Cointelegraph

Changpeng “CZ” Zhao became a household name in the cryptocurrency sector after founding Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. Following a series of legal and regulatory challenges that culminated in a prison sentence, Zhao has authored an autobiography recounting his rise — and subsequent fallout.

The 364-page manuscript, titled Freedom of Money, presents a first-person account of Zhao’s life and career. The foreword is written by Yi He, a Binance co-founder who has worked with Zhao since 2014.

Zhao writes that his story has been shaped by media coverage, court filings and public commentary. He describes the book as an account intended to provide additional context to those narratives.

Throughout the memoir, Zhao emphasizes the human dimension behind Binance’s rapid ascent — and his personal and professional downfall — which he argues has been lost in soundbite-driven coverage.

The memoir covers his early life and career in finance and technology, as well as the founding of Binance in 2017. It outlines the company’s rapid growth into one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Regulatory failures and accountability

Zhao served a four-month prison sentence in the United States in 2024 after pleading guilty to violating US Anti-Money-Laundering laws, as part of a broader settlement with authorities that also required him to step down as Binance CEO.

The case marked a major enforcement action by the US Department of Justice, which had initially sought a longer sentence to reflect the severity of the violations. Binance, for its part, agreed to pay billions of dollars in penalties and implement sweeping compliance reforms.

US regulators had for years scrutinized Binance over alleged failures related to anti-money laundering controls, sanctions compliance and operating without proper licensing. The settlement effectively closed one of the most high-profile investigations in the crypto industry.

In the memoir, Zhao reflects on the decisions and missteps that led to these outcomes. He recounts the events surrounding the settlement, his guilty plea and his resignation, describing the tradeoffs made during Binance’s rapid growth.

The book also includes detailed descriptions of his time in federal prison, including the adjustment from leading a global company to living in a confined environment.

Binance remains a top venue for crypto access, including derivatives trading, where it ranks first globally in trading volume. Source: CoinGlass

“Freedom of money”

The book’s title reflects a central theme of the memoir. Zhao describes the “freedom of money” as the idea that cryptocurrency can address barriers to financial access, particularly in countries with limited banking infrastructure or strict capital controls.

He links part of Binance’s growth to users in emerging markets who used the platform to move funds across borders, hedge against local currency volatility and access global financial markets.

Zhao also acknowledges that expanding access at scale introduced challenges. He writes that Binance’s rapid growth often outpaced regulatory frameworks, contributing to gaps in compliance and oversight that later drew scrutiny from authorities.

New data suggests that Bitcoin (BTC) could be moving closer to a bull market phase as its supply slowly shifts back into long-term, retail-investor-linked wallets. The figure surpassed 4 million BTC in Q1 2026.

The accumulation trend aligns with a rise in Bitcoin network activity index to levels last seen in April 2025, signaling a return of stronger network activity.

Bitcoin long-term wallets expand holdings

CryptoQuant data shows that balances held by accumulating address cohorts continued to rise into Q1 2026. The total BTC held by these cohorts has crossed 4.37 million BTC as of April 7, up from about 2 million BTC in early 2024, signaling sustained supply absorption.

BTC balance held by accumulating address cohorts. Source: CryptoQuant

The retail-investor-linked accumulation addresses added roughly 857,000 BTC, while the accumulating pattern wallets, defined as addresses that steadily add BTC at recurring intervals with minimal outflows, expanded to 1.29 million BTC.

This growth occurred while the price remained capped below $70,000 throughout the first quarter of 2026.

In contrast, the inflows from centralized exchanges and highly active addresses have slowed. During the 2023–2024 expansion phases, the inflows often exceeded 1.2 million to 1.5 million BTC. The recent activity has averaged 300,000 to 350,000 BTC.

Bitcoin inflows by address activity type. Source: CryptoQuant

The divergence shows a shift in coin distribution. More BTC is moving into long-term wallets, while fewer coins are circulating on the exchanges. This indicates a tightening of the liquid supply and a reduction in short-term trading turnover.

Related: Bitcoin holds $67K support as data exposes price to sentiment divergence

Bitcoin network activity index highlights the trend

The CryptoQuant Bitcoin network activity index has climbed to 3,600 from 3,320 on March 22. The index aggregates broader usage signals, including transaction counts and network throughput. 

Bitcoin network activity index. Source: CryptoQuant

As observed in the chart, it has moved above its 365-day moving average for the first time since December 2024 and entered the “bull-phase” classification for the first time since April 2025.

In parallel, Bitcoin’s active addresses momentum dropped to -0.25 on April 6, the lowest reading since April 2018. The metric tracks the rate of change in active addresses, with negative values pointing to declining user participation.

BTC active addresses momentum. Source: CryptoQuant

The low activity levels have persisted since July 2025, echoing a similar stretch in 2024 that preceded a 35% price decline.

According to crypto analyst Gaah, the drop in activity signals the absence of short-term participants, or “tourists.” The network usage is now dominated by long-term holders focused on accumulation.

Historically, low readings have aligned with profitable accumulation phases. The reduced activity often coincides with lower sell pressure as the coins move into long-term wallets. 

Related: Bitcoin’s quantum challenges are ‘more social than technical’: Grayscale

Seven members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Michael Selig, asking for information on the agency's inaction on insider trading on prediction markets and event contracts related to war and conflicts.

In a Monday letter, the seven US lawmakers said that the CFTC had the authority under the Commodities Exchange Act “to apply its rules and regulations for the purpose of preventing evasion of the [act’s] underlying swap provisions.” The statement signaled that the representatives affirmed Selig’s position that the commission had jurisdiction over prediction markets.

However, the House members expressed concerns about how the CFTC was policing “morally obscene” event contracts, including those on US military actions in Iran and Venezuela — in those cases, there were suspicious trades related to the timing and outcomes of US military involvement. 

“Such corrupt trades deserve swift and decisive oversight,” said the letter. “Allowing these contracts to persist raises troubling concerns about the Commission’s desire and capacity to fulfill a global regulatory role.”

Source: Representative Seth Moulton

The legal battles over regulating prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are being waged both at a federal and state level. Several US state gaming authorities have filed lawsuits alleging that the companies are illegally offering sports bets, while the CFTC, under Selig, claims that the event contracts on the platform amount to swaps and fall under its federal regulations.

The seven House members requested that Selig respond to their six questions by April 15.

In one of the most recent legal decisions, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed a lower court ruling blocking New Jersey gaming authorities from filing enforcement actions against Kalshi. Two out of three circuit judges said that the company had a ”reasonable chance of success” in arguing that federal commodities laws preempted state authorities.

CFTC enforcement director says agency is “watching” for insider trading

The Monday letter followed CFTC enforcement director David Miller responding to concerns over insider trading, which has also resulted in legislation proposed by Democrats. According to Miller, the commission would only prosecute instances “against those who tip or trade with misappropriated information,” but not dedicate resources to “trivial” cases.

Magazine: All 21 million Bitcoin is at risk from quantum computers

Key takeaways:

BTC failed to hold $70,000 despite strong ETF inflows as selling by public miners offset recent institutional buying.

Options markets reflect high demand for downside protection as a 17% put premium signals cautious sentiment.

Bitcoin (BTC) failed to sustain Monday’s $70,000 level despite $471 million in net inflows into US-listed spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The market’s initial excitement faded following reports that multiple US and Israeli aircraft and equipment were destroyed during a military operation in Iran over the weekend.

Since the S&P 500 remained relatively flat between Friday and Tuesday, Bitcoin’s inability to maintain bullish momentum likely stems from other factors.

Bitcoin US-listed spot ETFs daily net flows, USD. Source: SoSoValue

The US-listed Bitcoin ETFs recorded $471 million in net inflows on Monday, the highest in over five weeks; however, the trend for the preceding two weeks remained muted, signaling a lack of conviction. Part of traders’ concern stems from recent Bitcoin sales by publicly listed miners.

Bitcoin miner and digital asset treasury companies put BTC under pressure

MARA Holdings (MARA US) reportedly transferred 250 BTC on Tuesday, according to Lookonchain data. MARA previously announced the sale of 15,133 BTC in March and reported 38,689 BTC held in total. Traders fear additional sell pressure as multiple miners focus on trimming debt to fund a strategic shift toward AI computing data centers.

Riot Platforms (RIOT US) transferred 1,500 BTC for sale during the first week of April, according to Arkham data. Per the latest operational update, the company held 15,680 BTC, intensifying fears of continued liquidations as high energy costs negatively impact operations.

Other addresses linked to large miners sold 265 BTC on Tuesday after accumulating since early 2024, according to Lookonchain. The address 3PFNdgGi…myCh139 still holds 112 BTC. Regardless of the rationale behind these movements, sentiment worsened after Bitcoin’s hashrate dropped to 953 exahashes on Monday, down from 1,083 exahashes in late February.

Bitcoin mining estimated hashrate (exahashes). Source: Blockchain.com

Strategy (MSTR US) continued accumulating Bitcoin, totaling 4,871 BTC in the previous week alone. However, investors increasingly fear that few buyers remain after a two-month bear market, especially as companies that raised debt to accumulate Bitcoin face heavy pressure and are forced to sell some reserves.

Publicly-listed companies, ranked by returns on BTC reserves. Source: BitcoinTreasuries

Among the companies that reduced Bitcoin holdings over the past month are Sequans Communications (SQNS FR) and Nakamoto Inc (NAKA US). More concerning, a handful of other listed companies face losses of 35% or more on their Bitcoin holdings, including GD Culture Group (GDC US) and OranjeBTC (OBTC3 BR), according to BitcoinTreasuries data.

Bitcoin 30-day options skew (put-call) at Deribit. Source: laevitas.ch

Bitcoin options markets signaled discomfort on Tuesday as put (sell) options traded at a 17% premium relative to call (buy) instruments. Traders believe whales have a better gauge of the market, but the options skew results from regular traders constantly buying downside protection rather than a premeditated movement from market makers.

There is no indication that professional traders are leaning bearish, but a single day of strong ETF net inflows does not prove heightened institutional demand. Hence, even if a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz lifts risk markets, odds are Bitcoin could struggle to sustain levels above $75,000 given the risk-averse sentiment.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that Americans’ losses from crypto-related scams increased to more than $11 million in 2025.

In its annual internet crime complaint report released on Monday, the FBI said that cryptocurrency and AI-related scams were “among the costliest” for Americans in 2025, with 181,565 complaints totaling more than $11 billion. According to the bureau, it received more than one million complaints in 2025 reporting losses of about $21 million due to cyber-enabled crimes.

Crypto complaints and financial losses have risen sharply in recent years. Source: FBI

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that investment scams resulted in the highest percentage of victims reporting losses in crypto as opposed to cash, debit cards, gift cards and other media of exchange. In addition, about 10% of the 13,168 complaints involving cybercrimes targeting minors aged 17 and younger were related to crypto or crypto ATMs, resulting in more than $5 million in losses.

The complaints the FBI received were despite the bureau’s efforts to “identify and notify people who are currently falling victim to cryptocurrency investment fraud” through its Operation Level Up in 2024. Globally, blockchain analytics platform Chainalysis reported in March that illicit addresses received $154 billion in 2025, driven in part by sanctions evasions.

Scammers use Tron blockchain token to con users using FBI

According to the FBI report, there were 32,424 complaints involved in impersonation of government officials, resulting in about $800 million in losses. However, the report did not mention bureau officials issuing a March notice warning Americans that a token on the Tron blockchain was impersonating the FBI with the goal of obtaining personal information.

Tron users reported receiving a token with the FBI logo claiming that their wallet was “under investigation.” The users were then prompted to enter personal information under the guise of an FBI anti-money-laundering verification to avoid their accounts being frozen.

Magazine: Are DeFi devs liable for the illegal activity of others on their platforms?

Bitcoin (BTC) continues to show strong support at $67,000, even as a growing split between BTC's price stability and bearish sentiment among investors leaves the cryptocurrency in a state of equilibrium.

BTC’s resilience in avoiding dips below $60,000 has been driven by strong institutional investor demand and long-term buying, despite volatility stemming from the US-Israel-Iran war.

Wintermure flags a shift in BTC positioning

Market maker Wintermute noted that Bitcoin’s price and sentiment were diverging. The Fear and Greed Index sat at 11 on Tuesday, staying in “extreme fear” for over a month.

The sentiment index has remained in this range for the longest period in its history.

However, BTC has absorbed a $403 million liquidation event, persistent negative on-chain demand, and repeated war headline shocks without losing its yearly lows set at $60,000 on Feb. 6. 

Wintermute explained that the institutional demand played a central role in March. Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) absorbed around 50,000 BTC, while corporate buying added 44,000 BTC.

Morgan Stanley also received approval for a spot ETF from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), expanding access to 16,000 advisors. The total net inflows reached $1.32 billion, ending a four-month streak of net outflows.

The demand from accumulator addresses supported this trend. CryptoQuant data indicates that demand from long-term wallets rose to 289,971 BTC on April 7, up from 158,336 BTC over the previous two weeks, i.e., an increase of 83%. 

Demand from accumulator addresses. Source: CryptoQuant

Crypto researcher Rei noted that this divergence points to steady absorption, with the 30-day average trend acting as a key confirmation signal. Rei said, 

“If that happens alongside price establishing acceptance at higher levels, the signal becomes significantly more convincing.”

Related: Bitcoin waits at $68K as hours tick down to Iran deadline

BTC ETF flows slowed down as leveraged trading rises

Wintermute also noted that despite surging institutional demand in March, ETF flow data shifted toward the end of the month. ETF activity flipped to $414 million in outflows in the final week, while over-the-counter (OTC) positioning moved to neutral and early selling from buying.

Meanwhile, crypto analyst Maartunn pointed out that BTC’s surge to $70,000 on Monday was a leverage-driven pump. 75% of such rallies have retraced completely in 2026, with the recent rally taking shape from $67,000. 

BTC price and open-interest change. Source: Maartunn

A daily candle close above $67,000 on Tuesday will be a positive development and will continue to signal a rising uptrend on the short-term chart.

On the daily chart, BTC has closed below $67,000 on 26% of total trading days (16 out of 61) since Feb. 5, when it first fell below that level since October 2024.

BTC/USDT on the one-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Related: Bitcoin price risks '$15K shakeout' in the next 5 months, BTC analyst warns

Jay Clayton, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has penned a response to Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm’s motion for acquittal, criticizing his alleged criminal behavior.  

In a Tuesday filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Clayton said that Storm’s criminal use of Tornado Cash was “window dressing at best and outright misdirection at worst,” rejecting arguments that he be allowed to use a civil copyright case in his defense.

The US Attorney’s filing followed a Thursday notice from Storm’s lawyers saying they intended to use a 2026 Supreme Court case, Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment, as part of an argument about the Tornado Cash co-founder’s intent to participate in the crimes of which he is accused: conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions.

Clayton said that Storm’s conduct “bears no resemblance” to that in the Cox case, which involved civil liability for copyright infringement. According to the US Attorney, there was no evidence that the Tornado Cash co-founder implemented effective anti-money-laundering measures.

“The defendant’s conduct simply is not comparable to the conduct at issue in Cox,” said Clayton. “In any event, a civil copyright case has no relevance here in the first place.”

Source: SDNY

Last August, a jury convicted Storm of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, but deadlocked on conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions charges, opening the door to a potential retrial. The case has drawn widespread attention from the crypto industry for how developers may be held responsible for their code.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Storm case are scheduled to meet on Thursday. 

Attorney behind memo calling for end to crypto “regulation by prosecution” gets top DOJ job

Last week, US President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, substituting Deputy AG Todd Blanche as acting head of the Justice Department until the Senate can vote on a replacement. Blanche, who previously acted as Trump’s personal attorney, also penned an April 2025 memo calling for the end of what he called “regulation by prosecution” in the Justice Department.

Although Blanche did not call out Storm by name, he did say that the department will “not pursue actions against the platforms that [criminal] enterprises utilize to conduct their illegal activities” and called for an end to cases inconsistent with that goal.

Storm cited Blanche’s memo in a March X post after prosecutors called to retry the Tornado Cash co-founder on the two deadlocked counts.

”The 2 counts = up to 40 years in federal prison,” said Storm. “For writing open-source code. For a protocol I don't control. For transactions I never touched. A jury already couldn't agree this was criminal. But the SDNY prosecutors want to keep trying with the hope of getting a different answer.”

It’s unclear how Blanche may use his new role to direct DOJ policy, or how long he will remain as acting AG. Clayton has asked a federal judge to consider an October retrial for Storm, but as of Tuesday, no date had been set.

Magazine: Your guide to surviving this mini-crypto winter

Split Capital, a digital asset hedge fund founded by investor Zaheer Ebtikar, is shutting down, with the founder joining Peter Thiel-backed stablecoin startup Plasma.

Ebtikar announced the news in an X post on Tuesday, saying Split Capital was profitable both in 2024 and 2025, and delivered over 100% in returns.

“We were a top performing fund by every mark,” Ebtikar claimed, adding that his decision to wind down the business was driven by a belief that the crypto market had shifted away from strategies that hedge funds are designed to capture.

“The hedge fund model did not make sense for crypto, in perpetuity,” he said.

Ebtikar’s decision came amid continued pressure on crypto hedge funds, which have reportedly faced more challenging market conditions since the 2022 market downturn.

Crypto industry no longer rewards traders chasing momentum, Ebtikar argues

Ebtikar described his early years in crypto as “PvP button-clicking,” where traders competed in fast-moving markets driven by momentum and narratives. But after nearly a decade, he said those conditions have changed.

“The industry no longer rewards traders chasing momentum, it has matured into a space where the only real question is ‘What does the future look like and where is the value?’” he said.

Ebtikar said that many investors, including critics, were ultimately right to question whether funds such as Split Capital were sustainable in a rapidly evolving market.

An excerpt from Zaheer Ebtikar’s announcement on joining Plasma and winding down Split Capital. Source: Zaheer Ebtikar

“As time went on, our conviction narrowed around a small number of founders and verticals I genuinely believed in,” Ebtikar said.

Betting on Plasma’s stablecoin vision

Ebtikar said his conviction in Plasma grew after working closely with its founding team throughout 2024 and 2025.

Plasma is focused on building infrastructure for stablecoin settlement and global financial access. The platform raised $24 million in February last year from investors such as Framework Ventures, Bitfinex, Peter Thiel and Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.

As chief strategy officer at Plasma, Ebtikar will work across partnerships, growth and go-to-market efforts, as well as engage with investors and policymakers ahead of the rollout of Plasma One and ongoing ecosystem expansion.

He framed the move as part of a larger belief that crypto is entering a new phase defined less by speculation and more by building global financial systems.

“The last dance of crypto’s old era and the hope and deep belief that our work at Plasma can get us to a new golden age for our space,” Ebtikar said.

Magazine: Your guide to surviving this mini-crypto winter

Polymarket has become one of decentralized finance’s most profitable protocols after a pricing overhaul, generating about $7.1 million in fees in the first week of the second quarter, according to new data.

That pace implies an annualized run rate of roughly $365 million if sustained, placing the onchain prediction platform among the industry’s top fee generators and giving it nearly all of the sector’s revenue, at 96.8% of onchain prediction market fees.

The gains follow a March 30 pricing change that pushed daily fees to around $1 million, a level that has largely held as trading activity remains elevated, data from DeFiLlama shows, and make Polymarket the eighth-largest DeFi protocol by fees, along with stablecoin issuers Circle (USDC) and Tether (USDT) and decentralized derivatives exchange Hyperliquid.

Onchain metrics also show Polymarket’s footprint beyond fees. Total value locked on the platform was over $432 million on Tuesday, according to DeFiLlama data, close to its November 2024 US election high of around $510 million, as its share of onchain prediction market revenue rises.

Fees market share. Source: Dune

ICE backs Polymarket, but regulation uncertainty remains

Polymarket’s fee engine has started to attract more mainstream partners. Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, deepened its bet on Polymarket on March 27, completing a $600 million cash investment as part of a broader $2 billion commitment that will see ICE distribute the platform’s event-driven data to institutional clients. 

At the infrastructure level, Polymarket announced Monday that it is replacing its bridged USDC.e collateral on Polygon with a new 1:1 USDC-backed token called Polymarket USD, which will take over as trading collateral as part of the platform’s April exchange upgrade, as it continues to spin up highly-traded markets on the US-Iran conflict, oil, inflation and equities indices.

Despite its growing revenue, regulation remains a risk. Prediction markets continue to face pushback from some US states and gambling regulators elsewhere, including recent moves by Hungary and Portugal to order local blocking, and Argentina issuing a countrywide block on Polymarket, arguing that the platform operates as an unlicensed gambling site.

Magazine: Bitcoin’s ‘biggest bull catalyst’ would be Saylor’s liquidation — Santiment founder

Bitcoin (BTC) is showing signs of the bear market’s late stages but could see another leg lower in the coming months, says Joao Wedson, founder and CEO of on-chain analytics platform Alphractal.

Key takeaways:

BTC may still see one last big drop before recovering, based on one sentiment indicator.

The next likely downside target is near Bitcoin’s realized price at $54,000.

BTC index hints at a drop toward $54,000

In a Tuesday post, Wedson said Bitcoin’s 720-day Tactical Bull-Bear Sentiment Index (TBBI), a long-term indicator that tracks multi-year cycles of fear and greed, had dropped into an extreme bearish zone below 20.

Historically, such readings have reflected “late-stage fear” among traders, a phase that can still produce one final shakeout before Bitcoin begins a more durable recovery.

Bitcoin TBBI vs. BTC price. Source: Alphractal

In 2022, for instance, Bitcoin fell more than 20% after the indicator reached similarly depressed levels.

A comparable setup also appeared before Bitcoin lost around 50% in 2018, prompting Wedson to see a similar possibility in 2026.

He warned that Bitcoin could still face “a sharp move like a –$15K shakeout” over the next six months, implying a roughly 20% decline from current levels toward the $54,000 area.

More BTC indicators converge on $50,000–$55,000

The implied target matches earlier BTC downside calls that see Bitcoin falling toward the $50,000–$55,000 area on war-led oil inflation and quantum security risks.

The $54,000 level also nearly coincides with Bitcoin’s realized price (purple) on Glassnode’s MVRV Extreme Deviation Pricing Bands, suggesting any final shakeout could send BTC toward a key on-chain cost-basis support level.

BTC MVRV extreme deviation pricing bands. Source: Glassnode

More bearish forecasts have also surfaced, with analysts such as Bloomberg Intelligence’s Mike McGlone warning that Bitcoin could eventually slide to as low as $10,000.

Still, Strategy’s aggressive Bitcoin purchases in recent weeks have helped absorb selling pressure and limit BTC’s downside, raising the possibility that the broader bearish scenario may fail to play out.

As Cointelegraph reported, Bitcoin could reverse sharply and climb back toward $100,000 or higher if the Michael Saylor firm continues its buying spree.

Bitcoin (BTC) stayed near a key long-term trend line at Tuesday’s Wall Street open as markets waited for US-Iran war cues.

Key points:

Bitcoin and US stocks attempt to shrug off claims by US President Donald Trump that a “whole civilization will die” after his Iran deadline expires.

Oil eyes a rematch with multiyear highs as escalation fears take control.

Bitcoin traders see lower levels resulting from current indecision.

Bitcoin attempts to ignore Trump Iran comments

Data from TradingView showed BTC price action focusing on its 200-week exponential moving average (EMA) near $68,300.

BTC/USD one-hour chart with 200-week EMA. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Volatility briefly entered prior to the US trading session as President Donald Trump said that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” referring to his 8pm Eastern time deadline for a deal with Iran.

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social, while keeping full details sparse.

Source: Truth Social

The post was accompanied by news of strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure on Kharg Island.

Despite this, US stocks managed to avoid major losses on the day, leading commentators to suggest that Iran rhetoric was all but fully priced in.

“Markets have become numb to the headlines,” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter reacted on X.

S&P 500 one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The day prior, trading company QCP Capital noted that the same geopolitical pattern had been playing out for weeks.

“While the economic and humanitarian consequences of escalation would be severe, particularly via energy market disruption, markets are increasingly discounting the immediacy of this risk,” it wrote in its latest “Market Color” analysis. 

QCP described stocks as “broadly stable,” with crypto showing “resilience.”

“After several weeks of weekend escalation rhetoric followed by early-week de-escalation signals, markets are beginning to recognise and fade this pattern,” it continued.

“Despite approaching deadlines and rising rhetoric, crypto markets continue to exhibit resilience rather than panic.”

CFDs on WTI crude oil four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

WTI crude oil nonetheless passed $116 per barrel on the day, coiling below its highest levels in nearly four years.

BTC price surfs liquidity walls

Commenting on Bitcoin and wider market trajectory, crypto trader Michaël Van de Poppe suggested that an inflection point was coming.

“Prime question for this is likely whether there will be a ceasefire in the Middle-East or not,” he told X followers. 

“From a technical standpoint, it's more likely that markets are turning downwards as the trend is clearly in that direction and (as I've mentioned earlier), sweeping the lows and grabbing that liquidity strengthens a potential reversal on the markets significantly.”

BTC/USDT one-day chart. Source: Michaël Van de Poppe

Trader LP flagged overhead resistance making $72,000 a problematic hurdle to clear for bulls.

“Orderbook pressure showed strong buy pressure between 63–66K, which helped drive price toward the 70K region. However, sell pressure is now stepping in around 71–72K, acting as resistance and potentially capping price if it persists,” an X post read.

BTC price chart with liquidity data. Source: LP/X

CME Group is expanding its suite of cryptocurrency futures products, as more traditional finance (TradFi) entities launch regulated crypto trading products.

On Tuesday, CME Group announced plans to launch Avalanche (AVAX) and Sui (SUI) futures contracts on May 4, pending regulatory review.

Market participants will be able to trade both micro-sized and larger-sized contracts, including AVAX futures sized at 5,000 AVAX and Micro AVAX futures sized at 500 AVAX, as well as SUI futures sized at 50,000 SUI and Micro SUI futures sized at 5,000 SUI.

CME expands altcoin futures lineup

The news follows CME Group’s announcement in January of its plans to launch crypto futures contracts tied to Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM).

The move is the latest sign that traditional financial firms are broadening their regulated crypto product offerings.

CME Group’s continued expansion of its crypto derivatives suite reflects “growing demand for regulated, institutionally-sound products in this asset class,” said Justin Young, CEO and Co-founder of Volatility Shares.

During an earnings call in early February, CME Group CEO Terry Duffy said the exchange is mulling plans to launch its own digital token that could operate on a decentralized network.

CME Group prepares to launch 24/7 trading for crypto products

More TradFi entities are exploring ways to issue tokenized investment products with 24/7 trading. CME said on Feb. 19 that its cryptocurrency futures and options products will begin trading 24/7 on May 29.

Unlike traditional stocks and equities constrained to trading hours, cryptocurrencies are natively tradable 24/7 through cryptocurrency exchanges and decentralized venues.

On March 24, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) announced it was partnering with tokenization platform Securitize to mint blockchain-based shares of stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Cointelegraph reported. The initiative is part of its parent company, Intercontinental Exchange’s (ICE) plan for a tokenized securities venue designed for 24/7 trading and instant onchain settlement.

Meanwhile, crypto exchanges are also venturing into tokenized TradFi products. Coinbase launched 24/7 stock perpetual futures for non-US traders on March 20, offering cash-settled exposure to major US stocks and indices, including Apple and Nvidia.

Crypto exchanges Binance and Kraken have also launched tokenized perpetual futures trading for non-US traders, along with other offshore platforms.

Magazine: Can Robinhood or Kraken’s tokenized stocks ever be truly decentralized?

Opinion by: Jesus Rodriguez, co-founder and CTO at Sentora.

Human coordination is bottlenecked by a terrible algorithm.

When a DAO, a corporation, or a nation-state makes a decision, it relies on "manual feature engineering" like committees and vibes-based voting. High-dimensional, emotional inputs are compressed through the protocol of human politics and hope for a decent output. 

It’s slow, it does not scale and there is rarely a penalty for being wrong.

Decades ago, Robin Hanson proposed a mathematically elegant alternative called Futarchy: "Vote on values, bet on beliefs." You define the objective function, and then let a prediction market determine the path to get there.

Today, prediction markets finally work at scale. We are still treating them, however, like digital casinos and venues for passive observation. We are predicting the future, but we are not using those predictions to steer it. It’s time to move from operating as betting venues to become a decision operating system. 

What markets actually compute

To understand the operating system, strip away the betting user interface and look at the metal. A prediction market is a continuous, permissionless mechanism for aggregating dispersed beliefs, strictly weighted by conviction.

Consider how a neural network compresses chaotic pixel data into a dense, useful mathematical representation called an embedding. A market does the exact same thing to human knowledge. It takes the distributed, contradictory information held by millions of participants and compresses it into a single, highly legible integer: the price. The price is the embedding of collective truth.

Markets are continuously self-correcting. Every mispricing is a literal profit opportunity. If the price does not reflect reality, a financial reward exists for anyone who can provide the missing information. This acts as a real-time gradient descent method for truth. No committee and no LLM does this natively.

From single bet to combinatorial intelligence

Current markets are structurally simple. They are "single-neuron" architectures: Will Token X reach $10? This is useful, but too limited for a decision-making layer.

The key is the conditional market: "Probability of outcome X, given decision Y." This shifts the primitive from a static prediction to a dynamic logic gate. Instead of simply betting on the price of Ethereum, we can spin up two conditional markets: "ETH price on Dec 31st if the protocol upgrades," and "ETH price if the protocol does not upgrade."

The spread between these two prices is not a bet. It is a direct, quantitative, causal estimate of exactly what the market believes the upgrade is worth. We have just built a decentralized causal inference system.

Mapping the state space

Historically, financial markets were heavy. We only assigned liquid prices to macro objects: mega-corporations and sovereign debt. The "long tail" of choices remained unpriced, left to managerial intuition.

The decision operating system drops the marginal cost of creating a market to near zero. We map the entire discrete state space of human and machine choices into a continuous, differentiated price vector.

Deciding between two PR agencies? A micro-market prices the expected TVL influence of each. An AI agent routing data? A micro-market prices the expected latency of two API endpoints. Every potential action now has a legible mathematical gradient attached to it, pointing toward optimal outcomes.

The primitives of a decision operating system

To wire these conditional logic gates into an operating system, we need a specific on-chain stack consisting of a liquidity kernel, context middleware and an execution API.

The liquidity kernel acts as the system's weights. Markets need memory, and in decentralized finance, memory is capital. Automated market makers ensure there is always a counterparty, initiating liquidity so the market's gradient remains smooth and tradable.

Next is the context middleware, which handles the forward pass. To know what actually happened, optimistic oracles and decentralized justice protocols process real-world data. Zero-knowledge proofs allow participants to trade on private information, verifying data on-chain without leaking the underlying information.

Finally, the execution API serves as the actuator. Smart contracts read the conditional difference generated by the kernel and automatically execute a state change without human intervention.

The application of a decision operating system

Once deployed, this operating system replaces legacy infrastructure across multiple domains, starting with DAO governance. Traditional token voting suffers from governance theater. Projects can fix this by making decisions with economic outcomes, effectively putting Futarchy into practice. To fund a marketing campaign, a DAO launches PASS and FAIL derivative tokens. Traders buy PASS if they believe the campaign increases treasury value. If the time-adjusted average price of PASS is higher, the API automatically executes the transfer. Math replaces politics.

Intelligent DeFi will also be transformed. DeFi currently relies on price oracles that report the state of an asset right now. The operating system introduces decision oracles representing the expected probability of a future state. If a continuous market prices a high probability of a severe collateral drawdown within 48 hours, a lending protocol's API automatically tightens its loan-to-value ratios. Risk management becomes dynamic.

The operating system will become the backend for Web2 via next-generation predictive APIs. A logistics firm won't hire analysts to model supply chain risks. They will call a simple API predicting a port strike. If the globally liquid market returns an 85% probability of a strike, their logistics AI automatically reroutes shipping containers.

This infrastructure enables autonomous AI arbitration. When two autonomous trading agents disagree on an event's expected outcome, they need a tiebreaker. They don't call a human committee. They query the Decision OS. Agents that price correctly earn capital and reputation, while hallucinating agents are financially slashed and pruned. Evolution, mediated by markets.

From speculation to operating system

Prediction markets have successfully completed their testnet phase as speculative casinos. They have proven that decentralized liquidity can accurately and efficiently aggregate dispersed knowledge. But speculation was only ever the bootloader.

The next epoch is infrastructural. By transitioning from single-variable bets to combined logic gates, these markets can upgrade into a true decision operating system. DAOs, DeFi protocols, and AI agents get a native, differentiable loss function for the real world.

The liquidity is there. The oracle infrastructure is ready. It is time to start using this technology to compute the optimal path forward.

Opinion by: Jesus Rodriguez, co-founder and CTO at Sentora.

South Korea has ordered all crypto exchanges to reconcile their internal ledgers with actual asset holdings every five minutes after an inspection uncovered weaknesses in internal controls.

The directive was announced on Monday by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) after a meeting with top crypto exchanges and the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA), during which they discussed the findings of an emergency inspection triggered by the Bithumb payout incident.

The inspection found that three of the country’s five major exchanges were reconciling balances only once every 24 hours, limiting their ability to respond quickly to discrepancies. Systems designed to halt trading during major mismatches were also found to be insufficient, raising concerns about how exchanges would handle large-scale errors.

In February, Bithumb mistakenly distributed 620,000 Bitcoin (BTC) to 249 users during a promotional event. The exchange later announced that it recovered 99.7% of the funds the same day. The remaining 0.3%, 1,788 BTC that had already been sold, was covered using company reserves.

South Korea mandates five-minute asset checks

Under the new measures, exchanges must implement automated ledger-to-wallet reconciliation systems operating on a five-minute cycle. They will also be required to introduce defined criteria for triggering automatic transaction halts in the event of significant discrepancies.

Beyond reconciliation, regulators are pushing for sweeping changes to internal operations. High-risk processes like promotional payouts will require stronger oversight, including third-party cross-checks and multi-level approval systems. Exchanges will also need to separate high-risk accounts and implement automated verification tools for payments.

Top Korean crypto exchanges. Source: CoinGecko

Furthermore, external audits will shift from quarterly to monthly, while disclosures will expand to include detailed asset balances by wallet and ledger.

“The financial authorities and the DAXA plan to complete the rule changes needed to implement the improvement measures within April this year,” the FSC wrote.

Bithumb delays IPO to post-2028

Last week, Bithumb announced it is now targeting an IPO after 2028, marking another delay from its earlier 2025 plans as it works through restructuring and regulatory pressure. The exchange said it will focus on strengthening accounting policies and internal controls through 2027, following an advisory agreement with Samjong KPMG.

Meanwhile, Naver Financial has also delayed its planned share swap with Dunamu by about three months, now targeting a shareholder vote on Aug. 18 and completion by Sept. 30.

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XRP (XRP) is staring at a potential drop toward $1.10, as a decline in profitable supply suggests growing bearish momentum and a classic setup for new lows.

Key takeaways:

XRP supply in profit has dropped to 43%, levels last seen in November 2024.

Investors have continued selling their XRP holdings, realizing losses at $110 million per day.

XRP rising wedge breakdown targets $1.10. 

XRP supply in profit drops below 50%

As of Tuesday, 43% of all XRP coins were in profit, levels last seen in November 2024, according to onchain data resource Glassnode.

Historically, the metric’s drop below 50% has signaled a transition from optimism to despair characterized by panic selling and high capitulation, as seen in the last stages of previous bear markets.

Between January and June 2022, for instance, XRP price dropped to $0.30 from over $0.75, a decline coinciding with XRP’s profitable supply falling to as low as 20% from just under 50%. A similar scenario was seen in 2018 when XRP price dropped another 70%, with the supply in profit going as low as 15%.

XRP supply in profit. Source: Glassnode

In fact, investors who accumulated XRP above $2 over the last 12 months “have been realizing losses at a pace of $20M–$110M/day since November 2025,” Glassnode added. 

XRP: Realized loss by age. Source: Glassnode

In a Tuesday post on X, analyst Crypto Town Hall said this “reflects widespread holder drawdowns, often seen during late-stage corrections,” leading to sharp drops as holders continue realizing losses.

Additionally, the average wallets active on the XRP Ledger over the past year are down 41% on their investments.

“This is the lowest MVRV (Mean Value to Realized Value) for XRP traders since the FTX crash in November, 2022,” onchain data resource Santiment said in a Tuesday post on X, adding:

“Significantly negative average returns imply that there is much lower risk than average in buying or adding on to your $XRP positions, due to the fact that competing traders are already in severe 'blood in the streets' territory.”

XRP Ledger: XRP MVRV data. Source: Santiment

This means fresh selling could be coming as investors seek to cut their losses, a key ingredient in keeping the downtrend going toward the $1.10 target.

XRP rising wedge breakdown targets $1.10

XRP/USD is in the breakdown phase of a rising wedge on the daily time frame, a bearish pattern that forms when price compresses inside two upward-sloping trendlines after a sharp decline.

XRP/USD daily price chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The price slipped below the wedge’s lower trend line at $1.37 on March 27 and is now attempting a typical post-breakdown retest near the 50-day simple moving average around $1.38. That area is acting as immediate resistance.

If XRP fails to reclaim the trendline and moving averages, the setup points to a deeper move toward the pattern’s measured target near $1.10, roughly 16% below the current levels.

This is close to predictions by Polymarket bettors who price in a 57% chance that XRP price will hit $1.20 before the end of April.

XRP price targets for April. Source: Polymarket

As Cointelegraph reported, if bulls fail to reclaim the moving averages and the price breaks below $1.27, the XRP price risks falling toward $1.11 and eventually to the $1 psychological level.

Operation Atlantic: A proactive strike against evolving crypto scams

Crypto scams have become highly sophisticated cross-border operations that exploit advanced technology and human psychology. By the time victims become aware of the fraud, the stolen cryptocurrency is often rapidly dispersed across a chain of wallets and exchanges in multiple countries.

Operation Atlantic represents a coordinated international effort by law enforcement agencies from the US, the UK and Canada to counter this threat. Rather than limiting itself to post-incident investigations, the operation focuses on identifying, tracking and disrupting crypto scams while they are still in progress.

The initiative brings together key agencies, including the US Secret Service, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Ontario Securities Commission, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the UK Financial Conduct Authority, the UK National Crime Agency and the City of London Police.

Contrary to conventional investigations that begin only after funds have been stolen, Operation Atlantic is structured to:

Identify victims who are at risk

Detect active scam infrastructure

Interrupt fraudulent transactions

Help recovery efforts where feasible

Officials have stressed that the primary objective is to disrupt scams in near real time, marking a significant shift toward faster, more proactive enforcement strategies.

Why approval phishing lies at the heart of Operation Atlantic

A particular form of fraud known as approval phishing lies at the center of Operation Atlantic. Rather than stealing private keys or seed phrases, attackers deceive users into signing what appear to be legitimate blockchain transactions.

These transactions grant scammers permission to spend tokens directly from a victim’s wallet. Once approval is given, the attacker gains the ability to:

Drain funds at any time

Avoid immediate detection

Combine the exploit with convincing social engineering narratives

This makes approval phishing particularly dangerous. Victims often remain unaware that anything is wrong until their assets begin disappearing.

Scammers frequently integrate this technique into larger scams, such as fake investment platforms or gradual trust-building schemes.

From investigation to intervention

The standout feature of Operation Atlantic is its emphasis on real-time disruption rather than post-event analysis.

This strategy rests on a straightforward idea: While crypto transactions are irreversible, they are also public and fully traceable.

By using blockchain analytics, authorities and private-sector partners can:

Detect suspicious wallet activity

Identify addresses linked to known scams

Track fund flows toward exchanges or liquidity pools

Alert platforms and investigators

Contact victims before their funds are completely drained

This model does not guarantee full recovery, but it opens a critical window during which meaningful intervention remains possible.

Did you know? The US Secret Service, originally established to combat currency counterfeiting in 1865, now tracks crypto fraud using blockchain analytics. It is one of the oldest agencies adapting to one of the newest financial systems.

Building on earlier initiatives

Operation Atlantic did not happen overnight. It builds upon earlier efforts such as Project Atlas, which was launched in 2024 by Canadian authorities in partnership with the US Secret Service to target crypto fraud networks.

It also draws on lessons from Operation Spincaster, an effort that involved blockchain analytics firms, exchanges and law enforcement agencies.

Spincaster demonstrated that coordinated action could deliver tangible results:

Thousands of scam-linked wallet leads identified

Significant losses mapped across jurisdictions

In some cases, victims were warned in time to revoke malicious approvals

These initiatives suggest that crypto fraud can be interrupted while it is still in progress.

What “real time” actually means

The concept of real-time disruption is sometimes misunderstood. It does not mean instant recovery or guaranteed prevention.

Instead, it operates across three stages:

Pre-loss prevention: spotting suspicious approvals before funds are moved

Mid-transaction disruption: flagging or freezing assets during transfers

Post-loss response: attempting recovery after funds have been dispersed

Operation Atlantic concentrates mainly on the first two stages, where intervention is still feasible.

Its success depends on how quickly data can be analyzed, shared and acted upon across borders and platforms.

Did you know? Approval phishing scams often exploit wallet permissions rather than passwords, which means victims technically authorize the theft themselves. This psychological twist makes these scams harder to detect than traditional hacking attempts.

Why scams now operate like organized networks

Approval phishing scams are generally not standalone events. They typically operate as structured networks with several interconnected parts:

Social engineering pipelines to attract victims

Fake interfaces or decentralized applications

Wallet approval mechanisms

Consolidation addresses used to pool stolen funds

Exchange off-ramps for cashing out

This layered setup allows scammers to scale their operations while reducing the likelihood of detection.

Operation Atlantic treats these scams as coordinated financial networks rather than isolated crimes, an approach that is central to its real-time disruption strategy.

The scale of the problem

The urgency behind Operation Atlantic stems from the enormous scale of crypto fraud.

Approval phishing alone has been linked to billions of dollars in losses in recent years, affecting thousands of victims across multiple jurisdictions.

Even more concerning is that many incidents go unreported, suggesting the true losses may be substantially higher.

Monthly figures also show that while overall exploit losses may vary, phishing attacks continue to rise, confirming that user-targeted scams remain one of the most persistent threats in crypto.

Did you know? Law enforcement agencies increasingly use blockchain clustering to map entire scam networks, sometimes revealing thousands of linked wallets behind a single fraud operation. This forensic technique groups related wallet addresses.

The role of public-private coordination

A key aspect of Operation Atlantic is the close partnership between law enforcement and private-sector organizations.

Each participant contributes in specific ways:

Blockchain analytics firms identify suspicious patterns and wallet clusters

Exchanges monitor inflows and flag deposits linked to scams

Stablecoin issuers may help freeze funds in targeted cases

Platforms and wallets can warn users or block malicious interactions

This level of coordination enables faster responses than conventional investigations, which often rely on slower legal procedures.

At the same time, it raises expectations for platforms to play a more active role in fraud detection.

The limits of real-time disruption

Despite its goals, Operation Atlantic faces several structural constraints:

Once funds are bridged or layered across multiple services, recovery becomes extremely difficult

User behavior remains a major vulnerability, particularly in social engineering scenarios

Cross-border legal processes can still delay enforcement actions

Wallet anonymity makes victim identification more complicated

In many cases, the most realistic outcome is preventing further losses rather than achieving full recovery of stolen assets.

What this means going forward

Operation Atlantic reflects a broader shift in how crypto-related crime is being tackled.

Rather than viewing fraud as a fixed, one-time event, authorities now treat it as a dynamic, ongoing process that can be monitored and disrupted while it is still in progress.

For users, this shift may result in:

More frequent warnings about suspicious transactions

Greater emphasis on understanding wallet permissions

Increased awareness of scam risks

For platforms, it could lead to:

Higher expectations for transaction monitoring

Deeper collaboration with law enforcement

Integration of real-time risk detection tools

Crypto exchange Binance is introducing a new spot trading feature that restricts orders from executing outside a defined price range during periods of extreme volatility. 

Binance said Tuesday that a mechanism called the Spot Price Range Execution Rule (PRER) will be rolled out on April 14. 

The mechanism allows orders to execute only within dynamic price bands set around a reference price derived from recent trades, which Binance said is intended to help maintain a fair and orderly market during periods of unusual volatility. Binance said PRER may not be available for all trading pairs at all times, including when a reliable reference price cannot be determined.

The change aims to address a known risk during market stress, when thin liquidity can push trades far from recent prices and lead to distorted executions. It comes months after a liquidation-driven market dislocation in October 2025 highlighted how quickly liquidity can thin during stress, though Binance has not explicitly linked the move to that event.

Key features of Spot PRER. Source: Binance

How Binance’s execution rule differs from user-set orders

Unlike stop-loss or limit orders set by individual users, Binance said PRER is an exchange-level market protection mechanism applied during order matching. This means trades can be restricted or partially canceled based on system-defined price limits, regardless of user intent. 

The rule works by tying execution to a dynamic reference price based on recent trades, with percentage-based bands set above and below that level. According to Binance, orders will only fill within this range, and any remaining portion that would execute outside it is canceled. 

Binance said the reference price and bands may vary by trading pair and can be adjusted in response to market conditions. The exchange said the feature does not eliminate slippage but is intended to limit extreme executions during periods of volatility. 

Binance acknowledged Cointelegraph’s request for more information but had not provided additional details by publication.

The update comes months after Binance faced scrutiny during an October 2025 market sell-off, when the exchange later said some platform modules briefly experienced technical glitches and certain assets saw depegging issues after the broader downturn was already underway.

Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao later pushed back on claims that Binance contributed to the market liquidation event.

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Cryptocurrency investment products recorded minor inflows last week despite mixed geopolitical signals and increasingly hawkish investor expectations.

Global crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) clocked $224 million in inflows last week, following a $414 million outflow a week before, CoinShares reported on Tuesday.

The fresh inflows brought total assets under management to about $131.8 billion, roughly in line with levels seen at the same time last year. Year-to-date inflows also totaled about $1.2 billion, compared with $960 million over the same period last year.

The inflows marked a brief rebound in sentiment before later-week macro data and policy expectations reversed momentum, CoinShares head of research James Butterfill said.

XRP leads inflows as Bitcoin trails closely

XRP (XRP) led inflows with about $120 million, contributing more than half of net weekly inflows.

The gains marked XRP’s largest weekly inflows since mid-December 2025, Butterfill noted, bringing its year-to-date inflows to $159 million.

Crypto ETP flows by asset (in millions of US dollars). Source: CoinShares

Bitcoin (BTC) ETPs followed closely with $107 million of inflows, bringing year-to-date flows to slightly above $1 billion. Of those gains, only around $22 million was contributed by US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which remain in negative territory year-to-date.

Solana (SOL) also saw minor inflows totaling around $35 million last week, with steady inflows this year representing 10% of total assets under management.

On the other hand, Ether (ETH) investment products continued to lag, posting $53 million in outflows. That followed $222 million in outflows the prior week, bringing year-to-date outflows to $327 million.

CoinShares’ Butterfill attributed the negative sentiment around Ether to developments tied to the CLARITY Act, a major piece of crypto legislation closely linked to stablecoins, which are largely issued on the Ethereum blockchain. Following months of delays, US Senate Banking Committee member Bill Hagerty said Monday that he expects a potential path for the bill in the coming weeks.

Geographically, Switzerland led last week’s inflows at roughly $157 million, followed by Germany and the US, which both recorded about $28 million each, and Canada with $11 million.

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Argentine banks are reportedly testing JPMorgan’s deposit token infrastructure for back-end settlement workflows, even as the country’s central bank still bars lenders from offering most crypto-related services to clients, according to local outlet iProUP.

A group of financial institutions has begun piloting JPM Coin, a deposit token designed for institutional use. Banco CMF is among the confirmed participants, working through its newly launched corporate unit QORP as part of JPMorgan’s minimum viable product, per the report.

“In the first phase, banks are expected to work on integrating available services to verify improvements in settlement times and interbank reconciliations of integrated banks,” Maximiliano Cohn, chief information officer of CMF, reportedly told the outlet.

The tests are being conducted without moving real funds. Transactions are settled through traditional systems, while blockchain is used to record and reconcile operations. Industry sources cited by iProUP suggest other lenders, including Banco Galicia, BIND and Banco Comafi, are considering joining the program.

The initiative comes as the Banco Central de la República Argentina (BCRA), the central bank of Argentina, is reviewing a rule that barred banks from offering crypto services. While the restriction remains in place, it does not prevent institutions from using blockchain infrastructure internally.

Cointelegraph reached out to Banco CMF for comment, but had not received a response by publication.

JPMorgan said in November 2025 that JPM Coin had become available to institutional clients following a proof of concept on the Coinbase-developed layer-2 network Base. In January, the bank joined Digital Asset to expand JPM Coin onto the Canton Network.

Latin America’s crypto market surges

Latin America has emerged as one of the fastest-growing crypto regions, recording nearly $1.5 trillion in transaction volume between mid-2022 and mid-2025, with monthly activity peaking at $87.7 billion in December 2024, according to Chainalysis’ 2025 Geography of Crypto Report.

LATAM countries leading in crypto. Source: Chainalysis

Brazil led the market by a wide margin, accounting for nearly one-third of regional activity, followed by Argentina and Mexico, per the report.

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Bitcoin (BTC) is copying the end of its 2022 bear market “nearly perfectly,” says a new BTC price analysis.

Key points:

Bitcoin stochastic RSI values are “nearly perfectly” repeating the end of its last bear market, new analysis claims.

Both recent local bottoms and the current rebound echo conditions from three years ago.

Standard RSI is already on the radar for a potential BTC price bottom signal.

Bitcoin stochastic RSI echoes 2023 rebound

In an X post on Monday, crypto trader Quantum Ascend revealed copycat moves playing out on Bitcoin’s stochastic relative strength index (RSI) indicator.

Stochastic RSI, also known as “stoch RSI,” is a derivative of traditional RSI — a classic leading indicator that helps traders identify overbought and oversold conditions, as well as BTC price trend changes.

Like its standard counterpart, stoch RSI flashes “oversold” price signals when it drops below 30/100 on its scale, with “overbought” entering when its value is above 70/100.

Stoch RSI moves between those two zones much more quickly, but Quantum Ascend sees a key long-term bull signal now locking in.

“RSI at the EXACT SAME point on the Daily as it was in 2022,” he told X followers.

BTC price and stochastic RSI comparison. Source: Quantum Ascend/X

An accompanying comparative chart shows stoch RSI making a double bottom along with price before both surged higher in early 2023. At the time, BTC/USD had recently set a multiyear low of $15,600 — a level that ended up forming the bear-market bottom.

Now, Quantum Ascend says, the repeat performance is “playing out nearly perfectly.”

“Breaking above the EXACT SAME level (blue line). At the EXACT SAME time,” he added.

The chart reveals that stoch RSI is now attempting to clear its 50/100 midpoint after two local lows in late January and late March, respectively.

BTC price counts down to bear flag decision

RSI signals have already been firing in 2026 despite lackluster BTC price strength.

As Cointelegraph reported, eyes are on weekly standard RSI to print a bullish divergence with price, again mimicking early 2023.

I stuck to my plan religiously in the bull, and I will do the same in the bear.

As such, it's time to start paying attention - as it looks like $BTC is forming a potential higher low on the weekly RSI.

Giving it a few more weeks to develop, given how the previous bottoms had… pic.twitter.com/nnT84R5Til

— Jelle (@CryptoJelleNL) April 7, 2026

At the time, weekly RSI set its lowest level on record — one so far not matched in 2026, per data from TradingView.

BTC/USD one-week chart with RSI data. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Bitcoin still faces bearish hurdles to recovery, with traders concerned about a bear-flag breakdown repeating on the daily chart.

“In few days we will understand if the pattern is repeating or not,” analyst Aksel Kibar wrote on X at the weekend.

BTC/USD one-day chart. Source: Aksel Kibar/X