Из жизни альткоинов

Сооснователь биржи криптодеривативов BitMEX и инвестиционный директор криптофонда Maelstrom Fund Артур Хейс (Arthur Hayes) купил 26 022 токенов HYPE на сумму около $1,1 млн, говорят данные платформы Lookonchain.

55‑летняя россиянка из Оренбурга лишилась 481 260 рублей из‑за мошенников, обещавших доход от инвестиций в криптовалюту. Женщину привлекла реклама «бесплатных курсов по цифровым активам», сообщили полицейские.

The Bitcoin price has somewhat slowed down over the weekend after a largely positive past few days, slipping below $73,000 in the early hours of Saturday, April 11th. According to an on-chain analyst, investors are beginning to increase their exposure to the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.

Are Investors Using BTC As A Hedge Against Inflation?

In a recent post on the X platform, pseudonymous market pundit Darkfost shared that a behavioral shift among Bitcoin investors is occurring at the moment. The crypto analyst revealed that this trend can be observed through the rotation of liquidity over the past few weeks.

Highlighting data from Checkonchain, Darkfost based their analysis on the Capital Rotation Net Position Change, which measures the flow of funds between major cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, in this case), stablecoins, and fiat currencies. This metric tracks whether investors are moving their capital into riskier assets (risk-on sentiment) or to risk-free assets (flight-to-safety sentiment).

In addition, the Capital Rotation Net Position Change metric calculates the 30-day net change in the digital asset’s realized capitalization. According to Darkfost’s post, Bitcoin’s realized cap fell to an extreme low of -$28.7 billion at the end of February.

At the same time, while BTC’s realized cap dwindled, the stablecoin market capitalization began to steadily increase, reaching more than $6 billion. This rise in the stablecoin market cap reflects a clear intention from investors to protect their capital, while its coincidence with Bitcoin’s realized cap drop marks the first time for such a rotation since the previous bear market.

According to Darkfost, this behavior seems to be experiencing a gradual shift, with the Bitcoin realized cap recovering to -$3 billion, while stablecoin capitalization declined to -$1 billion. This shift suggests that investors are slowly starting to re-expose themselves to the market, which can be seen in BTC’s recent price action.

Darkfost added:

For now, this remains a modest development, but if this dynamic continues, Bitcoin could potentially extend the ongoing recovery rally. It is all the more interesting to observe that this dynamic began to emerge precisely as uncertainties surrounding the Iran conflict were reaching their peak.

The analyst concluded that it appears that some investors are starting to view Bitcoin as a hedge against inflationary and macroeconomic risk, especially in the current global market landscape.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $72,800, reflecting no significant change in the past 24 hours. According to data from CoinGecko, the premier cryptocurrency is up by more than 8% on the weekly timeframe.

Ethereum is rapidly emerging as the dominant force in the race to tokenize real-world assets, with billions of dollars already flowing onto its network. From tokenized bonds and funds to real estate and treasuries, ETH has become the preferred infrastructure for institutions looking to bring traditional assets on-chain.

Institutional Capital Accelerates Ethereum Adoption

In a recent X post, The Etherealize revealed that Ethereum is rapidly emerging as the dominant layer for tokenized treasury products, with over $22.5 billion in fund assets already tokenized on the network, representing roughly 71.9% of the total market share across all blockchains.

The momentum is being driven by industry heavyweights like JPMorgan Chase, which launched its MONY market fund on ETH in early 2026, joining established offerings such as BlackRock’s BUIDL and Franklin Templeton’s on-chain money fund. These are institutional-grade treasury management products. These products are suited for autonomous agents with idle capital needs operating on permissionless infrastructure, allowing agents to access the system without a brokerage account.

Ethereum is steadily evolving into the most viable financial layer for autonomous agents managing real capital. The Etherealize has also mentioned that an autonomous agent with a $500,000 treasury will need a stable requirements money market fund with a predictable yield, deep liquidity, minimal smart contract risk, and no centralized counterparty that can freeze or seize its assets. This is where the ETH DeFi ecosystem is beginning to stand out, and it meets these criteria.

The hacks and losses persist, but they are increasingly rare and concentrated at the speculative edges of the ecosystem. A stable core of application has proven remarkably robust through repeated stress events, and that track record shows what other chains can’t replicate. This growing stability is reflected in the declining share of DeFi losses relative to total value locked (TVL) on the ETH mainnet.

How Institutional DeFi Moves Beyond Experimentation

The tokenized finance could see a defining moment, one that markets may only fully appreciate in hindsight. Marc Baumann, the Founder of fiftyonexyz, has pointed out that Broadridge Financial Solutions has already processed over $8 trillion per month in tokenized repo settlements and has now taken a critical step beyond settlement by enabling real on-chain governance for tokenized equity.

At the same time, Galaxy Digital is serving as the staking provider for BlackRock’s ETHB staked Ethereum ETF, linking institutional capital directly into blockchain infrastructure. Together, these firms are involved in enabling the first on-chain shareholder vote for tokenized equity.

Baumann explained that the proxy voting market is estimated at $200 billion, and traditional players such as custodians, transfer agents, and proxy solicitors should pay attention, as the infrastructure for a new financial layer of institutional DeFi is being built by firms that already run on Wall Street. Rather than emerging from a purely crypto-native startup, the transformation is being driven by the same companies that process 401(K).

One of the major talking points in the digital assets industry so far this year has been regulation, with the crypto market structure bill in the United States drawing the majority of the attention. The US legislators will be returning to Capitol Hill next week, as they look to pass the bill before the end of the month.

Treasury Secretary Calls US Senate Banking Committee To Action

Over the past week, individuals and stakeholders from different quarters of the government and private sector have been weighing in on the crypto market structure bill, the CLARITY Act. These conversations have swirled around negotiations over how to treat stablecoin rewards, as the US lawmakers return to Washington DC next week.

The bill, which has been on the table of the Senate Banking Committee since January, has been stalled by concerns over ethics, tokenized equities, stablecoin yield, and other crypto-related issues. However, the Senate Banking Committee is expected to reconvene and hold a hearing to vote on the bill before the end of the month.

According to a study conducted by White House economists, it was found that stablecoin rewards, the primary issue with the CLARITY Act, are unlikely to have a significant impact on bank lending or the broader credit market. At the same time, top White House officials have continued to push for the passage of the crypto bill.

In his latest attempt on Wednesday, April 8th, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent released an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, calling on the lawmakers to pass the crypto market structure bill.

The Treasury Secretary’s opening read:

The U.S. has long shaped financial markets. Clear rules, credible enforcement, and a willingness to adapt to innovation have made the American approach to market regulation the world standard. But maintenance of this leadership is far from guaranteed. To preserve it and rise to the challenge before us, Congress must pass the Clarity Act. Senate floor time is scarce, and now is the time to act.

In a Thursday follow-up post on the social media platform X, Bessent said that it is time for the Senate Banking Committee to hold a markup and send the CLARITY Act to the US President Donald Trump’s desk.

Coinbase CEO Says It’s Time To Pass CLARITY Act

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, in a response to Bessent’s post on X, said he agrees with the Treasury Secretary’s opinion piece and that it is time for the crypto market bill to pass. “Grateful for all the bipartisan work among Senators and staff over the past several months to make this a strong bill,” the crypto CEO wrote.

Armstrong’s latest endorsement of the bill comes about three months after his company threatened to pull support for the crypto market structure legislation “as written.” However, procedures regarding this bill’s passage appear to be clearing up now, as the US looks to take a lead in cryptocurrency regulation.

Bitcoin could be gearing up for its next bull phase as a crypto analyst has outlined the timeline for when the BTC price may reach its bottom. Contrary to widespread belief, the analyst does not consider the previous cycle low around $60,000 to be the final bottom. Rather, he expects further downside in the market, forecasting a deeper move toward $41,400. From this projected price floor, the market could reset, potentially giving way to the next bull cycle.  

Bitcoin Past Cycle Patterns Signal Next Bottom 

A crypto market analyst known as Philarekt on X has predicted the precise timeline and target for Bitcoin’s final cycle bottom. To support his predictions, the expert presented a chart comparing Bitcoin’s past market cycles from 2013 to 2026, showing when each bull run began, when the bear market ended, and how long each phase lasted. 

According to Philarekt, Bitcoin’s bull phase usually begins the moment it confirms a final bottom and typically lasts about 1,450 days before reaching a peak and then reversing into a new bear market. In 2013, BTC peaked near $1,100 before falling more than 87% and forming a bottom about 365 days later. A similar trend appeared in the 2017 cycle, where Bitcoin topped around $19,000 after rallying for 1,450 days, then dropped more than 85% before bottoming in 2018, approximately 365 days later. 

During the historical 2021 cycle, the same behavior was observed. Bitcoin had reached an all-time high above $69,000 before declining by over 79% into its 2022 bear market bottom. Based on this repeating structure, Philarekt believes Bitcoin has already reached its highest price target for the current cycle and is now progressing toward its final bottom, which the analyst expects to form within the same 365-day timeframe. 

BTC Price Projection And Bottom Target

While many analysts still expect a new all-time high to emerge in this cycle, Philarekt identifies the rally above $126,000 on October 6, 2025, as Bitcoin’s final top. He confirmed that BTC is now in a prolonged bear market, mostly trading sideways within a broader downtrend that has pushed its price as low as $60,000 since its peak. 

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading above $72,500, reflecting a more than 42% decline in value from its ATH. Based on Philarekt’s projections, BTC could still fall by around 64% from the $126,000 top, potentially marking the cryptocurrency’s price bottom at around $41,400. 

In terms of timing, Bitcoin is already 187 days into its bear market decline as of April 11, 2026, with only 178 days remaining until Philarekt’s projected bottom. This would place the cryptocurrency’s price floor around early October 2026, matching the timeline of its current ATH.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

The Bitcoin price and the general cryptocurrency market received a major boost over the past week, as the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East seemingly reached a temporary halt. The premier cryptocurrency has maintained relatively strong momentum since breaking the psychological $70,000 resistance on Tuesday, April 7.

Now, this sudden resurgence has sparked conversations among the crypto crowd on whether the Bitcoin price has formed a structural bottom yet. According to a prominent crypto founder, the world’s largest cryptocurrency might still experience “one final dump” before the end of this bear phase.

On-Chain Signal Points To One More BTC Drop

In an April 10 post on the X platform, the Alphractal founder and CEO, Joao Wedson, highlighted an emerging signal that suggests that the Bitcoin price still likely has one more trip to the downside. This projection is based on an on-chain insight that suggests that BTC’s price tends to move toward a cycle bottom when the Investor Price falls below the Long-Term Holder (LTH) Realized Price.

Wedson explained the relevance of this on-chain insight and why it emerges before a major price and an ensuing coin accumulation. According to the on-chain data expert, the Investor Price is a metric that measures the average cost of economically active coins, and, when it falls below the LTH Realized Price, suggests fresher capital has flowed in at lower prices than long-term investors paid.

Wedson wrote on X:

This usually happens after distribution phases, when demand weakens, and marginal buyers step back. Long-term holders historically sell less when the price approaches or dips below their cost basis.

As shown in the chart above, the LTH Realized Price appears to be breaking above the Investor Price, indicating a transition phase in which weaker hands exit while stronger hands gradually absorb supply. However, it is worth noting that this absorption is slower than expected, which explains why the Bitcoin price often falls into an intermediate accumulation range.

Moreover, with Investor Price below LTH Realized Price, market surges tend to quickly wane as they meet supply (selling pressure) from investors looking to exit at their breakeven prices. This phenomenon caps the current upside potential of the premier cryptocurrency, reinforcing possible sideways to downward price movements until a new demand impulse appears.

Finally, Wedson noted that the current Bitcoin price structure historically aligns with mid-cycle resets rather than final bottoms, mirroring a market “digesting” prior excesses, rebalancing cost bases, and moving coins to the more patient investors. “The environment favors time-based accumulation over momentum-driven expansion,” the Alphractal founder wrote.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of BTC sits just above the $73,100 mark, reflecting a nearly 2% jump in the past day.

The debate over quantum computers and their risks in the crypto space is gaining traction as new insights emerge about the safety of XRP holders. A crypto pundit has shared information examining how exposure levels to these risks differ across accounts and what that could mean if quantum computing becomes a threat. The expert’s analysis also offers a closer look at whether holders could face significant risk or remain largely protected under current security conditions. 

XRP Holders Face Risks From Quantum Computers

Concerns about quantum computers and digital asset security resurfaced following new remarks from Vet, an XRP Ledger dUNL validator. He explored potential risks, focusing on how transaction activity and the exposure of wallet keys could increase an holder’s vulnerability in a future in which quantum technology poses a threat.

According to Vet’s post on X, about 300,000 XRP accounts, holding a combined 2.4 billion tokens, have yet to make a transaction. Because their public keys have never been exposed, he noted that these accounts are currently considered resistant to quantum computing attacks.

The report also found that only two XRP accounts with much larger balances, totaling 21 million tokens, have stayed dormant for over five years. Unlike accounts that have never executed a transition, these dormant accounts have exposed public keys, making them more vulnerable if quantum technology advances and becomes a threat. 

Vet explained that large, inactive whale accounts are extremely rare in the XRP ecosystem. He stated that most the altcoin is held in active accounts where public keys are already visible, but users can reduce risks by changing their keys if new threats emerge. 

The validator noted that this setup is different from Bitcoin, where large amounts of BTC are typically held in inactive wallets and have exposed public keys due to older address formats. Due to this contrast, even if both crypto networks adopt similar security strategies to defend against quantum threats, the altcoin will likely require its own tailored method to protect large, inactive holder accounts. 

This is partly because only a limited amount of XRP, roughly 0.03% of the total supply, is held in dormant accounts that could face this type of quantum risk. Given how small this portion is, it does not pose a major concern for the XRP network as a whole. 

Concluding his post, Vet emphasized that no quantum computers capable of threatening public blockchain systems currently exist. He noted that by the time such technologies are developed, the industry will have evolved and implemented effective countermeasures against these threats. 

How Holders Can Protect Their Accounts

Following Vet’s comments about potential quantum computing threats to XRP holders, questions emerged about how users could protect their accounts once funds are moved between wallets. Vet explained that the XRP Ledger is account-based and supports signing key rotation, allowing users to change the keys that authorize transactions without switching accounts. 

He acknowledged that this approach is not a complete fix. However, quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms could eventually be introduced to strengthen the network further. Vet also confirmed that escrow funds may be less exposed to quantum risks, suggesting that token escrows with hashlock could be costly for attackers.

Ethereum processed more transactions in the first three months of 2026 than in any quarter in its history — 200 million in total, a 43% jump from the previous quarter.

That milestone came alongside a sharp rise in new users, with 284,000 first-time participants joining the network between January and March, according to on-chain analytics provider Artemis.

New User Growth Accelerates Across The Board

Active addresses climbed to 12.6 million during the quarter, based on data from DeFiLlama. The 82% quarter-over-quarter increase in new accounts drew attention across the industry, with analysts pointing to cheaper transactions made possible by Layer-2 scaling networks as a key factor drawing people in.

DeFi applications, token activity, and NFTs were all cited as areas where new participants have been showing up.

In Q1, new users on @ethereum surged 82% QoQ to 284k pic.twitter.com/jVYtR4Zwd5

— Artemis (@artemis) April 10, 2026

Capital has also been moving into the network. Ethereum recorded net inflows of more than $2 billion among leading blockchains in early 2026, Artemis data shows. That kind of money flow suggests institutional and retail interest has not dried up, even as the token price has stayed mostly flat.

Price Stays Stuck While On-Chain Numbers Climb

ETH traded in a narrow band around $2,105 to $2,200 through much of the quarter — far below the highs the asset hit in prior cycles. The gap between record-breaking network usage and a stagnant price has puzzled market watchers.

Reports indicate that capital flows and exchange deposit activity have become stronger indicators of price movement than on-chain usage figures, a shift from patterns seen during earlier market cycles.

Exchange reserves have also been falling. One analyst noted that holders appear to be pulling ETH off platforms and keeping it, a sign that selling pressure may be limited at current price levels.

Layer-2 Networks Draw Credit For Lower Barriers

Much of the growth in new users has been attributed to the continued build-out of Layer-2 infrastructure, which has cut the cost and time required to complete transactions on the network.

Reports say entry barriers have dropped significantly as these systems have matured, opening the door to users who might have avoided the network when fees were higher.

Analysts who track new address creation consider the numbers a marker of real adoption rather than short-term speculation. Whether the price eventually reflects that activity remains an open question.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

The number of Bitcoin millionaires has significantly dropped amid the BTC downtrend since the start of the year. This comes as long-term holders (LTHs) remain underwater, with BTC well below its current all-time high (ATH) of $126,000. 

Number of Bitcoin Millionaires Crashes 14%

A Finbold research has revealed a 14% decline in the number of Bitcoin wallets holding at least $1 million in the first quarter of this year. This notably came as the Bitcoin price crashed from a yearly high above $97,000 to as low as $60,000 on February 6, pushing many wallets below the $1 million threshold. 

The research noted that the total number of Bitcoin addresses holding at least $1 million fell from 148,084 to 127,494 between January 1 and March 31, 2026. This represents a loss of almost 14% in the first quarter of this year. The report noted that this significant crash in the number of Bitcoin millionaires is likely due to the BTC crash in the first quarter rather than widespread selling activity. 

It is worth noting that the number of BTC millionaires has continued to decline since the end of the first quarter, with the figure currently standing at 119,878, according to BitInfoCharts. This comes despite Bitcoin’s recovery since its February 6 low, suggesting that some of these wallets have offloaded holdings as the price has recovered.  

However, it is worth noting that the number of BTC addresses holding $10 million or more has rebounded from the lows at the end of the first quarter. The Finbold research revealed that there were 14,261 addresses in this category at the end of the first quarter. At the time of writing, the number of addresses stands at 15,036, according to BitInfoCharts. 

LTHs Still Well Underwater

In an X post, on-chain analytics platform Glassnode revealed that the 30-day SMA of the LTH Relative Unrealized Loss currently sits at 14% of Bitcoin’s market cap. They noted that this figure remains substantially below the levels at which BTC formed bottoms in previous bear markets, with the average at around 70% of market cap. 

This metric captures the total unrealized loss held by LTHs normalized by market cap, reflecting the huge losses that Bitcoin’s most convicted holders are sitting on. Based on historical cycles, the current figure suggests that BTC isn’t yet close to a bottom despite its recent recovery. Glassnode warned that there is still weak spot demand despite the recent recovery, with the softer futures activity suggesting that the recovery still lacks strong conviction. 

Related Reading: Higher Before Lower: How Bitcoin Price Will Get To $240,000

At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $72,800, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

The Bitcoin market could be facing another crucial event that would bolster its long-term integrity. This is highlighted in a recent evaluation of Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA) reforms, which suggests a major impact on Bitcoin may come not from an increase in investor count, but from how its participant base evolves.

Regulatory Shift May Determine Who Bitcoin Market Participants Are

In a QuickTake post on CryptoQuant, the education group XWIN Research Japan explains why Japan’s FIEA reforms could push Bitcoin towards a more mature, stable market environment. The market experts begin by highlighting Japan’s significant presence in the crypto world, with about 13 million extant accounts holding assets worth ¥5 trillion ($34.4 billion). 

However, Japan’s total digital asset portfolio is considered relatively small compared to even the Bitcoin market cap of $1.3-$1.4 trillion. Hence, the education group notes that the most important variable in this dynamic is not the number of participants, but the amount of money they bring into the market. In this case, the institute highlights that as Japan’s regulations improve, institutions, corporations, and other high-net-worth investors may increasingly enter, in turn increasing each account’s allocation. 

Interestingly, a key part of this reform involves classifying cryptocurrencies more like traditional financial products. This would introduce stricter standards around transparency, disclosure, and intermediary responsibilities. While this might sound restrictive, it actually also lowers barriers for large institutions that require regulatory clarity before entering new markets.

Capital Inflows Could Be The Real Catalyst 

XWIN Research Japan points out that the bigger opportunity lies in the potential inflow of external capital. According to the group, Japan’s total financial assets are estimated at around ¥2,100 trillion. Hence, if just 0.1% of that capital were reallocated into Bitcoin, it could result in inflows of roughly ¥2 trillion (about $13 billion). In comparison, a 0.5% allocation would push that figure to around $65 billion – comparable to the scale of inflows seen during the first year of US spot Bitcoin ETFs.

Historically, inflows of this magnitude have been strong drivers of the flagship cryptocurrency, often leading to price gains of 10–30%. Thus, it becomes apparent that Bitcoin’s price action is becoming less about speculation and more about sustained capital flows. An example of this shift is seen in the aftermath of ETF adoption.

For Japan, the impact of this reform will ultimately depend on whether similar investment channels – such as ETFs and regulated funds – are introduced. As of this writing, Bitcoin is trading at about $72,861, up 1.36% from yesterday.

A patch has been available for nearly a year, but millions of Android users may still be running vulnerable crypto wallet apps — leaving their funds and private keys exposed to a known security flaw.

Microsoft’s Defender Security Research Team went public last week with details of a vulnerability it first caught in April 2025. The flaw lived inside a widely used software component called the EngageLab SDK, version 4.5.4.

Because that SDK is baked into thousands of Android apps, a single malicious app could trigger a chain reaction that reached far beyond itself.

How The Attack Works

The method is called “intent redirection.” An attacker’s app sends a specially crafted message to any app running the flawed SDK version. Once that message lands, the targeted app is tricked into handing over read and write access to its own data — including stored seed phrases and wallet addresses.

Android’s built-in sandbox system, which normally keeps apps from seeing each other’s data, was bypassed entirely. According to Microsoft, the attack affected more than 50 million apps across the Android ecosystem, with roughly 30 million of those being crypto wallets.

The vulnerability did not require the user to do anything wrong. No suspicious links. No phishing pages. Just having the wrong apps installed at the same time was enough.

Response From Microsoft And Google

Microsoft moved quickly after its discovery. By May 2025, the company had brought Google and the Android Security Team into the response. EngageLab released a fixed version — SDK 5.2.1 — shortly after.

Reports indicate that both Microsoft and Google have since directed users on how to verify whether their wallet apps have been updated through Google Play Protect.

Officials also pointed to a broader concern: apps installed as APK files from outside the Play Store are at higher risk, since they bypass the security checks that Google applies to apps listed in its official marketplace.

What Users Should Do Now

For most users who update their apps regularly, the risk has likely passed. But for anyone who has not updated since mid-2025, the recommended action goes beyond a simple app refresh.

Security teams are advising those users to move their funds into entirely new wallets, generated with fresh seed phrases. Any wallet that was active and unpatched during the exposure window should be treated as potentially compromised.

The disclosure comes alongside a separate Android chip vulnerability flagged the previous month and a new US Treasury initiative that pairs government agencies with crypto firms to share cybersecurity threat information — a sign that mobile security in the crypto space is drawing attention at the highest levels.

Featured image from Bleeping Computer, chart from TradingView

The bullishness surrounding the Ethereum price has not waned despite its disappointing performance over the last few years. Investors and analysts alike continue to skew heavily toward the expectation that the altcoin’s price will rise. Crypto analyst Leshka.eth shared their own prediction recently, forecasting that the Ethereum price is destined to hit new all-time highs in 2026.

Why The Ethereum Price Could Rally 400%

In the analysis, Leshka.eth points out a pattern that had previously appeared on the Ethereum price and led to an explosive rally. The pattern, which the analyst points out on the ETH/BTC chart, first began back in 2016, beginning with a long consolidation of the Ethereum price at lower levels.

Once the Ethereum price had broken out of the consolidation trend, it entered into what ended up being an accumulation trend. This accumulation saw the price ping-pong up and down over time, before it eventually hit a low. This then led to the last part of the pattern, which is the rally stage. By the time the Ethereum price was done rallying in the 2017 bull market, the price had risen by more than 1,500%. This pushed it up from $56 for it to peak at $1,151.

Now, this same pattern has been flagged by the crypto analyst, but on a much larger scale. Where the last consolidation trend had lasted for months, this one has lasted for years, starting in 2018 and then ending in 2021. Then the next stage of accumulation has lasted for years, from 2021 to 2026.

Given the longer timeframe that each portion of the pattern has taken this time around, the crypto analyst believes that this would lead to a more explosive run. In addition to this, there is also the fact that institutions are buying more ETH than they were in the past, with supply on exchanges dwindling by the day.

Taking all of these into account, Leshka says this is setting the stage for the next Ethereum price rally. The target rally at this time is a 3-4X from here, which would put the Ethereum price at a minimum of $6,000 and a high above $8,000. Either way, this would mean a new all-time high for the cryptocurrency. As for when this could play out, the crypto analyst expects this to happen in the next six months, so the ETH price could hit new peaks this year if it plays out.

Сооснователь криптобиржи BitMEX и инвестиционный директор фонда Maelstrom Артур Хейс (Arthur Hayes) заявил, что главное препятствие для роста биткоина — нехватка ликвидности на рынках.

Требование Ирана оплачивать проход судов через Ормузский пролив в биткоинах вряд ли сможет реализоваться через легальные каналы, заявили эксперты, опрошенные изданием Bloomberg.

В Беларуси планируют допустить на рынок около 25 криптовалют, включая биткоин и эфир. Об этом сообщил первый зампредседателя правления Национального банка Александр Егоров.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has reportedly endorsed the European Union’s (EU) plan to shift oversight of key financial markets, including crypto, from national authorities to a centralized supervisory authority.

ECB Greenlights Crypto Oversight Centralization

On Friday, the European Central Bank backed the EU’s proposal to integrate the bloc’s capital market through a centralized entity, seeking to boost the region’s competitiveness and harmonize regulation, Reuters reported.

The financial regulator expressed its full support for enhanced EU-level oversight of systemically important, cross-border financial market participants, including major trading platforms, central counterparties, central securities depositories, and crypto asset service providers (CASPs).

“The ECB fully supports the ‌Commission ⁠proposals, which constitute an ambitious step towards deeper integration of capital markets and financial market supervision within the Union,” it said in an opinion. It’s worth noting that the opinion is required by the Commission’s legislative process, but is not binding for lawmakers.

The plan, led by France and Germany, was initially suggested during the development of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). It proposes transferring the power to authorize new businesses and supervise all crypto asset service providers to the bloc’s market watchdog, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).

In October, ESMA’s Chair, Verena Ross, disclosed that the EU’s executive branch was in the process of formulating regulations to grant enhanced authority to the regional regulatory authority and push for a “more integrated and globally competitive” capital market within Europe.

She argued that nation-level regulation takes significant effort to build up specific new resources and expertise 27 times in different national supervisors, which “could have been done more efficiently once at a European level.”

The ⁠ECB’s Friday opinion noted that ESMA will need adequate resources and staffing to handle the increased responsibilities. Furthermore, it suggested a gradual transition from national to EU-level supervision to minimize disruption.

Now, the Commission’s proposal will be negotiated between EU governments and the European Parliament, with discussions expected to last several months before the law is finalized.

EU’s Proposal Could Undermine MiCA’s Credibility

Despite the ECB’s support, some EU countries and crypto industry participants have opposed the EU’s proposal, arguing that it could undermine the efforts of national watchdogs and businesses over the past few years to regulate the industry and implement the bloc’s comprehensive framework for crypto assets.

Smaller EU nations, including Luxembourg, Ireland, and Malta, have expressed concerns about the proposal and ESMA’s ability to oversee the crypto market, arguing it could weaken their financial sectors.

Notably, ESMA questioned Malta’s process for approving pan-EU licenses for crypto companies last year, finding the national regulator only “partially met expectations,” despite having adequate staffing and technical infrastructure.

As reported by Bitcoinist, Robert Kopitsch, secretary general of Blockchain for Europe, said in November that reopening MiCA at this stage could introduce legal uncertainties, potentially delaying the authorization process and diverting attention and resources from the practical task of consistent implementation.

Kopitsch believed that a shift towards a more centralized supervisory model should occur based on “concrete experience and evidence gathered from MiCA’s initial years of implementation.” He also pointed out that local regulators have had more direct and frequent interactions with firms.

Andrew Whitworth, the founder of Global Policy Ltd., confirmed that transferring oversight would require additional resources to manage the current workload handled by local regulators. He acknowledged that this change could be challenging at the moment, considering the current implementation status and the need to adjust the goalposts

Judith Arnal, associate senior research fellow at the Centre for European Credit Research Institute (ECRI) and board member at the Bank of Spain, has also said that the recent attempts to amend the bloc’s crypto rules, particularly in the stablecoins sector, risk “undermining MiCA’s credibility as a coherent and globally influential regulatory framework.”

Инвестор потерял 386 300 стейблкоинов USDT, отправив средства на адрес, визуально почти не отличающийся от оригинального. Об этом сообщили аналитики работающей в области кибербезопасности компании Web3 Antivirus.

Circle (CRCL) has responded publicly to mounting criticism tied to the exploit of Solana’s Drift Protocol, an attack that reports say siphoned roughly $270–$285 million from the decentralized venue. 

Amid backlash circulating on social media, critics allege that the USDC issuer failed to stop the stolen funds, even though the stablecoin has mechanisms—such as freezing and blacklisting—that can be used to disrupt illicit transfers.

Circle Explains USDC Freezing Process   

The timeline behind the accusations centers on April 1, 2026, when Drift Protocol was drained of about $285 million, with the exploit reportedly representing more than half of the protocol’s total value locked (TVL). 

A substantial portion of the stolen assets, according to reporting surrounding the incident, was converted and routed through USDC via Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP).

Circle did not immediately respond to the online criticism. After weeks of silence, the company published an official blog post authored by Chief Strategy Officer Dante Disparte, addressing the dispute over freezing and compliance actions. 

Disparte said Circle’s ability to freeze USDC is not discretionary in the way critics sometimes frame it, arguing instead that freezing is something Circle does only when the law compels action.

The firm’s executive wrote that “when Circle freezes USDC,” it is not because the company has decided unilaterally to remove assets from a specific party. Rather, he said the firm freezes because “the law requires us to act.” 

Disparte further linked the freezing debate to a broader regulatory goal, saying Circle is working with policymakers in the US and internationally to develop “safe harbor” frameworks and to modernize regulations. 

The aim, he wrote, is to create legal structures that allow issuers, exchanges, and other ecosystem participants to respond more decisively to illicit activity—faster, but without opening new pathways for abuse that could undermine open financial systems. 

ZachXBT Calls Out Freezing Explanation

Despite the firm’s defense, critics have continued to challenge the company’s position. One of the responses came from on-chain sleuth ZachXBT, who posted “The Circle USDC Files” last week. 

In that report, ZachXBT alleged more than $420 million in compliance failures. He now addressed the blog statement, claiming Circle’s actions resulted in 240 million directly funding North Korea across multiple hacks—while arguing that Circle had hours to act in clear-cut cases involving illicit transfers.

ZachXBT’s criticism attacked the apparent mismatch between the firm’s stated freeze framework and what he described as operational delays or choices not to use available tools quickly enough. He questioned Circle’s compliance record explicitly, asking, “How is that compliance for USDC?” 

Finally, ZachXBT argued that Circle’s blog post “contradicts itself” and attributed the controversy to a leadership problem, rather than a purely legal or procedural constraint.

As of this writing, the firm’s stock (CRCL) was trading at $88.78, up 4% in Friday’s trading session.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Житель Печоры в Республике Коми потерял более 3,5 млн рублей, пытаясь заработать на инвестициях в криптовалюту, сообщили в региональном управлении МВД России.