Misty Carrousal Feiq

The Great Disappearance
In the crypto world, we've seen it all: from brilliant hacks to ridiculous coding blunders. But the case of the CBEX platform, unfolding in the last few hours, is vying for the title of 'Most Brazen Scam of 2026.' It's a story of how developer cynicism collided with the boundless hope of duped investors.

Cyberattacks on the financial sector have hit a critical level, shifting the focus from technical breaches to physical and psychological pressure. April 2026 was a record month: over $635 million was stolen. North Korean hackers are responsible for 76% of all losses. Additionally, the number of 'wrench attacks' has surged by 41% — aggressive assaults using brute force. Malicious actors are increasingly employing blackmail and AI for targeted terror against capital holders.

On April 20th, the decentralized protocol Kelp DAO fell victim to a massive hacking attack, with losses exceeding $300 million. Within the first few hours after the incident, it was clear that this was one of the biggest heists in the DeFi sector in recent years. In this article, we will analyze what is known so far and take a detailed look at the investigation's progress over the first 18 days post-hack.

Bitcoin Core devs have dropped the details on a critical vulnerability, CVE-2024-52911, that allows remote shutdown of network nodes or execution of arbitrary code. This marks the first serious memory leak in the project's history. Over 43% of nodes are still at risk, though the cost of an attack for hackers is pretty steep.

US, China, and UAE intelligence agencies conducted a joint operation, arresting 276 individuals and dismantling 9 scam centers. The perpetrators employed a 'pig butchering' scheme, extracting funds through psychological pressure and fake exchanges. Over $701 million in crypto assets has been blocked. This case exemplifies rare state cooperation against cybercrime. Wallet identification is underway to return funds to victims.

May of this year sets the trajectory for the industry's development through a mix of massive institutionalization (the launch of round-the-clock futures on CME and summits in London) and technological upgrades to the infrastructure (Base updates and Solana hackathons). While macroeconomic reports from the US will shape short-term volatility, global conferences in Miami and Tsuzi are laying the groundwork for the tokenization of real assets and new regulatory standards, making this month critical for long-term strategic planning for both funds and private investors.

Despite the expectations, the situation surrounding the acceptance of the CLARITY Act looks much more negative than at the beginning of the year. The divergence between key players in the financial market and lawmakers is becoming more pronounced, with some senators even declaring an outright protest. Let's break it down further.

White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt has stated that the administration has overcome key legal hurdles for the full launch of the reserve. A detailed roadmap is set to be unveiled at the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas in the coming weeks.
The bill by Senator Cynthia Lummis, previously known as the BITCOIN Act, has been renamed the American Reserves Modernization Act (ARMA). It proposes that the government purchase up to 1 million BTC over the next 5 years. Currently, the US government is already the largest state holder of cryptocurrency globally, controlling around 328,372 BTC (approximately $25 billion), mostly acquired through seizures.

Despite the global economy showing some resilience, top analysts and international institutions are increasingly warning about an approaching financial storm on the horizon, expected by late 2026 to early 2027.
Global Threat: Why Are Analysts in a Panic?
The main epicenter of a potential crisis is considered to be the USA. Financial analyst Peter Schiff and other experts are predicting an 'American crisis' that could lead to a significant devaluation or even a 'collapse' of the dollar as the primary reserve currency.

Scallop, the leading money market in the Sui ecosystem, fell victim to a targeted attack. Although the scale of the damage isn't critical for the protocol, this incident has raised a red flag for the entire Sui network, which was previously considered one of the safest due to the Move programming language.
Details

The record stats of the IBIT fund from BlackRock indicate the end of the skepticism era around crypto. Bitcoin is now not just 'digital gold' for the enthusiasts but a key asset in the portfolios of the biggest global institutions, forever changing the structure of the global market.
The scale of the record and a nine-day rally

The annual Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2026 has officially wrapped up. The event brought together hundreds of investors and speakers, with thousands of viewers and participants from around the globe, solidifying Hong Kong's status as the crypto hub of Asia. Presentations from industry leaders and government representatives, insights into the latest trends in artificial intelligence, RWA tokenization, and blockchain integration into traditional finance, along with showcases of groundbreaking tech solutions — all of this formed the backbone of a four-day marathon. Let's dive deeper into the highlights of this festival and the ideas that will shape the market in the coming year.

Iran's naval forces have blocked and seized two commercial vessels — MSC Francesca and Epaminondas. This incident unfolds against the backdrop of escalating geopolitical tensions in the region and new allegations of violating maritime law.

On April 22, 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the detention of two major container ships in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. According to Tehran, the vessels MSC Francesca and Epaminondas attempted to navigate this strategically vital waterway without obtaining the necessary permits from the Iranian side.

A container ship took fire near the Strait of Hormuz after getting close to an Iranian military vessel. Bloomberg reports this based on data from the British Navy.

This incident marks another episode of escalation in the region following a series of attacks over the weekend that effectively paralyzed part of the shipping lanes in this strategically crucial area. According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a vessel from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps approached the ship about 15 nautical miles off the coast of Oman and opened fire. As a result, serious damage was inflicted on the bridge. The name of the ship has not been disclosed in the report.

Donald Trump's recent statements have once again come under media attention following his post featuring Apple CEO Tim Cook. The post quickly spread across social networks due to the harsh and provocative phrase that many perceived as offensive and politically charged.

What exactly did Trump write
On April 21, in his social network Truth Social, Trump mentioned conversations with Apple CEO Tim Cook and used a crude expression in the context of phone calls that, according to him, Cook made during his presidency.

April 20, 2026, will go down in cybersecurity history as the day of one of the boldest hacks in the decentralized finance space. Hackers managed to snag over $300 million, throwing the stability of the entire crypto market into jeopardy.

The attackers uncovered a critical vulnerability in the cross-chain infrastructure used by the Kelp DAO protocol. Due to a bug in the bridge code based on LayerZero technology, the hackers were able to compromise the transaction verification system.

Structured list of the most significant events in the last 24 hours.

Energy and Oil: New Price Surge
Global markets are once again under pressure due to the situation around the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices have surged sharply by 5-7% and approached $100 per barrel, reacting to the risks of supply disruptions. The reason is the instability of the ceasefire between the USA and Iran and the actual restriction of shipping through the strait, through which about 20% of the world's oil exports pass.

On April 17, Iran stated that the Strait of Hormuz remains open for commercial shipping. Let's analyze what happened in the first 24 hours following this statement and how it affected the prospects for further developments in the region. We will also review the status of the main logistics centers.

Paris Blockchain Week 2026 set the tone for the entire week, bringing together key industry players: from infrastructure developers to institutional investors. It was already clear from the start — the focus is shifting from hype to practical application and scalability. This also indicates a gradual transition of the market to a more mature and stable phase of development.

Source of the statement: Fox News
Fox News journalist Maria Bartiromo reported on her Instagram that Donald Trump announced the end of the war in Iran, and this information spread almost instantly in the media space, causing significant resonance among analysts, journalists, and participants in financial markets. Such statements, especially when they come from public figures of this level, automatically become a trigger for active discussion, as they can influence not only the political agenda but also economic expectations and investor behavior on a global scale.