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Japanese banks presented concrete pilot results at the $XRP Tokyo 2026 conference, comparing transactions conducted using XRP with traditional transfers via the SWIFT system. The results are clear and could represent a breakthrough in how financial institutions think about cross-border payments. Unlike many previous tests, Japanese banks conducted real cross-border payments using XRP as a bridge currency on real-world corridors between Japan and Southeast Asian countries. This enabled direct transfer of value between fiat currencies without the involvement of multiple correspondent banks. About 60% cost reduction compared to SWIFT – thanks to the elimination of intermediary fees and reduced administrative costs. Settlement time of less than 4 seconds – while traditional SWIFT transfers can take from several hours to several days. Eliminating the need for pre-funding – banks no longer need to maintain frozen capital in nostro and vostro accounts in different jurisdictions. XRP enables the conversion of local currency into XRP at the time of a transaction, followed by immediate exchange into the target currency. This prevents capital from sitting idle, and banks' balance sheets become significantly more. The traditional SWIFT system relies on a layered structure of correspondent banks, which generates high costs and delays. The Ripple-based solution eliminates these layers, offering faster, cheaper, and more capital-efficient transfers. The presented data confirms that the coin operates effectively as a currency bridge in a real-world environment. The growing number of active payment corridors in Ripple's On-Demand Liquidity network deepens liquidity and increases the efficiency of the entire system. Japanese banks have approached financial innovations with great caution for years. The fact that they decided to publicly present the results of the live XRP pilots is a clear sign of institutions' growing confidence in blockchain technology for international payments. Although full, wide-scale adoption is still ahead of us, these results represent an important step towards a true transformation of the global payments infrastructure. Experts emphasize that if more banks confirm similar savings and speed, XRP could become a key tool in the modern "Internet of Values." What are your thoughts on the future of XRP and its price? I know that some of you, like me, have been waiting for the XRP price to rise for months or even years, but maybe we'll finally see it, and become rich?

The first quarter of 2026 hasn't been kind to the cryptocurrency market, to put it mildly. $BTC is losing over 22%, recording its worst performance since 2018. $ETH is also taking a beating. A decline of around 29% only confirms that the pressure was widespread and relentless. Yet something is amiss. Although the numbers look bad, the balance of power in the market is beginning to shift slightly. And this moment, right after a weak quarter, is often the most interesting. The beginning of April brings the first signs of change. Bitcoin rebounds symbolically, recording growth of less than 2%. Ethereum is doing something more, growing by over 7%. At first glance, it's still nothing spectacular, but the difference is significant. This is no longer a market where everything moves at a single pace. Capital rotation is beginning. Some investors are clearly shifting funds towards assets with greater potential, but also higher risk. Ethereum fits this pattern perfectly. This isn't yet an aggressive inflow of money, but rather a calm, gradual shifting of pieces on the chessboard. This is also confirmed by market capitalization data. Bitcoin is losing ground slightly, while Ethereum is rising, albeit only slightly. These are subtle signals that are easy to miss, but in the long term, they can be significant. It gets even more interesting when we look deeper. Ethereum is experiencing steady outflows from exchanges, which usually means investors aren't willing to sell. They're moving funds to their own wallets and playing with a longer-term horizon. This, in turn, naturally limits supply.

At the same time, the number of active addresses is growing, and the average number of weekly transactions is once again exceeding 1.3 million. These are levels we last saw in mid-February, before the market weakened again. This is an important signal. Because before the price begins to react, user behavior first changes.

If we put all these elements together—capital turnover, outflows from exchanges, increasing network activity, and the first signals from institutions—a coherent picture begins to emerge. ETH/BTC is rising for good reason. This isn't a single impulse, but the result of several overlapping trends. Does this mean Ethereum will dominate the second quarter? No. The market is still fragile, and sentiment is far from euphoric, but something is starting to change. And as is often the case in crypto, the most important things happen when few people are paying attention.

The leak of SWIFT's internal documentation sheds new light on the direction in which the global payments infrastructure is heading. Ripple $XRP and Stellar Lumens $XLM , two of the longest-running distributed ledger networks, appear in these documents not as exotic experiments but as specific components of the upcoming SWIFT payment system. Their networks' compliance with ISO 20022 allows them to accept and generate messages in the same format that SWIFT requires from banks after the standard migration.

SWIFT is testing the use of blockchain as a ledger and is developing a multi-asset gateway in which XRP and XLM can act as bridge assets between fiat currencies, stablecoins, and other tokens.
In the section describing the phenomenon of correspondent banking disintermediation, i.e., bypassing intermediaries in the settlement chain, Ripple and Stellar are explicitly mentioned as commercial solutions for international remittances, alongside entities such as MoneyGram, PayPal, and Payoneer.
The documentation outlines several possible integration paths. In the remittance scenario, a multi-asset gateway is being created, aiming to expand the range of interoperable blockchains, thus fulfilling a strategic goal of a leading European financial conglomerate.
In this model, XRP and XLM could act as so-called bridge assets, i.e., currencies that intermediate transactions between two parties operating in different jurisdictions and currencies.
SWIFT has previously confirmed testing of XRP and $HBAR on its network, and this year announced plans to add a blockchain-based ledger. Other integration paths could lead through stablecoins, on-demand liquidity maintenance in the ODL model, or cross-chain settlement layers. The scale of the potential impact is difficult to overstate. SWIFT's annual trading volume exceeds $155 trillion – a figure 60 times greater than the current capitalization of the entire global cryptocurrency market. Even a marginal takeover of some of this volume by DLT networks would represent a structural shift in the way international money flows operate. The question is not whether integration will occur, but rather what form it will take and at what pace.

Increasingly heated economic and political tensions, threatening a literal outbreak of war (again), are being stirred by the actions of the Iranian authorities, whose central element is $BTC . Iran has announced, as is well known, that it is annexing the Strait of Hormuz and intends to exercise sovereign control over the maritime route connecting the Persian Gulf with the rest of the world. The most visible element of this control is the fees the Iranian state demands from ships sailing this route.

These fees were formally introduced in mid-March, although at the time they were more declarative in nature (intensive bombardment of Iran, especially its naval assets, had already brought all traffic in the Strait to a standstill). This changed this week with the announcement of a two-week ceasefire. Although the ceasefire is extremely fragile, and both sides have already accused each other of violating it, it has allowed the "Strait of Hormuz Management Plan," formally passed by the sham Iranian parliament on March 30, to officially come into effect.

Initially, back in March, it was reported that the fees would be collected in Chinese yuan. However, this has now changed, and these duties—though settled in terms of the dollar equivalent—will be collected in cryptoassets. This refers, of course, to Bitcoin or stablecoins. Tehran wants tankers to pay the equivalent of $1 for each barrel of oil. A full-size VLCC supertanker with a capacity of 2 million barrels would cost around $2 million, which at a BTC exchange rate of around $72,128. (as of April 9th ​​– Bitcoin strengthened amid reports of a ceasefire) would be equivalent to 27.7 BTC.
Ships with empty cargo holds can theoretically pass free of charge – however, Iran continues to demand compliance with the cumbersome process of obtaining permission for passage, which in itself is a significant burden. Permission must be granted by Iran's Supreme National Security Council, a ridiculously high-level body. The procedure requires emailing Iranian authorities with cargo details, a crew list, and the port of destination no later than 96 hours before the planned entry. After verification, the tanker receives instructions to pay in BTC within seconds of approval. After the transaction, a one-time access code is generated, and the vessel is taken over by an "escort" from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy.

The daily limit is approximately 12 ships, varying according to a five-level classification, depending on nationality and the country's "friendliness" towards Iran – ships with ties to the US or Israel are to be denied passage at all. Meanwhile, according to data from the Kpler Observatory, before the conflict, 100–120 commercial vessels passed through the Strait daily, including tankers carrying approximately 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply. After the introduction of the fees, traffic dropped to a few vessels per day, and oil tankers did not pass at all during the first hours of the ceasefire.

On top of all this, there are costs – as mentioned, significant ones.

Naturally, Washington considered the introduction of fees to be completely out of the question. The White House emphasizes that the primary condition for the ceasefire was the "unconditional" and "complete" reopening of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that attempts to collect fees constitute a violation of the ceasefire. Iran maintains that the system is technical in nature and serves to protect against the confiscation of assets under sanctions – the lifting of which, loosely envisaged as one element of a possible final peace agreement, seems even more unlikely under the circumstances.

There is currently no information on whether the United States would be prepared to resume military action due to attempts to charge ships with Bitcoin. Some observers point out that while the US has no pressing interest in unblocking the route (the US doesn't use it anyway, and the complications are affecting China), the Arab states of the Persian Gulf do – whose economies depend for over 90% on oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz. These countries do not accept Iran's de facto annexation of the crucial route and could potentially be willing to use force to force its opening.

Regardless of the political storm the attempted to introduce fees has caused, it is also significant for another reason. It would constitute the first such significant instance in which Bitcoin has been treated by a major state, which Iran undoubtedly is, as a sovereign currency in international transactions. The full spectrum of consequences of this development could also be interesting. It's worth realizing that, assuming a flow of 130 ships per day, the system would generate over 3,600 BTC per day—over eight times more than the global production of new Bitcoins (450 BTC/day). Admittedly, these are exciting times for BTC. Do you think these events will positively impact the BTC price or the opposite? Let us know in the comments.
#bitcoin

More than six months have passed since the October 2025 crash. The market is slowly becoming increasingly impatient and weary of the crisis. Over the past few weeks, more and more data and analyses have emerged suggesting an end to the negative trend and a transition to the next phase.
Michael Saylor's recent statement also brought considerable optimism. During his speech at the investor meeting, Mizuho assessed that $BTC likely bottomed out when it fell to $60,000. Saylor emphasized that market bottoms typically occur when sellers' strength has been exhausted, not when confidence returns. Furthermore, Saylor attributed the recent declines to mass liquidations among miners who used excessive leverage. He also pointed to the selling activity of so-called weak hands in the market. In his opinion, these factors have intensified selling pressure.
Furthermore, Saylor addressed the threat posed by quantum computers. Strategy's CEO believes the risk is remote and manageable. Saylor believes that even if the threat of quantum computers becomes real, Bitcoin's structure allows for updates that will dethrone the threats. While much data suggests that Bitcoin has indeed bottomed out, some analyses suggest a more cautious approach. Darkfost, an analyst at CryptoQuant, estimates that BTC has entered the final phase of a bear market. At the same time, he believes Bitcoin could still fall lower. Furthermore, the analyst argues that this period of volatility and uncertainty could persist for several more months.
Darkfost points out that at this stage, we are seeing pressure on long-term holders (LTH). As the analyst describes: "It typically starts with STH, which has already been under pressure for six months, before shifting towards LTH. This pattern repeats itself every cycle." To capture dynamics and changes, the expert advises monitoring the LTH SOPR (Spend Profit Ratio). This indicator helps determine whether users are experiencing losses or profits during the sell-off. This allows us to capture the overall trend. Currently, the 30-day moving average of the LTH SOPR remains below 1 (around 0.96). This result indicates losses for long-term Bitcoin holders. However, the annual average remains positive (1.71). As LTH begins to experience losses over the longer term, the market will be closer to entering an accumulation phase. #Bitcoin❗

#robo $ROBO rose from $0.02 on its debut day to $0.0481 on its fifth day and is currently trading sideways, undecided whether to continue rising or falling at $0.397. As a token with the potential to enable the construction, management, and evolution of general-purpose robots thanks to verifiable computations and agent-native infrastructure, it has a bright future. We all know that the future lies in AI and robotics, among other things. Therefore, tokens related to them are quite safe investment tools. Furthermore, considering the fact that the token's price didn't drop by 80-90% on launch day, as is often the case with many tokens, it shows that investors see potential in it. What are your thoughts on it?
@FabricFND

#Mira After reaching a debut price of $2.30 $MIRA fell for a very long time, reaching a low of $0.0756. For a month, the token's price has been trading sideways and currently stands at $0.942. For a week, the token's price has been trying to break out higher, but has failed. However, this token is worth keeping an eye on because it could still surprise positively, especially since it's not a meme token. As a decentralized protocol designed to address trustworthiness issues in artificial intelligence systems, Mira Network has its usefulness, making it a token with a future.
@mira_network