The Ethereum Foundation's staking strategy could reduce market sell pressure, potentially stabilizing ETH prices and fostering ecosystem growth.
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The increased demand for defense startups underscores rising geopolitical tensions, potentially leading to greater military involvement and market volatility.
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Your day-ahead look for April 3, 2026
The crypto market is consolidating after the rounds of discussion on the Clarity Act, which is believed to be a landmark bill aimed at resolving the jurisdictional uncertainty for digital assets. The ongoing geopolitical uncertainty has increased the volatility of Bitcoin and some major cryptos, but some altcoins like Algorand, Render, Quant, etc are showing …
ETH is trading at $2,055, down 58% from its August 2025 all-time high of $4,953, and sitting at a level that has become one of crypto’s most uncomfortable recurring storylines. Trader Ash Crypto and others captured the mood on X with a simple list: every time ETH has touched $2,000 since April 2021. Twelve entries …
Riot's BTC sale underscores the delicate balance between operational funding and market stability, potentially influencing future Bitcoin volatility.
The post Riot sells 3,778 BTC for $290M, impacting Bitcoin price targets by June 2026: FT appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
XRP is entering a high-pressure setup as $451 million in spot buying builds against a heavily bearish futures market. At the time of writing, XRP trades near $1.31, holding firm above support even as derivatives traders continue to lean short. The absence of follow-through on the downside, despite sustained bearish positioning, suggests that selling pressure …
On Apr. 2, Coinbase received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust charter. Coinbase joined a cluster of at least eight firms that the OCC has moved toward federal trust-charter status since December 2025, and the cluster reveals a deliberate federal decision about which parts of crypto […]
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Bitcoin holds a tight range as altcoins rally on low liquidity, but derivatives data and options skew suggest traders are bracing for downside.
The Ethereum Foundation has increased its staked ETH by about $46.64 million, bringing its total staked holdings to roughly $96.59 million. This move reflects a strategic shift from earlier periods of selling ETH to now prioritizing network participation and earning staking rewards. By doubling down on staking, the foundation aims to bolster Ethereum’s security and …
Drift Protocol initiated onchain contact with wallets tied to the $280 million exploit as an unknown sender also attempts to pressure the attacker.
Riot Platforms, one of Nasdaq’s largest publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies, sold 3,778 BTC in the first quarter of 2026, generating about $289.5 million in net proceeds. Following the sale, the company’s total Bitcoin holdings dropped to 15,680 BTC by the end of the quarter. Riot is not alone in reducing exposure, as several other …
Bitcoin is trading at $66,804, up 0.58% over the past 24 hours, nursing a 47% loss from its October 2025 all-time high. The latest hit came straight from the White House. President Trump’s April 1 address flipped the script on markets that had spent Tuesday pricing in a peace deal. Instead, he promised the U.S. …
The multi-year partnership covers the US and Canada, marking Polymarket's continued expansion into traditional sports markets.
Ethereum price is back in focus as the token has been holding a crucial support range at $2000, regardless of the growing bearish pressure. It is also outperforming Bitcoin, which is undergoing a horizontal consolidation. Moreover, the on-chain data suggests that the ETH price is experiencing massive selling pressure across derivative markets. Despite this, the …
Trader skepticism highlights the challenges of achieving swift diplomatic resolutions, impacting market confidence and geopolitical stability.
The post GCC and UN call for US-Iran ceasefire as market shows skepticism: FT appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The low odds of a ceasefire highlight the challenges of diplomatic efforts and the potential for prolonged instability in the region.
The post GCC and UN call for immediate ceasefire in US-Israel-Iran conflict appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted Coinbase (COIN) a conditional approval for a national trust bank charter, a move that would place the crypto exchange among a small group of five digital-asset firms — including Ripple, Circle (CRCL) — that have received similar tentative sign-offs from the agency. If the charter is finalized, Coinbase would be able to expand beyond custody services to offer payment products and other infrastructure under federal supervision, Coinbase’s chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, told CNBC. Coinbase Eyes Broader US Payments Suite During his interview, Grewal said that the approval opens the door for Coinbase to develop a broader range of services in the US, particularly in the area of payments: Over the long haul we will be able to explore, with the OCC, offering not just custody products but also other infrastructure products, particularly around payments, that we think will expand and extend crypto payments in all sorts of new and interesting and important directions. Related Reading: National Trust Bank Bid: Citadel Securities-Backed Crypto Exchange Enters The Fray However, the decision has reignited criticism from traditional banking stakeholders. The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) responded with a letter opposing the OCC’s conditional approval of Coinbase National Trust Co., the subsidiary named in the application. ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey called the approval “a grave mistake” that, in the group’s view, would put US consumers at risk. The ICBA’s letter alleges the application contains significant shortcomings — including inadequate risk controls, unclear profitability prospects, and unresolved resolution risks — and argues that Coinbase’s filing fails to satisfy requirements set by the National Bank Act and the OCC’s own regulations. IBCA Demands OCC Rework National Trust Bank Rule The trade group warned that the influx of charter applications from non-bank entities suggests firms are seeking the benefits of a federal bank charter without being subject to the full spectrum of bank regulatory safeguards. That, the Independent Community Bankers of America alleges, could undermine consumer protection and threaten the broader stability of the financial system. Moreover, the ICBA also aimed at the OCC’s final rule on national trust bank chartering. Related Reading: What April Could Mean For XRP: Past Patterns And Key Price Catalysts To Watch The trade group objects to the OCC’s plan to charter uninsured national trust banks that could carry out non‑fiduciary crypto-related business without being subject to the Bank Holding Company Act or the prudential requirements that apply to FDIC‑insured institutions. In its letter, ICBA reiterated calls for the OCC to withdraw the rule or reissue a revised proposal that aligns with the agency’s statutory authority and longstanding legal precedent. Despite the OCC’s conditional approval, Coinbase’s stock, which trades under the ticker name COIN, was trading at $171 at the time of writing and had seen little to no change compared to Wednesday’s trading session. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
The airstrike's escalation could lead to increased geopolitical tensions, impacting global markets and international diplomatic relations.
The post Airstrike on Iranian site raises odds of US ground forces entering Iran to 66% appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Ripple’s Treasury platform joining the SWIFT Certified Partner Program is being seen as a major step toward traditional finance. Still, analysts say the reality is more nuanced than the hype suggests. So, let’s break down what actually happened. Ripple Pushes Deeper Into Banking Rails Following its $1 billion acquisition of GTreasury in 2025, Ripple has …
Iran's military escalation diminishes diplomatic prospects, impacting market confidence and increasing geopolitical tensions in the region.
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Escalating tensions and military actions diminish prospects for peace, necessitating significant diplomatic efforts to alter current trajectories.
The post Ceasefire odds drop sharply amid escalating Iran conflict and missile strikes: FT appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Naoris debuts its quantum-resistant mainnet, which uses algorithms approved by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Rising tensions and military posturing could destabilize the region, impacting global markets and geopolitical alliances significantly.
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Can a stablecoin choose not to freeze your funds and still be a stablecoin? That question, posted on X by Columbia Business School professor Omid Malekan, just got a sharp technical reality check from Ripple CTO Emeritus, David ‘JoelKatz’ Schwartz. The timing could not be more loaded. Malekan’s argument was straightforward. In a space where …
Other major bitcoin miners have been selling their BTC holdings amid a broader shift toward AI and HPC infrastructure.
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
The reported acquisition talks come as South Korea is considering a 20% cap on major crypto exchange shareholders, which would force major platforms to restructure ownership.
Bitcoin becomes the live market over Easter as oil shocks hit and traditional finance goes dark The Bitcoin market now has three trading days where it will act as the live venue for geopolitical risk while much of traditional finance is closed. As of Friday, April 3, Wall Street is closed for Good Friday; several […]
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Cartesi (CTSI) price has broken out of a prolonged downtrend structure, delivering a sharp expansion move as price reclaims the $0.04 zone with strong volume support. The trading volume exploded by more than 1700%, reaching $184.16 million, making it one of the best-performing crypto for the day. However, this does not appear to be a …