Canary files a PEPE ETF as memecoin funds expand after Dogecoins GDOG launch and BONK related ETF filings.

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Visa Intelligent Commerce and Coinbase x402 power Nevermineds new system for AI agent payments across digital goods and services.

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Standard Chartered's merger could enhance its competitive edge in the expanding digital asset custody market, attracting more institutional investors.

The post Standard Chartered plans to merge parts of Zodia Custody into its digital assets division appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Morpho launches Morpho Agents in beta, giving AI agents machine-readable access to read, simulate, and use its lending protocols.

The post Morpho introduces Morpho Agents to bring AI agents into DeFi lending appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Morgan Stanley's Bitcoin ETF launch signals a pivotal shift in traditional finance's embrace of digital assets, intensifying market competition.

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Bitcoin Magazine

Adam Back Says Quantum Threat to Bitcoin Is Decades Away, Urges Gradual Migration to Post-Quantum Security

Blockstream CEO Adam Back pushed back on concerns that quantum computing poses an imminent threat to Bitcoin’s cryptographic security, arguing that current progress in the field remains far from the level required to break real-world encryption.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Back noted that much of today’s quantum research is still in its early experimental phase. He pointed to the limited capabilities of existing quantum hardware, which often lacks full error correction and has only demonstrated trivial computations. “The biggest calculation it’s performed is factoring 21 into 7 times 3,” he said, emphasizing that today’s machines remain closer to laboratory prototypes than practical computing systems.

While recent academic work has highlighted potential algorithmic improvements, Back argued that these advances do not yet translate into meaningful hardware capability. 

As a result, he said, the prospect of quantum computers capable of threatening Bitcoin’s elliptic curve cryptography remains “decades off,” though he acknowledged uncertainty around exact timelines.

Earlier today, Adam Back was named by the New York Times as the most credible candidate for Satoshi Nakamoto based on stylometric analysis of early cypherpunk writings, but Back and other experts strongly denied the claim, noting there is no hard evidence linking him to Bitcoin’s creation.

Bitcoin should prepare for quantum computing risks

Despite that long horizon, Back stressed that the Bitcoin ecosystem should begin preparing now. He advocated for a gradual migration path toward quantum-resistant signature schemes, giving users and custodians ample time to update keys and infrastructure without disruption. 

He noted that Blockstream’s research team has been actively working on post-quantum approaches and has already contributed implementations to Liquid, a Bitcoin layer-two network that has historically served as a testing ground for new features.

Back also referenced recent progress in standardization efforts, pointing to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s approval of post-quantum cryptography standards in late 2024 as a key milestone that could accelerate industry adoption.

Beyond quantum computing, Back dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence or artificial general intelligence pose structural risks to Bitcoin, characterizing AI instead as a productivity tool that can assist researchers and engineers rather than compromise cryptographic systems.

Shifting to Bitcoin’s global role, Back described the asset as best understood as “digital gold,” coexisting alongside national monetary systems rather than replacing them. He pointed to ongoing sovereign interest in Bitcoin, including debates around national reserves and monetary frameworks in countries such as El Salvador, as evidence of gradual institutional adoption. He also referenced discussions in Switzerland about monetary reform and the historical appeal of gold-backed standards.

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 Adam Back Says Quantum Threat to Bitcoin Is Decades Away, Urges Gradual Migration to Post-Quantum Security first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Nunchuk Releases Open-Source Tools for Bitcoin Agents With Bounded Authority

Nunchuk has released two open-source repositories aimed at reshaping how AI agents interact with Bitcoin wallets, introducing a model that limits agent control while preserving human oversight.

The release includes Nunchuk CLI, a command-line interface for managing Bitcoin wallets, and a companion “Agent Skills” repository designed to help AI systems operate the CLI across common workflows. Both tools are licensed under MIT and target developers building automated financial systems on Bitcoin, Nunchuk said. 

The core premise challenges a growing trend in AI wallet design. Rather than granting agents full control over funds with basic safeguards, Nunchuk proposes a shared custody model where agents operate within strict policy limits. Human users retain final authority over transactions that exceed predefined thresholds.

Under this structure, wallets are configured as group wallets with multiple keys. A user key, an agent key, and a policy co-signer work together to authorize transactions. The agent can initiate actions such as creating wallets, inviting participants, and constructing transactions, but spending authority remains constrained by rules set at the policy level.

AI-driven bitcoin use

These policies define limits such as daily spending caps, approval requirements, and signing delays. Transactions that fall within allowed parameters can proceed without intervention, while larger or sensitive actions require explicit user approval.

Nunchuk separates custody from automation. The wallet structure governs ownership and control of funds, while policy layers define what an agent can execute. This distinction ensures that funding a wallet does not grant broader authority to the agent managing it.

The CLI supports a range of functions including key generation, wallet creation, transaction workflows, and policy configuration. It also allows users to export wallet descriptors and backups using standard formats, which supports portability and recovery outside the Nunchuk ecosystem.

The Agent Skills repository serves as an interface layer for AI systems. It provides predefined commands and prompts that guide agents through tasks such as setting up wallets, managing participants, and executing transactions. This reduces the need for custom integrations and lowers the barrier for developers experimenting with Bitcoin-based automation.

Nunchuk positions the dual-repository approach as a response to two distinct challenges: execution and usability. The CLI acts as the execution layer tied to the Nunchuk API, while the skills layer focuses on how AI systems interact with that infrastructure.

The release reflects a broader effort to define safe design patterns for AI in financial contexts. By enforcing bounded authority, Nunchuk aims to enable practical automation without introducing full custodial risk.

Potential use cases include shared human-agent wallets, automated bill payment systems, treasury management tools, and multi-agent coordination. While these applications remain in early stages, the underlying model provides a framework for controlled experimentation.

As AI systems gain access to financial tools, the question of control becomes central. Nunchuk’s approach suggests that the path forward may depend less on restricting capability and more on structuring authority.

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 Nunchuk Releases Open-Source Tools for Bitcoin Agents With Bounded Authority first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bernstein Pushes Back on Bitcoin Quantum Threat Fears, Says It’s Not a Crisis: Report

Wall Street research firm Bernstein is pushing back on alarm over quantum computing’s threat to Bitcoin, framing the challenge as a scheduled protocol evolution rather than a crisis in waiting.

In a note to clients on Wednesday, analysts led by Gautam Chhugani acknowledged that cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) pose a genuine challenge to Bitcoin and the broader digital asset ecosystem — but stopped short of treating that challenge as an emergency. The team estimates Bitcoin and other crypto protocols have three to five years to implement post-quantum security measures, a window they describe as sufficient given current technical and cost constraints.

The note arrives in the wake of fresh research from Google, which last month published a paper showing that future quantum machines could break the elliptic curve cryptography underpinning Bitcoin’s transaction signatures with fewer resources than earlier models suggested. 

Google’s team estimated the barrier could fall below 500,000 physical qubits — a reduction of roughly 20 times compared to prior estimates. The finding drew attention to a narrower category of risk: so-called “on-spend” attacks, where a transaction’s public key is exposed in the mempool before confirmation, creating a brief window of potential vulnerability.

Bernstein’s analysts did not dismiss Google’s findings. “Recent breakthroughs seem to have accelerated the timeline, as the challenge is no longer ‘a decade away’ as thought earlier,” the analysts wrote. 

At the same time, they noted that scaling from tens of logical qubits to the thousands required for a real attack involves breakthroughs across hardware, error correction, and manufacturing — dimensions that remain unsolved. 

“Quantum timelines may still be more optimistic than reality,” the note cautioned.

The firm placed particular weight on cost and scalability constraints, suggesting the transition could run into the tens to hundreds of billions of dollars. Those figures, they argued, point toward preparation time rather than panic. 

Bitcoin has evolved and will continue to do so

Bernstein also identified well-capitalized institutional players — Strategy, BlackRock, and Fidelity — as likely to take a “constructive role” in reinforcing security standards. That framing reflects a broader shift in how the Bitcoin ecosystem has evolved: institutional ownership has given the network stakeholders with both the resources and the incentives to support defensive upgrades.

Not all risks are equal. Chhugani pointed to an estimated 1.7 million BTC sitting in Satoshi-era legacy wallets as the highest-exposure segment. 

These addresses have permanently visible public keys, making them defined targets under certain attack models. For newer protocols and wallet structures, the exposure is more contained — dependent on specific unsafe practices that the developer community is working to address.

The emerging consensus, shared by both Bernstein and Google’s own research team, points toward 2029 as a target for post-quantum cryptography migration. 

BIP 360, a draft proposal already in experimental implementation, introduces transaction formats designed to reduce exposure to vulnerable cryptographic assumptions.

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 Bernstein Pushes Back on Bitcoin Quantum Threat Fears, Says It’s Not a Crisis: Report first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

NYT Names Adam Back as Bitcoin’s Creator, but Back Says No

The New York Times published an investigation Tuesday arguing that Adam Back, a British cryptographer and longtime figure in the Bitcoin community, is the most credible candidate yet for Satoshi Nakamoto — the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin. 

Back denied the claim before the story ran, denied it inside the story, and denied it again in a public post on X after publication.

“I’m not satoshi, but I was early in laser focus on the positive societal implications of cryptography, online privacy and electronic cash, hence my ~1992 onwards active interest in applied research on ecash, privacy tech on cypherpunks list which led to hashcash and other ideas,” Back wrote on X.

The Times investigation leans on textual analysis of old emails and forum posts. The methodology focuses on writing patterns, including the use of double hyphens and British spelling conventions. The Times noted that early researchers had explored concepts such as peer-to-peer systems, proof-of-work, and routing models that looked like prototypes for Bitcoin, and that Back’s archived writing contained a high density of those overlaps.

Back, who developed Hashcash in 1997 — a proof-of-work system later incorporated into Bitcoin’s design — acknowledged the surface-level similarities but offered a structural counter. 

Because he wrote at length on the cypherpunks mailing list about electronic cash and privacy from around 1992 onward, he argued, his old writing is simply easier to match against Satoshi’s than the writing of contributors who posted far less. 

“The rest is a combination of coincidence and similar phrases from people with similar experience and interests,” Back wrote on X.

He also addressed a specific passage in the Times story that treated one of his remarks in a reporter interview as a possible slip. Back said the comment was about confirmation bias in the research process, not an accidental self-disclosure.

Adam Back, Satoshi identity claim faces skepticism

The report did not produce documentary proof — no private key demonstration, no verified direct communication from Satoshi’s wallet address, and no corroborating witness on the record. The case rests on stylometric analysis and pattern matching, tools that carry real analytical weight but have not, in prior Satoshi investigations, produced conclusions that the broader Bitcoin community has accepted.

Several credible voices expressed skepticism. Joe Weisenthal, a Bloomberg columnist and co-host of the Odd Lots podcast, said he was “not 100% convinced by the evidence or the conclusion.” He noted that shared political views on privacy and internet architecture were common across the cypherpunk cohort and do not single out any one person. He also pointed out that hyphenation habits vary and are a fragile basis for attribution.

Nicholas Gregory, an early Bitcoin participant in the U.K., said he did not believe Back was Satoshi based on personal interactions, according to CoinDesk reporting. He also raised a practical concern: public identification of the person behind the pseudonym, whoever that is, could put that individual and their family in physical danger. According to crypto exchange Arkham, Satoshi’s Bitcoin holdings are worth roughly $73 billion.

This is not the first time a major outlet has believed it solved the mystery. A 2024 documentary pointed to developer Peter Todd, who also denied the claim and whose case ultimately failed to persuade. 

This post NYT Names Adam Back as Bitcoin’s Creator, but Back Says No first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

White House Says Banning Stablecoin Yield Would Hurt Consumers More Than It Helps Banks

The federal government’s own economists at the White House have thrown cold water on one of the central justifications for restricting stablecoin returns — and their findings run counter to a provision already written into law.

The GENIUS Act, signed in July 2025, established the first comprehensive federal framework for stablecoins. The law requires issuers to hold reserves on a one-to-one basis — meaning every dollar in circulation is backed by a real dollar in safe assets like Treasury bills, cash, or money-market funds. It also contains a blunt prohibition: issuers cannot pay holders any form of yield or interest on their coins.

The logic, at least as its advocates have framed it, is straightforward. If stablecoins start paying rates competitive with savings accounts, households may move money out of bank deposits and into tokens. Banks would lose that funding and, in turn, lend less. Community banks — smaller institutions without Wall Street’s wholesale funding options — would take the hardest hit.

Some academic analyses put that lending contraction as high as $1.5 trillion. Those numbers circulated in congressional testimony and in the press. They shaped the debate.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) built a model to test the claim, and the results are striking.

Simply put, “a yield prohibition would do very little to protect bank lending, while forgoing the consumer benefits of competitive returns on stablecoin holdings.”

White House tests stablecoin yields

At current conditions, banning stablecoin yield would increase bank lending by just $2.1 billion — a 0.02% change against a $12 trillion loan book. The welfare math runs in the other direction: consumers would lose $800 million more in forgone returns than borrowers would gain from slightly lower rates. 

The cost-benefit ratio the White House CEA calculated was 6.6 — meaning the policy costs more than six times what it delivers.

The reason the numbers are so small comes down to how stablecoin reserves actually move through the financial system. When a household converts dollars into stablecoins, the issuer doesn’t bury that money in a vault. 

Most of it gets reinvested — in Treasury bills, repo agreements, and money-market funds. Those dollars flow back into the banking system through dealers and counterparties. The White House CEA traced three balance-sheet scenarios and found that in the most common cases, aggregate deposits across the banking system remain essentially unchanged. The money reshuffles; it doesn’t disappear.

The critical variable is what fraction of stablecoin reserves end up truly locked out of lending. The White House CEA calibrated that number — called theta in their model — at 12%, based on Circle’s December 2025 reserve report for USDC. Tether holds even less in bank deposits: $34 million against a $147 billion reserve pool. The other 88% of stablecoin reserves circulates through normal credit channels. A prohibition on yield redirects a flow that, in large part, was never blocked to begin with.

The gap between theory and reality

The earlier trillion-dollar estimates made a modeling choice that the White House CEA says distorts the picture. They calculated what happens to the bank that loses deposits when a customer buys stablecoins — and then stopped. They didn’t model what happens to the bank or dealer that receives the money when the stablecoin issuer invests its reserves. In a complete model, the receiving bank expands. The net effect on system-wide lending is far smaller.

The White House CEA also found that current monetary conditions blunt the impact further. Banks today hold more than $1.1 trillion in excess liquidity above regulatory minimums. When deposits reshuffle between institutions, no bank is forced to contract because they all have slack. If the Federal Reserve were operating with scarce reserves — as it did during earlier eras — the dynamic would shift. 

Under that scenario, the model produces $531 billion in additional lending from a yield ban. But reaching that number requires four conditions to hold at once: the stablecoin market grows to six times its current relative size, all reserves shift into locked deposits, substitution between stablecoins and savings accounts is at the high end of estimates, and the Fed abandons its current framework.

The White House CEA calls this combination “implausible.”

A loophole nobody has closed…yet 

There is a complication that the White House report addresses with some candor. The yield prohibition in the GENIUS Act may not fully bind. The law bars issuers from paying yield directly to holders — but it does not bar third parties from doing so. 

Coinbase, for instance, offers “USDC Rewards” to customers who hold the coin in its wallets, funded through a revenue-sharing agreement with Circle. As of February 2026, those rewards match the rates on high-yield savings accounts, since both ultimately pass through returns on Treasuries.

Some versions of the proposed CLARITY Act would close this channel by banning intermediaries from passing yield along to holders. Whether that stricter approach would survive the political and legal scrutiny it would face remains an open question.

The White House CEA report nods toward a dimension the yield-prohibition debate has mostly ignored: what stablecoins do outside the United States. More than 80% of stablecoin transactions occur internationally, driven by users in countries with weak currencies or limited banking access who hold dollar-backed tokens as savings tools. 

Stablecoin issuers already hold more Treasury bills than sovereign nations like Saudi Arabia. Research from the Bank for International Settlements found that stablecoin inflows compress short-term Treasury yields — a structural source of cheap U.S. government financing that a yield ban would suppress by reducing adoption.

The White House CEA did not quantify this foreign-demand channel. But it makes the arithmetic of the yield prohibition harder to defend: whatever small gains domestic bank lending might see could be offset by higher borrowing costs for the federal government itself.

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 White House Says Banning Stablecoin Yield Would Hurt Consumers More Than It Helps Banks first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

For most of the past two years, debate about stablecoins in payments has focused on the checkout screen: will consumers ever tap a wallet instead of a card?

Visa, Stripe, and Mastercard have answered with their capital. Visa now settles in USDC, Stripe bought Bridge, and Mastercard is acquiring BVNK.

Each move reflects the same read that stablecoins are becoming the settlement and liquidity layer beneath existing brands, and whoever controls that layer controls the economics of the next payment cycle.

Chainalysis put adjusted stablecoin volume at $28 trillion in 2025 and projected it could reach $719 trillion by 2035 on organic growth, with a more aggressive scenario approaching $1.5 quadrillion.

The grounding comes from McKinsey and Artemis, which estimate actual stablecoin payments at about $390 billion annually, a figure corroborated by BCG's $350-$550 billion range, excluding non-economic and trading flows.

At those levels, stablecoins represent roughly 2.3% of Visa's $17 trillion in payments volume in 2025.
Stablecoins can reprice settlement economics at 2.3% penetration because settlement and checkout operate on separate infrastructure.

Many hybrid stablecoin payment flows never appear as on-chain merchant transactions. Crypto card transactions typically execute on traditional card rails, while the blockchain captures only issuer inflows and outflows.

A stablecoin settlement layer can expand commercially without ever becoming visible at the point of sale.

Three bets on the same stack

Visa launched USDC settlement in the US in December 2025. By Mar. 25, its global stablecoin settlement activity had reached an annualized run rate of $4.6 billion across more than 130 stablecoin-linked card programs in more than 50 countries.

Visa's own framing centered on treasury modernization and settlement efficiency, as its Canton Network effort extended that logic into payment, settlement, and treasury use cases for banks, a deliberate push to own the orchestration layer for institutional stablecoin flows.

By March 2026, Bridge-enabled stablecoin-linked cards had gone live in 18 countries, with plans to reach 100-plus by year-end, and Visa was evaluating settlement optionality, faster fund movement, and simplified blockchain abstraction for institutions.

Stripe's 2025 annual letter, published Feb. 24, reported stablecoin payments volume doubled to around $400 billion, with an estimated 60% in B2B flows, while Bridge volume more than quadrupled.

Bridge had won conditional OCC approval for a national trust bank covering custody, issuance, orchestration, and reserve management.

Mastercard's March 2026 agreement to acquire BVNK for up to $1.8 billion came alongside a statement that digital currency payment use cases had already reached at least $350 billion in 2025, with the incremental opportunity in cross-border remittances, payouts, peer-to-peer transfers, and B2B payments.

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The $1.8B Mastercard/BVNK deal turns stablecoin middleware into an incumbent asset, shifting value from tokens to distribution and compliance.

Mar 18, 2026 · Gino Matos

Mastercard also cited speed and programmability as answers to treasury management and commercial flow pain points.

Three companies, three products, and M&A strategies, one shared thesis: stablecoin settlement is embedding itself into payment infrastructure before any consumer-visible checkout revolution arrives.

The Federal Reserve confirmed in an Apr. 8 note that stablecoin market capitalization reached $317 billion as of Apr. 6, up more than 50% since early 2025.

Congress enacted the GENIUS Act in July 2025, supplying the formal US legal framework that institutional adoption requires.

Citi's September 2025 base case put stablecoin issuance at $1.9 trillion by 2030, supporting roughly $100 trillion in annual transaction activity, and projected more than $1 trillion in incremental demand for US Treasuries at that scale.

At $317 billion in current capitalization, the stablecoin market is about 16.7% of Citi's 2030 target, which is far enough along that the largest payment networks have committed capital, yet early enough that the outcome stays open.

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Trump signs GENIUS Act into law, activating America's first regulatory framework for stablecoins

In addition to sign the stablecoin framework into law, Trump vowed to approve the market structure bill next.

Jul 18, 2025 · Gino Matos

What to expect

The bull case turns on how fast compliance infrastructure can absorb stablecoin settlement at enterprise scale.

Regulatory clarity arrived through the GENIUS Act, with Visa and Bridge targeting 100-plus countries by year-end. Stripe and Bridge are building toward regulated custody and reserve management.

If enterprises can treat stablecoin settlement as routine treasury operations, cross-border payouts, merchant settlements, and B2B flows will migrate to on-chain rails faster than any single forecast can capture.

In that setting, Citi's $1.9 trillion issuance projection becomes a floor, and the firms that own orchestration, compliance, reserves, and interoperability standards capture the structural economics of the new stack.

The bear case requires open stablecoin rails to remain fragmented long enough for incumbents to absorb the functionality as a proprietary feature.

The Fed's April 2026 note flagged more complex intermediation chains, vertical integration, opacity, and run risk as vulnerabilities that push regulated institutions toward permissioned alternatives.

Citi's own analysis suggests that bank-issued tokenized money could exceed open stablecoins in institutional volume, with adoption anchored in corporate treasuries and capital markets, where compliance requirements favor closed networks.

In that outcome, stablecoins continue to expand, while the economic benefits accrue to regulated, permissioned systems. Incumbents deploy stablecoins as a feature, and the plumbing stays proprietary.

The control points

Visa, Stripe, and Mastercard are each running for different segments of the back-end stack: Visa through settlement and card-issuing orchestration, Stripe and Bridge through developer APIs, B2B infrastructure, and regulated custody, and Mastercard through cross-border corridors, remittances, and commercial treasury.

Their positioning reflects a shared read that the decisive contest runs through orchestration, compliance, reserves, foreign exchange management, and interoperability standards.

Chainalysis projects stablecoin transaction volumes could intersect Visa and Mastercard off-chain volumes between 2031 and 2039. The more consequential inflection preceded that projection by years.

The largest card networks began redesigning their settlement and payout infrastructure around stablecoins even as stablecoins accounted for less than 3% of global payment flows.

The firms that build the most defensible positions in orchestration and compliance over the next 36 months will determine who captures the economics of that intersection.

The post Crypto projected to move $719 trillion through global payments with Visa, Mastercard aggressive stance appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A two-week conditional ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has forced a rapid rewrite of the Strait of Hormuz trade, but it has not fully restored the pre-war macro backdrop.

Oil has fallen sharply from the panic highs, global equities have rallied, and Bitcoin has rebounded with them. That is a clear break from the pre-ceasefire view that markets were giving up on any near-term reopening.

What has changed is the headline path for energy. What remains unresolved is the normalization path for physical flows, insurance, shipping, and inflation.

JPMorgan, UBS, and U.S. government energy forecasters are still describing a slower repair process beneath the ceasefire headline. Their research no longer reads as a live argument against any reopening at all. It reads as a warning that reopening and normalization are different things.

JPMorgan's base case still keeps oil elevated through the second quarter and warns that crude could top $150 if disruptions re-escalate or persist into mid-May.

UBS expects the conflict to wind down , but says infrastructure damage means restoring production to pre-conflict levels will take considerably longer.

The EIA says that full restoration of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz , even when the conflict concludes.

None of those three institutions is describing a full snapback in energy-market plumbing, and that is now the central point for markets. The ceasefire has reduced immediate tail risk. It has not yet guaranteed normal cargo movement, normal inventories, or normal inflation pass-through.

The Strait of Hormuz carried 20.9 million barrels per day in the first half of 2025, equal to about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption and one quarter of all seaborne oil trade. It also handled 11.4 billion cubic feet per day of LNG, more than 20% of global LNG trade.

U.S. intelligence assessed on April 3 that Iran showed on the strait, because control over global energy flows is Tehran's primary card.

That assessment mattered more before the ceasefire than it does now as a directional market call, but it still matters as a structural reminder that formal de-escalation does not automatically produce free navigation without friction.

Physical oil markets are still the place to watch for whether reopening becomes normalization. The ceasefire has eased the headline shock, but prompt cargo pricing, insurance terms, and routing friction remain more informative than front-month futures alone.

Earlier this week, North Sea Forties crude hit $146.09 per barrel, Dated Brent reached $141.365, and some prompt cargoes traded above $150, while European jet fuel hit $226.40 and diesel $203.59. Brent futures were near $110 at the peak of the panic.

That gap between prompt physical and the headline futures screen is still where the inflation transmission lives.

In Morgan Stanley's consumer math, a 10% rise in oil prices from a supply shock lifts U.S. headline consumer prices by roughly 0.35% over the next three months, with real consumption starting to and staying depressed for the following five to six months.

The EIA's April outlook puts U.S. gasoline and averaging above $3.70 for 2026, with diesel peaking above $5.80 and averaging $4.80 for the year.

The macro chain

Bitcoin's trade still goes through oil, then inflation, then Fed policy, then risk appetite. The difference after the ceasefire is that the chain has loosened. It has not broken.

Bitcoin reached an intraday low at $67,769.96 on April 7, when the oil shock, firmer dollar, and higher Treasury yields compressed risk appetite across markets.

Since the ceasefire, BTC has rebounded alongside equities as traders price a lower probability of an immediate worst-case energy spiral. That move makes sense. It does not yet settle the next question, which is whether lower oil headlines translate into a durable easing in inflation pressure and rate expectations.

Earlier this year, BTC snapped back above $70,000 as , the same logic now running again. For now, liquidity conditions, and liquidity conditions are still pricing energy.

UBS pushed its Fed rate cut expectations from June and September . raised its probability of a U.S. . IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said that even a swift resolution would lead and higher inflation forecasts.

Dallas Fed economists of the Strait of Hormuz as lifting average WTI to $98 in the second quarter and cutting annualized global real GDP growth by 2.9% that quarter. A two-quarter disruption pushes WTI to $115 in the third quarter, and a three-quarter disruption brings it to $132 by year-end.

That modeling now works best as a risk map for ceasefire failure or incomplete normalization rather than as the live base case. The market has stepped back from the pure closure scenario. It has not yet priced a full return to pre-conflict macro conditions.

As a result, the rate-cut question has shifted. Traders are no longer asking whether the oil shock is still intensifying. They are asking whether the relief move lasts long enough to reopen Fed room later this year.

When gasoline averages above $3.70 and diesel averages above $4.80, the spending hit runs through every sector of the real economy, and financial conditions tighten well before the Fed formally acts.

Likely scenarios

The base case has changed. It is no longer outright market surrender on a near-term reopening. It is a ceasefire relief rally with incomplete normalization underneath it.

That middle path still matters for Bitcoin because lower oil is helpful only if it keeps feeding through into lower inflation pressure, steadier growth expectations, and a more credible rate-cut path.

The bear case now runs through ceasefire failure or a prolonged period where shipping resumes only partially and the physical market keeps pricing scarcity. If disruptions hold into JPMorgan's mid-May threshold, the returns to the front of the market.

Dallas Fed modeling shows WTI hitting $115 in the third quarter under a two-quarter closure. Morgan Stanley warns that if Iran retains structural control over cargo flows even in a nominal reopening, oil markets can keep trading a higher risk premium.

For Bitcoin, that setup still maps to the clearest near-term path lower: oil stays elevated, inflation expectations grind higher, the Fed stays cautious, and risk assets lose the relief bid.

Options demand clustered around $60,000 to $50,000 downside strikes during the last acute risk-off episode. A retest of that range becomes more plausible again if the configuration deteriorates back toward the pre-ceasefire stress path.

The bull case is still tied to Morgan Stanley's view that if flows return genuinely and freely, Brent could fall toward $70, as global oil had looked oversupplied before the conflict began.

In that setup, the inflation shock reverses more quickly, Fed easing returns to view, and Bitcoin recovers alongside equities. That is the logic the current relief rally is trying to price.

The condition remains decisive: genuine freedom of navigation is the requirement.

A ceasefire that leaves physical cargo movement constrained by security risk, insurance friction, congestion, or operational control produces a different oil market, where part of the risk premium stays embedded and Bitcoin's path higher remains capped by the same inflation headwind.

That distinction between reopening and normalization is where the institutional research now converges.

The EIA says full restoration of flows will take months, even when the war ends, as supply routes and output normalize. Morgan Stanley says real consumption stays depressed for five to six months after an oil shock of this scale.

For Bitcoin traders, the relevant question is no longer whether markets believe in any reopening at all. It is whether the oil-and-inflation overhang cools fast enough to restore rate-cut expectations before the ceasefire premium fades.

The post Bitcoin’s rebound may be fragile as Wall Street warns Hormuz disruption is not really over appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Polymarket put the odds of President Donald Trump being impeached before his term ends at 64% on Apr. 7, near the contract's high-water mark since its Mar. 19 launch.

A comparable Kalshi contract, which resolves against Library of Congress records and runs through Jan. 1, 2028, was priced around 67% in the same window.

Driving the markets, beyond current events, are the Polymarket odds of the Democrats taking both the House and the Senate in the November mid-term elections. With odds above 80% of the House and 55% of the Senate, a genuine path to impeachment and removal from office in 2026 is now a genuine possibility.

Together, the numbers compress a sprawling geopolitical saga for Bitcoin traders into a real-time political stress gauge, but the market regime that matters for BTC changed after Washington, Tehran, and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire.

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Trump's Apr. 7 ultimatum to Iran had pushed Brent crude above $109 and WTI above $114 as markets priced the risk of a wider conflict centered on the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20% of global oil and LNG flows.

That shock began to reverse after the ceasefire announcement. Oil fell sharply as markets repriced the immediate risk of a prolonged supply disruption, easing the macro pressure that had dominated the prior session.

Bitcoin responded in the same direction as the broader risk complex. The asset rebounded as oil fell, Treasury yields eased, and equities rallied, reinforcing that the transmission mechanism for crypto still runs through energy, inflation expectations, and the Federal Reserve rather than through impeachment chatter itself.

Axios reported renewed demands for the Cabinet to consider the 25th Amendment and a push to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, showing that removal rhetoric can remain elevated even as the macro pressure on Bitcoin begins to ease.

Republicans control both the House and Senate, so elevated odds still function as the market's fastest read on political confrontation, but they remain secondary to oil, rates, and liquidity as direct BTC drivers.

The chain that actually moves Bitcoin

Bitcoin's price action during geopolitical crises still runs through a specific sequence.

A war-driven oil spike revives inflation fears, pushes rate-cut expectations further out, and tightens financial conditions for risk assets. That was the dominant market logic heading into Trump's Apr. 7 deadline.

By Apr. 8, the ceasefire had shifted that chain in the other direction. Falling oil prices eased immediate inflation pressure, helped Treasury yields move lower, and supported a broad rebound in equities and other risk-sensitive assets.

That rate path revision feeds directly into Bitcoin's environment, as risk assets price on liquidity expectations. When the Fed's flexibility narrows, and real yields edge higher alongside oil, capital rotates out of speculative positions. When that pressure eases, BTC usually stabilizes with equities.

As Bitcoin and the broader crypto market recovered after the ceasefire, the market stopped reflecting a live escalation shock and started reflecting a relief rally with conditions attached.

The same pattern appeared in February, when Bitcoin rebounded above $70,000 after an intraday plunge to $60,017, a move tied to stabilization in tech shares and other risk assets.

Bitcoin's correlation to the broader risk complex in 2026 has been consistent enough to retire the “digital gold in every crisis” framing.

Goldman Sachs had already raised its US recession probability to 30% before the Apr. 7 deadline, and IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said that even a swift resolution would still leave slower growth and higher inflation risks in place through the shock.

The macro backdrop remains fragile even after the relief move.

Potential pathways

The ceasefire changes the base case, but it does not remove the core variables traders need to track.

If the two-week truce holds, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz normalizes, and oil stays below $100, the inflation and rates headwind eases further.

Citi's Nathan Sheets said that recession risks sharpen if oil clears $110 to $120. That threshold still matters, but after the ceasefire it sits as the downside trigger rather than the live market condition.

For Bitcoin, the consequence still runs in the same direction regardless of what drives the headlines: higher oil, stickier inflation, delayed easing, and further de-risking from speculative positions.

Earlier this year, options demand clustered around $60,000 to $50,000 downside strikes during the last period of acute BTC pressure. A retest of the low-$60,000 range remains the defensible downside scenario if oil reclaims the $110 area and the Fed stays on hold through summer.

The political noise still rides atop a macro configuration already in motion, and the sustained macro penalty would still drive the asset reaction if the truce fails.

The version of this situation in which impeachment chatter helps Bitcoin now runs through de-escalation that actually sticks. If the ceasefire holds, oil cools, rate-cut expectations return to view, risk appetite recovers, and Bitcoin lifts alongside equities.

Hope of de-escalation had already driven over $15 billion in global equity fund inflows for the week through Apr. 1. The ceasefire reinforced that same template, with oil down sharply and risk assets rebounding together.

That precedent carries a condition: de-escalation only turns bullish for BTC when it removes the oil and rates headwind.

A diplomatic pause that leaves energy markets unstable does not clear the macro overhang, even if it reduces constitutional-risk pricing for a news cycle.

Impeachment odds staying elevated while oil falls would still represent a net positive for Bitcoin. If crude stays below $100 and rate-cut expectations for 2026 return, BTC can recover toward higher ranges even with prediction markets still elevated.

Polymarket and Kalshi's relevant contracts still have editorial value as fast-moving public reads on political stress, but the clearer directional signal for crypto comes from oil, yields, and whether broader market relief holds.

Traders watching for a directional setup should now track whether Brent and WTI stay below the danger zone, whether the Fed's next communication allows rate-cut expectations to stabilize, and whether the ceasefire survives long enough for markets to treat the move as more than a one-day repricing.

Those variables will determine BTC's direction long before any House resolution reaches the floor.

The post Bitcoin rebounds as oil cools but Trump impeachment odds show markets still on edge appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Another mainstream attempt to identify the creator of Bitcoin has landed on Adam Back, the British cryptographer and Blockstream co-founder.

This week, The New York Times published a sprawling investigation arguing that Back is the person behind the Satoshi Nakamoto pseudonym, leaning heavily on stylometric analysis of writing and decades-old online records.

Back immediately and categorically denied the claim on X, saying:

However, inside the Bitcoin development ecosystem, the louder question is no longer whether this latest theory is clever or conclusive. It is a question of physical safety: what happens to the next living person targeted?

For the cypherpunks and developers maintaining the world's largest cryptocurrency network, being unmasked as Satoshi Nakamoto is not an abstract honor. It is a massive security liability.

Data from Arkham Intelligence showed that dormant wallets associated with Satoshi hold an estimated 1.1 million Bitcoin. With the asset currently trading above $72,000, attributing that stash to an individual implies a net worth of roughly $78 billion.

And considering Bitcoin's most recent all-time high was above $126,000, the perceived fortune is often calculated to be much higher.

So, falsely portraying ordinary people as the owners of this immense, inaccessible wealth exposes them to extortion, robbery, and cartel-level kidnapping risks.

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The stylometric dragnet

The latest unmasking attempt was spearheaded by John Carreyrou, the investigative journalist famous for exposing the Theranos fraud, alongside AI projects editor Dylan Freedman.

The duo spent over a year compiling a database of 134,308 posts from 620 candidates discussing digital money on cryptography mailing lists between 1992 and 2008.

The investigation applied three separate writing analyses, filtering for grammatical quirks, British spellings, double-spacing between sentences, and the alternating usage of terms like “e-mail” and “email.”

The dragnet identified 325 distinct hyphenation errors in Satoshi’s corpus; Back allegedly shared 67 of them, narrowing a pool of hundreds down to one.

Technically, the Times highlighted that Back outlined nearly every core Bitcoin feature on the Cypherpunks list between 1997 and 1999, which was a decade before the top crypto's whitepaper.

They also noted that he proposed a decentralized electronic cash system with privacy, built-in scarcity, and a publicly verifiable protocol, eventually suggesting combining his Hashcash invention with Wei Dai’s b-money concept.

Additionally, the piece pointed to Back's sudden silence on the mailing lists when Satoshi announced Bitcoin in late 2008, only to return to public commentary in June 2011, six weeks after Satoshi vanished.

Confirmation bias and the “yakking” defense

Back’s rebuttal highlights the inherent flaws in using data to retroactively profile a hyper-niche, highly active community.

On the social media platform X, Back explained that his early, laser-focused interest in the societal implications of cryptography naturally led to a massive digital footprint. He noted that prototype ideas for decentralized e-cash were rampant in those circles.

Addressing the grammatical overlaps, Back pointed out a glaring statistical blind spot, saying:

Considering this, there is strong confirmation bias toward finding his comments that match Satoshi's. Back argued that someone posting twenty times less frequently would naturally register fewer matching hyphenation errors.

The Blockstream co-founder said he offered this explanation to Carreyrou as one that should be statistically corrected for, attributing the remaining similarities to a combination of coincidence and the shared vernacular of cryptographers with similar interests.

However, the broader Bitcoin security community was much less diplomatic.

Jameson Lopp, Co-founder and Chief Security Officer at Casa, lambasted the publication, saying:

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A cycle of real-world harm

The industry’s hostility toward these investigations is rooted in recent, dangerous precedents.

The Times report arrives less than two years after HBO’s documentary, The Money Electric, pointed the finger at Canadian developer Peter Todd.

Todd publicly denied the claim, calling it baseless. But the damage was immediate. As WIRED subsequently reported, Todd was forced to go into hiding due to the severe physical threats associated with the sudden, false perception of his wealth.

This cycle has followed Bitcoin almost from birth, dating back to Newsweek’s infamous 2014 unmasking of Dorian Nakamoto, which triggered a media circus outside the California man's home.

In each instance, a major outlet assembles a pattern; the named individual is forced to deny it; the market largely shrugs; and the subject is left to navigate the severe personal fallout.

The institutional threat to open source

Beyond physical danger, attributing a living founder to Bitcoin presents a dire institutional threat. If Peter Todd’s case showed the personal risk, the saga of Craig Wright showcased the legal weaponization of the Satoshi identity.

For years, Wright used his self-proclaimed status as Satoshi to launch a barrage of lawsuits, threats, and intimidation against Bitcoin Core developers.

However, it took a massive, coordinated legal effort by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) to stop him.

The UK High Court eventually ruled that Wright had repeatedly lied and forged documents, describing his actions as a campaign of fraud, harassment, and oppression that actively deterred cryptocurrency development.

That court record helps to explain why developers fear the revival of a founder mythology. Attaching Bitcoin to a living person serves as a mechanism to assert ownership, control, or moral authority over an open-source protocol explicitly designed to survive without centralized leadership.

Even now, alternative theories continue to bubble up. Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Assets Research at VanEck, recently pointed to Twitter founder Jack Dorsey as a candidate, citing circumstantial timelines and technical similarities.

But within the crypto ecosystem, Bitcoin’s lack of a central figure is its most vital, load-bearing pillar.

As Back himself noted, remaining leaderless is what allows Bitcoin to be viewed cleanly as a new asset class: a mathematically scarce digital commodity.

So, every new attempt to unmask Satoshi Nakamoto pulls the network back toward the centralized, founder-centric fiat systems it was designed to escape.

The post Back to Back: New York Times puts Satoshi target on Adam Back again as $78 billion BTC stash triggers security fears appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Iran’s reported Bitcoin tolls at Hormuz point to a new use case for crypto, sanctions-resistant trade infrastructure

Iran is reportedly planning to charge oil tankers a Bitcoin-denominated toll for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The move would be significant as it extends beyond price action, ideology, or adoption rhetoric.

The development places Bitcoin inside a coercive trade corridor, where settlement speed, sanctions exposure, maritime access, and state leverage converge in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive waterways.

According to the Financial Times, Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, said Iran would require tankers to email authorities with cargo details, receive an assessed tariff, and then pay in Bitcoin before being allowed to pass.

Hosseini reportedly said,

“Once the email arrives and Iran completes its assessment, vessels are given a few seconds to pay in bitcoin, ensuring they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions.”

The reported tariff is $1 per barrel, while empty tankers would pass freely. The same report says ships in the Gulf received an English-language radio warning that vessels attempting transit without Iranian approval would be destroyed.

Iran’s apparent objective is clear enough. It wants to convert control over a physical chokepoint into a settlement regime that sits outside the ordinary reach of dollar clearing and sanctions enforcement.

However, can Bitcoin function as the rail for the regime in a durable way, or is the claim an opening negotiating position that eventually resolves into a broader crypto stack, likely involving brokers, OTC desks, or stablecoin conversion at the edges?

The distinction carries weight because the reported mechanism arrives during a fragile ceasefire, with passage through Hormuz still contested, throughput still impaired, and shipping participants still waiting for operational clarity.

The Associated Press has described the ceasefire terms as disputed and unstable, while the FT report suggests Iran is trying to formalize a “protocol for secure passage” in coordination with its armed forces.

Within that framework, Bitcoin is less a symbol than a tool, a settlement instrument proposed at the point where legal ambiguity and commercial urgency meet.

That framing places the development in a different category from the Iran-Bitcoin cycle that has appeared in markets throughout the year. Previous episodes ran through macro channels, oil spikes, inflation fears, safe-haven narratives, sanctions scrutiny, or domestic monetary stress inside Iran.

This time, the point of contact is much narrower and more operational. A loaded tanker is a time-sensitive asset.

A delayed cargo affects refiners, freight schedules, insurance assumptions, and working capital. A settlement rail that can move outside standard banking channels becomes valuable under those conditions, even when every participant understands that value comes with compliance and political risk attached.

Hormuz has now become a testing ground for crypto amid sanctions pressure on trade infrastructure. This is not some broad shift toward Bitcoin as sovereign money.

Iran is trying to price access to a critical artery. Bitcoin appears in that design because sanctions shape which rails are available, how quickly funds can move, and how exposed counterparties are to seizure, delay, or refusal.

That is a narrower proposition, and it also carries more analytical weight.

Hormuz turns a payment rail into a geopolitical instrument

The Strait of Hormuz is uniquely suited to expose what a sanctions-resistant settlement system looks like under stress. According to the International Energy Agency, around 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and oil products moved through the strait in 2025.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration says the corridor handles roughly 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption, while UNCTAD describes it as carrying around a quarter of global seaborne oil trade, alongside major LNG and fertilizer flows.

The strategic significance of the route is well understood. What is new here is the proposed mechanism for monetizing access to it.

The FT’s reported tariff of $1 per barrel supplies a direct economic anchor. A very large crude carrier carrying 2 million barrels would face a toll of roughly $2 million.

That is a meaningful charge, yet still within a range that cargo owners could rationalize if it unlocks trapped inventory and restores movement through a congested corridor. Scale is what gives the Bitcoin angle force.

The FT cites Kpler data showing 175 million barrels of crude and refined products loaded on 187 tankers in the Gulf, and reports that industry executives estimate 300 to 400 ships are waiting to leave once safe passage becomes possible.

The same article quotes EOS Risk as saying that only 10 to 15 ships per day may be able to transit under the current process, compared with about 135 ships before the war. That is a dramatic compression in throughput.

Under those conditions, any channel that shortens delay or resolves uncertainty acquires immediate commercial value.

Pipeline alternatives are too limited to neutralize the chokepoint. The IEA estimates that only about 3.5-5.5 million barrels per day can bypass Hormuz through alternative routes, depending on availability and operating conditions.

The EIA similarly notes that bypass infrastructure from Saudi Arabia and the UAE covers only a fraction of the normal flow. That leaves maritime transit through the strait as the dominant route, which in turn gives Iran leverage over time, sequencing, and access.

This is where the settlement design becomes the central issue. Iran is attempting to move from informal wartime control to a more structured protocol in which movement depends on prior disclosure, route compliance, and payment.

A Bitcoin toll fits that architecture because it can, at least in principle, be transmitted without the direct involvement of correspondent banks, which would almost certainly refuse to process a sanctioned transaction. For Tehran, the attraction is straightforward.

A controlled crossing, a sanctioned counterparty, and a time-sensitive cargo create demand for a rail that reduces banking friction.

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The commercial side of the equation is equally clear. Owners and charterers do not need to embrace the political logic behind the system to make a practical calculation around cargo movement.

They need a workable method for clearing a bottleneck. That explains why the reported development deserves attention, even if the mechanism changes in execution.

Bitcoin, in this context, is functioning as a proposed bridge between physical control and financial settlement. That shift broadens the crypto discussion, because it embeds the asset in an operational trade corridor rather than a macro narrative about reserves, inflation, or ideological adoption.

There is also a second-order consequence for Gulf power dynamics and the broader oil complex. The FT notes concern that any formalized Iranian control over Hormuz could alter the balance inside Opec+, giving Tehran something close to a veto point over rivals’ exports.

Saudi-linked voices have already signaled that “unimpeded” access would be a red line. In that sense, the demand for Bitcoin payments is part of a broader architecture of leverage.

Iran is trying to convert military and geographic position into a ruleset for passage, and it is selecting a settlement rail that reflects the financial constraints imposed by sanctions.

Bitcoin’s role is plausible, its claimed invisibility is far weaker

The part of the reported Iranian design that deserves the most scrutiny is the explanation for using Bitcoin. Hosseini told the FT that vessels would be given only a few seconds to pay in Bitcoin, “ensuring” the funds could not be traced or confiscated because of sanctions.

The compression of the payment window makes sense inside a coercive access regime. The claim about traceability stands on weaker ground.

Bitcoin is a public-ledger infrastructure. Every transaction is permanently recorded on-chain.

The entire compliance and analytics industry around crypto was built on that visibility. Bitcoin is traceable, and its tools are used by exchanges, compliance teams, and law enforcement to trace flows, identify clusters, and screen for exposure.

The concern for a sanctioned actor is therefore not whether the transfer can be seen. The concern is whether the transaction can be completed, whether the recipient can custody value without immediate interference, and whether conversion into usable liquidity can happen through intermediaries willing to assume the risk.

That difference is crucial. Sanctions resistance and opacity are separate properties.

Bitcoin can help with the first under certain conditions because it allows value transfer without a bank approving the payment. It offers far less on the second, because the trail is visible to anyone watching the chain.

The practical logic behind Iran’s proposal, therefore, rests less on secrecy than on reduced dependence on conventional financial rails. That remains meaningful, yet it is a different argument from the one embedded in Hosseini’s quote.

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In its 2026 sanctions report, Chainalysis said sanctioned and illicit addresses received at least $154 billion in 2025, with state-linked actors playing a larger role in blockchain-based trade and cross-border transfers.

The same report says IRGC-linked addresses accounted for more than half of the value received by Iranian entities in Q4 2025, totaling more than $3 billion. Those figures show two things at once.

First, blockchain rails are already part of Iran-linked financial activity at a meaningful scale. Second, those rails are under continuous analytical scrutiny.

That combination supports a measured conclusion. Bitcoin as a payment rail for a Hormuz toll is plausible. Bitcoin as an invisible rail is far harder to defend.

If the system described by Hosseini is genuine, it probably relies on urgency, fragmented counterparties, layered intermediaries, and the simple commercial reality that a trapped cargo has a high cost of delay. Those conditions can make Bitcoin useful.

They do not make it unobservable.

This is also where execution risk enters. Large commercial shipping players, insurers, and commodity traders operate inside layered sanctions and compliance frameworks.

The U.S. Treasury’s OFAC maritime advisory on Iranian oil movement lays out clear red flags for maritime participants and stresses the risk of facilitating sanctioned trade. A toll payment to an Iran-linked address tied to passage through Hormuz would raise immediate questions for P&I clubs, compliance desks, brokers, and any exchange or OTC venue used to source or deliver Bitcoin.

The existence of a settlement route, therefore, does not mean the route scales smoothly across the mainstream shipping system.

The next test is whether Bitcoin holds, or a broader crypto settlement stack takes over

That leaves open the possibility that Bitcoin functions as the nominal unit while the actual workflow becomes more hybrid in practice. Payment could be quoted in BTC, routed through intermediaries, or dynamically converted from other digital assets depending on what counterparties can source and what risks they are prepared to take.

The next step is to determine whether verified evidence emerges of actual BTC settlement, on-chain receipt patterns, wallet clustering, or market color from brokers dealing with Gulf-linked counterparties.

The market context around the reported toll regime helps clarify what comes next. Oil continues to set the first-order risk signal.

Following the ceasefire announcement, Brent crude fell 16.6% to $91.11, while Bitcoin rebounded alongside the reduction in immediate macro stress. That pattern is familiar.

When Iran risk rises, oil tightens, inflation assumptions shift, and crypto reprices through the macro channel. The Hormuz toll issue adds a second layer.

It inserts Bitcoin into the physical infrastructure of trade itself.

That second layer deserves the closest attention over the coming days. A workable settlement regime needs more than a quote in a newspaper interview.

It needs counterparties, throughput, wallet infrastructure, sufficient liquidity to quickly source payments, and a surrounding services layer to handle custody, conversion, and operational errors. Maritime trade runs on procedures, documentation, and a very low tolerance for ambiguity when cargoes are large and legal exposure is high.

The system Hosseini described would need to fit into that reality.

There is also the legal setting. Under UNCLOS, ships passing through international straits enjoy a right of transit passage that shall not be impeded.

Several governments have already signaled that any Iranian attempt to formalize the control of passage would be unacceptable. That means the proposed Bitcoin toll falls within a regime whose legitimacy will be disputed even if some ships decide that the commercial need to move outweighs the political and legal objections.

In practice, contested systems often develop first through exception, then through routine, then through negotiation or rollback. Hormuz may now be entering that first stage.

For crypto markets, the broader implication is straightforward. Bitcoin’s relevance in global commerce may expand through stress points where traditional rails are constrained, rather than through conventional corporate treasury adoption or state reserve experimentation alone.

Chokepoints, sanctions zones, and politically contested trade corridors create conditions where settlement optionality has immediate value. That does not produce a universal bullish thesis.

It does, however, widen the field of real-world use cases into domains that sit much closer to geopolitical risk.

The next test is specific. Confirmation will come from evidence that Bitcoin remains the actual settlement rail once the process moves from declaration to execution.

If ships begin transiting under an Iranian approval system, yet market intelligence, broker color, or wallet analysis suggests settlement is being routed through stablecoins, OTC swaps, or off-chain arrangements, then the current framing will need refinement.

The core thesis would still hold, as crypto would continue to function as a sanctions-resistant trade infrastructure.

The asset mix would simply look different from the initial claim.

That is the most likely line of development to watch. Bitcoin has the recognizability, liquidity, and political signaling power to serve as the named instrument.

Stablecoins or intermediary structures may prove more practical at scale if participants need tighter value transfer, reduced slippage, or easier operational handling. For now, the most defensible conclusion is narrow and substantial.

Iran appears to be trying to attach a crypto-denominated toll regime to passage through one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints. If that effort holds, even briefly, it would mark a meaningful expansion in how digital assets are used, from speculative instruments and sanctions workarounds into the mechanics of coercive global trade.

The post Iran wants Bitcoin as payment to guarantee ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz – FT appeared first on CryptoSlate.

There are many CFD brokers that claim they're "best in class". So when a broker like BXB Market comes along and puts "simplicity" at the center of everything it does, it catches your attention.

We spent a couple of dys using BXB Market's web platform to figure out whether they actually deliver on that promise. This review breaks down everything we found: what works, what stands out, and where you should do your own homework before depositing funds.

What Is BXB Market, and Who's Behind It?

BXB Market is a CFD broker operated by Dynamix Ltd. They hold a brokerage license (BFX2025065) issued by MISA — the Mwali International Services Authority. Its registered office sits at Bonovo Road in Fomboni, Comoros.

MISA-regulated brokers are required to follow specific compliance procedures, and BXB Market does display its license number prominently on every page of its website — which is more transparency than some offshore brokers bother with. The license is verifiable directly through the MISA registrar's public list of authorized brokerage companies, and we confirmed it ourselves.

What can you Trade on BXB Market?

BXB Market provides CFD access to 300+ instruments across several asset classes: 

• Forex (major and exotic pairs)
• Crypto (Bitcoin, Ethereum and other alts)
• Precious Metals (Gold, Silver, Platinum)
• Stocks (Tesla, Microsoft)
• Indices (S&P 500, DAX, FTSE 100)
• Commodities (Oil, Gas, Coffee, Wheat)

For most retail traders, this range is more than sufficient. You're not going to find 15,000 instruments here the way you would with some of the largest multi-asset brokers, but that's clearly not what BXB Market is going for. The focus is on quality of execution and user experience across a curated set of markets.

What we liked: the earnings calendar integrated directly into the platform. Knowing when major companies are reporting earnings can be important for index and equity CFD traders, and having that calendar built into the platform (rather than requiring you to check a third-party site) is a small but practical touch that saves time.

BXB Market Trading Platforms

Traders using BXB Market have the choice to choose between both trading on their web platform, or downloading their mobile app.

We tested the web platform, which loads in-browser with no downloads or plugins required. Page load times were snappy, even with multiple chart windows open. It's not the most advanced charting platform on the market (don't expect TradingView-level), but for analyzing quickly before plcing a trade, it is more than enough.

Account Tiers on BXB Market

BXB Market offers three account tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum, each designed for a different level of trader.

Silver Account

• Standard spreads
• Leverage up to 1:200
• Minimum lot size: 0.01

Gold Account

• Spread discounts
• Reduced swap fees
• Leverage up to 1:200
  Minimum lot size: 0.01

Platinum Account

• High spread and swap discounts
• Leverage up to 1:200
• Minimum lot size: 0.01

BXB Market also offers demo accounts if you want to test out the platform first.

Deposits, Withdrawals, and Payment Methods

BXB Market supports a wide range of payment options:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• Maestro
• Visa Debit
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• PayPal
• Skrill
• Neteller
• AstroPay 
• Kuady

All these options give good flexibility, especially for those in regions where certain payment methods are more convenient or accessible than others.

Customer Support: Available and Responsive

BXB Market's support can be reached through live chat, email, or phone. We tried the live chat a couple of times and got actual answers from real people pretty quickly, no waiting around forever, no copy-paste replies that don't actually address what you asked. That's more than you can say for a lot of brokers out there.

The site and platform come in English, Hindi, and Japanese, so they're clearly not just targeting one market. It's a small detail but it tells you they're at least thinking about serving traders in different parts of the world.

How to Open an Account with BXB Market

The onboarding process is straightforward. Account registration follows a standard flow: provide your details, verify your identity, fund your account, and start trading. We didn't encounter any unusual friction points or unexpected delays during the process.

Final Verdict: Is BXB Market Worth Trying in 2026?

If you value a clean, intuitive trading environment and don't need tens of thousands of instruments and clutter, BXB Market might be for you.

Always remember to do your own due diligence. Test the platform, read the terms, understand the regulatory framework, and never trade with money you can't afford to lose.

Why Iran’s Bitcoin Move Is Shaking Global Markets

A new geopolitical development is quietly reshaping how investors think about cryptocurrency. Reports suggest that Iran may require ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay transit tolls in Bitcoin.

This is not just another crypto headline. It represents a potential shift in how global trade is conducted, especially in a region responsible for nearly 20% of the world’s oil supply.

If confirmed and enforced, this would mark one of the first real-world use cases of Bitcoin in a state-level economic strategy tied directly to energy markets.

What Is Happening in the Strait of Hormuz?

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most critical chokepoints in global trade. Any disruption there immediately impacts oil prices, shipping routes, and financial markets.

Recent developments indicate:

• Iran is asserting control over transit conditions
• Ships may be required to pay tolls to pass safely
• Reports suggest payments could be requested in Bitcoin
• Hundreds of vessels are currently facing delays in the region

At the same time, geopolitical tensions remain elevated, with threats of escalation involving multiple countries and trade restrictions.

👉 This is no longer just a military or political issue — it is becoming a financial one.

Why Bitcoin? The Strategic Logic Behind It

The choice of Bitcoin is not random. It solves several key challenges for countries operating under financial pressure:

• Sanctions resistance: Bitcoin cannot be easily blocked by traditional financial systems
• Fast settlement: Payments can be completed within minutes globally
• Neutral infrastructure: No central authority controls the network
• Liquidity access: Bitcoin can be converted into other assets worldwide

For a country facing restrictions in the global banking system, Bitcoin becomes a practical alternative for enforcing payments in international trade.

Is This the Beginning of a New Financial System?

For decades, global oil trade has been dominated by the US dollar. This system, often referred to as the “petrodollar,” has shaped global finance and monetary policy.

However, if oil-related transactions begin to integrate Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, the implications could be massive:

• A shift toward alternative settlement systems
• Reduced reliance on USD-based trade
• Increased demand for decentralized assets
• New regulatory and geopolitical tensions

👉 This could mark the early stages of a parallel financial system emerging alongside traditional markets.

How Are Crypto and Traditional Markets Reacting?

Interestingly, markets are showing mixed signals:

• Bitcoin is holding strong above key levels
• Ethereum and altcoins are seeing renewed momentum
• US stock markets are rebounding sharply
• Oil prices remain elevated due to supply concerns

This divergence suggests that markets have not fully priced in the long-term implications of this development.

In other words, investors are reacting to short-term headlines, but the structural shift may still be underestimated.

What Should Investors Watch Next?

The situation is evolving quickly, and several key factors will determine its impact:

• Whether Bitcoin payments are officially enforced
• How global powers respond to this move
• Potential sanctions or countermeasures
• Reactions from shipping and energy companies
• Regulatory responses toward crypto usage in trade

If more countries begin experimenting with crypto in international transactions, this trend could accelerate faster than expected.

Final Thoughts: A Turning Point for Bitcoin?

Bitcoin has long been described as digital gold or a store of value. But this development suggests a new role is emerging — Bitcoin as a tool for global trade and geopolitical strategy.

While it is still early, the implications are significant.

👉 This is not just about crypto markets anymore.
👉 This is about the future of global finance.

Ethereum (ETH) has outperformed the broader market today, surging past the critical $2,200 resistance to reach a current price of $2,250. This 6.5% gain over the last 24 hours comes as a direct response to President Trump’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire with Iran, which has significantly lowered the global "risk-off" sentiment.

As geopolitical tensions ease, investors are rotating capital back into high-beta assets. While Bitcoin’s move past $71,000 grabbed headlines, Ethereum’s breakout is arguably more significant for the altcoin market, as it signals a potential shift in the mid-term trend.

Ethereum Price Analysis: Why ETH is Outperforming

The jump to $2,250 was catalyzed by reports that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen for commercial traffic during the truce. According to Bloomberg, the sudden drop in oil prices has lowered global inflation expectations, allowing the Federal Reserve more room to maintain its current interest rate trajectory—a massive win for Ethereum’s ecosystem.

Key market reactions include:

• Ethereum ($ETH) up 6.2% at the time of writing.
• Network Activity: Gas fees have seen a slight uptick as decentralized finance (DeFi) activity increases alongside the price.
• Total Crypto Market Cap: Rose 4% to approximately $2.44 trillion.

Technical Analysis: The $2,200 Support Flip

Looking at the recent price action, Ethereum has finally broken out of a multi-week descending channel. The move above $2,200 is a bullish signal, as this level had acted as a "brick wall" resistance throughout March.

However, the rapid nature of this 6% pump suggests that a short-term cooling period is likely. Technical indicators like the Relative Strength Index (RSI) are approaching overbought territory. A normal market adjustment could see ETH/USD retest the $2,200 to $2,180 zone to confirm it as new support. If this level holds, the next major target for bulls is the $2,400 psychological resistance.

Institutional Interest and Liquidations

The rally was further fueled by a "short squeeze." Data from major exchanges shows that over $150 million in Ethereum short positions were liquidated in the last six hours alone. This forced buying accelerated the move from $2,150 to $2,250.

Bitcoin (BTC) has staged a dramatic comeback, surging past the psychological $71,000 mark during early trading on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. The rally comes directly on the heels of an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding a temporary two-week ceasefire in the ongoing conflict with Iran. This diplomatic shift has immediately injected liquidity and "risk-on" sentiment back into the digital asset markets.

Bitcoin Up: Ceasefire Details Spark Market Optimism

The surge was triggered after President Trump confirmed that the U.S. would suspend military strikes for 14 days, contingent on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. According to reports from Al Jazeera, talks to finalize a peace deal are scheduled to begin this Friday in Pakistan.

As geopolitical tensions cooled, the crypto market responded with high volatility:

• Bitcoin ($BTC) jumped nearly 5%, reaching a local high near $72,300.
• Ethereum ($ETH) followed suit, gaining over 6% to trade near $2,250.
• Oil prices plummeted by approximately 12%, easing global inflation fears that had previously weighed on risk assets.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: Is the Rally Sustainable?

Despite the bullish momentum seen in the attached chart, the rapid ascent suggests a potential short-term "blow-off top." Analyzing the BTC/USD price action, the candle reached a peak of $72,000+ before showing signs of stabilization around the $71,646 level.

Historically, such news-driven pumps often lead to a "sell the news" event or a technical retracement. Investors should watch the $68,000 to $69,000 support zone. A healthy adjustment back to these levels would be a normal market response to consolidate recent gains before attempting a permanent breakout toward the all-time high of $74,000.

Institutional Reaction and ETF Inflows

Market data indicates that institutional players were quick to capitalize on the de-escalation. Major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase reportedly saw massive buy orders totaling over $4.5 billion shortly after the announcement. Furthermore, spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded their highest inflows in six weeks, suggesting that professional traders are viewing this ceasefire as a window for continued accumulation.

Crypto Market Stalls as Global Tensions Reach a Turning Point

The crypto market is entering a critical phase as geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran intensify. While headlines around oil prices, military developments, and diplomatic talks continue to shift rapidly, Bitcoin and major altcoins remain relatively stable.

This stability is not a sign of strength — it reflects uncertainty.

Bitcoin price is currently holding near key levels, while Ethereum and altcoins are showing mild weakness. Despite major macro developments, the market is not making a decisive move yet.

👉 The reason is simple: markets are waiting for a clear outcome.

Why Bitcoin Is Not Moving (Yet)

Recent developments have created a highly unstable macro environment:

• Oil prices surged above $110 following strikes on Iran-linked infrastructure
• Prices then dropped sharply within minutes after mediation headlines
• Diplomatic talks are now described as “critical” with tight deadlines
• New threats around global trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, are emerging

Under normal conditions, such volatility would trigger large moves in crypto. But instead, Bitcoin is consolidating.

👉 This signals a compression phase, where volatility builds before a major breakout.

Traders are holding back, waiting for confirmation before committing capital. This creates a temporary “calm before the storm” effect.

Crypto Market Prediction: 3 Scenarios That Could Move Bitcoin Next

The current market structure suggests that Bitcoin’s next move will depend heavily on geopolitical outcomes. Three main scenarios are now being priced in:

Scenario 1: De-escalation and Diplomatic Deal

If negotiations between the US and Iran lead to a de-escalation:

• Oil prices are likely to drop
• Global markets could shift back to risk-on
• Investor confidence would return quickly

👉 In this case, Bitcoin could rally toward the $72,000–$75,000 range, with altcoins outperforming.

This would trigger a relief rally across crypto markets.

Scenario 2: Prolonged Uncertainty (No Clear Deal)

If talks continue without a clear resolution:

• Oil remains elevated
• Market uncertainty persists
• Liquidity stays cautious

👉 Bitcoin could trade sideways or gradually decline toward the $64,000–$66,000 zone.

Altcoins may continue to underperform, showing signs of weakness beneath the surface.

Scenario 3: Escalation and Global Risk-Off Event

If tensions escalate further — especially involving critical oil routes:

• Oil could spike toward $120+
• Global equities may drop sharply
• Investors move away from risk assets

👉 Bitcoin could experience a rapid sell-off, potentially testing the $60,000 level or lower.

Altcoins would likely see stronger declines due to higher risk exposure.

Why Altcoins Are Already Showing Weakness

While Bitcoin remains relatively stable, altcoins are quietly declining:

• $SOL and $ADA are down significantly
• $LINK and other majors are under pressure
• Capital is rotating toward Bitcoin

👉 This divergence is an early warning signal.

Historically, when altcoins weaken before Bitcoin, it often indicates a risk-off shift within crypto itself.

Investors are moving into perceived “safer” crypto assets, anticipating potential downside.

Oil Prices and Crypto: A New Market Driver

One of the most important developments in recent days is the increasing correlation between oil and crypto markets.

Oil is no longer just a macro indicator — it has become a real-time trigger for market movements.

• Oil spikes → inflation fears → crypto pressure
• Oil drops → relief → crypto bounce

👉 Crypto is now reacting instantly to geopolitical headlines affecting energy markets.

This marks a shift in how Bitcoin behaves within the global financial system.

What Investors Should Watch Next

The next 24–72 hours are critical.

Key factors to monitor:

• Updates on US-Iran negotiations
• Oil price movements and volatility
• Any disruption to the Strait of Hormuz
• Statements from global leaders and central banks

👉 These events will likely determine the next major move in Bitcoin and the broader crypto market.

Final Outlook: A Market Waiting for Confirmation

The crypto market is not directionless — it is waiting.

Bitcoin’s current stability reflects a broader pause across global markets as investors assess the next major geopolitical development.

👉 The next move will not be gradual — it will be decisive.

Whether Bitcoin rallies or crashes from here depends on one key factor:
the outcome of the current geopolitical tensions.

The Bitcoin ATM operator disclosed a hack two weeks after attackers gained control of settlement account credentials and stole BTC.

A newly proposed agentic settlement standard would hold fees in escrow and bring underwriters into AI agent transactions.

NYSE-listed miner Cango reduced costs by 19% by shutting down inefficient equipment, and sold Bitcoin to pay down debt.

Meta's first model from its Superintelligence team is natively multimodal, built for health reasoning, and genuinely competitive—but it doesn't top every leaderboard.

The proposed rule prohibits people with criminal backgrounds from serving as the head of stablecoin issuers’ compliance programs.

Binance has named the next batch of six altcoins that will exit its platform by April 23.

Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson highlights the potential of artificial intelligence, referring to it as magic.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has issued a forceful call to action, urging Congress to immediately pass the Clarity Act to secure America’s position as the global center for digital asset innovation.

Explosive surge we have witnessed today on Wrapped Ethereum is really hard to explain and justify.

A massive new investigation by The New York Times claiming to have finally unmasked Bitcoin's creator has sparked a fascinating debate within the cryptocurrency community..

Key Takeaways

• PLTR shares declined approximately 6% following Michael Burry’s bubble warning
• The ‘Big Short’ investor argues Anthropic is capturing market share with ARR surging from $9B to $30B
• Palantir’s forward P/E ratio stands at roughly 115x versus a sector median of 21x
• Analyst opinions vary: Rosenblatt maintains $200 Buy; Benchmark expresses valuation worries
• Street consensus remains Moderate Buy with average target of $194.61

The legendary investor from “The Big Short,” Michael Burry, publicly challenged Palantir’s market position on Wednesday through a post on X, declaring the stock potentially overvalued while highlighting Anthropic’s growing dominance in enterprise artificial intelligence.

PLTR shares tumbled approximately 6% during regular trading hours following his remarks. After-hours activity showed some recovery as the stock climbed back toward $141.18 with renewed buying interest.

Palantir Technologies Inc., PLTR

Burry previously revealed a short bet against Palantir in early 2025. His Wednesday commentary escalated his critique, focusing on fundamental shifts in the competitive environment.

“Anthropic is eating Palantir’s lunch,” Burry stated. “That massive boost from $9B to $30B ARR at Anthropic is because Anthropic offers the easier, cheaper, intuitive solution for businesses.”

His argument drew support from Ramp data, referencing a March 2026 study by economist Ara Kharazian. The analysis revealed that nearly 25% of Ramp’s business customers now subscribe to Anthropic services — a dramatic increase from just 4% twelve months earlier.

Burry further emphasized that Anthropic is capturing 73% of incremental enterprise AI expenditures, while the broader AI sector displays zero-sum characteristics, with OpenAI recording its steepest monthly user decline ever.

Premium Pricing Under Scrutiny

With a forward price-to-earnings multiple hovering around 115x, Palantir commands a significant premium over its sector median of 21x and towers above comparable large-cap AI competitors. This valuation disparity has consistently fueled bearish arguments.

Benchmark’s Yi Fu Lee maintains a neutral stance with a Hold rating. His position reflects concerns that current pricing assumes flawless operational performance, leaving limited room for growth deceleration.

Rosenblatt analyst John McPeake takes the opposing view. He stands by his Buy recommendation and $200 valuation target, highlighting forthcoming developments such as the “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative. McPeake projects Palantir’s involvement in this contract could drive billions in revenue through 2028.

Bank of America’s Mariana Perez also retains her Buy stance, characterizing the selloff as a temporary response to news flow. She emphasizes Palantir’s entrenched position within critical government data infrastructure as a sustainable competitive moat.

Wall Street Perspective

The current analyst consensus registers as Moderate Buy, comprising 14 Buy ratings, 5 Hold ratings, and 2 Sell ratings.

The mean price objective stands at $194.61 post-volatility, suggesting potential upside of approximately 38% from Wednesday’s closing price.

Palantir delivered 70% year-over-year revenue expansion in its latest quarterly results, a metric that bullish investors cite as validation of the company’s underlying business strength despite valuation controversies.

Burry isn’t the sole prominent skeptic. Short-seller Andrew Left revealed his own short position in Palantir last September, additionally highlighting Databricks as a superior alternative investment.

Since Anthropic remains privately held, investors lack direct mechanisms to capitalize on Burry’s competitive thesis — though the downward pressure on PLTR has proven tangible.

The official designation of the Maven Smart System represents one of the more concrete near-term positive catalysts currently on the horizon for shareholders.

The post Palantir (PLTR) Stock Tumbles 6% Following Burry’s Anthropic Competition Warning appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• TER reached an unprecedented peak of $358.29, leading S&P 500 performers on Wednesday
• Shares rallied approximately 12%, boosted in part by Intel’s participation in Elon Musk’s Terafab initiative
• Artificial intelligence revenue now represents more than 60% of Teradyne’s total income, projected to reach 70% by early 2026
• The stock has climbed 85% since the start of the year; consensus analyst target price stands at $313.20
• Analysts assign TER a Moderate Buy rating, based on 12 Buy recommendations and 5 Hold ratings over the past three months

Teradyne experienced a remarkable trading session on Wednesday. Shares concluded at $358.29, climbing nearly 12% and securing the top position among S&P 500 gainers while marking a fresh all-time record. The performance is particularly notable given the stock’s already impressive 85% advance year-to-date.

Teradyne, Inc., TER

What triggered the surge? Reports emerged that Intel has joined the Terafab project — a cutting-edge manufacturing endeavor associated with Elon Musk that includes SpaceX, xAI, and Tesla among its participants. Intel represents a significant customer for Teradyne, alongside Samsung, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and IBM. Consequently, Intel’s expanded involvement in sophisticated semiconductor production carries particular significance for TER shareholders.

Broader market sentiment also contributed to the rally. Reports of a potential U.S.–Iran ceasefire encouraged investors to rotate into technology and growth-oriented equities, providing additional momentum for TER.

Teradyne recently unveiled two innovative platforms. The Photon 100 addresses silicon photonics and co-packaged optics production needs. Omnyx focuses on printed circuit board assemblies for artificial intelligence and data center uses. Both products align strategically with the company’s emphasis on AI-related demand.

This strategic direction is clearly reflected in financial results. Artificial intelligence currently comprises over 60% of Teradyne’s overall revenue stream. Management anticipates this proportion will surpass 70% during the first quarter of 2026.

Analyst Price Targets

Baird analyst Quinn Fredrickson increased his price objective to $332 from $305 while reaffirming a Buy rating. Fredrickson highlighted minimal Middle East exposure risks and strengthening cyclical patterns expected through 2026 and 2027.

Morgan Stanley’s Shane Brett elevated his target to $306 from $288, though he kept a Hold rating. Brett projects Teradyne’s networking revenue will more than double during 2026 — a substantial upward revision from his previous forecasts.

Cantor Fitzgerald pushed even higher, boosting its target to $330 while emphasizing the company’s business mix transformation toward artificial intelligence as a critical growth factor.

What the Market Is Saying

Notwithstanding the bullish sentiment, the consensus Wall Street price target of $313.20 suggests approximately 12.6% potential downside from Wednesday’s closing price. The aggregate rating comprising 12 Buy recommendations and 5 Hold ratings results in a Moderate Buy designation — optimistic yet tempered considering the stock’s substantial recent appreciation.

TER’s market capitalization now stands at approximately $53.96 billion, trading at a P/E multiple of 90.67. InvestingPro analysis indicated the stock may be overvalued compared to its Fair Value assessment.

Aletheia Research observed a recovery in Taiwan’s tester import activity, which could translate into increased order volume for Teradyne from major clients including KYEC.

According to InvestingPro metrics, the stock has delivered a 373% return over the past year. Wednesday’s settlement at $358.29 represents the highest price level in the company’s trading history.

The post Teradyne (TER) Stock Reaches Record Peak as Intel Partnership Fuels Rally appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR:

• Yield promises no longer close RWA deals — investors now demand verified legal structures and default procedures first.

• Credibility built through clean repayment records outperforms any paid marketing campaign in the RWA sector today.

• Regulatory arbitrage across jurisdictions like Malaysia and Switzerland is becoming a core feature, not a legal workaround.

• Instant redemption and pre-funded liquidity layers are now the clearest signal that an RWA project is built to last.

RWA marketing is undergoing a fundamental shift across the crypto industry. Projects that once relied on yield promises are now held to a much higher standard.

Institutional and retail investors are demanding legal clarity, collateral transparency, and defined default procedures before committing capital.

The market drawdown of October 2025 accelerated this change considerably. As tokenized real-world assets attract more scrutiny, the strategies that worked a year ago are no longer enough to close deals.

Credibility and Structure Replace Yield as the Core Pitch

The days of leading with high APY figures are largely over in RWA marketing. Investors are now asking harder questions about legal structures, collateral custody, and enforcement rights.

Projects that answer those questions clearly are gaining the most traction. This shift reflects a broader maturation across the tokenized asset space.

@liqvid_xyz captured this directly: “You can’t sell trust with a story. You need structure, transparency, and execution.” That standard now applies to every project seeking serious capital.

Institutional allocators, in particular, are running thorough due diligence before committing. According to @RealFinOfficial, onboarding a bank or major asset originator can take six to eighteen months.

Credibility, meanwhile, has become the most valuable asset any project can hold. It cannot be purchased through advertising spend or influencer campaigns.

Instead, it is built month by month through clean repayment records and verifiable history. @eightlends has reported zero defaults since launch — a fact that speaks louder than any marketing pitch.

Regulatory arbitrage is also playing a quiet but powerful role. Projects are selecting jurisdictions like Malaysia, the Philippines, and Switzerland to structure their offerings legally.

@metafyed noted they operate under Malaysian and Philippine frameworks. However, explaining that regulatory strategy to buyers remains an ongoing challenge, with most drop-off occurring at that educational moment.

Liquidity and Education Remain the Two Biggest Growth Levers

Beyond structure, liquidity is fast becoming the defining feature of competitive RWA projects. Most tokenized assets still carry TradFi-style redemption timelines, sometimes taking hours or days to settle.

That friction limits the appeal to both retail and institutional participants. Smart projects are now building pre-funded liquidity layers and instant redemption mechanisms to close that gap.

@AmpleProtocol made clear that narrative alone is not enough today. “Everyone is looking for a combination of tokenomics plus Product Market Fit with most projects right now,” they stated.

Without a functional product behind the story, even a well-structured narrative loses credibility fast. Liquidity, in that context, is proof of execution.

Education remains one of the most consistent barriers to growth in this sector. Many crypto users are unfamiliar with SPV structures, collateral agents, and enforcement rights. @eightlends noted that growing in RWA is really about education more than anything else.

Walking users through the full process — from borrower verification to onchain monthly payments — is what converts interest into investment.

The three main audiences — institutional allocators, high-net-worth investors, and wealth managers — each require a tailored approach. Wealth managers particularly need cross-border yield products that clear compliance hurdles for their clients.

Serving these intermediaries well creates leverage across the entire distribution chain. That approach, paired with transparent structure, separates the projects that scale from those that stall.

The post RWA Marketing Shifts From Hype to Structure as Institutional Capital Grows More Discerning appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• Shares of SOUN finished Wednesday’s session at $6.79, gaining 1.3% after an early spike of 7%
• Morning momentum stemmed from widespread AI stock rally tied to U.S.–Iran ceasefire developments
• Latest quarterly revenue reached $55.06 million, representing a 59.4% year-over-year increase and surpassing forecasts
• Wall Street maintains a Moderate Buy rating with price targets averaging $14.50–$14.93, suggesting potential gains exceeding 110%
• Recent CFO resignation and continued insider stock sales have created headwinds despite robust top-line performance

SoundHound AI (SOUN) shares ended Wednesday trading at $6.79, marking a 1.3% advance for the session. The stock has declined approximately 32% since the beginning of the year.

SoundHound AI, Inc., SOUN

Shares of SoundHound AI (SOUN) experienced a volatile Wednesday session, surging as much as 7% during opening trades before retracing most of the advance to settle 1.3% higher at $6.79. The early-morning strength formed part of a wider recovery across AI and technology equities following emerging reports of a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, which calmed market concerns and triggered renewed appetite for growth-oriented securities.

Trading activity registered approximately 21.3 million shares, falling roughly 18% short of the stock’s typical daily turnover. Technical indicators show SOUN trading beneath its 50-day moving average of $7.66 and significantly below its 200-day moving average of $11.62, highlighting the stock’s recent underperformance.

SoundHound delivered quarterly revenue of $55.06 million in its latest financial report, exceeding the Street consensus of $53.88 million. This figure represents a substantial 59.4% increase compared to the corresponding quarter in the previous year. On a full-year basis, the voice AI company achieved record revenue of $169 million, effectively doubling the prior year’s total of $84.7 million.

The company reported earnings per share of ($0.02), matching analyst projections. SoundHound registered a negative return on equity of 3.63% alongside a net margin of -8.71%. Wall Street forecasts anticipate an EPS of ($0.38) for the ongoing fiscal period.

Wall Street Perspective on SOUN

Cantor Fitzgerald elevated SOUN to an overweight rating this past December, simultaneously lifting its price objective from $13 to $15. HC Wainwright has sustained its buy recommendation with a $20 target price — representing the Street’s most optimistic projection — referencing management’s objective of achieving adjusted EBITDA profitability by the conclusion of 2026.

Analyst Gil Luria from D.A. Davidson highlighted SoundHound’s current ratio of 4.59 as evidence of solid financial positioning, suggesting the shares may represent attractive value following their recent pullback.

According to MarketBeat’s aggregated data, the consensus recommendation stands at Moderate Buy, comprising five buy ratings, three hold ratings, and one sell rating. TipRanks reflects a Strong Buy consensus based on four buy recommendations and one hold over the trailing three-month period, with an average analyst price target of $14.50.

Executive Departures and Insider Transactions

Countering the bullish analyst sentiment, company insiders have been reducing their holdings. Senior Vice President Majid Emami and insider James Ming Hom each divested 31,019 shares of SOUN at $6.79 per share on March 20th. Throughout the previous three-month period, insiders have collectively sold 337,649 shares worth approximately $2.45 million. Current insider ownership represents 9.17% of outstanding shares.

Chief Financial Officer Nitesh Sharan also disclosed his planned departure in April, contributing to heightened investor uncertainty.

On a more constructive note, SoundHound recently broadened its collaboration with Mexican insurance provider Quálitas. The company’s AI technology currently processes approximately 100,000 monthly calls for the insurer — representing a 150% expansion since 2022.

Institutional investors collectively hold 19.28% of outstanding shares, with multiple investment firms increasing their stake allocations during recent reporting periods.

The post SoundHound AI (SOUN) Stock Climbs Amid Broader Tech Rally on Geopolitical Developments appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• The entertainment giant is set to eliminate approximately 1,000 positions in upcoming weeks as CEO Josh D’Amaro implements cost-saving measures
• The marketing department, recently unified under single leadership, will absorb the majority of these reductions
• Since Bob Iger’s return to the helm in 2022, Disney has eliminated more than 8,000 positions
• Prior restructuring initiatives delivered cost savings reaching $7.5 billion
• Shares of DIS have declined 12.8% since the year began, with Wednesday’s close at $99.18

The House of Mouse is preparing to eliminate as many as 1,000 positions over the next several weeks. These workforce reductions form part of CEO Josh D’Amaro’s comprehensive strategy to trim operational expenses following his assumption of leadership from Bob Iger earlier in 2025.

The primary focus of these employment cuts will be Disney’s marketing operations, which underwent centralization this past January under Chief Marketing Officer Asad Ayaz. This organizational shift unified previously separate marketing units spanning entertainment properties, experiential offerings, and sports content into one coordinated structure.

Internal sources indicate that D’Amaro’s efficiency initiative carries the code name Project Imagine. The strategic objective centers on enhancing cross-departmental cooperation and streamlining workflows. Disney management has declined to provide official statements regarding the initiative’s details.

The Walt Disney Company, DIS

These workforce reductions aren’t breaking new ground for the company. Industry sources indicate the layoff strategy was already in development prior to D’Amaro’s formal appointment to the chief executive position.

Disney maintained a workforce of approximately 230,000 individuals at the conclusion of its 2025 fiscal year. The planned reduction of 1,000 employees constitutes a modest fraction of the company’s overall headcount.

Familiar Territory for the Entertainment Giant

This latest round of workforce optimization follows an established pattern. Following Bob Iger’s comeback as chief executive in 2022, the organization has eliminated over 8,000 jobs. Previous cutbacks concentrated on entertainment divisions, ESPN operations, and headquarters functions.

The earlier organizational overhaul enabled Disney to achieve cost reductions totaling $7.5 billion — surpassing initial projections. Meanwhile, the company’s theme park attractions and cruise ship operations maintained strong performance throughout this transformation period.

Disney confronts mounting headwinds within the entertainment landscape. Traditional cable television revenue continues eroding as consumers abandon legacy services. The streaming segment faces margin pressures. Theatrical releases have generated weaker box office results. Meanwhile, competitive platforms including Amazon Prime and YouTube continue capturing larger audience shares.

Sony Pictures similarly announced several hundred job eliminations this week, underscoring widespread industry challenges.

Wall Street’s Perspective

Notwithstanding these obstacles, financial analysts maintain an optimistic outlook on DIS shares. According to TipRanks data, the stock holds a Strong Buy consensus recommendation, supported by 18 Buy ratings alongside three Hold ratings.

The mean analyst price objective stands at $132.11, implying potential upside of approximately 33% from present trading levels.

DIS shares have retreated 12.8% year-to-date. The stock reached a January peak of $115.88 before experiencing a reversal. Additional downward pressure materialized following February’s earnings disclosure.

Wednesday’s trading session concluded with shares at $99.18, representing a 3.55% daily gain.

The post Disney (DIS) Stock Jumps 4% Amid Workforce Reduction Plans Under D’Amaro Leadership appeared first on Blockonomi.

The past several days have been highly eventful in terms of activity in the war between the US/Israel and Iran, which included a major cease-fire deal, although it doesn’t appear to be supported by Israel.

During this time of uncertainty but rising hope for a lasting peace in the region, BTC investors have adopted various strategies.

Who Sells and Who Buys?

Data from SoSoValue shows that investors using the spot Bitcoin ETFs to gain exposure to the largest cryptocurrency spent over $470 million on Monday to increase their positions, making it the single-best day in terms of net inflows since late February. The timing was rather intriguing as it came with just hours left before Trump’s deadline expiration, after which he had threatened to wipe out an entire civilization.

Once the US and Iran actually reached a cease-fire deal and his threats were disregarded, investors pulled funds out of the ETFs, with $159.05 million in net outflows in the hours leading up to the major development, and another $124.55 million taken out on the day after.

Lookonchain, on the other hand, reported that the Royal Government of Bhutan continues to transfer some of its BTC holdings with the likely intention to sell, with another 320 BTC movement. The analytics company said Bhutan’s holdings have declined by over 9,000 BTC since October 2024.

The Royal Government of #Bhutan transferred out another 319.7 $BTC($22.68M) an hour ago.

Since Oct 28, 2024, Bhutan’s $BTC holdings have dropped from 13K $BTC to 3,954 $BTC, selling over 9K $BTC ($640M).https://t.co/hiNf1ySQhU pic.twitter.com/Yi7Svmbn9S

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) April 9, 2026

On the opposite side stand bitcoin whales. Ali Martinez cited data from Santiment, suggesting that these large market participants have accumulated approximately 10,000 BTC in the past 72 hours alone, bringing their holdings to around 5.17M units.

Where Is BTC Going Next?

The primary cryptocurrency went through some intense volatility after the business week began, especially when it jumped from $68,400 to $72,700 after the cease-fire deal was announced, and later to $72,800 when reports emerged that Iran wanted Bitcoin toll payments for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

However, it was stopped there and now stands at around $71,000, with analysts warning that these gains could be short-lived and suggesting that BTC could head for new lows soon.

Popular analyst Jelle noted that the first upside liquidity was taken and the focus is now on whether bitcoin can turn the resistance back into support, or it’s falling toward $60K.

Liquidity games continue – $BTC has taken out the first upside liquidity.

Main question is, can it turn the resistance back into support, or are we falling back into the $60ks?

Turn this into another deviation and the CME gap is back on the short-term menu.

Let’s see. pic.twitter.com/2uMFDaX2Wr

— Jelle (@CryptoJelleNL) April 9, 2026

The post Bhutan Sells, Whales Buy: Where Is Bitcoin’s Price Headed Next? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The tech giant, Meta, has officially introduced its latest artificial intelligence model called Muse Spark. Supposedly, this is the most sophisticated one the company has launched to date.

It’s positioned as a cornerstone of its newly branded “Superintelligence Labs.” The release signals a clear escalation in the ongoing AI arms race, and Muse Spark competes directly with rivals from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.

The following aims to explain in simple terms what Muse Spark is, how it compares to existing solutions, and why you should care. Let’s dive deeper.

What is Muse Spark and Why It Matters

At its very core, Muse Spark represents Meta’s attempt to build a very powerful, “reasoning-capable,” and flexible AI system that goes beyond simple chatbots and into the vast territory of problem-solving.

In essence, you should think of it less like a smarter assistant and more like a digital collaborator. The company claims that Muse Spark is fully capable of handling complex instructions, generating very detailed outputs across a variety of domains, while maintaining context over longer interactions. Put simply, it’s designed to think a few steps ahead instead of just reacting – that’s what Meta claims.

This is important because it aligns with the growing consensus that the AI industry is shifting significantly. The race is no longer about who can build the most conversational AI – it’s about who can build comprehensive systems that reason, plan, and adapt.

The announcement also said that:

“Muse Spark is our most powerful model yet. It currently powers the Meta AI app and website, and will be rolling out to WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and AI glasses in the coming weeks. We will also be offering the model in private preview via API to select partners.”

Muse Spark Benchmarks: What do They Mean

If you’ve already glanced at some of the benchmark charts that circulate online, you’ve probably noticed that Muse Spark scores highly across multiple industry-standard evaluations.

But what do the domains mean?

Well, the takeaway is quite simple:

• Better accuracy scoring means that the AI model makes fewer mistakes in its responses.
• Stronger reasoning means that it’s more coherent and useful in its answers.
• Improved consistency suggests that Muse Spark hallucinates less.

Here are some numbers for those curious.

Meta just released Muse Spark, the first model from the company’s Superintelligence Labs led by Alexandr Wang.

Features: natively multimodal, reasoning, tool-use, visual chain of thought, and a “Contemplating mode” that orchestrates multiple agents reasoning in parallel.

Some… pic.twitter.com/G8Q8dZ8EfD

— The Rundown AI (@TheRundownAI) April 8, 2026

Meta’s Bigger Play: Superintelligence Labs

At this point, it’s pretty clear that Meta isn’t just building a Muse Spark as a standalone product – it’s just a piece in its broader strategy.

The company is framing the release under its recently announced Superintelligence Labs, a division focused on pushing the development of artificial intelligence further toward more advanced, human-like intelligence. The move also signals a shift in Meta’s broader identity. At present, Meta is largely recognized as a social media company, but it’s clearly positioning itself as a serious AI powerhouse.

At the forefront of this is Alexander Wang, founder of Scale AI. Last year, Meta spent a whopping $14 billion to hire him and make him their Chief AI Officer. Reports also tied his onboarding to investments in Scale AI, effectively allowing Meta to secure both the company’s technology, as well as Wang’s expertise.

Scale AI’s edge lies in data annotation pipelines, infrastructure, and scalable training systems, which supposedly give Meta an advantage in building powerful AI models.

That said, the company is yet to effectively square off against heavyweights like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google.

The Arena Gets Even More Competitive

Meta’s announcement is far from landing in a vacuum.

It comes just a couple of days after Anthropic released its latest Claude Mythos Preview model – a system that’s heavily focused on transparency and interpretability – something that we covered at length in our recent report.

The philosophies are clearly different, but the timing underscores just how fast the AI landscape is growing and evolving.

The post Meta Unveils “Muse Spark”: Everything You Need to Know About Its Latest AI Model appeared first on CryptoPotato.

[PRESS RELEASE – HONG KONG, SAR, China, April 9th, 2026]

CoinW, a global cryptocurrency asset trading platform, is proud to announce a landmark partnership with Luka Modrić, the legendary Croatian footballer and Ballon d’Or winner, and one of football’s most respected icons, as its new Global Brand Ambassador.

Together, CoinW and Modrić are joining hands to bridge the worlds of elite sports and digital finance, bringing the transformative potential of cryptocurrency closer to passionate football fans worldwide.

A Collaboration with Shared Spirit

Modrić’s illustrious career is an embodiment of perseverance, elegance, and excellence. From overcoming early doubts to claiming football’s highest individual honor — the Ballon d’Or — and leading Real Madrid to six UEFA Champions League titles, Modrić has consistently defied expectations through discipline, resilience, and unwavering commitment.

CoinW has demonstrated similar merits in its developing trajectory. Founded in 2017 amid early-stage industrial chaos, the platform has grown steadily by prioritizing robust infrastructure, stringent risk management, and user protection. Even through the turbulent cycles that followed — including the major industrial crisis in 2022 — CoinW has maintained uninterrupted service, supporting the security of user assets through its risk management and infrastructure systems.

To date, the platform has served more than 20 million registered users worldwide, with no publicly reported major security breaches (based on available internal records information). For both parties, these parallel attributes of cross-cycle reliability and measured advancement constitute the basis of the partnership.

Bridging Football Passion with Crypto Innovation

Through this alliance, CoinW aims to create meaningful connections between the excitement of global football and the opportunities within the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The partnership will introduce global audience to educational content about digital assets in an accessible and engaging way.

In the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, CoinW will introduce a series of thematic content and interactive programs for global football enthusiasts. By blending familiar sports elements into the experience, these user engagement initiatives aim to make entering the crypto world feel natural and community-driven.

Over the past year, CoinW has left its footprints in the sports domain as an official partner of La Liga and the official Web3 partner of the East Asian Football Championship. The platform is committed to building connections with international sports audiences and developing more inclusive narratives for blockchain applications.

Staying Dedicated to Real Mission

The strategic partnership reflect CoinW’s commitments to its core “Here for Crypto” mission. The platform continues to break down barriers to onboarding crypto in real practice, making the digital asset accessible to a broader global audience.

Designed to support new users, CoinW has launched a dedicated Web3 educational initiative that equips beginners with the essential knowledge to support users in understanding how deposits and transactions are conducted, while deepening their understanding of the platform.

Through innovative features, the platform continues to lower trading barriers. Meanwhile, the platform stays consistent in providing a rich array of incentivized activities that foster skill development and reinforce senses of participation.

“Luka Modrić’s dedication and resilience inspire us to stay true to our mission,” said Nassar Al Achkar, Chief Strategy Officer at CoinW. “We are committed to building a trusted platform that empowers users to confidently enter and explore the world of digital finance.”

About CoinW

Founded in 2017, CoinW has grown into one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency trading platforms, providing a one-stop intelligent trading experience for cryptocurrency users across multiple countries and regions. As of October 2025, the platform records a daily trading volume exceeding $5 billion, ranks 4th globally in Coingecko’s derivatives market, and has over 20 million registered users. CoinW is committed to empowering user wealth growth and driving blockchain innovation, continuously refining its product structure and launching independently operated product lines. Through sponsorships of major international sporting events, CoinW has also expanded its global brand presence. Beyond business growth, CoinW remains dedicated to corporate social responsibility, actively supporting public welfare initiatives such as donations to orphanages in Africa. Looking ahead, CoinW will continue to promote financial inclusion, lead the development of the crypto industry, and accelerate the global adoption of blockchain technology and digital assets.

For more information, users can visit the CoinW official website, follow CoinW on X Account, or join CoinW’s Telegram Group.

Disclaimer:

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation. Digital asset transactions involve high risks, and users are solely responsible for their own financial decisions. The participation of Luka Modrić as a brand ambassador does not imply endorsement of any financial product or guarantee of outcomes.

Services may vary by jurisdiction and may not be available in all regions.

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The American president, Donald Trump, shocked the world yesterday (April 7) when issuing a stark warning that “a whole civilization” will die, and many feared that the conflict in Iran could reach catastrophic dimensions.

However, the warring sides agreed to lay down their weapons for a period of two weeks, giving investors huge relief and, of course, boosting financial and crypto markets. Bitcoin temporarily climbed above $72,500, causing some analysts to predict further gains ahead. However, others remain cautious, alerting that the conditions remain bearish and a new crash could be on the horizon.

Not Out of the Woods Yet

X user Ted has been quite pessimistic about BTC lately, noting that some users have challenged his predictions after the price pump following the US/Iran ceasefire. Nonetheless, he sticks to his forecast that the bear market is not over and that the asset and the entire crypto sector have yet to dump to new bottoms.

“The ceasefire deal will pump the markets, but it will dump in the next weeks to new lows. Bookmark it,” he said.

Ted is not the only one pointing to this potential scenario. The analyst who goes by the moniker Ameba thinks a decisive jump beyond $72K may be followed by a further resurgence to as high as $83,600. On the other hand, plunging below $71K “would look like another deviation with 65K as a magnet and possibly lower.”

Another X user who commented on the topic was Aralez. They envisioned two scenarios, with the first being a push to $73,000 and then new local highs. The second possible outcome, though, is much more bearish and involves an eventual dip to $64,000. The analyst outlined April 10 as an important date for BTC’s future price performance due to the release of the US CPI data on that day.

For their part, Lofty claimed that the leading cryptocurrency is nowhere near its bottom. They even envisioned a high-volume sell-off this month that could suppress the valuation to $30,000.

Earlier this week, the popular market observer Ali Martinez also assumed that BTC might be on the verge of a renewed downtrend. However, he thinks that such a scenario could become a generational buying opportunity.

Additional Warnings

BTC experienced another pump late last week, reaching as high as $70,000, but several industry participants described it as a classic bull trap. Among them was Crypto Analyst who said:

“Bull trap BTC. Don’t trust Sunday pump. Big dump incoming.”

The asset’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) also suggests a pullback may follow. The ratio briefly exceeded the bearish 70 zone, indicating the price has risen too much in a short period, which is typically seen as a precursor to a move south. On the contrary, falling below 30 is interpreted as a buying opportunity.

The post Don’t Be Fooled by US/Iran Ceasefire Pump: Is Bitcoin Heading to New Lows? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin remains within a “subdued and low-conviction market environment, with weak spot activity,” reported on-chain analytics provider Glassnode on Wednesday.

It added that spot trading volume “remains soft,” noting that with Binance’s 30-day relative volume still sitting below the 1.0 baseline. This highlights a “lack of strong organic demand beneath the recent stabilization in price.”

BTC tapped a three-week high of $72,700 on Wednesday on the news of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran. However, it retreated sharply during the Thursday morning Asian trading session, falling back below $71,000 at the time of writing, and is “still inside the bear market value zone,” stated Glassnode.

Bouncing in a Bear#Bitcoin bounced from $67k to $72k, but weak spot demand and softer futures activity suggest the recovery still lacks strong conviction, even as ETF flows begin to turn modestly positive.

Read the full Week On-Chainhttps://t.co/ADIT9yu3C4 pic.twitter.com/S1T79HQ59z

— glassnode (@glassnode) April 8, 2026

Expect Major Volatility

Iran reportedly told mediators it will be limiting the number of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and crude oil prices have climbed back to $97 per barrel today. Santiment stated that we clearly saw a “buy the news” reaction when US President Donald Trump announced the two-week ceasefire this week.

However, there are so many mixed reports coming out, so “it needs to be treated more like a ‘buy the rumor’ event,” it added before warning about more “major volatility.”

Meanwhile, CryptoQuant analyst ‘Darkfost’ observed that the number of addresses depositing Bitcoin on exchanges is “currently collapsing,” which is a “clear signal of slowing activity across the market.”

Bitcoin exchange depositing addresses have plummeted to a ten-year low of around 31,000 per day on the 30-day moving average, matching 2017 activity levels and well below the annual average of 47,000, they said.

“Historically, this type of sharp contraction in the number of depositing addresses tends to occur when bear markets are in advanced phases as the interest in the market gradually fades.”

Crypto Market Gains Erode

Total capitalization had fallen 1.3% on the day to $2.49 trillion as this week’s gains start to erode. Ethereum prices had dipped slightly to $2,180 at the time of writing, and most of the altcoins were in the red with heavier losses for XRP, Solana, Dogecoin, Cardano, Chainlink, and Monero.

RealVision CEO Raoul Pal remained optimistic, stating, “Total global liquidity is rising, global M2 is rising, US total liquidity is rising, US M2 is rising, and China total liquidity is rising,” all of which are bullish for high-risk assets.

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