Flare proposes protocol level MEV capture, FIRE buybacks, and a 40% inflation cut as it pushes FLR toward stronger value accrual.

The post Flare proposes protocol MEV capture and 40% inflation cut in FLR tokenomics overhaul appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The US government's Bitcoin deposit on Coinbase Prime highlights a shift towards strategic reserve building, impacting future asset management.

The post US government deposits $177K in seized Bitcoin on Coinbase Prime appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

BitFuFu's BTC sale reflects strategic balance sheet management, highlighting the dynamic nature of crypto asset management amid market shifts.

The post Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin miner sells 80 BTC, holdings drop to 1,794 Bitcoin appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Circle's stance highlights the urgent need for regulatory clarity in crypto, balancing centralized control with decentralized ideals.

The post Circle clarifies USDC freeze policy after Drift exploit, urges passage of GENIUS and CLARITY Acts appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Hong Kong's stablecoin licensing fosters innovation in digital finance, enhancing cross-border transactions while ensuring regulatory oversight.

The post Standard Chartered’s joint venture, HSBC Hong Kong first to secure HKMA stablecoin issuer licences appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

Japan Moves to Classify Bitcoin and Crypto as Financial Instruments Under New Bill

Japan has taken a decisive step toward reshaping its digital asset framework after its cabinet approved a draft amendment that would classify cryptocurrencies as financial products under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA).

The proposal marks a shift from Japan’s current approach, which treats crypto primarily as a payment method under the Payment Services Act. By bringing digital assets under the same legal structure as stocks and other securities, policymakers aim to align the sector with established financial market standards.

If passed during the current parliamentary session, the law could take effect as early as fiscal year 2027.

Under the proposed rules, insider trading involving crypto assets would be explicitly prohibited. Market participants would face penalties for trading on non-public information, a measure long applied in traditional finance but absent in most crypto markets. Regulators view the change as necessary to address concerns over market fairness and information asymmetry, according to reporting from Nikkei.

The bill also introduces disclosure requirements for issuers. Companies offering crypto-related products would need to publish annual reports, increasing transparency for investors and regulators. Officials say the move reflects the growing role of digital assets as investment vehicles rather than simple payment tools.

Penalties for noncompliance would rise. Operating without registration could result in prison terms of up to 10 years, compared with the current maximum of three years. 

Financial penalties would increase to 10 million yen, or about $62,800. Authorities would also expand oversight powers, giving regulators broader authority to monitor trading activity and enforce rules.

Satsuki Katayama, Japan’s minister for financial services, said the reform aims to expand access to growth capital while strengthening investor protection. She noted that changes in financial markets and the rise of digital assets require a more comprehensive regulatory structure.

Japan’s crypto initiatives 

Japan has long been an early mover in crypto regulation, introducing exchange registration requirements and custody rules after a series of high-profile hacks in the past decade. 

The latest proposal builds on that foundation while signaling a shift toward integrating crypto into mainstream finance.

The timing reflects both domestic and global pressures. Japan now has millions of crypto accounts, and regulators receive hundreds of fraud-related complaints each month. 

At the same time, institutional interest in digital assets has increased, pushing policymakers to create clearer rules for market participants.

Editorial Disclaimer: We leverage AI as part of our editorial workflow, including to support research, image generation, and quality assurance processes. All content is directed, reviewed, and approved by our editorial team, who are accountable for accuracy and integrity. AI-generated images use only tools trained on properly license material. In Bitcoin, as in media: Don’t trust. Verify.

This post Japan Moves to Classify Bitcoin and Crypto as Financial Instruments Under New Bill first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Could Be Quantum-Safe Without Protocol Changes, New Proposal Claims

A new research proposal claims it can make Bitcoin transactions resistant to quantum attacks without changing the network’s core rules, a goal that has drawn attention as concerns grow over future cryptographic risks.

In a paper published on April 9, Avihu Levy of StarkWare outlined “Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Transactions Without Softforks,” introducing a scheme called Quantum Safe Bitcoin, or QSB. The design aims to protect transactions from threats posed by quantum computers while remaining compatible with the existing Bitcoin protocol.

The proposal targets a known vulnerability in Bitcoin’s current design. Standard transactions rely on ECDSA signatures over the secp256k1 curve. In theory, a sufficiently powerful quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm could potentially break this system by solving discrete logarithms, which would allow attackers to forge signatures and spend funds.

QSB replaces reliance on elliptic curve security with hash-based assumptions. Instead of trusting ECDSA, the scheme uses it as a verification mechanism while shifting security to hash pre-image resistance. This approach draws from earlier work known as Binohash, which embeds one-time signature schemes into Bitcoin Script.

At the core of QSB is a “hash-to-signature” puzzle. The system hashes a transaction-derived public key using RIPEMD-160 and treats the output as a candidate ECDSA signature. Only a small fraction of random hashes meet the strict formatting rules required for valid signatures, creating a proof-of-work condition. The paper estimates the probability of success at about one in ~70.4 trillion attempts.

Bitcoin resistant to quantum attacks

Because the puzzle depends on hash properties rather than elliptic curve hardness, it remains resistant to Shor’s algorithm. A quantum attacker would gain only a quadratic speedup from Grover’s algorithm, leaving meaningful security margins. The paper estimates about 118-bit second pre-image resistance under a Shor threat model.

The construction works within Bitcoin’s existing scripting limits, including a cap of 201 opcodes and a maximum script size of 10,000 bytes. It uses legacy script structures and avoids any need for consensus changes or soft forks, a feature that may appeal to developers wary of protocol fragmentation.

The transaction process unfolds in three stages, the proposal claims. First, a “pinning” phase searches for transaction parameters that produce a valid hash-to-signature output, binding the transaction to a fixed structure. Next, two digest rounds select subsets of embedded signatures to generate additional proofs tied to the transaction hash. Finally, the transaction is assembled with all required preimages and verification data.

The design introduces tradeoffs. QSB transactions exceed standard relay policy limits, which means they would not propagate across the network under default settings. Instead, they would require direct submission to miners through services such as Slipstream. The scripts also consume significant space and computational resources.

Despite these constraints, the cost of generating a valid transaction appears within reach. The paper estimates total compute expenses between $75 and $150 using cloud GPUs, with the workload scaling across parallel hardware. Early testing reports successful puzzle solutions after several hours using multiple GPUs.

The project remains incomplete. While the paper and script generation tools are finished, parts of the pipeline, including full transaction assembly and broadcast, have not been demonstrated on-chain.

Still, the proposal adds to a growing body of research exploring how Bitcoin could adapt to a future with quantum computing. By avoiding protocol changes, QSB presents one path that relies on existing rules rather than consensus upgrades, a direction that may shape further debate on long-term network security.

Editorial Disclaimer: We leverage AI as part of our editorial workflow, including to support research, image generation, and quality assurance processes. All content is directed, reviewed, and approved by our editorial team, who are accountable for accuracy and integrity. AI-generated images use only tools trained on properly license material. In Bitcoin, as in media: Don’t trust. Verify.

This post Bitcoin Could Be Quantum-Safe Without Protocol Changes, New Proposal Claims first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Strategy’s (MSTR) Bitcoin Ambition Is Reshaping Corporate Finance. Everyone Else Is Falling Behind

The bitcoin numbers from March are hard to ignore and are bullish at first glance. Public and private companies collectively added 47,435 BTC to their treasuries last month — worth roughly $3.2 billion at month-end prices — but strip away one name from the ledger and the picture shifts dramatically. 

Nearly every one of those coins was bought by Michael Saylor’s Strategy. Everyone else, collectively, is in retreat, according to bitcointreasuries.net March report shared with Bitcoin Magazine. 

That divergence is becoming the defining story of corporate Bitcoin adoption in 2026. Strategy purchased 44,377 BTC in March alone, including one of its largest-ever single-week purchases — 22,337 BTC disclosed on March 16, funded by $1.57 billion in ATM sales from its STRC preferred shares and MSTR common stock. 

The company now controls two-thirds of all Bitcoin held by public companies, and its holdings sit at roughly 762,000 BTC with a plausible, if aggressive, path to 1 million.

STRC is helping Strategy build an accumulation machine

To understand how Strategy keeps buying at this scale in what BitcoinTreasuries.net describes as “a bear market,” you have to understand STRC — the company’s variable-rate perpetual preferred share product. 

STRC targets a price near $100 and currently yields approximately 11.5% annually, reset monthly. It sits above common shareholders in Strategy’s capital structure, offering more predictable returns than MSTR stock while still being anchored to the Bitcoin treasury underneath.

March was a watershed moment for the instrument. STRC recorded its highest-ever single-day trading volume on March 12 — $746 million — followed by its second-highest on March 31, at $522 million. Weekly volumes hit $2.27 billion from March 9–13 alone. That demand didn’t just set records; it funded Bitcoin buying. 

Strategy’s 8-K for the week of March 9–15 reported $1.2 billion in STRC ATM proceeds and $396 million in MSTR proceeds, together financing that record 22,337 BTC purchase.

Now Strategy has filed for a new $42 billion ATM program, split evenly between STRC and MSTR, plus an additional $2.1 billion in STRK. According to BitcoinTreasuries.net modeling, if proceeds arrive at a rate of roughly $2.3 billion monthly over 19 months — and Bitcoin hovers near $75,000 — Strategy could reach 1 million BTC by November 2026. 

A more conservative projection using Strategy’s average monthly buy rate of 21,000 BTC since January 2025 pushes that date to March 2027.

A Bitcoin leaderboard in freefall

March also triggered a major leaderboard reshuffling that reflects just how different the playbook looks outside of Saylor’s orbit. MARA Holdings — once the second-largest public Bitcoin treasury — sold 15,133 BTC, worth roughly $1.1 billion, to repurchase convertible senior notes. The sale wiped nearly 28% of its previous holdings. 

As BitcoinTreasuries.net’s Tyler Rowe put it: “MARA borrowed aggressively to stack sats during the bull run and is now selling Bitcoin at a loss to service that debt. This is the precise scenario critics of debt-fueled treasury strategies have warned about.”

That opened the door for Jack Mallers’ Twenty One Capital (XXI) to move into second place, currently holding 43,514 BTC — though notably, XXI hasn’t purchased Bitcoin since August. Its rise is purely a function of MARA’s decline. Metaplanet, the Japanese firm that has become one of the most aggressive Bitcoin accumulators outside the U.S., followed in early April by acquiring 5,075 BTC to reach 40,177 BTC, leapfrogging MARA for third place.

GameStop’s story is perhaps the most unusual. The retailer-turned-crypto-treasury pledged 4,709 BTC as collateral in a covered call strategy with Coinbase Credit, leaving just 1 BTC in direct holdings. 

The counterparty holds rights to sell or rehypothecate the pledged Bitcoin, though GameStop maintains a contractual right to receive an equivalent amount back. The move dropped the company from the 21st-largest Bitcoin holder to near position 190 on the leaderboard.

Public company bitcoin accumulation is stalling

Beyond the leaderboard drama, the March report surfaced a quieter but more important trend: excluding Strategy, corporate Bitcoin conviction is cooling sharply. Public companies other than Strategy aggressively accumulated last summer, but net buying has declined and outright sales have accelerated since October. 

The number of monthly buyers has fallen steadily since September, reaching just 16 in March.

Ryan Strauss of the Bitcoin Consulting Group put it bluntly in the report: “What stands out to me is just how structurally dependent headline holdings growth is on Strategy — once you remove it, the underlying signal flips from strength to clear deceleration. The pullback in both net accumulation and participant count suggests this isn’t just noise, but a broad cooling in corporate conviction following last summer’s aggressive positioning.”

Among the sellers: Exodus Movement, whose Bitcoin holdings fell by an estimated 1,084 BTC as it funds its acquisition of W3C Corp; Fold Inc., down 178 BTC; and Cango Inc., down 331.3 BTC following a mining update.

A new financial ecosystem forming around STRC

What may be most significant about March isn’t the buying or selling — it’s the emerging ecosystem of financial products being built around STRC itself. At least five entities have disclosed allocations to STRC or plans to acquire it. Strive, the asset manager led by CEO Matt Cole, has committed $50 million — over one-third of its corporate treasury — calling STRC “an alternative to a USD reserve mainly made up of cash in low-yield money market funds”. 

DeFi protocol Apyx, which describes itself as the first dividend-backed stablecoin, held approximately 450,000 STRC shares worth $45 million as of early April, using the yield to back its apxUSD stablecoin.

Meanwhile, mutual funds and ETFs now hold more than $2 billion in digital credit products in aggregate, with STRC alone accounting for $591 million across datasets from Capital Group, BlackRock, Fidelity, VanEck, and others. 

BitcoinTreasuries.net frames this institutional on-ramp as particularly timely amid a private credit crisis in which some issuers have restricted retail fund withdrawals or capped redemptions — a structurally opaque system that, the report argues, compares unfavorably to Bitcoin-backed digital credit where collateral is on-chain and pricing is publicly visible.

Overall, the broader takeaway from March 2026: corporate Bitcoin adoption is not weakening, but it is concentrating. Strategy isn’t just the biggest player — it is increasingly the market itself, with an expanding financial architecture designed to keep accumulating regardless of where the price goes.

This post Strategy’s (MSTR) Bitcoin Ambition Is Reshaping Corporate Finance. Everyone Else Is Falling Behind first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Stacked (formerly Lightning Pay) launches self-custodial Lightning wallet as New Zealand’s last major non-custodial Bitcoin exchange

Formerly known as Lightning Pay, Stacked may be the only Bitcoin exchange left standing after a series of mergers and bankruptcies in the New Zealand crypto industry. Doubling down on their vision to make Bitcoin “useful as money,” they just launched a self-custodied Lightning wallet.

Found at StackedBitcoin.com, the company has taken a different path than larger exchanges in the country, which, according to Simon, co-founder and CRO of Stacked, are going all-in on selling custodial and paper bitcoin. Exchanges like Sharesies are built following the Robinhood model, with no path to withdraw crypto to self-custodied wallets. While EasyCrypto, a popular swap exchange that received user fiat and sent crypto back to user wallets — similar to the Bull Bitcoin model — was recently bought out by SwyFTX and shut down, funneling its userbase to the parent custodial exchange. 

Stacked, a 4-person company that’s seen significant growth in the country in recent years, believes this is the wrong direction for the local Bitcoin industry, and as such has launched a self-custodied Bitcoin and Lightning wallet that complements their own swap exchange offering. Users send fiat to Stacked and receive Bitcoin into their self-custodied wallet of choice. They can also pay utility bills or even their rent with Bitcoin through Stacked, who settle out the fiat recipients via New Zealand’s innovative Open Banking payments framework. 

The Stacked wallet, which features a sleek and modern design, uses Breez and Spark SDKs in the back end to provide users a stable and easy-to-use Bitcoin experience, with full Lightning Network integration. The app lets users purchase Bitcoin manually and on a schedule via Autostack a DCA style set it and forget it purchase feature. Users can also manage contacts in the app to pay with bitcoin on their end and deliver fiat to recipients. The country has no capital gains tax; instead, Bitcoin profits are taxed as income, resulting in what may be a much more favorable regulatory environment for hyper Bitcoinization.  

Stacked has been focusing its efforts to make Bitcoin useful as money in the Bitcoin Basin, a growing circular economy in Queenstown, New Zealand, which boasts around Bitcoin-accepting merchants to date. The company has created a dedicated website for the community and hosts regular events in the area, encouraging the local bitcoin economy. 

In the 2025 financial year, 227,000 New Zealanders were identified as unique cryptoasset users partaking in around 7 million transactions. Local cryptocurrency exchange volumes reached approximately NZ$7.8 billion. Stacked projects the local digital asset market will to generate revenue exceeding US$200 million in 2026. Nearly 50% of New Zealanders are current or prospective Bitcoin and digital asset investors, according to 2024 research by Protocol Theory.

This post Stacked (formerly Lightning Pay) launches self-custodial Lightning wallet as New Zealand’s last major non-custodial Bitcoin exchange first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Juan Galt.

Bitcoin Magazine

Tim Draper Confirmed as a Bitcoin 2026 Speaker

Tim Draper has been officially confirmed as a speaker at Bitcoin 2026. The founder of Draper Associates, DFJ, and the Draper Venture Network, Draper is one of the longest-standing and most vocal Bitcoin advocates in the venture capital world and one of the few investors who put real money behind the asset before it was widely taken seriously.

In June 2014, Draper made headlines by winning the U.S. Marshals auction of nearly 30,000 bitcoins seized from the Silk Road marketplace, spending approximately $19 million at a price of around $600 per coin. The bet has aged well. Draper has since invested in over 50 crypto companies, leading investments in Coinbase, Ledger, Tezos, and Bancor, among others. More recently, Draper led a $2.5 million pre-seed funding round in Ark Labs, a Bitcoin scaling startup building payment infrastructure, stating that “soon many people around the world will live on the Bitcoin standard.”

Draper Associates manages $2 billion in assets and has seeded some of the most valuable companies in history, including Tesla, SpaceX, Skype, Baidu, Coinbase, and Robinhood. His price conviction on Bitcoin remains intact. In a recent interview, Draper reiterated his $250,000 Bitcoin price target, rooted in the view that Bitcoin is in the middle of replacing the financial system itself describing it as infrastructure where contracts, payments, and ownership all move onchain without the layers of intermediaries that define today’s economy.

With over a decade of conviction behind him, Draper takes the Bitcoin 2026 stage as one of the asset’s earliest and most consistent voices, having put real money behind Bitcoin long before it was considered a credible institutional bet. Hear more from Tim Draper at Bitcoin 2026 taking place April 27–29 at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.

Bitcoin 2026 is Returning to Las Vegas

Bitcoin 2026 will take place April 27–29 at The Venetian, Las Vegas, and is expected to be the biggest Bitcoin event of the year.

Focused on the future of money, Bitcoin 2026 will bring together Bitcoin builders, investors, miners, policymakers, technologists, and newcomers from around the world. The event will feature a wide range of pass types, including general admission passes designed specifically for those new to Bitcoin, alongside premium passes for professionals, enterprises, and institutions.

With multiple stages, immersive experiences, technical workshops, and headline keynotes, Bitcoin 2026 is designed to serve both first-time attendees and long-time Bitcoiners shaping the next era of global adoption.

Past Bitcoin Conferences in the U.S.

Bitcoin’s flagship conference has scaled dramatically over the past five years:

• 2021 – Miami: 11,000 attendees
• 2022 – Miami: 26,000 attendees
• 2023 – Miami: 15,000 attendees
• 2024 – Nashville: 22,000 attendees
• 2025 – Las Vegas: 35,000 attendees

Get Your Bitcoin 2026 Pass

Bitcoin Magazine readers can save 10% on Bitcoin 2026 tickets using code ‘ARTICLE10‘ at checkout.

Stay at The official hotel of Bitcoin 2026, The Venetian, and get a guaranteed low rate plus 15% off your pass. Be in the middle of where the fun is all happening, and where the networking never ends.

And don’t forget:

Volunteer at Bitcoin 2026 and get Pro Pass access plus exclusive perks.

All students ages 13+ can apply for a Student Pass and get free general admission access to Bitcoin 2026.

For more information and exclusive offers, visit the Bitcoin Conference on X here.

Why Attend Bitcoin 2026?

Bitcoin 2026 is the definitive gathering for anyone serious about the future of money. With 500+ speakers, multiple world-class stages, and programming spanning Bitcoin fundamentals, open-source development, enterprise adoption, mining, energy, AI, policy, and culture, the conference brings every corner of the Bitcoin ecosystem together under one roof.

From headline keynotes on the Nakamoto Stage to deep technical sessions for builders, institutional strategy discussions for enterprises, and beginner-friendly Bitcoin 101 education, Bitcoin 2026 is designed for everyone—from first-time attendees to the leaders shaping Bitcoin’s global adoption.

Whether you’re looking to learn, build, invest, network, or influence, Bitcoin 2026 is where Bitcoin’s next chapter is written.

Bitcoin 2026 Pass Types: Something for Everyone

Bitcoin 2026 offers a range of pass options designed to meet the needs of newcomers, professionals, enterprises, and high-net-worth Bitcoiners alike.

Bitcoin 2026 General Admission Pass

Ideal for newcomers and those looking to experience the heart of the conference.

• Limited access on Days 2 & 3
• Entry to Main Stage
• Access to Genesis Stage
• Full access to the Expo Hall

Bitcoin 2026 Pro Pass

Designed for professionals, operators, and serious Bitcoin participants.

Includes all General Admission features, plus:

• Full 3-day access, including Pro Day
• Entry to the Pro Pass Reception
• Access to Enterprise Hall, Enterprise Stage, and Networking Lounge
• Conference App networking features
• Access to the Bitcoin For Corporations Symposium
• Entry to Compute Village and Energy Stage
• Complimentary lunch, coffee, tea, and snacks
• Dedicated registration and check-in
• Reserved seating at Main Stage
• Huge savings when you bundle your hotel and Pro Pass

Bitcoin 2026 Whale Pass

The all-inclusive, premium Bitcoin 2026 experience.

Includes all Pro Pass features, plus:

• Reserved seating at Main Stage
• All-inclusive gourmet food and beverages
• Entry to Whale Night and Whale Reception
• Access to all official after-parties
• Networking app access to connect with other Whales
• Premium access to The Deep — an exclusive networking lounge with intimate speaker sessions
• Complimentary stay at The Venetian when you bundle your whale pass and hotel (use promo code ‘WHALEHOTEL’ here)

This is the most immersive way to experience Bitcoin 2026.

Bitcoin 2026 After Hours Pass

Your ticket to the night.

Most deals are done with a drink in your hand. Get exclusive access to 3 official Bitcoin 2026 after-parties across Las Vegas — each with a 2-hour open bar — where the real conversations happen and the best connections are made.

• Access to 3 official Bitcoin 2026 after-parties
• 2-hour open bar at each event
• Evening events across Las Vegas, April 27–29
• Network with Bitcoiners, builders, and industry leaders after hours

More headline speaker announcements are coming soon.

Don’t miss Bitcoin 2026.

This post Tim Draper Confirmed as a Bitcoin 2026 Speaker first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Jenna Montgomery.

A high-profile departure from Bittensor has triggered a steep sell-off in the decentralized artificial intelligence network, wiping out nearly $900 million from its market capitalization in a matter of hours as internal disputes spill into public view.

On April 10, Covenant AI, the development team behind one of the network’s largest subnets, announced that it is abandoning the Bittensor ecosystem.

The exit of the developer who built a groundbreaking 72-billion-parameter AI model sent shockwaves through the crypto-AI sector and exposed deep ideological rifts over the network's governance.

Data from CryptoSlate showed that the price of Bittensor’s native token, TAO, plummeted 27% following the announcement, falling from $338 to a low of $285 within a two-hour window before recovering slightly to $294.

CoinGlass data also showed that the crash triggered $11 million in liquidations of long positions. Meanwhile, the collateral damage extended well beyond the core token; according to CoinGecko, over $300 million was wiped out from TAO’s broader subnet ecosystem.

Notably, the crisis abruptly halted a period of significant growth for the subnets. Over the past month, TAO has rallied 30%, driven by institutional interest and technological milestones. Just days before the crash, the network’s subnet token category boasted a combined market capitalization of over $1.5 billion.

Covenant leadership alleges Bittensor runs a ‘decentralization theatre'

At the center of the conflict are allegations of centralized control.

In a blistering statement on X, Covenant AI Founder Sam Dare accused Bittensor Co-founder Jacob Steeves, widely known in the community as Const, of operating the network as a “decentralization theatre.”

Dare wrote:

“The entire premise of Bittensor, the promise that drew builders, miners, validators, and investors into this ecosystem, is that no single entity controls it. That promise is a lie.”

Dare alleged that Steeves utilized unilateral power to reassert dominance over Covenant AI after the project grew too large to manage.

According to Dare, these actions included the sudden suspension of token emissions to Covenant's subnets, the revocation of the team's moderation capabilities over its own community channels, and the application of direct economic pressure through large, visible token sales timed to coincide with operational disputes.

Bittensor operates on a delegated structure, managed by a triumvirate that oversees a multisignature wallet for network upgrades.

However, Dare claimed this setup merely serves as a legal shield, arguing that Steeves maintains effective control and deploys network changes without decentralized consensus.

The statement reads:

“When a single actor can suspend a subnet's emissions, override an owner's authority… and use token sales as a coercive mechanism to compel compliance, that is not decentralization. It is centralized control with decentralized branding.”

Steeves has rejected these allegations on X, saying that he did not have “the ability to suspend emissions” to Covenant AI nor did he “deprecate Covenant’s channels and remove moderation rights.”

The Bittensor co-founder also stated that he sold less than 1% of what he had invested in Dare's projects.

A costly departure and ‘exit liquidity'

Despite the high-minded rhetoric regarding network governance, Covenant’s departure was marred by aggressive financial maneuvering that infuriated market participants.

Prior to the public announcement, Dare reportedly orchestrated a massive sell-off, liquidating 37,000 TAO worth of subnet alpha tokens across the Templar, Grail, and Basilica subnets.

The dump injected intense selling pressure into an already fragile market, functionally wiping out the portfolios of retail followers and investors tied to Covenant’s projects.

Crypto traders and analysts widely condemned the move as a blatant extraction of value.

The optics deteriorated further when a video on social media platform X purportedly showed Dare expressing exhaustion with the blockchain industry and a desire to “make a couple million dollars and leave.”

The juxtaposition of Dare’s governance complaints with his aggressive token dumping led to severe community backlash. Multiple users blasted the exit strategy as an egotistical and dishonorable way to settle internal network disputes, leaving retail investors to hold the bag.

A Discord spat turned into a market crash?

Inside accounts suggest the $900 million market wipeout may have stemmed from surprisingly trivial origins.

Siam Kidd, Chief Investment Officer of the Bittensor-focused DSV Fund, characterized the fallout as the culmination of an escalating interpersonal conflict rather than a genuine ideological crusade.

According to Kidd, the dispute ignited in a Discord server when Dare began deleting community messages amidst mounting user criticism. Steeves intervened by technically revoking Dare's ability to delete those messages.

This minor administrative clash reportedly escalated, prompting Steeves to sell a portion of the alpha tokens and prompting Dare to completely abandon the ecosystem.

Defending the network’s co-founder, Kidd argued that Steeves’ motives remain aligned with Bittensor’s long-term health.

He stated that “Const isn't some power-hungry troll reluctant to release control,” while brushing off the current volatility as standard “growth and teething issues” inherent to permissionless systems.

Bittensor's technical triumphs overshadowed

The acrimonious split is a major blow to Bittensor’s technical prestige as Covenant AI was not a fringe player within its ecosystem.

The project was the architect behind Subnet 3 (Templar), a decentralized training environment that essentially operated like Bitcoin mining for AI models.

Through this infrastructure, the team successfully trained Covenant-72B. Processing 1.1 trillion tokens across more than 70 independent contributors using standard consumer hardware, the project proved that decentralized, permissionless LLM training was viable.

The model achieved a 67.1 score on the standardized MMLU benchmark, putting it in direct competition with AI giants like Meta's Llama 2 70B.

This achievement drew high-profile validation from traditional tech titans. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya publicly praised the training methodology, framing it as a critical counterbalance to the proprietary models hoarded by Silicon Valley giants.

Covenant has vowed to take this technological framework with them to a new, undisclosed ecosystem.

Bittensor promises ecosystem resilience

In the wake of the crisis, Bittensor leadership is signaling a structural pivot to prevent future network destabilization.

While avoiding direct engagement with Dare’s specific accusations, Steeves announced that Bittensor will introduce “lock-based subnet ownership.”

This new framework is designed to explicitly tether a project's valuation to the long-term commitment of its development team.

Under the proposed mechanics, investors will have transparent, advanced notice if a subnet owner unlocks their tokens. This would allow the open market to proactively reprice a subnet before founders can use their communities as exit liquidity.

Furthermore, the system will allow investors to fluidly transfer their staked capital to alternative management teams. Steeves claims this will birth the first subnets that run “headless and as true commodities.”

At the same time, proponents of the network remain unfazed by the short-term market carnage as institutional interest in the project remains robust.

For context, Digital Currency Group’s Yuma continues to build across 14 different subnets. Additionally, the network is pressing ahead with plans to expand from 128 to 256 active subnets later this year, while the potential approval of a Grayscale TAO spot ETF looms.

The post Bittensor sheds $900 million in market value as key AI developer exits amid in-fighting appeared first on CryptoSlate.

March inflation has delivered a split result with one immediate consequence. US consumer prices accelerated hard enough to keep the Federal Reserve boxed in, while the softer core reading kept the next month alive as the real test.

That tension reaches well beyond macro calendars. Bitcoin has spent much of 2026 trading through rates, liquidity, and the price of money. When inflation jumps because fuel prices rise, the chain reaction runs from the pump to bond yields to risk appetite, and then into crypto.

The March data shows headline CPI rose 3.3% year over year, up from 2.4% in February, while monthly CPI came in at 0.9%. Core CPI rose 2.6% year over year and 0.2% month over month.

The jump is the biggest single-month increase since March 2021.

That leaves two truths sitting side by side. Inflation jumped, and the jump still looks concentrated enough that April and May data will decide whether this was a violent energy shock or the start of something broader.

For Bitcoin, that distinction shapes the path of liquidity, the odds of rate relief, and the room for any recovery rally to keep climbing.

Inflation jumped where households feel it first, and Bitcoin feels it a step later

The easiest way to understand this print is to start outside finance. US gasoline prices pushed back above $4 a gallon in early April, after the March energy shock that followed the disruption around the Strait of Hormuz. OECD estimates already reflect that wider energy shock, with G20 inflation now projected at 4.0% in 2026, 1.2 percentage points above the group’s previous projection.

In plain English, households saw fuel costs rise first, and the CPI report caught up with what drivers already knew.

That transmission channel is where crypto enters the picture. Bitcoin can rally on inflation in the long run when the market is focused on fiat dilution, scarce supply, and the value of hard assets. In this cycle, the market has worked through a different mechanism.

Bitcoin has behaved much more like a rates-sensitive risk asset, which CryptoSlate recently noted after job revisions and softer inflation data shifted the market’s focus back to discount rates and financial conditions.

A hot CPI print, especially one driven by fuel, lifts the barrier for easier money. That raises the cost of patience for every asset that depends on looser policy and stronger liquidity conditions.

The March report sharpens that tension. Headline inflation came in hot, exactly where the household squeeze lands. Core stayed softer, which keeps the door open to a one-off shock.

For markets, the next question sits with the Federal Reserve and the next round of inflation data. For anyone holding Bitcoin, the practical implication is even simpler.

A rally that depends on easier money becomes harder to sustain when inflation surges back into the system through energy, transport, and the cost base that feeds into everything else.

That also explains why consensus offers limited comfort here. The issue lies with the level and the direction. Inflation re-accelerated. The jump was large enough to keep pressure on real yields and the broader cost of capital, even if economists were already bracing for a strong print.

CryptoSlate’s March coverage captured the same dynamic during the oil panic, when Bitcoin sold off instead of acting like a safe haven. The market treated the shock as a liquidity problem first, and the March CPI provides another layer of evidence for that interpretation.

The Fed already leaned hawkish, and this print keeps the burden of proof on disinflation

The Federal Reserve entered April with a narrow path. In the March Summary of Economic Projections, officials lifted their 2026 inflation outlook and still showed a year-end fed funds median of 3.4%, with PCE inflation at 2.7% and core PCE also at 2.7%.

That forecast carried a simple message. Inflation was expected to remain above target, and policy relief would arrive slowly, if at all. The March CPI print adds stress to that framework because it raises the risk that energy keeps inflation elevated long enough to harden the Fed’s stance.

That risk sits at the center of Bitcoin’s macro problem. When policymakers worry that energy shocks will spill into broader prices, they hesitate to ease. When they hesitate to ease, real yields stay firm, and the hurdle rate for risk stays high.

Bitcoin then has to climb with less help from the macro backdrop. CryptoSlate’s recent stagflation analysis already framed that dilemma after markets swung from expecting cuts to entertaining a far more restrictive path. March CPI keeps that pressure alive.

Core inflation offers the only immediate counterweight. A 0.2% monthly core reading and 2.6% annual core reading suggest the shock has yet to spread cleanly through the whole inflation basket. That creates a live divide between the household pain of headline inflation and the narrower policy question of persistence.

The Fed will care about whether services, wage-sensitive categories, and the broader core complex begin to re-accelerate. Bitcoin holders should care for the same reason. If March proves temporary, the market can begin rebuilding a case for easier financial conditions later in the year. If April extends the pattern, the path tightens again.

This is where the next checkpoints carry more weight than the March print alone. Upcoming BLS releases, the next PCE report, and the April 28- 29 FOMC meeting will determine whether this was a sharp energy flare or the beginning of a broader price problem.

Oil prices have already responded to ceasefire headlines and renewed doubt over whether shipping disruptions will truly ease. Oil volatility around the ceasefire keeps the data live because every move in crude feeds back into the inflation path the Fed is trying to judge.

For now, Bitcoin remains downstream from that process.

Bitcoin still has one cushion, and it now needs macro pressure to cool fast

Bitcoin entered April in better shape than the first quarter suggested. On CryptoSlate’s Bitcoin price page, in the aftermath of the inflation data release, BTC traded around $72,100, up around 1% over 24 hours, 7% over 7 days, and 4% over 30 days, while remaining 43% below its October 2025 all-time high of $126,198.

That profile tells its own story. Bitcoin has stabilized, though the recovery still leaves limited room to absorb another macro headwind without help.

The main support has come from institutional demand, which has returned after a bruising period for ETF flows. CryptoSlate documented roughly $3.8 billion in spot Bitcoin ETF outflows over five weeks, then tracked the reversal as buyers stepped back into regulated wrappers.

That shift carries real weight because the market structure around Bitcoin now leans heavily on regulated capital flows and more lightly on purely crypto-native speculation. When the ETF pipe is open, Bitcoin can absorb more macro friction. When that pipe narrows, every inflation shock cuts deeper.

That leaves Bitcoin balancing on a narrow but understandable framework. The bullish path starts with energy pressure fading, headline inflation settling, and core staying contained enough for markets to rebuild confidence in eventual policy relief.

The bearish path starts with fuel costs bleeding further into transport, services, and inflation expectations, keeping yields firm and forcing risk assets to operate under tighter financial conditions for longer. CryptoSlate’s oil analysis laid out a similar structure weeks ago, when oil above central bank assumptions raised the bar for any immediate recovery in Bitcoin.

The live question now sits with the outcome. March CPI already told the market that inflation jumped. The next layer asks whether the jump remains concentrated enough to fade or continues spreading through the economy.

For Bitcoin, that difference decides whether April becomes a reset month that restores a path back toward easier money, or another reminder that the asset is still bound to the cost of capital and the discipline of macro data.

The next readings on inflation, oil, and Fed language will decide which path gains control.

The post US inflation soars to 3.3% in largest jump since 2021 – so why did Bitcoin barely move? appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin mining is still running on the subsidy, not demand.

That is the more useful place to start as we head into the next Bitcoin difficulty adjustment window, which CoinWarz now estimates for April 18, 2026, with difficulty projected to fall from 138.97 trillion to 132.14 trillion, a decline of 4.91%.

The schedule matters less than the structure underneath it. YCharts, using Blockchain.com data, showed daily Bitcoin transaction fees at 2.443 BTC on April 8, down 69% from a year earlier.

With the block subsidy fixed at 3.125 BTC and the network producing roughly 144 blocks a day, fees are still contributing only a sliver of miner revenue in BTC terms.

That leaves the next few weeks framed by a narrower and more useful question. If fees stay pinned near the floor, what actually determines miner survivability?

The answer starts with the revenue stack, then moves to the cost stack, then to the adaptation stack. Revenue still depends overwhelmingly on the subsidy and Bitcoin price.

Costs still depend on power, fleet efficiency, debt, and treasury policy. Adaptation depends on how much flexibility an operator has when mining alone no longer offers an attractive enough return on power and infrastructure.

The role of the coming difficulty is secondary. A lower difficulty target can ease pressure on operators by improving output per unit of hash when price and fees hold steady. In the current environment, that distinction shapes the entire operating map for miners.

Subsidy carries the revenue stack while fees stay close to the floor

Bitcoin miners get paid from two sources: the subsidy and fees. Subsidy is the protocol-level issuance attached to each block. Fees are the extra amount users pay to get transactions confirmed.

In stronger on-chain environments, the fee layer becomes a genuine contributor to miner economics. In weaker ones, it shrinks back toward irrelevance, leaving miners tied much more directly to Bitcoin's market price.

That is where conditions sit now. A recent snapshot from mempool.space showed low-, medium-, and high-priority transactions clustered around 1 sat/vB. YCharts put the average Bitcoin transaction fee at $0.3335 on April 8, down 80.53% from a year earlier. The network is still functioning smoothly, blocks are still getting mined, and users are still getting access to block space cheaply.

For miners, the revenue implication is straightforward. Fee income is providing very little incremental support. Bitcoin sits around $71,800 on April 10, up 7.4% over the past seven days and 3.1% over the past 30 days. That move helps, though mainly through the value of the subsidy rather than through any revival in user-paid demand for block space.

The scale of the imbalance is large enough to define the frame on its own. Bitcoin still produces about 144 blocks a day. At 3.125 BTC per block, that means around 450 BTC in newly issued subsidy every day before fees. Against that base, the April 8 total fee figure of 2.443 BTC suggests fees contribute roughly half of 1% of miner revenue in BTC terms.

This is why the live question is what keeps miners alive when the fee layer is barely helping. The next reset still belongs in the analysis, though it belongs in the right place.

A lower difficulty setting can improve economics at the fleet level because miners require less computational work to find a block. It can ease the pressure. Miner survivability over the next few weeks will still be determined largely by price, efficiency, power costs, debt, and treasury discipline. Power costs, machine quality, debt loads, and treasury policy decide who bends first

Once the revenue side is stripped down to subsidy plus price, the cost stack becomes much easier to see. Miner survivability depends on who can produce Bitcoin at a cost that still leaves room for operating cash flow.

That comes down to the price of electricity, the efficiency of the fleet, the cost of hosting, the level of debt on the balance sheet, and whether management has sufficient treasury flexibility to avoid selling in weak conditions.

CoinShares gives the clearest external framework for that hierarchy. In its Q1 2026 mining report, CoinShares said Q4 2025 was the toughest quarter for miners since the 2024 halving and put the weighted average public-miner cash production cost near $79,995 per BTC in Q4 2025.

That figure does give a clear sense of how narrow the spread had become across the listed space. CoinShares also said any miner below an S19 XP paying 6 cents per kilowatt-hour or more was losing money at $30 per PH/day.

That helps build a much sharper three-tier hierarchy.

The first tier is made up of low-cost operators with modern fleets, favorable hosting or self-mined power, and balance sheets that can absorb volatility without immediate forced selling.

These miners still face pressure in a low-fee market, though they have sufficient efficiency and financial flexibility to ride it out. Their problem is margin compression, not immediate survivability.

The second tier is the disciplined middle. These operators can remain viable, though only with tighter treasury management, more selective deployment, slower expansion, and a harder filter on capital spending.

They can survive the next few weeks if Bitcoin price holds up and if the projected difficulty cut lands close to current expectations. They still have much less room for error than the top tier because the fee layer is offering so little support.

The third tier is where the real strain sits. These are higher-cost legacy fleets, operators running older machines, miners with weaker power economics, and firms carrying capital structures that do not give them much time.

This group breaks first because weak fees remove the one revenue line that could have softened a difficult quarter. For them, the question is often no longer about growth. It is about curtailment, site-by-site triage, machine shutdowns, opportunistic treasury sales, and whether any part of the fleet still deserves incremental capital.

This is the operating leverage point that mining coverage often blurs. Price still matters here, although mainly as an input into hashprice and cash margins. CoinShares estimated that hashprice could rise to around $37 per PH/day if Bitcoin recovered to $100,000 and to roughly $59 per PH/day if it retested $126,000.

Those ranges show how quickly conditions can improve when the price moves far enough. They also show why the current environment still feels tight. Bitcoin has stabilized, though it remains well below the levels that would create broader comfort across the mining stack.

That leaves treasury policy as a more important variable than usual. Operators with stronger treasuries can hold through periods of weak fees and middling hashprice.

Operators with less flexibility have to decide sooner whether to sell BTC, cut capex, idle older rigs, or pull back from marginal sites. In a market where the subsidy is doing almost all the work, treasury management becomes part of the production model.

Curtailment, fleet triage, and the AI pivot define the adaptation stack into the next reset window

Once revenue stays thin and the cost stack tightens, the next question is adaptation. What do miners actually do when pure Bitcoin mining stops offering enough operating leverage?

The first adaptation is curtailment. Operators shut off higher-cost machines, reduce exposure at weaker sites, and preserve cash while waiting for better price conditions or a more favorable difficulty profile.

The second is fleet triage. Capital is directed toward the most efficient hardware and the best-performing sites, while older machines remain online only if they can still cover power and hosting costs.

The third is strategic diversification, where miners begin looking beyond Bitcoin mining itself and ask what their power, land, cooling, and data center assets might earn in adjacent markets.

In its report, CoinShares said listed miners have announced more than $70 billion in cumulative AI and HPC contracts and could derive as much as 70% of revenue from AI by year-end, up from about 30% now.

That projection says a great deal about how miners are ranking their options. A site with sufficient power access and data center potential may earn more from another workload than from mining Bitcoin in a low-fee environment.

Weak fees also lower the relative attractiveness of mining compared with other compute-intensive businesses competing for the same infrastructure footprint. A miner does not need ideological conviction to make that shift.

The next reset window still gives the market a clear near-term test. CoinWarz places the next difficulty adjustment on April 18, with the projected move pointing lower to 132.14 trillion. If that adjustment lands near expectations, miners should get some marginal relief on output economics. The sharper question comes after that. Does anything in the fee layer actually change?

A meaningful improvement would require a firmer Bitcoin price, a visible fee rebound, or both. Without a fee recovery, a lower difficulty setting still leaves miners dependent on subsidy and price.

Over the next few weeks, the winners are likely to be miners with efficient fleets, better power economics, stronger treasury control, and enough strategic flexibility to shift capacity where returns are highest.

The losers are likely to be miners that need fee support to compensate for legacy equipment, high power costs, or fragile balance sheets.

Bitcoin mining is still producing blocks on schedule, and the next difficulty adjustment may give operators some relief.

The deeper condition remains the same. Demand for block space is contributing very little, and miner survivability is being determined by who can endure a weak-fee environment long enough for either price, fees, or both to improve.

The post Bitcoin miner fees are close to zero as cost to mine nears $80,000 with difficulty about to drop 5% appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The Trump administration and the broader crypto industry have initiated an unprecedented, multi-agency pressure campaign aimed at forcing the Senate to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, signaling a decisive final push to overhaul the regulatory framework of the $2.4 trillion cryptocurrency market before the 2026 midterm elections.

In a highly synchronized effort this week, the Treasury Department, the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) unleashed a barrage of reports, op-eds, and proposed rules.

The coordinated moves are designed to strip away the traditional banking lobby’s remaining arguments against the bill and corner the Senate Banking Committee into holding a long-delayed markup.

The overarching message from the executive branch to lawmakers is stark: The regulatory infrastructure is built, the economic risks have been debunked, and time is running out.

Related Reading

CLARITY Act deadline in weeks could kill stablecoin earnings and push money into Bitcoin

A Senate breakthrough on CLARITY could formalize a US market structure in which Bitcoin becomes the clearest institutional winner.

Mar 31, 2026 · Gino Matos

In an April 8 post on X, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said:

“Congress has spent the better part of half a decade trying to pass a framework to onshore the future of finance. It is time for the Senate Banking Committee to hold a markup and send the CLARITY Act to President Trump’s desk.”

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse expressed similar support for the bill, while pointing out that “progress [was better than] perfection.”

The CLARITY Act, which passed the House with a bipartisan 294-134 vote in July 2025, has languished in the Senate for nearly a year. The primary bottleneck has been an intense lobbying war between traditional financial institutions and the digital asset industry over how the legislation treats yield-bearing stablecoins.

Banks have argued that allowing stablecoins to pay interest could trigger a massive flight of deposits, crippling traditional lending. However, the White House has moved aggressively to neutralize that narrative.

White House dismantles banking industry arguments

In a direct challenge to banking groups, the White House Council of Economic Advisers released a report concluding that stablecoin yields pose no significant threat to traditional lending.

The council estimated that banning yields on stablecoins would increase total US bank lending by just $2.1 billion. In the context of the $12 trillion US lending market, that represents a negligible 0.02% shift, with community banks projected to gain just $500 million.

Conversely, economists warned that prohibiting stablecoin yields would impose an $800 million annual welfare loss on American consumers, depriving them of interest on their digital assets.

According to the report:

“The conditions for finding a positive welfare effect from prohibiting yield are similarly implausible. In short, a yield prohibition would do very little to protect bank lending, while forgoing the consumer benefits of competitive returns on stablecoin holdings.”

The public dismantling of the bank lobby’s economic defense removes crucial political cover for Senate Republicans who have hesitated to advance the bill.

It frames the delay not as a matter of systemic economic protection, but as the entrenchment of the financial status quo at the expense of American innovation.

Notably, President Donald Trump had previously amplified the administration's stance, publicly criticizing traditional banks for obstructing the legislation. The president accused the banking sector of using the disagreements over stablecoin yields to hold both the CLARITY Act “hostage.”

Against this backdrop, James Thorne, chief marketing strategist at Wellington Altus, noted that “the entrenchment of the status quo has significantly impeded the societal integration of blockchain technology.”

He added:

“A coordinated alignment of interests between the administration and Wall Street has effectively delayed technological progress, setting back innovation by several years relative to its potential trajectory. Can we please finally get the Clarity Act passed for heaven’s sakes.”

Regulators signal readiness for CLARITY Act with ‘Project Crypto’

As the White House provided intellectual cover for the bill, the nation’s top financial market regulators moved to eliminate another frequent congressional excuse: bureaucratic unreadiness.

In separate posts on X, SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Mike Selig publicly declared that their respective agencies have already laid the groundwork to implement the sweeping jurisdictional changes required by the CLARITY Act.

The legislation fundamentally alters market structure by creating a mechanism for digital assets to transition from SEC-regulated securities to CFTC-regulated digital commodities once they achieve sufficient decentralization.

“Project Crypto is designed so once Congress acts, the SEC and CFTC are ready to implement the CLARITY Act,” Atkins said Wednesday. “Secretary Bessent is right. It’s time for Congress to future-proof against rogue regulators and advance comprehensive market structure legislation to President Trump’s desk.”

Selig echoed the sentiment, explicitly framing the legislation as a necessary bulwark against future shifts in political winds. He wrote:

“It’s time to future-proof digital asset markets in America with legislation that can’t be undone by rogue regulators under a new administration. Chair Atkins and I stand ready to implement CLARITY.”

Treasury deploys the regulatory stick

While the administration dangled the carrot of market-structure clarity, it simultaneously wielded a heavy regulatory stick.

On April 8, a joint proposal from the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and the Office of Foreign Assets Control outlined strict new controls for stablecoin businesses.

The rules serve as the implementation phase of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, or GENIUS Act, which Trump signed into law in July 2025.

The proposed framework formally classifies stablecoin issuers operating in the US as “financial institutions” under the Bank Secrecy Act. The rules mandate that issuers establish rigorous anti-money-laundering and sanctions-compliance programs, effectively turning crypto firms into bank-like gatekeepers.

Crucially, the proposal requires stablecoin issuers to engineer their tokens with the technical capability to “block, freeze, and reject” transactions that violate US law or sanctions. Issuers will also be expected to serve as active allies in FinCEN’s pursuit of entities identified as primary money-laundering concerns.

However, the Treasury Department signaled a degree of deference to the industry, noting that firms running appropriate prevention programs would generally be safe from enforcement actions absent a “significant or systemic failure.”

The timing of the FinCEN and OFAC rules is highly strategic. By aggressively tightening the leash on stablecoin issuers regarding illicit finance, the Treasury Department is demonstrating to skeptical lawmakers that the administration takes national security seriously.

Bessent said in a statement:

“This proposal will protect the US financial system from national security threats without hindering American companies’ ability to forge ahead in the payment stablecoin ecosystem.”

Without the broader market structure provided by the CLARITY Act, the stablecoin framework established by the GENIUS Act is incomplete, leaving decentralized exchanges and tokenized assets in a regulatory gray area.

Midterm pressures and global competition

Meanwhile, the administration’s full-court press is driven by a closing legislative window. With the 2026 midterm elections fast approaching, the political calendar threatens to consume congressional bandwidth. A shift in the balance of power in Congress could stall cryptocurrency legislation indefinitely.

Industry advocates warn that the United States cannot afford further delays. Nearly one in six Americans currently holds some form of digital asset, and regulatory uncertainty has actively pushed crypto development offshore to jurisdictions with clearer rules, such as Abu Dhabi and Singapore.

Jake Chervinsky, CEO of the Hyperliquid Policy Center, said:

“The CLARITY Act is the most urgent policy priority in D.C. right now. The bill has improved dramatically since the Senate Banking markup in January. If those changes hold, the bill is a ‘must pass’ for crypto. But time is short. Congress must act soon, or we’ll miss our chance.”

David Sacks, chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, noted that the executive branch has done its part, and the burden now rests entirely on Capitol Hill. He said:

“The GENIUS Act established US leadership on stablecoins. The CLARITY Act would do the same for all other digital assets by providing clear rules of the road…Senate Banking, and then the full Senate, should pass market structure. I’m confident that they will. And then President Trump will sign this landmark bill into law.”

Whether the Senate Banking Committee relents to the administration’s pressure campaign before election-year politics overtake the legislative agenda will determine the future of the U.S. digital asset market for years to come.

The post CLARITY Act faces White House blitz as Treasury and SEC flood Senate with coordinated pressure this week appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Money market Dolomite users are at risk of bad debt because the WLFI token is used as collateral under the WLFI Markets initiative.

By World Liberty's own description, WLFI Markets is only an interface, as Dolomite smart contracts handle the lending logic, collateral rules, and liquidations underneath.

The model explains how a Trump-linked venture could launch a branded lending market, with WLFI-supported collateral from day one, and why responsibility gets blurry the moment outside lenders start asking who approved the design and who bears the downside if it breaks.

The visible trigger is a large WLFI-backed stablecoin borrow, recently reported in the tens of millions, that pushed USD1 pool utilization past 100% and sent supplier rates sharply higher.

Dolomite's own documentation warns that risky collateral can expose the protocol to bad debt and describes “vaporizations,” the state in which liquidation exhausts collateral while debt persists and spreads across liquidity suppliers.

World Liberty built its lending product on top of Dolomite's protocol, as stated in its January 2025 launch materials, which included WLFI, ETH, cbBTC, USDC, and USDT as supported collateral assets and framed the product as a way to expand USD1 utility.

WLFI acquired a ready-made lending engine, enabled fast product launch, and provided immediate utility for its own tokens, while Dolomite owned the most failure-prone layer.

WLFI's overview notes that the interface does not custody assets, issue loans, or control protocol behavior. All supply, borrowing, repayment, withdrawal, and liquidation functions execute through Dolomite smart contracts.

Its terms state that users conduct transactions directly with WLFI Markets through Dolomite and are responsible for evaluating the risks of interacting with the brand.

That accountability hinges on brand on top and risk engine underneath, and was the product's architecture from the start.

The front end and the back end

WLFI's disclaimer establishes its right to an integration and marketing fee from Dolomite. Reports noted that President Donald Trump's family held claims to 75% of net revenues from token sales and 60% of net revenues from operations.

By the time insiders took their cuts, calculations pointed to about 5% of the $550 million raised to date would remain with the venture to build the platform.

The collateral decision was a governed choice, documented in Dolomite's own governance materials. The money market's framework for asset listings requires price oracles, DEX liquidity, historical volatility, holder concentration, redemption mechanics during liquidation, and whether the protocol or DAO provides initial liquidity.

WLFI's concepts page says risk parameters are set by Dolomite governance and can change over time, while Dolomite's governance docs confirm that asset listings and parameter updates can be processed through DAO processes or by operators for management purposes.

The public materials establish that the WLFI configuration was acceptable, but leave the decision-makers unnamed.

The warning was public

Dolomite's risk documentation explicitly describes the guardrails it can apply to risky assets: supply caps, collateral-only modes, borrow-only modes, and strict-debt configurations.

The same docs warn that allowing risky assets as collateral can expose the protocol to bad debt if prices crash.

WLFI launched as supported collateral on the Ethereum mainnet on day one, leaving open the question of what governed the decision about WLFI's specific configuration if the guardrails existed.

Dolomite's own admin-transaction repository shows that WLFI's market limits were repeatedly raised from 635 million to 900 million, then to 2 billion, then to 5.1 billion WLFI.

In the bull case, the structure survives and produces better architecture. Parameters tighten, the governance trail for who approved what becomes visible, supply caps or strict-debt modes limit WLFI-specific exposure, and the accountability split becomes an acknowledged feature.

Dolomite's own framework already encompasses all of those tools.

In the bear case, growth incentives keep outrunning guardrails. WLFI continues to benefit from token utility, brand distribution, and integration economics, and Dolomite absorbs the hard risk-engine role.

The next time utilization spikes, each side has a ready-made script: WLFI points to the interface-only language, Dolomite points to decentralized protocol design, and lenders absorb the gap between those disclaimers.

That outcome fits the current fee structure, the user-risk language in both sets of docs, and public records that stop short of naming the specific person who approved the WLFI collateral configuration.

The accountability gap

Ethics commentators flagged conflict risks around World Liberty as Trump oversees US crypto policy, Democratic lawmakers seek records tied to potential conflicts, and USD1 featured in a $2 billion Abu Dhabi-linked Binance investment.

The “Super Nodes” tier, which requires users to lock up the equivalent of $5 million in WLFI to access the protocol's team, added a dimension of preferential access. Those details raise the governance threshold for any venture operating at this level of political proximity.

A Federal Reserve staff note published on Apr. 8 reported that stablecoins had reached roughly $317 billion in aggregate market cap as of Apr. 6 and identified three specific vulnerabilities: more complex intermediation chains, greater vertical integration, and greater opacity about the source of stress.

The WLFI/Dolomite structure meets each criterion by providing a branded front end, third-party lending infrastructure, token incentives concentrated at the front end, and stablecoin pools beneath it.

White-label crypto finance can scale distribution faster than it scales accountability, and the Fed's framework says that gap is exactly where stress amplifies.

Outside lenders supplied USD1 and USDC to shared pools, while WLFI supplied the brand, collected fees, and disclaimed liability for protocol performance per its own terms. Dolomite supplied the risk engine and, per its own docs, warned that risky collateral could create bad debt.

Accountability for whether WLFI met that standard was diffuse by design. If the position eventually produces a shortfall, each party has a documented basis to point elsewhere, while lenders absorb whatever gap is left by those disclaimers.

The post How Trump-linked WLFI set up a lending model where lenders pay the price of failure appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Pulse, a player in the health-wearable DePIN space, has officially announced it is shutting down its independent operations.

In a candid message to its community, Pulse revealed that it has entered an agreement to transition its users to the JStyle app, its OEM partner. This move marks the end of a vision that sought to reward users for health data, falling victim to the "unforgiving" capital requirements of the hardware industry and a shifting investment landscape that has pivoted toward AI.

Is Pulse Shutting Down?

Yes, Pulse is sunsetting its app and website. The company has confirmed it can no longer scale due to a lack of capital. Users have until May 14, 2026, to migrate their data and transition to the JStylePro app to maintain device functionality.

What is DePIN and Why is it Struggling?

DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) refers to protocols that use crypto-incentives to build and maintain real-world hardware networks—from WiFi routers to health sensors.

While software-based protocols can scale with minimal overhead, DePIN projects face massive "CapEx" (Capital Expenditure). They must design, manufacture, and ship physical goods. Pulse’s failure stems from a DePIN funding gap, where venture capital for physical infrastructure lagged behind the hype of liquid tokens and AI agents, leaving hardware-heavy firms with empty treasuries.

The Pivot to AI: A Case of "Too Little, Too Late"

The Pulse team admitted that they attempted to pivot toward Artificial Intelligence to capture the 2026 market momentum. However, the complexity of integrating AI into a failing hardware business proved insurmountable.

In the current crypto news cycle, projects that didn't secure long-term runway during the 2024-2025 bull run are now facing a "liquidity wall." Pulse’s experience shows that in the high-speed world of Web3, a pivot must happen before the burn rate consumes the core product.

Action Plan for Pulse Users: How to Save Your Data

If you own a Pulse wearable, the transition is mandatory to keep your device from becoming "e-waste."

Step-by-Step Transition Guide

• Firmware Upgrade: Open your existing Pulse app and install the latest firmware. This is required for compatibility with the new partner app.
• Download JStylePro: Access the new interface via the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
• Data Export: Visit pulse.site/export immediately to download your historical health metrics.
• The Deadline: The Pulse ecosystem will be sunset on May 14, 2026. After this date, no data recovery will be possible.

Analyzing the 2026 Market: Why Companies Build and Quit

Pulse is part of a larger trend of "build and quit" cycles in the crypto space. Many projects raised significant seed rounds during the 2024 craze but failed to build a sustainable business model that didn't rely on token price appreciation.

Bittensor (TAO) is currently weathering its most significant crisis to date. In a staggering 12-hour window, the TAO price crashed by 27%, effectively erasing nearly $900 million from its total market capitalization.

The sell-off was triggered by the sudden departure of Covenant AI, one of the network's most prominent contributors. This exit was not a quiet one; the team accompanied their withdrawal with a scathing critique of the protocol's governance, accusing the leadership of maintaining a "decentralized theater" while exercising absolute control.

Did TAO Price Crash?

As of April 10, 2026, the Bittensor ($TAO) price sits at $263, representing a 24-hour decline of approximately 19%. This volatility has resulted in over $9 million in TAO long positions being liquidated, as the market reacted to reports that Covenant AI offloaded 37,000 TAO tokens, valued at more than $10 million.

What is Bittensor and who is Covenant AI?

Bittensor is a decentralized machine learning protocol that allows various "subnets" to compete and provide AI services in exchange for TAO rewards. Covenant AI was the developer behind some of the most successful subnets, including Subnet 3 (Templar), which recently made headlines for training large-scale AI models on decentralized infrastructure.

Why did Covenant AI Abandon Ship

The turmoil began when Sam Dare, founder of Covenant AI, published an open letter announcing the immediate withdrawal of their three subnets: Templar, Basilica, and Grail. The decision comes after months of behind-the-scenes friction regarding how the network is managed.

According to the statement, Covenant AI alleges that:

• Centralized Control: The founder of Bittensor, Jacob Steeves (known as "Const"), reportedly holds unilateral power over emission schedules.
• Economic Sabotage: The team claims their emissions (rewards) were halted as a punitive measure during a private dispute.
• Market Manipulation: Allegations surfaced that the core team used their large token holdings to apply downward pressure on the market during negotiations.

Market Impact and Liquidations

The exit of such a pivotal player created a vacuum of confidence. According to data from CoinMarketCap, TAO fell from its weekly high near $337 to a local low of $263. This sharp move caught many leveraged traders off guard.

• Total Liquidations: ~$9.2 million (primarily longs).
• Market Cap Loss: ~$880 million in 12 hours.
• Subnet Performance: Related subnet tokens collapsed by over 55% following the news.

Should you Sell TAO Coin?

While the broader AI crypto sector has been bullish throughout early 2026, Bittensor's internal governance issues have created a "decoupling" effect. While competitors are trading on utility and growth, TAO is currently trading on reputational risk.

Investors are now questioning the "Triple Multi-sig" governance structure that Bittensor has long championed. If one of the largest subnet operators can be forced out through administrative pressure, the "decentralized" label becomes difficult to defend.

The road ahead for Bittensor depends on two factors:

• Founder Response: Whether the Bittensor Foundation can provide transparent evidence refuting the centralization claims.
• Subnet Migration: Whether other developers follow Covenant AI's lead or stay to fill the gap left by the Templar subnet.

Japan has officially moved to recognize cryptocurrency as a financial asset. This legislative pivot marks a departure from the previous "payment instrument" classification under the Payment Services Act (PSA), transitioning oversight to the more rigorous Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA).

The move is not merely a semantic change; it is a strategic maneuver by the Japanese government to integrate digital assets into the traditional financial system. This transition aims to enhance investor protection, foster institutional entry, and significantly reform one of the world's most debated crypto tax regimes.

Japan Crypto News: A New Status for Crypto

To address the core development: Yes, the Japanese Cabinet has approved the bill to reclassify 105 cryptocurrencies—including $Bitcoin and $Ethereum—as financial assets. This bill is expected to pass through the Diet (Japan's parliament) in the second quarter of 2026, with full enforcement slated for early 2027.

From "Money" to "Investment"

Previously, Japan treated crypto as a "property value" used primarily for payments. Under the new framework:

• Old Status (PSA): Regulated as a means of payment, similar to prepaid cards or electronic money.
• New Status (FIEA): Regulated as a financial instrument, putting it on the same legal footing as stocks, bonds, and derivatives.

This reclassification allows for more sophisticated financial products, such as spot Bitcoin ETFs, to potentially gain approval in the Japanese market.

The Tax Revolution: A Flat 20% Rate

One of the most significant implications of this bill is the long-awaited reform of crypto taxation. Historically, Japan has been known for its "punitive" tax rates, where crypto gains were treated as miscellaneous income, subject to progressive rates as high as 55%.

By treating crypto as a financial asset, investors can now offset losses against gains over a three-year period, a standard practice in the equities and stock markets.

Institutional and VC Expansion

The bill also codifies earlier initiatives allowing Japanese Venture Capital (VC) firms to hold and invest in crypto assets directly through Limited Partnerships (LPS). Previously, Japanese VCs were restricted to equity, forcing many Web3 startups to seek funding from foreign entities.

This change, supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's "New Capitalism" policy, which identifies Web3 as a pillar for Japan's future economic growth.

Market Integrity and Investor Protection

By moving under the FIEA, crypto exchanges in Japan will now be subject to:

• Strict Disclosure Requirements: Mandatory reporting for all listed tokens.
• Insider Trading Prohibitions: Applying the same anti-manipulation rules found in the stock market.
• Segregation of Assets: Strengthening the already robust requirements for holding user funds in cold storage.

Oil Back at $100 Is Shaking Global Markets

Global markets are entering a critical phase as oil prices surge back above the $100 mark. This move is not just a headline — it is a macro shock that is already impacting equities, bonds, and crypto markets alike.

The rise in oil is driven by escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route. Even limited disruptions are enough to tighten supply expectations and push prices higher.

👉 And crypto is reacting — but not fully yet.

Bitcoin is holding above $70,000, while Ethereum and altcoins are showing mild weakness. This suggests hesitation rather than panic — a market waiting for confirmation.

Why Oil Prices Matter for Crypto More Than Ever

At first glance, oil and crypto may seem unrelated. In reality, they are now deeply connected through macroeconomic conditions.

Here’s the chain reaction:

• Oil prices rise
• Inflation increases
• Central banks delay rate cuts
• Liquidity tightens
• Risk assets like crypto come under pressure

👉 This is the exact environment we are entering.

With oil back above $100, inflation could remain elevated longer than expected — forcing the Federal Reserve to maintain restrictive policies.

For crypto, this is not bullish in the short term.

Inflation Data Confirms the Pressure Is Not Gone

Recent economic data reinforces this narrative:

• Core PCE inflation remains around 3%
• Jobless claims came slightly above expectations but remain low
• Economic growth is slowing but not collapsing

👉 This creates a dangerous mix:

• Inflation is still too high
• Growth is weakening

This is the definition of a stagflation-like environment, which historically puts pressure on risk assets.

Crypto Market Reaction: Calm Before the Storm?

Despite these developments, crypto markets are not crashing.

• Bitcoin (~$70K) remains stable
• Ethereum (~$2.1K) is slightly down
• Altcoins are seeing controlled declines

👉 This is not a panic — it’s positioning.

Markets are waiting for a clearer signal, especially from institutional flows that will return with full force when traditional markets reopen.

Why Monday Could Decide Everything

The current market conditions are deceptive.

Over the weekend, liquidity is lower, and price movements can be misleading. The real reaction will likely happen when Wall Street fully digests the macro situation.

👉 Monday becomes a key catalyst.

Institutions will react to:

• Oil above $100
• Inflation staying elevated
• Rate cut expectations shifting
• Geopolitical risks

This could trigger a strong directional move in crypto.

Key Bitcoin Levels to Watch Next

If macro pressure increases:

• First support: $68,000
• Major support: $65,000

If markets stabilize:

• Resistance: $72,000
• Breakout zone: $75,000+

👉 A break in either direction could define the next trend.

The Bigger Picture: Crypto Is Now a Macro Asset

This cycle is different.

Crypto is no longer driven purely by internal narratives like halving cycles or token launches.

Instead, it is increasingly reacting to:

• Oil prices
• Interest rate expectations
• Global liquidity
• Geopolitical risk

👉 In short: crypto has become a macro-sensitive asset.

Conclusion: Expect Volatility, Not Stability

The return of $100 oil is not just an energy story — it is a warning signal for global markets.

For crypto, this means one thing:

👉 The next move is likely to be sharp and decisive.

Whether it’s a breakout or a breakdown will depend less on crypto news — and more on macro developments in the coming days.

Currently trading at $1.33, many investors are asking: Is XRP still a "must-have" for a diversified crypto portfolio? This analysis breaks down the current market positioning, the distance from its historical peaks, and the fundamental drivers for the remainder of 2026.

Is XRP Worth It?

For investors looking for a quick answer: XRP remains a high-utility asset that has finally shed its regulatory "handcuffs." While its price action remains more conservative than high-beta meme coins, its integration into the global financial "plumbing" via the XRP Ledger and stablecoin initiatives like RLUSD makes it a staple for those seeking institutional-grade exposure.

Understanding XRP’s Position: Current Price and ATH Gap

To understand if XRP is "worth it," we must look at where it stands relative to its history.

• Current Price (April 2026): $1.33
• 2025 Local High: $3.65 (reached in July 2025 following the ETF hype)
• All-Time High (2018): $3.84
• Distance from ATH: ~65% below the 2018 peak.

Unlike $Bitcoin, which has frequently tested and broken new ground, $XRP is still in a multi-year recovery phase. This "gap" represents either a significant opportunity for growth or a sign of long-term resistance. However, with the CLARITY Act moving through the Senate in April 2026, the legislative tailwinds have never been stronger.

XRP Analysis: Why XRP in Your Portfolio?

The value proposition of XRP in 2026 is no longer based on rumors. It is built on three distinct pillars:

1. Institutional Inflows and ETFs

The launch of spot XRP ETFs has been a game-changer. Reports from early 2026 indicate that institutional investors plan to increase their XRP exposure from 18% to 25% this year. Unlike retail-driven pumps, ETF inflows provide a consistent "floor" for the crypto market price action.

2. Real-World Asset (RWA) Tokenization

The XRP Ledger (XRPL) has emerged as a leader in tokenizing assets. From just $24.7 million in early 2025, the value of tokenized assets on the XRPL has surged to over $2 billion by March 2026. This utility gives the token intrinsic value beyond simple cross-border payments.

3. Regulatory Certainty

With the SEC case officially closed and both parties withdrawing appeals in late 2025, Ripple is now expanding its US operations. According to Reuters, the clarity provided by US courts has made XRP one of the few digital assets with a clear "non-security" status for retail transactions.

XRP Price Prediction: Q2 2026 and Beyond

Technically, XRP is navigating a consolidation phase between $1.15 and $1.60.

Should You Buy XRP Coin Now?

When building a portfolio, XRP serves as a "Bridge Asset." It typically shows lower volatility than $Solana or newer Layer 1s, but offers higher stability.

• For Conservative Investors: XRP is a strong "Hold." Its inclusion in regulated exchange-traded products makes it a safer bet than unproven altcoins.
• For Aggressive Traders: The $1.30 range is a strategic entry point for a "buy the dip" play, targeting the $1.60 resistance level in the short term.

Privacy-focused coin Zcash is soaring higher than Bitcoin. Myriad predictors think ZEC is likely to keep rising after a massive gain.

The feature lets users spend crypto directly from a self-custodial wallet.

Treasury and Federal Reserve officials reportedly alerted banks to cybersecurity risks tied to Anthropic’s advanced new Mythos AI model.

Onlookers expressed concerns that Dolomite’s protocol could be stuck with bad debt if World Liberty’s loans were unwound.

BitTensor's native token, TAO, has fallen more than 18% amid public fallout between a leading subnet operator and the AI network's founder.

Hyperliquid's HYPE hits a record against Coinbase stock as daily volume surges to $8.28 billion, highlighting growing dominance in on-chain derivatives and tokenized oil and gold.

Dogecoin moves toward quantum future with recent experimentation gaining attention.

XRP's exchange activity turns bullish as demand continues to intensify, and balances left on exchanges drop notably to about 2.74 billion.

Key Cardano growth metrics have flipped positive in an attempt to displace Hyperliquid.

XRP market is seeing a tilt toward important rebalancing that investors should not be ignoring.

Key Highlights

• French authorities advocate for enhanced MiCA regulations focusing on dollar-pegged stablecoins
• Enhanced MiCA enforcement introduces mandatory disclosure requirements for non-custodial wallets
• France challenges stablecoin market concentration through reinforced MiCA provisions
• MiCA regulatory expansion accelerates as France intensifies digital asset supervision
• France implements broader crypto transparency measures and stablecoin restrictions via MiCA

French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework, implementing enhanced surveillance on stablecoins and privately-held digital assets. This initiative demonstrates growing apprehension regarding dollar-denominated tokens and unmonitored wallet transactions. Additionally, regulatory officials coordinate their enforcement strategy with continental initiatives to restructure digital currency governance.

French Central Bank Advocates for Enhanced Stablecoin Restrictions

The Bank of France amplifies demands for reinforced stablecoin oversight within the European Union’s MiCA regulatory structure. Denis Beau advocated for limiting non-euro stablecoin transaction capabilities throughout the bloc. Subsequently, French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework to diminish foreign currency dominance.

He emphasized that stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar command significant global market presence and pose risks to European monetary sovereignty. Accordingly, supervisory bodies seek to decrease dependency on international digital currencies within payment infrastructure. French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework to bolster euro-denominated options.

Furthermore, policymakers champion central bank digital currency initiatives and tokenized transaction platforms to counterbalance external market control. Developments including Pontes and Appia demonstrate advancement in financial system modernization. French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework to reinforce domestic payment networks.

France Implements Disclosure Requirements for Private Crypto Wallets

France’s National Assembly enacted legislation addressing privately-controlled crypto wallets through anti-fraud legislation. The regulation mandates yearly disclosure for balances surpassing 5,000 euros. Consequently, French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework to enhance fiscal transparency.

Regulatory bodies intend to monitor decentralized holdings that function beyond supervised exchanges and institutional custodians. This provision extends surveillance from centralized services to self-managed asset repositories. French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework to eliminate existing oversight deficiencies.

Legislators and regulatory agencies expressed reservations regarding implementation feasibility and possible information security vulnerabilities. Certain policymakers questioned whether supervisors possess adequate capability to effectively track private wallet transactions. Nevertheless, French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework notwithstanding practical obstacles.

Europe Harmonizes Regulations With Digital Euro Initiative

European regulatory bodies persist in synchronizing cryptocurrency frameworks with comprehensive monetary and financial security objectives. The proliferation of dollar-collateralized stablecoins continues as a principal regulatory priority across the continent. French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework to advance strategic independence.

Previously, Italy’s central banking institution observed minimal uptake of MiCA-authorized stablecoins throughout Europe. This pattern underscores the necessity for more robust regulatory mechanisms and promotional measures for euro-based digital assets. French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework concurrent with digital euro progression.

Forthcoming sector gatherings such as Paris Blockchain Week will convene regulators and business executives. President Emmanuel Macron anticipates delivering remarks on transformations influencing the digital currency landscape. Ultimately, French financial authorities advance comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation within the MiCA framework as Europe consolidates its supervisory position.

The post France Intensifies Crypto Regulation Efforts Within MiCA Parameters appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• SMCI shares advanced approximately 6% on April 10, fueled by exceptional call options trading
• Call options dramatically outpaced put options in trading volume
• Implied volatility over 30 days reached approximately 87%, suggesting significant price movement anticipated
• Despite bullish momentum, put-call skew indicates traders maintain downside hedges
• Current quarter EPS forecast stands at $0.63, representing a 103.2% year-over-year increase

Super Micro Computer has struggled throughout 2026, posting a nearly 21% decline year-to-date prior to Thursday’s rally. The stock jumped approximately 6% on April 10 as options traders flocked to call contracts in extraordinary volumes.

Super Micro Computer, Inc., SMCI

The call-to-put ratio heavily favored bullish bets, while 30-day implied volatility hovered around 87%. This elevated volatility metric suggests market participants are bracing for substantial price action — though not necessarily in a single direction.

However, the story isn’t entirely bullish. Changes in put-call skew reveal that traders continue allocating capital toward downside hedges. This indicates a cautiously bullish stance rather than outright conviction in continued upside.

Strong Earnings Projections Fuel Optimism

From a fundamental perspective, SMCI analysts project EPS of $0.63 for the ongoing quarter — representing a robust 103.2% year-over-year growth. Full-year consensus estimates reach $2.23, reflecting an 8.3% climb, while the following fiscal year’s projection of $2.92 marks a 30.9% increase.

Revenue forecasts are equally impressive. Analysts anticipate $12.35 billion for the current quarter, translating to a 168.5% year-over-year surge. The full-year revenue consensus stands at $41.25 billion, up 87.7% from the prior year.

While these projections appear compelling, it’s important to note stagnation in estimate revisions. Both the quarterly EPS forecast and next year’s projection have remained unchanged over the past 30 days.

In the most recent reported period, SMCI generated $12.68 billion in revenue — a 123.4% annual increase — exceeding consensus by more than 21%. Earnings per share reached $0.69 versus the $0.49 analyst consensus, representing a 40.82% earnings surprise.

Current Valuation and Analyst Ratings

Despite Thursday’s positive momentum, SMCI maintains a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold), indicating expectations for performance aligned with the broader market in the near term.

From a valuation standpoint, Zacks assigns SMCI a “B” Value Style Score, signaling the stock trades at a favorable discount compared to industry peers. For a stock that’s faced headwinds year-to-date, this combination of discounted valuation and strong earnings growth projections could prove appealing to value-oriented investors.

Over the trailing month, SMCI has declined 24.9%, contrasting sharply with the S&P 500’s 0.5% gain during the identical timeframe. The Computer-Storage Devices industry sector posted a 26.1% advance over that period — highlighting SMCI’s underperformance within its own industry group.

The company’s market capitalization currently stands at $13.91 billion, with average daily share volume around 37.4 million.

While April 10’s options activity suggested bullish sentiment, the technical analysis signal for SMCI currently registers as Sell.

The post Super Micro Computer (SMCI) Stock Rallies 6% on Massive Call Options Activity appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• CRWD shares tumbled more than 5% amid investor anxiety that AI-powered solutions might threaten conventional cybersecurity subscription revenues.
• Macroeconomic headwinds, including weakening GDP figures and conservative guidance from Zscaler, intensified selling pressure across the sector.
• Executive stock sales raised eyebrows despite management’s announcement of an enlarged buyback program.
• CNBC’s Jim Cramer countered bearish sentiment, claiming Anthropic’s AI capabilities would actually strengthen demand for cybersecurity services.
• The unveiling of “Project Glass Wing,” a collaborative security initiative between Anthropic, CrowdStrike, and Palo Alto Networks, sparked a major stock recovery.

CrowdStrike (CRWD) experienced significant turbulence recently as shares plunged more than 5% during a period of heightened anxiety across the cybersecurity industry. Investor apprehension centered on whether emerging agentic artificial intelligence platforms might eventually displace traditional subscription-based security solutions that form the revenue backbone for firms like CrowdStrike.

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc., CRWD

The downturn extended beyond a single company. Cybersecurity stocks broadly faced renewed scrutiny as market participants reassessed the sector’s long-term revenue potential and profitability assumptions in an AI-driven landscape.

This unease had been percolating for several weeks. Central to the narrative was Anthropic, the organization responsible for developing the Claude AI model. Growing market chatter suggested that Anthropic’s advanced autonomous agent technology might possess sufficient sophistication to render conventional cybersecurity platforms redundant.

CrowdStrike and Palo Alto will no longer be manipulated when it comes to Anthropic after this announcement today ,,,CRWD and PANW can go much higher now

— Jim Cramer (@jimcramer) April 7, 2026

CRWD’s year-to-date trajectory already mirrored these mounting concerns, with shares retreating approximately 15.8% prior to the latest selloff. Daily trading volume typically hovers around 4 million shares, while technical indicators had flipped to bearish territory.

Broader economic conditions compounded the pressure. Recent data releases revealed decelerating U.S. economic expansion, while rival firm Zscaler (ZS) delivered a measured demand forecast that dampened sentiment. When industry leaders express reservation about future business conditions, markets typically extrapolate those concerns across comparable companies.

Executive Stock Disposals Undermine Repurchase Program

CrowdStrike attempted to bolster investor confidence through action. Management unveiled an enhanced share repurchase authorization, a signal ordinarily interpreted as faith in the company’s intrinsic worth.

Unfortunately, the announcement failed to gain traction. Disclosure of stock sales by senior leadership emerged simultaneously, creating doubt about whether executives truly share the optimistic outlook implied by the buyback expansion. The market registered this contradiction.

Cramer Challenges Bears as Anthropic Collaboration Emerges

The pessimistic narrative didn’t go unchallenged. Television personality Jim Cramer from CNBC mounted a defense, and his commentary proved remarkably prescient.

During a recent broadcast, Cramer confronted the Anthropic anxiety head-on. His position was that cybercriminals leveraging AI agents would amplify rather than diminish the necessity for established cybersecurity defenses. “Without the help of traditional cybersecurity, you’re more vulnerable than ever,” he stated emphatically.

CrowdStrike’s CEO George Kurtz reinforced this perspective during his appearance on Cramer’s program, characterizing the AI revolution as favorable for cybersecurity demand.

Shortly thereafter came the development that appeared to vindicate Cramer’s analysis. Anthropic introduced “Project Glass Wing,” a cooperative security framework incorporating both CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks (PANW), aimed at safeguarding Anthropic’s user base. The revelation triggered a 24-point surge in CRWD shares within a single trading day.

Palo Alto Networks experienced its own significant decline in recent trading, dropping approximately 7.3%, indicating that broader industry uncertainty persists despite positive partnership news.

CrowdStrike maintains a market capitalization of roughly $100.1 billion, though shares continue trading approximately 15.8% below their year-to-date starting point as markets prepare for the upcoming session.

The post CrowdStrike (CRWD) Stock Rebounds After Anthropic Partnership Erases AI Disruption Fears appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• Nio shares jumped approximately 8% following the unveiling of the ES9 flagship SUV, equipped with proprietary Shenji smart driving semiconductor technology.
• The EV manufacturer posted its inaugural quarterly GAAP profit during Q4 fiscal 2025, marking a historic milestone after years of losses.
• March vehicle deliveries skyrocketed 136% compared to the prior year, while Q1 2026 total deliveries hit 83,465 units — a 98.3% year-over-year increase.
• The company’s battery exchange network has expanded to approximately 3,815 swap locations and more than 28,000 charging points worldwide.
• Challenges persist: weakening Chinese EV demand, aggressive pricing wars, escalating component costs, and full-year fiscal 2025 remained unprofitable.

Nio experienced significant upward momentum Thursday, with shares advancing roughly 8% as several positive developments converged simultaneously. This price action signals an evolving market perception of the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer — transitioning from a cash-intensive growth narrative to an enterprise demonstrating operational execution.

NIO Inc., NIO

The formal introduction of Nio’s ES9 premium SUV served as a primary catalyst. This model represents the debut vehicle utilizing Nio’s internally developed Shenji smart driving semiconductors. This strategic move is significant as it reduces reliance on external hardware partners and provides Nio with enhanced oversight of its technological ecosystem.

Positive momentum surrounding Chinese EV export activity provided additional support. Recent industry data showed export volumes reaching all-time peaks, positioning Nio to capitalize on expanding international market penetration.

Profitability Milestone Reshapes Valuation Narrative

The most substantial driver behind strengthening investor sentiment is Nio’s inaugural quarterly GAAP profitability achieved in Q4 fiscal 2025. Such achievements fundamentally alter equity valuation frameworks. Throughout its history, Nio commanded valuations based purely on growth projections. Today, the company possesses tangible profitability metrics.

Free cash flow remained positive across two consecutive quarters, while Nio achieved positive operating cash flow for the complete fiscal 2025 year. These financial indicators may lack dramatic appeal, but represent precisely the benchmarks critics claimed were unattainable.

Vehicle gross margin reached 18.1% during Q4, with larger SUV platforms like the ES8 delivering margins approaching 25%. Leadership anticipates further margin expansion as additional large-format vehicles launch throughout 2026, including the ES9 and ONVO L80 models.

Q1 2026 delivery performance demonstrated strength. Nio distributed 83,465 vehicles during the quarter, representing a 98.3% year-over-year expansion. Cumulative lifetime deliveries surpassed the one million vehicle threshold. March individually recorded a 136% increase versus the comparable period last year.

Management projects 40% to 50% delivery growth for the complete year, supported by upcoming product introductions and what leadership characterizes as an expanding target market.

Critical Considerations for Investors

Challenges remain evident. Nio recorded a net loss for complete fiscal year 2025, despite Q4 profitability. The overall Chinese passenger vehicle sector is projected to experience modest contraction in 2026, according to management commentary.

Input costs — including lithium carbonate, semiconductor components, and various parts — are experiencing upward pressure. Nio maintains these cost headwinds are controllable and partially mitigated through premium product mix optimization, though forward visibility remains constrained.

Competitive dynamics within China’s EV marketplace continue intensifying. Industry-wide pricing aggression is compressing margins across multiple manufacturers, with Nio facing similar pressures.

Regarding technology advancement, Nio’s autonomous driving system usage expanded over 80% during February 2026 following a NIO World Model software update deployed in late January. Its charging and battery exchange infrastructure currently encompasses 3,815 swap facilities and exceeding 28,000 charging units globally.

The company’s upcoming earnings release is scheduled for June 2, covering Q1 fiscal 2026 results.

The post Nio (NIO) Stock Jumps 8% on ES9 Launch and Milestone Profitability appeared first on Blockonomi.

The numbers paint a clear picture. Throughout 2026, search queries for DraftKings alternatives have been on a steady upward trajectory. Players who have spent time on one of the most recognized names in American online gambling are exploring what else the market has to offer.

This trend does not exist in a vacuum. It reflects a broader movement within the gambling industry as a segment of the player base gravitates toward platforms built around cryptocurrency rather than traditional banking. The speed, cost, and flexibility of crypto transactions are reshaping what players expect from their gambling platforms, and traditional operators are finding it difficult to keep pace.

Among the platforms capturing this shifting attention, ZunaBet has established a notable presence. Launched in 2026 as a crypto-native casino and sportsbook, it offers a fundamentally different product from what DraftKings was built to deliver. The question is straightforward. Is ZunaBet a genuine option for players looking beyond DraftKings? Here is what the comparison shows.

---

DraftKings: The Mainstream Giant

DraftKings has earned its place among the biggest names in online gambling. Its evolution from a daily fantasy sports platform into a full-scale sportsbook and online casino operator represents one of the industry’s most successful growth stories. A public listing, multi-billion-dollar revenues, partnerships with major sports leagues, and advertising that reaches millions during every major sporting broadcast have made DraftKings synonymous with legal online gambling in the United States.

The product is built to match the brand. A sportsbook with deep markets across professional and college sports delivers competitive odds and a wide range of betting options. The casino section provides slots, table games, and live dealer experiences from respected providers. The mobile app is polished and handles high traffic with reliability. Regulatory licences across multiple states give players the legal certainty that comes with operating in fully regulated markets.

Everything runs on traditional financial rails. Credit cards, bank transfers, and e-wallets move money in and out of the platform through intermediaries that add time and cost to every transaction. Withdrawals measured in business days are the norm. Processing fees apply at various stages. Banking verification requirements add procedural steps before players can access their funds.

For players who operate entirely within the traditional financial system, these characteristics are familiar and acceptable. For a growing number of players who have adopted cryptocurrency as their primary way of managing money, they represent friction that feels increasingly avoidable.

---

ZunaBet: A Different Answer to the Same Questions

ZunaBet approaches online gambling from the opposite direction. Rather than building on traditional infrastructure and bolting crypto on later, the platform was designed from the start with cryptocurrency as the foundational layer.

The platform is operated by Strathvale Group Ltd under an Anjouan gaming license (ALSI-202510047-FI2). The team behind it brings more than 20 years of combined experience in the online gambling industry. That pedigree produced a launch in 2026 that arrived complete rather than aspirational.

The game library is immediately striking. ZunaBet hosts 11,294 titles from 63 providers. Pragmatic Play, Evolution, Hacksaw Gaming, Yggdrasil, and BGaming headline the list, with dozens more studios contributing to a catalog that covers slots in extraordinary variety, RNG table games with genuine depth, and live dealer rooms featuring premium production. With more than 60 providers feeding one platform, the content breadth significantly exceeds what traditional operator casino sections typically offer.

The sportsbook competes directly with traditional operators on core sports coverage and pushes beyond them in emerging categories. Football, basketball, tennis, and NHL provide the expected foundation. Esports markets for CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant extend into territory where traditional platforms are still finding their footing. Virtual sports and combat sports add further range. Everything is accessible through a single player account.

Payment infrastructure handles more than 20 cryptocurrencies natively. BTC, ETH, USDT across multiple chains, SOL, DOGE, ADA, XRP, and others are processed without fees. Withdrawals are built for speed. Dedicated apps serve iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS users. Live chat support runs around the clock.

---

Traditional Rails vs. Crypto Rails

The most consequential difference between DraftKings and ZunaBet is not the game count or the branding. It is the plumbing. How money moves through each platform determines the speed, cost, and overall feel of the player experience.

DraftKings routes every transaction through traditional financial intermediaries. Deposits pass through card networks or banking systems. Withdrawals travel back through those same channels, subject to processing queues and business-hour restrictions. Fees accumulate at various points. The player experience around money is shaped entirely by infrastructure that was designed for general banking, not for the specific demands of gambling transactions.

ZunaBet eliminated that entire layer. Its infrastructure was purpose-built for blockchain transactions. A player deposits from their crypto wallet. The funds arrive at the speed of whatever network they were sent on. When they withdraw, the same efficiency applies in reverse. No banks queue the transaction. No card processors add fees. No business hours dictate when money can move.

The result is a transaction experience that feels fundamentally different. Faster. Cheaper. Simpler. For a player accustomed to the instant settlement of crypto transactions in every other area of their financial life, ZunaBet feels native in a way that traditional platforms cannot replicate without rebuilding from the ground up.

Over 20 supported coins including BTC, ETH, SOL, DOGE, ADA, XRP, and USDT on multiple chains mean players use whatever they already hold. No forced conversions. No exchange fees. The shortest possible path between wallet and platform.

---

The Welcome Offer Comparison

DraftKings provides welcome promotions that vary by state and product type. Sportsbook offers typically include deposit matches or free bet credits. Casino bonuses follow similar patterns where available. The promotions are competitive within the regulated traditional market.

ZunaBet’s welcome package operates at a different scale and follows a different philosophy. The total reaches $5,000 plus 75 free spins across three deposits. Deposit one earns a 100% match up to $2,000 and 25 free spins. Deposit two receives a 50% match up to $1,500 and 25 spins. Deposit three provides a 100% match up to $1,500 and the remaining 25 spins.

The three-deposit model serves a dual purpose. It delivers more total value than most traditional welcome offers, and it distributes that value across three separate engagement points during the critical early phase of the player relationship. Each deposit gives the player fresh bonus value and another reason to return. By the third stage, what began as an experiment has become a habit.

For players comparing their options with bonus value as a deciding factor, ZunaBet’s $5,000 across three deposits presents a compelling case that traditional operators will find difficult to match within their existing frameworks.

---

Loyalty: Points Collection vs. Direct Rakeback

DraftKings runs its Dynasty Rewards program, where players earn crowns through wagering activity that can be redeemed for free bets and other incentives. It is a functional points-based system that delivers incremental value to regular players within the traditional loyalty model.

ZunaBet designed its loyalty program to operate on entirely different principles. The dragon evolution system uses a mascot named Zuno and structures player progression across six tiers with published rakeback percentages at every level.

Squire begins at 1% rakeback. Warden advances to 2%. Champion reaches 4%. Divine climbs to 5%. Knight hits 10%. Ultimate delivers 20%.

The distinction between points and rakeback is not cosmetic. Points require accumulation and conversion through redemption mechanics that vary in value. Rakeback is applied automatically and continuously as a direct percentage return on the house edge. At 20%, one-fifth of the house advantage flows back to the player on every wager without any action required.

Over any meaningful period of consistent play, 20% automatic rakeback returns more value than points-based systems can deliver through variable conversion mechanics. The mathematical advantage is clear and compounds with every session.

Each tier also unlocks additional benefits. Free spins scaling to 1,000 at the highest levels. VIP club access. Double wheel spins. The progression structure draws from video game levelling mechanics, making each tier feel like a genuine achievement rather than an administrative label change.

Transparency further separates the two approaches. ZunaBet publishes every tier requirement, every rakeback rate, and every associated benefit openly. Players see the complete loyalty landscape before they commit. That clarity allows informed decision-making in a way that traditional programs with complex redemption mechanics and variable valuations do not always facilitate.

---

A Platform Shaped by Modern Expectations

The player searching for DraftKings alternatives in 2026 carries specific expectations. They want fast transactions. They want mobile-first design. They want massive content variety. They want rewards that are transparent and mathematically meaningful. And increasingly, they want a platform that handles cryptocurrency as naturally as their own wallet does.

ZunaBet was engineered around every one of those expectations. HTML5 powers a dark-themed responsive design that performs consistently across devices. Native apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS deliver optimised performance. The 11,000+ game library stays navigable through effective organisation and search tools. Casino and sportsbook sections function as integrated parts of one unified product.

Esports integration stands out as particularly relevant for this audience. While DraftKings and other traditional operators treat esports cautiously, ZunaBet built it into the sportsbook as a core category. CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant all receive full market coverage. For players who follow esports alongside or instead of traditional sports, that commitment matters.

The team’s 20+ years of combined industry experience shows up throughout the platform. Navigation feels intuitive. Load times stay fast. The balance between massive content volume and clean usability reflects the kind of practical knowledge that only comes from building gambling platforms across multiple cycles.

---

So Is ZunaBet an Option?

The answer depends on what the player is looking for. DraftKings remains a powerhouse. Its brand recognition, regulatory standing, and mainstream market position make it one of the strongest traditional gambling platforms available. For players who prioritise operating within regulated US markets using conventional payment methods, DraftKings continues to be a top-tier choice.

But for the growing segment of players whose search queries reveal a desire for something different, ZunaBet is more than an option. It is arguably the most complete expression of what crypto-native gambling can be.

Over 11,000 games from 63 providers. A sportsbook that embraces esports alongside traditional sports. More than 20 cryptocurrencies processed instantly and fee-free. A $5,000 welcome bonus designed for sustained engagement across three deposits. And a dragon evolution loyalty system that delivers up to 20% rakeback with complete transparency.

The platform is still young and building the track record that establishes deep trust over time. But what ZunaBet has delivered at launch directly answers what alternative-seeking players have been asking for. Not a slightly different version of the traditional model. A genuinely new approach to online gambling, built for the players who are ready for it.

The post DraftKings Alternative Searches Climb — Is ZunaBet an Option? appeared first on Blockonomi.

The broader cryptocurrency market has staged an evident revival over the past 24 hours, with multiple leading digital assets well in green territory.

For instance, altcoins like Zcash (ZEC) and Dash (DASH) have pumped by 20-30% on a daily basis, while Arbitrum (ARB) and Hyperliquid (HYPE) have posted more modest gains of 5-6%. However, some, like Bittensor (TAO), have tumbled by double digits.

The Biggest Loser

TAO is the worst-performing cryptocurrency (at least in the top 100) today, with its valuation briefly sinking to $253, the lowest since mid-March. Currently, it trades at around $263 (per CoinGecko), down 20% from yesterday’s figure. Its market capitalization fell to approximately $2.5 billion, and now TAO is the 38th-largest cryptocurrency.

The price decline was likely triggered by Covenant AI’s departure from the Bittensor network. The entity is a research group focused on building decentralized AI models, best known for creating Covenant-72B.

Covenant AI left Bittensor after claims that one person, co-founder Jacob Steeves, held too much control over key decisions. In their official message, they insisted that emissions to their subnet were suspended, their permissions were removed, and changes were made without their involvement, which they saw as proof of centralized governance.

The news captured the attention of numerous crypto commentators. X user Ash Crypto claimed that, in addition to leaving Bittensor’s network, Covenant AI has reportedly sold 37,000 TAO worth more than $10 million.

X user Ardi spotted another interesting development surrounding the cryptocurrency. He argued that 24 hours before the news, sell volume hit its highest level since December 2024.

“If you think that’s a coincidence, you don’t understand the game you’re playing. This was a calculated exit and execution. The wallets that already knew what was coming were unloading into the breakout attempt yesterday, using that strength to nuke millions in size well before the headline hit the market.”

Ardi warned traders and investors to be careful, noting that they operate in a market where information is “uneven, positioning is predatory, and you are exiting liquidity until you understand the game being played.”

Buying Opportunity?

TAO’s performance may be unsatisfactory, but some analysts, like Crypto Tony, said it only gives opportunity vibes.”

The asset’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) signals a short-term rebound could indeed be on the horizon. The technical analysis tool measures the speed and magnitude of recent price changes and runs from 0 to 100.

Ratios below 30 indicate that TAO is oversold and ready for a potential resurgence, whereas anything under 70 is considered a precursor of a correction. As of this writing, the RSI stands at a mere 16.

The post Bittensor (TAO) Collapses 20% Daily: Here’s What Happened appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin is trading around $72.4k as markets digest a turbulent start to Q2, with macro uncertainty and a shaky ceasefire in the Middle East continuing to weigh on risk assets globally. While BTC has shown some resilience relative to traditional markets in recent weeks, the broader technical structure remains bearish, and the road to recovery is still paved with significant resistance overhead.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

The descending channel on the daily chart continues to govern price action. The 100-day MA (~$75k) and 200-day MA (~$87k) are both declining and sitting above the current price, and acting as potential dynamic resistance levels. Meanwhile, the static $75k–$80k zone still remains the key resistance band that has held the price once before in March, and the channel’s upper boundary is also located near this area, making it an even more formidable ceiling.

That said, the RSI has been trending upward since the March lows and is now approaching the 60s. This is the most constructive daily momentum reading since before the February crash. The key support level at $60k continues to hold, and a push through $75k and above the 100-day moving average on strong volume would be the first genuine sign that the trend is shifting.

BTC/USDT 4-Hour Chart

On the 4-hour timeframe, BTC has been compressing inside a slightly ascending channel since the February lows, with the pattern defined clearly with the higher highs and lows formed during this period. The asset is currently at $72.4k, sitting at the middle of the channel, and the RSI is hovering just below the overbought zone, which points to the fact that the bullish momentum is strong but not too strong yet.

The nearby $74k–$76k resistance zone would be the first obstacle the market needs to clear if a bullish continuation happens. A confirmed close above this area would be a significant short-term uptrend signal and could accelerate a move toward the higher boundary of the channel located near the $80k resistance band. On the downside, the channel’s lower trendline near $66k–$67k and the $60k supply zone remain the levels to defend for the buyers.

Until a breakout from either of the immediate support and resistance levels, predicting a direction based on technical analysis will be too risky, as the geopolitical and macroeconomic threats are more significant than they have been for a long time.

Sentiment Analysis

The Futures Retail Activity indicator is flashing one of the more interesting signals seen in this correction cycle. After a brief cluster of “Few Retail” green dots appeared near the $85k–$90k range in late 2025 — historically a bullish signal indicating under-participation — the current reading has shifted to a large “Many Retail” cluster right at current prices around $65k–$72k. The size of these dots suggests a significant surge in retail futures activity, likely for speculation.

Historically, elevated retail speculative participation in futures has tended to appear in the middle of a trend, indicating that BTC could still visit lower prices to flush these participants out and cool off the current environment. Combined with the fact that the price is trading around a major resistance zone, this sentiment signal suggests that investors should still be cautious, and that a sustained recovery might not be on the cards yet.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Has BTC Weathered the Storm by Surging to $72K? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The highly anticipated Consumer Price Index data for March, the first full month of the war between the US and Iran, was announced minutes ago, showing what many expected that there’s a significant uptick in inflation.

Bitcoin’s price reacted immediately with some fluctuations as the asset had settled at around $72,000 before the data went live.

Recall that the inflation numbers for February matched expectations, showing an increase of 2.4% year-over-year and a 0.3% rise for the month.

The actual CPI data for March, though, indicated a more significant 0.9% month-over-month increase, and the biggest difference came from the energy sector due to the skyrocketing costs of fuel.

The core CPI’s rise was actually slightly lower than expected – 2.6% rather than what experts predicted – 2.7%.

BTC continues to trade above the $72,000 mark despite the rather worrying inflation data, which will align with a previous statement from US Fed Chair Jerome Powell that the central bank is unlikely to cut the rates in the next several months.

The post Bitcoin Price Reacts as US CPI Data Shows Significant Increase in March appeared first on CryptoPotato.

With the world’s attention set on the quickly developing tension in the Middle East, the big news from this week was that the US and Iran announced a 14-day cease-fire. The impact on the crypto markets was immediate.

But first, let’s rewind to the previous weekend, which was highly eventful on the war front. The US and Israel struck numerous targets in Iran, while President Trump gave the enemy a 48-hour deadline (which was extended) to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, otherwise the attacks will intensify.

BTC remained sideways at first, failing to move out of the $66,000-$67,000 range. It finally showed some volatility on Monday morning, jumping to a then-local peak of $70,000 after reports emerged that the US and Iran had engaged in negotiations. However, it dipped later that day as other reports suggested the talks had stalled.

With just hours left until the deadline expiration, Trump announced the long-sought cease-fire on his social media platform, indicating that both countries will halt the attacks for two weeks and Iran will reopen the Strait. The markets reacted with immediate fluctuations, with BTC surging to $72,600, while oil prices dropped.

However, this cease-fire remains somewhat questionable as the Strait hasn’t opened fully. Israel continued to attack Lebanon, but Trump urged Netanyahu to scale down the strikes. For now, the uncertainty remains high, but bitcoin’s price has felt the positive consequences of a cease-fire, currently trading around $72,000.

This means that the asset has gained 7.4% weekly, followed by ETH’s 6.8% surge. HYPE has jumped by 14% within the same timeframe, while ZEC has stolen the show with a massive 60% surge to over $375.

Market Data

Market Cap: $2.530T | 24H Vol: $96B | BTC Dominance: 57.2%

BTC: $72,200 (+7.4%) | ETH: $2,220 (+6.8%) | XRP: $1.34 (+1.4%)

This Week’s Crypto Headlines You Can’t Miss

Japan Approves Legislation Granting Crypto Financial Instrument Status. A report by Nikkei said earlier today that the Japanese government has approved a bill classifying cryptocurrencies as financial instruments. This should enhance investor protection and ban insider trading based on undisclosed information.

Morgan Stanley’s MSBT Bitcoin ETF Debuts with $34M in First-Day Trading Volume. One of the largest US banking behemoths and long-term Bitcoin supporter, Morgan Stanley, debuted its spot BTC ETF this week. The financial product saw trading volume of almost $35 million.

BTC Surges Toward $73K as Iran Reportedly Demands Bitcoin for Hormuz Passage. Bitcoin’s price experienced more volatility earlier this week after the Financial Times noted that Iran will require ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay the tolls in BTC and other digital assets.

Hong Kong Issues First Stablecoin Licenses to HSBC, Standard Chartered-led Consortium. In what became a groundbreaking approval, Hong Kong’s Monetary Authority (HKMA) granted HSBC and a consortium led by Standard Chartered the first stablecoin issuer licenses, which will allow the issuance of such tokens pegged to the local dollar and the conduct of cross-border payments.

Cardano Whale Wallets Hit 4-Month High as ADA Stays Depressed. Whale wallets holding Cardano’s native token reached a 2026 peak at 424. However, the underlying asset continues to struggle with its price performance, currently down by 3% monthly, even though most other alts have posted notable gains lately.

Saylor’s Strategy Resumes Bitcoin Accumulation Spree With 4,871 BTC Purchase. After a brief hiatus, Michael Saylor’s Strategy resumed its bitcoin purchase announcements on Monday. In the latest accumulation, the company spent roughly $330 million to increase its stash by 4,871 BTC to almost 767,000 units.

Charts

This week, we have a chart analysis of Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, Binance Coin, and Hyperliquid – click here for the complete price analysis.

The post Bitcoin Reclaims $72K as US-Iran Ceasefire Sparks Hope for War End: Your Weekly Crypto Recap appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The team behind Pi Network has recently unveiled several announcements and upgrades. However, many community members remain dissatisfied with the progress, complaining that ongoing issues are a major obstacle.

Bitcoin (BTC) has rebounded following the two-week ceasefire that the US and Iran agreed on, but some analysts believe the asset has yet to reach its bottom during this cycle. Meanwhile, Ethereum (ETH) could experience a triple-digit price increase if it holds above its “line in the sand.”

What’s New With Pi Network?

The Core Team rolled out several important updates across the whole ecosystem. Two months ago, it released protocol version 19.6, followed by v 19.9 in early March.

After that came version 20.2 – a major upgrade because it prepares the network for future smart-contract features. The next planned step is v 21, which was scheduled for earlier this month, but the developers haven’t shared any details on whether that development actually happened.

Apart from the protocol updates, Pi Network announced the start of the second migrations, and last week it advised Pioneers to set up Pi Wallet two-factor authentication (2FA) to complete the process.

Several days ago, the team revealed that the first distribution of KYC validator rewards had been concluded. “Rewards were calculated for over 526 million validation tasks completed by more than 1 million KYC validators,” the message reads.

As usual, the X post caused some frustration among community members. Many say they never received rewards, even though they completed tasks months ago. Others are upset that Pi Network keeps posting announcements, yet real progress feels slow, and PI is still not available for trading on numerous major centralized exchanges.

BTC Remains in Danger

The primary cryptocurrency, which was struggling below $70K at the start of the week, was positively impacted by the temporary treaty that the United States and Iran agreed on. Several hours ago, its price neared $73,000, while it is currently hovering around $71,700 (per CoinGecko’s data).

Despite the resurgence, many analysts believe the worst part of this cycle might still be ahead. X user Ted predicted that the whole crypto market would dump to new lows in the near future, while Lofty envisioned a possible crash to $30,000.

The popular analyst Ali Martinez also added his name to the list of pessimists, forecasting a potential decline to almost $35,000. Nonetheless, he thinks that such a pullback could offer a generational buying opportunity.

Is ETH Ready for a Big Move?

The second-largest cryptocurrency has been trading at around $2,200 over the past few days, with Martinez arguing that its price action could be in an ascending triangle. He claimed that holding above the “line in the sand” of $1,800 might open the door to a staggering surge to $4,900.

Ted and ALTS GEMS Alert echoed the prediction. The former suggested that as long as the $2,000 support holds, the asset could have another upside move, while the latter envisioned a quick retest that could trigger a rally beyond $4,000.

The post Pi Network’s (PI) Latest Updates, Worrying Bitcoin (BTC) Predictions, and More: Bits Recap April 10 appeared first on CryptoPotato.