Also: AI agents & crypto payments, CoW Swap hijack, ZK proofs on XRPL.
Bitwise's Avalanche ETF launch may accelerate competition in altcoin ETFs, potentially reshaping investor strategies in crypto markets.
The post Bitwise launches spot Avalanche ETF with built in staking rewards appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The move is consistent with Tether's pattern of accumulating bitcoin and moving the asset to its reserve wallet periodically.
XRP is struggling to reclaim higher prices. The market is uncertain. Bitcoin is testing resistance. And the largest XRP holders on Binance have gone quieter than at any point in four years — which, in markets, is rarely a neutral condition. Related Reading: Ethereum Profit-Loss Indicator Is Hovering Just Below Neutral – The Market Waits for A Catalyst An Arab Chain report tracking large-holder behavior on Binance has identified a withdrawal pattern that stands out precisely because of how little of it there is. Whale outflows from the platform have dropped to approximately 1.08 billion XRP — the lowest reading since 2021. The large-scale XRP transfers that characterized previous periods of elevated activity have nearly stopped. The coins are staying on the exchange. The holders are not moving. That behavioral shift carries two possible interpretations, and the current data does not yet resolve which one is correct. The first is caution: major investors have adopted a wait-and-see posture, reducing activity while the market waits for clarity on Bitcoin’s resistance test and the broader macro direction. The second is anticipation: the same inactivity that typically precedes periods of renewed whale activity has settled over the market, and the stillness is a pause before the next decisive move rather than an absence of conviction. Four years of context says this silence does not last indefinitely. What breaks it — and which direction it breaks toward — is the question the current data is building toward. Price and Whales Are Moving in the Same Direction The analysis adds a dimension that sharpens the interpretation of the withdrawal decline. XRP trading near $1.33 while whale withdrawals sit at a four-year low is not a coincidence of timing — it is a synchronicity that speaks to the underlying dynamic. When large holders reduce their off-exchange activity during a period of price decline, it can mean one of two things: institutional interest is genuinely contracting alongside the price, or institutional holders are absorbing the decline without responding to it — waiting rather than exiting. The distinction between those two readings matters enormously for the forward outlook. Contraction suggests the withdrawal decline reflects reduced conviction from the participants who matter most. Absorption suggests it reflects patience — large holders watching the price fall without feeling the urgency to act in either direction. The report identifies the current phase as consistent with the second reading. The decline in whale withdrawals to a four-year low is named as a period of relative calm in the movements of major investors — the specific behavioral state that tends to appear before larger price movements rather than after them. Whales reduce activity when awaiting clarity, not when abandoning positions. The historical pattern the report references is precise: phases of suppressed whale activity are commonly observed before significant directional moves, with whale participation gradually returning as market conditions provide the catalyst that resolves the waiting posture. The withdrawal silence is not the absence of whale conviction. It is the expression of it, held in reserve until the market gives them a reason to act. Related Reading: XRP Has Not Been This Illiquid Since 2021: The Setup Nobody Is Talking About XRP Remains Compressed as Downtrend Loses Momentum XRP continues to trade near the $1.35 level, holding a narrow consolidation range after the sharp February capitulation. The chart reflects a clear shift from directional selling to sideways compression, with price fluctuating between approximately $1.25 and $1.45 over the past several weeks. Despite this stabilization, the broader structure remains bearish. XRP is still trading below the 50-day (blue), 100-day (green), and 200-day (red) moving averages, all trending downward. This alignment confirms that the primary trend has not reversed, and any upside attempts remain corrective within a larger downtrend. The 50-day average continues to act as immediate resistance, capping short-term rallies. Related Reading: Ethereum Profit-Loss Indicator Is Hovering Just Below Neutral – The Market Waits for A Catalyst Volume dynamics provide additional context. The February sell-off was accompanied by a significant spike in volume, suggesting forced liquidations and panic-driven selling. Since then, volume has declined steadily, indicating reduced participation and a lack of strong conviction from buyers. Structurally, XRP is forming a base, but without confirmation. The repeated defense of the $1.25–$1.30 zone shows demand is present, yet insufficient to drive a breakout. A move above $1.50 would be required to shift momentum, while a break below support could trigger another leg lower. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com
Bitdeer's total hashrate under management grew to 78.1 EH/s, including its massive self-mining fleet and hosted machines.
High Roller stock jumped more than 100% after announcing a Crypto.com prediction markets deal tied to U.S. event contracts expansion.
The post High Roller stock jumps over 100% on Crypto.com prediction markets deal appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Chen argues that crypto exchange security is still mostly theater, and that stricter enforcement is essential.
Goldman Sachs, the $3.5 trillion banking giant, has filed to launch an actively managed exchange-traded fund (ETF) that uses covered calls to generate income from Bitcoin. The April 14 filing for the Goldman Sachs Bitcoin Premium Income ETF marks a strategic pivot for the investment bank, which previously had a hostile relationship with the flagship digital […]
The post New Goldman Sachs Bitcoin fund is built for advisers seeking yield, not traders chasing the next rally appeared first on CryptoSlate.
An analyst stirred debate this week by claiming XRP is following a historical fractal pattern that could trigger a breakout next week, with a $40 price target achievable before the end of May. #XRP is following its fractal the breakout could happen next week and before the end of may 40$ per coin is realistic …
New Bitcoin macro analysis found its "addressable market" surpassed the $38 trillion gold market cap, driven by geopolitical instability and financial sanctions.
The Massachusetts Democrat has been critical of private companies, including non-bank entities, issuing their own dollar-pegged stablecoins.
"Avalanche is emerging as one of the leading platforms for businesses, governments, and real-world use cases," says Bitwise.
Allbirds' pivot to AI cloud services highlights a strategic shift in response to financial struggles, potentially reshaping its market identity.
The post Allbirds stock moons 800% as it swaps sneakers for AI cloud appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
To help fund its recent infrastructure investments, Riot Platforms has been selling off the bitcoin on its balance sheet.
In this week’s Crypto Long & Short Newsletter, Tricia Gallagher writes how the fix for broken digital identity systems will need to be state-led and user-controlled.
The US-Iran war continues to affect Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices, with volatility at high levels. However, risk-on sentiment also appears to be returning, with open interest rising as BTC rises to a new multi-month high. How The US-Iran War Affects The Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin Prices In an X post, crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe noted that the US-Iran war continues to drive market volatility. He further remarked that there won’t be a path forward where the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices will do well if this continues to be the consensus. However, he added that the U.S. economy is “sufficiently weak” and that the Fed has no choice but to start printing money again, which is a positive for these risk assets. Related Reading: Bitcoin Is Playing Out The Same Cycle Again On A Bigger Scale Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices have so far held up amid the US-Iran war, with BTC rallying to a multi-month high of $76,000 yesterday. This comes as market participants continue to price in an imminent end to the war despite the fragile two-week ceasefire. US President Donald Trump recently mentioned that another round of peace talks could happen within the next two days, which has also sparked bullish sentiments. Interestingly, risk-on sentiment has increased amid the US-Iran war, which is also contributing to the rally for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices. On-chain analytics platform Santiment noted that BTC and ETH’s rally to their highest levels since the start of February comes with increased optimism, as margin and leveraged positions are being created rapidly. Santiment revealed that Bitcoin’s open interest has surged 59% over seven weeks, while Ethereum’s has climbed 45% over the same period. The platform noted that this reflects growing trader conviction but also introduces higher risk as crowded leveraged trades can quickly unwind. They added that when open interest climbs alongside prices, markets often become more volatile, with sudden squeezes in either direction more likely. Analyst Warns That BTC Has Yet To Form A Bottom Crypto analyst Colin has warned that a bear market bottom has unlikely formed despite the rebound in the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices amid the US-Iran war. He noted that the $60,000 February bottom for BTC was only four months into a typical 12-month cycle, which is why he believes that the $60,000 price level isn’t the bear market bottom. Related Reading: Ethereum Is About To Go ‘Parabolic’ – Analyst Signals Golden Triangle Formation The analyst acknowledged that the bear market could be shorter this time around, but not by 2/3 of the normal bear cycle. He also noted that Bitcoin’s drop so far from its October 2025 peak is only 53%, compared to the 77% crashes recorded in prior cycles. In line with this, Colin said, “The $60k bottom is *statistically unlikely* to be the bottom.” Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
The divergence between stock and crypto markets highlights potential volatility, with geopolitical shifts and investor sentiment playing crucial roles.
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Shares in High Roller Technologies nearly doubled Tuesday after the firm announced it was entering the prediction markets space.
In a big move to rebuild trust and strengthen its long-term outlook, World Liberty Financial (WLFI) has introduced a new governance proposal that could change how its tokens are managed. We’ve just posted a governance proposal to the forum for community discussion, and we believe it represents one of the strongest long-term governance alignment signals …
Lopp says dormant coins could pose systemic risk if quantum computing gives attackers the ability to grab them, intensifying the growing “freeze or not freeze” debate.
Bitcoin paused its rally toward new range highs while the S&P 500 came within an inch of a fresh year-to-date high, leading analysts to warn that traders are overconfident.
Gareth Soloway, chief market strategist at Verified.com, laid out his latest price targets for Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP this week. He said that Bitcoin has formed a micro bullish breakout on shorter timeframes while the bigger macro pattern remains bearish. Soloway has maintained an $80,000 upside target since February, and the charts still support that …
Morgan Stanley CFO Sharon Yeshaya says the bank is eyeing a "tokenized world" where blockchain technology allows client assets and liabilities to move more efficiently across its wealth management platform.
Sterling Crispin's 'Nothing Ever Happens' bot automatically buys "No" on every non-sports Polymarket it finds. It's not that crazy.
Kadence's innovative approach to hybrid work helps companies cut leasing costs and enhance workspace efficiency.
The post Dan Bladen: Companies can save $1 billion in leasing costs with Cadence, the US corporate real estate market is a $22 trillion opportunity, and why the seat-based model remains relevant | SaaS Interviews appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
EIP-8105 proposes a scheme-agnostic encrypted mempool for Ethereum, designed to hide transaction payloads until after inclusion and reduce harmful MEV.
The UK financial regulator has launched a consultation on crypto rules covering stablecoins, trading and staking ahead of a broader UK crypto regime expected to take effect in 2027.
The proposal could enhance governance efficiency and align incentives, potentially boosting WLFI's market stability and long-term growth.
The post World Liberty Financial proposes immediate 10% burn of insider WLFI allocation appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
KellyBench put Claude, GPT-5, Gemini, and Grok through a full Premier League season of betting. Not one turned a profit. Here's why.
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