Short News

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has proposed turning the Caribbean coast into a Bitcoin mining hub by using surplus renewable energy, mainly from hydropower in cities like Santa Marta, Riohacha, and Barranquilla. Colombia already generates around 75 percent of its electricity from renewables with over 21000 megawatts of capacity, creating potential excess power for mining. Supporters see job creation and revenue growth in poorer regions, while critics highlight high electricity costs and challenges from heat and infrastructure limitations for large-scale mining.

Pi Network founders Chengdiao Fan and Nicolas Kokkalis took the stage at Consensus 2026, highlighting the convergence of AI, Web3, and blockchain to an audience of over 20000 attendees. Fan emphasized leveraging Pi’s KYC-verified base of over 50 million users to build practical AI-driven applications, while Kokkalis focused on secure digital identity without compromising privacy. With its open mainnet launched in February 2025 and more than 10 billion PI tokens now active on chain, Pi Network is preparing to introduce smart contracts through Protocol 23. The project aims to expand real-world utility and strengthen its ecosystem after facing earlier concerns over delays.

KelpDAO announced it will migrate its rsETH token from LayerZero to Chainlink CCIP after an April 18 exploit that drained 116,500 rsETH, worth about $292 million. The protocol blamed LayerZero’s single verifier setup and lack of warnings during integration. LayerZero CEO Bryan Pellegrino responded that Kelp chose the risky configuration despite guidance to use multiple verifiers. The disagreement has divided the community, with some backing Chainlink’s stronger security model and others raising concerns over both sides.

Bullish has agreed to acquire Equiniti in a 4.2 billion dollar deal that brings together a crypto exchange and a major global transfer agent. Equiniti works with nearly 3000 public companies, including Berkshire Hathaway and Moody’s, and processes large-scale shareholder services. The combined business plans to build a tokenized securities infrastructure offering 24/7 trading, real-time settlement, and stablecoin-based payments. The move signals a push to modernize traditional financial markets using blockchain technology. The deal is expected to close in January 2027 pending regulatory approvals.

Standard Chartered’s SC Ventures has invested in crypto market maker GSR, becoming its first external strategic investor since the firm was founded in 2013. The investment, part of a broader partnership, highlights growing ties between traditional finance and digital assets. GSR, one of the largest crypto liquidity providers, recently also invested in Libeara, a tokenization platform backed by SC Ventures. The collaboration aims to strengthen crypto capital markets and expand institutional adoption of digital asset infrastructure.

World Liberty Fi has filed a lawsuit against Justin Sun, accusing him of defamation and coordinated market manipulation targeting its WLFI token. According to the complaint, Sun allegedly engaged in trading activity that included suspected short positions and transfers through Binance and third-party wallets, which led to his assets being frozen amid compliance concerns. The firm further claims that after the freeze, Sun initiated a public campaign to discredit the project, made threats to depress WLFI’s price, and demanded large payments in exchange for silence. World Liberty is now seeking damages and a court order to remove the alleged statements.

U.S. law firm Gerstein Harrow has filed a restraining notice seeking to prevent Arbitrum DAO from returning 30,766 ETH, worth about $73 million, that was frozen after the Kelp DAO exploit. The firm argues the stolen funds are linked to North Korea-backed hackers and should be classified as DPRK-related assets under existing sanctions and judgments. It further claims the ETH should be redirected to satisfy outstanding court rulings, where its clients are still owed more than $877 million from prior cases involving North Korea, turning the case into a broader dispute over crypto seizure, attribution, and cross-border debt enforcement.

Hyperliquid’s HIP-4 event contract launched with early interest, recording about 6.05 million contracts on its first day, equal to roughly 0.7% of total prediction market activity. Despite the modest share, the debut shows initial traction for Hyperliquid’s event trading push. However, it still lags far behind major players, with Kalshi processing 546 million contracts and Polymarket reaching 190 million on the same day. The launch highlights growing competition in prediction markets but also clear dominance by established platforms.

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen has proposed a $56 billion acquisition of eBay at $125 per share, after quietly building a 5% stake. The offer is non-binding and financed through a mix of cash reserves, bank debt, and newly issued shares. Cohen aims to merge GameStop’s physical retail network with eBay’s online marketplace, focusing on collectibles, live shopping, and operational cost cuts. While both stocks jumped on the news, eBay has not responded, and a potential proxy battle could follow if talks stall.

Morgan Stanley is advising clients to allocate 2% to 4% of their portfolios to Bitcoin, signaling cautious institutional confidence. Amy Oldenburg, who leads the firm’s digital asset strategy, said Bitcoin could eventually appear on U.S. bank balance sheets. However, she noted that progress may take time due to regulations from the Federal Reserve and global banking rules, while adviser adoption remains slow due to limited awareness.