Sharif's mediation could reduce US-Iran tensions, potentially fostering diplomatic breakthroughs and impacting geopolitical stability.
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Bitcoin’s technical indicators had just started flashing warning signs when crude oil markets made things worse. The MACD histogram turned red — a signal that buying pressure was fading — right as West Texas Intermediate crude surged past $104 a barrel, rattling risk assets across the board. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bull Run Brewing: ATH In Sight By Late 2026: Analyst Bitcoin Gives Back Recent Gains BTC had clawed its way above $78,000 earlier this week, briefly restoring confidence among buyers. That recovery is now gone. The cryptocurrency slipped below $77,000 on April 28, trading at $76,180 — its lowest level since April 22, when it had just reclaimed that threshold after weeks of struggling beneath it. The $77,000 mark carries weight in Bitcoin’s recent history. The asset first broke below it in early February and spent a prolonged stretch under it. A failed retest on April 17 kept sellers in control. The brief breakout on April 22 looked like a turning point. It wasn’t. For Bitcoin to get back on track, analysts say it needs to retake $77,000 and push through the upper Bollinger Band near $79,850. Until then, the immediate floor sits around $75,490, near the middle Bollinger Band — a level BTC has bounced from before, though holding it is far from guaranteed. Oil Jumps As Iran Talks Hit A Wall The backdrop driving the sell-off is a breakdown in US-Iran negotiations. On April 27, Iran put forward a new proposal through Pakistani intermediaries. The offer included reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting a US blockade, while asking to push nuclear discussions to a later stage. US President Donald Trump rejected it. His administration made clear that the terms didn’t go far enough — particularly on nuclear weapons, which Trump said Iran could not be allowed to develop. A planned US delegation trip to Islamabad had already been canceled after earlier Iranian terms were seen as insufficient, with travel security concerns also cited. Indirect back-channel communication continues, but face-to-face talks remain frozen. Oil markets moved fast. WTI crude shot from $98 to a peak of $104 before pulling back slightly to $101. That still left it up 2.50% on the day and more than 4% on the week, following a 12.70% surge the prior week. Related Reading: Trump’s Bitcoin Reserve Could Be Near As White House Signals Major Update Crypto Markets Feel The Pressure Bitcoin retreated 2% on April 28 after sliding 1.64% the previous day. The consecutive losses erased what had looked like a meaningful recovery, leaving the asset more than $3,000 below where it traded just days earlier. Broader market uncertainty tied to Middle East tensions is adding to the pressure. When oil climbs sharply, it typically signals supply fears and geopolitical instability — conditions that tend to push investors away from higher-risk assets like crypto. Featured image from MetaAI, chart from TradingView
Retail dominated as prediction market volume reached $25.7B last month, with crypto accounting for nearly 40% of activity among new users.
The AAVE-led response and new safeguards underscore the sector's maturity as the bank maintains its $2 trillion RWA outlook.
The extended blockade could destabilize global oil markets, leading to economic ripple effects and heightened geopolitical tensions.
The post Trump plans extended Hormuz blockade, WTI crude oil hits $160 in April appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The tie-up between the tokenization specialist and transfer agent giant lets public companies issue blockchain-based shares without changing market structure.
The Middle East conflict highlights the vulnerability of tech supply chains, prompting a strategic shift towards resource investments over chip stocks.
The post Missile strikes in Qatar spike costs, impact Nvidia supply chain appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
A new actively managed ETF aims to simplify crypto investing by bundling Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana into one rebalanced portfolio.
SoFi's strategic expansion into digital assets and comprehensive financial services could significantly reshape the fintech landscape, enhancing user engagement and market competitiveness.
The post SoFi posts record $1.1B revenue in Q1 as everything app strategy gains traction appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Warsh's potential leadership shift may alter monetary policy, impacting market expectations and reducing the likelihood of rate cuts.
The post Jerome Powell’s final Fed rate decision could come April 29 amid regime change appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Heightened US-Iran tensions amplify global economic instability, potentially triggering inflation and influencing Fed rate decisions amid recession fears.
The post US-Iran tensions heighten economic uncertainty, recession fears grow appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The Dogecoin price is moving again, and this time, it’s not subtle. After weeks of sideways movement and repeated rejections below key resistance, DOGE has surged past the $0.10 level with strong momentum, now trading around the $0.107–$0.109 range. The move comes with a noticeable spike in volume and renewed market interest, signaling a shift …
The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz exacerbates global oil supply issues, elevating energy costs and impacting airline operations.
The post Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite Iran’s reopening announcement appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Tether led a $14 million funding round for Belo, a payments platform using crypto rails and stablecoins for faster, cheaper transactions. Belo helps users protect savings from inflation and weak local currencies, a major issue across Latin America. The funding is important as stablecoin adoption continues rising in the region. Next, Belo plans to expand …
The interception highlights regional tensions and underscores the potential for further instability, impacting geopolitical and market dynamics.
The post French Rafale jets intercept Iranian drones targeting UAE bases appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The vulnerability behind ZetaChain's $334,000 exploit had been reported through its bug bounty program before the attack but was dismissed.
Startup Fence uses blockchain technology and tokenization in the background to automate processes that many asset managers still rely on manual workflows.
The scaled-back parade highlights Russia's defensive stance, reflecting low ceasefire odds and market skepticism about near-term diplomacy.
The post Putin scales back Victory Day parade amid Ukrainian strike concerns appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The acquisition gives MoonPay the security infrastructure for a new institutional business led by former CFTC Acting Chair Caroline Pham.
The U.S. ETF market may be about to enter a completely new phase. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart says the first-ever prediction market ETFs may begin trading next week, letting investors bet on U.S. election outcomes like regular stocks. This comes after Roundhill’s latest filing showed a May 5 effective date, opening the door for …
The Czech Central Bank purchased $1 million in bitcoin in October to run tests and conduct a study and found it is more efficient than stocks and gold but much too risky.
Bitcoin's rebound is running straight into one of the few events it can't price in advance. After climbing back toward $80,000 on the back of renewed institutional buying and a nine-day ETF inflow streak, BTC pulled back to around $76,500 on Tuesday before recovering early Wednesday to around $77,800 as the Federal Reserve began its […]
The post Bitcoin heads into Fed decision today at the exact price where its strongest holders may finally sell appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Trump's rhetoric influences prediction markets, highlighting the volatility and uncertainty in U.S.-Iran relations and potential military actions.
The post Trump warns Iran amid Hegseth’s Capitol Hill testimony appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The QNT price keeps loosing its footing and not in a subtle way. Slipping below the $70 level, a zone that acted like a psychological safety net for weeks, the structure has quietly flipped from “maybe stable” to “probably not.” And, that changes everything. QNT $70 Support Collapse Shifts Market Structure Bearish For most of …
“We want to be the default for 'money at rest' within the onchain space,” WisdomTree Head of Digital Assets Will Peck said.
MoonPay's acquisition of Sodot signals a strategic shift towards institutional crypto services, potentially accelerating mainstream adoption.
The post MoonPay acquires crypto security startup Sodot for around $100 million in all-stock deal appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
XRP’s on-chain profile is flashing a conflicted market structure, with valuation metrics showing holders underwater while derivatives positioning remains heavily skewed to the long side. A granular on-chain report from Alphractal’s AI assistant suggests the asset is caught between retail accumulation, whale distribution and fragile leverage conditions. The report places XRP’s spot price at $1.3944 against a realized price of $1.4881, meaning the token trades at a 6.29% discount to its aggregate cost basis. Its MVRV ratio stands at 0.9613, below the 1.0 threshold often used to indicate that the average holder is sitting on unrealized losses. NUPL, meanwhile, is negative at -4.03%, classified in the report as “Fear.” That valuation backdrop is not, on its own, a clean bullish signal. The report describes the setup as one where XRP has entered unrealized loss territory without reaching deep historical distress. “XRP trades at a -6.29% discount to its aggregate cost basis ($1.3944 vs $1.4881), placing the network in aggregate unrealized loss territory. The MVRV sub-1.0 reading (0.9613) confirms the average holder is underwater, while NUPL at -4.03% signals capitulation-grade sentiment without full-blown distress.” Related Reading: XRP’s Recovery Is Real, But The Risk Appetite Behind It Is Still Broken – Analyst The tension becomes clearer in network activity. Active addresses rose 25.61% over seven days to 50,259, yet transaction count fell 21.39% over the same period to 2.05 million. Adjusted on-chain volume reached $28.64 billion, equal to 33.29% of market cap turnover, according to the report. That combination points less to broad-based transactional acceleration and more to larger-value movement across fewer transactions. Alphractal’s interpretation is that the network is seeing a form of activity divergence. Wallet participation is rising, but transaction frequency is falling. The report argues this “suggests larger, value-consolidating transactions rather than high-frequency small transfers,” with wallets reactivating to move larger balances rather than producing a simple surge in everyday usage. XRP Long Squeeze Risk Grows Exchange data adds another layer. XRP exchange reserves stand at 3.65 billion tokens, worth about $5.03 billion, representing 5.91% of circulating supply. Reserves are down 0.49% over seven days, while the 365-day delta growth rate is deeply negative at -114.31%. The report frames this as evidence of structural supply tightening, with long-term holder accumulation pressure exceeding new demand inflows. Related Reading: XRP Leads Altcoin Debate As Crypto Flashes Mixed Signals Yet the derivatives market shows a more vulnerable picture. Open interest sits at $1.49 billion, equivalent to 1.73% of XRP’s market capitalization. The long/short ratio is 2.4002, indicating a 2.40:1 long bias, while 24-hour liquidations totaled $3.8 million. Of that, $3.64 million came from long positions and just $162,150 from shorts, meaning long liquidations made up roughly 95.7% of the total. That skew matters because the report also identifies a negative Whale vs Retail Delta of -0.8378. In the report’s reading, retail participants are accumulating while larger entities are distributing. At the same time, top trader sentiment remains bullish at 2.0987, suggesting more sophisticated derivatives participants have not abandoned the long side despite the spot distribution signal. This creates the core fragility in XRP’s current setup. “Derivatives show aggressive long leverage with a 2.40:1 long/short ratio, yet the Whale vs Retail Delta at -0.84 reveals retail accumulation while large entities distribute. This structural conflict, retail buying spot, whales selling, with retail also leveraged long, creates fragility. The liquidation skew (95.7% long liquidations vs 4.3% short) confirms recent long squeezes.” Alphractal’s conclusion is cautious rather than decisively bearish. The combination of MVRV below 1.0 and negative NUPL can indicate value emerging after holder capitulation, but the report argues that whale distribution and crowded long positioning complicate that reading. At press time, XRP traded at $1.39. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
After research showed a small minority moves prices, new data suggests an even smaller group captures roughly half of all gains
The bank said DeFi’s $300 million-plus rescue effort and structural upgrades reinforce its long-term $2 trillion real-world asset thesis.
Rising tensions in Bint Jbeil undermine ceasefire prospects, impacting market confidence and highlighting geopolitical instability risks.
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