Short News

Aztec has completed the transfer of all ETH raised during its public token auction to Coinbase following a phased withdrawal over recent months. In December, the project sold 15% of its AZTEC supply, raising 19,388.4 ETH (around $59.13M) at an average price of $0.0473 per token, now significantly lower in value. During token generation, 4,234.6 ETH was allocated for liquidity, while the remaining 15,154 ETH was steadily moved to Coinbase, with the final transfer finalized on April 17 at 16:44 UTC.

Hyperliquid’s HYPE token has surged to a 2026 high of $45, rising over 108% from its yearly low. The rally is driven by strong trading activity, rising RWA open interest of $2.3 billion, and record daily revenue since February. Market attention is also on the upcoming HIP-4 upgrade, which may introduce binary options trading. The Hyperliquid Assistance Fund bought 37,000 HYPE tokens worth $1.6 million, supporting its buyback and burn program. Net inflows over 90 days exceeded $950 million overall.

Singapore Gulf Bank has introduced a regulated on-chain banking service on Solana that allows institutional clients to mint and redeem USDC directly from USD at a 1:1 ratio. The system enables instant 24/7 settlement from bank accounts to stablecoins, with temporary zero fees on transactions, gas, and minting. Initially aimed at businesses and high-net-worth clients, the service is designed to support faster cross-border payments and treasury operations, with plans to expand access to retail users in the future.

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen posted “Trump 2028” on April 17, sparking immediate reactions across social media and the $GME investor community. Supporters of Donald Trump and some shareholders praised the post as a bold political statement, while critics in the retail “ape” community said it was a distraction from GameStop’s long-term turnaround and performance goals. Cohen has previously expressed support for Trump in public posts, which has repeatedly drawn mixed responses from investors and online forums. The post also fueled speculation and memes despite the U.S. constitutional limit that prevents a third presidential term.

The U.S. Marshals Service has moved 8.2 Bitcoin worth about $606K to Coinbase Prime. The funds are tied to the 2016 Bitfinex hack and the conviction of Ilya Lichtenstein. Authorities have used Coinbase for custody since 2024, and blockchain data confirmed the government wallets involved. There is no confirmation of a sale, and officials still hold more than 200K Bitcoin. The market viewed the transfer as routine management, with Bitcoin steady near $75000.

Tether has expanded its ecosystem by launching a new wallet app that enables users to send and receive USDT, Bitcoin, and gold using simple usernames instead of traditional wallet addresses, aiming to simplify crypto usage for its 570 million users. In parallel, the company added 951 BTC worth about 70.47 million dollars from Bitfinex, bringing its total Bitcoin holdings to around 97,141 BTC valued at roughly 7.2 billion dollars, reinforcing its position among the largest on-chain BTC holders.

Morgan Stanley’s spot Bitcoin ETF MSBT has seen strong early demand with inflows crossing 100 million dollars within the first few trading days. The fund also recorded about 30.6 million dollars on launch day, showing solid institutional interest. With a low 0.14 percent fee, it has become highly competitive in the Bitcoin ETF market. The strong start highlights growing investor appetite for regulated Bitcoin exposure as competition among major issuers like BlackRock continues to intensify in the digital asset space.

About 50 million Americans now reportedly own Bitcoin, surpassing about 37M who hold gold, despite Bitcoin’s short 16-year history versus gold’s 5,000-year legacy. The trend aligns with Paris Blockchain Week 2026 at the Carrousel du Louvre, which has drawn over 20,000 participants and focused on institutional adoption of digital assets. Industry voices, including Blockstream’s Adam Back, described Bitcoin as core financial infrastructure, while French officials signaled growing openness to regulated crypto markets and blockchain-based finance.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire says China could introduce a yuan-backed stablecoin in the next three to five years, which could reshape global payments. He explained that stablecoins allow faster and more efficient cross-border money transfers, helping currencies reach a wider global audience. Allaire also said demand for stablecoins like USDC is rising as global uncertainty grows. He added that digital currencies are becoming more important in international finance due to their speed, accessibility, and ability to simplify global settlement systems.

A recent analysis from Cato Institute researcher Nicholas Anthony explains that US tax rules treat Bitcoin as property, meaning every payment is a taxable capital gains event. Even small daily purchases like buying coffee require tracking the purchase price, sale value, and profit or loss, then reporting it on IRS forms. Over time, frequent use can generate more than 70 pages of tax documentation. The report argues this complexity discourages Bitcoin from being used as everyday money and calls for reforms like exemptions or the removal of capital gains tax on small transactions.

eToro has announced plans to acquire Zengo, a company known for its secure and easy-to-use crypto wallet. The move aims to expand eToro’s digital asset offerings and give users more control over their crypto investments. Zengo, founded in 2018, provides a keyless wallet system that improves security while keeping things simple for everyday users. According to Yoni Assia, the deal supports the future of finance becoming more digital and user-controlled. Ouriel Ohayon said joining eToro will help bring self-custody crypto tools to a global audience. There will be no immediate changes for users. However, in the future, eToro users are expected to get access to more crypto features like trading tools and new digital products. The acquisition is part of eToro’s push to combine traditional investing with modern crypto technology.

Tether has launched tether.wallet, a self-custodial digital wallet that connects users directly to its global payments and settlement infrastructure. The wallet supports Bitcoin, USDT, USAT, and XAUT across Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Plasma, and the Bitcoin Lightning Network. It also allows easy transfers using simple usernames like [email protected] instead of long wallet addresses. Tether said more than 570 million wallets were already using its technology as of March 2026, showing strong global adoption and growing use of its ecosystem.

Deutsche Börse, Germany’s largest exchange group, has invested $200 million in Payward, the parent company of Kraken, acquiring around a 1.5 percent stake on a fully diluted basis. The deal values Kraken at roughly $13.3 billion, marking another major step in the integration of traditional financial institutions with crypto infrastructure. The move highlights growing institutional confidence in digital asset platforms as regulated exchanges increasingly expand into blockchain-based trading, custody, and tokenized market systems globally.

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a formal remission claims process for victims of the $4 billion OneCoin crypto fraud. Eligible investors who suffered losses between 2014 and 2019 can apply to receive compensation from more than $40 million in forfeited assets. Claims must be submitted through the administrator Kroll by June 30, 2026. The scheme impacted around 3.5 million victims worldwide. Founder Ruja Ignatova remains a fugitive, while Karl Sebastian Greenwood has already been sentenced for his role in the fraud.

Aptos has rolled out a major tokenomics overhaul aimed at tightening supply and boosting long-term value. The update cuts staking rewards to 2.6 percent and raises gas fees 10x, with fees designed to drive token burns. The total supply is capped at 2.1 billion APT, while 210 million tokens are permanently locked by the Foundation. Aptos is also exploring buybacks and expects over 32 million APT to be burned annually after its upcoming ecosystem DEX goes live, increasing deflationary pressure.

Pi Network launched a free RPC endpoint this week on its Testnet at rpc.testnet.minepi.com, giving developers easy access to blockchain data, smart contract testing, and app building on its Stellar-based network. Around April 13, the Mainnet also completed its upgrade to Protocol 21, improving stability and preparing for features like decentralized identity and future smart contracts, although it missed the original April 6 deadline. Supporters see this as steady progress toward a scalable Web3 ecosystem, while critics continue to highlight roadmap delays since its 2019 launch.

The FTX and Alameda estate has moved 198,425 $SOL worth around $16M to a bankruptcy-controlled wallet as part of ongoing creditor repayments. The transfers are linked to the court-approved $12.7B recovery plan following the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire. So far, $7.6B has been distributed, while $5.1B remains outstanding. Despite continued movements, $SOL is still the estate’s largest holding, with 3.57M tokens valued at over $293M.