Rising odds of U.S. forces entering Iran signal potential geopolitical instability, impacting global markets and strategic military dynamics.

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Rising market odds of US intervention in Iran suggest heightened geopolitical tensions, impacting global stability and economic forecasts.

The post Market sees rising odds of US forces entering Iran by April 30 at 86% YES appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The incident escalates tensions, potentially leading to increased U.S. military involvement and impacting geopolitical stability and markets.

The post F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran raises odds of US ground troops entering appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Iran's rejection of US ceasefire demands underscores the challenges in achieving a swift diplomatic resolution, impacting market confidence.

The post Iran rejects US ceasefire demands, odds for April 7 drop to 1.1% appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The executive order may strain US-EU trade relations, potentially impacting global markets and economic conditions through retaliatory measures.

The post Trump signs executive order for 100% tariffs on patented drugs to boost US production appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

Charles Schwab Teases Direct Bitcoin Trading With New ‘Schwab Crypto’ Account

Financial services giant Charles Schwab is preparing to expand deeper into digital assets, announcing plans for a forthcoming product that will allow clients to buy and sell cryptocurrencies directly through its platform.

The firm revealed that “Schwab Crypto” is in development and will be offered through Charles Schwab Premier Bank, positioning the product as a gateway for retail investors seeking direct exposure to leading cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. The company has opened a waitlist for clients interested in early access, though availability will be subject to regulatory approval and eligibility requirements.

The move marks a notable shift for Schwab, which until now has limited crypto exposure to indirect investment vehicles. Currently, clients can access digital asset markets through exchange-traded products (ETPs), crypto-related equities, and thematic funds. Examples include publicly traded firms like Coinbase, MicroStrategy, and Riot Platforms, as well as funds tied to blockchain and crypto industry performance.

All aboard the Charles Schwab Bitcoin train

Schwab’s entry into spot trading places it in more direct competition with established crypto platforms such as Coinbase, Robinhood, and Webull. 

CEO Rick Wurster first signaled the firm’s intent to enter spot crypto markets in late 2024, citing expectations for a shifting regulatory environment under the administration of Donald Trump. The company has since positioned itself to move once conditions allowed for broader participation by traditional financial institutions.

Schwab is also preparing additional crypto-related products, including a potential stablecoin offering following the passage of the GENIUS stablecoin bill.

A recent report from Charles Schwab found that Bitcoin volatility has declined significantly, with historical volatility falling to 42% in 2025 — about half its 2021 level — making it comparable to or lower than major tech stocks like Tesla and Nvidia. 

Despite fewer extreme swings, bitcoin still experiences sharp drawdowns, including a 32% drop in 2025 and a 50% peak-to-trough decline over three years. 

Long term, volatility remains elevated versus traditional assets. The report suggests bitcoin is maturing as it integrates into mainstream finance, with growing institutional adoption and ETF developments signaling increased acceptance.

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 Charles Schwab Teases Direct Bitcoin Trading With New ‘Schwab Crypto’ Account first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Jack Dorsey Reveals Bitcoin Faucet Revival with “Bitcoin Day” Announcement

Tech entrepreneur and longtime Bitcoin advocate Jack Dorsey sparked excitement in the BTC community on Friday when he posted a link to a new page titled “Bitcoin Day | Earn Free Bitcoin.”

The post quotes an announcement from the “Bitcoin at Block” account stating that “The bitcoin faucet is back” on April 6, 2026, with a link to btc.day. Dorsey’s shared URL (hosted on AWS CloudFront) currently displays only the bold headline promoting free BTC on “Bitcoin Day,” with a countdown timer. 

No further details were given. 

In 2010, a site known as the Bitcoin Faucet gave visitors 5 BTC after they completed a simple captcha challenge. This was done to help spread awareness and use of BTC, which at the time was a new digital currency with almost no market value.

The site was created by Gavin Andresen, a software developer who later became one of BTC’s lead developers. Andresen loaded the faucet with his own BTC to distribute to visitors who solved the CAPTCHA.

Over the months the faucet operated, it handed out about 19,700 BTC in total. At today’s prices, that amount would be worth in the billions of dollars.

Bitcoin’s rough price performance

Over the past six months, BTC has experienced one of its weakest performance periods in years, with the price declining sharply from late 2025 highs. According to price history data, BTC’s value is down roughly 50% over the last half-year, reflecting a significant drawdown from levels above $120,000 in November 2025 to around the mid-$60,000s today.

BTC’s retreat has erased gains made earlier in the cycle and marked its worst six-month streak since 2018, driven by a mix of macroeconomic headwinds and reduced risk appetite among investors.

In March, it seems like the price stabilized near the high $60,000s, with market participants watching key technical levels and macro signals for clues on the next move. 

Block has held 8,883 BTC since October 6, 2020, currently worth about $593.74 million at an average cost of $32,939 per BTC, for a gain of roughly +102.92% at today’s prices.

The company, trading under ticker XYZ, has a market cap of about $36–$37 billion. At the time of writing, BTC is trading near $67,000.

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 Jack Dorsey Reveals Bitcoin Faucet Revival with “Bitcoin Day” Announcement first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Cathie Wood Calls Bitcoin’s 50% Crash a “Victory” as Market Tests New Floor

Nearly six months after the Oct. 10 flash crypto crash erased millions of dollars in a single day, Bitcoin remains under pressure, trading well below its recent peak. The asset reached an all-time high of $126,080 on Oct. 6, but has since fallen about 47% to roughly $67,000.

Despite the drawdown, Cathie Wood, a long-time BTC advocate and chief executive of ARK Investment Management, is urging investors to maintain a long-term perspective.

Wood, whose firm was among the first publicly listed asset managers to gain exposure to Bitcoin in 2015, has maintained an active presence in crypto-related equities. ARK Invest continues to trade shares of companies tied to the digital asset sector, including Coinbase, Robinhood Markets, Block, Circle Internet Group, Bitmine Immersion Technologies, and Bullish, adjusting positions in response to market conditions.

In an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Wood addressed the current downturn, framing the magnitude of BTC’s decline as a sign of maturation rather than weakness. 

She argued that a roughly 50% drop from peak levels represents a shift from the extreme volatility seen in earlier cycles, when Bitcoin routinely experienced drawdowns of 85% to 95%.

According to Wood, such severe collapses are unlikely to recur. She described Bitcoin as a “proven technology” and a “new asset class,” suggesting that its market behavior has evolved alongside broader adoption and institutional participation. 

In her view, the current correction would be considered a “real victory” within the Bitcoin community if losses remain limited to around half of its peak value.

Bitcoin’s vicious cycles

Historical data supports the comparison to prior cycles, though the current downturn has yet to match earlier bear markets in severity. During the 2021–2022 cycle, Bitcoin fell nearly 80% from its then-record high of about $69,000, eventually bottoming near $15,600. 

Onchain data from Glassnode indicates that the present decline, measured against the October 2025 high, has reached roughly 52% at its lowest point.

All this is happening as bitcoin’s price decline forces a growing number of public companies and sovereign entities to unwind their BTC treasuries, marking a sharp reversal from the accumulation trend of the past two years. Firms that once championed long-term holding are now selling to manage liquidity, repay debt, and fund strategic pivots.

Companies like Riot Platforms, Genius Group, Empery Digital, Nakamoto Holdings, and Marathon Digital have all reduced holdings, in some cases significantly. Marathon alone sold over 15,000 BTC for $1.1 billion to cut debt, while Genius Group fully exited its position. Riot has also been offloading bitcoin as it shifts focus toward AI and high-performance computing infrastructure.

Even firms still committed to bitcoin are trimming reserves. Empery Digital sold part of its holdings to repay loans, while Nakamoto Holdings liquidated a smaller portion to support operations. Meanwhile, Bhutan has been reducing its state-backed bitcoin reserves after previously accumulating through mining.

Despite the sell-off, public companies still collectively hold about 1.16 million BTC, over 5% of the total supply. 

This post Cathie Wood Calls Bitcoin’s 50% Crash a “Victory” as Market Tests New Floor first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Riot Platforms Sells 3,778 Bitcoin in Q1 as Miner Strategy Shifts Toward AI Infrastructure

Riot Platforms sold 3,778 bitcoin in the first quarter of 2026, generating $289.5 million and marking a shift in strategy as the miner redirects capital toward infrastructure and high-performance computing.

The volume sold exceeded the company’s quarterly production of 1,473 BTC by roughly 2.6 times, signaling a drawdown of treasury holdings rather than routine profit-taking. Riot ended the quarter with 15,680 BTC, down 18% from 18,005 BTC at the close of 2025.

The selling appears to have extended beyond the reporting period. Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence flagged a 500 BTC outflow from a wallet linked to Riot following the end of the quarter, suggesting continued liquidation activity.

The imbalance between production and sales comes as Riot accelerates its expansion into artificial intelligence and high-performance computing colocation. The company has begun repositioning its business model away from sole reliance on bitcoin mining, seeking to monetize its energy assets and data center footprint through long-term infrastructure contracts.

In January, Riot sold 1,080 BTC to fund the purchase of 200 acres at its Rockdale, Texas site. It also entered a ten-year agreement with Advanced Micro Devices to provide 25 megawatts of capacity, with an option to scale to 200 MW. The deal is expected to generate about $311 million in contract revenue over its initial term.

Operational metrics complicate a distress narrative. Riot reduced its all-in power cost to 3.0 cents per kilowatt hour, a 21% decline from the prior year, while increasing deployed hash rate by 26% to 42.5 exahashes per second. Average operating hash rate rose 23% to 36.4 EH/s, reflecting continued investment in mining capacity.

The company also generated $21 million in power credits during the quarter, more than double the year-ago period, through participation in grid services and energy programs.

Bitcoin HODLers like RIOT are selling

Industry conditions remain a factor. Rising energy costs tied to geopolitical tensions have pressured margins across the mining sector, prompting several operators to liquidate holdings. MARA Holdings, Genius Group, and Nakamoto Holdings collectively sold more than 15,000 BTC in recent days, reflecting a broader shift in capital allocation.

Riot’s Q1 activity underscores a turning point for the sector, where bitcoin reserves are deployed as funding sources for diversification rather than held as long-term balance sheet assets.

The trend extends beyond corporate treasuries. Bhutan has continued to reduce its BTC holdings, selling a total of 3,103 BTC. A single transaction on March 30 accounted for 375 BTC, according to Glassnode data. 

The country had built its position through state-backed mining operations, reaching more than 13,000 BTC at its peak in October 2024.

Despite the recent selling, public companies still hold about 1.16 million BTC, or more than 5% of bitcoin’s fixed supply of 21 million, according to BitcoinTreasuries.net.

This post Riot Platforms Sells 3,778 Bitcoin in Q1 as Miner Strategy Shifts Toward AI Infrastructure first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

The Bitcoin Treasury Model With a Built-In Valuation Floor

There is a version of the Bitcoin treasury conversation that has become almost routine at this point. Bitcoin is hard money. Fiat debases. Companies that hold Bitcoin on their balance sheet are making a rational long-term decision. All of this is true, and none of it is the interesting question anymore.

The interesting question is structural. Not should a company hold Bitcoin, but what kind of company should hold it, and what that choice implies for how the company performs across a full market cycle, not just a favorable one.

Three models have emerged. Each reflects a different level of conviction, a different capital structure, and a different set of tradeoffs.

• The pure-play. A company whose primary purpose is accumulating Bitcoin through capital raises, financial engineering, etc, with no core operating business. Lean structure, singular mission.

• The digital credit issuer. The most sophisticated expression of the pure-play thesis. These companies issue Bitcoin-backed financial instruments, preferred stock, convertible notes, and similar products, to fund continued accumulation. At scale, this creates a compounding accumulation engine that simpler models cannot match.
• The operating company with a Bitcoin treasury. A business with real revenue, real clients, and operational activity, which holds Bitcoin as a long-term reserve asset in deliberate strategic relationship with the business itself.

All three are legitimate expressions of the Bitcoin treasury thesis. They are not optimized for the same objectives, and the differences matter more than most treasury conversations acknowledge.

What pure-play gets right

The pure-play case deserves genuine treatment because its strongest version has real force.

Financial engineering pure-plays are capital-efficient in a specific and important sense: every dollar raised goes directly to Bitcoin accumulation with no operational drag. The mission is singular and the structure reflects it. For investors, this creates clarity. Allocators know exactly what they are underwriting, direct Bitcoin exposure at the corporate level, and the investment thesis is legible and short.

The digital credit model extends this further. Companies that have successfully issued preferred instruments and Bitcoin-backed products have built accumulation engines that operating businesses cannot match on a per-dollar-raised basis. The compounding effect of a sophisticated capital structure, at scale, is genuinely powerful. It represents the fullest expression of the Bitcoin treasury thesis, and the destination it points toward is one every operator in this space should understand.

The prerequisite problem and what it means in practice

The digital credit model has a prerequisite that is rarely stated plainly: it requires scale, institutional credibility, and market infrastructure that most companies building a Bitcoin treasury today do not yet have. It is a destination, not a starting point.

The path there runs through an intermediate period where the financial engineering structure carries more exposure than is often acknowledged. During that period:

• There is no operating revenue to fall back on
• The ability to raise capital tracks closely with Bitcoin market sentiment
• Strategic options narrow when conditions are not favorable
• The company’s cost structure depends entirely on capital markets remaining open

This is not a criticism of the model. It is a description of the journey. The question for executives is what structure best serves the company while that journey is underway.

What the operating company model actually provides

The operating company with a Bitcoin treasury does not accumulate Bitcoin faster than a well-run pure-play. At meaningful treasury scale, operating cash flow is not moving the needle on accumulation. The advantage is different, and worth stating precisely.

An operating business generates revenue independently of where Bitcoin is trading. That revenue covers fixed costs, which means the company is not dependent on capital markets remaining open to fund its basic operations. It can continue hiring, serving clients, and accumulating at a measured pace without being forced into capital decisions driven by timing rather than conviction.

The compounding effect works like this:

• Operating revenue covers costs and preserves the Bitcoin position through the cycle rather than drawing it down under pressure
• A preserved balance sheet improves the terms on future capital raises, lower dilution, better access to facilities, stronger negotiating position with partners
• Operational credibility widens the available capital base by providing an investment thesis that reaches allocators who cannot underwrite pure Bitcoin exposure within their current mandates

None of these mechanisms make Bitcoin accumulate faster in favorable conditions. Together, they make the company more durable across the full range of conditions it will face.

The built-in valuation floor

Most Bitcoin treasury company valuations are driven by a single number: mNAV, the premium the market assigns to Bitcoin held at the corporate level. When sentiment is strong and capital is flowing into the space, that premium expands. When the narrative cools, it compresses. The valuation moves with the market’s appetite for Bitcoin exposure, not with anything the company is doing operationally.

The operating company model introduces a second component that behaves differently. A profitable operating business carries an earnings multiple underwritten by revenue, client relationships, and operational track record. It does not expand dramatically when Bitcoin is performing. But it does not compress when sentiment turns either. It is stable in a way that mNAV alone is not.

These two components, Bitcoin NAV and an earnings multiple on the operating business, do not move together. That is the point. When mNAV compresses, the earnings multiple holds. The company retains a defensible valuation floor that a pure-play structure, with a single-component valuation entirely dependent on sentiment, does not have.

In practice this matters in three specific ways:

• Capital raises. A company with a defensible valuation floor can raise capital on reasonable terms even when Bitcoin sentiment is cold. A pure-play with a compressed mNAV and no earnings component has less room to maneuver.
• Talent. Equity compensation tied to a two-component valuation is a more legible and stable proposition for prospective hires than equity tied entirely to Bitcoin’s market sentiment.
• Allocator access. Many institutional allocators cannot underwrite a valuation built entirely on mNAV within their current mandates. The earnings component creates a bridge, opening the door to capital that would otherwise be unable to participate regardless of conviction.

The floor is not just a comfort during difficult conditions. It is a structural advantage that compounds over time, widening the capital base, strengthening the talent proposition, and maintaining strategic momentum across the full cycle.

How to think about the decision

These three models serve different objectives. The right framework starts with honest answers to a few questions:

• What does the existing business look like? A company with established revenue and clients already has the foundation for the operating company model. A company without it is choosing between building that foundation and committing to a pure-play path.
• What is the realistic path to scale? The digital credit model is the most powerful expression of the thesis but requires scale and credibility that takes time to build. The operating company model does not depend on reaching that threshold to function well.
• What does the investor base look like? Pure-play structures appeal most clearly to allocators who want direct Bitcoin exposure. Operating companies reach a broader set of capital partners, including those whose mandates require an operating business to participate.
• What kind of company do you want to be running across a full cycle? This is the question underneath all the others. The answer should drive the structure, not the other way around.

Conclusion

The companies that define the next era of corporate Bitcoin adoption will not all look the same. Digital credit issuers will operate at the frontier of Bitcoin-native capital markets. Financial engineering pure-plays will build toward that destination with focused conviction. Operating companies will build businesses where the treasury and core operations strengthen each other across the cycle.

Each model is a genuine expression of the thesis. The goal of this framework is to make the differences legible, so executives can choose the structure that fits what they are actually building, with clear eyes about what each model asks of them in return.

The question was never which model holds the most Bitcoin. It was always which model fits what you are trying to build.

Disclaimer: This content was prepared on behalf of Bitcoin For Corporations for informational purposes only. It reflects the author’s own analysis and opinion and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Nothing in this article constitutes an offer, invitation, or solicitation to purchase, sell, or subscribe for any security or financial product.

This post The Bitcoin Treasury Model With a Built-In Valuation Floor first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Nick Ward.

Bitcoin, once promoted by some investors as a hedge against geopolitical turmoil, is behaving like a liquidity-sensitive risk asset at a time when energy prices are climbing, and macro stress is spreading.

This comes as the conflict between the United States and Iran deepens, with shock rippling through oil, the dollar, and broader financial conditions before landing in a crypto market that is already showing signs of fatigue.

That has reopened discussion of a far steeper downside path than the market had been willing to entertain only weeks ago.

Why this matters: This marks a shift in Bitcoin's behavior under stress. Instead of attracting defensive flows amid geopolitical risk, it is reacting to tighter financial conditions, rising oil prices, and a stronger dollar. That changes how investors position around macro shocks and raises the likelihood of deeper drawdowns if liquidity continues to contract.

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Apr 1, 2026 · Oluwapelumi Adejumo

Oil shock drives the first wave of repricing

The latest leg of the market’s repricing accelerated after President Donald Trump’s April 1 remarks dimmed hopes for a near-term easing in the Middle East.

By signaling that US military operations could intensify over the next two to three weeks, without offering a clear timeline for an end to hostilities, the administration pushed investors back into a defensive stance.

The initial reaction showed up across equities, though the deeper signal came from energy.

US stocks fell intraday before paring losses by the close, with the S&P 500 down 0.23% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average off 0.39%. In Asia, the sell-off was sharper, with South Korea’s KOSPI dropping 4.2% and MSCI Emerging Asia falling 2.3%.

Oil moved more decisively. Data from Oilprices.com showed that West Texas Intermediate crude jumped 11.41% to $111.54 a barrel, its biggest absolute gain since 2020, while Brent rose 7.78% to $109.03.

The move followed US-Israeli strikes that began on Feb. 28 and Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint that carries roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows.

These developments have significant impacts on the crypto market as a sustained rise in crude directly feeds into inflation expectations, tightens financial conditions, and reduces the market’s tolerance for speculation.

With the dollar index up 0.48%, Treasury market spreads wider by 27%, and the VIX climbing toward 25, the broader macro picture is turning against risk assets that depend on abundant liquidity and steady investor appetite.

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Bitcoin, stocks rally because of chatter that Iran is ready to ‘end the war' as Dollar Index sinks below 100

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Mar 31, 2026 · Oluwapelumi Adejumo

Bitcoin entered the shock already weakened

The Iran escalation may have accelerated the latest sell-off, but it did not create the market’s fragility. Bitcoin was already losing support before the geopolitical backdrop deteriorated.

CryptoQuant data show selling pressure has continued to outweigh institutional accumulation despite earlier support from spot exchange-traded funds and corporate buyers such as Strategy. The firm’s 30-day apparent demand growth stands at -63,000 BTC, indicating that fresh demand has not been strong enough to absorb supply.

The same pattern is visible across large holders. Whale wallets holding between 1,000 and 10,000 BTC have shifted from accumulation into one of the sharpest distribution phases of the cycle. The one-year change in whale holdings has swung from an increase of about 200,000 BTC at the 2024 peak to a deficit of 188,000 BTC.

Mid-sized holders have also pulled back. Wallets holding between 100 and 1,000 BTC, often seen as an important layer of market support, have seen their holdings grow by only 429,000 BTC in the current market cycle, compared to about 1 million BTC in late 2025.

This weakness is especially clear in the United States. Coinbase Premium, a common gauge of US spot demand, has remained negative even as Bitcoin fell into the $65,000 to $70,000 range. That suggests American buyers, both retail and institutional, have not returned in enough size to stabilize the market.

Essentially, those figures help to describe a market that had already begun to lose resilience before war headlines intensified.

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Leverage is turning a weak market into a fragile one

Meanwhile, Bitcoin's current weak spot demand became more dangerous when leverage is doing too much of the market’s work.

In calmer markets, that kind of positioning can help maintain price levels. However, it becomes a vulnerability in a macro shock as contracts that might otherwise have rolled forward are more likely to be cut, either by choice or through forced liquidation.

That is how orderly weakness turns into a cascade. Prices fall, leveraged longs are forced out, more selling follows, and the market starts moving on positioning stress rather than conviction.

Analysts at Bitunix told CryptoSlate that Bitcoin remains stuck in a passive pricing regime, with resistance around $69,400 still uncleared and downside liquidity continuing to build near $65,500. In a more hostile macro setting, that lower band could become the trigger point for a broader liquidation wave.

Options markets are sending a similarly cautious message. Greeks.live data show 28,000 BTC contracts expired on April 3 with a put-call ratio of 0.54 and a max pain point at $68,000, representing $1.8 billion in notional value.

According to the firm:

“Bitcoin performed poorly in both price and market sentiment during the first quarter of this year, and the first week of the second quarter has also been weak. Rebuilding confidence may require time and capital support; currently, all indicators point to bear market conditions.”

Why $10,000 is still a tail risk

Bitunix has described the current environment as a triple-constraint regime shaped by elevated inflation expectations, policy limits, and widening geopolitical risk.

That framework helps explain why crypto is reacting so sharply, as liquidity cannot ease much if oil stays high. At the same time, market confidence cannot recover easily if war risk continues to rise, speculative positions become harder to defend as the dollar strengthens, and volatility rises across asset classes.

Against this backdrop, the more plausible cases for BTC still point to lower levels.

In a moderate scenario, where the conflict remains contained but inflation stays elevated, unwinding leveraged futures could drag Bitcoin from around $70,000 to $50,000, within a roughly 25% to 30% correction.

Meanwhile, a harsher bear-case path would emerge if ETF outflows accelerate, spot demand remains weak, and the dollar continues to tighten financial conditions. In that setting, Bitcoin could slide into the $20,000 to $30,000 range, erasing 60% to 70% of its value from recent levels.

The move to $10,000 sits beyond that as a black swan outcome. It would likely require a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz or a wider regional war severe enough to push oil toward $150 to $200 a barrel, drive a much sharper tightening in global liquidity, and knock equities down by more than 30%.

Under those conditions, speculative capital across crypto would shrink dramatically, leaving Bitcoin exposed to the kind of 80% drawdown seen in earlier cycle washouts.

For now, the immediate takeaway is that Bitcoin is not acting as a safe haven amid war. Instead, it is trading like a highly sensitive risk asset whose direction still depends on liquidity, leverage, and the market’s willingness to absorb macro shock.

The post Bitcoin’s safe haven story breaks as war shock revives $10,000 risk if oil hits $150 a barrel appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Stablecoin issuer Circle is facing mounting scrutiny from blockchain researchers after millions of USD Coin (USDC) were stolen and flowed unimpeded through its proprietary bridge during the $285 million exploit of the Solana-based Drift Protocol.

The inaction during the April 1 attack, which is now the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) hack of 2026, stands in stark contrast to Circle’s aggressive asset freeze tied to a sealed US civil case just days prior.

This juxtaposition has reignited debate over the responsibilities and inconsistencies of centralized stablecoin issuers operating within permissionless markets.

According to on-chain investigator ZachXBT, the attackers bridged more than $230 million in USDC from Solana to Ethereum across over 100 transactions using Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP).

Why this matters: The episode highlights a structural tension in crypto markets: stablecoins like USDC operate inside permissionless systems but retain centralized control. When that control is applied inconsistently, it raises new risks for users, protocols, and regulators trying to understand where intervention will, or will not, occur during a crisis.

The transfers occurred over several hours during the US business day, giving the New York-headquartered issuer ample time to intervene.

This view was corroborated by other security experts, who noted that the attacker held stolen USDC across multiple wallets for one to three hours before bridging to Ethereum.

The hacker notably avoided converting the funds to Tether's USDT, suggesting a calculated bet that Circle would not deploy its smart-contract blacklist authority.

That bet paid off because USDT is the largest stablecoin by market capitalization, and its issuer is renowned for blacklisting malicious attackers using its asset to shift funds.

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The civil contrast

The timing of the exploit has intensified the backlash. On March 23, Circle froze the USDC balances of 16 unrelated corporate hot wallets and disrupted legitimate exchanges, casinos, and payment processors in response to a civil dispute.

ZachXBT previously characterized that action as “potentially the single most incompetent” freeze he had witnessed in five years.

Critics are now asking a fundamental question: If Circle claims the authority to freeze assets to enforce compliance, why does it apply that power aggressively against legitimate businesses while ignoring a confirmed, nine-figure heist transiting its own infrastructure?

However, Santisa, the pseudonymous CIO of investment firm Lucidity Cap, argued the opposite. He stated:

“Circle not blacklisting is actually quite cypherpunk of them, no matter the reason. The industry pushing for active blacklisting puts us ever further away from decentralisation — not necessarily a bad thing! Just a trade-off.”

To date, Circle has blacklisted roughly $117 million across 601 wallets, according to Dune Analytics data, showing that the capability exists.

Anatomy of the Drift exploit

The attack on Drift, previously the cornerstone of Solana’s DeFi ecosystem with over $550 million in Total Value Locked (TVL), was a highly sophisticated, weeks-long operation.

According to Drift Protocol’s post-mortem, the attackers compromised the protocol's Security Council.

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On March 30, they exploited a mechanism known as a “Durable Nonce” to quietly gain necessary multisig approvals.

The durable nonce is a tool designed to keep unconfirmed transactions valid indefinitely for offline approvals. Yu Xian, the founder of blockchain security firm Slowmist, said:

“Another encounter with the durable nonce offline pre-signature mechanism exploit. This phishing technique has been prevalent for at least 2 years. Once such a signature is phished away, the attacker can initiate “legally signed” on-chain operations at a future opportune moment—for instance, in the Drift scenario, it resulted in the takeover of its on-chain admin privileges.”

On April 1, the attackers shifted admin authority, initialized a fake asset called CVT, artificially inflated its value via oracle manipulation, and borrowed against the false collateral.

In short order, they drained the JLP Delta Neutral, SOL Super Staking, and BTC Super Staking vaults. DefiLlama data shows Drift’s TVL collapsed to under $250 million following the attack.

The fallout has spread rapidly across the Solana DeFi ecosystem, considering Drift's prominent role.

According to reports, at least 20 third-party applications that relied on Drift's vaults to generate yield have confirmed financial impact, including Prime Numbers Fi, which estimates losses exceeding $10 million.

Who is behind the attack?

While the identity of the attackers remains unknown as of press time, Drift stated on X that it had identified critical information about the parties involved in the exploit.

Meanwhile, security experts have noted that the sophisticated laundering methodology points to a familiar adversary of North Korean attackers.

Blockchain intelligence firm Elliptic reported that the on-chain behavior and network-level indicators align with operations conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Another blockchain security firm, Diverg, further stated:

“We can confirm along with TRM Labs and Elliptic that North Korea's Lazarus Group (TraderTraitor) [was behind the Drift attac]. [The] same unit [was] behind Bybit's $1.5 billion hack [and] Ronin's $625 million attack.”

If confirmed, the Drift exploit would mark the eighteenth DPRK-linked crypto theft this year, pushing the regime's 2026 illicit haul past $300 million.

It arrives amid an escalation in state-sponsored attacks targeting crypto infrastructure, including a recent software supply chain compromise attributed by Google to the North Korean threat actor UNC1069.

The post Circle under fire as $230M in stolen USDC flows unblocked days after freezing legitimate accounts appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Washington has escalated its fight with states over prediction markets, launching lawsuits that could decide whether these platforms operate as national financial products or state-regulated gambling. The outcome will determine if sports contracts can scale or get forced back into local licensing regimes.

On Apr. 2, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sued Arizona, Connecticut, and Illinois, with the Department of Justice as a litigation partner.

The regulator demanded expedited rulings that federal derivatives law preempts state efforts to classify event contracts as illegal gambling.

Washington moved to the offensive, trying to establish, as a matter of national market structure, that these products belong under exclusive federal jurisdiction.

Why this matters: This is no longer a niche regulatory dispute. The CFTC is asking courts to confirm that once an event contract is listed on a federally regulated exchange, states lose the ability to shut it down as gambling. If that argument holds, prediction markets become a national product category. If it fails, operators face a fragmented system where their most valuable contracts, especially sports, must comply with dozens of state regimes.

The CFTC's published FAQ makes the ambition explicit. The suits are registrant-agnostic, deliberately detached from any individual company's fact pattern so that courts can rule on the preemptive scope of the Commodity Exchange Act itself.

Washington wants category-wide declarations on CEA preemption, binding regardless of which operator or exchange triggers enforcement.

The CEA's exclusive jurisdiction provision is the lever.

The CFTC's theory holds that once an event contract is listed on a CFTC-regulated exchange, states cannot relabel it as unlawful gambling without destabilizing the uniform national derivatives framework, potentially opening the door for states to assert authority over other exchange-traded derivatives that have operated without controversy for decades.

That framing becomes sharper against the legal map heading into April.

Massachusetts had secured an injunction against Kalshi's sports contracts, and Nevada won a temporary block on Mar. 20. Arizona escalated to criminal charges on Mar. 17. Tennessee produced an early ruling in Kalshi's favor. A 39-state-and-DC coalition filed amicus briefs backing Nevada.

The prediction market category was surviving on patchwork, while the CFTC played defense from the sidelines.

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A national fight is now underway over whether sports prediction markets are federally regulated derivatives or unlicensed gambling platforms. The answer could determine not just who regulates them, but whether their current growth model survives at all.

Mar 28, 2026 · Andjela Radmilac

Sports as the fault line

Sports contracts are where the category stops looking like abstract forecasting and starts colliding with the full compliance architecture states built since the Supreme Court's 2018 Murphy decision. The structure consists of licensing, age verification, KYC and AML protocols, self-exclusion databases, suspicious-wager reporting, and integrity monitoring.

Illinois told the CFTC that these platforms entirely bypass its licensing, responsible-gaming, AML, and tax regimes. Connecticut pointed to under-21 access that no licensed operator could legally offer.

The American Gaming Association translated those gaps into fiscal terms, claiming that sports bets on prediction markets have cost states more than $620 million in lost gaming taxes since the start of 2025.

The advocacy estimate converts legal theory into budget politics at a moment when the US sports betting revenue, which reached $1.61 billion in January 2026 alone, shows a market with year-over-year handle declines and incumbents with clear motivation to fight back.

The leagues arrived as actors with a concrete grievance and a clear agenda.

The NBA said sports prediction markets were expanding into single-game contracts through self-certification, without anything resembling the oversight framework states require of licensed sportsbooks.

MLB pressed the same argument directly with the CFTC. On Mar. 19, the agency signed a memorandum of understanding with the league, establishing the first formal agency-league information-sharing channel around baseball-related contracts.

That MOU is both a practical integrity measure and an acknowledgment that the current framework carries a meaningful gap that the litigation leaves open.

The regulator's internal contradiction

The CFTC is simultaneously trying to lock states out of the lane and build the public record that the lane requires far tighter policing.

On Feb. 4, Chairman Brian Quintenz withdrew a prior event-contract rulemaking proposal and an earlier sports advisory, framing the move as a permissive opening for the category. Within weeks, the agency moved in the opposite direction on nearly every other front.

On Feb. 25, the CFTC publicly described two Kalshi-related misuse-of-nonpublic-information cases, imposed penalties and multi-year suspensions, and stated that insider trading, wash trading, fraud, and manipulation rules fully apply to prediction markets.

On Mar. 31, enforcement chief David Miller said insider trading is “potentially happening” in these markets, citing injury-related and person-specific contracts as obvious integrity risks.

On Mar. 12, a staff advisory directed designated contract markets to consider league integrity standards, restricted-participant lists, and cooperation with league investigations. On the same day, the agency opened an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking input on which event-contract types may run contrary to the public interest.

Congress arrived in the same space on Mar. 23, when Senators Adam Schiff and John Curtis introduced the Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act, targeting contracts that resemble sports bets or casino-style games on CFTC-registered platforms.

The fight now runs in three venues at once: state courts, federal courts, and the Senate.

In the bull case, Washington's suits in Illinois and Connecticut produce fast rulings endorsing the preemption theory, and a federal circuit affirms that the CEA displaces state gambling law for exchange-listed event contracts.

States lose the tools to block platform expansion, and the Schiff-Curtis bill stalls. Prediction market operators build sports offerings under a federal compliance wrapper consisting of league MOUs, restricted-participant lists, and whatever tighter rulebook emerges from the CFTC's ANPRM process.

The category survives in sports as a regulated national market with a heavier obligation stack than operators currently carry. Developer incentives skew toward exchanges already holding CFTC registration rather than new entrants, compressing the number of platforms that can realistically compete.

In the bear case, state-favorable reasoning from Nevada and Massachusetts spreads at the appellate level.

Courts find that Murphy-era state sports-betting frameworks constitute the kind of traditional police power that federal preemption cannot readily displace.

Congress advances a carveout that pushes platforms listing sports contracts into state licensing processes. Political, macro, and business-event contracts, categories without a natural state-regulatory home, clear the bar more easily, while sports-adjacent contracts migrate toward the same licensing, tax, and integrity regime as conventional sportsbooks.

Operators who built their growth story around sports face a product retreat or a compliance restructuring that they did not price into their models.

The federal bet

Washington is wagering that “listed on a CFTC-regulated exchange” is the decisive jurisdictional fact that overrides states' classifications of the underlying contract.

The courts' acceptance of that wager will determine if prediction markets become a genuinely national product category or a nationally marketed product that still has to negotiate dozens of licensing regimes for its most commercially valuable contracts.

The CFTC's own calendar compresses the timeline, as the ANPRM closes Apr. 30.

The agency expects expedited resolution in Connecticut and Illinois within a few months, and a preliminary injunction ruling in Arizona is due within weeks.

By mid-2026, federal preemption power over event contracts will have a legal foundation or a legal ceiling.

The post CFTC sues 3 states in bid to redefine crypto prediction markets as federal products appeared first on CryptoSlate.

SpaceX is moving toward a public listing that could redefine how Bitcoin shows up in equity markets. The scale of the IPO matters more than the size of its holdings.

SpaceX has reportedly filed confidentially for an initial public offering with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a step that would move Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company closer to what could become the largest stock market debut in US history.

According to reports, the firm is looking to raise as much as $75 billion at a valuation of about $2 trillion, with a listing as early as June. This would put it more than three times above the largest US IPO to date.

At that level, the IPO would also make the company one of the top 10 global companies by market capitalization.

Why this matters: This would mark a shift in how Bitcoin enters public markets. Until now, exposure has largely come through companies built around holding the asset. A SpaceX listing would introduce Bitcoin into one of the world’s largest industrial and infrastructure businesses, changing the context in which investors encounter it.

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Launched in 2022, SpaceX sits at the intersection of commercial space, communications, defense, and infrastructure.

Over the past years, the firm has grown to become the dominant force in commercial launches, NASA’s leading launch partner, and the operator of Starlink, the satellite broadband network that has become central to its broader valuation.

That would give investors exposure to a business with far broader foundations than most recent market debuts.

The most valuable public company with Bitcoin

Apart from the size of the deal, a SpaceX listing could create the most valuable listed company with Bitcoin on its balance sheet.

Data from BitcoinTreasuries.com show the company is holding 8,285 Bitcoin, valued at $569.5 million on its balance sheet. The firm is currently the fourth-largest private corporate holder of BTC.

If SpaceX’s public filings confirm these holdings, the firm would overtake another Musk-led company, Tesla, on that measure. Tesla currently holds more than 11,000 Bitcoin and remains the highest-value public company known to own the token. The automaker is currently valued at $1.37 trillion.

With a planned valuation of $2 trillion, SpaceX would move past Tesla in market value even while holding fewer coins.

Over the past year, the market has seen an avalanche of public firms introducing Bitcoin to their balance sheet. This is a model popularized by Michael Saylor's Strategy, which is currently the largest public corporate Bitcoin holder with 762,099 Bitcoin.

However, SpaceX's stock would not trade like that of Strategy or other Bitcoin holding companies.

Strategy’s equity model is built around Bitcoin accumulation, capital raising, and the token’s price. SpaceX would come public as a launch, satellite, and defense business that happens to own Bitcoin.

The numbers make that clear. SpaceX’s reported Bitcoin stash is worth roughly $569.5 million, which translates to less than 0.03% of its $2 trillion valuation.

Such a valuation is too low to make the stock a Bitcoin proxy. However, it is large enough to become part of the company’s public identity.

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Would retail investors gain from the IPO?

The answer is likely yes, but mostly because of what SpaceX is, not because of the Bitcoin on its balance sheet.

Reports indicate that retail investors would get meaningful exposure to the IPO, with allocations of up to 30% of shares and potentially without the standard six-month lock-up.

If that structure holds, it would give ordinary investors access to one of the world’s most sought-after private companies on unusually favorable terms for a deal of this size.

That retail angle would help demand, and the Bitcoin connection would add another layer of interest, particularly among crypto investors who already follow Musk, Tesla, and treasury-holding companies closely.

But the core draw would be elsewhere. Investors would be buying into the dominant launch franchise in commercial space, the Starlink network, and a company whose position reaches into defense and communications.

The stock would appeal because of its scale, strategic relevance, and scarcity value, not because 8,285 Bitcoin sit somewhere on the balance sheet.

The post SpaceX IPO would eclipse Tesla in market value while holding less Bitcoin — challenging the idea of a Bitcoin proxy appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The Cardano Foundation is becoming less dependent on ADA. Its latest report shows Bitcoin and cash now account for a much larger share of reserves after a year of sharp price divergence.

That shift changes how closely the Foundation’s balance sheet tracks the performance of Cardano’s native token.

In its 2025 Activity and Financial Insights Report shared with CryptoSlate, the Foundation said its total assets stood at 287.5 million Swiss francs, or about $361 million. This represents a 45% decline from the $659.1 million assets it held as of the end of 2024.

The drop in headline value reflected a difficult year for Cardano’s native token, ADA, but the more notable shift came in the composition of the Foundation’s holdings.

Why this matters: The Foundation has historically been one of the largest long-term holders of ADA, so changes to its treasury structure affect the degree of internal alignment between Cardano’s ecosystem and its core institution. A lower ADA concentration reduces direct exposure to the token’s price but also weakens the feedback loop linking the Foundation’s balance sheet to ADA’s performance.

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A year earlier, the Foundation said 76.7% of its assets were held in ADA, 14.9% in Bitcoin, and 8.3% in cash, cash equivalents, and financial assets.

However, by the end of 2025, ADA’s share had fallen to about 51.6%, while BTC rose to 25.5%, and cash, cash equivalents, and financial assets climbed to 22.9%.

On that basis, the Foundation’s holdings worked out to roughly $186 million in ADA, $92 million in Bitcoin, and $83 million in cash and financial assets.

This essentially means that the Cardano-focused organization's asset was no longer as concentrated in ADA as it had been a year earlier. Now, nearly half of the balance sheet was tied to Bitcoin, cash, and other financial assets.

How Bitcoin gained a foothold in Cardano's Foundation assets

Bitcoin’s greater role in the portfolio did not stem from an increase in the Foundation’s BTC holdings.

In fact, the report showed that the Foundation significantly reduced its BTC holdings last year, down 37% to 656 BTC from 1,054 BTC a year earlier.

That means BTC's increased share of the treasury was driven by relative performance and a broader reshaping of reserves, rather than by an outright accumulation of more BTC.

Market moves help explain the change. Data from CryptoSlate showed that ADA has fallen by roughly 63% over the past year, while Bitcoin has shown more resilience, declining by around 25%.

That divergence meant BTC did not need to rise in absolute terms to claim a larger place in the Foundation’s holdings. Instead, the top crypto's greater resilience during the bear market helped it gain a stronger footing.

Meanwhile, the report also suggests the treasury was becoming more layered, with the Foundation finding more use cases for BTC and also expanding its cash holdings.

The Foundation said part of its Bitcoin allocation was invested in loans and collective investment schemes during 2025.

At the same time, its financial assets, including loans to third parties, investments, and shares, rose to 43.9 million Swiss francs (around $54.9 million) from 14.3 million Swiss francs (equivalent to $17.8 million) a year earlier.

Additionally, the organization's cash and cash equivalents stood at 20.1 million Swiss francs, or $25.1 million.

Taken together, those figures show a reserve base moving beyond a straightforward ADA-and-bitcoin treasury into something more diversified and more actively managed.

Spending priorities shift

The change in portfolio mix was matched by a clearer reset in how the Foundation spent money in 2025.

The report said 23.6 million Swiss francs (equivalent to $29.5 million) was allocated across three strategic pillars, including technology, adoption, and governance.

Technology accounted for the largest share at 40.3%, or 9.5 million francs. Adoption followed at 39.6%, or 9.3 million francs, while governance spending represented 20.1%, or 4.8 million francs.

That marked a change from 2024, when the foundation grouped its work under adoption, operational resilience, and education. The new structure gives a sharper picture of where resources are now being directed and how the Foundation sees Cardano’s next phase.

Technology spending centered on protocol enablement, developer tooling, node diversity, interoperability frameworks, oracle infrastructure, and operational resilience.

The Foundation said it also increased its focus on community initiatives to improve liquidity and adoption in decentralized finance. At the same time, it expanded its Web3 adoption team with an emphasis on integrations, listings, and real-world asset efforts.

A significant part of the technology and adoption story was tied to digital identity. In 2025, the foundation launched Veridian, a privacy-preserving identity platform designed to let organizations issue and verify digital credentials anchored on Cardano.

Meanwhile, adoption spending covered enterprise solutions, identity and traceability systems, regulatory collaboration, education, and ecosystem partnerships.

The report said the foundation made Originate available as an open-source traceability solution, advanced the Reeve platform through internal use and its first enterprise proof of concept, and pushed Veridian into wider deployment, including a white-label rollout for the United Nations Development Program and the launch of the Veridian Wallet.

The Cardano Academy also expanded through new courses, distribution partnerships, and multilingual deployment. The Foundation said course material was extended to Binance Academy, which it said reaches more than 44 million learners, while collaborations also included the Blockchain Research Institute and Coursera.

Lastly, governance took a smaller share of the budget than technology and adoption, but it remained central to the Foundation’s 2025 agenda as Cardano deepened its commitment to decentralized decision-making.

The report highlighted support for the largest on-chain budget submitted so far on Cardano, resulting in 38 separate treasury withdrawal governance actions. It also pointed to the Foundation’s enterprise membership in Intersect and its work across committees tied to civics, budget, technical matters, product, open-source enablement, marketing, and oversight.

That participation fed into a series of initiatives, including work on the constitutional process, the Cardano 2030 vision and strategy, the Cardano Summit 2025 proposal, and the Cardano 2026 budget process.

The Foundation also said it supported tools aimed at widening participation in governance, including the open-source Cardano Voting Tool, a Proposal Examiner built with Griffin AI, updated governance documentation, and dedicated sessions at Cardano Summit 2025.

The foundation’s DRep Delegation Program distributed 140 million ADA to seven builder DReps, with a further 220 million ADA allocation to adoption and operational DReps announced. It also published the Constitutional Committee’s cold keys and expanded internal frameworks for delegation and elections as the governance transition continued.

2026 will test whether the reset works

The next question is whether the Foundation’s repositioning can translate into a stronger operating story for Cardano itself.

Frederik Gregaard, the Foundation's chief executive, said the organization's focus in 2026 would remain on technology, governance, and enterprise and institutional adoption.

He said the group would continue working to strengthen Cardano’s role in real-world asset infrastructure, support the expansion of stablecoin markets and DeFi liquidity, and build the open-source tooling needed for broader adoption.

Notably, this aligns with the blockchain network's recent efforts to integrate the Pyth network, LayerZero, and Circle's USDCx stablecoin. All of these efforts are geared towards expanding Cardano's DeFi ecosystem and stablecoin supply to attract institutional support.

That leaves Cardano facing a clearer test in 2026 to determine if a more diversified balance sheet, combined with heavier spending on infrastructure, governance, and adoption, can help stabilize the economics around ADA itself.

The post Cardano Foundation shifts away from ADA as Bitcoin and cash take larger share of reserves appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The first quarter of 2026 has concluded, leaving the cryptocurrency market in a state of significant reassessment. After a bullish end to 2025, the start of the year brought a harsh "risk-off" reality. Major assets, led by Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), saw substantial drawdowns as investors grappled with a perfect storm of geopolitical conflict, surging energy costs, and a hawkish shift in global monetary policy.

Why did Crypto Crash in 2026?

If you are looking for the primary reason for the crash: Q1 2026 was defined by a liquidity drain. As Bitcoin fell 23%, capital fled volatile assets in favor of traditional safe havens. While the broader market bled, specific utility-driven tokens like Tron (TRX) and UNUS SED LEO (LEO) managed to defy the trend, posting gains of 10% and 4.6% respectively.

Q1 2026 Market Performance Overview

The following table summarizes the Year-to-Date (YTD) performance of the top cryptocurrencies as of the end of March 2026:

The Macroeconomic "Pressure Cooker"

To understand the Q1 crash, one must look at the "Macroeconomic Pressure Cooker." This refers to the simultaneous rise in inflation expectations and interest rates. In early 2026, the US Federal Reserve signaled that interest rates would remain "higher for longer" to combat a sticky 2.7% inflation rate. This strengthened the US Dollar, making riskier assets like Ethereum less attractive to institutional desks.

Crypto Crash Reasons

The downturn was accelerated by significant global events:

• Geopolitical Conflict: Escalating tensions in the Middle East—specifically involving Iran—reignited fears of a broader war. This uncertainty historically triggers a flight to quality.
• Oil Prices: Crude oil prices surged in Q1, with Brent crude hitting over $118/bbl. High energy prices act as a tax on the global economy and increase the operational costs for Bitcoin miners, often leading to "miner capitulation" sell-offs.
• The Gold & Silver Hedge: Unlike crypto, Gold posted steady gains of roughly 8% earlier in the quarter, reaching near-record levels as investors sought a store of value that doesn't rely on digital network uptime or speculative sentiment.

Why Altcoins Suffered More

While Bitcoin’s 23% drop was painful, Solana (SOL) and BNB were hit harder, losing 36% and 32% respectively. This is a classic "beta" move; altcoins typically amplify Bitcoin's movements. When liquidity dries up, speculative "high-growth" ecosystems are the first to see capital outflows. Investors moved their holdings from high-risk dApp platforms into stablecoins or exited the market entirely.

The Outliers — Tron and LEO

Why did Tron (+10%) and UNUS SED LEO (+4.6%) survive the carnage?

• Tron (TRX): Tron has solidified itself as the "Global Settlement Layer" for USDT. During a crash, the demand for stablecoin transfers spikes. As users move to safety, the burning of TRX for transaction fees increases, creating deflationary price pressure that supported the TRX price.
• UNUS SED LEO (LEO): As a utility token for the Bitfinex ecosystem, LEO benefits from a consistent buy-back and burn mechanism. In periods of high volatility, exchange-based tokens often act as a "defensive" play, as trading volumes (and thus burn rates) remain elevated.

Institutional Sentiment and ETF Outflows

The latest crypto news highlights that Bitcoin ETFs saw their first sustained period of net outflows in Q1 2026. Institutional investors, who were the primary drivers of the 2025 rally, shifted their focus to the S&P 500 and banking stocks, which showed more resilience during the "war-inflation" scare.

Crypto Markets Are Moving — But Something Is Missing

Over the past 24 hours, the crypto market has reacted to a wave of major geopolitical and macroeconomic developments. Rising tensions, escalating military actions, and a sharp surge in oil prices have already introduced volatility across Bitcoin and altcoins.

Yet despite all this, the overall market remains relatively stable.

Bitcoin is holding near the $66,000–$67,000 range, Ethereum is hovering around $2,000, and total crypto market capitalization remains largely flat.

👉 At first glance, this may seem like resilience.

👉 In reality, it signals something else: the market has not fully reacted yet.

Why the Real Move Hasn’t Started

The most important factor right now is simple:

👉 Wall Street is closed.

Due to the Good Friday holiday, U.S. stock markets are not trading. This means:

• Institutional investors are inactive
• ETFs are paused
• Large capital flows are temporarily frozen

At the same time, major developments are unfolding:

• Escalation in U.S.–Iran tensions
• Announcements targeting critical infrastructure
• Oil prices surging above key levels
• Gold behaving unexpectedly under pressure

👉 These events are happening without full market participation.

As a result, crypto is currently trading in a partial-information environment, where only retail and limited global flows are active.

Monday Is the Real Catalyst

👉 The U.S. market will reopen on Monday at 9:30 AM ET (3:30 PM Central European Time).

This moment could act as a major reset point for global markets.

Why?

Because all the news that broke during the market closure will be priced in simultaneously:

• Equity markets will react
• Oil markets will continue adjusting
• Institutional portfolios will rebalance
• Risk exposure will be reassessed

👉 In short: Monday is when the real repricing begins.

Why the Pressure Is Building

Markets are currently sitting in a fragile equilibrium.

On one side:

• Bullish crypto fundamentals (institutional adoption, regulatory progress)
• Bitcoin holding key levels

On the other:

• Rising oil prices tightening global liquidity
• Escalating geopolitical risk
• Uncertainty around further military actions

👉 This creates a compression phase — where price stays relatively stable while pressure builds underneath.

When markets reopen, that pressure is likely to release quickly.

How Big Could the Move Be?

Bearish Scenario (Higher Probability Short-Term)

If macro pressure dominates:

• Bitcoin could break below $66K, targeting $64K or lower
• Ethereum may lose the $2,000 level
• Altcoins could see sharper declines

👉 This would likely happen if:

• Oil continues rising
• War headlines intensify
• Equity markets open significantly lower

Bullish Scenario (Lower Probability but Possible)

If markets interpret the situation as contained:

• Bitcoin could push toward $68K–$70K
• Short squeezes could accelerate upside
• Risk appetite may temporarily return

👉 This would require:

• De-escalation signals
• Oil price stabilization or drop
• Strong dip-buying from institutions

Most Likely Outcome: Volatility First

Regardless of direction, one thing is highly likely:

👉 Volatility will expand sharply.

Expect:

• Fast moves in both directions
• Liquidations across leveraged positions
• Sudden reversals as markets search for direction

Oil Is Now Driving Crypto

One of the most important shifts in this cycle is clear:

👉 Crypto is no longer reacting only to crypto news.

Instead, it is increasingly tied to macro forces — especially energy markets.

As oil rises:

• Inflation expectations increase
• Central banks face pressure
• Liquidity tightens

👉 And when liquidity tightens, risk assets — including crypto — come under pressure.

This makes oil one of the key indicators to watch ahead of Monday.

What to Expect Until Then

Until Wall Street reopens:

• Markets may remain choppy
• Liquidity will stay relatively low
• Price movements may be misleading or incomplete

👉 The current market action is not the final move — it is the setup phase.

Conclusion: Crypto Is Waiting — But Not for Long

Crypto markets are currently reacting, but not fully.

The absence of institutional participation means that what we are seeing now is only a partial response to a much larger macro shift.

👉 Monday changes everything.

As global markets reopen, all delayed reactions will converge — creating the potential for a significant move across Bitcoin and the broader crypto market.

For investors, the key takeaway is simple:

👉 The real move hasn’t started yet — but it’s getting closer.

Coinbase has officially received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish the Coinbase National Trust Company. This move brings the largest U.S. exchange under federal oversight, effectively bridging the gap between Silicon Valley innovation and Wall Street’s regulatory rigors.

Is Coinbase a Bank?

No. While the news is massive, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong clarified that the firm is not becoming a commercial bank. Instead, the national trust charter allows Coinbase to provide fiduciary services, asset custody, and investment management across the entire U.S. under a single federal framework, rather than navigating a patchwork of state-by-state licenses.

What Does the OCC Approval Actually Mean?

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is the primary federal regulator for national banks and federal savings associations. By granting this charter, the OCC is allowing Coinbase to operate as a National Trust Bank.

• Federal Uniformity: Coinbase can now offer custody services nationwide with consistent federal standards.
• Institutional Magnet: Large-scale institutional investors, who are often wary of state-level regulations, now have a federally overseen partner for their digital assets.
• No Retail Deposits: Unlike a commercial bank, this trust cannot take retail demand deposits or engage in fractional reserve lending.

The Perfect Storm: Market Structure Bill and Fundamentals

This approval comes at a pivotal moment. The U.S. Congress is currently advancing the CLARITY Act and other market structure bills aimed at defining how digital assets are regulated. With Coinbase securing a seat at the federal banking table, the fundamental strength of the crypto market has arguably reached an all-time high.

Why This Could Trigger the Biggest Bull Run Yet

The entry of a federally chartered trust company within the Coinbase ecosystem acts as a "green light" for trillions of dollars in sidelined institutional capital. As the crypto market structure becomes more defined, the barriers for pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and major insurance companies to hold $Bitcoin are effectively dissolving.

Institutional Custody and the Future of Payments

According to reports from Coinbase's institutional blog, the new charter will focus heavily on custody and settlement. As of late 2025, Coinbase already held over $370 billion in assets under custody. With this new federal status, that number is expected to skyrocket.

Furthermore, the charter lays the groundwork for advanced crypto payment rails. By working directly with the OCC, Coinbase intends to explore infrastructure products that allow for seamless, instant settlement of digital assets, potentially challenging traditional systems like SWIFT.

What Just Happened in the Markets?

Global markets surged after reports that Iran and Oman are working on a protocol to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The reaction was immediate:

• Over $1.5 trillion added across US markets
• Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Dow all moved higher
• Risk sentiment briefly flipped bullish

👉 On the surface, this looks like the start of a recovery.

But crypto is telling a completely different story.

Crypto Is Not Following — And That’s the Warning

Despite the bullish backdrop:

• Bitcoin is still trading under pressure
• Ethereum and major altcoins continue to decline
• No strong follow-through from crypto markets

👉 This kind of divergence is rare — and important.

When crypto fails to react to good news, it often signals that something deeper is broken beneath the surface.

The Market Got Bullish News — A Lot of It

Over the past hours, several developments should have supported crypto:

• IMF signaling that tokenization could reshape global finance
• Coinbase gaining conditional approval for a US national trust charter
• $500 million USDC minted, signaling fresh liquidity entering the system
• Equity markets recovering sharply

👉 Under normal conditions, this would trigger a strong crypto bounce.

But it didn’t.

Why Crypto Is Ignoring the Rally

The answer lies in liquidity and macro pressure.

Even though headlines are turning positive, the underlying conditions remain tight:

• Oil prices are still above $110
• Global inflation risks remain elevated
• Central banks are unlikely to ease aggressively
• Capital is still cautious and selective

👉 In this environment, investors are not chasing risk — they are managing exposure.

Crypto, being the most sensitive risk asset, reacts first.

This Is a Classic Late-Stage Signal

Markets often behave like this near key turning points.

First:

• Equities bounce on headlines

Then:

• Crypto refuses to confirm

👉 That disconnect is a warning.

It suggests that the rally may be driven by short-term positioning, not real conviction.

What Smart Money Is Likely Doing

While retail reacts to headlines, institutions tend to act differently.

The signals suggest:

• Positioning into infrastructure (tokenization, custody, stablecoins)
• Preparing liquidity (USDC minting)
• Expanding regulatory positioning (Coinbase trust charter)

👉 This is accumulation — but not in a risk-on environment yet.

What Happens Next?

The market is now at a critical point.

Two scenarios can unfold:

Bullish Case:

• Oil drops
• Tensions ease further
• Crypto catches up to equities

Bearish Case:

• Oil stays high
• Geopolitical risk returns
• Crypto leads the next leg down

👉 Right now, crypto is leaning toward the second scenario.

Final Take: This Is Not Strength — It’s a Signal

Crypto is not lagging by accident.

It is reacting to real underlying conditions, not headlines.

👉 When markets rally but crypto doesn’t follow, it usually means one thing:

The risk isn’t gone — it’s just being ignored.

Bitcoin ($BTC) plummeted below the critical $66,000 threshold on April 2, 2026. This sudden downward movement has sent shockwaves through the derivatives market, resulting in the liquidation of over $251,940,000 worth of long positions within the last 24 hours.

Why is Bitcoin Dropping Today?

The current decline is fueled by a "perfect storm" of fundamental and technical factors. Reports indicate that rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and a hawkish shift in U.S. trade policy—specifically recent tariff announcements—have pushed investors toward a "risk-off" stance.

Furthermore, institutional demand through spot $Bitcoin ETFs has cooled significantly. Data shows net outflows exceeding $170 million in recent sessions, suggesting that the aggressive buying pressure seen in previous months is tapering off. This lack of immediate demand has left the market vulnerable to the "long squeeze" we are currently witnessing.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: Why is Bitcoin Down?

Analyzing the 4-hour chart of BTC/USD, several bearish signals are evident that traders should monitor closely.

1. The Descending Resistance Line

A prominent yellow trend line (descending resistance) has been capping Bitcoin's price action since mid-March. Every attempt to break above this line has been met with aggressive selling pressure. As of April 2, Bitcoin remains trapped beneath this diagonal resistance, currently situated near the $67,500 – $68,000 zone.

2. Immediate Support Levels

Bitcoin is currently testing a horizontal support zone identified on the chart at $65,581.

• Crucial Support: The $65,500 – $65,800 range is acting as the primary line of defense for bulls.
• Secondary Target: If $65,500 fails to hold, the next significant psychological and technical floor is at $63,000.

3. RSI and Momentum

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently hovering around 38.02. This indicates that while the market is approaching "oversold" territory (typically below 30), there is still room for further downside before a relief bounce becomes a high-probability event. The momentum is clearly in favor of the bears in the short term.

Market Sentiment and Liquidation Heatmap

The $251 million in long liquidations suggests that many retail traders were positioned for a breakout that failed to materialize. When these positions are forcibly closed (liquidated), it adds "sell-side" pressure to the market, often leading to a cascading effect where the price drops further, hitting more stop-losses.

According to data from CoinGlass, the majority of these liquidations occurred on major exchanges like Binance and OKX.

Bitcoin Future Outlook: Bull Trap or Consolidation?

The big question is whether this is a "healthy correction" before a move toward $100,000 or the start of a deeper bearish phase. For a bullish reversal to be confirmed, Bitcoin must:

• Hold the $65,500 support on a daily closing basis.
• Break out above the yellow descending trend line with significant volume.
• Reclaim $70,000 to shift the narrative back to a positive bias.

Financial giant Charles Schwab is set to launch spot buying of Bitcoin and Ethereum by the end of the quarter, the firm said Friday.

The FIFA World Cup will feature a prediction market platform built on ADI Chain, with the network’s token hitting a new high Friday.

Publicly traded Bitcoin miner MARA cut 15% of its staff this week after selling $1.1 billion in Bitcoin to fuel an AI push.

President Trump insisted that the Strait of Hormuz could easily be reopened "with a little more time."

Dmail’s team said it struggled with infrastructure costs and failed monetization attempts despite five years of development.

Crypto news digest: Ripple Prime earns new credit score; SHIB sees strong network activity; ADA Cardano exec teases potential Mastercard partnership.

Ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is taking Bitcoiners on a nostalgia trip by teasing the revival of a legendary piece of early crypto history.

The tide is turning once again in the battle for safe-haven assets..

XRP continues to see rising network usage despite weak price movements, fueling hopes among investors for a potential price rebound.

XRP Ledger validator highlights major turning point for XRP-native DEX once certain requirements are fulfilled.

Bithumb, South Korea’s second largest exchange, just postponed its IPO by two years after compliance fines, proving the industry is building for a longer timeline than this correction suggests. The correction is temporary, but the infrastructure underneath is permanent.

The best crypto to buy now is not the asset that needs billions to move 15%, it is the entry where the listing compresses the return into one day. Pepeto has raised above $8.1 million with live tools and a confirmed Binance listing.

Bithumb delayed its planned public offering by at least two years after fines and compliance issues, according to CoinGecko. The postponement confirms the infrastructure buildout will outlast the fear, as CoinDesk noted.

For the best crypto to buy now conversation, the correction is a pause in a longer story, and the entries positioned before the next chapter collect the most.

Best Crypto to Buy Now in 2026: Pepeto, BTC, and XRP

Pepeto

The correction has large cap holders watching BTC grind sideways, but the wallets searching for the best crypto to buy now already found the answer. Pepeto runs a zero fee swap engine that eliminates cost from every trade, and a cross chain bridge that connects networks so tokens move freely. These tools are live, which means every wallet using them interacts with a finished product at a price the Binance listing erases permanently, and that gap between presale pricing and listing day is where every dollar of real return lives.

The wallet behind the original Pepe project is part of the build alongside a former Binance expert, and the SolidProof audit confirmed the contract. The presale has collected above $8.1 million at $0.000000186 while the Fear and Greed Index sat at 9, and a $50,000 position earning 189% APY through staking returns roughly $98,000 in one year before the listing multiplier adds on top.

The correction will pass, the recovery will arrive, and the presale price will be gone, which means every day without a position is a day the reader’s money misses returns that the wallets already inside are set to collect.

The market always recovers, and the entries that turn corrections into wealth have tools working before the recovery starts. The Binance listing closes this window, and the presale counter ticks toward zero while the reader decides whether their money enters at presale pricing or pays whatever the open market charges after listing day rewrites the price.

BTC Holds $66,927 as Institutional Capital Builds Slowly

Bitcoin trades near $66,927 with dominance at 56.2%, according to CoinMarketCap. Institutional inflows are rebuilding, confirming the recovery forms underneath the fear.

Analysts target $72,000, but BTC needs billions more just to move 15%, math designed for pension funds. The best crypto to buy now for real returns is the entry where one listing delivers what BTC takes a quarter to produce.

XRP Holds $1.32 as CLARITY Act Approaches

XRP trades near $1.32 with support at $1.30 and resistance at $1.35, according to CoinGecko. The CLARITY Act reaching the Senate by mid April could shift sentiment.

The bullish case targets $2.00, a credible 50% gain, but that return takes months and depends on macro conditions the best crypto to buy now at presale pricing does not need.

The Bottom Line

Bithumb postponing its IPO proves the industry is building for a timeline far longer than this correction, and the recovery forming beneath the fear is going to reward the entries positioned before it arrives. BTC needs billions to move 15% and XRP targets $2.00 over months, but neither offers the presale pricing that a Binance listing transforms overnight.

Above $8.1 million committed during fear is the proof, and the Pepeto official website still shows the figure that listing day erases. The reader searched for the best crypto to buy now and the answer led them here, because early wallets acted before the crowd had reason to look, and the reader’s money right now sits at presale pricing with a working exchange behind it, which is how every early fortune in crypto started.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

FAQs

What is the best crypto to buy now during the correction?

Pepeto leads with above $8.1 million raised, live exchange tools, and a confirmed Binance listing. The correction is temporary and the presale price ends when the listing opens.

Why are large caps not the best crypto to buy now for returns?

BTC needs billions to move 15% and XRP targets 50% over months. The best crypto to buy now at presale pricing delivers the listing return from one event the Pepeto official website still shows.

Will the market recover from this correction?

Institutional infrastructure is expanding, exchanges are building for decades, and capital inflows are rebuilding. The correction is a pause, and the entries positioned before the recovery collect the most.

The post Best Crypto to Buy Now: Pepeto Raises Above $8.1M as Investors Look Past BTC and XRP During the Correction appeared first on Blockonomi.

Goldman Sachs disclosed $153.8 million in spot XRP ETFs across four funds, making it the largest institutional XRP ETF holder at 73% of all disclosed positions combined, according to TheCCPress. The position sits inside a broader $2.36 billion crypto portfolio spanning BTC, ETH, XRP, and SOL.

The xrp price prediction turned bullish, but the wallets that built generational crypto wealth never did it watching a large cap grind from $1.31 to $4. They found the presale where the math worked and committed before the window sealed. That is Pepeto right now.

Goldman spread its position evenly across Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, and 21Shares, according to 24/7 Wall St. The May 13F will reveal whether the bank held through XRP’s 40% Q1 decline.

For the xrp price prediction, Goldman’s conviction is structurally bullish. But accumulating a regulated wrapper around an established coin delivers exposure, not the multiplier distance a presale to listing event creates.

XRP Price Prediction and the Best Exchange Presale of 2026

Pepeto

By the time most people hear about a token, the early multiplier is gone. Pepeto flips that timeline, placing the reader inside the presale before the Binance listing creates the gap everyone else chases.

Goldman holding $153 million validates the xrp price prediction, but generational crypto portfolios were built during presales where the founder had proven the thesis, the product was live, and the cost sat at fractions of a cent. Pepeto checks all three.

The project is a complete exchange from the architect behind Pepe’s $11 billion run on a 420 trillion supply with zero shipped features. PepetoSwap processes every trade at zero cost, and the bridge routes assets across Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Solana without gas.

SolidProof cleared every contract before the first commitment, a former Binance executive directs exchange operations, and 189% APY staking compounds daily for every wallet inside. $8.64 million flowing in at a Fear and Greed reading of 8 tells you who is committing: addresses that verified the codebase and modeled the listing before deploying.

The cofounder’s previous project reached $11 billion on a 420 trillion supply without a single working tool. Covering the distance between $0.0000001862 and that valuation is 150x, and the live infrastructure underneath makes the old ceiling look like the starting point. Every presale round that closes brings the Binance order book closer, and the addresses filling positions today did not commit without running the arithmetic first.

XRP

XRP trades at $1.31 on April 2 according to CoinMarketCap, down 30% year to date despite Goldman’s position and $1.44 billion in cumulative ETF inflows. The xrp price prediction hinges on the CLARITY Act advancing through the Senate Banking Committee in late April.

A breakout above $1.45 opens $1.80, roughly 37%. For holders, that is a welcome recovery. But the xrp price prediction math from $1.31 does not compare to a presale targeting the market cap the same cofounder already achieved.

Solana (SOL)

SOL sits at $79.81 on April 2 according to CoinMarketCap, pressured by the Drift exploit. Even a return to the $260 all time high is roughly 3.3x. The gap between that and presale to listing math is where portfolios diverge permanently.

XRP Price Prediction Is Bullish but the Presale Math Tells a Different Story

The xrp price prediction will unfold over quarters as Goldman’s next 13F lands and the CLARITY Act works through Congress. Pepeto’s presale will not wait for either.

Right now, $8.64 million sits inside the presale from wallets that moved during a Fear and Greed reading of 8. Those addresses are not guessing. They modeled the listing, verified the audit, and committed while the rest of the market was frozen. Every day that passes, the Binance listing gets one day closer and the presale gets one day shorter. There is no mechanism to extend it, no second round after it closes, and no way to buy at $0.0000001862 once the exchange opens.

The xrp price prediction conversation will still be running when Pepeto holders are already sitting on their returns. That is not a warning. It is a calendar fact. The Pepeto official website is the only place left to act on it, and the number of hours remaining is smaller than most people assume.

Enter the Pepeto presale before the Binance listing removes today’s entry

FAQs

What is the xrp price prediction after Goldman’s disclosure?

Goldman’s $153 million XRP ETF position is structurally bullish, with targets near $2.20 if the CLARITY Act passes. Pepeto at $0.0000001862 offers 150x from presale to the market cap its cofounder already reached with Pepe.

How does Goldman’s position affect the xrp price prediction?

Institutional accumulation reduces long term downside risk, but the largest returns come from presale entries before a confirmed listing, not from regulated ETF wrappers around established coins.

Is Pepeto a stronger entry than XRP right now?

$8.64 million committed during extreme fear with audited contracts, a live exchange, and the founding mind behind an $11 billion meme project. Visit the Pepeto official website before the Binance listing seals the presale.

The post XRP Price Prediction: Goldman Sachs Holds $153M in XRP ETFs While Pepeto’s 150x Presale Math Outpaces Every Large Cap Target appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson publicly praised the new Midnight advertisement on his official X account.
• Hoskinson shared the 47-second clip and wrote, “I love these new Midnight ads,” in his post.
• The advertisement highlights privacy risks linked to public blockchain transactions and data exposure.
• The video promotes selective disclosure as a solution to protect sensitive on-chain information.
• Midnight operates as a privacy-focused Cardano sidechain that uses zero-knowledge proofs.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson praised a new Midnight advertisement that promotes blockchain privacy. He shared the 47-second clip on X and wrote, “I love these new Midnight ads.” The video frames privacy as essential and presents Midnight as a practical solution.

Midnight Ad Highlights Privacy Concerns

Hoskinson reposted the Matrix-themed advertisement on Friday through his official X account. He captioned the post, “I love these new Midnight ads,” and drew attention from the crypto community. The clip runs for 47 seconds and centers on privacy risks in public blockchains.

The advertisement uses scenes inspired by The Matrix and features characters Neo and Morpheus. It references the moment when Morpheus explains hidden realities to Neo. The voice-over states that every click, search, and purchase is monitored on digital networks.

The video explains that blockchain records remain public and transparent by design. It states that anyone can trace transactions on an open ledger. It then argues that such exposure can place personal data at risk.

The advertisement introduces selective disclosure as a safeguard for users. It tells viewers they can choose what information others can access. It positions Midnight as the network that enables this control.

The clip also mentions crypto-related kidnappings and thefts. It links those crimes to exposed on-chain data. It stresses that leaked personal information can lead to real-world harm.

Midnight Positions Itself as Privacy-Focused Infrastructure

Midnight operates as a privacy-centered sidechain within the Cardano ecosystem. The network uses zero-knowledge proofs to protect sensitive data. It allows users to verify transactions without exposing full details.

The project describes itself as a fourth-generation blockchain platform. It aims to balance compliance standards with data protection tools. It supports selective disclosure while maintaining blockchain transparency.

Midnight launched its mainnet on March 30 after months of beta testing. The team completed earlier testing phases before activating the network. Hoskinson has described the sidechain as a key step for broader crypto adoption.

He has stated that privacy tools can attract institutions to blockchain systems. Traditional financial firms require strict data protection measures. Midnight seeks to offer similar safeguards on decentralized infrastructure.

In March, Monument became the first UK-regulated bank to tokenize retail deposits on Midnight. The bank recorded those deposits on a public ledger using the network. This move marked an early institutional use case for the platform.

Midnight continues to promote privacy features through marketing campaigns. The latest advertisement highlights user control and protection tools. Hoskinson’s public endorsement amplified the campaign across social media platforms.

The post Cardano Founder Endorses New Midnight Privacy Ad appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• The tokenized real-world asset market reached $27.65 billion in April 2026 after a 4.07% monthly increase.
• Tokenized US Treasuries led the growth within the real-world asset sector during the crypto downturn.
• Bitcoin target markets showed low odds of reaching $100,000 by June 30.
• The US-Israel-Iran conflict contributed to a broader risk-off sentiment across crypto markets.
• Institutional inflows into Bitcoin products remained flat throughout April.

The tokenized real-world asset market climbed to $27.65 billion in April 2026 despite a broader crypto downturn. Data showed a 4.07% monthly increase even as digital asset prices weakened. At the same time, Bitcoin price target markets reflected low odds of reaching $100,000 by June 30.

Real-world Asset Growth Reflects Demand for Stability

The real-world asset sector expanded to $27.65 billion in April, according to market trackers. The market posted a 4.07% rise despite falling cryptocurrency valuations. Analysts attributed the increase to sustained demand for tokenized US Treasuries and similar products.

US Treasuries led issuance volumes within tokenized offerings during the month. Market data showed steady allocations from institutional participants. One market analyst said, “Institutions continue to allocate toward tokenized Treasuries for stability and liquidity.”

Trading volumes in tokenized debt products held firm during April. Platforms reported consistent settlement activity across blockchain networks. This flow supported the sector’s growth while crypto prices faced pressure.

Market participants shifted capital toward blockchain-based representations of traditional assets. As a result, tokenized Treasury products gained higher on-chain balances. The data showed continued expansion even as Bitcoin prices fluctuated.

Bitcoin Struggles as Geopolitical Tensions Weigh on Sentiment

Bitcoin target markets showed thin activity for the $100,000 June 30 contracts. Order books reflected limited participation from large traders. Pricing implied a low probability for the six-figure milestone within the set timeframe.

The US-Israel-Iran conflict contributed to a broader risk-off environment. Traders reduced exposure to volatile assets during heightened geopolitical tensions. A derivatives strategist said, “Geopolitical uncertainty has reduced appetite for leveraged crypto positions.”

On-chain metrics showed no major institutional inflows during the period. Exchange-traded products linked to Bitcoin recorded flat subscription data. This lack of fresh capital limited upward price momentum.

Futures market positioning indicated restrained leverage across major exchanges. Funding rates remained neutral to slightly negative through late April. These metrics aligned with subdued expectations for short-term price rallies.

The post Tokenized Real-World Asset Market Hits $27.6B in April appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Charles Schwab plans to launch spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading later this quarter through its brokerage platform.
• The firm manages over $12 trillion in client assets and will roll out the service in phases.
• Employees will receive early access, followed by invited clients, before a full public release.
• Clients will trade Bitcoin and Ethereum directly without using a separate crypto wallet or exchange.
• Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB, will operate the new crypto trading service.

Charles Schwab will introduce spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading later this quarter through its brokerage platform. The firm manages more than $12 trillion in client assets and plans a phased rollout. CEO Rick Wurster confirmed the timeline during a prior earnings call and outlined internal testing before public access.

Charles Schwab to Enable Direct Bitcoin and Ethereum Trades

Charles Schwab will allow retail clients to buy and sell Bitcoin directly within existing brokerage accounts. The company will not require a separate crypto wallet or third-party exchange account. Instead, it will integrate spot trading into its current infrastructure for easier access.

The service will operate through Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB, which serves as a regulated banking subsidiary. Employees will receive early access during an internal testing phase before invited clients join. After that, Schwab will open the service to all eligible customers in stages.

Wurster confirmed the launch window during an earlier earnings call with analysts. He said Schwab expects spot crypto trading to go live later this quarter. He also stated that the firm prepared for this move as regulatory conditions evolved.

Brokerage Shifts From Indirect Exposure to Spot Crypto Access

Until now, Charles Schwab has offered digital asset exposure through exchange-traded products and crypto-linked equities. The firm also provided futures contracts and thematic investment portfolios tied to blockchain companies. However, clients could not trade Bitcoin or Ethereum directly on the platform.

The upcoming launch will change that structure by enabling direct spot transactions. Clients will execute trades within their standard brokerage accounts. Schwab will process orders without routing them to an external crypto exchange.

Wurster first signaled interest in spot crypto trading in late 2024. He said the firm monitored regulatory developments closely before expanding services. He added that Schwab positioned itself to act when conditions allowed.

The firm aims to compete with established crypto trading platforms. Schwab will offer Bitcoin and Ethereum trading alongside traditional securities. This structure places Schwab in direct competition with Coinbase, Robinhood, and Webull.

Wurster addressed competition during prior remarks about the rollout. He said, “We are ready to compete in spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading.” He emphasized that Schwab intends to provide a familiar and regulated environment for clients.

Schwab already supports crypto-linked ETFs and futures within its brokerage accounts. However, the firm will now expand into direct ownership of digital assets. The rollout will follow internal testing and controlled client access before full availability.

The brokerage also plans to introduce a stablecoin product in the future. Wurster confirmed this plan after lawmakers passed the GENIUS stablecoin bill. He said the company will move forward once it finalizes operational details.

Charles Schwab expects to complete the phased rollout later this quarter. The company will announce broader access once testing concludes. For now, the firm continues internal preparations ahead of the public debut.

The post Charles Schwab to Launch Spot Bitcoin, Ethereum Trading appeared first on Blockonomi.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that although the adoption of tokenized finance brings many efficiency and speed benefits, some of its features could also result in financial instability for the markets.

Tokenized Real-world assets (RWAs) also continue to grow rapidly, with the industry being worth roughly $27.5 billion as of early April.

Tokenization Risks

In an April 1 note, Tobias Adrian, the IMF’s financial counselor, says that the inefficiencies markets are trying to eliminate through tokenization are actually the shock absorbers keeping the global economy from crashing.

The paper argues that tokenization is actually a “structural shift in financial architecture” as opposed to being an efficiency improvement. This is because it removes the “temporal buffers” in traditional finance by allowing transactions to be settled instantaneously.

Tokenization changes how people move assets like money, stocks, and bonds by automating these processes via smart contracts on the blockchain. This reduces settlement lags by allowing banks to clear ownership and transactions almost instantly.

“These frictions are not only costly to end-investors, but they also provide temporal buffers that allow exposures to be netted, liquidity to be mobilized, and authorities to intervene before settlement becomes final. Tokenized systems reduce or eliminate these buffers.”

However, Adrian argues that removing these delays could actually mean getting rid of our safety nets. This is because the settlement window usually gives banks time to manage liquidity and risk exposure. It also leaves regulators room to monitor and intervene in case of anything.

The IMF has identified three major hidden risks that could come with the elimination of these financial buffers. One major source of concern is liquidity pressure. Per the paper, tokenization could create a need for financial institutions to always have the funds to meet the demands of instant transaction settlements.

The other risks relate to governance and cross-border oversight. Since tokenization relies on smart contracts for automation, there is less room for human access when things go wrong. This could result in bigger consequences during events like a price drop, especially if a smart contract bug triggers automatic liquidations.

Additionally, regulators only have authority within their own borders, while tokenized assets can easily move across multiple countries. This, in turn, makes it harder for them to resolve issues in case of a crisis.

Finding a Public Anchor

In its report, the IMF also acknowledges the advantages that come from using the technology. For instance, asset managers and investors benefit from the efficiency that comes from lower costs, speed, and transparent transactions.

However, the paper argues that for tokenization to be successful, it must be built on public trust, which it says can be achieved through the use of safe settlement assets like Wholesale Central Bank Digital Currencies (wCBDCs).

According to Adrian, if we do not implement these public measures, tokenization could amplify financial instability through speed, concentration, and fragmentation.

Meanwhile, the tokenization industry has been experiencing a lot of growth lately, with data from RWA.xyz showing that right now, tokenized assets represented on the blockchain are worth roughly $27.6 billion. A previous research by Boston Consulting Group had also predicted that the sector would become a $16 trillion industry by 2030.

The post IMF Highlights Hidden Risks as Tokenization Eliminates Traditional Financial Buffers appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Blockstream Research has deployed what it says are the first transactions on a live Bitcoin sidechain protected by post-quantum cryptography.

This is in direct response to growing warnings that powerful quantum computers could eventually break the security systems that protect crypto wallets.

What Blockstream Actually Built

Following Google’s recent quantum paper examining risks across several layers of the crypto system, including wallets, block validation, and cross-chain bridges, Blockchain Research revealed that it had already deployed a post-quantum signature scheme, known as SHRINCS, on Bitcoin’s Liquid sidechain.

According to the research firm, users can now lock funds into contracts that require quantum-resistant signatures to spend them. The approach avoids changes to the network’s core rules. Instead, it uses Simplicity, Blockstream’s smart contract language, to add new security conditions at the user level, meaning that anyone who wants added protection can opt in without waiting for a network-wide upgrade.

Their research also broke down four main risks identified for sidechains: forged transaction signatures, forged block signatures, broken confidential transactions, and attacks on bridge mechanisms that move assets between chains.

The team said that work on these areas is at different stages, with transaction signatures already deployed, while block signing and confidential asset protections are still in testing or development. Research into securing bridged Bitcoin is also going on.

According to the Google paper, a sufficiently advanced quantum computer could break the private keys of major crypto wallets in a matter of days. It also raised the possibility of “mempool attacks,” where funds could be intercepted before transactions are confirmed.

Debate Continues Over Urgency and Path to Upgrades

The wider crypto community is divided on how soon these risks could materialize, with Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance, saying recently that there is “no need to panic.” According to him, networks can switch to quantum-resistant algorithms when they need to.

He did, however, point out one awkward problem: the estimated one million BTC that belong to Satoshi Nakamoto are stored in an old wallet format that doesn’t protect them from quantum attacks. CZ suggested those coins may eventually need to be locked or effectively removed from circulation if Satoshi never moves them.

Blockstream is also working on a related scheme called SHRIMPS, which produces post-quantum signatures roughly three times smaller than current US government standards, built specifically for Bitcoin’s tight block space limits. A Bitcoin Improvement Proposal for it is in progress. What’s running on Liquid today is the proof that it can work in a real environment, under real conditions, with real funds at stake.

The post Here’s What Researchers Are Doing to Protect Bitcoin From Quantum Threats appeared first on CryptoPotato.

ALGO has posted another major price upswing, outperforming all top 100 cryptocurrencies today (April 3).

Some market observers expect an additional increase in the short term, while certain indicators suggest the rally might be abruptly ended by a sharp pullback.

How Much More?

Algorand’s native cryptocurrency made the headlines earlier this week when its price surged by over 20% in a single day. This happened shortly after Google’s report, in which the company’s quantum computing team warned that future quantum computers might be able to crack the cryptography behind Bitcoin and other projects much more easily than previously believed.

The release specifically highlighted Algorand as a standout example of how post-quantum cryptography can already be implemented on a blockchain that would otherwise be vulnerable to such attacks. Google’s researchers also praised the network for integrating Falcon digital signatures for smart transactions and state proofs. It turned out that Algorand was the third-most covered crypto protocol in the report, trailing Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Several hours ago, the project’s CEO, Staci Warden, gave an interview to Bloomberg, reminding the audience that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently classified ALGO (among many other cryptocurrencies) as a digital commodity, not a security.

Her remarks could be among the main catalysts pushing the asset’s price up today. ALGO briefly exceeded $0.12, thus reaching its highest point since January. Currently, it trades just south of that mark, representing an 18% increase on a daily scale. Its market capitalization surpassed the $1 billion psychological threshold, making ALGO the 66th-largest cryptocurrency.

Many crypto commentators anticipate a further upside movement in the near future. X user John told their nearly 900,000 followers that ALGO is among the only two coins with “strong narratives right now,” with the other being Bittensor (TAO).

“Good time to pump both of them during this holiday weekend,” they added.

Shelby also gave their two cents, arguing that if support at around $0.10 holds, the price may soon soar above $0.20.

A Closer Look at Some Indicators

Over the past several days, exchange outflows have significantly outpaced inflows. This can be taken as a bullish sign, suggesting that investors are moving their holdings to self-custody, thereby reducing immediate selling pressure.

On the other hand, ALGO’s Relative Strength Index has risen above 70. This indicates that the price has increased too much in a short period of time, making the asset overbought and due for a potential correction. The index runs from 0 to 100, and conversely, anything below 30 is interpreted as a buying opportunity.

The post Algorand (ALGO) Jumps 18% Daily as Analysts Expect Further Gains Ahead appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Ethereum continues to trade in a corrective environment. The price action reflects hesitation rather than clear directional intent. Despite multiple recovery attempts from the $1.8k demand zone, upside continuation remains limited, and rallies are consistently met with rejections.

Therefore, the current structure suggests a transitional phase rather than a trend reversal. Buyers are defending key support levels, but they have yet to demonstrate the strength required to reclaim higher timeframe resistance.

Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

On the daily timeframe, ETH is still trading within the well-defined descending channel and maintains a broad bearish market structure. The price remains below both the 100-day (~$2.4k) and 200-day (~$3k) moving averages, which are sloping downward and supporting the current bearish trend.

The $2.3k–$2.4k region continues to act as the immediate major supply zone. This area aligns with the bearish daily order block and has repeatedly rejected the price recently. On the downside, the $1.8k level remains the critical support. A breakdown below this level would likely accelerate bearish momentum and expose lower targets, potentially extending toward the critical $1.5k support zone.

ETH/USDT 4-Hour Chart

On the 4-hour chart, ETH is consolidating in a tightening range after failing to break above the $2.4k area. The rejection from this level has led to a series of lower highs recently, as the momentum has clearly shifted bearish.

The asset is currently hovering around the $2k region. It is acting as an interim support zone and is being closely reinforced by the lower boundary of the pattern. If buyers manage to reclaim the $2.2k short-term high, the market will likely retest the $2.4k range. However, failure to hold this area would weaken the structure and increase the probability of a breakdown toward the $1.8k or even lower in the upcoming weeks.

Sentiment Analysis

The Coinbase Premium Index provides additional insight into market behavior, particularly from U.S.-based participants. Recently, the index has been showing negative levels once more, indicating a lack of strong spot demand from Coinbase users.

This is a notable shift compared to earlier periods, where positive premiums coincided with stronger upward price movements. The current absence of consistent positive readings suggests that institutional and spot-driven buying pressure is not yet strong enough to support a sustained rally.

Intermittent spikes into positive territory show that demand appears during local moves higher, but it quickly fades, reinforcing the idea that rallies are being sold into rather than accumulated aggressively. Therefore, sentiment remains cautious. The market is no longer in a panic phase, but conviction on the buy side is still limited, and this is keeping ETH in a fragile equilibrium.

The post Ethereum Price Prediction: Will ETH Dump Below $1.8K if $2K Support Is Lost? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

XRP remains in a consolidative phase after holding the $1.20 support zone. This indicates mild stability, but the market is still facing downward pressure. The price is holding key support levels, yet overhead resistance and longer-term moving averages continue to limit upside potential.

Ripple Price Analysis: The USDT Pair

On the XRP/USDT chart, XRP is trading around $1.32, just above the $1.20 support zone that has held over the past couple of months. Meanwhile, the RSI has dropped below the 50 level, which indicates that momentum is still bearish. The asset also still remains beneath both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, located around the $1.60 and $2.00 marks, respectively.

The resistance zone around $1.75 to $1.80 continues to cap upside. A move above that area would be needed to validate a broader bullish attempt, accompanied by a breakout above the large descending channel and the key moving averages. Yet, if this scenario fails, a breakdown below the $1.20 support zone would be expected, which could lead to a prolonged bear market in the coming months.

The BTC Pair

On the daily chart of the XRP/BTC pair, XRP is hovering near 1,970 sats. It is currently testing the 1,950-2,000 sats support zone, which has held the price on multiple occasions over the past few months. As with the XRP/USDT pair, the key 100-day and 200-day moving averages are located above the current market price and will act as dynamic resistance levels around 2,100 and 2,200 sats. With the market also trending lower inside the broad descending channel, the overall market structure is still bearish.

The first meaningful horizontal resistance is located above the channel and the moving averages, around the 2,400 sats area. Meanwhile, the support level near 2,000 sats is key for short-term stability. If this level breaks down, it could open the path toward a much deeper support level around 1,500 sats, while a successful reclaim of resistance zones would improve the outlook and make investors hopeful for a recovery in the remainder of 2026.

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