➡️ Trump's Iran Threat Causes Bitcoin Dip: $279 Million Liquidated

📉 Bitcoin and the wider crypto market experienced a downturn on Saturday evening following a tweet from President Donald Trump regarding Iran. Trump warned that the U.S. would destroy Iran's power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened within 48 hours. This led to Bitcoin dropping from a stable range above $70,000 to a low of $68,241 per coin.

💔 The impact was immediate on crypto derivatives, with approximately $243 million in liquidations occurring within an hour of Trump's post. This brought the total daily liquidations to $279 million, primarily affecting long positions. Bitcoin fell by 2.4% for the day, while Ethereum and several altcoins saw declines of over 3%.

They want to make a deal. I don’t!

Trump stated before issuing his threat to Iran. He claimed that the U.S. had already severely weakened Iran and that their defense capabilities were virtually non-existent.

🚨 In his post, Trump declared:

If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!

📊 As a result of the sell-off, around 78,694 crypto traders were liquidated. By 8:20 p.m. EST, Bitcoin was holding just above the $68,000 mark. The market's reaction seemed to be driven more by geopolitical tensions than by internal factors. Traders were closely monitoring whether Bitcoin could maintain these levels as liquidations were cleared.

🔔 Ripple's Expansion in Brazil and Regulatory Developments in Latin America

🚀 This week in Latin American crypto news, Ripple is making significant strides in Brazil, the Brazilian government is reconsidering its crypto taxation plans, and Argentina has banned access to the prediction market platform Polymarket.

🌍 Ripple is intensifying its efforts in Brazil, aiming for greater institutional dominance in the crypto space. The company announced on March 17 its plans to expand its presence in Brazil, enhance its institutional offerings, and apply for a Virtual Asset Service Provider license.

Latin America has always been a priority market for Ripple

said Monica Long, President at Ripple.

Brazil has built one of the most advanced and forward-thinking financial ecosystems in the world.

📉 In contrast, Brazil is delaying its plans to tax stablecoin transactions. Local media had reported that these taxation measures were imminent, but new information suggests that the government is shifting its focus to other priorities as the presidential election approaches. A source noted,

It remains on the radar. But it needs to be handled carefully, because tempers are running high in Brasilia.

📉 Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs Face Significant Losses Amidst Market Pressure

📉 The cryptocurrency market experienced a tumultuous week, with Bitcoin ETFs suffering a substantial outflow of $225 million, marking one of the largest single-day withdrawals. This was primarily driven by Blackrock's IBIT, which alone lost $201.53 million. Other notable outflows included Bitwise's BITB with $18.60 million and Ark & 21Shares' ARKB with a smaller loss of $5.35 million. Despite high trading activity of $3.39 billion, net assets plummeted to $84.77 billion.

➡️ Ethereum ETFs also extended their losing streak to eight days, with a total outflow of $48.54 million. The ETHA fund from Blackrock led the decline with an outflow of $70.80 million, followed by Fidelity's FETH and Grayscale's Ether Mini Trust which lost $8.92 million and $8.68 million respectively. However, Blackrock's ETHB fund stood out by attracting $39.86 million in inflows, likely due to its staking component appealing to investors despite the overall weak sentiment towards Ethereum.

⚠️ In contrast, XRP ETFs showed little trading activity with net assets dropping to $933.33 million. Solana ETFs faced more significant pressure, particularly Bitwise's BSOL which experienced an outflow of $7.84 million, resulting in a decrease of net assets to $809.62 million.

🔍 Human Error: The Main Threat to Cryptocurrency Access

🌐 A recent study reveals that human errors, rather than hacking attacks, are the primary threat to cryptocurrency assets. Approximately 35% of cryptocurrency owners have lost access to their wallets or accounts. The main reasons for these losses include forgotten passwords, lost seed phrases, and failures in two-factor authentication (2FA), with platform bankruptcies exacerbating the situation.

❗️ The Oobit study highlights a troubling reality in the digital asset space: over one-third of cryptocurrency owners have at some point lost access to their wallets or accounts. The data shows that the biggest threat to cryptocurrency assets is not sophisticated hacking but simple human error.

Several minutes of preparation today can be crucial in determining whether you will be able to recover your assets or lose them forever,

said Amram Adar, CEO of Oobit.

💰 The financial consequences of these incidents are serious. More than 1 in 10 users who lost access reported losing over $5,000 at once, with affected individuals losing an average of 30% of their total cryptocurrency assets. The study paints a grim picture of recovery attempts: while 47% of users eventually recovered their funds, nearly one-third (31%) never saw their assets again, and 7% are still trying to regain access.

🛡 Bybit Prevents Over $1 Billion in Fake Deposit Attacks

🚨 Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit announced that its Group Risk Control team has successfully identified and blocked a series of coordinated fake deposit attacks across multiple blockchains. The potential losses were estimated at over 1 billion DOT (approximately $1.3 billion at the time of writing). All incidents were neutralized in real-time, with no erroneous fund credits reported.

🔍 According to the company, the attackers employed complex transaction processing mechanisms to simulate the receipt of funds. Their goal was to trick the exchange's system into crediting assets that had not actually been received. Identified scenarios included:

- Batch transactions where a large operation failed while smaller ones succeeded;
- Multistep ownership-changing transactions that created the illusion of fund movement without actual balance increase.

⚠️ Bybit noted that such attacks can mislead systems that rely solely on the overall transaction status or event logs. The exchange's deposit monitoring system is built on a multi-layered validation model. It analyzes transactions at every execution stage and confirms only real asset movement, which is why losses were avoided.

🚨 Russia Considers Criminalizing Illegal Cryptocurrency Exchange

⚖️ The Russian government commission on legislative activities has approved a draft law that introduces criminal liability for organizing illegal cryptocurrency transactions, particularly if they result in significant damage. The specifics of what constitutes illegal cryptocurrency circulation have not been detailed.

➡️ The proposed law adds a new article—171(7)—to the Russian Criminal Code. It stipulates that individuals found guilty of organizing illegal cryptocurrency transactions could face fines ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 rubles or an amount equivalent to their income for a period of one to two years. Additionally, compulsory labor for up to four years or imprisonment for the same duration may be imposed, along with a fine of up to 80,000 rubles or an amount equivalent to income for up to six months.

🔍 The penalties are increased if the crime is committed by an organized group or results in particularly large damage or income. In such cases, the offender may face compulsory labor for up to five years or imprisonment for up to seven years, along with a fine of up to 1 million rubles or an amount equivalent to income for up to five years.

🪙 Trader Turns $960 into Over $337,000 in Less Than Two Hours: Insider Trading Suspicions Arise

💰 A trader achieved an astonishing 351x return on their investment by turning approximately $960 into over $337,000 in less than two hours through the meme coin ASTEROID on the Solana network. According to analysts from Lookonchain, the trader acquired over 158 million ASTEROID tokens using three different wallets.

This guy turned $960 into $337K in less than 2 hours — a 351x return!

said Lookonchain on social media.

🔖 After purchasing the tokens for about 11 SOL (approximately $960), the trader sold 134.75 million ASTEROID for 1,539 SOL (around $135,000) and still holds 23.76 million ASTEROID valued at about $200,000.

🤔 The crypto community has reacted with mixed opinions regarding this transaction. Some view it as an example of high-risk but legal trading, while others question the transparency of the operations. One commenter noted that such a rapid increase in value

looks like a liquidity distribution event

where early participants can exit their positions at the expense of later buyers.

🆕 BitMEX Launches External Collateral Trading

🔔 BitMEX has announced a partnership with custodial company Zodia Custody and launched a new collateral model for trading cryptocurrency derivatives. Institutional and professional clients can now use the exchange's products without the need to transfer assets to their accounts in advance. The integration is already available through Interchange.

🔒 The essence of the new ecosystem is that the collateral remains in a separate account within the custodial partner's infrastructure rather than within the exchange itself. This allows clients to maintain control over their capital while still accessing perpetual swaps and futures on BitMEX.

🚨 This decision was made in response to crisis situations in the crypto industry. BitMEX CEO Stefan Lutz pointed out that the collapse of FTX and the $1.4 billion hack of Bybit highlighted the vulnerability of systems where client assets are closely tied to the exchange's internal stability. He emphasized the need for more reliable mechanisms for asset storage and protection.

📉 Bitcoin Overview for April 25: Flat Market and Weak Spot Demand

📊 Bitcoin is trading around $77,500, slightly retreating from local highs. The key support level is approximately $75,000, while resistance is at $80,000, which is the breakeven point for short-term holders. The daily range is between $77,310 and $77,711.

🔍 The price movement is influenced by mixed signals from institutional investors, weak spot demand, and ongoing geopolitical tensions. On April 25, after recent consolidation around $78,300, Bitcoin corrected to $77,500. Analysts from CryptoQuant suggest that the recent peak was a classic short squeeze rather than a result of organic buying.

📉 In the last 24 hours, 97,501 trader positions were forcibly closed, totaling $209.27 million in liquidations. Expert Ted Pillous noted that the premium on the largest American crypto exchange is decreasing amid attempts to raise the price of digital gold, indicating a clear signal of weakening spot demand.

🌍 The global macroeconomic backdrop remains challenging, with a stalemate in US-Iran relations and oil futures holding near $105 per barrel. This situation supports inflationary risks and limits investor appetite for risky assets, including the crypto market.

📉 Decline of Digital Currency Discussions on Platform X

🚫 Recent changes in user preferences on platform X have become evident following the introduction of tools for precise customization of personal feeds. Statistics show that cryptocurrencies have become the top category that users prefer to exclude from recommendations.

🗣 Nikita Bir, the product development lead at X, confirmed that interest in discussing blockchain technologies and digital currencies has waned. This topic has fallen behind politics, international conflicts, sports, and traditional finance.

➡️ The main reason for this decline is the overwhelming influx of low-quality content generated by artificial intelligence. Every day, the system encounters a large number of messages, many of which promise quick profits but turn out to be automated spam. It has been noted that marketing activity often crosses reasonable limits, turning the feed into a chaotic collection of advertisements.

📉 The situation has worsened with the emergence of InfoFi format applications, which financially supported users for posting. This led to a flood of meaningless posts created solely for the sake of receiving rewards.

🚫 In response, the administration of X has tightened its policy regarding APIs, closing off opportunities for artificially boosting activity. These measures aim to return to quality human communication and protect the platform's reputation.

🔍 Market Awaits Employment Data and Reports: This Week Will Determine Crypto Asset Dynamics

🔔 The week begins with three key events: new employment data from the U.S., reports from major public companies in the sector, and signals from the Federal Reserve (Fed). Each of these could alter interest rate expectations and set the direction for Bitcoin and other assets.

📊 The main event of the week is the U.S. labor market report. The forecast for new jobs in April is around 73,000 compared to 178,000 the previous month. If the figure is weak, the market may intensify expectations for an earlier rate cut, supporting risk assets including cryptocurrencies. Strong data would have the opposite effect, pushing back the rate cut scenario and increasing market pressure.

📈 In addition to payrolls, the market will receive additional signals such as unemployment claims, the services sector activity index, and wage data. Each of these indicators affects inflation expectations and collectively shapes the picture the Fed relies on.

⚠️ Concurrently, the market is monitoring corporate earnings. This week, results will be presented by Strategy, Coinbase, MARA, Hut 8, CleanSpark, and Core Scientific. This will allow for an assessment of the mining and exchange segments, particularly focusing on Bitcoin sales by miners.

💰 Bitcoin Overview: May 10 - Whales' Hidden Accumulation and the Battle for Breakeven Zone

📈 Bitcoin has secured a position above $80,000, nearing the short-term holders' (STH) cost base at $81,300. Spot Bitcoin ETFs have recorded a net inflow for the sixth consecutive week. However, the external environment remains tense due to instability in the Middle East, which is dampening risk appetite in traditional markets.

📊 Over the past day, Bitcoin (BTC) continued its recovery after a correction to local lows, trading around $80,666 at the time of publication. Analysts note a steady increase in the average size of spot orders, indicating that whales are continuing to accumulate positions discreetly. The derivatives market remains overheated, with open interest holding at high levels amid predominantly negative funding rates, creating conditions for sharp cascade liquidations during impulsive breaks of key levels.

🌍 Investors are pricing in risks associated with international instability. Rumors surrounding the Project Freedom operation threaten the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East, causing the S&P 500 to retreat from historical highs. The cryptocurrency market is maintaining resilience largely due to institutional demand. Six weeks of continuous inflows into American spot ETFs are mitigating selling pressure and partially offsetting macroeconomic negativity.

🌐 Hyperbridge launches $50K bug bounty after bridge exploit

❗️ The program invites independent security researchers to review the protocol codebase and submit reports through the security platform. The HackenProof page lists the Hyperbridge Protocol program as live and active. It describes Hyperbridge as a system that lets blockchains communicate and transfer assets through consensus and state proofs, rather than older bridge models that rely on multisig committees.

⚠️ Hyperbridge said rewards start at $200 for low-severity reports and rise to $2,000–$5,000 for medium findings. High-severity bugs can earn $5,000–$15,000, while critical vulnerabilities can receive up to $50,000. The scope covers the full Hyperbridge protocol repository. The team said researchers can report logic flaws, access-control issues, reentrancy, cross-chain message spoofing, state manipulation and any flaw that could affect message or fund integrity.

☄️ The program follows an April exploit in which an attacker minted roughly 1 billion fake DOT-equivalent tokens on Ethereum through Hyperbridge’s cross-chain gateway. Cryptonews reported that the attacker gained admin control through a forged cross-chain message and extracted about $237,000 in ether.

🚨 Gemini Eyes CLARITY Act Senate Vote In Next 30 Days: What Are The Odds?

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🔔 Kevin Warsh sworn in as Fed chair with Bitcoin at $77,400

❗️ Kevin Warsh was sworn is as the 17th Federal Reserve chair at a White House ceremony on Friday, becoming the first Fed leader to take the oath at the executive mansion since Alan Greenspan in 1987. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the oath. Warsh, 56, succeeds Jerome Powell, who held the position since 2018 and will remain on the Fed board as a governor until 2028. The Senate had confirmed Warsh on May 13 in a narrow 54-45 vote, with Democratic Senator John Fetterman as the only crossover.

⚠️ “Our mandate at the Fed is to promote price stability and maximum employment,” Warsh said after being sworn in. “When we pursue those aims with wisdom and clarity, independence and resolve, inflation can be lower, growth stronger, real take-home pay higher.”

☄️ Warsh pledged to lead a “reform-oriented Federal Reserve” and vowed he would never predetermine interest rates at any elected official’s request. President Trump, who had repeatedly attacked Powell over rate policy, told attendees he wants Warsh to be “totally independent.”

🔔 CryptoQuant CEO says Bitcoin bear ends in early 2027

➡️ CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju posted on X this week warning that Bitcoin’s current downturn mirrors the extended bear cycles of 2014, 2018, and 2022, and may not resolve until early 2027.
“Once profit-taking cascades, Bitcoin investors’ PnL typically falls for about 18 months,” Ju wrote. “Since the trend change started in October 2025, the bear market could last until early 2027. The trend only changes when unrealized profits rise and realized profits fall. We’re not there yet.”

📊 Ju’s analysis is grounded in CryptoQuant’s PnL Index Signal, a 365-day moving average that tracks investor profitability cycles. The indicator peaked in late 2025 in a pattern closely matching the tops recorded before the prolonged bear phases of 2014, 2018, and 2022. Each of those periods saw steep sustained declines once the signal rolled over from its peak.

‼️ Bitcoin was trading near $73,000 at the time of the post, down roughly 30% from its 2025 highs, amid rising macroeconomic pressure from elevated US Treasury yields and broader risk-off sentiment across markets. Bearish social commentary on Bitcoin hit its highest level in 2026 earlier in April as spot demand weakened.