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Michael Saylor’s company has already lined up the money. Now the question is how much Bitcoin it plans to buy with it. Related Reading: Alibaba AI Model Puts XRP Price Between $7 And $42 By Year-End Saylor’s Signal Fires Up The Market Strategy’s executive chairman posted his well-known “Orange Dots” chart on X over the weekend, adding just three words: “Think even Bigger.” The chart maps every Bitcoin purchase the company has ever made. In crypto circles, its appearance has become a reliable preview of an imminent acquisition announcement — and Monday is the day Strategy most commonly makes those announcements public. The post landed after a string of major purchases. On April 13, Strategy spent $1 billion on Bitcoin. The week before that, it dropped $330 million. Both buying rounds were preceded by the same chart. This time, Saylor’s caption suggests the next move could top them both. A War Chest Already Sitting Ready The fuel for that purchase appears to already be in place. Strategy’s STRC instrument has raised enough capital to fund up to $1.76 billion in Bitcoin acquisitions, based on reports tracking the company’s fundraising activity. The company routinely uses proceeds from STRC to bankroll its Bitcoin buying program, so the timing of that capital raise lines up with the weekend post. At the time of writing, Strategy holds 780,897 Bitcoin across its corporate treasury. The company’s average purchase price sits at $75,577 per coin. At current market prices, the entire stash is valued at roughly $58 billion — a figure that would shift significantly with any large new purchase. Bitcoin Price Holds Flat Despite The News The market has not moved much on Saylor’s hint. Bitcoin was trading around $75,500, down less than 1% in the 24 hours following the post. Geopolitical pressure has been a drag on price action, with US President Donald Trump accusing Iran of violating ceasefire terms — a development that has kept risk appetite subdued across financial markets. Related Reading: XRP Expansion Into Solana Sparks Fresh Demand, Ripple CEO Says One signal watched closely by analysts did break out over the weekend, though. Bitcoin Dominance — the share of total crypto market value held by Bitcoin — pushed above a key resistance level on the three-day chart, clearing a descending trendline it had been stuck under for some time. Reports from crypto analysts indicate that if the breakout holds, more capital could rotate into Bitcoin at the expense of smaller coins. For Strategy’s playbook, that kind of market shift would not be unwelcome. Featured image from MetaAI, chart from TradingView

Ethereum is flashing a combination of technical and on-chain signals that analysts say could be the beginning of a meaningful recovery. For the first time in months, the structure of Ethereum’s price action appears to be shifting in the favor of bulls. The latest price action has brought the ETH price back above $2,300, setting up a structure that says the next leg is about to start. Related Reading: Asteroid Shiba’s 68,000% Rally Leaves Traders Stunned After Elon Musk Reply Technical Levels Reset, Analyst Flags Breakout Conditions Crypto analyst Ash Crypto drew attention to Ethereum’s price action this week, pointing to three developments that, taken together, suggest the groundwork for a new upward leg may be forming.  The first major development in Ethereum’s recent price action is its move back above the 100-day simple moving average. This level had acted as dynamic resistance, consistently capping upside attempts since November 2025. The break above it changes the tone of the chart, as it suggests that buyers are starting to regain control on higher timeframes. Second, a resistance zone that repeatedly rejected price throughout Q1 2026 has now been flipped into a support area. The chart shared by Ash Crypto shows a rising trendline from the February lows supporting price from below and creating a tightening range alongside a support zone to create an ascending triangle pattern.  ETH has since broken above the upper boundary of that triangle and is now testing the horizontal resistance band in the $2,300 to $2,370 range. According to the analyst, all Ethereum needs to do now is just hold above the $2,300 level, and the next leg up will start. At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading at $2,316. Ethereum Price Chart. Source: @AshCrypto On X Institutional Demand Returns Through ETF Channel The third major development is the return of institutional inflows through US Spot Ethereum ETFs. Particularly, US Spot Ether ETFs recorded $275.83 million in inflows in the most recent week, which is their strongest weekly inflow since the week ending January 16.  Perhaps the most compelling evidence of a changing market dynamic comes from derivatives order flow data. Throughout this cycle, Ethereum has faced persistently negative net taker volume. This is a metric that measures the difference between buy and sell market orders on derivatives exchanges, and the negative reading means sellers were consistently overpowering buyers. That pattern has now reversed. As noted by CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost, buy-side volumes have taken control on derivatives markets for the first time in the cycle, with a net taker volume reading of +$102 million recorded recently. ETH: NetTakerVolume. Source: @Darkfost_Coc On X Related Reading: BREAKING – Bitcoin Breaks $78K As Iran Reopens Strait Of Hormuz The last time Ethereum recorded buying pressure of this magnitude on derivatives markets was during the bear market of 2022, when ETH was trading around $1,000. If this trend manages to persist and buyers continue to absorb selling pressure, then it could indicate the early stages of a stronger structural recovery for Ethereum. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

An artificial intelligence model developed by Alibaba has projected that XRP could surpass $7 this year, with an upper estimate reaching as high as $42 — a range that would push the cryptocurrency’s total market value somewhere between $400 billion and $2.52 trillion. Related Reading: XRP Expansion Into Solana Sparks Fresh Demand, Ripple CEO Says The projection lines up with forecasts made by several human analysts who have been calling for a sharp revaluation of the asset. Regulatory Shift Seen As Turning Point US regulators appear to have drawn a clearer line in the sand. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission jointly issued a classification framework that places XRP, Bitcoin, and Ethereum under the category of digital commodities. The move marks a significant departure from the SEC’s earlier stance, which had treated XRP as a security — a classification that weighed heavily on the token for years. Reports indicate that many in the industry believe this shift could open the door for wider institutional participation in XRP-based products and services. Adding to that momentum, the proposed Clarity Act — if passed — is expected to further define the rules around crypto assets used in cross-border payments and financial infrastructure. XRP has long been positioned as a tool for international money transfers, and clearer rules could accelerate its adoption by banks and payment companies. Bitcoin And Ethereum Leading The Charge The XRP outlook does not exist in isolation. Analysts have tied its potential price movement to broader gains expected across the crypto market. Bitcoin is being watched closely, with some projections placing it as high as $250,000. Ethereum is also drawing attention, with forecasts built around growth in tokenization and stablecoin activity pointing toward a potential price around $10,000. Driving part of that optimism are Bitcoin exchange-traded funds launched by BlackRock and Fidelity Investments, which have attracted significant institutional money. Morgan Stanley recently added to that list with its own Bitcoin ETF, now trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Grayscale Investments’ head of research, Zach Pandl, has suggested that XRP is due for a meaningful valuation shift once regulatory conditions stabilize — a view shared by analysts who argue the token has been priced well below what its real-world use and adoption justify. Related Reading: Bitcoin, Ethereum Trading Expands As Charles Schwab Enters Crypto Market Early Movers Warned Of Closing Window Some analysts are framing the current period as a transfer of wealth from those who wait to those who act early — echoing patterns seen during earlier Bitcoin bull cycles when retail investors entered too late to capture the biggest gains. XRP is currently trading around $1.50. Featured image from MetaAI, chart from TradingView

XRP holders can now trade, earn yield, and tap liquidity on Solana — without ever selling their tokens. Related Reading: Bitcoin, Ethereum Trading Expands As Charles Schwab Enters Crypto Market A Bridge Between Two Networks That capability became real this week when wrapped XRP, known as wXRP, went live on the Solana blockchain. The rollout connects XRP to one of the busiest decentralized finance platforms in crypto, giving holders access to apps like Jupiter, Titan, Phantom, Meteora, and Byreal. Custody firm Hex Trust and cross-chain protocol LayerZero made the integration possible. wXRP is backed one-to-one by XRP held in custody. Holders can redeem it at any time, keeping the price in line with the native token while opening doors across Solana’s ecosystem. For years, XRP’s DeFi use was largely confined to the XRP Ledger. That changes with this launch. Demand for XRP keeps growing. More access, more ecosystems, more utility. https://t.co/zEqt5C3mmJ — Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) April 17, 2026 Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse didn’t wait long to weigh in. He called the Solana launch a clear signal that demand for XRP is growing — and said it points to more ecosystems, broader access, and expanded use for the asset going forward. What The Launch Means For XRP The move marks a shift in how XRP is being positioned. It started as a tool for institutional cross-border payments on its native ledger. Solana, by contrast, runs decentralized applications at high speed and low cost. Bridging the two through wXRP puts XRP in front of an entirely different user base. ???? wXRP is now live on @solana, enabled by @Hex_Trust and @LayerZero_Core. Growing demand for $XRP is driving liquidity cross-chain—opening new paths across ecosystems and expanding the overall market. https://t.co/AiExVF5nvX — RippleX (@RippleXDev) April 17, 2026 RippleX, the developer arm behind the XRP Ledger, confirmed the launch on social media. Based on reports, Hex Trust had been signaling the wXRP project since last year, with a stated focus on improving cross-chain participation for XRP holders. Former Ripple CTO David Schwartz had also backed the direction. When the concept was first floated in late 2025, he called XRP’s expansion into outside ecosystems a good thing. Ripple’s Multi-Chain Push Takes Shape The Solana integration is part of a broader pattern. Ripple has been working to take XRP beyond its original design — turning a payments token into an asset that works across multiple blockchain environments. wXRP is the most concrete step in that direction so far. Related Reading: BREAKING – Bitcoin Breaks $78K As Iran Reopens Strait Of Hormuz For holders, the mechanics are straightforward. They wrap their XRP, use it within Solana’s apps, and can unwrap it whenever they choose. No sale required. No loss of exposure to the underlying asset. Garlinghouse framed the demand as ongoing, not a one-time spike. His comments suggest Ripple sees the Solana launch as one piece of a longer expansion — not a finish line. Featured image from Vecteezy, chart from TradingView

Worldcoin’s growing list of corporate partners got longer on Friday — and so did the questions surrounding it. Related Reading: BREAKING – Bitcoin Breaks $78K As Iran Reopens Strait Of Hormuz Big Names, Bigger Ambitions Zoom and DocuSign are the latest companies to adopt World’s identity verification system, joining a growing roster of mainstream platforms built around the iris-scanning technology backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Dating app Tinder is also rolling out World ID to users in the US. The announcements came Friday, the same day World’s native token, WLD, took a steep hit in the market. Worldcoin slipped 10% to around $0.28, even as Sam Altman pushed ahead with new integrations tied to its identity-focused “proof of human” technology. The drop stood out, with the token moving against broader crypto strength during the session. No more deepfakes on video calls. @worldnetwork identify verification on @Zoom. pic.twitter.com/0ap0IOKR6H — World (@worldnetwork) April 17, 2026 Worldcoin: What The Technology Actually Does At the center of World’s system is a device called the Orb. It scans a user’s iris to produce a unique digital identity, which is then used to confirm the person is human — without storing or exposing personal data, according to the company. That identity can then be tied to third-party platforms through World ID. Zoom is using a feature called Deep Face authentication to flag and block deepfakes during video calls. DocuSign is applying World’s ID verification to electronic agreements. Both integrations target the same underlying problem: AI-generated content has made it harder to tell humans from machines, and fraud using synthetic identities is on the rise. “As AI agents increasingly act on behalf of real people, the infrastructure to prove a human stands behind each agent becomes critical,” World said in a statement. World has also updated its account system, adding key recovery and multi-device support to make verification easier to carry across platforms. Privacy Questions Aren’t Going Away Biometric data collection at this scale draws scrutiny. Critics have raised concerns that centralizing iris data under a single private company creates risks — both in terms of data security and the potential for misuse. Surveillance, in particular, has been flagged as a serious concern if the system is ever applied beyond its stated purpose. WLD is the token that powers the World Network. Users earn it by verifying their identity through the Orb, and it can be used for transactions within the ecosystem. Related Reading: Bitcoin, Ethereum Trading Expands As Charles Schwab Enters Crypto Market Coinbase announced in March it would use World’s AgentKit — a developer toolkit that links AI agents to verified human identities — for its x402 micropayments protocol. That deal added another layer to Worldcoin’s push into the AI space, where proving human oversight of automated systems has become a growing priority for developers and companies alike. Featured image from Rest of World, chart from TradingView

XRP has followed the broader rebound in crypto markets as geopolitical conditions appear to be easing. With the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the possibility—however uncertain—of progress toward an end to the Iran–US conflict, risk appetite has improved.  In that environment, XRP has surged and briefly pushed toward the $1.51 level on Friday for the first time in almost a month, alongside a set of catalysts that could determine whether the rally gains real momentum—or quickly unwinds. The Timeline That Could Make Or Break XRP In his latest report, market expert Sam Daodu points out that while the near-term outlook for XRP looks promising, it hinges on three dates coming up in the next two weeks. The first factor is tied to the macro story itself: a possible extension of the Iran–US ceasefire. The closest deadline is April 22, when the Iran ceasefire is set to expire.  Daodu links the timing of this expiry directly to market risk, arguing that if tensions return and the conflict resumes, the broader crypto market would probably fall again—dragging XRP down with it. Related Reading: Could Bitcoin Hit $90,000 And Trigger A New Altcoin Rally? Expert Cites 6 Major Catalysts The second major date is tied to US regulation, and it is arguably the bigger one for XRP’s longer-term recovery: the CLARITY Act markup that the Senate Banking Committee is targeting for late April.  If the CLARITY Act is delayed beyond May, he suggests the bill would likely be shelved until 2027. In that scenario, the expert asserts XRP would lose its biggest remaining catalyst for 2026.  The third key date is the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on April 28–29. The Federal Reserve (Fed) is widely expected to hold interest rates at 3.50%–3.75%.  Daodu argues that, on its own, the meeting may not move XRP much. The bigger issue is what happens if geopolitical risk and regulatory momentum both disappoint at the same time.  If the Iran ceasefire collapses and the CLARITY Act stalls, a hawkish surprise from the Fed would likely worsen conditions. In other words, it is not just each event standing alone; it is the interaction between them that could shape the next phase of the market. Potential Outcomes For The Next Two Weeks Against that backdrop, Daodu offers three price scenarios for XRP, framing them around what happens with the ceasefire, the CLARITY Act, and the broader market over roughly the next two weeks.  In his bullish case, XRP could move into a range of $1.50 to $1.90. That would depend on the Senate Banking Committee scheduling the CLARITY Act markup before the end of April and on the Iran ceasefire being extended beyond April 22.  Daodu believes XRP could aim for the 200-day moving average near $1.90 by May. Still, he cautions that reaching that point would require sustained ETF inflows and continued strength in Bitcoin (BTC). Related Reading: Circle (CRCL) Sued Over $280M Drift Protocol Hack—What Plaintiffs Claim In a base-case outlook, Daodu forecasts XRP trading between $1.35 and $1.50. This scenario assumes the ceasefire extends past April 22, but the CLARITY Act markup is pushed to May.  In the bearish scenario, Daodu sees the altcoin potentially falling into a range of $1.15 to $1.30. This would be triggered if the war resumes after April 22 and oil prices spike above $100 again, which would likely pressure the entire crypto market.  In that case, Daodu says a move back below $1.30 becomes more likely. If Bitcoin also breaks down below $70,000 at the same time, XRP could retest the $1.15 support area.  At the time of writing, the altcoin is trading at around $1.49, still recording major gains of 10% and 13% over the seven- and fourteen-day periods, respectively.  Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

A fresh crypto controversy has flared up in Poland, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk accusing a crypto firm he says was formed with “Russian money” of backing political rivals and conservative events.  Tusk made the remarks in the Polish parliament on Friday, as lawmakers prepared to vote on whether to overturn a veto by Karol Nawrocki, the presidential candidate whose leadership has become central to the dispute over new crypto regulations. The issue traces back to Nawrocki’s rejection of two separate attempts by the liberal government to regulate the Polish crypto market over the last six months.  Zondacrypto’s Ties To Bratva And Russian Secret Services According to AP, Tusk spoke ahead of the parliamentary vote to override Nawrocki’s decision. In his speech, Tusk argued that the repeated blocking of regulations pointed to the interests of a particular company, Zondacrypto, which he said has provided financial support and maintains links to Russia. Tusk’s allegations went beyond general claims of foreign influence. He told lawmakers that the funding behind Zondacrypto’s success comes from Russian money tied to the “Bratva,” described by Tusk as one of Russia’s most important mafia groups, as well as from Russian secret services.  Related Reading: Circle (CRCL) Sued Over $280M Drift Protocol Hack—What Plaintiffs Claim He further said Zondacrypto not only supports events in Poland but also “promotes very specific political forces.” In his account, the company has helped finance politicians from the Law and Justice party, Poland’s former national-conservative governing group, along with figures from the far-right Confederation. The prime minister also claimed that the crypto firm served as a strategic sponsor of a major Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event held in Poland.  That meeting took place in Rzeszów in March 2025, AP reported, just five days before the presidential election that delivered a tight race between a candidate associated with Tusk’s political camp and Nawrocki. Government Defends Crypto Rules Tusk also asserted that Nawrocki was fully aware of Zondacrypto’s details when he chose to veto the proposed crypto regulations. He argued that the veto decisions were not made without context, pointing to the alleged relationship between Zondacrypto and key political actors. In response to the accusations, Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the president’s office, said Nawrocki was not opposing the need to regulate the crypto markets.  Instead, Bogucki said Nawrocki’s objections were aimed at what he described as a flawed “regulatory model” proposed by the government. Meanwhile, Sławomir Mentzen, leader of the Confederation party, said the incoming legislation would have “destroyed the Polish cryptocurrency market.” Related Reading: Could Bitcoin Hit $90,000 And Trigger A New Altcoin Rally? Expert Cites 6 Major Catalysts The Polish government maintains that the new crypto regulations are designed to bring Poland in line with European Union (EU) rules governing digital assets.  As for Zondacrypto, the company did not respond directly to AP’s questions about Tusk’s claims. However, the firm had told Polish media earlier this week that it is cooperating with Polish authorities investigating the allegations. For now, the parliamentary vote scheduled to follow Tusk’s remarks will determine whether the government can move forward despite Nawrocki’s vetoes—while the wider political dispute over alleged foreign-linked support for specific factions continues to grow around Poland’s crypto debate. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to announce that the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open for passage — a declaration that came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, confirmed the waterway would be unblocked for all commercial vessels during the remaining period of the US-Iran ceasefire. Related Reading: Bitcoin, Ethereum Trading Expands As Charles Schwab Enters Crypto Market Trump Weighs In As Bitcoin Climbs Bitcoin reacted fast. The leading cryptocurrency jumped sharply after Araghchi’s announcement and rose above $77,000 — its highest mark since February. At the time of reporting, it was trading around $77,300, up more than 1.8% on the day, according to CoinMarketCap data. Trump had expressed optimism the previous day that the war with Iran would soon end. His Truth Social post citing Iran’s announcement added weight to what was already a significant shift in the region’s security posture. “The Strait will be open for the period of the remaining US-Iran ceasefire, which expires on April 22,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. The ceasefire between the US and Iran has a hard deadline — April 22. The Strait reopening is tied to that window, and Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization has already announced a coordinated route that vessels will be required to follow. Lebanon Deal Unlocks The Wider Equation The decision to reopen the Strait did not happen in isolation. Iran had long maintained that Lebanon was part of the conditions it agreed to in its ceasefire with the US. When Israel and Lebanon struck a 10-day ceasefire deal, it cleared a key condition for Iran to act. The Lebanon agreement, in effect, opened the door for the Hormuz announcement. That chain of events — Lebanon deal, then Hormuz reopening, then Bitcoin rally — unfolded within a compressed period, catching markets mid-session. The crypto market responded across the board, with broader sentiment lifted by reduced tensions in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes. A significant share of global oil exports passes through it. Any closure or threat of closure tends to rattle energy markets and risk assets alike. Its reopening, even on a temporary basis, removes one source of uncertainty for traders. Related Reading: Bitcoin Pressure Builds As Miners Dump 32K BTC In Just 3 Months What Happens After April 22? The current arrangement has a short shelf life. The ceasefire between the US and Iran expires in five days. Whether it gets extended — and whether the Strait remains open past that point — depends on negotiations that are still ongoing. Reports indicate that Iran views the Lebanon ceasefire as validation of its broader position in the talks. A resolution to the wider conflict, if reached, would likely be seen as a positive signal for Bitcoin and the broader crypto market. For now, the price reaction suggests traders are pricing in a degree of cautious optimism. No formal extension to the US-Iran ceasefire has been announced. Featured image from SeaTradeMaritimeNews, chart from TradingView

About 20% of the Bitcoin mining industry is operating at a loss right now. That single fact explains much of what has been unfolding across the sector in early 2026, as publicly traded miners race to sell off holdings just to keep the lights on. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rally Faces First Test At $76K As Sellers Step In: Analysts Profits Squeezed To The Bone Hashprice — the daily revenue a miner earns per unit of computing power — has been sliding since July 2025. It now sits at roughly $33 per petahash per second per day, according to data from Hashrate Index. The breakeven point for many miners, particularly those running older machines, is around $35. That gap, small as it looks on paper, is pushing a large chunk of the industry into the red. Major publicly traded miners — among them MARA, CleanSpark, Riot, Cango, Core Scientific, and Bitdeer — collectively offloaded more than 32,000 BTC during the first three months of 2026, according to TheEnergyMag. That figure eclipses everything those same companies sold across all four quarters of 2025. It also surpasses the previous quarterly record of roughly 20,000 BTC, set during Q2 2022 when the collapse of the Terra-Luna ecosystem sent markets into a tailspin. Three compounding forces drove miners to that record: a rising network hashrate that has made competition fiercer, reduced block rewards following the most recent halving, and broader economic headwinds that have kept Bitcoin prices under pressure. Miner Reserves Have Been Draining For Years The selling in Q1 2026 did not come out of nowhere. Data from CryptoQuant shows that total Bitcoin held by miners across the board has been falling since 2023. At the close of that year, miners collectively held more than 1.86 million BTC. That number has since dropped to approximately 1.8 million. The trend is slow but steady — and the first quarter’s record sales may have accelerated it further. Asset manager CoinShares, in its Q1 2026 Bitcoin Mining Report, warned that more pain could be coming. Higher-cost operators should expect continued capitulation in the first half of this year, the firm said, unless Bitcoin’s price stages a meaningful recovery. Think ₿igger. pic.twitter.com/L1yH3n0k7t — Michael Saylor (@saylor) April 12, 2026 Related Reading: ‘Extremely Good News’ – XRP DeFi Momentum Builds As SEC Softens Position On Interfaces Treasury Buyers Step In As Miners Step Back While miners sell, corporate buyers are moving in the opposite direction. Strategy, the largest Bitcoin treasury company by holdings, has continued adding to its position. Co-founder Michael Saylor signaled earlier this week that another purchase was in the works, sharing the company’s BTC acquisition history chart — a move his followers have come to read as a near-certain signal of an imminent buy. Featured image from MetaAI, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin traders are already betting the wider US-Iran ceasefire will hold. Data from prediction market Polymarket puts the odds of a permanent peace deal by April 22 at 23%. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rally Faces First Test At $76K As Sellers Step In: Analysts Markets React To Diplomatic Breakthrough That confidence is showing up in Bitcoin’s price. The world’s largest cryptocurrency climbed to $74,650 on Thursday, bouncing back from an intraday low of around $73,050, according to TradingView data. The move came within hours of US President Donald Trump announcing a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon — a deal that had been quietly taking shape following direct talks between the two countries on US soil the day before. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, saying both sides had agreed to begin the truce immediately as part of broader efforts toward lasting peace. Short. Direct. And enough to move markets. Nuclear Talks Add To Optimism The Israel-Lebanon deal matters beyond its own terms. Iran had made clear it would walk away from its own ceasefire agreement with the US if Israeli strikes on Lebanon did not stop. With that condition now met, the path to a second round of US-Iran peace talks looks more open. Reports from Pakistani mediators indicate a major step forward on Iran’s nuclear program, which was the main sticking point when the two sides failed to reach a deal in the first round of negotiations last weekend. Bitcoin had already touched a multi-month peak of $76,000 earlier this week, driven by growing optimism that the US-Iran conflict could wind down. The war had weighed heavily on risk assets from its early days, with rising oil prices stoking inflation fears that kept investors cautious. As those concerns ease, money has started moving back into crypto. Ceasefire Extension In Focus Tensions remain, even if they have softened. Trump’s decision to blockade the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week rattled nerves, though markets have since stabilized. The window for a resolution is narrow. Both the US-Iran truce and the newly announced Israel-Lebanon ceasefire are short-term arrangements, not permanent agreements. Related Reading: ‘Extremely Good News’ – XRP DeFi Momentum Builds As SEC Softens Position On Interfaces Still, the mood among traders has shifted. Pakistani officials are said to be shuttling communications between Washington and Tehran ahead of a potential second round of talks. Based on reports, both governments continue to engage through back channels even as formal negotiations pause. Whether the ceasefires hold — and whether they grow into something more durable — will likely determine where Bitcoin heads next. Featured image from ddnews.gov.in, chart from TradingView

Japan’s biggest loyalty program may have just become one of crypto’s most unexpected entry points. Related Reading: Bitcoin Could Hit $85K Before April Ends, Analyst Says A Rewards System Worth $23 Billion Opens Up Rakuten is sitting on more than 3 trillion loyalty points — valued at roughly $23 billion — and users can now convert those points into XRP. That single detail changes the nature of this integration. It is not just another tech company adding a crypto option. It is an existing, widely used rewards system being turned into a direct path into digital currency, no exchange account required. Reports confirmed the points-to-XRP conversion feature is part of the rollout inside the Rakuten Pay app and Rakuten Wallet. The announcement pushed XRP to $1.38, with the token’s market cap climbing above $84 billion. Trading volume came in at $2.4 billion over the past 24 hours, though that figure was down 25% from the prior period. ????IT’S OFFICIAL: XRP is LIVE for 44 million users on one of the largest wallets in Japan, Rakuten Wallet. Enabling users purchasing anything by using #XRP! pic.twitter.com/pOd9CNXpTe — JackTheRippler ©️ (@RippleXrpie) April 15, 2026 44 Million Users, 5 Million Merchant Locations The scale of Rakuten’s network is what makes this stand out. Around 44 million users will be able to hold XRP in the Rakuten Wallet, buy it with loyalty points, and fund Rakuten Cash to spend in physical stores and online. That covers more than 5 million merchant locations across Japan. Users can also spot trade XRP directly inside the app. Rakuten had already added Bitcoin, Ether, and Bitcoin Cash in earlier phases. XRP now joins that group inside one of Japan’s largest consumer platforms — one that most of its users visit for shopping, not for investing. Ripple’s senior ecosystem growth manager Tatsuya Kohrogi called this one of the most significant milestones for XRP, pointing out that Rakuten Pay is a mainstream commerce app, not a product built for crypto users. That means XRP is being placed in front of tens of millions of people who may have never bought or held digital currency before. Related Reading: ‘Extremely Good News’ – XRP DeFi Momentum Builds As SEC Softens Position On Interfaces Whether Everyday Shoppers Follow Matters Most XRP has long been associated with institutional cross-border payments. A move into retail point-of-sale spending in Japan marks a clear shift in how the token is showing up in real-world use. Based on reports, analysts see the potential as real but conditional. The bigger question is not whether Rakuten has the infrastructure — it clearly does. The question is whether ordinary shoppers choose XRP when it is time to pay, or stick to yen and existing payment methods they already trust. If even a fraction of that $23 billion in loyalty points finds its way into XRP and circulates through everyday commerce, it could push other large consumer platforms to take a closer look at similar moves. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Circle (CRCL), the issuer behind the USDC stablecoin, is facing a fresh lawsuit in Massachusetts tied to the $280 million Drift Protocol hack that occurred on April 1.  The complaint, filed by plaintiffs represented by the law firm Gibbs Mura, alleges that Circle did not take action to freeze stolen funds even though it had both the technical ability and contractual authority to do so. Drift Hack Fallout According to the lawsuit, attackers drained an estimated $280–$285 million from the Solana-based exchange in less than 12 minutes. The stolen assets were then moved from Solana to Ethereum over the course of roughly eight hours using Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP).  Related Reading: Could Bitcoin Hit $90,000 And Trigger A New Altcoin Rally? Expert Cites 6 Major Catalysts The transfer allegedly took place during US business hours, a detail plaintiffs highlight to emphasize that the alleged movement and conversion of funds occurred while the matter was ongoing, without intervention from Circle to freeze the assets. The filing further claims that user funds were pulled from multiple parts of Drift’s platform, including trading, lending, and vault deposits. As the breach unfolded, Drift’s total value locked reportedly fell sharply from about $550 million to under $250 million.  In response to the incident, deposits and withdrawals were suspended indefinitely. The impact, plaintiffs say, extended beyond Drift itself: at least 20 other DeFi protocols reported indirect losses related to exposure to Drift. Circle Accused Of Not Freezing Assets  The plaintiffs also point to a separate earlier civil matter involving Circle. Nine days before the Drift-related lawsuit, Circle reportedly froze 16 unrelated business wallets.  That, according to the plaintiffs, demonstrates that Circle has the capability—and, in that instance, the willingness—to freeze funds when it deems it appropriate.  However, the lawsuit alleges that Circle failed to freeze the stolen USDC and other assets that were allegedly converted into USDC after the hack. Related Reading: Bitcoin Policy Institute Maps Out Strategy For US Stablecoin Supremacy Across 5 Policy Areas Circle is accused of using its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol in a way that plaintiffs say allowed attackers to offload up to $230 million onto the Ethereum blockchain.  In the lawsuit’s framing, this is central to why the plaintiffs believe Circle should have acted to prevent the transfers of stolen stablecoins and connected assets during the time the funds were being moved. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Bitcoin (BTC) has struggled to advance above major hurdles during the recent recovery, with price action failing to break through the $76,000 resistance level.  The market signals also show that several major cryptocurrencies—Ethereum (ETH), Binance Coin (BNB), Solana (SOL), and XRP—managed to track Bitcoin’s rebound. Even with that follow-through, they have likewise not fully cleared their own higher resistance levels.  Still, some analysts believe a cluster of supportive factors is starting to line up in a way that could lift both BTC and the broader crypto market to levels not seen since the beginning of the year. ‘Perfect Time’ For Bitcoin In a social media post on X (previously Twitter), market analyst Ash Crypto claimed that Bitcoin’s bullish setup could hardly be better at this point, and attributed that view to six catalysts he believes could push prices higher.  Among them, Ash pointed to the S&P 500 reaching a new all-time high, alongside expectations that the Russell 2000 and the Nasdaq could also set new highs soon.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Policy Institute Maps Out Strategy For US Stablecoin Supremacy Across 5 Policy Areas He also cited US economic data, highlighting that the ISM PMI has been above 52 for three straight months. In addition, Ash also referenced geopolitical headlines, arguing that peace talks involving the US, Iran, Israel, and Lebanon could reduce uncertainty and support risk appetite. On the crypto-specific side, Ash emphasized institutional and ecosystem demand. He noted that Michael Saylor’s Strategy (previously MicroStrategy) and spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are buying billions of BTC each week, framing it as an ongoing source of accumulation.  Finally, he suggested that the pace of development is accelerating in response to the “quantum threat,” which he sees as an additional long-term tailwind.  Why Altcoin Upside Is Possible Putting those pieces together, Ash concluded that conditions are “the perfect time” for Bitcoin to push toward the $85,000–$90,000 range, and that the move would likely be supportive for altcoins as well. Related Reading: What Presidio Bitcoin Found About Quantum Computing: Threat Timeline And Next Steps If the catalysts he highlighted continue to gain traction—starting from equity strength and macro stability, alongside institutional BTC demand—then both Bitcoin’s ascent and an altcoin resurgence could become increasingly plausible. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Daily profits from Bitcoin sales are climbing fast — and analysts say a key threshold could determine whether the current rally has legs or runs out of steam. Related Reading: ‘Extremely Good News’ – XRP DeFi Momentum Builds As SEC Softens Position On Interfaces Profit-Taking Still Below Danger Zone Realized daily profits are hovering around $500 million, according to blockchain data firm CryptoQuant. That number matters because $1 billion has historically marked the point where local price peaks tend to form. Reports from CryptoQuant indicate that if Bitcoin pushes closer to its realized price of $76,800, that $1 billion ceiling could be breached — and that is when selling pressure tends to build fast enough to stop a rally cold. Bitcoin touched $76,052 on Coinbase earlier this week, its highest level since early February. The move drew attention across crypto markets, where investors had been watching for signs of a recovery. Hopes for a sustained climb were partly tied to signals that the conflict involving Iran may be winding down, giving risk assets some breathing room. Exchange Inflows Hit A Multi-Month High What happened next raised a flag. As prices climbed, the amount of Bitcoin flowing into exchanges surged. Hourly inflows hit 11,000 BTC — the highest recorded since December. Large inflows like that typically mean one thing: holders are moving coins into position to sell. The average size of each deposit also jumped. At 2.25 BTC per transaction, it reached its highest point since July 2024. CryptoQuant pointed to a similar pattern in January, when average deposits climbed to around 2 BTC just before Bitcoin dropped from $100,000 to roughly $60,000 over the following weeks. That comparison is not lost on analysts watching the current move. Data shows the $76,800 level carries added weight because it represents the average price at which all existing Bitcoin last changed hands — what analysts call the realized price. When an asset trades near that level, many holders find themselves close to breaking even. The temptation to exit is strong. CryptoQuant says that dynamic capped Bitcoin’s upward move in January, and conditions now are similar enough that it could happen again. Related Reading: Bitcoin Could Hit $85K Before April Ends, Analyst Says Support Level Waits Below A lower band sits at $67,600, which CryptoQuant identifies as near-term support if the rally stalls and prices pull back. That gives the market a fairly wide range to work with before anything more serious would need to be reassessed. For now, the data suggests the rally is at its first real test. Selling activity is rising but has not yet crossed the levels that typically precede a sharper reversal. Whether buyers can absorb the supply hitting exchanges in the days ahead will likely decide which direction Bitcoin heads next. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Fundstrat’s chief investment officer, Tom Lee, says the next big move in markets won’t be led by stocks — it’ll be driven by crypto. Speaking Wednesday on CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” Lee argued that Bitcoin and Ether are positioned to lead the next leg of the rally, alongside the Magnificent 7 tech stocks and the broader software sector. Related Reading: Bitcoin Could Hit $85K Before April Ends, Analyst Says Crypto And Tech Move In Step He also said some investors are still sitting on the sidelines, waiting for more clarity on the Middle East conflict before putting money to work — and that their eventual return could push prices higher. His comments came on a day when markets moved decisively. The Nasdaq Composite closed at a new all-time high of 24,016, up 1.60% for the session. The S&P 500 tagged its own record at 7,022, gaining 0.78%. Tech stocks as a group were up more than 2% on the day, according to data from Yahoo Finance. Even as S&P 500 $SPY reached all-time hit today, investors remain skeptical and sidelined: – many said long war = long bear – but stocks bottom on bad news not “good” We expect leaders to be: – crypto $ETH $BTC $BMNR – MAG7/software $MAGS $IGV Great speaking with… https://t.co/5hTtN3Wcl9 — Thomas (Tom) Lee (not drummer) FundstratDirect.com (@fundstrat) April 15, 2026 Bitcoin kept pace. The world’s largest cryptocurrency briefly hit $76,000 on Wednesday, up roughly 1.20% over the prior 24 hours. That move was part of a broader run — BTC has climbed nearly 10% over the past two weeks. A War Winding Down Much of Wednesday’s optimism was tied to signals out of Washington. US President Donald Trump said that the US-Iran conflict may be close to ending. “If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.” Trump stopped short of declaring victory. A deal, he made clear, has not been struck. But the tone was enough to lift investor confidence across both equity and crypto markets, with traders interpreting the comments as a sign that the geopolitical pressure weighing on risk assets could soon ease. Related Reading: ‘Extremely Good News’ – XRP DeFi Momentum Builds As SEC Softens Position On Interfaces Bulls See Room To Run Lee, known for his bullish market calls, pushed back against any suggestion that the recent rally has run out of steam. He posted on X that stocks tend to bottom on bad news — not good — making the case that the upward move has further to go. His view is that the market and US economy have held up well despite the ongoing conflict, and that the conditions for continued gains remain in place. Whether crypto leads equities or simply rides alongside them remains to be seen. But on Wednesday, at least, both were pointing in the same direction — up. Featured image from MetaAI, chart from TradingView

The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) has released a new policy proposal for the United States aimed at establishing what it calls “stablecoin supremacy.” The proposal, published on Wednesday, is structured around five policy areas and comes on the heels of the already-enacted GENIUS Act. Bitcoin Policy Institute Warning At the center of BPI’s argument is the claim that regulated stablecoins can help extend US oversight over offshore dollar markets. In the institute’s view, doing so would not only reduce systemic risks but also blunt what it frames as China’s push into digital currency.  The BPI describes how offshore banks can create dollar-denominated credit on their own, capture the profits from intermediation, and rely on the Federal Reserve (Fed) as a kind of implicit backstop when the system strains.  BPI characterizes this setup as a serious vulnerability for the US economy. Because of that, the institute argues that regulated stablecoins offer the United States a tool for restructuring the underlying dynamic. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Breaks Higher: What The Market Data Says Could Happen Next Under the GENIUS Act, signed into law in July 2025, BPI says stablecoin issuers must maintain 100% reserves in instruments such as Treasury bills, Treasury repo, or insured deposits. The law also prohibits issuers from lending against those reserves.  BPI says the result is that when a foreign individual or corporation holds a GENIUS-compliant stablecoin instead of placing funds in a Eurodollar deposit, the relevant Treasury security sits on the balance sheet of a US-regulated entity rather than feeding the offshore system’s ability to multiply credit.  In BPI’s framing, the dollar value can move around the world, but the reserve stays “home,” reducing what it calls the external vulnerability dimension of the Triffin Dilemma.  Stablecoin Supremacy Blueprint BPI further links the stablecoin case to broader competitive pressures in digital assets. It notes that China’s digital yuan now pays interest to holders and that China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System processes transactions across 190 countries.  The institute also points to Europe’s MiCA regime, arguing it provides a framework for euro-denominated stablecoins that is, in some respects, more advanced than current US implementation.  Taken together, BPI says these developments weaken American influence over the “rails” where money actually moves—an area BPI calls both the most contested and most fragile part of dollar dominance. To respond, the institute proposes a framework to advance stablecoin supremacy across five policy areas. First, it calls for hardening GENIUS Act implementation by building a backstop architecture.  BPI describes this as creating committed repo lines with primary dealers and establishing a path to Federal Reserve Standing Repo Facility access, with the goal of making compliant stablecoins more attractive than offshore alternatives. Second, BPI proposes that the United States export stablecoins rather than Eurodollar deposits in international trade settlement. The aim, according to the institute, would be to pull Treasury demand back onshore and eliminate what it describes as the offshore credit multiplier on marginal dollar flows. Related Reading: What Presidio Bitcoin Found About Quantum Computing: Threat Timeline And Next Steps Third, BPI argues for a fee and rewards approach that allows regulated stablecoins to compete with interest-bearing Eurodollar deposits and even China’s digital yuan—while still staying within the GENIUS Act’s statutory interest prohibition. Fourth, the proposal addresses decentralized finance (DeFi) risks. BPI warns about DeFi credit multiplication and calls for smart-contract-level restrictions and enforcement “chokepoints” to ensure unregulated protocols cannot replicate the Eurodollar multiplier on blockchain networks. Finally, BPI says the US should preserve foreign currency sovereignty by supporting local monetary systems alongside stablecoin adoption. The institute frames this as a way to ensure stablecoin integration acts as shared economic development rather than financial coercion. In the institute’s view, these goals can be achieved without issuing additional sovereign debt to foreign governments or expanding the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

World Liberty Financial has put 4.52 billion WLFI tokens on the table for an immediate burn if a new unlock plan passes, a move tied to the founder, team, adviser and partner pool. Related Reading: ‘Extremely Good News’ – XRP DeFi Momentum Builds As SEC Softens Position On Interfaces The same proposal would also shift 62.28 billion locked WLFI tokens into longer vesting schedules, giving early supporters a two-year cliff followed by a two-year linear release, while the founder group would face a two-year cliff and a three-year linear vest if they opt in. A Wider Supply Reset The governance page says the burn would happen as soon as the vote clears, and holders who do not accept the new terms would stay locked. Early supporters would keep their full allocation under the revised schedule, but their tokens would not start unlocking until year 2 after passage. Every advisor, institution, partner, founder, and team member locked token — all 45,238,585,647 WLFI — is assigned to a 2-year cliff with a 3-year linear vest upon opting in, and subject to a 10% burn upon doing so. Up to 4,523,858,565 WLFI permanently destroyed. This is the… — WLFI (@worldlibertyfi) April 15, 2026 WLFI frames the proposal as a way to replace open-ended uncertainty with a fixed timeline for release. The plan also draws a line between user groups. Early supporters would get a four-year distribution path with no burn attached. Founders, team members, advisers and partners would face a stricter setup, with the burn applied only to their allocation and the rest released over a longer period. The proposal says that structure is meant to create a clearer picture of future supply and governance. According to reports, the change comes after pressure from buyers who have waited on liquidity for months. It was said that some holders had threatened legal action, while Tron founder Justin Sun criticized the project’s transparency and questioned whether earlier votes were concentrated in a small number of wallets. WLFI then reportedly threatened to sue Sun. I have always been an ardent supporter of President Trump and his crypto friendly policy. As an early supporter who invested heavily in World Liberty Financial, I did so because I believed in the vision that was presented to the public: a decentralized finance platform that… — H.E. Justin Sun ????‍???? ???? (@justinsuntron) April 12, 2026 Governance Under Strain The proposal lands at a tense moment for the project. Wallets linked to WLFI reportedly used billions of tokens as collateral to borrow about $75 million in stablecoins, and the token later hit a new low. The governance page also shows that WLFI has already passed six proposals, with participation ranging from 2.7 billion to 11.1 billion WLFI, and says active voting has reached only about 23% of the locked supply affected by this plan. Related Reading: Dollar’s Shrinking Value Adds Fuel To XRP Bull Case: Finance Expert That detail matters because the new vote is not just about supply. It is also about control, timing and who gets to decide when the token starts moving. The proposal says the current setup leaves too much uncertainty around locked tokens, and argues that the network has grown enough to support a clearer schedule. Featured image from Meta, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin (BTC) is pressing up against a major decision point after failing to break above the $76,000 resistance level. Following consecutive rejections in that area, the cryptocurrency has shifted into consolidation once again.  Bitcoin Set For A ‘Final Push’ One of the latest bullish takes came on Wednesday from market analyst Ted Pillows, who recently suggested that Bitcoin has broken out of a broader 7-month downtrend.  In his view, this shift is supported by a technical signal on the weekly chart: a weekly MACD bullish cross. Pillows argues that, together, these developments could trigger what he describes as a final push higher, with BTC potentially targeting the $77,000–$78,000 zone. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Breaks Higher: What The Market Data Says Could Happen Next Yet Pillows also included a warning that tempers the upside outlook. He said that after Bitcoin reaches that area, the cryptocurrency could fall to new yearly lows in the second quarter, without offering a specific price level for how low BTC might drop.  In explaining why a bottom might form later, Pillows pointed to the macroeconomic backdrop. He believes the new Federal Reserve (Fed) chair will accelerate rate cuts and drive liquidity injections in the third quarter as mid-term elections approach.  According to his scenario, that policy shift would help establish a market bottom for Bitcoin and could set the stage for a “V-shape” recovery, similar to what the market experienced during March 2020 and again in April 2025. Extreme Capitulation Scenario A separate technical post from analyst Ali Martinez focused more directly on timing and “capitulation” levels that could define the floor. Martinez highlighted the Long-Term Holder (LTH) Realized Price of approximately $49,387 as what he called the final line of defense for the cycle.  Related Reading: What Presidio Bitcoin Found About Quantum Computing: Threat Timeline And Next Steps In his framework, if Bitcoin reaches that level and holds, it may prevent the market from sliding into a more severe outcome. However, Martinez also described an extreme scenario—what he referred to as a “black swan” event—where a further wick down could occur to the -0.2 Standard Deviation Band at $36,657. Martinez suggested that these two levels can be viewed as “Generational Entries,” meaning they could represent points where longer-term participants step in and where conditions begin to shift from capitulation toward recovery.  Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Ethereum has already shown the way. While Bitcoin climbed roughly 5% in a single day, Ether moved more than 8% — outpacing it by a factor of nearly 1.4. That gap, according to one analyst, is a preview of what the broader crypto market could do if Bitcoin keeps climbing through the rest of April. Related Reading: ‘Extremely Good News’ – XRP DeFi Momentum Builds As SEC Softens Position On Interfaces A Specific Price Level Is Drawing Attention Michael Van de Poppe, founder of MN Fund and a widely followed market analyst, says Bitcoin has a clear path to the $80,000–$85,000 range before the month closes out. He made the call on X this week, pointing to a recovering global market as the main force behind the expected move. Bitcoin was trading around $74,500 at the time of his post, up more than 5% in 24 hours, with trading volume jumping over 90% over the same period. #Bitcoin aims to attack the highs and is consolidating around $75K. If it blasts through $75K with volume, we’ll be in for $80-85K this month, as that’s where the higher timeframe resistances are. Yesterday I’ve made an analysis with several scenarios that I’m looking for.… pic.twitter.com/zq47n6NhXk — Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) April 14, 2026 The $85,000 target would mark a return to price levels Bitcoin last visited in late January, when it slipped from around $89,000 down to $84,600. Getting back there would represent a gain of nearly 14% from where it stood when Van de Poppe made his call. One level matters more than the rest right now: $75,000. According to Van de Poppe, breaking through that resistance with strong volume behind it sets the stage for the run to $80,000–$85,000 — where heavier selling pressure from longer-term chart history tends to sit. Bitcoin had already pushed past $75,000 by the time the analysis circulated. Downside Support Gives The Bull Case A Floor Van de Poppe also outlined what could keep the bullish scenario alive even if prices pull back. Based on his analysis, as long as Bitcoin holds above $72,000, there is better than a 70% chance it trades above $80,000 before April ends. That support zone acts as a line in the sand. A drop below it would likely change the picture. Related Reading: Dollar’s Shrinking Value Adds Fuel To XRP Bull Case: Finance Expert The backdrop helping Bitcoin here is broader than crypto. Global markets have been stabilizing after weeks of pressure tied to geopolitical tensions, and Bitcoin has moved in step with that recovery. Altcoins Could Amplify The Move Van de Poppe’s bigger claim may be the one about altcoins. He sees them moving at two to three times Bitcoin’s rate — meaning if Bitcoin gains 10%, altcoins could rise 20% to 30% or more. Reports indicate that this pattern tends to follow a predictable path. Capital flows into Bitcoin first, then into large-cap coins, and eventually rotates into smaller altcoins. Featured image from Meta, chart from TradingView

More than 87% of Argentinians surveyed in a January Coinbase poll said they view crypto and blockchain technology as a way to strengthen their financial independence — a sign that the role of Bitcoin in the global economy may already be shifting well beyond what markets have priced in. Related Reading: ‘Extremely Good News’ – XRP DeFi Momentum Builds As SEC Softens Position On Interfaces Bitcoin’s Dual Role Draws New Attention Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise, made that case publicly this week. He said Bitcoin could one day command a total addressable market larger than gold’s $34 trillion valuation — but only if it manages to function both as a store of value and as an actual working currency. That’s a bigger claim than what Bitcoin bulls have traditionally made. For years, the comparison to gold was the headline argument. Now, a war is adding a new layer to that conversation. https://t.co/jxIcOn1e23 — Matt Hougan (@Matt_Hougan) April 14, 2026 Iran has proposed allowing ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay a toll in crypto. The plan, reported in recent days amid escalating conflict with the United States, is being watched closely by Bitcoin investors. To Hougan, it points to something larger. In a world where countries have turned financial systems into weapons, he wrote on social media, Bitcoin is emerging as an option that no single government controls. A $1 Million Price Target — And Possibly Higher Hougan previously put a number on his store-of-value thesis: if Bitcoin captures 17% of that market over the next decade, each coin could be worth $1 million. Based on his latest comments, that figure may need to be revised upward if Bitcoin begins functioning like a currency alongside its role as a savings vehicle. At the time of writing, Bitcoin trades around $74,150, with a total market cap of roughly $1.4 trillion. Gold, by comparison, sits at $4,854 per ounce, with an estimated market cap exceeding $33 trillion. Corporate treasuries have also been buying in. Data shows private and public companies collectively hold more than 1.5 million Bitcoin, valued at over $116 billion. Merchant Adoption Remains A Work In Progress Still, the currency side of the equation has ground to cover. A study by academic publisher Springer Nature found roughly 11,000 merchants worldwide currently accept Bitcoin as payment — a relatively modest number for an asset of its size. Related Reading: Dollar’s Shrinking Value Adds Fuel To XRP Bull Case: Finance Expert Adoption has been strongest in countries where local currencies have collapsed. Citizens in Turkey and Venezuela, like those in Argentina, have turned to Bitcoin to protect savings against persistent inflation. Whether Iran’s crypto toll proposal signals a turning point for Bitcoin as an international currency — or simply reflects one sanctioned nation finding a workaround — remains to be seen. What’s clear is that Bitwise believes the story is bigger than gold alone. Featured image from Meta, chart from TradingView

The Securities and Exchange Commission said on April 13 that certain crypto user interfaces tied to XRP other digital assets can avoid broker-dealer registration when they stay out of custody, order routing, and trade execution. Related Reading: Dollar’s Shrinking Value Adds Fuel To XRP Bull Case: Finance Expert The staff statement is temporary and will be withdrawn in five years unless the Commission acts first, but it gives developers a clearer lane for now. XRPL Gets A Lift From The New Guidance That shift matters for the XRP Ledger because the network already includes a built-in decentralized exchange, along with order books, automated market makers, and cross-currency routing. XRPL documentation says those features are native to the ledger, which means developers can build on top of existing market infrastructure instead of creating a separate exchange from scratch. Extremely good news for DeFi on XRP! Why? We have XRP protocol level Decentralized Exchange, with orderbooks and automated market makers and native cross currency transaction routing. Means, providing just access to the XRP DEX doesn’t require registration. Because you don’t… https://t.co/Z8U5tsX02O — Vet (@Vet_X0) April 13, 2026 Some analysts say the setup aligns closely with the SEC’s new language. XRPL validator Vet argued that simply giving users access to the XRP DEX should not trigger registration, since the interface is not holding funds or carrying out trades itself. On X, Vet called the development “extremely good news for DeFi on XRP,” citing the XRP Ledger’s built-in design. That reading matches the general direction of the SEC statement, but it is still an interpretation, not a formal exemption. Reports point to the ledger’s design as a reason XRP DeFi could move faster than many other ecosystems. Because the network already handles routing and settlement at the protocol level, front-end builders may have less work to do than on chains where liquidity is split across many separate venues. What The SEC Drew The Line Around The SEC staff statement is narrow. It covers interfaces that let users prepare crypto asset securities transactions through a self-custodial wallet, while staying away from solicitation, custody, trade execution, and order routing. It also says such providers should rely on objective, pre-disclosed parameters, offer users control over defaults, and disclose material facts about fees, conflicts, and the limits of the interface. Related Reading: TRUMP Buying Frenzy Builds Ahead Of Mar-A-Lago Power Event The statement goes further by saying a covered interface should not comment on routes, claim a route is best, or exercise discretion over the market data and transaction details it shows. It also says the provider’s compensation must be fixed and product-agnostic, with no payments tied to the size or outcome of individual trades. Those conditions matter because they set the boundary between a software tool and a broker-like service. For XRP developers, the point is not that the SEC has blessed the XRPL outright. The point is that the agency’s staff is now describing a category of front ends that may be able to operate without broker-dealer registration if they stay inside strict limits. Featured image from Vecteezy, chart from TradingView

The Bitcoin price is bouncing back strongly amid growing hopes for a potential shift in the standoff between the US and Iran. So far, BTC has gained roughly 10% in the weekly time frame. This pushed the asset back toward the $76,000 area and briefly marked a nearly one-month high.  The move appears to have been driven by improving sentiment around the conflict, even as tensions remain very real and the US simultaneously took action in the region. Regulatory Clarity Before A Bigger Push? The Bitcoin price rally followed claims by President Donald Trump that Iran had reached out to his administration about possible peace talks. At the same time, the US began a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.  Related Reading: XRP Could Face Big Moves Based On CLARITY Act Outcomes – 3 Key Price Scenarios Damien Loh, chief investment officer at Ericsenz Capital, told Bloomberg that Bitcoin is behaving like other risk assets during the move. In his view, the market interpreted Trump’s comments as a sign that the timeline for a deal may be getting extended and that another round of discussions is being pursued.  Loh also added an important nuance: the Bitcoin price has been trading better than broader risk assets, but he suggested it may take additional regulatory clarity before the next leg up can truly take hold.  Specifically, he pointed to the possibility that the Bitcoin price could remain range-bound until the US passes the long-awaited CLARITY Act, the industry’s market structure framework.  Bitcoin Price Breakout Is Just Getting Started Market analyst Ali Martinez, citing data from his latest analysis, argued that the current push higher is not finished. Martinez said BTC has finally broken above a descending trendline on its 12-hour chart after roughly two months of consolidation inside a symmetrical triangle.  He described this as a structural change—essentially signaling that the “coiling” phase is over. If the breakout holds, Martinez expects the Bitcoin price could move toward $80,000, which would mark the highest point since January 31 of this year. Martinez also pointed out that the bullish momentum is happening for more reasons than just the Iran–US news. He said Bitcoin miners have paused forced selling and have been hoarding more than $330 million in BTC over the past few weeks.  Related Reading: Three-Way Bitcoin Outlook Tied To US–Iran War—Which Case Is Most Realistic? On the demand side, the analyst said there’s a noticeable increase in interest from US-based institutions. He referenced the Coinbase Premium metric as one piece of evidence, noting that it has flipped positive.  In his framing, a positive Coinbase Premium suggests that regulated capital may be positioning aggressively ahead of what could be the next upward move. Even after the Bitcoin price initially surged toward $76,000, it later retraced slightly. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price was trading around $75,163, still close to a key level Martinez has highlighted.  He set a target of $75,300, explaining that reaching this price point would liquidate roughly $80 million in short positions. Martinez said this could trigger what he described as a “cascading effect,” where forced buying from liquidations catches bearish traders off guard and allows BTC to continue moving higher. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

ETHGas is a marketplace for Ethereum blockspace futures that allows blockspace to be bought and sold in advance for guaranteed execution.

The US Justice Department (DOJ) has announced a compensation process for victims of the OneCoin fraud. The funds are expected to come from property forfeited in the case, money traced back to the people behind the scheme, including co-founders Ruja Ignatova and Karl Sebastian Greenwood.  The DOJ said in a Monday statement that more than $40 million in forfeited assets are currently available for victim compensation. OneCoin Proceeds To Compensate Victims  OneCoin was an international cryptocurrency investment scheme that ran from 2014 to 2019 and relied on deception to draw in investors around the world. Prosecutors say Ignatova and Greenwood, along with others, orchestrated the scheme.  Ignatova, dubbed “the CryptoQueen,” disappeared on October 25, 2017. Since then, she has been presumed to be on the run from various international law enforcement agencies. Greenwood, on the other hand, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2023 for his participation in the scheme.  Related Reading: XRP Could Face Big Moves Based On CLARITY Act Outcomes – 3 Key Price Scenarios The DOJ describes OneCoin as a fraudulent cryptocurrency that was marketed and sold through a “global multi-level marketing network.” Although OneCoin began operations in Bulgaria, the scheme reached beyond Europe and targeted victims globally through promises that officials say were false. The DOJ stated that the scheme resulted in losses that totaled more than $4 billion worldwide. In the agency’s description, investors were misled about the nature and legitimacy of OneCoin, and many put money into what the DOJ characterizes as “a lie disguised as cryptocurrency.” At the same time, prosecutors sought criminal forfeiture of property linked to proceeds from the fraud scheme. The DOJ explained that once a final order of forfeiture is issued, net proceeds from those forfeited assets would be used to compensate victims through the remission process. DOJ Details Remission Rules And Deadline While the announcement focuses on the compensation pathway, DOJ officials also framed the forfeiture effort as a way to both remove illegal gains and redirect them toward harm prevention.  Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in the statement that victims are central to the department’s work. He said the DOJ pursues forfeiture to “take the profit out of crime” and then use that money to compensate victims where possible. ‘ Related Reading: Three-Way Bitcoin Outlook Tied To US–Iran War—Which Case Is Most Realistic? Under the DOJ’s description, the remission process is intended for victims who purchased OneCoin cryptocurrency between 2014 and 2019.  The DOJ’s announcement explained that eligible victims may be able to seek compensation through this process, which relies on a petition submission to be considered. The agency clarified that submissions must be mailed, emailed, or submitted online along with supporting documentation by the deadline of Tuesday, June 30, 2026.  Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com

Morgan Stanley’s freshly launched Bitcoin exchange-traded fund pulled in nearly $62 million within its first week of trading — a debut that landed in the middle of the strongest week for crypto investment products in three months. Related Reading: TRUMP Buying Frenzy Builds Ahead Of Mar-A-Lago Power Event Macro Shifts Fuel The Comeback That broader rebound was driven by more than one firm’s market entry. Crypto funds globally attracted $1.1 billion in net inflows for the week ending April 11, according to asset manager CoinShares. The turnaround came after five straight weeks of outflows that drained roughly $4 billion from the market and left investor sentiment battered heading into April. CoinShares head of research James Butterfill pointed to two specific triggers: early ceasefire signals out of Iran and a softer-than-expected US inflation reading. Both helped ease nerves that had kept institutional money on the sidelines. US investors led the charge. Based on CoinShares data, American buyers accounted for $1.06 billion — about 95% of total global flows for the week. US spot Bitcoin ETFs absorbed the largest share, pulling in $833 million, per data from Farside Investors. Bitcoin And Ethereum Both Draw Fresh Money Bitcoin funds worldwide attracted $871 million. Ethereum, which had recorded outflows for three consecutive weeks before this, saw $196.5 million flow back in. Weekly trading volumes climbed 13% to $21 billion, though that number still sits well below the year-to-date average of $31 billion, reports indicate. The positioning among big investors told an interesting story. At the same time institutions were buying into Bitcoin and Ethereum, short-Bitcoin products — funds that profit when Bitcoin’s price falls — recorded $20 million in inflows. That was the highest single-week total for those products since November 2024. Money was moving in, but some of it was being used as a safety net. XRP funds, which had briefly outpaced Bitcoin the previous week with nearly $120 million in inflows, cooled significantly. Reports show XRP investment products brought in a little over $19 million during the same period. Morgan Stanley Moves Deeper Into Crypto Beyond the weekly numbers, Morgan Stanley’s expanding footprint in the space drew attention. The bank has already filed for Ethereum and Solana ETFs following its Bitcoin fund launch. Related Reading: Dollar’s Shrinking Value Adds Fuel To XRP Bull Case: Finance Expert According to reports, Morgan Stanley executive Amy Oldenburg said the firm also plans to roll out crypto services including a tokenized money market fund and tax-harvesting options for clients. Year-to-date, Bitcoin ETF inflows have reached just under $2 billion — about 82% of all crypto ETP inflows recorded in 2026. Ethereum remains in the red for the year, sitting at $130 million in cumulative outflows despite last week’s recovery. Total assets under management across crypto investment products climbed back to levels not seen since early February. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

The round was led by Blockchain Capital, with participation from Robot Ventures, Arthur Hayes' family office Maelstrom, and Uniswap.

The company has named Ian Rogers, its chief experience officer, as its first chief human agency officer to lead its AI efforts.

The analysts see "asymmetric upside" for Robinhood from prediction market growth, setting a $130 price target.

The group extorting Kraken is claiming access to some client account information after two insider incidents involving customer support staff. Kraken’s Extortion Plot: An Insider-Play Yesterday, on a post on the social network X, Nick Percoco, Kraken’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), made public  that a criminal group is extorting the crypto exchange with threats  to release videos of their systems exposing client data. Kraken Security Update We are currently being extorted by a criminal group threatening to release videos of our internal systems with client data shown if we do not comply with their demands. It’s important to start with the most important points: our systems were never… — Nick Percoco (@c7five) April 13, 2026 Now, according to Bloomberg, the incident is not a classic external hack, but rather an insider‑access problem. A small set of customer details, such as names and physical addresses, may have been exposed after support employees captured photos and videos of internal screens in two separate incidents, one in 2025 and another earlier this year. Related Reading: Hope For Iran Deal Sparks Risk-On Rally, Bitcoin Nears $75K The company has reportedly warned the potentially affected clients to be especially cautious about anyone contacting them. Bloomberg’s source is a “person familiar with the matter who declined to be named because the details haven’t been made public”. Around 2,000 accounts and roughly 0.02% of users were affected. The exposure is limited to basic support data such as names and addresses. Kraken stresses there was no system hack and client funds and trading infrastructure remain secure. Kraken has openly dismissed the extortion attempt, stating that it “will not pay these criminals” and “will not ever negotiate with bad actors”. Percoco’s post clarifies that Kraken is working with federal law‑enforcement agencies across multiple jurisdictions. and that the CEX has gathered enough evidence to help identify those responsible. A Long List Of CEX’s Customer Services Vulnerabilities Although it may sound rather specific, this is not the first time a big CEX is hit with an insider-access problem that vulnerates customers data through the costumer service of the exchange. It’s not even Kraken’s first rodeo with this sort of issue. Back in January, Dark Web Informer reported that a read-only version of Kraken’s internal customer support system was being sold for a negotiable single dollar on a dark web forum. ???????? Kraken cryptocurrency exchange panel access being sold on a dark web forum – read-only account with user profiles and transaction history. Access details: ▪️ View only – user profiles and transaction history ▪️ Generate support tickets to phish or extract more data ▪️ No… pic.twitter.com/7LsxRNMkYa — Dark Web Informer (@DarkWebInformer) January 1, 2026 Also in mid-2025, Kraken and Binance were hit by the same social‑engineering push that previously led to a successful customer data breach at Coinbase, where attackers zeroed in on support staff. The attackers allegedly approached customer service agents at the exchanges and offered bribes in return for access to user information. Our sister website Bitcoinist covered the story. This past February, a crypto trader claimed an ex‑Revolut staffer tried to blackmail him, threatening to expose his personal data unless he paid. Revolut claimed the allegation was referred to law‑enforcement authorities. Related Reading: XRP Could Face Big Moves Based On CLARITY Act Outcomes – 3 Key Price Scenarios Market Implications This incident reinforces a key market theme: in the post‑ETF, higher‑regulation cycle, “counterparty risk” on centralized exchanges is shifting from pure asset custody to data security and insider controls. While no immediate outflows or price shocks are visible, repeated data‑exposure headlines can push more flows toward exchanges with stronger transparency reports, on‑chain venues, or self‑custody solutions. At the moment of writing, BTC trades for the high $71ks on the daily chart. Source: BTCUSD on Tradingview. Cover image from Perplexity. BTCUSD chart from Tradingview.

A wave of forced liquidations swept through crypto markets on Tuesday as traders who had bet against Bitcoin and Ether were caught off guard by a sharp price surge tied to hopes of a US-Iran agreement. Related Reading: Dollar’s Shrinking Value Adds Fuel To XRP Bull Case: Finance Expert Around 80% of the $530 million in total liquidations over 24 hours — roughly $425 million — came from leveraged short positions in the two largest cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin touched just under $75,000 on CoinMarketCap, a level not seen in nearly a month, before running into heavy resistance and retreating to about $74,655. Ether made an even bigger move, climbing 7% to reach $2,378 — its highest point since early February. Geopolitical Hopes Fuel The Move The rally came as markets began pricing in the possibility of a negotiated end to weeks of tension between Washington and Tehran. Jeff Mei, chief operating officer at crypto exchange BTSE, said traders believe the two sides are drawing closer to an agreement. Iran’s oil exports are central to its economy, and a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane could put severe pressure on the country to come to the table. “Now, it appears that Iran is frantically looking to broker a deal, and stock and crypto markets are rallying as a response,” Mei said. US President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that a military blockade had begun. He threatened to eliminate any Iranian vessels that come near. Trump also told reporters Iran wants to reach a deal, but his administration will not sign anything that allows Tehran to pursue nuclear weapons. The broader crypto market climbed to a total value of $2.6 trillion — its highest in a month — as the news spread. About 177,000 traders were liquidated across markets over a 24-hour period, according to data from CoinGlass. Not Everyone Is Convinced The rapid price jump did not go unquestioned. Valerius Labs, a market analyst, pushed back on the idea that the move signals a genuine recovery. “This isn’t a breakout,” the firm said. “It’s a short squeeze running into overhead supply. Real buyers show up above the 200-day simple moving average, not 15% below it.” Related Reading: TRUMP Buying Frenzy Builds Ahead Of Mar-A-Lago Power Event Some analysts reported that over $300 billion in crypto short positions were wiped out in just a few hours, adding more than $100 billion to the total market cap in the process. Beyond the short squeeze, other forces may also be at work. Reports indicate that institutional buying through spot crypto exchange-traded funds, along with purchases by centralized exchanges, could be adding fuel to Bitcoin’s climb. Still, the rejection at $75,000 resistance kept the bulls from claiming a clean win. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from TradingView