Alternative News for You

on April 25, 2025 at 8:19 am

A man has been swept off rocks at Cape Schanck south of Melbourne in another Easter-Anzac Day beach tragedy in Australia.

by Samantha Goerling on April 25, 2025 at 8:08 am

A search and rescue operation is underway at Salmon Holes, near Albany, after reports of a man falling off a cliff and into the water on Friday afternoon. 

by Sarah Forster and Shauna Foley on April 25, 2025 at 7:32 am

Family friends of Audrey Griffin, who is believed to have been murdered on the NSW Central Coast last month, say they have mixed emotions following the death of the man accused of her killing.

by Grace Burmas on April 25, 2025 at 7:24 am

Outgoing WA Senator Linda Reynolds is suing the Commonwealth over a payment it made to Brittany Higgins, which she claims gave validity to false accusations her former staffer had made against her. 

on April 25, 2025 at 6:59 am

They didn't know each other before the earthquake. Now, after losing a leg each, they have found something strong, friendship. 

by Cointelegraph by Stephen Katte on April 25, 2025 at 6:14 am

A subgroup of the North Korea-linked hacker organization Lazarus set up three shell companies, two in the United States, to deliver malware to unsuspecting users.The three sham crypto consulting firms — BlockNovas, Angeloper Agency and SoftGlide — are being used by the North Korean hacker group Contagious Interview to distribute malware through fake job interviews, Silent Push threat analysts said in an April 24 report.Silent Push senior threat analyst Zach Edwards said in an April 24 statement to X that two shell companies are registered as legitimate businesses in the US.“These websites and a huge network of accounts on hiring / recruiting websites are being used to trick people into applying for jobs,” he said.“During the job application process an error message is displayed as someone tries to record an introduction video. The solution is an easy click fix copy and paste trick, which leads to malware if the unsuspecting developer completes the process.”During the sham job interview, an error message is displayed, requiring the user to click, copy, and paste to fix it, which leads to the malware infection. Source: Zach EdwardsThree strains of malware — BeaverTail, InvisibleFerret and Otter Cookie — are being used according to Silent Push.BeaverTail is malware primarily designed for information theft and to load further stages of malware. OtterCookie and InvisibleFerret mainly target sensitive information, including crypto wallet keys and clipboard data.Silent Push analysts said in the report that hackers use GitHub job listing's and freelancer websites to look for victims, among others. AI used to create fake employees The ruse also involves the hackers using AI-generated images to create profiles of employees for the three front crypto companies and stealing images of real people.“There are numerous fake employees and stolen images from real people being used across this network. We’ve documented some of the obvious fakes and stolen images, but it’s very important to appreciate that the impersonation efforts from this campaign are different,” Edwards said.“In one of the examples, the threat actors took a real photo from a real person, and then appeared to have run it through an AI image modifier tool to create a subtly different version of that same image.”Related: Fake Zoom malware steals crypto while it’s ‘stuck’ loading, user warnsThis malware campaign has been ongoing since 2024. Edwards says there are known public victims. Silent Push identified two developers targeted by the campaign; one of them reportedly had their MetaMask wallet compromised. The FBI has since shut down at least one of the companies.“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) acquired the Blocknovas domain, but Softglide is still live, along with some of their other infrastructure,” Edwards said.Source: Zach EdwardsAt least three crypto founders have reported in March that they foiled an attempt from alleged North Korean hackers to steal sensitive data through fake Zoom calls.Groups such as the Lazarus Group are the prime suspects in some of the biggest cyber thefts in Web3, including the Bybit $1.4 billion hack and the $600 million Ronin network hack.Magazine: Lazarus Group’s favorite exploit revealed — Crypto hacks analysis

by Cointelegraph by Ciaran Lyons on April 25, 2025 at 6:09 am

Key TakeawaysBitcoin Standard author Saifedean Ammous says that even if one entity owned a huge amount of Bitcoin, it wouldn’t hurt the protocolAmmous reiterated major companies like BlackRock and Strategy don’t own the Bitcoin they hold since it belongs to the investorsAmmous said if these companies ever abused their position, people would likely pull their money and invest somewhere else. Michael Saylor’s Strategy hypothetically hoarding nearly 48% of Bitcoin’s total supply wouldn’t pose any risk to the Bitcoin protocol or its price, says Bitcoin Standard author Saifedean Ammous.“If Michael Saylor ends up with 10 million Bitcoin, what is he going to do? He’s likely just going to leverage them to buy more Bitcoin,” Ammous said during an April 25 interview with crypto entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano.Ammous dismisses Bitcoin hoarders posing risks“Ultimately, I don’t see how it would threaten the protocol in the serious sense,” Ammous said.Ammous said if Saylor managed to accumulate 10 million Bitcoin (BTC), he would be unlikely to “wake up one day and say let’s try and hard fork this so we can make another 5 million Bitcoin supply so that I can have 15.” He reiterated it would diminish the value of his existing 10 million Bitcoin.Bitcoin is trading at $93,250 at the time of publication. Source: CoinMarketCapSeveral crypto market participants have previously raised concerns about Bitcoin whales and at what point their holdings could lead to risks like market manipulation, centralization, or liquidity issues.At the time of publication, Saylor’s firm Strategy holds 538,200 Bitcoin, worth approximately $50.18 billion, according to Saylor Tracker. Meanwhile, the BlackRock iShares spot Bitcoin ETF has net assets worth $54.48 billion, which equates to roughly 585,000 Bitcoin, according to BlackRock data.Strategy paid an average of $67,793 per Bitcoin. Source: Saylor TrackerCollectively, the two firms hold approximately 5.3% of the total Bitcoin supply. However, Ammous said this is not a cause for concern. “It’s not like Michael Saylor or Larry Fink owns all those Bitcoins. They have shareholders who own all those Bitcoins, or ETF holders that own those Bitcoins.”“To the extent that BlackRock and Strategy hold those, they hold those because they are doing their fiduciary share of duties to their shareholders and the ETF holders in a satisfactory way,” Ammous added.Related: ARK Invest ups its 2030 Bitcoin bull case prediction to $2.4MAmmous explained that if BlackRock or Strategy ever started to manage their holdings in a way that’s harmful to shareholders or ETF holders, or starts abusing their position, that’s when investors would sell and look for other ways to gain exposure to Bitcoin.On April 24, Cointelegraph reported that Twenty One Capital, a new Bitcoin treasury company led by Strike founder Jack Mallers with the support of Tether, SoftBank and Cantor Fitzgerald, is looking to supplant Strategy to become the “superior vehicle for investors seeking capital-efficient Bitcoin exposure.”Magazine: Crypto AI tokens surge 34%, why ChatGPT is such a kiss-ass: AI EyeThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

by Madeleine Stuchbery on April 25, 2025 at 6:03 am

Police are investigating the incident, but locals in the Victorian town of Loch are calling for the plaques to be returned with no questions asked.

by Cointelegraph by Jesse Coghlan on April 25, 2025 at 5:51 am

The US Securities and Exchange Commission is looking to drop its unregistered securities lawsuit against blockchain firm Dragonchain in the agency’s latest crypto-related backdown. In a joint stipulation filed with Dragonchain on April 24 in a Seattle federal court, the SEC said it “believes the dismissal of this case is appropriate,” citing the work of the agency’s Crypto Task Force in helping “develop the regulatory framework for crypto assets.”“The Commission and the Defendants stipulate that this Litigation be dismissed with prejudice [...] and without costs or fees to either party,” the filing reads.The SEC sued Dragonchain, Inc.; its backer, the Dragonchain Foundation; The Dragon Company; and Dragonchain’s founder, Joseph Roets, in August 2024, claiming they raised $16.5 million through a crypto token that was an unregistered securities offering.According to the SEC, the Dragonchain (DRGN) tokens raised $14 million in an August 2017 presale and an initial coin offering (ICO) that ran in October and November of that year. At the time, it said the company needed to register as the tokens were investment contracts under securities laws. The SEC said a further $2.5 million worth of DRGN was sold between 2019 and 2022, which it alleged was used to cover business expenses and develop the firm’s tech. The suit was stayed in October after Dragonchain made a settlement offer to the SEC, which was extended in January after the agency said the case should remain paused due to US President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order earlier that month calling for the country’s “leadership in digital assets.”Meanwhile, the DRGN token has jumped 95% over the past day to over 8.5 cents on news of the SEC’s planned dismissal, but it’s still down around 98.5% from its $5.46 peak in January 2018, according to CoinGecko.Dragonchain’s token jumped after the SEC filed to dismiss its lawsuit. Source: CoinGeckoSEC backs off crypto under TrumpIt’s the latest case involving crypto that the SEC has abandoned under the Trump administration.The SEC spun up a Crypto Task Force in January, the day after Trump re-entered the White House, to lead the regulator’s engagement with the crypto industry.Related: SEC task force met with Trump-supporting firms to discuss crypto regulation An agency memo shows its task force met with Dragonchain representatives on March 24 to discuss how the SEC should approach handling crypto.The SEC has also dismissed some of its most high-profile lawsuits against crypto firms, including its actions against Coinbase, Ripple and Kraken.It’s also dropped investigations into other crypto firms, including OpenSea, Crypto.com and Immutable, with no further action planned.Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered 

on April 25, 2025 at 5:39 am

James Tedesco and Sandon Smith both cross for the doubles, as the Sydney Roosters post a 46—18 victory over St George Illawarra in their Anzac Day encounter. Follow live.

by Cointelegraph by Stephen Katte on April 25, 2025 at 5:17 am

Ethereum core developers are considering a four times increase in the layer 1 gas limit as one of the key features for the next hard fork after Pectra, known as Fusaka.The devs are proposing to test a raise in Ethereum’s gas limit to 150 million by the Fusaka hard fork, according to Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 9678, introduced on April 23 by Sophia Gold, a developer on the protocol support team at the Ethereum Foundation. During the last All Core Devs Execution (ACDE) meeting, there were discussions to make the gas limit increase a “key feature” of Fusaka, Ethereum core developer Tim Beiko said in an April 24 meeting summary. “To align on client defaults and keep this as a priority, we’ve drafted an EIP. It’s a bit unconventional, but not unprecedented (see EIP-7840). We plan to get it merged early next week and formally SFI it on the next ACDE,” Beiko said. “As we continue this work, we expect to identify changes that need to be made in-protocol to support a higher gas limit. This implies adding more EIPs to Fusaka, even though the fork scope is final.”Source: Tim BeikoThe next Ethereum upgrade, Pectra, is scheduled to go live on the mainnet in May. Fusaka has been flagged as possibly going online in late 2025.Gas limit increase a priority ahead of FusakaAs part of the motivation for increasing the gas limit, the developers said there was great interest in scaling layer 1 execution and that it could likely be done without implementing any new features.However, the move requires guidance from execution layer developers because “we expect to find bugs in clients at higher gas limits than currently used on mainnet,” which will “require time from client developers both to test and to fix any bugs that arise, therefore it makes sense to include as an EIP in a hard fork to commit to this.”The developers behind the EIP say client developers will need time to test and fix any bugs that arise while increasing the gas limit. Source: GitHub“While the gas limit is ultimately set by validators, we agreed that having an EIP to coordinate client defaults would help keep this a priority and ensure all clients update their defaults by the time Fusaka goes live,” Beiko said.Related: Vitalik Buterin says the app layer needs ‘good social philosophy’ mostThe average Ethereum gas limit was around 30 million after increasing in August 2021, according to data on Ycharts. Validators supported raising the network’s gas limit on Feb. 4, increasing the maximum amount of gas used for transactions in a single Ethereum block. It’s just under 36 million at the moment, Ycharts data shows. Magazine: Ethereum is destroying the competition in the $16.1T TradFi tokenization race

by James Taylor and Lucy Loram on April 25, 2025 at 4:54 am

More than a century after hospital ship TSS Maheno was wrecked on the shores of K'gari (Fraser Island), families of its crew have gathered for a special Anzac Day ceremony.  

by Melissa Martin, Carly Cook, and Keely Johnson on April 25, 2025 at 4:38 am

Police have charged a 22-year-old man with murder over the fatal shooting of Ekampreet Sahni Singh, 18, in a Newcastle car park on Wednesday night.

by Matt Garrick on April 25, 2025 at 4:38 am

The organisation representing Darwin's Aboriginal traditional owners is urging remote community leaders, alongside the territory’s land councils, to join forces to help stamp out violent crime in the NT capital.

by Andrew McGarry and Chris De Silva on April 25, 2025 at 4:18 am

In wet conditions, Collingwood overcomes a spirited performance from Essendon as Steele Sidebottom is named the best on ground. Follow live.

by Emma Field and Selina Green on April 25, 2025 at 4:04 am

Anzac Day marks the traditional start for planting winter crops, but this year farmers are hoping for rain as they begin planting their crops in the dry.

by Cointelegraph by Ciaran Lyons on April 25, 2025 at 3:53 am

Key takeaways:Crypto market sentiment hit a two-month high with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index returning to “Greed” territory on April 23. Despite Bitcoin’s price hold, the sentiment score is gradually declining, and analysts are expressing doubt over the rally’s sustainability.The crypto market remains Bitcoin-heavy, with its dominance above 64%, strong ETF inflows and a low altcoin season score.Bitcoin’s several-day surge above $90,000 pushed crypto market sentiment to its highest point in more than two months on April 23, but it’s gradually tapering off again as analysts air concerns about the sustainability of Bitcoin’s rally.On April 23, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index clocked a score of 72 out of 100, putting it in the “Greed” zone as Bitcoin (BTC) returned above the $90,000 level. However, as of April 25, the score has fallen to 60 despite the relatively stable price. Crypto sentiment at two-month high The last time the index hit this score was on Feb. 4, around the same time US President Donald Trump introduced tariffs and Bitcoin fell below $100,000. Bitcoin has since reclaimed the $90,000 price level for the first time since March 6. Bitcoin is trading at $93,130 at the time of publication. Source: CoinMarketCapHowever, despite Bitcoin trading between $91,800 and $94,304 over the past two days, sentiment within the “Greed” territory has been gradually cooling off, with the index falling to April 24 and 60 on April 25.The slight pullback follows warnings from several crypto analysts who remain cautious about the Bitcoin rally, including 10x Research's head of research, Markus Thielen, who isn’t yet convinced of a rally.“Given that our stablecoin minting indicator has yet to return to high-activity levels, we remain cautious about the sustainability of the current Bitcoin rally,” Thielen said on April 23.Meanwhile, Bitfinex analysts said on April 24 that while Bitcoin’s relative strength against US equities “appears real,” it is yet to be confirmed as structural.However, others are more bullish. MN Trading Capital founder Michaël van de Poppe said on April 24 that “buyers are likely going to step in, and then we’ll be continuing our path toward a new [all-time high].”Related: Bitcoin ‘short squeeze’ or $87K dip next? BTC price predictions varyCoinMarketCap’s altcoin season index indicates that the market is still heavily favoring Bitcoin over altcoins, with the altcoin season score sitting at a lowly 17 out of 100. It comes as Bitcoin Dominance is sitting at 64.39%, according to TradingView data.Bitcoin sentiment has gained momentum since it touched the mid-$80,000 price range. On April 17, crypto analytics firm Santiment pointed out that the tone of Bitcoin-related social media posts has flipped to bullish.Meanwhile, crypto analyst Trader T pointed out in an April 25 X post that US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs have, so far to April 24, seen their third-best week of inflows since launching in January 2024. Over the past four trading days, the spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen $2.6 billion in net inflows.Magazine: Pokémon on Sui rumors, Polymarket bets on Filipino Pope: Asia ExpressThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

by Simon Smale on April 25, 2025 at 3:53 am

After winning silver at the Paris Olympics, Moesha Johnson knew she needed to keep swimming or risk falling out of the sport, so she traversed the globe competing. But despite being away, Johnson kept a deep fire for home burning within her.

by Annabel Bowles on April 25, 2025 at 3:33 am

A man has faced court over the Northern Territory's "largest ever" ketamine bust, after investigators found drugs with a street value of $800,000 concealed in energy drink and protein bar packs.

by Bridget Brennan on April 25, 2025 at 3:32 am

The heckling at Melbourne’s Anzac Day service mirrors the long, quiet and painful exclusion of Black diggers from the national conversation.

by Sonia Nair on April 25, 2025 at 3:07 am

In this largely Irish-language film, featuring almost exclusively women, you'll find many of the horror tropes you'd expect, along with masterfully slow reveals.

by Chloe Chomicki and Gabrielle Becerra Mellet on April 25, 2025 at 2:53 am

A stolen vehicle believed to have been involved in hit-and-run crashes has disrupted an Anzac Day parade in Townsville.

by Alex Brewster on April 25, 2025 at 2:49 am

The fertility company has responded to questions from the Australian Securities Exchange after its recent embryo mix-up dropped the share price.

on April 25, 2025 at 2:41 am

Perennial hope Minjee Lee is the top-placed Australian, five shots off the pace in a share of 16th position, at the first women's major of the year.

by Sundance on April 25, 2025 at 2:39 am

As most of you know I have been traveling extensively. However, a strange thing happened today upon return through the airport. Apparently, all of the test pilots for biometrics, real ID etc. are now linked and active.  As I approached the passport control kiosk with my passport in hand, the gentleman said “welcome back, enjoy The post Biometrics Active – A Weird Thing Happened Returning Through Airport appeared first on The Last Refuge.

by Sophie Johnson on April 25, 2025 at 2:34 am

Over the last decade, Australia has emerged as one of the most promising international markets for Japanese sake.

on April 25, 2025 at 2:28 am

Police allege Joseph Kling left the wooden pallets without fully extinguishing the blaze which sparked the wildfire.

by Cointelegraph by Stephen Katte on April 25, 2025 at 2:18 am

Regulatory changes could be the catalyst to spark significant adoption of stablecoins and blockchain tech in 2025, according to investment banking giant Citigroup.“2025 has the potential to be blockchain’s ‘ChatGPT’ moment for adoption in the financial and public sector, driven by regulatory change,” a team of Citigroup financial analysts said in an April 23 report. A combination of growing regulatory support and adoption by financial institutions has set the stage for the stablecoin market cap to fly as high as $3.7 trillion by 2030, or in a base case, $1.6 trillion.“The main catalyst for their greater acceptance may be regulatory clarity in the US, which could enable greater integration of stablecoins specifically, and blockchain more widely, into the existing financial system,” Citi said in its report. “The tailwinds of regulatory support and the increased integration of digital assets into incumbent financial institutions are setting the scene for increased usage of stablecoins.”On the heels of US President Donald Trump’s crypto-friendly administration assuming power earlier this year, lawmakers are weighing stablecoin legislation, such as the GENIUS Act, which seeks to regulate US stablecoins, ensuring their legal use for payments. A US regulatory framework for stablecoin would also support demand for dollar risk-free assets inside and outside the US, according to the report. “The stablecoin issuers will have to buy US Treasuries, or comparable low risk assets, against each stablecoin as a measure of having safe underlying collateral,” Citi said. “Stablecoin issuers could hold more US Treasuries by 2030 than any single jurisdiction today.” Stablecoin issuers could have significant holdings of US Treasuries by 2030. Source: Citigroup US will continue to dominate stablecoins In the future, Citi predicts the stablecoin supply will remain US dollar-denominated, with non-US countries promoting national currency or a central bank digital currency.In April, the stablecoin market cap had crossed $230 billion, an increase of 54% since last year, with Tether (USDT) and USDC (USDC) dominating 90% of the market. “While the dollar’s dominance may evolve over time, with the euro or other currencies being promoted by national regulations, stablecoins may be viewed by many non-US policy makers as an instrument of dollar hegemony,” Citi said. “Geopolitics remain fluid. Should the world continue to drift into a multi-polar system it is likely that policymakers in China and Europe will be keen to promote central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) or stablecoins issued in their own currency.” Related: Russia finance ministry official floats country making own stablecoins: ReportHowever, there are still some challenges ahead for the market. The stablecoin market cap could settle around $500 billion if “adoption and integration challenges persist.” Depegging has also been flagged as a potential issue, with 1,900 instances in 2023, according to Citi, including the major USDC depeg following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.“A major depegging event would likely dampen crypto market liquidity, trigger automated liquidations, impair trading platforms’ ability to meet redemptions, and potentially have broader contagion effects for the financial system,” the firm said. Magazine: Ridiculous ‘Chinese Mint’ crypto scam, Japan dives into stablecoins: Asia Express

by Cointelegraph by Brayden Lindrea on April 25, 2025 at 2:15 am

Billion-dollar asset manager ARK Invest has raised its “bull case” Bitcoin price target from $1.5 million to $2.4 million by the end of 2030, driven largely by institutional investors and Bitcoin’s increasing acceptance as “digital gold.”ARK’s “bear” and “base” case scenarios for the price of Bitcoin (BTC) were also bumped up to $500,000 and $1.2 million, ARK research analyst David Puell said in an April 24 report.The new bear and base targets were bumped up from ARK’s $300,000 and $710,000 Bitcoin price predictions on Feb. 11.ARK’s price projections were modeled on Bitcoin’s total addressable market (TAM), penetration rate — the percentage of Bitcoin’s TAM that it could capture in certain cases — and Bitcoin’s supply schedule.ARK’s bear, base and bull case price targets for Bitcoin by Dec. 31, 2030. Source: ARK Invest“Institutional investment contributes the most to our bull case,” said Puell, who estimated that Bitcoin would achieve a 6.5% penetration rate into the $200 trillion financial market in a best-case scenario (that figure excludes gold).Bitcoin’s acceptance as “digital gold” was also a major contributor to the lofty estimate, with Puell estimating that it could capture up to 60% of gold’s $18 trillion market cap (2024 figures) by the end of 2030 in a bull scenario.Bitcoin becoming a “safe haven” in emerging markets was the third-largest contributor to ARK’s $2.4 million bull case prediction at 13.5%.“This Bitcoin use case has the greatest potential for capital accrual,” Puell said, pointing to Bitcoin’s ability to protect wealth from inflation and devaluation in developing countries.Nation-state and corporate Bitcoin treasury strategies and Bitcoin financial services were also factored into ARK’s Bitcoin price projections.Bitcoin use cases contributing to ARK’s Bitcoin price targets. Source: ARK InvestARK’s Bitcoin predictions are boldA $2.4 million Bitcoin price tag would send Bitcoin’s market cap to $49.2 trillion, assuming that Bitcoin’s total supply will have reached 20.5 million by the end of 2030.A $49.2 trillion valuation would be almost larger than the current gross domestic products of the US and China combined.It would also put Bitcoin in a good position to overtake gold as the world’s largest asset, which currently boasts a market cap of $22.5 trillion.Related: Cathie Wood to kick off El Salvador’s AI public education programEven ARK’s bear and base targets of $500,000 and $1.2 million would mean Bitcoin needs to increase at a compounded annual growth rate of 32% and 53% by the end of 2030 — a return that isn’t achieved too often for assets that have already notched trillion-dollar valuations.Since then, Bitcoin has recovered from a 2025 low of $75,160, soaring back up to the $94,000 range, while the Trump administration established a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.Magazine: Ethereum maxis should become ‘assholes’ to win TradFi tokenization race

by Cointelegraph by Jesse Coghlan on April 25, 2025 at 1:53 am

The capital city of Slovenia — Ljubljana — has been named the world’s most crypto-friendly city by migration advisory firm Multipolitan.The city outranked runners-up Hong Kong and Switzerland’s economic powerhouse Züric, which scored the same in the Crypto-Friendly Cities Index, found in its 2025 Crypto Report.The index featured 20 cities and ranked their crypto-friendliness based on their regulations, tax environment, lifestyle factors and digital and crypto infrastructure.Multipolitan said its evaluation included weighing areas such as a city’s licensing frameworks, capital gains tax rates, GDP per capita, housing affordability and internet speeds.“The presence of crypto ATMs and retail adoption rates were analysed to reflect each city’s embedded cryptocurrency culture,” it explained. “High concentrations of these assets earned the top scores.”The city-state of Singapore and the United Arab Emirates’ capital of Abu Dhabi were respectively ranked fourth and fifth after the second-place tie. Both cities were already attractive to businesses due to offering low or no taxes, but they’ve also worked to attract crypto companies with industry-specific licensing and regulatory regimes.Sydney, Australia’s most populous city, ranked in the middle of the pack in 10th spot, with the report noting it was home to the most crypto ATMs of the group. Source: MultipolitanMadison, the capital city of the US state of Wisconsin, was the only city in the Americas to rank on the index, hitting the same 11th place score as Latvia’s capital of Riga, Qatar’s capital of Doha, and Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh.Slovenia’s crypto embraceSlovenia also topped Multipolitan’s Crypto Wealth Concentration Index, combining crypto ownership rates and trading volumes, which reported that the average Slovenian crypto owner held around $240,500 worth of assets.The figure outranked second-place Cyprus by over $65,000, with the average crypto-holding Cypriot hanging onto around $175,000. Hong Kong came in third with holdings averaging $97,500.Related: Slovenia’s finance ministry floats 25% tax on crypto transactions The US ranked at the bottom of the 20-strong list, coming in 17th spot with average crypto holdings of around $23,300, just above Malaysia’s nearly $21,000 average holdings.Slovenia, being part of the EU, regulates crypto under the bloc’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), which the industry received as mostly positive.The advocacy group Blockchain Alliance Europe is based in Ljubljana. The city also houses the blockchain real estate platform Blocksquare, which teamed up with Vera Capital on April 18 to tokenize $1 billion worth of US real estate.Magazine: Tbilisi Crypto City Guide: Crypto is used for payments in Georgia, not to get rich 

on April 25, 2025 at 1:28 am

Canterbury's first loss of 2025 comes at an even bigger cost, with Sitili Tupouniua, Josh Curran and Matt Burton facing a combined nine weeks on the sidelines even with early guilty pleas.

by Penny McLeod on April 25, 2025 at 1:08 am

A school student has discovered a "very, very rare" seashell during a school holiday session at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

by Hanan Dervisevic on April 25, 2025 at 12:58 am

One of the pontiff's last acts was to simplify papal rites, stripping away elaborate rituals and scaling back ceremonial pomp.

by Andrew Williams on April 25, 2025 at 12:57 am

As the faint glimmer of dawn bounced off the waters of Gallipoli on April 15, 1915, Private Dick Clarke huddled in anticipation among his brothers-in-arms. They were among the first soldiers to reach the beach at Anzac Cove.

by Cointelegraph by Turner Wright on April 24, 2025 at 10:30 pm

The Italian municipality of Fornelli in the Molise region of Italy will be dedicating a monument to pseudonymous Bitcoin (BTC) creator Satoshi Nakamoto.In an April 23 Facebook post from the municipality, Fornelli said it plans to unveil the Satoshi artwork on May 1. Details surrounding the monument were unclear in the announcement, but the municipality said it had been designed by artist Mattia Pannoni and financed by the local government. “It is important, indeed fundamental, as an administration, to take into consideration all the new ideas that come from our young people,” said Fornelli Mayor Giovanni Tedeschi.According to the local government, Fornelli has the “highest density of Bitcoin adoption in the world” among its roughly 1,800 residents. Other regions have attempted to use BTC or other cryptocurrencies to attract visitors, including the Bitcoin Beach area of El Salvador and the Swiss city of Zug, which accepts crypto payments for many local goods and services. Portraying a faceless individual through artThe identity of Satoshi, whether a single individual or a group of people, remains one of the biggest mysteries in the crypto space since the publication of the Bitcoin white paper in 2008. Related: Italy finance minister warns US stablecoins pose bigger threat than tariffsMany artists, both crypto investors and otherwise, have released artwork attempting to represent the pseudonymous creator through statues and digital images. A common theme in these pieces is showing Satoshi without any clearly defined facial features, sometimes wearing a hoodie or working on a computer. According to the announcement, the monument will be unveiled in the Piazza Umberto I area of Fornelli on May 1.Magazine: Former Love Island star’s tips on how to go viral in crypto: Van00sa, X Hall of Flame

by Cointelegraph by Cointelegraph on April 24, 2025 at 10:10 pm

Today in crypto, ARK Invest has said Bitcoin could hit a top of $2.4 million by 2030, the CME Group said it plans to launch XRP futures contracts and The Bitcoin Standard author Saifedean Ammous said Donald Trump's tariffs reversal may reflect concerns over rising bond yields. ARK Invest ups its 2030 Bitcoin bull case prediction to $2.4MCathie Wood’s ARK Invest has raised its “bull case” Bitcoin (BTC) price target from $1.5 million to $2.4 million by the end of 2030, citing increased institutional investor interest and Bitcoin’s increasing acceptance as “digital gold.”It also bumped its “bear” and “base” case scenarios for Bitcoin to $500,000 and $1.2 million,  up from the $300,000 and $710,000 respective predictions it made in February.“Institutional investment contributes the most to our bull case,” said ARK research analyst David Puell, who estimated that Bitcoin would achieve a 6.5% penetration rate into the $200 trillion financial market in a best-case scenario (that figure excludes gold).ARK’s bear, base and bull case price targets for Bitcoin by Dec. 31, 2030. Source: ARK InvestBitcoin’s acceptance as “digital gold” was also a major contributor to the lofty estimate, with Puell estimating that it could capture up to 60% of gold’s market cap by the end of 2030 in a bull scenario.At $2.4 million per Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency’s market cap would be $49.2 trillion, assuming that Bitcoin’s total supply will have reached 20.5 million by the end of 2030, making it more valuable than the current gross domestic products of the US and China combined.Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group to launch XRP futuresThe Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group, which operates the largest financial derivatives exchanges worldwide, announced that XRP futures contracts will go live on May 19.According to the April 24 announcement, investors have the option of choosing between micro-sized contracts, featuring 2,500 XRP, or standard contract sizes of 50,000 XRP. All XRP futures contracts will be cash-settled.In January 2025, the CME Group signaled an impending launch of XRP futures before quietly pulling the related page from its website.CME’s announcement is the latest in a growing wave of crypto-focused financial products entering the market or awaiting regulatory approval in the US, a sign that cryptocurrencies have reached a new level of institutional acceptance.There are now more than 70 crypto ETF applications waiting to be reviewed by the SEC, according to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.Trump fought the bond market, the bond market won: Saifedean AmmousAnalysts are criticizing the financial implications of Trump’s import tariffs, a development that some say highlights Bitcoin’s (BTC) unique economic properties during times of global uncertainty.Trump’s 90-day pause on higher reciprocal tariffs, reverting them to a 10% baseline for most countries except China, has exposed vulnerabilities in the US bond market, according to critics.Economist and author of The Bitcoin Standard, Saifedean Ammous, said Trump’s decision to reverse the higher tariffs was likely a reaction to rising bond yields, suggesting the administration’s hand was forced.“Trump fought the bond market and the bond market won,” Ammous said in an April 23 X post. “The gambit seemed to work for the first day, and the huge crash in the stock market was presented as a small price to pay for fiscal sustainability.“But then the bonds began to crash, and it became clear how disastrous the tariffs were, and how wrong it was to expect that deliberately crashing the stock market would boost the bond market,” he added.Source: Saifedean Ammous

by Cointelegraph by Alex O’Donnell on April 24, 2025 at 10:10 pm

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed a decision on whether to approve a proposed exchange-traded fund (ETF) holding Polkadot’s native token, regulatory filings show. According to an April 24 filing, the regulator has extended its deadline for a final ruling until June 11, nearly four months after the Nasdaq sought permission to list Grayscale Polkadot Trust on Feb. 24. Grayscale’s ETF filing adds to a roster of roughly 70 proposed ETFs awaiting SEC approval, including funds holding altcoins, memecoins, and crypto-related financial derivatives, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.  Asset managers are pitching ETFs for “[e]verything from XRP, Litecoin and Solana to Penguins, Doge and 2x Melania and everything in between,” Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas said in an April 21 post on the X platform. Asset manager 21Shares is also awaiting permission to list its own Polkadot ETF.Polkadot is a layer-1 blockchain network launched in 2020. Its native token, DOT (DOT), has a market capitalization of approximately $6.6 billion as of April 24, according to CoinMarketCap.Polkadot’s price over time. Source: CoinMarketCapRelated: Institutions break up with Ethereum but keep ETH on the hookAltcoin ETF pipelineGrayscale is among multiple asset managers seeking regulatory clearance to list altcoin ETFs in the US. The company is already behind several crypto funds, including spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) ETFs. The asset manager has also asked for permission to launch ETFs holding tokens such as Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC), XRP (XRP), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Cardano (ADA).Crypto ETFs scheduled for SEC review. Source: Eric Balchunas/BloombergThe pipeline of proposed fund listings comes as more than 80% of institutional investors say they plan to boost allocations to crypto in 2025, according to a March report by Coinbase and EY-Parthenon. However, analysts caution that demand for altcoin ETFs is likely to be much more limited than for funds holding core cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether. “Having your coin get ETF-ized is like being in a band and getting your songs added to all the music streaming services,” Balchunas said. “Doesn’t guarantee listens but it puts your music where the vast majority of the listeners are.”Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest, April 13 – 19

by Cointelegraph by Brayden Lindrea on April 24, 2025 at 9:56 pm

The US Federal Reserve announced it is withdrawing guidance that served to deter banks from engaging in crypto and stablecoin activities.”The Board is rescinding its 2022 supervisory letter establishing an expectation that state member banks provide advance notification of planned or current crypto-asset activities,” the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve explained in an April 24 statement.Any crypto-related activities will now be monitored through the Federal Reserve’s normal supervisory process, it said.The Federal Reserve is also rescinding its 2023 supervisory letter that impacted how state banks could engage in stablecoin activities.The Federal Reserve Board’s withdrawal giving banks guidance on crypto activities. Source: Federal ReserveRelated: Trump fought the bond market, the bond market won: Saifedean AmmousIts guidance initially flagged that crypto may pose risks related to safety and soundness, consumer protection and financial stability of the American financial system.”Certain types of crypto-assets, such as stablecoins, if adopted at large scale, could also pose risks to financial stability including potentially through destabilizing runs and disruptions in the payment systems.”The Federal Reserve also flagged that crypto is commonly used for money laundering and counter-terrorism financing at the time.Fed also withdraws statement warning banks of crypto fraudstersAlong with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve withdrew from two 2023 statements concerning banks interacting with crypto-asset sector participants that may be engaging in fraud.”Inaccurate or misleading representations and disclosures by crypto-asset companies may be unfair, deceptive, or abusive, contributing to significant harm to retail and institutional investors,” the agencies added in the now-withdrawn joint statement.Source: Michael SaylorThe withdrawals mark the Federal Reserve’s first major move addressing crypto activities under the Trump administration, which has undertaken several initiatives to make the US more crypto-friendly and support innovation.The Securities and Exchange Commission also revoked a controversial rule that called on banks and financial firms holding crypto to record them as liabilities on their balance sheets on Jan. 23 — eliminating a regulatory barrier that slowed crypto banking adoption.Magazine: Ethereum is destroying the competition in the $16.1T TradFi tokenization race

by Cointelegraph by Christopher Tepedino on April 24, 2025 at 9:28 pm

The White House said on April 24 that it received more than 10,000 public comments on its planned artificial intelligence action plan, indicating widespread interest in the technology as the global race for AI leadership accelerates.Among the stakeholders providing inputs were AI giants such as OpenAI, Meta, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. In addition, organizations in academia, non-profits, and industry associations also took part in the discussion.A preliminary review of comments from major private-sector companies highlighted several recurring themes, including the need for greater investment in US energy resources to support AI growth, foreign policy efforts to enhance the global influence of American AI firms, and improved infrastructure to advance AI development domestically.Excerpt from Meta’s comments. Source: NITRDIn addition, many companies lobbied for an open, innovative framework to guide the American AI industry and provide safeguards to individuals. The White House issued a request for comments on Feb. 6. The administration says these comments “will help define the priority policy actions needed to sustain and enhance America’s AI dominance.” US President Donald Trump has pledged to make the United States the “world capital” of AI and crypto.National security concerns National security emerged as a key concern among companies submitting feedback. Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz wrote that “AI model development is an issue of national concern that should be regulated on a national level. It is critical to American national security, geopolitical objectives, and the nation’s economic and social welfare.”OpenAI also raised the issue, explicitly naming China as a competitor with “strategic advantages,” including the capacity, as an “authoritarian state," to rapidly mobilize resources.In January 2025, Chinese company DeepSeek launched their R1 model, sparking alarm in the US tech sector and triggering volatility in domestic equity markets.AI and crypto are widely viewed as two of the most transformative emerging technologies, with growing overlap of AI-powered agents and digital financial products.Magazine: AI Eye: ‘Chernobyl’ needed to wake people to AI risks, Studio Ghibli memes

by Cointelegraph by Sam Bourgi on April 24, 2025 at 9:15 pm

Global cross-border payment platform Axiym is targeting the rising demand from money services businesses (MSBs) for blockchain-based infrastructure and stablecoin solutions for international transactions, the company told Cointelegraph.Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Axiym disclosed on April 24 that it has processed more than $132 million in cumulative volume on the Avalanche blockchain.The platform uses Avalanche to deliver real-time credit and liquidity infrastructure to MSBs worldwide.Source: AvalancheMSBs — a broad category that includes money transmitters like Western Union, currency exchanges, crypto platforms, fintech firms, and check cashers — are embracing these innovations, Morgan Krupetsky, head of institutions and capital markets at Ava Labs, told Cointelegraph.In the case of Axiym, “MSBs themselves don’t operate onchain,” Axiym CEO Khibar Rassul told Cointelegraph. Instead, “Axiym connects their existing payment operations to Avalanche behind the scenes using blockchain to automate, move, and manage capital far more efficiently.” “Under the hood, Axiym has built an application that provides credit to global MSBs using stablecoins to power payments — these transactions occur on the Avalanche C-Chain,” Krupetsky said, adding:“This enables real-time cross-border liquidity provisioning that would be difficult or expensive through legacy payment rails or slower blockchains.”Related: Luxury app Dorsia taps MoonPay for crypto paymentsThe case for cross-border payments continues to growRassul told Cointelegraph that Axiym’s clients are primarily licensed payment companies based in major financial centers like the UAE, the United Kingdom and Singapore. However, these companies’ users often send funds to major remittance hubs across Asia, Africa and Latin America, he said.Axiym’s platform has been developed to address many of the pain points in traditional cross-border payments, including “capital inefficiency, SWIFT-based delays, high costs and fragmented frameworks,” Rassul said.While blockchain offers significant advantages in speed and transparency, regulatory fragmentation has made it harder for the technology to replace legacy payment systems. Axiym is attempting to solve this problem by “embedding blockchain capabilities directly into existing payment operations” using Avalanche, Rassul said.Blockchain-based stablecoins have become a key tool for enabling low-cost, efficient cross-border payments, which explains why these fiat-pegged assets have gained traction in emerging markets. A 2024 Chainalysis report showed that stablecoin remittances from Sub-Saharan Africa are 60% cheaper than traditional fiat rails. The power of blockchain technology: An average $200 remittance from Sub-Saharan Africa is 60% cheaper using stablecoins than fiat. Source: Chainalysis As Cointelegraph recently reported, blockchain company Ripple has partnered with African payment infrastructure provider Chipper Cash to support cross-border crypto transactions.Meanwhile, crypto-focused payment startups are also gaining traction in venture capital circles, with the Tether-backed Mansa recently closing a $10 million funding round to expand its stablecoin cross-border payment services.Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest, April 13 – 19

by Cointelegraph by Marcel Pechman on April 24, 2025 at 9:05 pm

Ether (ETH) price has climbed above $1,700 after 16 days of selling pressure caused by macroeconomic uncertainty and a sharp decline in onchain activity. Despite the rebound, Ether has underperformed the broader altcoin market by 23% year-to-date.Some traders claim that ETH is set for a “generational” bull run by offering a “truly” decentralized and permissionless financial system, but is that really the case?Source: X/0xMontBlancEther was one of the few major cryptocurrencies that did not reach a new all-time high in 2025, unlike competitors such as Solana (SOL), Tron (TRX), and BNB (BNB).Some critics argue that moving away from proof-of-work mining removed a competitive advantage that Ethereum once had over its rivals.Ethereum fee drop signals ETH price weaknessEventually, Ether may outperform its competitors, even if only for a short period, and influencers who are calling for a “generational bottom” will celebrate their predictions, despite the lack of strong fundamentals to support lasting price growth. However, considering the 95% drop in Ethereum fees since January, the chances of an immediate ETH surge seem low.Ethereum network daily fees, USD. Source: DefiLlamaThe low demand for data processing on the Ethereum network causes ETH to become inflationary, as the built-in burn mechanism is not enough to balance the new coins issued to cover staking rewards.Despite being the clear leader in Total Value Locked (TVL), traders are generally uninterested in this metric since it hasn’t translated into higher demand for the Ethereum network or increased scarcity for ETH.As a result, even if Ethereum’s fundamentals improve, optimism among ETH holders is declining, while competitors—especially Solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP) investors—are hopeful about the approval of their spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US. Currently, spot ETFs in the US are only available for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), so additional offerings would likely reduce the potential institutional demand for altcoins.Adding to the concerns, US-listed spot Ether ETFs saw $10 million in net outflows between April 21 and April 23, while similar BTC instruments experienced record-breaking inflows.History shows ETH price rallies seldom last longHistorical evidence does not favor a lasting outperformance compared to competitors, which lowers the odds of a sustainable ETH rally.Related: Bitcoiner PlanB slams ETH: ‘Centralized & premined’ shitcoinEther market share among altcoins. Source: TradingView / CointelegraphFor example, Ether’s market share in the altcoin capitalization reached a low point in June 2022 at around 26.5% when the ETH price dropped below $1,100. After a quick rally to $2,000 by August 2022, the momentum faded, and ETH’s price fell below $1,200 less than three months later. This sudden correction likely left many investors frustrated, as they had to wait eight months for ETH to reclaim $2,000 in April 2023.A similar pattern happened in April 2021, when Ether’s altcoin market share bottomed out at 26.8%. After that, the ETH price climbed from $2,100 to $4,200 by May 2021, only to fall below $2,000 the following month. Again, traders who bought near the cycle top had to wait six months just to recover their investment. This history has taught Ether traders to take profits quickly, which reduces the chances of reaching a new all-time high.It is difficult to pinpoint what triggered previous Ether bull runs, especially as the narrative has shifted from utility tokens to NFT marketplaces, artificial intelligence, memecoins, and, more recently, RWA tokenization. While some influencers believe in strong ETH momentum, others warn there could be another 15% drop compared to Bitcoin’s performance.In the end, historical evidence does not support a lasting ETH price rally, even if it bottoms out relative to the broader altcoin market capitalization.This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

by Cointelegraph by Vince Quill on April 24, 2025 at 8:55 pm

Ethereum's focus on scaling through many layer-2 networks, each with its own transaction processing speed and parameters, potentially gives the network an unlimited number of unique high-throughput chains, according to Anurag Arjun, co-founder of Avail, a unified chain abstraction solution.In an interview with Cointelegraph, Arjun acknowledged that Ethereum and high-throughput competitors with monolithic architecture are fundamentally different products. However, Ethereum's choice to scale through a plethora of L2 solutions gives it an overlooked quality:"The under-appreciated beauty of this rollup-centric roadmap architecture is that it allows multiple teams to experiment with different execution environments and different block times."This allows a diverse set of high-throughput sidechains to appear rather than just one singular architecture on any monolithic layer-1s, the executive added. However, without true interoperability, switching between L2s will remain as complex as bridging assets between different blockchain ecosystems altogether, Arjun warned.An overview of Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem. Source: L2BeatThe Avail co-founder's perspective runs contrary to the many critics of Ethereum's L2-focused approach, who say that the network's scaling solutions silo liquidity and are ultimately corrosive to the base layer. Ethereum's critics argue that L2s are one of the primary causes of Ether's (ETH) poor price performance in the last year.Related: Vitalik Buterin proposes swapping EVM language for RISC-VEthereum fees drop to five-year lowsFees on the Ethereum layer-1 network dropped to five-year lows in April 2025, with the average transaction fee sitting at around $0.16.According to Brian Quinlivan, the marketing director for the Santiment onchain analytics firm, the reduction in fees signals decreased demand for the base layer and waning investor interest in Ethereum.Ethereum network daily transaction fees dropped significantly in Q1 2025. Source: Token Terminal"This large reduction in fees coincides with fewer people sending ETH and interacting with smart contracts," Quinlivan wrote in an April 16 blog post.These smart contract interactions include transactions across decentralized finance, digital collectibles like non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and other digital asset sectors, the Santiment executive added.Ether's declining base layer transaction fees and reduced retail interest also caused many institutional investors to slash their Ether allocations and issue revised price outlooks for the second-largest digital asset by market capitalization.Magazine: Make Ethereum feel like Ethereum again: Based rollups explained

by Cointelegraph by Alex O’Donnell on April 24, 2025 at 8:20 pm

Tokenization platform Securitize has partnered with decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Mantle to launch an institutional fund designed to earn yield on a diverse basket of cryptocurrencies, the companies said. Similar to how a traditional index fund tracks a mix of stocks, the Mantle Index Four (MI4) Fund aims to offer investors exposure to cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and Solana (SOL), as well as stablecoins tracking the US dollar, Securitize said in an April 24 announcement. The fund also integrates liquid staking tokens — including Mantle’s mETH, Bybit’s bbSOL, and Ethena’s USDe — in a bid to enhance returns with onchain yield, according to the announcement.The launch comes as retail and institutions alike increase exposure to cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, as a hedge amid escalating macroeconomic uncertainty. Mantle’s mETH yields 3.78%. Source: DeFILlama‘S&P 500 of crypto’The market capitalization-weighted index fund aspires to “become the de facto SPX or S&P 500 of crypto,” Timothy Chen, Mantle’s global head of strategy, said in a statement. The company offers institutions a way to generate yield from digital assets. One of its liquid staking products, Mantle Staked Ether (mETH), yields holders approximately 3.78% APR as of April 24, according to data from DefiLlama. The protocol has more than $680 million in total value locked (TVL). Securitize is the most popular institutional tokenization platform. Source: RWA.xyzSecuritize is one of the most popular platforms for tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs) for institutions, with approximately 71% of market share as of April 24, according to data from RWA.xyz. Its largest affiliated fund — BlackRock Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUILD) — has more than $2.5 billion in net assets.In March, Securitize co-founder and CEO Carlos Domingo told Cointelegraph that demand for tokenized funds is accelerating as “[i]nstitutional investors, private equity firms, and credit managers [turn] to tokenization to enhance efficiency, reduce operational friction, and improve liquidity.”Magazine: What are native rollups? Full guide to Ethereum’s latest innovation

by Cointelegraph by Biraajmaan Tamuly on April 24, 2025 at 8:05 pm

Key Takeaways:The Bitcoin long-term holder cohort saw a $26 billion value increase as BTC price surged to $94,900.Short-term holders sold at a loss in early April.Bitcoin’s 30% correction lines up with historical cycles, and BTC could find support in the $88,750 and $91,000 zone. Bitcoin (BTC) long-term holders (LTHs) significantly increased their collective wealth in April as BTC price surged from $74,450 to $94,900. According to data from CryptoQuant, the long-term holders (LTHs) realized market cap increased from $345 billion to $371 billion between April 1 and April 23, marking a $26 billion gain.BTC LTH realized cap drawdown chart. Source: CryptoQuantThis sharp increase in LTH realized cap signals that long-term holders are rewarded for resilience through recent drawdowns. Bitcoin experienced a 30%+ correction between January and early April, a pattern consistent with historical market cycles. Data from past cycles in 2013, 2017, and 2021 shows that such drawdowns are routine after Bitcoin touches new all-time highs, often shaking out weaker hands before resuming its upward trend.Other factors also underlined LTH’s conviction during the correction period. Bitcoin’s growing decoupling from traditional markets, particularly as US equities faced pressure from the trade wars, improved its investment appeal. While stocks tumbled, gold prices surged to new highs at $3,500, reflecting investor demand for non-correlated assets—a trend likely boosted LTHs confidence in Bitcoin’s store-of-value narrative.BTC: STH realized cap drawdown. Source: CryptoQuantOn the other hand, Cointelegraph reported that short-term holders (STHs) returned to profit this week. Still, many sold at a loss during the April drawdown, reflecting their tendency to rotate positions under market stress. This behavior echoes a recurring trend in 2024, where STHs frequently sold to LTHs during corrections.Bitcoin supply in profit market bands signals a bullish outlook, after the total supply in profit increased above the “threshold of optimism”. Currently, 16.7 million BTC in various Bitcoin addresses are in profit. Historical data from 2016, 2020, and 2024 show that when Bitcoin consistently holds above this key bullish zone, it frequently sparks significant bull runs, driving prices to new highs within months.Bitcoin Supply in Profit Market Bands. Source: CryptoQuantRelated: Bitcoin exchange outflows mimic 2023 as whales buy retail 'panic'Bitcoin may build a new range between $95K-$90KFollowing its rise to $94,900, analysts expect Bitcoin to potentially undergo a cooldown period. MNCapital founder, Michael van de Poppe, mentioned that after a massive breakout, it is “fairly normal to have a slight correction”. Likewise, anonymous crypto trader Jelle pointed out that Bitcoin has tested its weekly resistance for now, and BTC may drop as low as $91,000. From a technical perspective, Bitcoin may consolidate between $94,900 and $88,750 in the coming days. Recent price action suggested a prolonged cooldown following its breakout rally. On the 4-hour chart, the key support zone lies between $90,500 and $88,750, representing a fair value gap. A breach below this range could invalidate the lower time frame (LTF) bullish structure, potentially driving prices toward the next support area between $84,000 and $86,300, where Bitcoin previously consolidated for a week before its strong positive breakout.Bitcoin 4-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewRelated: Bitcoin's next big resistance is $95K— What will trigger the breakout?This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

by Cointelegraph by Turner Wright on April 24, 2025 at 8:05 pm

Jay Clayton, recently appointed interim US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has begun offering statements in criminal cases involving crypto fraud.In an April 23 notice, the US Attorney’s Office said Eugene William Austin, also known as Hugh Austin, had been sentenced to 18 years in prison following his conviction on conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. Together with his son, Brandon, sentenced to four years, Austin offered fraudulent crypto investment services, resulting in roughly $12 million in losses to more than 24 people.“For years, Hugh Austin was the leader of a fraud and money laundering scheme that stole more than $12 million from more than two dozen victims,” said Clayton. “Austin involved his own son in his crimes, working with him to rip off victims and spending investor money on personal expenses, like luxury hotels [...] Austin will now be held accountable for the harm he caused to individual investors and others.”The criminal case involving digital assets marked one of Clayton’s first public statements since becoming the interim US Attorney on April 22. US President Donald Trump nominated Clayton on Jan. 20 when he took office. The district has since seen the resignation of acting US Attorney Danielle Sassoon in response to the Justice Department directing her to halt a case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.Related: US prosecutors file over 200 victim statements in Celsius ex-CEO’s caseThe nation’s ‘sovereign district’ overseen by a Trump appointee?Under current law, Clayton can serve as interim US Attorney for the district for 120 days without Senate confirmation. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blocked a vote on Clayton’s nomination, saying Trump had “no fidelity to the law.”Clayton will likely oversee SDNY during the sentencing hearing for former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky and potentially other criminal cases involving cryptocurrency. The district is home to ​​Wall Street firms and many of the country’s most prominent financial institutions. Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

by Cointelegraph by Christopher Tepedino on April 24, 2025 at 7:41 pm

Nvidia’s accelerator program appears to sidestep digital assets startups, with its help section listing crypto-focused companies as ineligible to join the tech giant's global network of founders.According to the program website, crypto companies and four other types of businesses are excluded from participating in Nvidia's Inception: consulting and outsourced development firms, cloud service providers, resellers and distributors, and companies that are already public.Nvidia’s Inception membership criteria. Source: NvidiaThe move indicates a shift in Nvidia's policy regarding crypto startups in its accelerator program. For instance, in 2018, the company accepted Ubex — a startup combining blockchain and AI for digital advertising — in its Inception program. A Nvidia spokesperson declined to comment on the eligibility policy. The Inception Program is designed for companies younger than 10 years in all stages of funding.Nvidia is best known for its semiconductors, which play a crucial role in powering microchips for data centers. That same processing power has also made Nvidia’s hardware popular among crypto miners, with the company having previously explored crypto-related use cases for its products.Related: Public mining firms sold over 40% of their BTC in March — ReportNvidia and the US-China AI raceNvidia is one of the most valuable companies in the world in terms of market capitalization and a key player in the global artificial intelligence race. The company introduced its H20 chip in 2024, designed to comply with US export restrictions imposed during the Biden administration aimed at limiting China's access to advanced AI hardware. Despite being less powerful than Nvidia's top-tier chips, the H20 chips could still enable significant AI advancements in China. In response, the Trump administration imposed stricter export controls to require special licenses for H20 exports to China — a move that could impact Nvidia's sales. According to the BBC, China accounted for 13% of Nvidia’s sales in 2024. The company anticipates a $5.5 billion revenue hit tied to US export restrictions.Related: The next frontier for crypto will be decentralizing AI

by Cointelegraph by Biraajmaan Tamuly on April 24, 2025 at 7:10 pm

Key Takeaways:Ethereum saw a record 449,000 in ETH inflows to accumulation addresses on April 22.Active addresses rose 10%, signaling growing network engagement, but DeFi activity remains weak with declining DEX volumes.Holders in accumulation addresses remain underwater with a realized price of $1,981. Over the past 10 days, Ethereum inflows into accumulation addresses reached their highest levels since 2018. On April 22, a record-breaking 449,000 Ether (ETH), valued at an average price of $1,750, flowed into these addresses, marking the most significant single-day inflow in Ethereum’s history. This surge suggests that long-term holders remain optimistic about Ethereum’s future, despite recent price declines. Ethereum inflows into accumulation addresses. Source: CryptoQuantHowever, the realized price for these accumulation addresses is $1,981, meaning these holders are currently at a loss, as the current market price is below this level. Notably, the realized price had been below Ethereum’s market price since 2018, only recently surpassing it, indicating a shift in holder dynamics.Ethereum realized price for accumulation addresses. Source: CryptoQuantEthereum’s onchain activity has also shown positive momentum over the past few days. Between April 20 and 22, active addresses on the network rose by 10%, from 306,211 to 336,366. This increase and upward price movement signal growing network engagement and bullish sentiment. Yet, decentralized finance (DeFi) activity remains subdued. Data from DefiLlama indicates that decentralized exchange (DEX) volumes are declining, with transactions holding steady at a weekly average of approximately 1.3 million, suggesting limited DeFi momentum.Ethereum DEXs' volume and transactions. Source: DefiLlamaRelated: Ethereum bounces back as market dominance recovers from all-time lowEthereum faces key resistance at $1,895According to the Cost Basis Distribution (CBD) heatmap for Ethereum, a significant supply concentration is highlighted at $1,895.50, where 1.64 million ETH is held by investors who bought during November 2024. This level, identified as a potential resistance, could see selling pressure as holders might attempt to break even or lock in profits. Based on a technical analysis, the resistance at $1,895 receives further confirmation. The price hovers near the daily chart's 50-day exponential moving average (EMA), a critical trend reversal indicator. A failure to break above this EMA could signal further bearish momentum, while a sustained move higher might offer hope for bulls.Ethereum 1-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewDespite this, Ethereum remains in a clear downtrend on higher time frame charts, with no definitive signs of a bullish reversal. A daily close above $2,142 is essential to spark a potential recovery, breaking the pattern of lower highs and lower lows. However, anonymous trader Rektproof warns of an emerging bearish fractal—a repeating price pattern that previously led to declines. This suggests Ethereum could face another rejection and drop below $1,400 if the markets start trending down again. Ethereum analysis by RektProof. Source: X.comRelated: Institutions break up with Ethereum but keep ETH on the hookThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

by Cointelegraph by Turner Wright on April 24, 2025 at 6:15 pm

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) crypto task force, headed by Hester Peirce, has continued meeting with digital asset company representatives as the agency explores regulatory changes.In an April 24 notice, the SEC task force disclosed a meeting with representatives from crypto firm Ondo Finance and the law firm Davis Polk and Wardwell to discuss “issuing and selling wrapped, tokenized versions of publicly traded US securities.” Ondo Finance donated $1 million to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, and the law firm announced on April 22 that it would represent the US President’s social media company, Truth Social, to launch crypto-linked exchange-traded funds.According to the meeting request, Ondo Finance planned to discuss registration requirements for tokenized securities, compliance with financial laws, and potentially launching a regulatory sandbox. Cointelegraph reached out to the firm for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.The April 24 meeting was the latest in the SEC crypto task force’s outreach to the industry following the departure of former chair Gary Gensler. Former commissioner and Trump appointee Paul Atkins took over leadership at the agency on April 21 after his swearing-in ceremony, but has yet to take action on his proposed crypto agenda.Related: Chiliz meets with SEC Crypto Task Force amid US market reentry plansContinuing outreach to industry under new SEC chairOn April 25, the crypto task force will host a roundtable event to discuss custody, including representatives from Kraken, Anchorage Digital Bank, WisdomTree, and others. Following the approval of crypto exchange-traded funds in 2024, many financial institutions have seen demand for digital asset custody in the US grow significantly.It’s unclear what the SEC’s intentions may be regarding pursuing crypto enforcement cases under Atkins. The commission has stated it will continue cases involving fraudulent activity, but dropped a complaint against Hex founder Richard Heart on April 21. The agency has already announced it will stop investigations or lawsuits against many firms, including Ripple, Coinbase, and Kraken. All three exchanges donated or had executives who supported Trump’s 2024 campaign or inauguration fund.Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

by Cointelegraph by Sam Bourgi on April 24, 2025 at 5:51 pm

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has introduced a new fund management solution designed to simplify asset management for portfolio managers, highlighting the growing sophistication of institutional tools in the digital asset space. On April 24, Binance launched Fund Accounts, a tool commonly used by traditional asset managers and brokerage firms to consolidate client assets and streamline portfolio management.Binance said Fund Accounts allow portfolio managers to “consolidate externally-raised investor assets into one or multiple omnibus accounts,” which can reduce operational complexity and enable more efficient trading execution. Presumably, these omnibus accounts operate under a single custodian who executes trades on behalf of their clients. The new program is only available to eligible fund managers who must contact their Binance VIP representative for more information. A Binance spokesperson informed Cointelegraph that fund managers and their investors must pass Know Your Customer and Know Your Business requirements and be licensed or exempted in their jurisdictions to use the Fund Accounts product.Binance is the world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume, according to CoinMarketCap data. In December, the exchange updated the requirements for its VIP program, which is geared toward institutional investors and private clients. Top crypto spot exchanges as of April 24 based on daily trading volume. Source: CoinMarketCapRelated: Crypto Biz: Ripple’s ‘defining moment,’ Binance’s ongoing purgeTradFi and crypto continue to mergeBinance’s Fund Accounts is another example of traditional finance solutions merging with cryptocurrency, signaling growing institutional involvement. After spending the first decade of crypto largely on the sidelines, institutional investors are now entering the space, driven by the launch of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the rise of real-world asset tokenization, and attractive yield opportunities in onchain lending.Blockchain companies are also working to bring institutional trading solutions to crypto-native users. On April 24, onchain trading infrastructure provider Theo announced it had raised $20 million to expand its institutional-grade trading platform aimed at serving retail investors. Seventeen investors participated in the funding round, including angel investors from Jane Street, JPMorgan and Citadel.Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest, April 13 – 19

by Cointelegraph by Marcel Pechman on April 24, 2025 at 5:04 pm

Key takeaways: Bearish Bitcoin traders were caught off guard by BTC’s rally above $90,000.Spot volumes are driving the Bitcoin price rally.Derivatives positions with a bearish bias remain at risk of liquidation.Bitcoin (BTC) held above the $93,000 mark on April 24, suggesting a potential conclusion to the 52-day bear market that bottomed at $74,400. Although Bitcoin is beginning to show signs of decoupling from the stock market, professional traders have not altered their strategies, as indicated by BTC futures and margin market data.BTC top traders' long-to-short ratio. Source: CoinGlassA higher long-to-short ratio reflects a preference for long (buy) positions, while a lower ratio indicates a tilt toward short (sell) contracts. Currently, the top traders’ long-to-short ratio on Binance stands at 1.5x, a notable decrease from the 2x level observed ten days earlier. At OKX, the ratio peaked near 1.1x on April 17 but has since lost momentum and now sits at 0.9x.Bitcoin shines as dollar weakens and S&P 500 targets are slashedBitcoin’s 10% rally between April 20 and April 24 coincided with a more conciliatory stance from US President Donald Trump regarding import tariffs and his criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who has faced scrutiny for maintaining high interest rates. On April 24, Trump stated he had “no intention” of firing Powell, marking a notable shift from his previous rhetoric.Amid economic uncertainty, Deutsche Bank strategists have reduced their year-end S&P 500 target by 12% to 6,150. Meanwhile, the US dollar has weakened against other major currencies, pushing the DXY index below 99 for the first time in three years. Despite a modest 6% gain over the past 30 days, Bitcoin’s performance has secured it a place among the world’s top eight tradable assets, with a market capitalization of $1.84 trillion.The sharp move above $90,000 caught Bitcoin bears off guard, resulting in over $390 million in leveraged short (sell) futures liquidations between April 21 and April 22. More significantly, aggregate open interest in BTC futures remains just 5% below its all-time high, indicating that bearish traders have not fully exited their positions.BTC futures liquidation heatmap, USD. Source: CoinGlassIf Bitcoin’s price maintains its upward momentum and breaks above $95,000, an additional $700 million in short (sell) futures positions could be liquidated, according to CoinGlass data. This potential short squeeze may prove especially challenging for bears, given the robust inflows into spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which totaled over $2.2 billion between April 21 and April 23.A newly announced joint venture involving SoftBank, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Tether aims to accumulate Bitcoin through convertible bonds and equity financing, which could further strengthen the bullish case. Named “Twenty One Capital,” the Bitcoin treasury company is led by Strike founder Jack Mallers and plans to launch with 42,000 BTC.Related: Sovereign wealth funds piling into BTC as retail exits — Coinbase execThe muted response from top traders in BTC margin and futures markets suggests that the recent buying pressure has originated mainly from spot markets, which is generally considered a positive indicator for a sustainable bull run.The longer Bitcoin consolidates above $90,000, the greater the pressure on bears to cover their shorts, as this level reinforces the narrative that Bitcoin is decoupling from the stock market. This could provide the confidence needed to challenge the $100,000 psychological threshold.This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.