Drift Protocol said it has secured up to $127.5 million from Tether to support user recovery after the April 1 exploit.
On-chain data shows the Ethereum versions of USDT and USDC, the two largest stablecoins, have seen their active addresses fall to the lowest level of 2026. USDC & USDT Active Addresses Have Fallen On The Ethereum Network In a new post on X, on-chain analytics firm Santiment has talked about the latest trend in the Daily Active Addresses for the Ethereum versions of USDT and USDC. This indicator measures the daily total number of addresses participating in some kind of transaction activity on the network. Related Reading: Bitcoin Whales Ramp Up Accumulation: Holdings Hit 2-Month High When the value of this metric goes up, it means more addresses are coming online on the blockchain every day. Such a trend implies user interest in the cryptocurrency is rising. On the other hand, the indicator observing a decline suggests holders of the asset are reducing their transaction activity as fewer of them are making moves on the network. Now, here is the chart shared by Santiment that shows the trend in this metric for USDT and USDC on the Ethereum blockchain over the last few months: As displayed in the above graph, both the top two stablecoins have seen a drawdown in the Daily Active Addresses, suggesting activity related to them has declined. More specifically, the metric has dropped to 202,300 for USDT and 109,300 for USDC. Both these values are the lowest that they have been since December. Stablecoins occupy a different spot in the sector than volatile assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum; investors use them when they want to stash their capital away from the volatility associated with the other cryptocurrencies. Because of this reason, stablecoins are often considered to represent the “dry powder” sitting on the sidelines in the digital asset sector. Whenever these tokens are on the move, it means investors are either stashing away capital or injecting it into the volatile side. Given that the Daily Active Addresses has plunged for the Ethereum blockchain version of USDT and USDC recently, it would appear that there isn’t much demand for stablecoin-related swaps right now. Interestingly, this trend has come alongside a recovery surge in Ethereum and other assets. As such, it’s possible that the volatility could soon ignite fresh activity in the space. As Santiment explained: With Bitcoin making good momentum today and pushing toward $75K, expect for traders’ buying power to pick up a bit as they look to take more chances. More volatility means more ‘dry powder’ being moved. Related Reading: Huge XRP Bull Market Ahead? Analyst Flags ‘Ultimate’ Buy Zone In related news, USDT has seen its market cap reverse course recently, as CryptoQuant community analyst Maartunn has highlighted in an X post. The trend in the 60-day market cap change for USDT | Source: @JA_Maartun on X From the chart, it’s apparent that the 60-day change in the USDT market cap was negative earlier, but it’s just now starting to make its way back into the positive territory. ETH Price At the time of writing, Ethereum is floating around $2,300, up 10% in the last seven days. Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView.com
The accelerator settled $500,000 in USDC funding on Solana for Totalis, marking its first all-stablecoin investment.
Shares of Coinbase stock remain roughly 60% below their July 2025 peak of $445, even after a rebound in March.
Bullish sentiment towards Hyperliquid is again on the rise, with crypto whales accumulating the perp DEX token. The first HYPE ETF in the U.S. could launch soon, which is also contributing to this bullish sentiment. Why Bullish Sentiment Towards Hyperliquid Is On The Rise Crypto whales are again massively accumulating Hyperliquid, which has sparked the bullish sentiment towards the perp DEX token. In an X post, on-chain analytics platform Lookonchain revealed that BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes bought 26,022 HYPE, worth $1.1 million again, after nearly 3 months. Related Reading: Here’s Why The Hyperliquid Price Is Exploding Again Hayes is one of many crypto whales Lookonchain has flagged as currently buying HYPE. The platform revealed that a particular whale had deposited 7.86 million USDC into Hyperliquid to buy 200,042 HYPE. Another whale, Cooker, also bought 50,751 HYPE for $1.99 million at an average price of $38.5. Such massive accumulation among crypto whales typically precedes a price surge for Hyperliquid. It is worth noting that the HYPE price is already up amid this accumulation wave, up over 12% in the last week. The perp DEX token has reclaimed the key $40 level and is now eyeing new local highs. Interestingly, Hayes has predicted that Hyperliquid could reach $150 by August. He stated that this could happen as the HIP-3 markets continue to generate record fees for the perp DEX. The DEX has seen greater adoption since the U.S.-Iran war began, as traders can trade commodities such as oil on HIP-3. DeFiLlama data shows that Hyperliquid currently ranks among the crypto protocols generating the most fees. This is bullish for HYPE because a majority of these fees go into buybacks, which could spark significant rallies for the token. An HYPE ETF Is On The Horizon Bitwise has filed an amended registration statement for its Hyperliquid ETF, with the fund set to trade under the ticker ‘BHYP.’ The asset manager also set a management fee of 0.67% for the fund. Meanwhile, it listed market makers FalconX, Flowdesk, Nonco, and Wintermute as approved trading counterparties. Related Reading: XRP, HBAR, And Litecoin: Pundit Highlights Coins To Watch In 2026 Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas noted that the filing indicates that the fund could launch soon, a development that is also bullish for Hyperliquid. The fund is expected to attract new inflows into the HYPE ecosystem as institutional investors gain exposure to the HYPE token through this ETF. Grayscale and 21shares have also filed to launch a Hyperliquid ETF, which is also bullish for the HYPE price. Balchunas noted that Bitwise may be looking to launch its HYPE ETF soon, given strong interest in HYPE, which is up 200% over the last year. At the time of writing, the Hyperliquid price is trading at around $42, up almost 2% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Medium, chart from Tradingview.com
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire emphasized that the stablecoin issuer has a "very clear performance obligation" to act under the law.
The platform allows PSPs, fintechs, and banks benefit from the efficiency of using stablecoins without having to hold USDC.
Polymarket’s plan to roll out its own collateral token sounds, at first glance, like the kind of move that should eat into Circle's USDC. A platform swaps out USDC.e, introduces Polymarket USD, and the obvious retail question follows almost immediately: Does that mean less demand for USDC? The short answer is no. Polymarket USD is […]
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At mainnet launch, Arc will introduce a post-quantum signature scheme, which enables users to create quantum-resistant wallets.
Stablecoin issuer Circle is facing mounting scrutiny from blockchain researchers after millions of USD Coin (USDC) were stolen and flowed unimpeded through its proprietary bridge during the $285 million exploit of the Solana-based Drift Protocol. The inaction during the April 1 attack, which is now the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) hack of 2026, stands in […]
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Solana-based Drift Protocol has suffered the largest exploit of 2026 to date, losing nearly $300 million in a “highly sophisticated operation” that has raised concerns about the growing threat of human-targeted attacks in the crypto space. Related Reading: Bitcoin ETFs Break Four-Month Negative Streak With $1.32B Inflows While ETH, XRP Funds Bleed Solana DEX Loses $285M On April Fool’s Day On Wednesday, Solana-based decentralized exchange (DEX) Drift Protocol was the victim of an exploit that stole hundreds of millions of dollars from its vaults. After online reports flagged unusual on-chain activity yesterday afternoon, Drift’s official channels confirmed the attack, quickly suspending deposits and withdrawals. According to reports, the attack lasted less than 20 minutes and stole around $285 million in multiple assets, including USDC, JPL, USDT, JUP, USDS, WBTC, and WETH, from nearly 20 vaults. This marks the largest crypto exploit of 2026 to date, and one of the largest hacks in the industry, just above WazirX’s $235 million hack. The hack wiped out half of the Solana-based project’s total value locked (TVL), which fell from roughly $550 million to $252 million, per DeFiLlama data. Drift protocol’s token, DRIFT, also plunged, retracing nearly 40% over the past 24 hours. Within hours, the exploiter had swapped $270.9 million into USDC, bridged them from Solana to Ethereum via the CCTP TokenMessengerMinterV2, and purchased 129,000 ETH, splitting them across multiple wallets. In a Thursday post, Drift shared the details of the incident, affirming that “a malicious actor gained unauthorized access to Drift Protocol through a novel attack involving durable nonces, resulting in a rapid takeover of Drift’s Security Council administrative powers.” Solana’s durable nonces are an advanced mechanism that allows transactions to bypass the typical short expiration date of regular transactions. This enables users to pre-sign transactions for future execution, offline signing, or complex multisig workflows. “This was a highly sophisticated operation that appears to have involved multi-week preparation and staged execution, including the use of durable nonce accounts to pre-sign transactions that delayed execution,” the post continued. Malicious Actors Targeting Humans, Not Smart Contracts The Solana-based DEX emphasized that the exploit was not the result of a bug in Drift’s programs or smart contracts, noting that they found no evidence of compromised see phrases either. “The attack involved unauthorized or misrepresented transaction approvals obtained prior to execution, likely facilitated through durable nonce mechanisms and sophisticated social engineering,” the project underscored. Lily Liu, President of the Solana Foundation, addressed the incident, asserting that it is a blow to the whole Solana ecosystem. Liu pointed out that “Smart contracts held up. The real targets now are humans: social engineering and opsec weaknesses more than code exploits.” Related Reading: Analyst Forecasts More Pain For XRP In Q2 – How Much Lower Can It Go? Ledger CTO Charles Guillemet linked Drift’s attack method to Bybit’s $1.4 billion hack, which was attributed to North Korean hacking groups. As he explained, the attackers likely compromised several machines belonging to multisig signers through long-term infiltration and misled operators into approving the malicious transactions. This modus operandi is similar to the Bybit hack last year, widely attributed to DPRK-linked actors. The pattern is becoming familiar: patient, sophisticated supply-chain-level compromise targeting the human and operational layer, not the smart contracts themselves. Guillemet affirmed that the incident is “yet another wake-up call for the industry” to raise the bar on security. “Ultimately, security is not just about code audits. It’s about giving operators and users the right information at the right time, so they can make informed decisions about what they sign,” he concluded. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Drift said Wednesday's $280 million exploit was a result of unauthorized transaction approvals, facilitated through durable nonce mechanisms.
Kulipa helps fintechs and wallets issue white-label stablecoin payment cards without managing card operations themselves.
The bank maintained its $2 trillion stablecoin market cap forecast by 2028 amid a sharp increase in turnover from use cases like AI payments.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has revealed a $13 trillion opportunity, which cryptos like XRP and stablecoins could tap into. This came as he highlighted how blockchain technology is disrupting global finance with payments being made on-chain. Ripple CEO Reveals $13 Trillion Opportunity For XRP and Stablecoins In a FOX Business interview, the Ripple CEO revealed that GTreasury, the company they bought last year, processed $13 trillion in payments, and none of these payments were done through a stablecoin or crypto asset such as XRP. He declared that there is an opportunity to integrate crypto and stablecoins as blockchain technology becomes the go-to for payment rails. Related Reading: Expert Says Ripple’s XRP Is Designed For More, Here’s What He Means Garlinghouse also described stablecoins as an entry point to crypto adoption, calling it the “ChatGPT moment” for crypto. Notably, $33 trillion total stablecoin trades happened globally last year. The Ripple CEO also noted that cross-border payments have become faster thanks to blockchain technology. The Ripple CEO recently revealed that they launched the RLUSD stablecoin because their payment operations were contributing up to 20% of USDC flows. As such, they saw it fit to launch their own product. The RLUSD has seen significant adoption as Ripple continues to expand its payment services, boasting a market cap of $1.41 billion. XRP plays a key role in these payment services, as Ripple primarily uses the XRP Ledger to process them. Crypto analyst ChartNerd noted that this is also a big opportunity for XRP, given that the SEC has declared the crypto asset is not a security. As such, institutions could move to adopt the crypto asset for payments. It could also enable Ripple to further integrate the altcoin into its payment services, seeing as it currently serves as the bridge currency. It is worth noting that during the recent interview, Garlinghouse again reiterated that XRP is the “North Star” for Ripple. Crypto Is Now Rewiring The Financial System In an X post, the Ripple CEO said that market participants are now seeing a shift in the perception of the crypto industry from “rat poison” to “pet rock” and then to rewiring the financial system. He added that now, some of the biggest companies worldwide are asking if they are using stablecoins and crypto assets such as XRP. Related Reading: Teucrium Founder Predicts What Will Happen To Ripple If XRP Price Goes To $3 Garlinghouse stated that Ripple has strategically focused their deal-making outside the echo chamber to bridge the gap between traditional finance (TradFi) and the crypto ecosystem and that those bets are paying off. The crypto firm notably acquired Hidden Road and GTreasury, which it is now using to integrate XRP and RLUSD into the TradFi ecosystem. At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.34, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Pxfuel, chart from Tradingview.com
A veteran Bitcoin evangelist who entered the market when most people had never heard the word “blockchain” is now pointing the finger at the Trump family, not a crypto exchange, as many think, for the liquidation chaos that shook the crypto industry last October. Davinci Jeremie, one of the earliest known Bitcoin adopters, recently shared his unfiltered take on what he believes caused the October 10, 2025, crash. What Davinci Jeremie Actually Believes The October 10, 2025, crypto market crash is one of the most debated events of the current cycle, with traders still split over what really triggered the sudden collapse in price. In the months since, several theories have surfaced, ranging from Binance-led liquidations to coordinated sell attacks. Related Reading: Expert Analyst Says Bitcoin Expansion Is Over, It Won’t Rally Until This Is Over Speaking on The Sujal Show, Jeremie offered a perspective that was politically charged. In his view, the Trump family’s financial interests provide a simpler explanation for what happened to the crypto market on that day. “I think obviously the Trump family. It’s clear right now that the Trump family wants to push crypto down so that they can get as much as they want,” Jeremie said. According to the early Bitcoin believer, wealthy participants approach markets differently. In his words, short-term thinking dominates retail behavior, with many looking for quick gains or rapid wealth creation. Large players, however, operate on extended timelines, often spanning five to ten years. “If you’re wealthy, you don’t think in short terms as most people do; you think in long terms,” he said. The Binance Theory That Took Over Crypto Jeremie’s take stands in opposition to the explanation that dominated industry discourse in the months following October 10. The October 2025 crypto crash, primarily on October 10, saw over $19 billion in leveraged positions liquidated within 24 hours. The sell-off began shortly after Donald Trump signaled plans to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports. That caused traders to dump risky investments, from stocks to Bitcoin. However, that crash was much more pronounced on the crypto market than expected. Related Reading: Bitcoin Roadmap To $300,000: Analyst Shares Step-By-Step Guide To The Top After the immediate aftermath of the crash, much of the attention was directed to crypto exchange Binance. The exchange quickly became the focal point of speculation, with many pointing to liquidation cascades on its derivatives platform as the primary reason for the crash. The theory was amplified after OKX CEO Star Xu went public with his criticisms, which were based on Binance’s promotional campaign that offered 12% APY on USDe. According to Star Xu, the campaign by Binance blurred the line between USDe and stablecoins like USDT and USDC, and retail investors were not aware of the systemic risks relating to the synthetic stablecoin ecosystem. Davinci Jeremie is known as one of the earliest Bitcoin adopters, having entered the market when BTC was trading around $1. His reputation grew significantly years later when an old YouTube video resurfaced of him urging viewers to buy at least $1 worth of Bitcoin. The clip has since become one of the most referenced moments in crypto history. Featured image from Pngtree, chart from Tradingview.com
Circle stock, CRCL, experienced a significant decline over the past day following news of a proposed ban on stablecoin yield. Despite this selloff, Bitwise’s CIO maintains that the market reaction was excessive and projects that the company’s valuation will likely double by 2030. Related Reading: Cardano Price At Multi-Year Support That Previously Led To 200% Rally – ADA Recovery Ahead? Circle Selloff Was ‘Overblown’ – Bitwise CIO On Tuesday, Circle Internet Financial, the issuer behind the USDC stablecoin, saw its stock crash 22% to $98 following reports about lawmakers’ decision on the stablecoin yield dispute. CRCL’s selloff was driven by news that a revised draft of the Senate Banking Committee’s crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY Act, would prohibit platforms from offering yield, directly or indirectly, for holding a stablecoin, or in a manner that resembles a bank deposit. Despite the selloff, some market experts have made the case for Circle, highlighting it as a good opportunity and “the most obvious choice” to invest in the stablecoins sector. In his weekly memo, Bitwise’s CIO, Matt Hougan, called the market’s reaction “overblown.” He asserted that the latest draft of the CLARITY Act doesn’t alter the base case forecast for Circle. Interest income has not been a primary driver of stablecoin growth to date; the vast majority of stablecoins today are held in ways that don’t pay interest. Stablecoins have exploded in popularity because they let people move money anywhere in the world efficiently and reliably—for trade settlement, as collateral in lending, as an alternative to unstable national currencies, and more. Hougan also emphasized that stablecoins offer convenience, which is “the killer app for money,” pointing out that the average savings account and average checking account yield 0.60% and 0.07%, respectively. “People aren’t parking their money there for the yield,” he noted, adding that as the global financial system increasingly transitions to blockchain-based rails, stablecoins are expected to assume a more significant role in this shift, irrespective of whether they offer interest. The Case For Circle’s $75B Valuation Diving deeper into his outlook for Circle, Hougan shared key projections for the broader stablecoin sector’s market capitalization and the company’s potential market share in the coming years. Citing Citigroup’s report, he asserted that the “base case” for stablecoin‘s assets under management (AUM) projects it will reach $1.9 trillion by 2030, while a “bull case” estimates it at $4 trillion. Bitwise’s CIO also highlighted that Circle’s USDC, the second-largest dollar-pegged token, holds 25% of the overall stablecoin market share, only behind Tether’s USDT, but has a much larger share of the regulated stablecoin market, with an estimated 80%+ share. If you think much of the growth of stablecoin AUM will come from those markets (as banks, fintechs, and major enterprises opt for onshore, regulated stablecoins), you might expect Circle’s market share to increase well beyond its current 25% share. Lastly, he addressed what Circle could potentially earn on deposits in four years. As he explained, the company earns roughly 4% interest on $80 billion of its AUM backing USDC, but shares around 60% with distribution partners like Coinbase, netting a 1.6% take rate. Related Reading: Ethereum Tops $2,100 As BitMine Ramps Up ETH Bet With $137M Purchase While its sustainability hinges on interest rates and competition from rival stablecoins, Hougan projected that the take rate will be cut in half by 2030, to 0.8%. Using these “conservative assumptions” on the broader stablecoins market cap, the company’s market share, and margin, Bitwise’s CIO concluded that Circle could hit “$75 billion by 2030—even with the recent CLARITY Act concerns.” Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Onchain investigator ZachXBT flagged that Circle unfrozen the USDC balance held in one of the 16 wallets targeted in an earlier action.
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.
Payy's round was led by FirstMark Capital, an early backer of Airbnb, Shopify and Pinterest, and included Robot Ventures and DBA Crypto.
Circle shares fell about 20% on Tuesday amid reports that draft provisions in the CLARITY Act could limit rewards.
Bitget Wallet launched the Onchain Payments Matrix, connecting Ripple, Mastercard, and Tether within a global stablecoin payments network.
Circle shares dropped 20% on Tuesday amid a flurry of news that could negatively impact its stablecoin business.
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.
The USDC stablecoin issuer faced headwinds on Tuesday amid developing stablecon legislation that could dent future revenue.
Circle's response leans into interoperability, hinting that EU markets may need to accommodate non-euro stablecoins to stay competitive.
Native USDC could give traders and DeFi apps on Injective a mainstream dollar-denominated asset for collateral, liquidity and settlement.
PayPal has expanded access to its PYUSD stablecoin to 70 markets, enabling wallet access, transfers, and rewards for eligible users.
The stablecoin issuer has rallied as analysts point to growing demand for USDC, a higher interest-rate environment and the rapid expansion of tokenized assets.
Circle’s USD Coin (USDC) has officially unseated Tether’s USDT in transfer volume for the first time in seven years. The shift marks a defining moment for digital assets, cleanly splitting stablecoin leadership into two distinct categories: total supply and transactional velocity. While Tether remains the undisputed heavyweight in the stablecoin market, USDC has become the […]
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