Crypto

Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded nearly $1 billion in weekly inflows, their strongest performance in over three months amid improving risk sentiment. Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded nearly $1 billion in net inflows over the past week, marking their strongest performance in more than three months as market sentiment shifts toward risk assets. Data from SoSoValue shows that spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs attracted $996 muillion in total net inflows last week, the highest weekly intake since early January, when inflows reached about $1.4 billion. Friday saw $663.9 million in inflows, the strongest single-day performance of the week. Earlier gains included $411.5 million on Tuesday and $186 million on Wednesday, followed by a more modest $26 million on Thursday. The period began with a $291 million outflow on Monday. Read more

The SEC has sued crypto executive Donald Basile over an alleged $16 million scheme involving false claims about an “insured” Bitcoin Latinum token. The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a lawsuit against crypto executive Donald Basile, accusing him and two companies he controlled of raising about $16 million from investors through false claims tied to a so-called “insured” crypto token known as Bitcoin Latinum. In a complaint filed Friday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the SEC alleged that Basile ran the scheme between March and December 2021 through Monsoon Blockchain Corp. and GIBF GP Inc., offering investors Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFTs) that promised future delivery of the token, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Regulators said hundreds of investors were told the asset was backed and insured, but the SEC alleged no insurance company ever provided coverage or any proof that these claims were true, per the report. Read more

USOIL dumped by double digits within minutes after the announcement.

Iran said seven of Trump's claims made in one hour are all false.

One of the biggest short liquidations 2026 wiped $593 million in bearish bets overnight. Saturday afternoon as Iran reportedly reversed the Hormuz reopening.

Token edges ahead of bitcoin and ether over seven days, though thinning participation keeps the move in consolidation territory.

The USDC Bridge adds to Circle's Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol, which often sees over $500 million worth of USDC transfers each day. Stablecoin issuer Circle has launched USDC Bridge, a new user interface built on top of the Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) that seeks to simplify native cross-chain transfers of the USDC stablecoin. On Friday, Circle’s USDC X account said the bridge allows users to move the USDC (USDC) stablecoin in a “predictable, transparent way,” citing a native burn-and-mint transfer mechanism and no bridge complexities. Gas fees will be handled automatically, fees will be shown upfront, and live status updates will be provided throughout the transfer, Circle added. Read more

Demand is emerging fastest in the Global South and cross-border use cases, where cards fail and currencies are unstable, said Adrien Duchâteau, Stripe's crypto GTM lead.

Part one explained the physics of quantum computing. This piece explains the target — how bitcoin's encryption works, why a quantum algorithm breaks it, and what Google's paper changed about the timeline.

A fake Ledger wallet sold on a marketplace has a hidden chip and firmware designed to steal seed phrases and PINs instantly.

X’s Cashtags feature has been integrated into Canadian-based online brokerage Wealthsimple, but has not yet been adopted by a US trading platform. Social media platform X has already generated roughly $1 billion in trading volume from its new Cashtags feature, which allows users to view stock and crypto data directly from the app. In a post to X on Friday, the company’s head of product, Nikita Bier, said the estimated $1 billion in trading volume was reached after launching on Tuesday night, citing data aggregated from X’s trading pilot. Based on aggregated data from our trading pilot, X has driven a estimated $1 billion in trading volume globally since launching on Tuesday night. https://t.co/TimRE4U37S Read more

Most of the integrations are aimed at fighting deepfakes as the rise of AI-generated content makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish humans from AI. Worldcoin fell 13.4% to roughly $0.28 on Friday as World, the identity-focused company led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, unveiled several new integrations for its “proof of human” stack, which uses iris-scanning technology to verify identities. Video conferencing tool Zoom is integrating World’s Deep Face authentication to prevent deepfakes, while electronic signature platform Docusign is adding World’s ID verification tech to digital agreements, World said on Friday. Dating app Tinder is also expanding its World ID verification to US users. “As AI agents increasingly act on behalf of real people, the infrastructure to prove a human stands behind each agent becomes critical,” World said. No more deepfakes on video calls. @worldnetwork identify verification on @Zoom. pic.twitter.com/0ap0IOKR6H Read more

Bitcoin rallied hard after Iran said it was reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. Bitcoin hit the highest level since February, oil prices dropped, Wall Street notched another record, and the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.24%. But here’s the catch: markets acted as if the reopening had solved the core standoff […] The post All eyes on Bitcoin this weekend as Iran is already disputing the US narrative on the Hormuz deal appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Individuals and groups would be required to register with the Bank of Russia before offering certain crypto services, or potentially face fines and prison time. Russia’s government submitted a bill to its parliament’s lower house in an effort to amend the country's legal code to attach criminal liability for crypto services offered without regulatory approval or licensing. In a draft law sent to the State Duma on Friday, Russian lawmakers proposed that entities "carrying out activities related to the organization of digital currency circulation,” that operate without a license from Russia’s central bank, could be subject to criminal liability. Without registration with the Bank of Russia, individuals could face up to $4,000 in fines and up to four years in prison, or more severe penalties if part of an organized group. Read more

Traders on the Polymarket prediction market platform place the odds of the Strait returning to normal traffic by May 31, 2026, at 73%. Polymarket prediction market odds of the Strait of Hormuz “returning to normal” by the end of May spiked to 73% on Friday, following news that Iranian officials have temporarily opened up the Strait of Hormuz as part of a ceasefire deal. The odds climbed to a high of 82% on Friday, after Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz is open. Since that time, the odds have fallen back down to 73%. He said in an X post: However, traders on the platform placed the odds of the Strait returning to normal activity by the end of April at just 40%. Read more

One unilateral freeze by Circle could trigger a domino effect across DEXs, bridges, oracles, and even wallets.

The price of Bitcoin breaks a seven-month downtrend as geopolitical shifts and prediction markets point to $84K next.

More than $1.2 million worth of wrapped XRP tokens (wXRP) have been minted on Solana as the Ripple-linked asset gains greater DeFi utility.

"[The] proposed changes are intended to stabilize price, dampen cyclicality, drive liquidity, and grow demand," said Executive Chairman Michael Saylor.

Rep. Sheri Biggs purchased up to $250,000 worth of BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF last month, padding a position she entered into last July.