Coinpedia - Fintech & Cryptocurreny News Media| Crypto Guide

France is facing a sharp rise in kidnappings linked to cryptocurrency, with 88 suspects charged across 12 cases, including minors, most now in custody. Investigators say these crimes are part of organized networks targeting crypto holders and their families for ransom. Victims are often abducted, threatened, and forced to transfer digital assets. Authorities report dozens of incidents already in 2026, with attacks occurring every few days, highlighting how growing crypto wealth is increasingly attracting violent, coordinated crime.

Solana has crossed 25.3 billion total transactions, showing massive network activity as it continues to compete with Ethereum. Growth is being driven by tokenized equities and pre-IPO assets through platforms like Ondo Finance, xStocks, and PreStocks, alongside strong DeFi expansion. Real-world asset lending on the network has also reached about $1.23 billion, highlighting rising institutional interest. With high-speed transactions, low fees, and expanding RWA adoption, Solana is strengthening its position as a leading blockchain for real-world financial applications.

After one of 2026’s largest DeFi exploits, Kelp DAO is working with Aave and ecosystem partners to recover losses tied to rsETH. The attack, which involved minting unbacked tokens through a compromised cross-chain setup, created a major deficit across lending platforms. From the initial 163,200 ETH shortfall, around 43,000 ETH has been recovered and 30,700 ETH secured, leaving roughly 89,500 ETH still unresolved, while partners like Mantle, EtherFi, Lido, and Golem have pledged 43,500 ETH to help close the gap.

Tether has frozen two Tron-based wallets holding about $344 million in USDT, marking one of its largest enforcement moves to date. One wallet contained roughly $212.9 million, while the other held $131.3 million. The action was carried out in coordination with the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and other law enforcement agencies as part of ongoing investigations into illicit financial activity. The move reflects Tether’s increasing role in supporting global regulators by blacklisting suspicious funds and tightening oversight of stablecoin flows across blockchain networks.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is operating a live Bitcoin node to study its use in cybersecurity. Admiral Samuel Paparo confirmed that the project is still experimental and focused on research, not mining or financial use. The military is examining Bitcoin’s blockchain, cryptography, and proof-of-work system to understand how they can help monitor and secure digital networks. Officials say the goal is to explore stronger protection against cyber threats by using decentralized technology. The effort remains in the testing phase as part of broader defense innovation work.

It has been 15 years since Satoshi Nakamoto sent his final known email on April 23, 2011. In the message to developer Mike Hearn, he said he had “moved on to other things” and that Bitcoin was in good hands with Gavin Andresen and the community. This moment is widely seen as Satoshi’s quiet exit from the project he created. Since then, no verified communication from him has ever surfaced, making it one of crypto’s greatest mysteries.

A post linked to Sam Bankman-Fried claims FTX’s top six investments could be worth about $114 billion as of April 22, 2026, if they had not been sold during bankruptcy proceedings. The projected value is dominated by Anthropic at $82.3B, making up over 70% of the total, followed by SpaceX at $15B. Additional holdings include Solana at $5.1B, Robinhood at $4.9B, Genesis Digital Assets at $3.5B, and Cursor at $3B. The estimate underscores how bankruptcy-driven asset sales, aimed at quickly recovering funds for creditors, may have resulted in significant opportunity costs, as several of these assets appreciated sharply after liquidation.

Following the KelpDAO exploit, the attacker rapidly moved 75,700 ETH, worth about $175 million, and converted nearly all of it into Bitcoin within roughly 36 hours. The swaps were mainly executed through THORChain, a cross-chain protocol that allows direct ETH-to-BTC conversions without intermediaries. The massive transactions pushed THORChain’s volume to around $800 million and generated about $910,000 in fees, highlighting how large-scale hacks can quickly impact liquidity, tracking efforts, and platform revenues.

Robinhood Ventures Fund I has completed a $75 million investment in OpenAI on April 17, 2026. The fund, listed on the NYSE under ticker RVI since March 6, 2026, is Robinhood’s first closed-end vehicle aimed at giving retail investors access to private companies. Alongside OpenAI, it holds stakes in firms like Airwallex, Databricks, Stripe, and Revolut. The fund allows everyday investors to gain exposure to high-growth private tech markets through public trading access.

Coinbase has launched a USDC-INR trading pair in India, allowing users to directly convert Indian Rupees into the USDC stablecoin within its platform. The rollout is part of Coinbase’s regulated re-entry into India after securing FIU-IND registration in 2025 under anti-money laundering rules. The new system reduces dependence on P2P and offshore channels by offering a compliant fiat-to-crypto gateway. It follows phased service expansion across Coinbase products after its return to the Indian market.