of March 31): Global crypto ETPs saw $226 million in inflows for the week ending March 30, following $644 million the week before. Despite this two-week positive trend after a five-week outflow streak, total AUM dropped below $134 million by March 28. Altcoins recorded $33 million in inflows after four weeks of outflows totaling $1.7 billion. Future of crypto ETPs Despite worryingly large outflow events in 2025, the continuing growth in new ETP varieties hitting the market indicates a continued financial interest in the space.Especially considering the longer-term growth trend of crypto AUM, the future of crypto ETPs as a strong investment vehicle and market driver is strong. Large outflows can be concerning for investors in the short term, but even severe pullbacks of 20%–30% can be recovered during a larger market cycle. In fact, many investors believe these pullbacks are healthy during periods of growth as investors take profits and consolidate market positions.Regulatory evolution appears positive, particularly in the US, with President Donald Trump being pro-crypto. He’s even signed executive orders to try and improve approaches to crypto regulation and form a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and digital asset stockpile. New crypto ETPs are frequently being filed by financial institutions eager to broaden their offerings for investors. In addition to Bitcoin and Ether products, Solana and XRP ETPs have gained significant attention following their approval and launch. These new products have even seen inflows despite downturns in Bitcoin and Ether ETPs.As the crypto market continues to evolve, the launch of new ETPs is likely to drive further innovation and attract a broader range of investors. With increasing regulatory clarity and growing institutional interest, future offerings may expand to include other promising cryptocurrencies. As a result, you can expect continued diversification in the crypto ETP space, with potential for increased inflows and new market opportunities, even amid fluctuations in established assets like BTC and ETH.

Trump-linked crypto ventures may complicate US stablecoin policy

A US dollar-pegged stablecoin launched by a cryptocurrency platform tied to US President Donald Trump’s family could complicate ongoing bipartisan efforts to pass stablecoin legislation in Congress, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.The Trump-linked World Liberty Financial (WLFI) crypto platform launched the World Liberty Financial USD (USD1) US dollar-pegged stablecoin in early March, prompting concerns over potential conflicts of interest.Despite political pushback from Democratic Party lawmakers, WLFI’s stablecoin plans are in line with the current US stablecoin legislation, according to Anastasija Plotnikova, co-founder and CEO of blockchain regulatory firm Fideum.“The planned backing, audits, qualified custody, public blockchains and no native yield-bearing — all these elements are well in line with the GENIUS and STABLE acts,” she said in an interview with Cointelegraph.“I would argue that this is a direct expression of support to the US-based stablecoins, and in any case, the stablecoin issuer is subject to the authorization of OCC, state regulators and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve,” she added.Related: Stablecoins, tokenized assets gain as Trump tariffs loomThe launch comes as two major stablecoin bills move through Congress. The STABLE Act, introduced on Feb. 6, aims to create a clear regulatory framework for dollar-denominated payment stablecoins. It focuses on transparency and consumer protection and enables issuers to choose between federal and state oversight.Source: STABLE ActThe GENIUS Act, short for Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, would establish collateralization guidelines for stablecoin issuers while requiring full compliance with Anti-Money Laundering laws. The act recently passed the Senate Banking Committee by a vote of 18–6.Related: Trump turned crypto from ‘oppressed industry’ to ‘centerpiece’ of US strategyTrump’s USD1 stablecoin is “throwing a wrench into bipartisan efforts”While some see WLFI’s stablecoin as a positive signal for crypto adoption, others fear it may complicate the passage of current legislation, politicizing it in the process.“Trump’s new US dollar-pegged stablecoin, USD1, is throwing a wrench into bipartisan efforts to pass stablecoin legislation, possibly something like the GENIUS Act,” according to Dmitrij Radin, the founder of Zekret and chief technology officer of Fideum.“With the Trump family holding a major stake and revenue share, critics like Senator [Elizabeth] Warren and Representative [Jim] Himes are calling out potential conflicts of interest,” Radin told Cointelegraph, adding:“The concern would be that any law could be seen as financially benefiting Trump, making some lawmakers hesitant. While the bill could still pass, this twist might delay it or force stricter rules to keep it neutral.”While stablecoins appear ready for mainstream adoption, “political drama” may push innovation offshore if regulators become overly restrictive, Radin said, adding that banks and the Federal Reserve are still “pushing back” against stablecoin adoption.Meanwhile, crypto industry professionals have urged US lawmakers to create more regulatory clarity around stablecoins and crypto banking relationships before legislators switch their focus to crypto tax laws.Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

Bitcoin Nears $85K Before Tariffs Kick-In; DOGE, XRP, ADA Lead Crypto Majors

markets, up

Crypto Daybook Americas: Trump Tariff Threat Casts Shadow Over Buoyant Bitcoin Price

fear shadow

Bitcoin Put Option Trade With $1M Premium Highlights Concern Over Declining BTC Price

The Q1 ended with a notable bearish BTC block options bet. (jarmoluk/Pixabay)

Crypto hacks top $1.6B in Q1 2025 — PeckShield

Hackers stole more than $1.63 billion in cryptocurrency during the first quarter of 2025, with the Bybit exploit accounting for more than 92% of total losses, according to blockchain security firm PeckShield.PeckShield reported that over $87 million in crypto was lost to hacks in January, while February saw a dramatic spike to $1.53 billion, largely due to the Bybit attack. That incident was one of the largest crypto thefts to date.In addition to the Bybit hack, other attacks in February caused $126 million in losses. This included a $50-million exploit targeting Infini, a $9.5-million hack on zkLend and an $8.5-million loss from Ionic.  Hack-related losses dropped significantly in March, decreasing by 97% from February. PeckShield reported only $33 million in crypto assets were stolen last month. Some funds were even recovered, helping offset damage to users and protocols.Crypto hacks saw a 131% year-over-year increaseAccording to PeckShield, the first quarter of 2025 saw more than 60 crypto hacks. The blockchain security firm said the $1.63 billion loss in Q1 2025 represented a 131% year-over-year increase from the first quarter of 2024, when losses reached $706 million.The largest incident in March was a $13 million exploit involving decentralized finance protocol Abracadabra.Money. PeckShield said the attacker drained 6,260 Ether (ETH) from the protocol on March 25.Crypto hack losses in March. Source: PeckShieldRelated: North Korean crypto attacks rising in sophistication, actors — ParadigmThe second-biggest incident during the month was an $8.4-million hack on the real-world asset (RWA) restaking protocol Zoth. On March 21, security firm Cyvers flagged a suspicious Zoth transaction, an attacker withdrawing $8.4 million from the protocol's wallets. The assets were converted into a stablecoin and transferred to another address. While millions were lost in March, some cases saw assets being returned. On March 7, a crypto hacker who stole $5 million from decentralized exchange (DEX) 1inch returned 90% of the funds. After a smart contract vulnerability was exploited, the DEX offered a 10% bounty to the attacker, worth $500,000, in exchange for returning the rest of the crypto assets. The hacker obliged and sent back $4.5 million to 1inch. Magazine: Mystery celeb memecoin scam factory, HK firm dumps Bitcoin: Asia Express

Metaplanet Ups Bitcoin Holding to Over 4K BTC, Rakes Up Another 696 BTC

16:9 crop : Cityscape Tokyo, Japan (Ryo Yoshitake/Unsplash)

Binance ends Tether USDT trading in Europe to comply with MiCA rules

Binance has discontinued spot trading pairs with Tether’s USDt in the European Economic Area (EEA) to comply with the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has delisted spot trading pairs with several non-MiCA-compliant tokens in the EEA in line with a plan disclosed in early March, Cointelegraph has learned.While spot trading pairs in tokens such as USDt (USDT) are now delisted on Binance, users in the EEA can still custody the affected tokens and trade them in perpetual contracts.USDT is available for perpetual trading on Binance. Source: BinanceAccording to a previous announcement by Binance, the spot trading pairs for non-MiCA-compliant tokens were to be delisted by March 31, which is in line with a local requirement to delist such tokens by the end of the first quarter of 2025.Delistings on other exchanges in EEABinance is not the only crypto exchange delisting non-MiCA-compliant tokens for spot trading in the EEA.Other exchanges, such as Kraken, have delisted spot trading pairs in tokens such as USDT in the EEA after announcing plans in February.According to a notice on the Kraken website, the exchange restricted USDT for sell-only mode in the EEA on March 24. At the time of writing, the platform doesn’t allow its EEA users to buy the affected tokens.Kraken restricted USDT to sell-only mode in the EEA on March 24. Source: KrakenAmong other non-MiCA-compliant tokens, Binance has also delisted spot trading pairs for Dai (DAI), First Digital USD (FDUSD), TrueUSD (TUSD), Pax Dollar (USDP), Anchored Euro (AEUR), TerraUSD (UST), TerraClassicUSD (USTC) and PAX Gold (PAXG).Related: Tether acquires 30% stake in Italian media company Be WaterKraken’s delisting roadmap in the EEA only included five tokens: USDT, PayPal USD (PYUSD), Tether EURt (EURT), TrueUSD and TerraClassicUSD.ESMA doesn’t prohibit custody of non-MiCA-compliant tokensBinance and Kraken’s move to maintain custody services for non-MiCA-compliant tokens aligns with a previous communication from MiCA compliance supervisors.On March 5, a spokesperson for the ESMA told Cointelegraph that custody and transfer services for non-MiCA-compliant stablecoins do not violate the new European cryptocurrency laws. On the other hand, the same regulator previously advised European crypto asset service providers to halt all transactions involving the affected tokens after March 31, adding a certain extent of confusion over MiCA requirements.Magazine: How crypto laws are changing across the world in 2025

The future of digital self-governance: AI agents in crypto

Opinion by: Tomer Warschauer Nuni, chief marketing officer of Kima NetworkNo one should be surprised that the crypto space is actively discussing the new wave of enthusiasm around AI and its limitless uses. According to proponents, AI represents the most promising approach to enhancing blockchain technologies and decentralized applications, driving greater autonomy and efficiency across the ecosystem.The use of AI agents in crypto trading and interoperability between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) has been quite fruitful. They also help improve user experience within the ecosystem and play a key role in enhancing the scalability of blockchain networks as they grow.In December 2024, VanEck reported that AI agents were already numbering 10,000 and that they were expected to reach 1 million in 2025. This projected growth shows how seemingly inevitable this future is for believers and skeptics alike.The current state of AI agents in the digital world It is easy to see why everyone is excited about integrating AI agents into nearly every digital process. They enhance several processes with no or less effort from humans.Current challenges, however, including the ethical concerns identified by the Vatican, do not allow for their full adoption. Crypto investors also felt the heat after DeepSeek’s release, which led to a massive market loss. This risk-to-reward analysis may well be used to discuss the necessity of AI agents in the crypto industry.The market capitalization of AI agents in crypto rose 322% in the fourth quarter of 2024, from $4.8 billion to $15.5 billion, indicating that more people in the crypto community are accepting AI. The phenomenon of the absolute autonomy of systems is not so far away if we look at the advantages.AI agents’ trading, analysis and risk management capabilities are widely reported to be better than those of humans. Every decision made in the market is made quickly and is strongly supported by as much data as possible, reducing human errors that can cause losses. There are some good indications of this potential. Edwin is a project that aims to combine AI and decentralized finance, enabling the easy integration of AI agents built on top of frameworks like LangChain and ElizaOS to work with DeFi platforms, including Aave and Uniswap. This makes creating a single interface and securely performing blockchain operations easier, removing the need to learn different protocol integrations. Recent: Microsoft for Startups backed project: Web3 AI workforce on demandThis allows for a utopia of financial automation, or “DeFAI,” where AI agents can control their financial destiny and manage and control their assets in a highly complex, dynamic environment.For example, ElizaOS offers a robust multi-agent simulation environment to develop, deploy and manage many autonomous AI agents. It’s a versatile platform that enables these agents to move between various systems while preserving their identity and knowledge toward fully active and self-directed entities in the crypto realm.AI agents can combine all the functions of TradFi and DeFi without issue. They can cut out the intermediaries in international transactions, improving the speed of handling crypto and fiat financial transactions. They can also enable liquidity providers to manage their stablecoin yields completely automatedly and maximize their yields according to current demand across all blockchains. These integrations are an indication of the endless possibilities in cross-border payment transactions.In a September 2024 report, the Global Digital Visionaries Council predicted that by 2025, 20% of all financial transactions would be crosschain due to the integration of TradFi and DeFi systems. Projects like Virtuals Protocol go further by enabling users to create, own and deploy autonomous AI agents. Although the initial application of Virtuals Protocol is the creation of AI-driven avatars, the protocol offers resources that can be used for autonomous crypto trading, showing the versatility of AI in blockchain ecosystems.Autonomous market and personalization is also improving with the help of AI. Crypto’s first AI agents index, Cookie.fun — developed by Cookie DAO — provides real-time analysis of agents’ performance, mindshare and engagement across blockchains and social media. The platform lists their market caps and “smart following” to track market trends and provide vital information that investors and projects can use to make better decisions and identify the top-performing agents in the ecosystem.AlphaNeural provides a decentralized environment for the training, market share and effectiveness of AI models and agents. It also has a marketplace for AI assets and a GPU aggregation network that enables creators to tokenize their work and secure and scale the execution of AI solutions. In this manner, the current opportunities for developing advanced AI tools are open for everyone, which connects AI developers with the crypto ecosystem.The crypto analyst community is confident that AI technology can improve most blockchain performance metrics. The crypto ecosystem is also experiencing rapid user growth, which means that the level of personalization in customer interactions is also increasing due to the use of AI agents.The skeptic’s point of viewNevertheless, many still have different opinions regarding promoting digital autonomy in crypto through AI agents.One significant concern raised in a case study published by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is the potential effect on the stock market from the increased risk of market manipulation. In theory, collusion between trading algorithms powered by AI could lead to price inefficiencies that might weaken the efficiency of financial markets. In such cases, the bots could manipulate prices up or down or cause a price surge or crash, eroding the market’s credibility.Many people have also expressed concerns over relying on AI agents to make decisions because they are prone to hacking. Poorly programmed agents may be unable to resist certain types of cyberattacks, resulting in capital loss.Without a drastic solution to such threats, risks, and legal and ethical issues, the skeptics will always have a valid argument against integrating AI agents in this area.AI-driven autonomyCryptocurrencies and their supporters have been slow to warm up to AI agents, but they really should, given how useful they’ve been in so many areas. These integrations will likely improve trading, help onboarding from TradFi to DeFi, and offer other features. The utopia of completely autonomous AI control crypto experts describe is just around the corner.The integration of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology unlocks the door to endless possibilities and may pave the path to a new digital era for humanity and its bots.Opinion by: Tomer Warschauer Nuni, chief marketing officer of Kima Network. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Bitcoin sellers &#039;dry up&#039; as weekly exchange inflows near 2-year low

Bitcoin (BTC) faces a new “consolidation zone” as exchange inflows tag multiyear lows, new analysis says.In a post on X on April 1, Axel Adler Jr., a contributor to onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant, declared that Bitcoin sellers had “dried up.”Average exchange inflows down 64% since NovemberBitcoin sell-side pressure has eased considerably since its first push above the $100,000 mark in late 2024, data shows. Analyzing BTC inflows to major crypto exchanges, Adler revealed a sharp drop in the 7-day average total sent for sale.“The average selling pressure on top exchanges has dropped from 81K to 29K BTC per day,” he summarized alongside a CryptoQuant chart. “Welcome to the zone of asymmetric demand.”Bitcoin 7-day average exchange inflows. Source: Axel Adler Jr./XOn March 23, 7-day average inflows hit their lowest levels since May 2023, when BTC/USD traded at less than $30,000.Given that current prices are almost three times that amount, Adler sees the potential for light at the end of the tunnel for the 2025 Bitcoin bull market correction.“The market has successfully absorbed waves of profit-taking following the break above $100K,” he concluded. “Sellers have dried up, and buyers seem comfortable with current price levels - setting the stage for a structural supply shortage. April-May could turn into a consolidation zone - a calm before the next impulse.”Binance inflows hint at a “more neutral stance”As Cointelegraph reported, signs already hint that market sentiment has become aligned with price reality.Related: Bitcoin trader issues ‘overbought’ warning as BTC price eyes $84KThe Coinbase Premium, which acts as a proxy for US exchange demand, continues to circle neutral levels as time goes on, recovering from negative territory despite no real price rebound.That said, short-term analysis warns of a fresh uptick in inflows this week — with the exception not of Coinbase but global exchange Binance.“Short Term Holders are sending significantly less BTC to Binance—only 6,300 BTC, compared to an average of 24,700 BTC to other exchanges,” CryptoQuant contributor Joao Wedson, founder and CEO of data analysis platform Alphractal, noted in one of its “Quicktake” blog posts. “This suggests lower selling pressure on Binance, with many traders possibly adopting a more neutral stance.”Binance vs. other exchange BTC inflows from short-term holders (screenshot). Source: CryptoQuantThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Ethereum Reclaims No. 1 Spot as Leading DEX Chain for First Since September, Overtakes Solana

Ethereum was March's top blockchain by DEX volumes. (artellliii72/Pixabay)

OpenAI to release its first ‘open’ language model since GPT-2 in 2019

OpenAI is set to launch an “open” version of its language model this year, allowing developers to run the model on their own hardware.In an update posted to X on March 31, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the artificial intelligence firm would release the powerful “new open-weight language model with the reasoning” in the coming months but first wanted to gather feedback about “how to make it maximally useful.”“We’ve been thinking about this for a long time, but other priorities have taken precedence. Now it feels important to do,” he said, adding it was the first “open-weight” model since GPT-2 in 2019.Adding that: “We still have some decisions to make, so we are hosting developer events to gather feedback and later play with early prototypes.”Source: Sam AltmanAn open-weight language model is publicly available for anyone to use, download, modify or deploy for their own purposes. It’s not as open as an open-source model, but it would be a change from GPT-3 and GPT-4, which were fully closed. Altman said developer events for GPT-2 will start in San Francisco, California — where OpenAI is headquartered — in the next few weeks, followed by sessions in Europe and the Asia–Pacific region, according to Altman.Source: Steven Heidel“We’re excited to see what developers build and how large companies and governments use it where they prefer to run a model themselves,” Altman said.“We will do extra work given that we know this model will be modified post-release.”OpenAI’s first “open” model” since GPT-2 in 2019OpenAI’s open-weight language model GPT-2 was partially released in February 2019, followed by a full release in November of the same year.Related: ‘Our GPUs are melting’ — OpenAI puts limiter in after Ghibli-tsunamiAltman also said on Feb. 12 his firm wants to ship GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 in the coming weeks or months.The AI arms race has been heating up with the launch of rival DeepSeek, which functions similarly to ChatGPT but was reportedly created at a fraction of the cost and time.Alibaba Group launched its new open-source AI model for cost-effective AI agents on March 26, while Google introduced Gemini 2.5, its latest experimental artificial intelligence model, on March 25.Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a March 19 Threads post that the firm’s AI model family, Llama, released in February 2023, had hit 1 billion downloads.Magazine: ‘Chernobyl’ needed to wake people to AI risks, Studio Ghibli memes: AI Eye

SpaceX flight bankrolled by crypto investor launches first manned polar orbit

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has sent a crew of four private astronauts on the first manned space flight to orbit the Earth’s poles, in a mission bankrolled and led by a wealthy crypto investor.Chun Wang, the Chinese-born Maltese entrepreneur who founded the Bitcoin (BTC) mining pool F2Pool, paid for and is leading SpaceX’s “Fram2” mission, which is named after a 19th-century Norwegian Arctic exploration ship.Wang and three others blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 1:46 am UTC on April 1, on a three- to five-day orbit that will be the first human space mission to fly over the North and South poles.Liftoff of Fram2 and the @framonauts! pic.twitter.com/XBL5juCnHQ— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 1, 2025Wang hasn’t disclosed how much he paid SpaceX for the flight, but he brought along German polar scientist Rabea Rogge, Norwegian cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen and Australian Arctic adventurer Eric Philips.SpaceX said the crew will also carry out 22 experiments — including taking the first X-ray in space and growing mushrooms — which are designed to inform on human health in space and the effects of long-duration space flight.Chun Wang (right) onboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule with Jannicke Mikkelsen (center-right), Rabea Rogge (center-left) and Eric Philips (left). Source: SpaceXWang was born in China but said in 2023 that he became a citizen of Malta. He founded F2Pool in 2013, which was one of China’s first Bitcoin mining pools and is currently the fourth-largest with a market share of just under 10%, according to mempool.space.He went on to create the Ethereum staking pool provider Stakefish in 2018, which beaconchain data shows is currently the eighth largest pool, boasting around 2,025 validators.Related: Inside ‘eccentric’ Ripple founder’s multibillion-dollar space station plan After blasting off from Florida, it took Wang and his crew less than 30 minutes to reach the South Pole flying around 265 miles (430 kilometers) above the Earth. They’re expected to completely circle the globe about every one and a half hours.The SpaceX Dragon capsule will splash down off the coast of California after the mission ends, which will be the first for the company.Magazine: Crypto fans are obsessed with longevity and biohacking — Here’s why

Gutter Cat Gang token sale marred by ‘technical issues,’ reportedly low interest

Non-fungible token (NFT) project Gutter Cat Gang (GCG) saw a rocky token launch of its GANG token on Apechain on March 31, attributed to a “technical issue” by a third party, though others pointed to reportedly low interest in the token. While GCG didn’t confirm these figures, it did state in a March 31 Discord post that no GANG tokens were distributed due to it encountering a “technical issue” by a third party. “Bad news,” the chief architect of GCG, “Yugen,” wrote on GCG’s Discord channel. “The contract is stopping us from the 100% liquidity claim day 1,” which Yugen said is preventing participants from cashing in and out.“We’ve tried to fix it for at least an hour and no success,” said Yugen, who added:“You will, be getting your $GANG. But not today. I will come back with a new exact date and time.”Source: GCG/ DiscordThe token sale was described as a “fumble” by X user and NFT enthusiast “Easy,” who pointed out that the team locked up 100% of the token supply in the vesting contract — running contrary to the GCG’s tokenomics plan.Under that plan, 12.5% of GCG NFTs and 15% of Seed Round allocations were meant to unlock instantly, with the rest of the tokens scheduled to vest daily over the next 18 months.GCG’s goal was to sell 12% of the total supply at $0.0089 per token — targeting a raise of around $1.08 million, which would’ve given it an implied market cap of $9 million.The GCG team marketed the “useless” GANG tokens as “just vibes” with “no promises” and “no roadmaps.”Reports on X suggest GANG failed to garner significant interestSeveral X users claimed that GCG only raised 3.66 Ether (ETH) worth roughly $6,800 from the GANG token community sale — falling far short of the $1 million target that it supposedly set. However, GCG hasn’t confirmed or addressed these figures.Related: Memecoins 2.0: The market crashed, but the billion-dollar circus rolls onGCG launched on June 8, 2021, starting off as a collection of 3000 unique NFT avatars with a backstory around the post-apocalyptic shatters of society.GCG’s NFT floor price used to be 8.5 ETH — worth $15,240 — in September 2022 but has since fallen to 0.19 ETH at current prices, NFT Price Floor data shows.Source: GCG NFTs listed on NFT marketplace OpenSea. Source: OpenSeaThe NFT firm was acquired by X user and NFT enthusiast “Mauloadream” who also goes by Noah, in October 2023 for an undisclosed amount.Magazine: Arbitrum co-founder skeptical of move to based and native rollups: Steven Goldfeder

Bitcoin price gearing up for next leg of ‘acceleration phase’ — Fidelity research

A recent Fidelity Digital Assets report questioned whether Bitcoin price had already seen its cyclical “blow off top” or if BTC (BTC) is on the cusp of another “acceleration phase.” According to Fidelity analyst Zack Wainwright, Bitcoin’s acceleration phases are characterized by “high volatility and high profit,” similar to the price action seen when BTC pushed above $20,000 in December 2020.  While Bitcoin’s year-to-date return reflects an 11.44% loss, and the asset is down nearly 25% from its all-time high, Wainwright says the recent post-acceleration phase performance is in line with BTC’s average drawdowns when compared to previous market cycles. Bitcoin historical downside after acceleration phases. Source: Fidelity Digital Assets ResearchWainwright suggests that Bitcoin is still in an acceleration phase but is moving closer to the completion of the cycle, as March 3 represented day 232 of the period. Previous peaks lasted slightly longer before a corrective period set in. “The acceleration phase of 2010 - 2011, 2015, and 2017 reached their tops on day 244, 261, 280, respectively, suggesting a slightly more drawn-out phase each cycle.”Related: MARA Holdings plans huge $2B stock offering to buy more BitcoinIs another parabolic rally on the cards for Bitcoin? Bitcoin price has languished below $100,000 since Feb. 21, and a good deal of the momentum and positive sentiment that comprised the “Trump trade” has dissipated and been replaced by tariff-war-induced volatility and the markets’ fear that the US could be heading into a recession. Despite these overhanging factors and the negative impact they’ve had on day-to-day Bitcoin prices, large entities continue to add to their BTC stockpiles. On March 31, Strategy CEO Michael Saylor announced that the company had acquired 22,048 BTC ($1.92 billion) at an average price of $86,969 per Bitcoin. On the same day, Bitcoin miner MARA revealed plans to sell up to $2 billion in stock to acquire more BTC “from time to time.” Following in the footsteps of larger-cap companies, Japanese firm Metaplanet issued 2 billion yen ($13.3 million) in bonds on March 31 to buy more Bitcoin, and the largest news of March came from GameStop announcing a $1.3 billion convertible notes offering, a portion of which could be used to purchase Bitcoin. The recent buying and statements of intent to buy from a variety of international and US-based publicly listed companies show a price-agnostic approach to accumulating BTC as a reserve asset, and it highlights the positive future price exceptions held among institutional investors. While it is difficult to determine the impact of institutional investor Bitcoin purchases on BTC price, Wainwright said that a metric to keep an eye on is the number of days during a rolling 60-day period when the cryptocurrency hits a new all-time high. Wainwright posted the following chart and said, “Bitcoin has typically experienced two major surges within previous Acceleration Phases, with the first instance of this cycle’s following the election. If a new all-time high is on the horizon, it will have a starting base near $110,000.” Bitcoin’s number of all-time high days (rolling 60 days). Source: Fidelity Digital Assets ResearchThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Crypto exploit, scam losses drop to $28.8M in March after February spike

Losses to crypto scams, exploits, and hacks dropped to just $28.8 million in March, far from February’s spike to $1.5 billion in losses after the Bybit hack.Code vulnerabilities accounted for the most losses, at over $14 million, while wallet compromises were used to steal over $8 million, blockchain security firm CertiK said in an April 1 post to X.The most significant loss for the month was the $13 million March 25 smart contract exploit of the decentralized lending protocol Abracadabra.money.After accounting for returned funds, a total of $28.8 million was stolen through exploits, hacks and scams in March. Source: CertiKIn a separate March 27 report, the blockchain security firm said, “The attacker was able to borrow funds, liquidate themselves, then borrow funds again without repaying them.”“This was due to the liquidation process not overwriting records in RouterOrder that counted as collateral, allowing the exploiter to falsely borrow additional funds after liquidation,” CertiK said.The protocols team has offered a 20% bounty, double the standard 10%, in exchange for the return of the funds, according to CertiK. So far, no public updates have been given on whether any funds have been returned.The second highest monthly loss was restaking protocol Zoth after its deployer wallet was compromised and the attacker withdrew over $8.4 million in crypto assets. March crypto losses reduced after hacker returned some funds Some of the stolen funds in March were returned. In total, CertiK says over $33 million was stolen for the month, but decentralized exchange aggregator 1inch successfully recovered most of the $5 million stolen in a March 5 exploit after negotiating a bug bounty agreement with the attacker.The total figures, however, exclude an unknown Coinbase user who crypto sleuth ZachXBT claims lost 400 Bitcoin (BTC), worth $34 million. At the same time, ZachXBT said over $46 million could have been lost in March to phishing scams spoofing crypto exchanges.Related: DeFi protocol SIR.trading loses entire $355K TVL in ‘worst news’ possibleAustralian federal police said on March 21 that they had to alert 130 people of a message scam aimed at crypto users that spoofed the same “sender ID” as legitimate crypto exchanges. X users also reported on March 14 of messages spoofing crypto exchanges trying to trick users into setting up a new wallet using pre-generated recovery phrases controlled by the fraudsters.Magazine: Mystery celeb memecoin scam factory, HK firm dumps Bitcoin: Asia Express

Vanuatu passes long-awaited crypto laws that won’t be ‘light touch’

Vanuatu has passed laws to regulate digital assets and provide a licensing regime for crypto companies wanting to operate in the Pacific island nation, which a government regulatory consultant has called “very stringent.” The local parliament passed the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act on March 26, giving crypto licensing authority to the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC) along with powers to enforce the Financial Action Task Force’s Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorism Financing and Travel Rule standards with crypto firms.The VFSC has sweeping investigation and enforcement powers under the laws, with penalties stipulating fines of up to 250 million vatu ($2 million) and up to 30 years in prison.“God help any scammer that goes into Vanuatu because you’ll go to jail,” Loretta Joseph, who consulted with the regulator on the laws, told Cointelegraph. “The laws are very stringent.”“The thing is, we don’t want another FTX debacle,” she added, referring to the once Bahamas-based crypto exchange that collapsed in 2022 due to massive fraud committed by its co-founders, Sam Bankman-Fried and Gary Wang, along with other executives.“Vanuatu is a small jurisdiction. Small jurisdictions are preyed on by the players that are looking for no regulation or light touch regulation,” Joseph said. “This is certainly not that.”“I’m so proud of them to be the first country in the Pacific to actually take a position and do this,” she added. New Vanuatu law regulates slate of crypto companiesThe law establishes a licensing and reporting framework for exchanges, non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces, crypto custody providers and initial coin offerings.The law notably allows for banks to be licensed to provide crypto exchange and custody services. Source: Parliament of the Republic of VanuatuThe VFSC said that the legislation doesn’t affect stablecoins, tokenized securities, and central bank digital currencies even though they “may in practice share some similarities with virtual assets.”The legislation also allows for the VFSC’s commissioner to create a sandbox to allow approved companies to offer a variety of crypto services for a year, which can be renewed.Related: Australia outlines crypto regulation plan, promises action on debankingJoseph said Vanuatu “needed a standalone piece of legislation” that covered Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terror Financing requirements, as the country didn’t have existing laws suited to virtual assets.The regulator said in a March 29 statement that it had developed the legislative framework after years of “assessing the risks associated with virtual assets,” and the laws would open “numerous opportunities for Vanuatu” and improve financial inclusion by allowing regulated services for crypto cross-border payments.VFSC Commissioner Branan Karae had said in June that the bill was expected to pass that September, but Joseph said the legislation was “not something that was done lightly.” It had been in development since 2020 and was delayed due to changes in government, natural disasters and COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions.Magazine: How crypto laws are changing across the world in 2025

zkLend hacker claims losing stolen ETH to Tornado Cash phishing site

The hacker behind the $9.6 million exploit of the decentralized money-lending protocol zkLend in February claims they’ve just fallen victim to a phishing website impersonating Tornado Cash, resulting in the loss of a significant portion of the stolen funds.In a message sent to zkLend through Etherscan on March 31, the hacker claimed to have lost 2,930 Ether (ETH) from the stolen funds to a phishing website posing as a front-end for Tornado Cash. In a series of March 31 transfers, the zkLend thief sent 100 Ether at a time to an address named Tornado.Cash: Router, finishing with three deposits of 10 Ether.“Hello, I tried to move funds to a Tornado, but I used a phishing website, and all the funds have been lost. I am devastated. I am terribly sorry for all the havoc and losses caused,” the hacker said.The hacker behind the zkLend exploit claims to have lost most of the funds to a phishing website posing as a front-end for Tornado Cash. Source: Etherscan“All the 2,930 Eth have been taken by that site owners. I do not have coins. Please redirect your efforts towards those site owners to see if you can recover some of the money,” they added. zkLend responded to the message by asking the hacker to “Return all the funds left in your wallets” to the zkLend wallet address. However, according to Etherscan, another 25 Ether was then sent to a wallet listed as Chainflip1. Earlier, another user warned the exploiter about the error, telling them, “don’t celebrate,” because all the funds were sent to the scam Tornado Cash URL.“It is so devastating. Everything gone with one wrong website,” the hacker replied.Another user warned the zkLend exploiter about the mistake, but it was too late. Source: EtherscanHow zkLend was exploited for $9.6 million zkLend suffered an empty market exploit on Feb. 11 when an attacker used a small deposit and flash loans to inflate the lending accumulator, according to the protocol’s Feb. 14 post-mortem. The hacker then repeatedly deposited and withdrew funds, exploiting rounding errors that became significant due to the inflated accumulator. The attacker bridged the stolen funds to Ethereum and later failed to launder them through Railgun after protocol policies returned them to the original address. Following the exploit, zkLend proposed the hacker could keep 10% of the funds as a bounty and offered to release the culprit from legal liability and scrutiny from law enforcement if the remaining Ether was returned.Related: DeFi protocol SIR.trading loses entire $355K TVL in ‘worst news’ possibleThe offer deadline of Feb. 14 passed with no public response from either party. In a Feb. 19 update to X, zkLend said it was now offering a $500,000 bounty for any verifiable information that could lead to the hacker being arrested and the funds recovered.Losses to crypto scams, exploits and hacks totaled over $33 million, according to blockchain security firm CertiK, but dropped to $28 million after decentralized exchange aggregator 1inch successfully recovered its stolen funds. Losses to crypto scams, exploits and hacks totaled nearly $1.53 billion in February. The $1.4 billion Feb. 21 attack on Bybit by North Korea’s Lazarus Group made up the lion’s share and took the title for largest crypto hack ever, doubling the $650 million Ronin bridge hack in March 2022. Magazine: Lazarus Group’s favorite exploit revealed — Crypto hacks analysis

SIR.trading begs hacker to return $255K or ‘no chance for us to survive’

The founder of the recently hacked decentralized finance protocol SIR.trading has made an emotional plea to the attacker, asking them to return around 70% of the stolen customer funds otherwise, the protocol will not survive.“Here is my proposal, keep $100k as a fair share for your critical bug find, and return the remaining,” SIR.trading’s pseudonymous founder “Xatarrer” wrote in a March 31 onchain message to the attacker following the $355,000 hack on March 30.“We’ll call it even. No legal games, no drama,” they added. Xatarrer said that SIR.trading was built on the back of four years of late-night coding and $70,000 from friends and believers without any additional venture capital funding.“We grew to $400k TVL organically without any advertising. If you keep 100% of the funds, there is no chance for us to survive.”Xatarrer even praised the hacker for the sophisticated hack, stating that it was “almost beautiful if it wasn’t for all the funds people lost.”Source: SIR.tradingThe hacker hasn’t responded and has already transferred the stolen funds through to Ethereum privacy solution Railgun, according to data from Ethereum block explorer Etherscan.Xatarrer initially said on March 30 that the SIR.trading team intended to keep the protocol up and running despite the setback. “We’ve already started planning our next steps. Those impacted by the hack will not be forgotten,” it said on March 31.Hack resulted from feature added to Ethereum’s Dencun upgradeThe hacker targeted a callback function used in the protocol’s “vulnerable contract Vault” which leverages Ethereum’s transient storage feature. The hacker managed to replace the real Uniswap pool address used in this callback function with an address under the hacker’s control, allowing them to redirect the funds in the vault to their address by repeatedly calling the callback function until all of the protocol’s total value locked was drained.The transient storage feature was added to Ethereum in the March 2024 Dencun upgrade as a solution to offer users lower gas fees than gas typically required for regular storage.Related: DeFi hacks drop 40% in 2024, CeFi breaches surge to $694M — HackenSIR.trading’s documentation shows that it was billed as “a new DeFi protocol for safer leverage” to address some of the challenges that often occur in leveraged trading — such as volatility decay and liquidation risks.It comes as crypto lost to exploits and scams fell to $28.8M in March, blockchain security firm CertiK said in a March 31 X post. Around $4.8 million was subtracted from that figure after hackers involved in the 1inch Resolver incident returned the stolen funds.Crypto exploits and scams had one of its worst months in February, headlined by the $1.4 billion Bybit hack.Magazine: Should crypto projects ever negotiate with hackers? Probably

Coinbase CEO calls for change in stablecoin laws to enable ‘onchain interest’

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is calling for legislative changes in the US to allow stablecoin holders to earn “onchain interest” on their holdings.In a March 31 post on X, Armstrong argued that crypto companies should be treated similarly to banks and be “allowed to, and incentivized to, share interest with consumers.” He added that allowing onchain interest would be “consistent with a free market approach.”Source: Brian ArmstrongThere are currently two competing pieces of federal stablecoin legislation working their way through the legislative process in the US: the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) Act, and the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.In reference to the stablecoin legislation, Armstrong said the US had an opportunity to “level the playing field and ensure these laws pave a way for all regulated stablecoins to deliver interest directly to consumers, the same way a savings or checking account can.” Armstrong: Onchain interest a boon for US economyArmstrong argued that while stablecoins have already found product-market fit by “digitizing the dollar and other fiat currencies,” the addition of onchain interest would allow “the average person, and the US economy, to reap the full benefits.”He said that if legislative changes allowed stablecoin issuers to pay interest to holders, US consumers could earn a yield of around 4% on their holdings, far outstripping the 2024 average interest yield on a consumer savings account, which Armstrong cited as 0.41%.Armstrong also said onchain interest could benefit the broader US economy — by incentivizing the global use of US dollar stablecoins. This could see their use grow, “pulling dollars back to U.S. treasuries and extending dollar dominance in an increasingly digital global economy,” according to the Coinbase CEO. He also argued that the potential for a higher yield than traditional savings accounts would result in “more yield in consumers’ hands means more spending, saving, investing — fueling economic growth in all local economies where stablecoins are held.”“If we don’t unlock onchain interest, the U.S. misses out on billions more USD users and trillions in potential cash flows,” Armstrong added.Currently, neither the STABLE Act nor the GENIUS Act gives the legal go-ahead for onchain interest-generating stablecoins. In fact, in its current form, the STABLE Act includes a short passage prohibiting “payment stablecoin” issuers from paying yield to holders:Source: STABLE ActRelated: Stablecoins, tokenized assets gain as Trump tariffs loomSimilarly, the GENIUS Act, which recently passed the Senate Banking Committee by a vote of 18-6, has been amended to exclude interest-bearing instruments from its definition of a “payment stablecoin.”Commenting on the current state of the STABLE Act, Representative Bryan Steil told Eleanor Terrett, host of the Crypto in America podcast, that two pieces of legislation are positioned to “mirror up” following a few more draft rounds in the House and Senate — due to the differences between them being textual rather than substantive. “At the end of the day, I think there’s recognition that we want to work with our Senate colleagues to get this across the line,” Steil said.Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

Privacy Pools launch on Ethereum, with Vitalik demoing the feature

A new semi-permissionless privacy tool, Privacy Pools, has launched on Ethereum, allowing users to transact privately while proving their funds aren’t linked to illicit activities.The privacy tool, launched by Ethereum builders 0xbow.io on March 31, earned support from the likes of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who not only backed the privacy project but made one of the first deposits on the platform. 0xbow.io said that it implements “Association Sets” to batch transactions into the anonymous Privacy Pools and that a screening test is conducted to ensure that those transactions aren’t linked to illicit actors, such as hackers, phishers and scammers.gm Ethereum ☀️It is our great honor to announce the mainnet launch of Privacy Pools!ETH users can now achieve on-chain privacy, while still dissociating from illicit fundsIt is now up to all of us to Make Privacy Normal Again ?More info in this thread ? pic.twitter.com/3nJO0AxoD1— 0xbow.io (@0xbowio) March 31, 2025The Association Sets are “dynamic” — meaning that if a transaction is admitted but later found to be illicit, it can be removed from the set without disrupting any other deposits, 0xbow.io said.If a deposit is disqualified, the user can click the “ragequit” function to return the funds to their original deposit address.The innovation is part of 0xbow.io’s vision to “Make Privacy Normal Again” while also attempting to achieve regulatory compliance.  Privacy protocols have received considerable backlash from regulators in recent years due to their increasing use by illicit actors to launder funds. One of those privacy tools, Tornado Cash, was sanctioned by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) between August 2022 and March 2025 after it was linked to around $7 billion laundered by the North Korean state-backed Lazarus Group.Tornado Cash has since been removed from OFAC’s blacklist after a US appeals court said the sanctions were unlawful in January 2025.0xbow.io noted that initial deposits are limited to 1 Ether (ETH) but that the limit would be raised once the privacy protocol is more battle-tested.Privacy Pools inspired by Buterin and othersOver 21 ETH has already been transferred into Privacy Pools from 69 deposits, including at least one from Buterin, 0xbow.io noted.Source: Vitalik ButerinIn addition to Buterin, 0xbow.io said it also received investment support from Number Group, BanklessVC, Public Works and several angel investors.Related: Privacy isn’t a luxury in crypto, it’s a necessity — Midnight CEO0xbow.io also praised Buterin, Chainalysis Chief Scientist Jacob Illum, and two academics at the University of Basel in Switzerland for crafting a September 2023 white paper outlining how Privacy Pools could be built. 0xbow.io strategic adviser Ameen Soleimani also contributed to the paper, which has seen over 12,000 downloads and has been cited in nine other papers.The Privacy Pool code also passed a successful audit from Audit Wizard. a smart contract auditing firm co-founded by former Apple engineer Joe van Loon.More than $41 billion worth of illicit transfers were made in 2024,  which made up 0.14% of total onchain volume for the year, according to the Chainalysis 2025 Crypto Crime report published on Jan. 15.While it marked around an 11% fall from 2023, Chainalysis said that figure could climb to around $51 billion as more criminal-tied addresses are found.Magazine: What are native rollups? Full guide to Ethereum’s latest innovation

North Korean crypto attacks rising in sophistication, actors — Paradigm

North Korean cyberwarfare attacks on the cryptocurrency industry are growing in sophistication and in the number of groups involved in such criminal activity, crypto firm Paradigm warns in report titled “Demystifying the North Korean Threat.”North Korea-originated cyberattacks range from assaults on exchanges and social engineering attempts to phishing attacks and complex supply chain hijacks, the report says. In some cases, the attacks take a year to play out, with North Korean operatives biding their time.The United Nations estimates that between 2017 and 2023, North Korean hackers have netted the country $3 billion. The total haul has skyrocketed in 2024 and this year, with successful attacks against crypto exchanges WazirX and Bybit, which together netted attackers around $1.7 billion.Paradigm writes that the North Korean organizations orchestrating these attacks number at least five: Lazarus Group, Spinout, AppleJeus, Dangerous Password, and TraitorTrader. There is also a coalition of North Korean operatives who pose as IT workers, infiltrating tech companies around the world.Related: Typosquatting in crypto, explained: How hackers exploit small mistakesHigh-profile attacks and predictable laundering methodsLazarus Group, the most well-known North Korean hacking team, is given credit for some of the most high-profile cyberattacks since 2016. According to Paradigm, the group hacked Sony and the Bank of Bangladesh in 2016 and helped orchestrate the WannaCry 2.0 ransomware attack in 2017.It has also taken aim at the cryptocurrency industry, sometimes to great effect. In 2017, the group hit two crypto exchanges — Youbit and Bithumb. In 2022, Lazarus Group exploited the Ronin Bridge, resulting in hundreds of millions in lost assets. And in 2025, it infamously stole $1.5 billion from Bybit, sending shock throughout the crypto community. The group may be behind some Solana memecoin scams.As Chainalysis and other organizations have explained, Lazarus Group also has predictable money laundering methods after securing a haul. It breaks up the stolen amount into smaller and smaller pieces, sending them to countless other wallets. It then swaps the more illiquid coins for those with higher liquidity and converts much of it to Bitcoin (BTC). After that, the group may sit on the stolen money for a long period of time until the attention from law enforcement dies down.The FBI has so far identified three alleged members of the Lazarus Group, accusing them of cybercrimes. In February 2021, the US Justice Department indicted two of those members for involvement in global cybercrimes. Magazine: Lazarus Group’s favorite exploit revealed — Crypto hacks analysis

Hyperliquid DEX trading volumes cut into CEX market share: Data

Hyperliquid is one of the current bull market’s standout DeFi success stories. With daily trading volumes having reached $4 billion, the exchange has become the largest decentralized (DEX) derivatives platform, commanding nearly 60% of the market.Hyperliquid still lags far behind Binance Futures’ $50 billion daily average volume, but the trend suggests that it has started to encroach on centralized exchange (CEX) territory.What’s behind Hyperliquid’s parabolic rise?Launched in 2023, Hyperliquid gained popularity in April 2024 after launching spot trading. This, combined with its aggressive listing strategy and easy-to-use onchain user interface, helped to lure in a wave of new users.The platform’s real explosion, however, came in November 2024, following the launch of its HYPE (HYPE) token. Hyperliquid’s trading volume skyrocketed, and it now boasts over 400,000 users and more than 50 billion trades processed, according to data from Dune.Hyperliquid cumulative trades and users. Source: DuneWhile Hyperliquid started as a high-performance perpetual futures and spot DEX, its ambitions have since expanded. With the launch of HyperEVM on Feb. 18, the project has become a general-purpose layer-1 chain capable of supporting third-party DeFi apps built on top of its infrastructure. As one of Hyperliquid’s founders, Jeff Yan, put it, “Most L1s build infrastructure and hope that others will come build the killer apps. Hyperliquid takes the opposite approach: polish a native application and then grow into general-purpose infrastructure.”If this approach works, the liquidity driven by Hyperliquid’s core DEX could naturally feed into the broader ecosystem and vice versa, creating a flywheel effect.Related: Hyperliquid flips Solana in fees, but is the ‘HYPE’ justified?Will Hyperliquid become a sustainable CEX alternative?According to CoinGecko, Hyperliquid now ranks 14th among derivatives exchanges by open interest, sitting at $3.1 billion. That’s still behind Binance’s $22 billion but ahead of older names like Deribit or derivatives divisions of Crypto.com, BitMEX, or KuCoin. It’s the first time a DEX is competing so closely with established CEXs.Furthermore, as Hyperliquid deepens its focus on specialized trading pairs, it continues to chip away at the market share of major exchanges. The DEX accepts not only Arbitrum USDC as collateral but also native BTC. This makes it one of the few decentralized platforms that handle BTC wrapping and unwrapping natively, giving users the option to use BTC for Web3-wallet-based trading.X user Skewga.hl noted that Hyperliquid’s BTC perpetual futures volume share recently hit an all-time high, reaching almost 50% of Bybit’s and 21% of Binance’s. Skewga.hl wrote,“No DEX has ever come this close to matching Tier 1 CEX volume.” Daily volume ratios, Hyperliquid vs Other exchanges (BTC perp). Source: Skewga.hlSince 2024, perpetual swaps have seen a revival as a trading tool. During the 2021–2022 bull market, daily perps volume averaged around $5 billion. In early 2025, that number often exceeded $15 billion, with Hyperliquid accounting for nearly two-thirds of it.Data from DefiLlama illustrates the shift: while dYdX (green) dominated in 2023–2024, the landscape diversified significantly in 2024—and by 2025, Hyperliquid (pink) had taken the lead.Perps volume breakdown. Source: DefiLlamaDespite the recent JELLY token scandal, which involved the exchange halting trading and delisting a low-market-cap token that a whale had exploited, Hyperliquid remains a popular exchange among DeFi and DEX traders. It has yet to capture institutional investor flows or scale to the level of top-tier CEXs. However, if its layer 1 ecosystem gains traction with developers, Hyperliquid could evolve into more than just a leading DEX.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

23andMe Is a Wake-Up Call on Data Sovereignty

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Crypto PAC-supported candidates make a final push to Florida voters

Two Republican candidates supported by at least a combined $1.5 million in media spending from a cryptocurrency-backed political action committee (PAC) are making final pleas to voters turning out for special elections in Florida congressional districts.On April 1, voters in Florida’s 1st and 6th congressional districts will head to the polls to decide whether to keep Republican representatives or hand over control to Democrats for the first time in roughly 30 years. The Defend American Jobs PAC — an affiliate of Fairshake, which poured more than $131 million in the 2024 US election cycle — has spent a combined $1.5 million on media for Republicans Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine, running against Democrats Gay Valimont and Josh Weil, respectively.Source: Gay Valimont for CongressThough the Florida congressional districts have historically favored Republican candidates, Democrats Valimont and Weil both raised significantly more than Patronis and Fine as of March — a reported roughly $6.5 million and $10 million against the Republicans’ $1 million and $1 million, respectively. These amounts do not reflect the media buys from PACs like Defend American Jobs or Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s America PAC, which spent more than $20,000 for texting services in the two congressional elections.As of March 31, there were four vacancies for seats in the US House of Representatives following two Democratic lawmakers passing away and two Republicans resigning in anticipation of positions with the Trump administration. If Democrats were to keep their existing two seats and flip the two in Florida, Republicans’ majority in the chamber would narrow to 217 to 218 — not changing majority control, but likely influencing how the House would consider legislation and policy.Among the crypto-related legislation being considered in Congress included a market structure bill and stablecoin regulation. Some lawmakers have suggested that they intended to get both bills passed before Congress goes on recess in August.Related: Florida bill proposes strict rules against online gamblingMichigan Representative Shri Thanedar, a Democrat who described himself as largely self-funded and may have benefitted from crypto-backed PAC money in his 2024 race, spoke to Cointelegraph on March 27 about the role the industry could have on future elections. Protect Progress — another Fairshake-affiliated PAC — spent more than $1 million on a media buy to support the Michigan representative in his August 2024 primary. He defeated Republican Martell Bivings in November with 68% of the vote.“I was surprised to see those ads,” Rep. Thanedar told Cointelegraph, referring to Protect Progress’ media outreach. “I was not aware that such an ad would be appearing in support of my campaign.”The Michigan lawmaker added:“Crypto is not unique to this. There are multiple industries [...] that have PACs and Super PACs and independent expenditures. All of that money, the dark money in our politics, has to go. As long as we have the dark money in politics, that is going to impact our politicians.” Looking to the 2026 midtermsAfter many Democratic and Republican candidates espousing “pro-crypto” views won in the 2024 elections, Fairshake spokesperson Josh Vlasto said the PAC was “keeping [its] foot on the gas” in the future. Major firms like Coinbase and Ripple Labs have contributed tens of millions of dollars to the PAC.As of January, Fairshake reported holding more than $116 million to spend on candidates in 2025 and 2026. Vlasto declined to comment on the April 1 special elections but said after the January primaries, the PAC was “proud to support [Patronis and Fine] with TV ad campaigns.” Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

4 key Bitcoin metrics suggest $80K BTC price is a discount

Bitcoin (BTC) price dropped from $87,241 to $81,331 between March 28 and March 31, erasing gains from the previous 17 days. The 6.8% correction liquidated $230 million in bullish BTC futures positions and largely followed the declining momentum in the US stock market, as the S&P 500 futures fell to their lowest levels since March 14.Despite struggling to hold above $82,000 on March 31, four key indicators point to strong investor confidence and potential signs of Bitcoin decoupling from traditional markets in the near future.S&P 500 index futures (left) vs. Bitcoin/USD (right). Source: TradingView / CointelegraphTraders fear the global trade war’s impact on economic growth, especially after the March 26 announcement of a 25% US tariff on foreign-made vehicles. According to Yahoo News, Goldman Sachs strategists cut the firm’s year-end S&P 500 target for the second time, lowering it from 6,200 to 5,700. Similarly, Barclays analysts reduced their forecast from 6,600 to 5,900.Regardless of the reasons behind investors’ heightened risk perception, gold surged to a record high above $3,100 on March 31. The $21 trillion asset is widely considered the ultimate hedge, especially when traders prioritize alternatives over cash. Meanwhile, the US dollar has weakened against a basket of foreign currencies, with the DXY index dropping to 104.10 from 107.60 in February.Bitcoin metrics show strength, while long-term investors are  unfazedBitcoin’s narratives of being “digital gold” and an “uncorrelated asset” are being questioned, despite a 36% gain over 6 months while the S&P 500 index fell 3.5% during the same period. Several Bitcoin metrics continued to show strength, indicating that long-term investors remain unfazed by the temporary correlation as central banks pivot to expansionist measures to prevent an economic crisis.Bitcoin's mining hashrate, which measures the computing power behind the network’s block validation mechanism, reached an all-time high. Bitcoin mining estimated 7-day average hashrate, TH/s. Source: Blockchain.comThe 7-day hashrate reached a peak of 856.2 million terahashes per second on March 28, up from 798.8 million in February. Hence, there are no signs of panic selling from miners, as shown by the flow of known entities to exchanges.In the past, BTC price downturns were associated with periods of FUD regarding the “death spiral,” where miners were forced to sell when becoming unprofitable. Additionally, the 7-day average of net transfers from miners to exchanges on March 30 stood at BTC 125, according to Glassnode data, much lower than the BTC 450 mined per day. Bitcoin 7-day average net transfer volume from/to miners, BTC. Source: GlassnodeBitcoin miner MARA Holdings filed a prospectus on March 28 to sell up to $2 billion in stocks to expand its BTC reserves and for “general corporate purposes.” This move follows GameStop (GME), the US-listed videogame company, which filed a $1.3 billion convertible debt offering plan on March 26 while updating its reserve investment strategy to include potential Bitcoin and stablecoin acquisitions.Related: Trump sons back new Bitcoin mining venture with Hut 8Crypto exchange reserves dropCryptocurrency exchanges’ reserves dropped to their lowest levels in over 6 years on March 30, reaching BTC 2.64 million, according to Glassnode data. The reduced number of coins available for immediate trading typically indicates that investors are more inclined to hold, which is particularly significant as Bitcoin’s price declined 5.1% in 7 days. Lastly, near-zero net outflows in US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) between March 27 and March 28 signal confidence from institutional investors.In short, Bitcoin investors remain confident due to the record-high mining hashrate, corporate adoption, and 6-year low exchange reserves, which signal long-term holding.This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

VC Roundup: 8-figure funding deals suggest crypto bull market far from over

Venture capital funding continued to pour into the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry in March, even as market commentators sensationalized the end of the bull market amid Bitcoin’s 30% retracement. VC flows are considered a vital sign for the blockchain industry, with higher deal activity indicative of strong investor appetite and growing innovation in the space. As Cointelegraph reported, blockchain startups raised a combined $1.1 billion in February alone, with projects spanning decentralized finance, decentralized physical infrastructure networks and payments attracting the lion’s share of capital flows. Despite fear and trepidation in the crypto market, February was a strong month for blockchain VC. Source: The TIEEarly signs suggest that March was arguably a stronger month for crypto VC deals, as evidenced by the growing size of the investment rounds and the number of investors participating. Eight deals are featured in this month’s VC Roundup — and seven of them were valued in the eight-figure range. Related: VC Roundup: Investors continue to back DePIN, Web3 gaming, layer-1 RWAsAcross Protocol raises $41M via token saleAcross Protocol, an Ethereum crosschain interoperability platform, raised $41 million in a token sale that was led by San Francisco-based venture firm Paradigm. Coinbase Ventures, Bain Capital Crypto and Multicoin Capital also participated in the token sale round.Across Protocol is expanding Ethereum layer-2 connectivity through so-called “intents,” an architecture approach that decouples asset transfers and message verification.Across Protocol (ACX) price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap“The urgent tasks — moving assets and fulfilling the intent — are carried out immediately by a relayer [...] while the time-consuming message verification is done afterward,” wrote Aiden Park, an engineer and technical writer, in an explanatory note on intents. “This approach enables Across to send messages cheaply, quickly, and securely, setting it apart from other message-passing protocols,” he said.Related: Greedy L2s are the reason ETH is a ‘completely dead’ investment: VCRibbit Capital leads $23.6M Crossmint raiseEnterprise Web3 company Crossmint has closed a $23.6 million funding round to scale its onchain onboarding technology, which is designed to help companies and AI agents embrace Web3 without needing blockchain expertise. The funding round was led by San Francisco-based venture firm Ribbit Capital. According to Crossmint co-founder Rodri Fernandez, the platform provides low-code APIs for a variety of blockchain functions, including wallets, stablecoins, tokenization and credentials. The announcement also claimed that more than 40,000 companies and developers are now using Crossmint across more than 40 blockchains. Financial app Abound gets backing from Near Foundation, Circle VenturesNew York-based remittance app Abound has closed a $14 million funding round led by Near Foundation, with participation from Circle Ventures. The Abound app has been designed to bridge the remittance gap between India and its vast diaspora of citizens in the United States. The app claims to have processed more than $150 million in remittances.Abound was developed by the Times of India Group, a Mumbai-based media company. Although it’s not entirely clear how blockchain technology and digital assets factor into Abound’s service offerings, if at all, participation from Near and Circle Ventures suggests that blockchain-focused companies are increasingly focused on cross-border payments and remittance services. Source: Near ProtocolChronicle closes seed roundChronicle, an Ethereum Oracle and tokenization infrastructure provider, raised $12 million in seed funding led by Strobe Ventures, formerly known as BlockTower Venture Capital. Additional investors included Galaxy Vision Hill, Brevan Howard Digital, Tioga Capital, Fenbushi Capital, Gnosis Ventures, 6th Man Ventures and several angel investors. Chronicle connects protocol developers to real-time data feeds, which are essential for DeFi and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization ecosystems. The company cited growing institutional interest in RWA tokenization as one of the reasons for its early success in raising capital.Related: Tokenized real estate trading platform launches on PolygonDeFi-yielding stablecoin Level debuts with $2.6M in fundingIn March, blockchain developer Peregrin Exploration debuted the Level USD stablecoin with $2.6 million in backing from Dragonfly Capital, Polychain, Flowdesk and others. Level USD is a yield-bearing stablecoin that issues digital dollars collateralized by restaked stablecoins. The stablecoin’s market capitalization has grown significantly since its launch, reaching $116 million at the time of writing. Level USD is integrated with several DeFi protocols, including Pendle, LayerZero and Specta. It can also be used as collateral on noncustodial lending platform Morpho.Demand for dollar-backed digital tokens has surged over the past two years, with the total stablecoin market approaching $230 billion. Source: RWA.xyzRelated: VC Roundup: Bitcoin RWA, BNB incubator, Web3 gaming secure fundingHalliday raises $20M for Agentic Workflow ProtocolNo-code blockchain developer Halliday has closed a $20 million Series A funding round to scale its Agentic Workflow Protocol (AWP) — an AI tool that helps developers build DeFi applications without the need to write smart contracts. The funding round was led by a16z Crypto, with additional participation from SV Angel, the Avalanche Blizzard Fund, Credibly Neutral, Alt Layer and other angel investors. Through AWP, blockchain companies can “build applications in hours, not years,” Halliday said in its announcement. Halliday’s programming model handles all the technical aspects of blockchain development and execution, which can theoretically enable companies to scale their products faster. AI-driven Validation Cloud closes $15M Series AValidation Cloud, a company at the intersection of artificial intelligence and blockchain infrastructure, has closed a $15 million Series A investment round backed by True Global Ventures. Additional investors include Cadenza, Blockchain Founders Fund, Bloccelerate and others. The funding will be used to expand Validation Cloud’s Web3 infrastructure solutions, including staking, node API and data offerings. Validation Cloud provides access to blockchain data and offers node and staking solutions to institutions. Its technology is used by Hedera, Aptos, Stellar, EigenLayer, Polygon and others. Skytale Digital debuts $20M Polkadot Ecosystem FundBlockchain investment firm Skytale Digital has launched the Polkadot Ecosystem Fund, earmarking $20 million to further develop the so-called “network of networks.” The fund combines financial support, technical expertise and mentorship to help Web3 developers expand their product offerings in the Polkadot ecosystem. Specifically, the fund is targeting decentralized applications and critical infrastructure projects. Source: Cryptking.ethPolkadot is the 20th largest blockchain network, with a total market capitalization of around $7.3 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. Related: Crypto Biz: GameStop takes the orange pill

Bitcoin whale accumulation trend mirrors 2020-era bullish activity after BTC price bounces off $81K

Bitcoin (BTC) price dipped below its ascending channel pattern over the weekend, dropping to $81,222 on March 31. The top cryptocurrency is set to register its worst quarterly return since 2018, but a group of whale entities are mirroring a 2020-era bull run signal. Bitcoin 1-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewIn a recent quick take post, onchain analyst Mignolet explained that “market-leading” whale addresses holding between 1,000 to 10,000 BTC exhibited a high correlation with Bitcoin price. The analyst said that these entities are resilient to market volatility and show accumulation behavior, mirroring patterns of the 2020 bull cycle.Bitcoin whale accumulation analysis. Source: CryptoQuantIn the current bull market, this distinct pattern emerged three times and is marked by Bitcoin whales’ rapid BTC accumulation, even as retail investors doubted a positive directional bias. These periods were riddled with bearish market sentiment and preceded substantial price surges, suggesting that whales were positioning themselves ahead of the recovery. While BTC currently exhibited a price decline, the analyst said, “There are no signs yet that the market-leading whales are exiting.”As shown in the chart above, “Pattern No. 3” witnessed a similar rate of accumulation, but BTC price remained sideways. Related: Bitcoin trader issues’ overbought' warning as BTC price eyes $84KCan Bitcoin flip $84,000 after the CME gap?As the New York trading session started on March 31, BTC rallied to close the CME futures gap that formed over the weekend. The CME gap highlights the difference between the closing price of the BTC futures on Friday and the opening price on Sunday evening. Bitcoin CME gap analysis. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewWhile Bitcoin started this week out on a bullish tip, there are a handful of US economic events that could have an impact on the price. April. 1, JOLTS Job Openings: A metric reflecting labor market demand; a decline might signal weakness.April 2, US tariff rollout: termed “Liberation Day,” with 20% and larger tariffs coming on for up to 25 countries. April 4, Non-farm payrolls (NFP), Unemployment rate and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech.Bitcoin 4-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewBTC’s immediate point of interest is to flip the $84,000 level into support for a bullish continuation. Reclaiming $84,000 could push BTC prices above the 50-day exponential moving average, which might bolster a short-term rally to the supply zone between $86,700 and $88,700. On the contrary, prolonged consolidation under $84,000 strengthens its resistance characteristics, which might eventually lead to further corrections to downside liquidity areas in the $78,200 to $76,560 zone. Related: Bitcoin’s ‘digital gold’ claim challenged as traders move into bonds and gold hits new highsThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Bitcoin Headed Below $60K Says Hot-Handed Crypto Hedge Fund Manager

Bear. Credit: Unsplash, mana5280

&#039;Dire consequences&#039; if Musk accesses SEC — US lawmaker

The top Democrat on the US House Financial Services Committee issued a warning after reports suggested that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s “government efficiency” team would be given access to data and systems at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).In a March 31 notice, Representative Maxine Waters reiterated a warning from a letter she sent to acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda in February in response to the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency’s reported access to sensitive SEC information. DOGE is an advisory body to US President Donald Trump rather than an official department established by Congress. According to the California lawmaker, giving Musk such access would have “dire consequences” for US investors and present conflicts of interest.“[...] as a result of this takeover, the agency is at greater risk of data breaches and market disruptions, both of which could result in investors, including retirees, losing their hard-earning savings,” said Waters, adding: “Not only that, Musk, who has been the subject of repeated SEC enforcement actions for breaking securities laws and regulations, can benefit his own businesses and harm his competitors by using his access to confidential business information and his influence over the agency’s operations.”Waters’ warning followed multiple reports suggesting that Musk’s DOGE team contacted the SEC and would be given access to the commission’s systems and data. Since joining the Trump administration as a “special government employee,” Musk has spearheaded efforts to fire staff at multiple government agencies, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the watchdog Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Many of DOGE’s actions face lawsuits in federal court from parties alleging the group’s actions were illegal or unconstitutional.Related: Can the law keep up with Musk and DOGE?As one of the major US financial regulators, the SEC is responsible for oversight and regulation of many aspects of the cryptocurrency industry, including whether many tokens qualify as securities. Under Uyeda and US President Donald Trump, the commission has dropped several lawsuits alleging violations of securities laws against crypto firms since January.‘Cost-cutting’ strategy at SEC?It’s unclear whether the DOGE team intends to “purge” the SEC of employees Musk considers not loyal to the Trump administration, as has been implied in some lawsuits involving firings at other government agencies. Cointelegraph contacted acting chair Uyeda and SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.DOGE’s reported infiltration of the SEC comes as the US Senate Banking Committee is expected to vote on whether to advance the nomination of Paul Atkins, Trump’s pick to chair the agency. At his March 27 confirmation hearing, Atkins said he would “definitely” be willing to work with DOGE if confirmed. Democratic lawmakers at the hearing questioned Atkins’ potential conflicts of interest with the crypto industry.Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

Price analysis 3/31: SPX, DXY, BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, ADA, TON

Bitcoin (BTC) fell 4.29% last week, but the bulls started a recovery by pushing the price back above $83,500 on March 31. However, traders are likely to remain on edge until April 2, when new US trade tariffs are set to kick in. The event could trigger a sharp, knee-jerk reaction on either side of the market.Traders remain cautious in the near term, but a minor positive is that lower levels are attracting buyers. Cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) witnessed modest inflows of $226 million last week, CoinShares reported on March 31. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360Strategy took advantage of the pullback in Bitcoin by adding 22,048 Bitcoin for $1.92 billion at an average price of $86,969. After the latest purchase, the company holds 528,185 Bitcoin bought for roughly $35.63 billion.Could Bitcoin break above the stiff overhead resistance, pulling select altcoins higher? Let’s analyze the charts to find out.S&P 500 Index price analysisThe S&P 500 Index (SPX) broke above the 20-day exponential moving average (5,706) on March 24, but that proved to be a bull trap.SPX daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe price turned down sharply on March 26 and broke below the 5,600 support. Both moving averages are sloping down, and the relative strength index (RSI) is in the negative territory, indicating an advantage to sellers. There is solid support at 5,500, but if the level breaks down, the index could tumble to 5,400 and subsequently to 5,100.This negative view will be invalidated if the price turns up from the current level and breaks above 5,800. Such a move suggests that the index may have bottomed out in the near term.US Dollar Index price analysisThe US Dollar Index (DXY) has been trading below the 20-day EMA (104.46), indicating that the sentiment remains negative.DXY daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe bears will try to sink the index to 103.37, which is a critical level to watch out for. Buyers are expected to defend the 103.37 level with all their might because if they fail in their endeavor, the index could plunge to 101.Contrarily, a break and close above the 20-day EMA suggests that the bulls are trying to make a comeback. The index may rise to 105.42 and then to the 50-day simple moving average (106.09).Bitcoin price analysisBitcoin remains under pressure as bears are trying to sink the price to the critical support at $80,000. A minor positive in favor of the bulls is that they are attempting to arrest the decline at $81,100.BTC/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe bulls will try to push the price to the resistance line, which is likely to attract strong selling by the bears. If the price turns down from the resistance line, the likelihood of a break below $80,000 increases. The BTC/USDT pair could slump to $76,606 and eventually to $73,777.On the contrary, a break and close above the resistance line suggests that the bears are losing their grip. The pair could pick up momentum above $89,000 and rally toward $95,000.Ether price analysisEther (ETH) has reached the vital support at $1,754, from where the bulls are trying to start a relief rally.ETH/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe bears will try to halt the recovery attempt at the 20-day EMA ($1,980). If the price turns down sharply from the 20-day EMA, it increases the possibility of a break below $1,754. That could sink the ETH/USDT pair to $1,550.The first sign of strength will be a break and close above the breakdown level of $2,111. The pair will then complete a bullish double-bottom pattern, which has a target objective of $2,468.XRP price analysisXRP (XRP) has dropped to the critical $2 support, which is likely to attract solid buying by the bulls. XRP/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewAny bounce is expected to face selling at the moving averages. If the price turns down from the moving averages, it heightens the risk of a break below $2. If that happens, the XRP/USDT pair will complete a bearish head-and-shoulders pattern. There is minor support at $1.77, but if the level gets taken out, the pair could collapse to $1.27.Time is running out for the bulls. If they want to prevent the downside, they will have to quickly drive the price above the moving averages. The pair may then travel to the resistance line.BNB price analysisBNB’s (BNB) narrow range resolved to the downside with a break and close below the moving averages on March 29.BNB/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe BNB/USDT pair has support at the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level of $591 and then at the 50% retracement level of $575. If the price rebounds off the support, the bulls will try to propel the pair above the moving averages and the $644 resistance. If they manage to do that, the pair could rally to $686.Contrarily, a break and close below $575 could sink the pair to the 61.8% retracement level of $559. A deeper pullback is likely to delay the next leg of the up move.Solana price analysisSolana (SOL) is finding support near $120, indicating that the buyers are fiercely defending the level.SOL/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe first sign of strength will be a break and close above the 20-day EMA ($133). That opens the doors for a rise to the 50-day SMA ($148), which may again act as a stiff resistance. However, if buyers pierce the resistance, the SOL/USDT pair could rally to $180.If sellers want to strengthen their position, they will have to pull the price below the $120 to $110 support zone. If they manage to do that, the pair could start the next leg of the downtrend toward $80.Related: XRP bulls in ‘denial’ as price trend mirrors previous 75-90% crashesDogecoin price analysisDogecoin (DOGE) is trying to take support at the $0.16 support, but a weak bounce suggests a lack of demand from the bulls.DOGE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe DOGE/USDT pair could skid to $0.14, where the buyers are expected to step in. Any bounce-off of $0.14 is expected to face selling at the moving averages. If the price turns down from the moving averages, it increases the possibility of a break below $0.14. If that happens, the pair could plummet to $0.10.Buyers will have to push and maintain the price above $0.20 to suggest that the pair may have formed a floor at $0.14. The pair may then ascend to $0.24.Cardano price analysisCardano (ADA) has slipped to the uptrend line, which is an important near-term support to watch out for.ADA/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe downsloping 20-day EMA ($0.71) and the RSI in the negative territory signal a slight advantage to the bears. A close below the uptrend line could start a downward move toward $0.50.On the other hand, a bounce off the uptrend line could push the ADA/USDT pair toward the moving averages. Buyers will be back in control after they propel and maintain the price above the 50-day SMA ($0.75).Toncoin price analysisToncoin (TON) is getting squeezed between the 20-day EMA ($3.63) and the overhead resistance at $4.14.TON/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe upsloping 20-day EMA and the RSI in the positive territory suggest the path of least resistance is to the upside. If buyers drive the price above $4.14, the TON/USDT pair is likely to pick up momentum and climb to $5 and later to $5.65.This positive view will be invalidated in the near term if the price turns down from the overhead resistance and breaks below the 50-day SMA ($3.46). That could sink the pair to $3.30 and later to $2.81.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Innovation Amid Yield Compression: DeFi Lending Markets in Q1 2025

(George Rose/Getty Images)

Bitcoin could reduce dominance of US dollar — BlackRock

The US dollar could lose its status as the world’s reserve currency to Bitcoin or other digital assets if the United States does not get its debt under control, according to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.Fink wrote in his Annual Chairman’s Letter to Investors that “decentralized finance is an extraordinary innovation” that makes “markets faster, cheaper, and more transparent.” But “that same innovation could undermine America’s economic advantage if investors begin seeing Bitcoin as a safer bet than the dollar.”According to Trading Economics, the US debt equaled 122.3% of the country’s gross domestic product in 2023. That is a considerably higher percentage than the 105% observed in 2018. Moody’s Ratings retains the US’s AAA credit rating but has downgraded its outlook to negative, indicating a possible future rating downgrade.The US’s Joint Economic Committee wrote that as of March 5, the country’s gross national debt was $36.2 trillion, growing $1.8 trillion, or roughly $4.9 billion per day, over the past year and $12.8 trillion in the past five years. The Bipartisan Policy Center warned this month that the US could default on its debt as early as July 2025.Bitcoin (BTC) has been branded as a safe haven for investors who are looking to avoid the perils of fiat currency, including inflation. Some believe that the end of the debt ceiling suspension could lead to a Bitcoin price boom. Others think, as Fink has stated, that the dangers of the national debt could increase Bitcoin adoption.Related: Bitcoin reserve won’t solve US debt crisis: Think tank co-founderIn 2025, cryptocurrency has gained prominence as an asset class due to adoption by countries such as the US and companies like Strategy. However, some argue that stablecoins could, in fact, increase the dominance of the US dollar.Fink: Tokenization is democratizationIn the letter, Fink says that “tokenization is democratization” with the technological innovation “enabling instant buying, selling, and transferring without cumbersome paperwork or waiting periods.”If every asset ends up being tokenized, Fink said, “it will revolutionize investing. Markets wouldn’t need to close. Transactions that currently take days would clear in seconds. And billions of dollars currently immobilized by settlement delays could be reinvested immediately back into the economy, generating more growth.”Related: Centralization and the dark side of asset tokenization — MEXC execTokenization democratizes access, shareholder voting, and yield, Fink wrote. According to RWA.xyz, the tokenized real-world assets market amounts to $19.6 billion. There are currently around 93,000 asset holders, with 174 issuers. Industry projections indicate that the market could reach $4 trillion to $30 trillion by 2030.BlackRock’s own BUIDL real-world tokenized asset fund is currently the largest such fund available for trading, with Tether Gold and Franklin Templeton’s BENJI funds coming in second and third place, respectively.Magazine: Tokenizing music royalties as NFTs could help the next Taylor Swift

XRP funding rate flips negative — Will smart traders flip long or short?

On March 19, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced that the company had been cleared by the US Securities and Exchange Commission regarding an alleged $1.3 billion unregistered securities offering. Following the news, XRP (XRP) surged to $2.59, but the gains gradually faded as the cryptocurrency experienced a 22% correction, dropping to $2.02 by March 31.Investors worry that a deeper price correction is imminent, as XRP is trading 39% below its all-time high of $3.40 from Jan. 16. Additionally, XRP perpetual futures (inverse swaps) indicate strong demand for leveraged bearish bets. Demand for bearish bets increased amid XRP’s declineThe funding rate turns positive when longs (buyers) seek more leverage and negative when demand for shorts (sellers) dominates. In neutral markets, it typically fluctuates between 0.1% and 0.3% per seven days to offset exchange risks and capital costs. Conversely, negative funding rates are considered strong bearish signals.XRP futures 8-hour funding rate. Source: Laevitas.chCurrently, the XRP funding rate stands at -0.14% per eight hours, translating to a 0.3% weekly cost. This indicates that bearish traders are paying for leverage, reflecting weak investor confidence in XRP. However, traders should also assess XRP margin demand to determine whether the bearish sentiment extends beyond futures markets.Unlike derivative contracts, which always require both a buyer and a seller, margin markets let traders borrow stablecoins to buy spot XRP. Likewise, bearish traders can borrow XRP to open short positions, anticipating a price drop.XRP margin long-to-short ratio at OKX. Source: OKXThe XRP long-to-short margin ratio at OKX stands at 2x in favor of longs (buyers), near its lowest level in over six months. Historically, extreme confidence has pushed this metric above 40x, while readings below 5x favoring longs are typically seen as bearish signals.President Trump boosted XRP awareness, paving the way for future price gainsBoth XRP derivatives and margin markets signal bearish momentum, even as the cryptocurrency gains mainstream media attention. Notably, on March 2, US President Donald Trump mentioned XRP, along with Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA), as potential candidates for the country’s digital asset strategic reserves.Google search trends for XRP and BTC. Source: GoogleTrends / CointelegraphFor a brief period, Google search trends for XRP outpaced those of BTC between March 2 and March 3. A similar spike occurred on March 19 following Ripple CEO Garlinghouse’s comments on the anticipated SEC ruling. As the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization (excluding stablecoins), XRP benefits from its early adoption and high liquidity.Related: Is XRP price around $2 an opportunity or the bull market's end? Analysts weigh inInteractive Brokers, a global traditional finance brokerage, announced on March 26 its expansion of cryptocurrency offerings to include SOL, ADA, XRP, and Dogecoin (DOGE). Since 2021, the platform has supported trading in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) pairs.The wider adoption by traditional intermediaries, combined with rising Google search trends, further reinforces XRP’s position as a leading altcoin. It also sets the stage for increased inflows once macroeconomic conditions improve and retail investors actively seek altcoins with strong marketing appeal as alternatives to traditional finance, such as Ripple.This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Trump’s focus on cartels highlights new risks for digital assets

Opinion by: Genny Ngai and Will Roth of Morrison Cohen LLPSince taking office, the Trump administration has designated several drug and violent cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). US President Donald Trump has also called for the “total elimination” of these cartels and the like. These executive directives are not good developments for the cryptocurrency industry. On their face, these mandates appear focused only on criminal cartels. Make no mistake: These executive actions will cause unforeseen collateral damage to the digital asset community. Crypto actors, including software developers and investors, may very well get caught in the crosshairs of aggressive anti-terrorism prosecutions and follow-on civil lawsuits.Increased threat of criminal anti-terrorism investigations The biggest threat stemming from Trump’s executive order on cartels is the Department of Justice (DOJ). Almost immediately after President Trump called for the designation of cartels as terrorists, the DOJ issued a memo directing federal prosecutors to use “the most serious and broad charges,” including anti-terrorism charges, against cartels and transnational criminal organizations.This is a new and serious development for prosecutors. Now that cartels are designated as terrorist organizations, prosecutors can go beyond the traditional drug and money-laundering statutes and rely on criminal anti-terrorism statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 2339B — the material-support statute — to investigate cartels and anyone who they believe “knowingly provides material support or resources” to the designated cartels. Why should the crypto industry be concerned with these developments? Because “material support or resources” is not just limited to providing physical weapons to terrorists. “Material support or resources” is broadly defined as “any property, tangible or intangible, or service.” Anyone who knowingly provides anything of value to a designated cartel could now conceivably violate § 2339B. Even though cryptocurrency platforms are not financial institutions and never take custody of users’ assets, aggressive prosecutors may take the hardline view that software developers who design crypto platforms — and those who fund these protocols — are providing “material support or resources” to terrorists and launch harmful investigations against them.This is not some abstract possibility. The government has already demonstrated a willingness to take this aggressive position against the crypto industry. For example, the DOJ indicted the developers of the blockchain-based software protocol Tornado Cash on money laundering and sanction charges and accused them of operating a large-scale money laundering operation that laundered at least $1 billion in criminal proceeds for cybercriminals, including a sanctioned North Korean hacking group.Recent: Crypto crime in 2024 likely exceeded $51B, far higher than reported: ChainalysisMoreover, the government already believes that cartels use cryptocurrency to launder drug proceeds and has brought numerous cases charging individuals for laundering drug proceeds through cryptocurrency on behalf of Mexican and Colombian drug cartels. TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence company that helps detect crypto crime, has even identified how the Sinaloa drug cartel — a recently designated FTO/SDGT — has used cryptocurrency platforms to launder drug proceeds.The digital asset community faces real risks here. Putting aside the reputational damage and costs that come from defending criminal anti-terrorism investigations, violations of § 2339B impose a statutory maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years (or life if a death occurred) and monetary penalties. Anti-terrorism statutes also have extraterritorial reach, so crypto companies outside the US are not immune to investigation or prosecution.Civil anti-terrorism lawsuits will escalate The designation of cartels as FTOs/SDGTs will also increase the rate at which crypto companies will be sued under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). Under the ATA, private citizens, or their representatives, can sue terrorists for their injuries, and anyone “who aids and abets, by knowingly providing substantial assistance, or who conspires with the person who committed such an act of international terrorism.” Aggressive plaintiffs’ counsel have already relied on the ATA to sue cryptocurrency companies in court. After Binance and its founder pled guilty to criminal charges in late 2023, US victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel sued Binance and its founder under the ATA, alleging that the defendants knowingly provided a “mechanism for Hamas and other terrorist groups to raise funds and transact illicit business in support of terrorist activities” and that Binance processed nearly $60 million in crypto transactions for these terrorists. The defendants filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, which was granted in part and denied in part. For now, the district court permits the Ranaan plaintiffs to proceed against Binance with their aiding-and-abetting theory. Crypto companies should expect to see more ATA lawsuits now that drug cartels are on the official terrorist list. Vigilance is key Crypto companies may think that Trump’s war against cartels has nothing to do with them. The reality is, however, that the effects of this war will be widespread, and crypto companies may be unwittingly drawn into the crossfire. Now is not the time for the digital asset community to relax internal compliance measures. With anti-terrorism statutes in play, crypto companies must ensure that transactions with all FTOs/SDGTs are identified and blocked, monitor for new terrorist designations, and understand areas of new geographical risks.Opinion by: Genny Ngai and Will Roth of Morrison Cohen LLP. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

U.S CFTC Withdraws 2 Crypto Staff Advisories Citing ‘Market Growth and Maturity,’ Need for Fair Treatment

Acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham (Cheyenne Ligon/CoinDesk)

Bitcoin’s ‘digital gold’ claim challenged as traders move into bonds and gold hits new highs

April 2 is shaping up to be a pivotal moment in global trade policy. US President Donald Trump has dubbed it “Liberation Day,” in reference to when new tariffs—exceeding 20%—will hit imports from over 25 countries. According to The Wall Street Journal, the administration is also weighing “broader and higher tariffs” beyond this initial wave, meaning that April 2nd is unlikely to be the end of economic uncertainty.Markets reacted negatively over the past week, with the S&P 500 dropping 3.5%, while the Nasdaq 100 slid 5%, underscoring investor anxiety. At the same time, gold surged 4%, reaching a record high above $3,150 per ounce. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped to 4.2%, even as recent inflation data showed an uptick in some of the core components. The markets’ is a classic sign of a risk-off environment—one that often precedes economic contraction.Throughout the volatility, Bitcoin (BTC) dropped 6%—relatively modest compared to its historical volatility, but this does not make it a reliable hedge just yet, although its growing role as a reserve asset suggests this could shift over time.Bonds and gold lead the flight to safety.In periods of macroeconomic and geopolitical instability, investors typically seek yield-bearing and historically stable assets. Both US government bonds’ decreasing yield and gold prices’ increase signal an increasing demand for these types of assets.Gold is having a standout moment. Over the past two months, gold funds have attracted more than $12 billion in net inflows, according to Bloomberg—marking the largest surge of capital into the asset since 2020.Gold funds monthly inflows. Source: BloombergSince the beginning of the year,  gold prices have been up nearly +17%, while the S&P 500 has been down 5%. This shows a precarious state of the economy, further confirmed by a sharp drop in the US consumer sentiment, which has fallen around 20 points to reach levels not seen since 2008. In March, just 37.4% of Americans expected stock prices to rise over the next year—down nearly 10 points from February and 20 points below the peak in November 2024.As The Kobeissi Letter put it, “An economic slowdown has clearly begun.”Bitcoin: digital gold or tech proxy?A Matrixport chart shows that BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) is now 70% correlated with the Nasdaq 100—a level reached only twice before. This suggests that macro forces are still shaping Bitcoin's short-term moves, much like tech stocks.IBIT BTC ETF vs Nasdaq - 30-day correlation. Source: MatrixportThe ETF data supports this trend. After a strong week of inflows, spot Bitcoin ETFs saw a net outflow of $93 million on March 28, according to CoinGlass. The total Bitcoin ETP assets under management have dropped to $114.5 billion, the lowest in 2025.The numbers show that Bitcoin is still perceived more as a speculative tech proxy and is yet to enter a new phase of market behavior. However, some signs of this potential transition are already apparent.Related: Worst Q1 for BTC price since 2018: 5 things to know in Bitcoin this weekBitcoin is on the path to becoming a reserve assetBeneath the volatility, a structural shift is underway. Companies are increasingly using Bitcoin and its ETFs to diversify their balance sheets.According to Tipranks, 80.8% of BlackRock’s IBIT shares are owned by public companies and individual investors. Furthermore, in Feb. 2025, BlackRock incorporated a 1% to 2% allocation of IBIT into its target allocation portfolios, reflecting growing institutional adoption.Data from BitcoinTreasuries shows that publicly listed companies currently hold 665,618 BTC, and private firms hold 424,130 BTC. Together, that’s 1,089,748 BTC—roughly 5.5% of the total supply (excluding lost coins). These figures underscore the growing acceptance of Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset. What’s more, some experts predict that holding BTC in corporate treasury will become a standard practice by the end of the decade. Elliot Chun, a partner at the crypto-focused M&A firm Architect Partners, said in a March 28 blog post:“I anticipate that by 2030, a quarter of the S&P 500 will have BTC somewhere on their balance sheets as a long-term asset.”The character of any asset is defined by the attitude of those who own it. As more corporations adopt Bitcoin for treasury diversification—and as sovereign entities begin experimenting with Bitcoin reserves—the cryptocurrency's profile is shifting. The US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, as imperfect as it is, contributes to this trend.It’s too early to call Bitcoin a full-fledged hedge. Its price is still primarily driven by short-term speculation. But the transition is underway. As adoption grows across countries, companies, and individuals, Bitcoin’s volatility will likely decrease, and its utility as a partial hedge will increase.For now, the safe haven label may be aspirational. But if current trends continue, it might not be for long.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

‘Contrary to popular belief,’ regulation isn’t slowing tokenization — Prometheum CEO

The market for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) is growing by the day, but contrary to belief, the biggest hurdle to broader adoption isn’t regulation, but a lack of dedicated secondary markets for buying and selling tokenized securities, according to Prometheum founder and co-CEO Aaron Kaplan. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Kaplan drew attention to ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood’s recent appearance at the Digital Asset Summit in New York, where she said that a lack of regulatory clarity is preventing her company from tokenizing its funds.“Contrary to popular belief, however, the hurdle isn’t ambiguous regulation,” said Kaplan, who noted that the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) special purpose broker-dealer framework and Alternative Trading System (ATS) licensing “already provide a regulated pathway for issuing blockchain-native funds that offer efficiency advantages over traditional issuances.”“The real bottleneck lies in the limited market infrastructure for delivering tokenized securities trading to a broad investor base,” he said.Excluding stablecoins, the value of tokenized RWAs has increased by nearly 8% to $19.5 billion over the past 30 days, according to industry data. Private credit and US Treasury debt remain the two largest use cases. The value of tokenized RWAs has grown rapidly over the past year. Source: RWA.xyz“These assets currently sit on a handful of blockchains, but there is still no fully public secondary market where institutional and retail investors can buy, sell, and trade them, as they do with traditional securities on Nasdaq or through a brokerage account like Fidelity,” said Kaplan, who identified two general approaches for building out these platforms. The first is building tokenized securities markets using decentralized finance (DeFi) frameworks, much like what Ondo Finance, Ethena Labs and Securitize are doing.Related: Ethena Labs, Securitize launch blockchain for DeFi and tokenized assetsThe second approach involves integrating tokenization protocols into existing brokerage platforms that operate under SEC-registered entities and are subject to federal securities laws. “Legacy crypto and fintech platforms are already accustomed to facilitating cryptocurrency trading, so you would expect them to seek to broaden their offerings to include tokenized securities,” said Kaplan.While many in the latter camp do not operate digitally, they “won’t cede market share without a fight,” said Kaplan. “Many are already investing in their own tokenization initiatives, or partnering with fintech and crypto firms, to remain competitive.”“What’s at stake is the next wave of users onboarding into the digital asset space [...] The question is then, will the brokerage industry enter the digital asset space, or will crypto platforms build the next gen markets for investors to buy and sell digital securities?” As a digital asset trading and custody firm, Prometheum is attempting to bridge the infrastructure gap by building a full-service digital asset securities marketplace. The company claims that securities traded on Prometheum have reduced fees, faster settlement times and increased efficiency.Related: CME Group taps Google Cloud for pilot asset tokenization programInvestors want ‘digital native’ versions of assets they’ve always knownPerhaps the biggest demand driver for tokenized assets among traditional investors is that they want to access “digital native versions of all assets, in addition to crypto tokens, through a single ecosystem they are comfortably using [...] to meet a range of financial goals,” said Kaplan.One area where tokenization appears to be gaining traction is in real estate. As Cointelegraph recently reported, luxury and commercial properties are being tokenized all over North America and secondary markets are being established to enable the trading of tokenized shares. A 2024 report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) called tokenization a “game-changing blockchain use case in financial services” due to its scalability and near-instant transactions. According to BCG managing director and senior partner Sean Park, tokenization could boost investors’ annual returns by roughly $100 billion while increasing the revenue streams of financial institutions. Tokenized RWAs as an investable asset class reached an “inflection point” in 2023. Source: Boston Consulting GroupThe potential of tokenization has even been flagged by the World Economic Forum in a recent article published by Digital Asset co-founder and CEO Yuvan Rooz. In the article, Rooz showed that roughly 10% of the $230 trillion global securities market is eligible for use as collateral. “Tokenization, which improves collateral mobility and capital efficiency, could unlock this untapped capital and optimize intraday liquidity so that funds can be accessed and moved within the same trading day to meet payment and settlement obligations,” said Rooz.Magazine: Block by block: Blockchain technology is transforming the real estate market

Bitcoin trader issues &#039;overbought&#039; warning as BTC price eyes $84K

Bitcoin (BTC) ticked higher at the March 31 Wall Street open as traders stayed risk-averse on the short-term BTC price outlook.BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewBitcoin RSI teases bearish continuationData from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed local highs of $83,914 on Bitstamp, with BTC/USD up 1.5% on the day.With hours to go until the quarterly candle close, Bitcoin saw some much-needed relief, even as US stocks opened lower.Market momentum remained tied to upcoming US trade tariffs set to go live on April 2, with gold also slipping after touching fresh all-time highs of $3,128 per ounce.XAU/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewCommenting on BTC price action, many market participants nonetheless favored caution.“Retesting our 84k area of interest,” popular trader Roman wrote in his latest X analysis of the 4-hour BTC/USD chart. Roman referenced the relative strength index (RSI) while forecasting a return to levels closer to the $80,000 mark.“To me it looks like we should begin to head lower as we have a break down and bearish retest on LTF,” he continued. “RSI also retesting the 50 area with stoch overbought. HTF still leans bearish as well.”BTC/USD 4-hour chart with RSI data. Source: Roman/XPopular trader and analyst Rekt Capital went further on RSI signals, revealing a support retest on daily timeframes after a key breakout from a multimonth downtrend.“The $BTC RSI is trying to retest its Downtrend as support. Meanwhile BTC's price action is also facing a Downtrend,” he summarized to X followers.“If the RSI successfully retests its Downtrend... That would display emerging strength & price would be able to break its own Downtrend.”BTC/USD 1-day chart with RSI data. Source: Rekt Capital/XEarlier, Cointelegraph reported on various BTC price metrics combining to produce a lackluster picture of the current phase of the bull market, hinting that the correction would continue.BTC price targets, meanwhile, now extend to $65,000, with prediction platforms seeing even lower.BTC price analysis draws comparisons to late 2024Both March and Q1 performance thus left much to be desired.Related: Worst Q1 for BTC price since 2018: 5 things to know in Bitcoin this weekAmid a broad lack of upside catalysts, BTC/USD traded down 10.8% year-to-date at the time of writing and 1.1% lower for March, per data from monitoring resource CoinGlass.BTC/USD monthly returns (screenshot). Source: CoinGlassIn its latest analytics report, “Bitfinex Alpha,” released on March 31, crypto exchange Bitfinex acknowledged that 2025 was Bitcoin’s worst first quarter in years.“Any buying momentum is currently being capped at the $89,000 level—coinciding with the previous range lows seen in December 2024, and acting as a firm resistance level to further gains,” contributors observed. “This resistance is also coinciding with further downside in equities, with the S&P 500 closing the week 1.5 percent lower.”BTC/USD 1-week chart (screenshot). Source: BitfinexThe report highlighted the growing correlation between Bitcoin and US stocks.“Despite the turbulence, price action in recent weeks appears to have carved out a consolidation range between $78,000 and $88,000. Notably, signs of capitulation are easing, with fewer reactive sellers present and long-term holders beginning to accumulate once more,” it added.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

AI-Infused Blockchain Ambient to 'Replace Bitcoin,' Says Co-Founder

asics, bitcoin mining, miners

Circle Hires JPMorgan, Citi With Plan to File IPO in Late April: Fortune

Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Circle speaks during a House Committee on Financial Services. (Getty Images)

Why Emerging Economies Need Strategic Crypto Reserves

(New York Public Library/ Unsplash)

NFT Marketplace X2Y2 to Shut Down After Trading Volumes Collapsed

Algofi to shut down its DeFi protocol (Nastuh Abootalebi/Unsplash)

Bitcoin Could Threaten Dollar’s Reserve Currency Status: BlackRock’s Larry Fink

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OKX Chief Legal Officer Mauricio Beugelmans Leaves the Exchange

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Memecoins 2.0: The market crashed, but the billion-dollar circus rolls on

Opinion by: Igor Zemtsov, chief technology officer at TBCCFollowing “Libragate,” memecoin prices crashed, with their market cap falling nearly 60% from 2025’s highs. But meme tokens, dead? They’ve got more lives than a cat on caffeine.Despite the chaos, memecoins were still holding a $47.9-billion market cap as of March 10. It’s not exactly spare change. Meanwhile, degens are still out here “buying the dip” like it’s a Black Friday sale, convinced that absurdly named tokens like Unicorn Fart Dust, Fartcoin and Buttcoin will print them a 100x profit before year’s end.Some call it irrational. Others call it degeneracy. But when has that ever stopped anyone in crypto?Down bad, but not dead yetSure, memecoins aren’t exactly outshining Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) or Solana (SOL) right now. They’ve been getting absolutely obliterated. Prices have tanked, liquidity has dried up, and traders who thought they’d be sipping cocktails on a yacht by now are busy coping in Telegram groups.Let’s not pretend this is the first time memecoins have been pronounced dead. Every time the world writes them off, they somehow claw their way back — sometimes with an even more absurd rally than before.After all, logic has never been crypto’s strong suit. If it were, we wouldn’t have seen billion-dollar valuations for fart-themed tokens in the first place. And if human nature tells us anything, it’s that people will always chase the next big hype cycle — especially when it comes wrapped in humor and the promise of overnight riches.Memecoins are down bad right now. But dead? Not a chance. The moment another ridiculous trend takes hold, the money will come flooding back. Because in crypto, what goes down eventually goes way back up — often in the most unexpected, meme-fueled ways.Better marketing than serious crypto startupsForget white papers, roadmaps or security audits. Memecoins don’t need any of that. All it takes is a viral meme on X, a 10-minute token launch, and within a few weeks, it could be sitting at a $50-million market cap. Meanwhile, legitimate projects spend years developing products, hiring developers and raising funds, only to watch their tokens struggle to gain traction.Recent: Solana revenue slumps 93% from January high after memecoin bubble burstsFor memecoins, community is everything. The bigger it is, the better the pump. It’s not just the kind that retweets project updates 10 times daily, but one that fully embraces the joke. These communities don’t just speculate — they believe. And when enough people buy the meme, the token pumps.Shiba Inu (SHIB) built a cult following as the so-called Dogecoin (DOGE) killer. It never killed DOGE, but it evolved into a $9-billion token with its own blockchain. Others took an even weirder approach. Fartcoin turned flatulence into finance. Unicorn Fart Dust captured the magic of completely nonsensical branding. And Buttcoin, a 2013 meme mocking Bitcoin, made a comeback to troll the entire industry. The formula is obvious: The more absurd the name, the bigger the hype. Sometimes, “it’s funny” is the only investment thesis you need.Sure, the crash wiped out some gains, but let’s not act like memecoins vanished. They didn’t go to zero, which, in crypto terms, makes them survivors. A strong community, relentless memes and top-tier shitposting can keep even the most ridiculous assets alive.Memecoins are a rebellion against traditional financePeople are investing money in Dogecoin instead of Apple stock, and for good reason. Well, sort of. Crypto has become the go-to escape hatch for those fed up with traditional finance. Banks freeze accounts. Regulators add more red tape. Insider trading runs rampant. Meanwhile, memecoins are a free-for-all, where anyone can win big or lose everything. No middlemen. No rules. Just vibes.The same Buttcoin proves that people will pump anything just for fun. What started as a joke now has a dedicated community trying to make it the next Bitcoin. It’s complete insanity, which is precisely why it works.If the world has gone mad, why not profit from the chaos? With financial markets becoming more centralized, restrictive and controlled, memecoins offer an anarchic alternative. They represent the financial Wild West, where anything goes; even the most absurd assets can see billion-dollar valuations.Memecoins as internet cultureMemecoins have been around since 2013, when Dogecoin launched as a joke about speculative trading. No one — not even its creators — took it seriously until Elon Musk got involved and became its unofficial CEO.That same year, Buttcoin was born from a YouTube video. It wasn’t a token back then, just a meme. But years later, the community decided to turn the joke into an actual cryptocurrency. It exploded because people love jokes — and some believe it could be the next Bitcoin.Each new wave of memecoins pushes the absurdity even further — first DOGE, then Shiba, then Bonk (BONK). Now we have an entire market of tokens inspired by farts, crap and butts. And somehow, they keep outperforming serious projects.As long as people love memes, memecoins will have a place in crypto. It is internet culture that has turned into an asset class.Are memecoins here to stay?Most memecoins start as a joke, but some have found actual use cases. DOGE is already accepted for payments by Tesla, AMC and GameStop. SHIB holders can shop at Gucci, Nordstrom and Whole Foods. Even newer projects like Solcat are launching games to expand their ecosystems.Memecoins aren’t just memes anymore. They’re shaping a new financial reality where virality, speculation and internet culture define value. But let’s address the obvious: The recent crash has slashed valuations, leaving many wondering what’s next.Are they here to stay, or are we watching them fade into irrelevance? If history tells us anything, it’s that memecoins are like cockroaches — resilient, unpredictable and always resurfacing. Investors should brace for more chaos because these tokens are as volatile as ever.Memecoins may not be running the show right now, but let’s be honest: The next big meme token is probably already brewing in a Telegram group, just waiting for its moment to explode (or implode).Opinion by: Igor Zemtsov, chief technology officer at TBCC.This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Brazil Bars Major Pension Funds From Investing in Cryptocurrencies

Brazil's flag (Rafaela Biazi/Unsplash)

March 2025 in charts: Trump trade war hits Bitcoin, $22M in DeFi hacks

March was a rough month for markets — US President Donald Trump’s uncertain tariff policies created volatility in Bitcoin and crypto markets; meanwhile, decentralized finance (DeFi) struggled with security concerns.Retaliatory tariffs on US goods in China and the European Union hit markets on March 10 and 12, respectively. Amid the tête-à-tête between the United States and its largest trade partners, Bitcoin managed to recover on March 24 to $88,0000 before slumping down again to around $82,000 at the time of writing.A number of state legislatures are considering Bitcoin- and crypto-related legislation, from bills that would establish a Bitcoin reserve to crypto tax forces and exploring pension fund investment. Such bills moved forward, either in voting or in committee, in 13 US states this month. The cool-down in memecoin markets has major revenue implications for Solana. After reaching eye-watering highs of $34 billion in January, Solana volumes on decentralized exchanges fell drastically. In March, volumes rarely exceeded $1 billion. Here’s March in numbers.Trump’s trade war sees Bitcoin down 5% on the monthThe first month of Trump’s administration saw a number of reversals on controversial trade policies that seemed to confuse and exasperate even the president’s political allies.After a month of delay, tariffs went live on March 4 — 25% on Mexican and Canadian goods, 10$ on Canadian energy and 20% on Chinese goods. Just one day later, Trump’s administration delayed tariffs for auto-makers; on March 6, it announced delays on most Canadian and Mexican goods. Retaliatory tariffs from China raised the temperature, and on March 12, Trump announced a 24% tariff on aluminum and steel. By March 18, the US Treasury, part of the presidential administration, announced the possibility of negotiable tariff rates per country.Bitcoin price, along with major stock indexes in the US, were hit as the estimated effects of tariffs changed by the week. On March 24, Bitcoin managed to recover to $85,000, putting it briefly above where it started the month. The trade war has affected the Trump family’s own crypto investments via World Liberty Financial (WLFI). The fund saw a mixed bag in March, with many of the altcoins in its portfolio, like Mint (MNT) and Tron (TRX), trading at or below where they started the month. Crypto and traditional financial have been on a downward trend at the end of March as traders brace for “Liberation Day” on April 2, when Trump has promised to levy dollar-for-dollar tariffs on all countries that have tariffs on US goods.Crypto legislation enacted in two statesTwo US states, Utah and Kentucky, enacted legislation in March regarding crypto. Both laws provide definitions for different aspects of digital assets and blockchain technology. They also provide zoning definitions and protections for cryptocurrency miners and create guidelines for businesses to accept cryptocurrencies. In March, various crypto bills have moved ahead in 13 other states. Three states, Texas, Georgia and Illinois, have introduced new bills in their respective legislatures. The Illinois act would establish regulations for the industry as well as consumer protections, while Georgia senators seek to create a senate study committee on digital assets and AI. Texas has been busy. In March alone, it introduced three separate bills that would create an oil-backed stablecoin, allow state officials to invest state funds in crypto and set up a blockchain pilot program for the state’s Department of Information Resources. Solana ecosystem faces 99% decrease in revenueA number of high-profile scandals, including one involving the President of Argentia Javier Milei, have begun to scare investors out of the memecoin space. With most issuances happening on the Solana network, this exodus of traders has seen a 99% decrease in revenues from their high of $15 million on Jan. 19, to just $119,000 at publishing time. March also saw a continued downtrend in decentralized exchange volume generated onchain and daily active addresses. DEX volumes in March have steadily declined from $3.9 billion on March 2 to $782 million at publishing time. Magazine: Memecoins are ded — But Solana ‘100x better’ despite revenue plungeAt the end of February, Messari analyst Sunny Shi highlighted the “memecoin economy” composing much of the Solana ecosystem’s value. He added that “a deep contraction in memecoin volumes could cause a cascade of revenue declines.”The future of memecoins remains uncertain, but Sythnetix founder Kain Warwick told Cointelegraph Magazine that the network is better off for them. “One of the cool things about the memecoin speculation is it drove a huge investment in infrastructure on Solana,” said Warwick. “Solana as a chain is 100 times better than it was pre-memecoin.”$22 million in DeFi hacks as analysts raise red flags over securityFebruary saw the largest DeFi hack of all time, with the North Korean state-affiliated Lazarus Group nabbing $1.4 billion from Bybit. March pales in comparison — $22 million was stolen across four hacks (note these are not the same as exploits or short squeezes). Continuing the Bybit saga, hackers were reportedly able to funnel “100%” of the funds successfully — primarily through THORChain — according to blockchain security firm Lookonchain.The continued proliferation of expensive DeFi hacks led blockchain sleuth ZachXBT to post on his Telegram channel on March 18 that DeFi “is unbelievably cooked when it comes to exploits/hacks and sadly idk if the industry is going to fix this itself unless the government forcibly passes regulations that hurt our entire industry.”He said that many protocols have had “nearly 100%” of the monthly fees or volumes derived from Lazarus and “refuse to take any accountability.”Related: Top 15 crypto conferences to mark your calendar in 2025Concerns over security and macroeconomic factors aside, the crypto industry has continued to build and congregate at international conferences. March saw six major international crypto conferences in Europe and North America.On the whole, March was a rocky month. Major coins traded sideways or saw significant losses — Ether (ETH) is down 18% on the month — and economic uncertainty defined the space with the introduction of new tariffs from China and the European Union. Markets will be put to the test in April as Trump introduces mass tariffs on April 2, dubbed “Liberation Day.” However, past reversals or flip-flops on tariffs mean the effect may not be as pronounced as predicted. The next month will also see a debate on the US stablecoin law in the House Financial Services Committee. Many in the industry regard the bill as the green light crypto needs to grow in the US. On April 18, Avraham Eisenberg, who was convicted of fraud and market manipulation in connection with the exploit of the Mango Markets DEX, will face sentencing. Magazine: Bitcoin ATH sooner than expected? XRP may drop 40%, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 23 – 29

BNB Chain catches memecoin wave as Solana wipes out

BNB Chain, the EVM-compatible network tied to cryptocurrency exchange Binance, is experiencing a resurgence in the decentralized finance (DeFi) and memecoin spaces just as some of its rivals face an identity crisis.For most of 2024 and into early 2025, Solana dominated the retail DeFi narrative. It became the network of choice for memecoins tied to celebrities, influencers and political figures, including US President Donald Trump.However, the ecosystem took a reputational hit after Argentine President Javier Milei jumped on the memecoin bandwagon. His associated project, “Libra,” was accused of insider trading. The controversy dented trust in Solana’s memecoin sector and opened the door for competitors.BNB Chain has seized the moment, capturing displaced memecoin volume. The chain has its own memecoin platform, Four.Meme — comparable to Solana’s Pump.fun — and introduced daily competitions to promote new projects and subsidize their liquidity. Some of these memecoins have even gone on to secure listings on Binance itself.This momentum is clearly reflected in the trading volume of the network’s top decentralized exchange (DEX), PancakeSwap. In a two-week stretch from March 15, PancakeSwap led all EVM chains' DEX volume on nine separate days, according to Dune Analytics data.PancakeSwap on BNB Chain dominates the second half of March in DEX volume. Source: Dune Analytics"It’s worth noting that PancakeSwap’s recent volume spike likely stems from renewed retail enthusiasm for BNB memecoins. Unlike other ecosystems where meme-related volume has declined over recent weeks, BNB Chain has seen significant growth in this sector," said Justin Barlow, head of business development and investments at Sei Foundation.In a written analysis shared with Cointelegraph on March 27, Barlow reviewed CoinGecko data and found that just two BNB memecoins were responsible for roughly 13% of PancakeSwap’s daily trading volume.Related: Insider trading allegations surface as TRUMP memecoin floods Solana DEXsBNB Chain’s reversal of fortuneBNB Chain launched in 2020 as Binance Smart Chain, positioning itself as a low-cost, fast and EVM-compatible alternative to Ethereum at a time when high gas fees and limited L1 options made Ethereum less accessible.It quickly attracted developers and users but developed a reputation for scammy projects and faced criticism for centralization. As regulatory pressure on Binance mounted, activity on the chain declined while more decentralized and innovative ecosystems like Ethereum L2s and Solana gained momentum.PancakeSwap has become the centerpiece of BNB Chain’s resurgence, sustaining high-volume trading across the network. According to DefiLlama, BNB Chain led all blockchains in DEX volume on eight days during the two-week period starting March 15 — the same stretch in which PancakeSwap dominated the EVM DEX landscape.Binance-linked BNB Chain dominates second-half of March. Source: DefiLlama“DEX volumes are a clear signal of user engagement and interest in DeFi, and sustained activity on a platform like PancakeSwap suggests that retail interest in BNB Chain and its memecoin ecosystem is growing,” Barlow said. A byproduct of DEX volume growth is higher yields for liquidity providers.In addition to DEX volume, BNB Chain recently led the industry in active addresses among EVM networks—and was second only to Solana across all blockchain ecosystems over the past week.Binance-backed growth, memecoin liquidity and BroccoliThe resurgence of BNB Chain is closely linked to the boom in memecoins. In February, BNB Chain published its 2025 tech roadmap, reaffirming its commitment to supporting the memecoin ecosystem. "We are happy to see many of the meme tool providers integrate with BNB Chain. And we will continue to work closely with them in 2025 and beyond," the announcement said.Just days later, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao posted on X that his dog’s name is Broccoli, a remark that sparked a wave of Broccoli-themed memecoins on BNB Chain. Zhao added that he would not be issuing a memecoin himself but would “likely interact” with a few tokens on the network.Source: Changpeng ZhaoMemecoin activity has been surging ever since. One example came in late March; in a now-viral trade, one trader reportedly invested $232 into the Mubarak memecoin to profit $1.1 million, according to Lookonchain.Savvy trader flips $232 of Mubarak memecoin into $1.1 million. Source: LookonchainBNB Chain has also outpaced competitors in several core DeFi metrics. It recently surpassed both Solana and Ethereum L2s in daily fees generated. To further support the momentum, BNB Chain launched the "BNB Chain Meme Liquidity Support Program" on Feb. 18. The initiative provides $200,000 in permanent liquidity to top-performing memecoins.“Memecoins are absolutely driving the recent activity. You can see it in the sharp increase in the number of newly created tokens and the uptick in smaller trade sizes, which often accompany memecoin speculation. When TVL remains stable but volume spikes, it's usually retail trading that’s driving the difference — and right now, that energy is heavily concentrated in BNB Chain’s meme sector,” Rachel Lin, CEO of DEX SynFutures, told Cointelegraph.Related: XRP and Solana race toward the next crypto ETF approvalSolana vs. BNB: Who owns the memecoin crown?Data suggests that Solana’s memecoin sector is cooling off. According to Solscan, token launches dropped to around 26,300 on March 22, the lowest since November. Daily transaction volume also hit a low of under 43 million on March 1, according to Nansen, the lowest figure since November.Solana’s transaction volume is also on a downward trend along with cooling memecoin activity. Source: NansenEven in a downtrend, Solana’s activity levels remain significantly higher than BNB Chain’s. Nansen data shows that Solana's lowest transaction day still outpaced BNB Chain’s peak of 7.8 million transactions. But momentum appears to be shifting.BNB Chain’s transactions rise, but still far behind Solana. Source: NansenPump.fun, Solana’s memecoin launchpad, is also seeing signs of fatigue. Fewer than 1% of new tokens meet the platform’s requirements to become tradable. The drop in bonding levels points to a cooling period for Solana’s memecoin market. But this doesn’t necessarily signal a shift in long-term dominance, said Alan Orwick, co-founder of Quai Network. “This pattern reflects the cyclical nature of speculative interest across blockchain ecosystems, which ultimately brings renewed energy to DeFi.”“This rotation appears to be influenced by regional preferences, with increased Asian market participation driving activity on Binance-related platforms,” Orwick said. Lin of SynFutures added that the key difference between Solana and BNB Chain’s momentum is the audience: “Solana has become more native to crypto traders, whereas BNB Chain draws a more global, retail-first crowd. We're not necessarily seeing one chain dominate long-term, but rather a rotation of capital and attention depending on user behavior and transaction economics."The rise of BNB Chain amid Solana’s slowdown highlights the fast-moving, cyclical nature of crypto markets, especially in the memecoin space. While Solana still leads in raw activity, BNB Chain is proving it can capture retail attention and drive meaningful volume when the moment is right. With strong backing from Binance, dedicated liquidity programs and viral meme momentum, BNB Chain has reclaimed relevance in DeFi.Magazine: Memecoins are ded — But Solana ‘100x better’ despite revenue plunge

Metaplanet Issues $13M Zero-Coupon Bond to Buy More Bitcoin

Metaplanet issues another bond to fund bitcoin purchases

Partners Value Investments Completes Amalgamation

TORONTO, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Partners Value Investments L.P. (TSXV: PVF.UN, TSXV: PVF.PR.U) (the “Partnership”) and Partners Value Investments Inc. (TSXV: PVF.WT) (“PVII”) today announced the successful completion of a short form vertical amalgamation under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) between PVII and Partners IV Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of PVII (the “Amalgamation”).

Lumine Group Completes the Purchase of Vidispine

Lumine Group completes the purchase of the Vidispine brand and business assets from Arvato Systems, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA.

Pennant acquires senior living community in Arizona

TTEC soars after saying it's willing to engage with CEO on $6.85 a share offer

Pennant Expands Portfolio with Acquisition of Senior Living Community in Arizona

EAGLE, Idaho, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Pennant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNTG), the parent company of the Pennant group of affiliated home health, hospice, home care and senior living companies, announces the acquisition of the real estate and operations of an established senior living community in Arizona. The newly acquired community offers assisted living and memory care services, and increases Pennant’s Arizona operations by 128 units.

Viscogliosi Brothers Completes Acquisition of U.S. Spine Business from Stryker, Creating VB Spine, LLC

VB Spine is a Strategic Partner to Stryker with Access to Mako Spine and Copilot

Colony Bankcorp expands insurance division with acquisition of Ellerbee Agency

PDI Technologies Expands Digital Engagement Ecosystem, Payment, and Loyalty Capabilities with Acquisition of P97 Networks

Strategic addition creates comprehensive platform across convenience, fuel, and automotive markets Strategic addition creates comprehensive platform across convenience, fuel, and automotive markets

Lineage acquires warehouses from Bellingham Cold Storage

Jamf completes acquisition of Identity Automation, expanding its platform to include dynamic identity management for specific industries

MINNEAPOLIS, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jamf (NASDAQ: JAMF), the standard in managing and securing Apple at work, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Identity Automation, a dynamic identity and access management (IAM) platform for industries that are defined by frequent role adjustments, such as education and healthcare.

Diamondback Energy, Inc. Announces Closing of Double Eagle Acquisition

MIDLAND, Texas, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) (“Diamondback” or “the Company”) today announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of certain subsidiaries of Double Eagle IV Midco, LLC (“Double Eagle”).

BGC Group completes $325M takeover of brokerage OTC Global

WNS Holdings may be worth $75 to $84 a share in a sale - analyst

Lutnick meets with Nippon Steel, activist Ancora on US Steel - Bloomberg

WNS Holdings gains after report of takeover interest

Heidelberg Materials Completes Acquisition of Giant Cement Holding Inc. and its subsidiaries

Heidelberg Materials North America announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Giant Cement Holding Inc. and its subsidiaries, Giant Cement Company, Dragon Products Company and Giant Resource Recovery Heidelberg Materials North America announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Giant Cement Holding Inc. and its subsidiaries, Giant Cement Company, Dragon Products Company and Giant Resource Recovery

Phorcys Capital Partners Acquires Hunt Trace Senior Living, Expanding Senior Living Exposure to Florida

Phorcys Capital Partners acquires Hunt Trace, a 114-unit assisted living and memory care facility in Florida, expanding its senior housing portfolio.

WTW to acquire Global Commercial Credit

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Acquires Fleet Canada Inc.

CALGARY, Alberta, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada (DHC) announced that it has acquired all of the shares of Fleet Canada Inc. (Fleet) of Fort Erie, Ontario.

WTW acquires Michigan-based Global Commercial Credit

NEW YORK, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), a leading global advisory, broking, and solutions company, today announced the acquisition of Global Commercial Credit, LLC (GCC) into Willis, a WTW business. This strategic acquisition will accelerate performance by expanding into specialized businesses that align with the company’s technical, industry-structured and expertise-driven growth plan.

Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP : Form 8.3 - Direct Line Insurance Group Pls

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Form 8.3 - Assura PLC

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Invesco Ltd: Form 8.3 - Aviva PLC; Public dealing disclosure

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Form 8.3 - Equals Group Plc

Downing LLPLEI: 213800G3X76VBG9SB50401 April 2025Form 8.3 re. Equals Group Plc

Form 8.3 - Warehouse REIT Plc

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Form 8.3 - Renewi Plc

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Ackroo Completes Sale to Paystone

Ackroo Completes Go Private Transaction with Paystone by way of Arrangement Ackroo Completes Go Private Transaction with Paystone by way of Arrangement

Form 8.3 - Primary Health Properties Plc

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Form 8.3 - NIOX Group Plc

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Form 8.3 - Dalata Hotel Group plc

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Form 8.3 - LondonMetric Property Plc

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Form 8.3 - Life Science REIT Plc

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Form 8.3 - Good Energy Group Plc

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Form 8.3 - Assura Plc

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Form 8.3 - Advanced Medical Solutions Group Plc

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Qualcomm confirms it's evaluating bid for Alphawave

Qualcomm acquires Vietnam-based MovianAI

Canaccord Genuity Group to sell U.S. wholesale market making business to Cantor

IAC completes spin-off of stake in Angi

Gentex Announces Closing of VOXX International Acquisition

Gentex Corporation (NASDAQ: GNTX) announced today that it has closed on the strategic acquisition of VOXX International.

Lantheus Completes Acquisition of Evergreen Theragnostics

BEDFORD, Mass., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lantheus Holdings, Inc. (“Lantheus” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: LNTH), the leading radiopharmaceutical-focused company committed to enabling clinicians to Find, Fight and Follow disease to deliver better patient outcomes, today announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Evergreen Theragnostics, Inc. (“Evergreen”), a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company. The acquisition was first announced on January 28, 2025.

Nightfood acquires Skytech to expand AI-driven hotel automation

Brookfield Asset Management to buy majority stake in mortgage lender Angel Oak

TowneBank Announces Completion of Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp. Merger

TowneBank Announces Completion of Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp. Merger

Nightfood Acquires Skytech to Expand Leadership in AI-Driven Hotel Automation

Strategic acquisition enhances Robotics-as-a-Service capabilities and accelerates market penetration across the hotel sector Strategic acquisition enhances Robotics-as-a-Service capabilities and accelerates market penetration across the hotel sector

Form 8.3 - Octopus Investments - Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc

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DataMetrex signs LOI to acquire Arbutus Health and Wellness

SatixFy shares leap as MDA Space to buy company in $193 million deal

Dada Enters into Definitive Agreement for “Going Private” Transaction

SHANGHAI, China, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dada Nexus Limited (NASDAQ: DADA, “Dada” or the “Company”), China’s leading local on-demand retail and delivery platform, today announced that it has entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with JD Sunflower Investment Limited, a British Virgin Islands company (“Parent”) and JD Sunflower Merger Sub Limited, a Cayman Islands company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving company and becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger”). Parent is wholly owned by JD.com, Inc. (“JD”).

Becton Dickinson in talks with rivals over life sciences unit - FT

Form 8.3 - [ADVANCED MEDICAL SOLUTIONS GROUP PLC - 31 03 2025] - (CGWL)

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Form 8.3 - [ALLIANCE PHARMA PLC - 31 03 2025] - (CGWL)

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Arm was seeking to buy chip IP supplier Alphawave to boost AI tech - report

Revive Therapeutics Announces Acquisition of Molecular Hydrogen Program

TORONTO, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Revive Therapeutics Ltd. (“Revive” or the “Company”) (OTCQB: RVVTF) (CSE: RVV) (FRANKFURT:31R), a specialty life sciences company focused on the research and development of therapeutics for infectious diseases, rare disorders, and medical countermeasures, is pleased to announce that further to its press release dated March 3, 2025, it has entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Agreement”) dated March 31, 2025 with DiagnaMed Holdings Corp. (CSE: DMED) (OTCQB: DGNMF) (“DiagnaMed”) to acquire the full rights to DiagnaMed’s intellectual property (the “Acquired Assets”) pertaining to molecular hydrogen as potential treatments for neurological and mental health disorders (the “Acquisition”). Pursuant to the Agreement, the consideration for the Acquired Assets will be satisfied through the issuance to DiagnaMed of one million common shares of Revive, at an issue price of $0.05 per share, representing a purchase price of $50,000.  The issuance of the common shares is subject to regulatory approvals, including the CSE, and will be subject to restrictions on resale under applicable securities laws.  There are no further financial terms, including milestones, royalties or other monetary obligation payments pursuant to the Agreement.

Endeavour Silver to buy Minera Kolpa for $145 million

Sonoco Completes Sale of Thermoformed and Flexibles Packaging Business to TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.

Sonoco Completes Sale of Thermoformed and Flexibles Packaging Business to TOPPAN Holdings, Inc. Proceeds Being Used to Reduce Approximately $1.5 Billion

Cielo Announces Relocation of First Planned Facility to British Columbia and Provides Update on Proposed Asset Acquisition and Corporate Matters

Cielo Announces Relocation of First Planned Facility to British Columbia and Provides Update on Proposed Asset Acquisition and Corporate Matters

Renasant Corporation Completes Merger with The First Bancshares, Inc.

TUPELO, Miss., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Renasant Corporation (NYSE: RNST) (“Renasant” or “the Company”) announced today that it has completed its merger with The First Bancshares, Inc., the parent company of The First Bank (“The First”), effective April 1, 2025.

Ring Energy Announces the Closing of the Lime Rock Permian Basin Assets Acquisition

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ring Energy, Inc. (NYSE American: REI) (“Ring” or the “Company”) announced that it has completed its previously-announced acquisition (the “Transaction”) of the Central Basin Platform (“CBP”) assets of Lime Rock Resources IV, LP (“Lime Rock”) on March 31, 2025. Lime Rock’s CBP operations are located in the Permian Basin in Andrews County, Texas, and are focused on the development of approximately 17,700 net acres where the majority are similar to Ring’s existing CBP assets in the Shafter Lake area, and the remaining acreage exposes the Company to new active plays.

Unitil to Purchase Maine Natural Gas Company from Avangrid

HAMPTON, N.H., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unitil Corporation (NYSE: UTL) (unitil.com) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Maine Natural Gas Company (“Maine Natural”) from Avangrid Enterprises, Inc., for $86.0 million on a debt-free basis, subject to adjustment for closing working capital and transaction expenses. Upon closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur by the end of 2025, Maine Natural will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Unitil. The transaction is subject to approval by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

TransUnion Completes Acquisition of Credit Prequalification and Distribution Platform Monevo

The acquisition meets growing demand for personalized credit experiences online The acquisition meets growing demand for personalized credit experiences online

HSBC Bank Plc - Form 8.5 (EPT/RI) - Learning Technologies Group plc

FORM 8.5 (EPT/RI)