U.today

Apple has announced today that Tim Cook will step down from his role as CEO to become Executive Chairman of the board, starting from Sept. 1.

John Ternus, Apple’s current Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, has been named as his successor.

Tim Cook oversaw Apple’s rise from a $350 billion valuation in 2011 to a staggering $4 trillion powerhouse, turning the company into a juggernaut.

As reported by U.Today, Cook confirmed that he personally held crypto back in 2021, calling it "reasonable" to own digital assets for diversification purposes.

However, Apple itself never integrated a native crypto wallet or launched its own coin under its leadership.

Prominent venture capitalist Jason Calacanis has questioned whether the asset's current price is actually propped up by the accumulation strategy of Michael Saylor’s Strategy.

As reported by U.Today, Strategy recently announced a staggering $2.54 billion acquisition of 34,164 BTC. The company’s total holdings have swelled to 815,061 BTC. Notably, this is the third-biggest BTC purchase to date.

A $20,000 premium?

Calacanis directed his rather provocative query to the AI bot Grok, asking what the price of Bitcoin would be today had Michael Saylor not injected over $61 billion into the market since 2020.

The AI's analysis concluded that the price of Bitcoin could be $10,000 to $20,000 lower than its current level ($75,525) without Saylor's aggressive buying.

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This "whale effect" is precisely what worries Calacanis. He has long argued that Strategy's "convoluted" capital structure creates an artificial floor.

The company uses its rather sophisticated at-the-market (ATM) equity offering program in order to make its purchases.

As reported by U.Today, Calacanis has famously stated he would not touch MSTR stock "with a 10-foot pole," even in the event of a crash, and has warned that there should be "no Bitcoin bailouts" if the company’s debt-heavy strategy eventually goes underwater.

However, some users poured cold water on Calacanis's reasoning and Grok's assessment.

"This assumes that the buyers who are funding his purchases would not buy outright themselves if he didn’t offer an easier vehicle where buyers don’t deal with custody risk," one user stated.

Ripple hasintroduced a multi-phase architectural roadmap that is meant to secure the XRP Ledger against next-generation cryptographic attacks.

The San Francisco-headquartered company is taking proactive steps to future-proof the XRP Ledger (XRPL).

The network’s developers have introduced a multi-year roadmap targeting full "post-quantum readiness" by 2028.

"Harvest now, decrypt later"

Google Quantum AI has jolted the cryptocurrency industry into action with its disturbing research, which has shed light on the vulnerabilities of blockchain infrastructure.

Sufficiently advanced quantum computers will gain the ability to break cryptographic algorithms faster than initially expected.

Of course, it should be noted that XRPL user assets are not at immediate risk today. However, there is a subtle but critical vulnerability known as "harvest now, decrypt later," which Ripple engineers have warned about.

Bad actors can continuously scrape and store publicly visible cryptographic data from blockchains today. They can then hold this data until quantum hardware matures enough to crack the encryption.

XRPL’s advantage

XRPL can stand out among many blockchains due to the fact that it has protocol-native building blocks for a post-quantum transition.

XRPL allows users to transition away from potentially vulnerable keys over time without needing to abandon their underlying accounts.

The ledger enables the deterministic derivation of new keys, which makes it possible for users to generate new key material.

The roadmap

Ripple has come up with a four-phase post-quantum rollout. The first phase will focus on post-quantum recovery. The network is exploring post-quantum zero-knowledge proofs to allow users to safely prove ownership and migrate funds even in a compromised environment.

During the proactive experimentation phase, the team is testing algorithms recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and building proof-of-concept custody wallets.

The second half will focus on moving from theory to practice with the initial migration. The team will also explore post-quantum primitives for zero-knowledge proofs to advance privacy for tokenization use cases. Full network transition is expected to happen in 2028.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) hasannounced the completion of its largestEthereum purchase since December, increasing its stake to 4.976 million ETH. The company now controls over 4.21% of the asset's total market supply, transforming Bitmine into a key liquidity provider for "agentic AI" and tokenized Wall Street assets, according to the official announcement.

According to Chairman Tom Lee, by 2026, public blockchains will have become essential for the operation of autonomous AI agents, which require neutral and decentralized payment rails. By controlling4.21% of ETH's supply, Bitmine effectively owns a significant portion of the "computational space" these systems depend on.

Why Tom Lee calls Ethereum "best wartime defensive asset"

Over the past seven days, the company purchased 101,627 ETH — its strongest seven-day push in four months — and has already deployed 3.33 million ETH worth $7.7 billion, out of $12.9 billion total, through its proprietary MAVAN platform. This makes Bitmine the largest institutional validator in the world, securing the Ethereum network.

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3/"We see growing signs that the 'mini-crypto' winter is coming to an end. As downside tail risks for the US-Iran war diminish, ETH has risen 41% from its early February lows. And ETH has outperformed the S&P 500 by 2,280 basis points since the war started and remains the… pic.twitter.com/hpf17CurMk

— Bitmine (NYSE-BMNR) $ETH (@BitMNR) April 20, 2026

Despite bearish predictions, Tom Lee emphasizes that ETH demonstrates unique resilience, as the altcoin has risen 41% from its February lows, outperforming the S&P 500 by 2,280 basis points. Amid geopolitical instability,Ethereum has de facto become the "best wartime defensive asset," says Lee, serving as digital collateral for new financial instruments.

IfMichael Saylor's MicroStrategy turned Bitcoin into a passive gold reserve worth $62 billion, and Tom Lee is betting on the active utilization of ETH — not to simply hold, but to transform it into "computational fuel" for Wall Street.

Adiscussion has erupted on social media between leading ETF experts Nate Geraci and Eric Balchunas regarding Vanguard's stance on crypto ETFs. With assets under management (AUM) exceeding $9 trillion, second only to BlackRock, the company is the gold standard of conservatism and low costs.

In the meantime, the total net assets ofspot Bitcoin ETFs have already exceeded $101.45 billion, about 5.25% of BTC market capitalization. Leading is BlackRock (IBIT) with $53.22 billion.

Can $9 trillion AUM protect Vanguard from the Bitcoin ETF surge?

Nate Geraci, former president of The ETF Store and cofounder of the ETF Institute, considers the situation critical due to a "question of optics." A huge wave of capital is transferring to the younger generation, which is choosing crypto-friendly brokers. Vanguard's interface and position appear like the "Dark Ages," which could lead to a long-term outflow of clients.

Eric Balchunas of Bloomberg Intelligence, however, opposes this view, stating that existing crypto ETFs on the market already solve the problems of 99% of investors. In his opinion, buying an ETF is more advantageous than direct ownership, and Vanguard does not necessarily need to reinvent the wheel, although he acknowledges the importance of image in the battle for the youth demographic.

They can already get bitcoin ETFs, which is same thing and for cheaper (for everyone except 1 in 10,000 case of someone who wants to buy btc in one giant lump sum and hold and make no new buys for 7-10yrs or more)

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) April 20, 2026

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Any decision Vanguard makes alters the market landscape: the refusal of the crypto sphere long restrained the massive influx of institutional capital, while participation is capable of collapsing average industry fees. That is precisely why every step the company takes is watched more closely than that of any other fund.

Despite public conservatism, under the leadership of new CEO and BlackRock alumnus Salim Ramji, Vanguard has taken important steps. At the end of 2025, the broker opened access to third-party crypto ETFs (BTC, ETH, SOL,XRP). Furthermore, in fresh research from Vanguard in 2026, the inclusion of 1-4% crypto assets in portfolios for diversification is permitted.

XRP has continued to gain momentum after the recent price rally that pushed its price to dominate several major cryptocurrencies with the highest weekly gains.

While it is still a topic of discussion among many market enthusiasts, a recent mysterious post focusing on XRP has stirred curiosity across the crypto community.

BitMEX sparks XRP buzz

XRP has gained the spotlight after the world's largest crypto derivatives exchange, BitMEX, shared a simple but mysterious XRP post that has gotten the attention of the crypto community.

While the content of the post simply contained "XRP," it has created buzz as it was simultaneously mimicked by OKX, a leading cryptocurrency exchange in the U.K.

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While neither exchange provided additional context, the timing and similarity of the posts immediately caught the attention of crypto users and the broader XRP community.

Is something big coming?

The X community showed mixed reactions ranging from skepticism and optimism regarding the vague XRP posts, demanding further explanation of the posts.

Notably, some commentators dismissed the posts as mere engagement tactics and nothing major. They argued that the mysterious nature of such content featuring XRP is basically aimed at driving high participation from users.

However, others suggested that it could be a signal for potential major developments.

While the asset has seen increased institutional interest recently, they believe that this could be a sign of major integration from the companies.

Nonetheless, despite being vague, the post has generated excitement across the community, as XRP has shown resilience following its recent rally.

While it has stabilized above the $1.40 level, traders are positioning themselves ahead of any possible announcements, as hinted at in the posts.

Hackers exploited Kelp DAO's cross-chain bridge on Saturday, a move that saw millions of dollars being drained, resulting in a ripple effect across multiple crypto platforms.

The attacker stole about 116,500 rsETH, a token issued by Kelp DAO that represents "restaked" Ethereum by targeting a bridge built using LayerZero, a system that allows different blockchains to communicate.

Kelp DAO is a restaking protocol that lets users deposit staking tokens like stETH and cbETH and get rsETH in return. They can then use rsETH in other crypto apps.The exploit sparked a broad liquidity crunch across DeFi, sparking heavy withdrawals from major lending platforms, including Aave. Developers claim the hack stemmed from a misconfigured cross-chain verification setup in LayerZero-based infrastructure.

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The incident affected about 18% of the rsETH supply and follows a string of large DeFi hacks this month (including a $285 million hack of Solana's Drift protocol, smaller protocols such as CoW Swap, Zerion, Rhea Finance and Silo Finance), prompting protocols to freeze markets and urgently review their cross-chain configurations.

Where are the funds?

In a recent tweet, Arkham provided an analysis of where the funds might have gone.

KELPDAO EXPLOIT: WHERE ARE THE FUNDSKelpDAO had $293.7M stolen in an attack by an entity believed to be the Lazarus Group. The attacker forged a cross-chain message by exploiting LayerZero’s DVN (Decentralized Verified Network) to fake a withdrawal of RSETH to Ethereum. pic.twitter.com/hc4Ck2V2Ii

— Arkham (@arkham) April 20, 2026

According to Arkham, KelpDAO had $293.7 million stolen in an attack by an entity believed to be the Lazarus Group. The attacker forged a cross-chain message by exploiting LayerZero’s DVN (Decentralized Verified Network) to fake a withdrawal of rsETH to Ethereum.

Arkham tracks the path of the funds since the incident happened on Saturday. It was observed that the attacker deposited the majority of the stolen rsETH to AAVE and Compound.

A total of $269.74 million RSETH were deposited to AAVE and Compound, Arkham noted, with the attacker withdrawing a total of $228.21 million of WETH and wstETH from these DeFi protocols. He also swapped a total of $15.34 million rsETH to $14.51 million ETH using Kyberswap, Euler Finance and Wintermute. The attacker now holds $242.18 million in ETH.

Evgeny Gaevoy, CEO of Wintermute, has given a frank evaluation of decentralized finance's current situation, highlighting structural risks that still impede innovation.

DeFi not doing well

Gaevoy expressed concerns about composability and how interconnected protocols increase risk rather than distribute it, saying that things appear pretty bleak for DeFi innovation at this stage, in response to recent developments.

His argument is based on a fundamental tenet of DeFi. Protocols can build upon one another thanks to composability, which is frequently touted as one of the industry's greatest advantages. In reality, the same characteristic produces tightly coupled systems in which a single failure can spread to several layers.

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According to Gaevoy, the way risk should be assessed has changed since exploits' spillover effects are no longer contained within a single protocol.

Series of attacks

His comments come at an opportune moment. On April 18, 2026, KelpDAO was the victim of an exploit valued at approximately $290 million. Initial signs point to a highly skilled, state-affiliated actor, most likely connected to the DPRK's Lazarus Group.

The attack itself was not a simple smart contract malfunction. Rather, it specifically poisoned downstream RPC nodes utilized in the LayerZero Labs Decentralized Verifier Network. Under very specific circumstances, this made it possible for attackers to alter verification pathways.

What counts in the bigger picture is how the system design influenced the result. Because of a 1-of-1 DVN configuration, the incident was limited to KelpDAO's rsETH configuration, thereby creating a single point of failure. Although it is explicitly supported by LayerZero's architecture, multi-DVN configurations with redundancy were not implemented.

Consequently, once the attack path was established, there was no independent validation layer that could reject forged messages.

The event strengthens Gaevoy's position, despite the technical containment and lack of contagion to other assets or applications. The complexity needed to secure interconnected systems keeps growing, even when damage is isolated. With every new integration, the attack surface grows, and highly skilled actors are beginning to take advantage of this fact.

TL;DR

BTC vs. XRP: Bitcoin captured $1.1 billion in weekly inflows, holding above $76,000, while XRP suffered its worst outflows, worth $56 million, as institutions pivot.Shiba Inu coin: Smart money is dodging the "Asteroid Shiba" hype, and Binance whales are moving billions of original SHIB into cold storage for safety.Doge Day vibes: DOGE is consolidating at $0.094. Historical "4/20" patterns suggest a potential rally toward $0.25 if resistance at $0.097 breaks.Crypto Market Outlook:MicroStrategy announces third-biggest Bitcoin purchase ever, while geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz keep BTC volatile.XRP fades into background as Bitcoin sees $1.4 billion rally

Institutional investors are demonstrating a clear shift in priority, according toCoinShares. While the digital asset market recorded a strong $1.4 billion inflow over the week, this capital is being distributed unevenly. Bitcoin emerged as the main beneficiary, whileXRP faced a noticeable cooling in interest.

Amid geopolitical easing and stable U.S. inflation data, investors have returned to accumulation strategies. Bitcoin absorbed $1.116 billion in weekly inflows, allowing it to break out of a two-month plateau and hold above $76,000. This reinforces the thesis that in periods of uncertainty, institutions favor a proven "first-tier" asset.

Against broader optimism, XRP's position appears vulnerable. XRP ETFs saw $56.2 million in outflows over the week, the worst result among major assets. Even compared toSolana and Ethereum, which are showing moderate increases in interest, XRP remains in the red, with $37.2 million in monthly outflows.

Notably, most optimism is coming from the U.S., while conservative Switzerland recorded its largest outflow since November at $138 million. European funds appear to have started capital rotation earlier, exiting XRP in favor of more dynamic BTC exposure.

Current dynamics point to a selective appetite. Investors are no longer buying the entire market at once. The rise in crypto fund AUM to $154.8 billion is being driven by liquidity concentration in Bitcoin, while altcoins like XRP are forced to compete for attention amid declining portfolio share.

Why Binance whales choose SHIB during Asteroid Shiba pump

Amid aggressive promotion of the unofficialAsteroid Shiba (ASTEROID) token, whales are choosing the original SHIB. According toArkham data, the owner of wallet 0x0f8...2024 has begun a series of withdrawals from Binance into cold storage.

At present, this address holds over $125,000, with the majority consisting of 38.2 billion SHIB tokens. Transaction history over recent hours confirms a systematic withdrawal from Binance hot wallets.

The current hype around Asteroid Shiba lacks fundamental backing. The project is unofficial, and the identities of its creators remain hidden. The price surge, driven by mentions of the Polaris Dawn mission, shows clear characteristics of a pump scheme. The lack of transparency and anonymous structure make the asset highly vulnerable to a liquidity collapse.

Whale behavior on Binance on April 20 acts as a key signal. Professionals are choosing the reliability of establishedSHIB over high-risk "space narrative" bets.

Doge Day 2025: Accumulation at $0.094 signals potential breakout

Dogecoin traditionally takes a positive tone, but the current market structure appears more mature and technical than speculative. DOGE is currently holding within the $0.089-$0.097 range. Volume profile data shows consolidation around $0.0947 as a strong liquidity node, according to theTradingView volume profile indicator.

The market continues to track historical analogies, which often become self-fulfilling in Dogecoin's case. Last year's pattern shows that after April 20, the asset gained 62% over 41 days, reaching $0.25 by mid-May. A more aggressive scenario mirrors the situation two years ago, whenDOGE rallied 333% in just 50 days from a similar range.

The key trigger remains a breakout above the $0.097 resistance. If buyers sustain pressure, Doge Day 2025 could evolve from a local event into the start of a prolonged rally. Unlike previous cycles driven by social media narratives, the 2025 market is focused on expectations around integration into the X Payments system.

Crypto Market Outlook: Bitcoin tests $75,000 amid KelpDAO collapse

Expectations of a prolonged rally following March gains have met resistance. Escalations around the Strait of Hormuz and thelargest DeFi exploit of the year involving Kelp DAO have introduced caution into the market. Bitcoin, despite pulling back from last week's highs of $78,000, is holding above $74,000, supported by institutional demand through ETFs.

Key checkpoints:

Bitcoin (BTC): The upcoming $7.9 billion options expiration on Friday, April 24, has created a zone of instability. The key battle is around $75,000. A hold above this level could trigger a short squeeze toward $85,000. CME trading opened with a 3.8% gap upward between $74,600 and $77,540. Historically, such gaps tend to close within the first days of the week.MicroStrategy: Confirmed the purchase of 34,164 BTC worth $2.54 billion last week. Total holdings now stand at 815,061 BTC, with an average acquisition price of $75,528.Geopolitics and macro: The breakdown of ceasefire efforts led to vessel seizures and oil rising to $88 per barrel. Bitcoin remains correlated with the Nasdaq and reacts negatively to escalation, although declines of 1-2% are considered moderate compared to traditional markets.

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Months have passed since David Schwartz officially retired from the position of CTO at Ripple around late last year. However, the Ripple veteran has remained extremely active since then.

His continued social presence concerning Ripple-related matters has sparked curiosity across the crypto community about whether or not Schwartz is still holding his position in the firm.

"I'm a board member," Schwartz declared

After his retirement, Schwartz still holds the title of Ripple CTO Emeritus, sparking speculation about his engagements with the company.

On Monday, April 20, Schwartz clarified that he remains actively involved across multiple initiatives tied to Ripple and the XRP Ledger.card

Schwartz made the clarification after an X user questioned his position with sarcasm, asking if Schwartz had fully retired or was still contributing behind the scenes at Ripple.

Schwartz declared that he is still a board member at Ripple while outlining other engagements he has in relation to the firm.

According to Schwartz, he is still involved with the XRP Ledger Foundation and advises XRP-focused company Evernorth. He also mentioned that he talks to Ripple's XRP Ledger tech team as frequently as every two weeks.

Schwartz discusses asset collateralization risks

The question appeared sarcastic as it came after Schwartz joined the ongoing debate about asset collateralization risks.

While the debate raises concerns about whether certain digital assets are truly backed as claimed, Schwartz shared how to determine if an asset is fully collateralized.

Thus, curiosity about Schwartz's professional status emerged following ongoing speculation. Nonetheless, his response has drawn the attention of the crypto community as it helped clarify the speculation.

Bitcoin treasury juggernaut Strategy has splurged another $2.54 billion to acquire 34,164 BTC.

The Virginia-headquartered business intelligence firm has executed one of the largest single cryptocurrency purchases in corporate history.

Third-largest weekly BTC purchase by MSTR ever https://t.co/pGrH88f9fd pic.twitter.com/K1C1BoQko5

— Vetle Lunde (@VetleLunde) April 20, 2026

Between April 13 and April 19, the company deployed $2.54 billion to expand its digital reserves. The acquisition was executed at an average price of $74,395 per Bitcoin.

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Strategy has tapped into its ongoing at-the-market (ATM) equity offering program. The company sold nearly 21.8 million shares of its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch Preferred Stock, which yielded approximately $2.17 billion in net proceeds.

The firm also sold 2.16 million shares of its standard Class A Common Stock, netting an additional $366 million.

The company now holds an eye-popping 815,061 BTC following the latest purchase.

Strategy has spent an aggregate total of $61.56 billion to amass this hoard.

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) is currently changing hands at $75,525.

Ethereum Foundation developer and researcher Barnabé Monnot indicates that the latest crypto hacks highlight a larger goal for Ethereum as well as many crypto assets.

Over the weekend, the crypto market woke up to news regarding the exploit of the KelpDAO protocol. A $293 million exploit of Kelp’s bridge allowed attackers to use stolen rsETH, a liquid restaking token widely used in DeFi, as collateral to borrow funds on lending platforms, sparking concerns from the broader crypto market.

The attacker stole about 116,500 rsETH, a token issued by Kelp DAO that represents "restaked" Ethereum by targeting a bridge built using LayerZero, a system that allows different blockchains to communicate. The total losses are estimated at roughly $293 million, making it the largest DeFi exploit of 2026.

The attack affected cross-chain infrastructure, restaking models and lending markets at the same time and follows a string of recent incidents.

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The hack occurred in an unusually hostile stretch for DeFi — particularly this month. Solana-based perpetuals protocol Drift was drained of about $285 million in an April 1 attack, and at least a dozen smaller protocols have been exploited in the weeks since, including CoW Swap, Zerion, Rhea Finance and Silo Finance.

Hack highlights larger goal for Ethereum

In a recent tweet, Ethereum Foundation developer and researcher Barnabé Monnot states that the recent hacks serve as a reminder not only for Ethereum but for other crypto assets on the major goal ahead. He highlighted that the goal should be to make Ethereum not only the transport layer but also the issuer-of-record.

Hacks like these remind us that for many assets, the goal should be to make Ethereum not only the transport layer, but also the issuer-of-record.Validity proofs and fast finality are essential to remove latency across the board and compete with faster alternatives.

— barnabe.eth (@barnabemonnot) April 20, 2026

Monnot noted that validity proofs and fast finality are essential to remove latency across the board and compete with faster alternatives, with Ethereum making steady progress toward this vision.

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In the past year, Ethereum announced a renewed focus on three strategic initiatives: scale L1, scale blobs and improve UX.

Faster confirmation times are consistently cited as among the biggest requirements for better interoperability across the Ethereum ecosystem. The current aim is to focus on clear, measurable protocol metrics to drive down latency and cost, while increasing security and trustlessness.

Over the last 24 hours, Shiba Inu has shown a surface-level improvement in the majority of tracked on-chain metrics, with nine out of ten indicators showing positive trends. After a decline, this initially appears to be a move in the direction of recovery. However, the underlying data does not entirely support a clear bullish narrative, and the price structure still reflects a larger bearish context.

Activity through the roof

Several areas are seeing an increase in on-chain activity. Increased participation is indicated by the rise in active sending addresses. Additionally, there has been an increase in exchange outflows, which is generally seen as an indication that holders are transferring assets off exchanges, which is frequently linked to accumulation behavior. Additionally, exchange reserves expressed in USD have increased, suggesting that the ecosystem's capital exposure is increasing.

The data inflow is the source of the issue. Both overall and moving average exchange inflows are increasing concurrently. Both the overall inflows and the seven-day average inflow show a significant increase. This signal is not neutral. Increasing inflows typically indicate that more tokens are being moved to exchanges, which typically precedes selling pressure, as opposed to long-term holding.

Key metrics on the rise

Increases in both inflows and outflows indicate increased activity, but not necessarily accumulation. Large holders frequently reposition or exit during distribution phases. This ambiguity is reinforced by netflow data. The recent positive shift indicates that inflows are catching up, even though the most recent figure is still negative, indicating that outflows still slightly predominate. Any bullish interpretation based solely on outflows is weakened by that change.

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Technically speaking, price action is compressed close to local lows, and SHIB is still trading below important moving averages. Reversal structures have not yet been verified. Although there is short-term consolidation, it is occurring beneath resistance levels rather than above them.

Although the metric dashboard appears robust at first glance, the composition of those signals is more important than their quantity. Gains in activity and participation are offset by increases in indicators linked to selling pressure.

Inflows must slow down, while outflows and holder retention continue to be the main drivers of SHIB's sustainable recovery. The current configuration will lean more toward an unstable equilibrium than a verified trend reversal until that balance changes.

Well-known market analyst Ansemissued a sharp warning for Ethereum investors as, according to him, the fundamental value proposition ofEthereum is weakening and could lead to a collapse below the $1,000 mark by the end of the current year.

As Ansem points out, the "ETH thesis" has been consistently deteriorating over the past few years. Not only hasSolana become the main hub of retail activity in this cycle, but Hyperliquid has also taken the lead in decentralized perpetuals trading. The idea of general-purpose rollups has failed to gain meaningful traction, and Vitalik Buterin has "publicly abandoned" this development direction.

think you can short eth here @ ~$2330 and close < $1000 by eoy

— Ansem (@blknoiz06) April 19, 2026

Ethereum's "safety" exchanged for real revenues in tech

Investor confidence is being undermined by the explosive growth of the artificial intelligence sector and tech stocks, adds Ansem. These assets offer "real revenue" and more attractive growth prospects compared to stagnating assets in DeFi protocols.

Even the current instability in the Aave ecosystem demonstrates the severity of the blow to Ethereum's reputation as a "safe haven" for institutional capital. The situation around theKelp DAO exploit and rsETH tokens, which resulted in approximately $292 million being withdrawn, has already led to around $6 billion in deposit outflows from Aave, as users rushed to secure their capital.

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From Ansem's technical analysis perspective, Ethereum is in a "prolonged downtrend" after failing to break multiyear resistance levels. The trader suggests opening short positions at current levels around $2,317, targeting a move below $1,000 by the end of 2026.

The "hard invalidation" level for the bearish scenario is set at $2,700-$2,800, but getting there requires the emergence of fundamentally new growth drivers within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Binance's cofounder does not seem too happy about hitting the 11-million-followers milestone on his X account and has started a discussion about the authenticity of those followers.

Hitting milestone

In response to X user "Ochaiizz" celebrating CZ's reaching 11 million followers, CZ made a straightforward observation, raising concerns about how growth seemed to stall for a while before abruptly picking up. That response may appear mundane, but it highlights a recurring problem that many market players would rather overlook.

huh? that slowed for a long while, then it jumped yesterday? https://t.co/6wbr9bD6MO

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) April 20, 2026

In cryptocurrency-related accounts, particularly those connected to trading signals, meme coins or influencer-driven narratives, follower spikes like this are not unusual. Suspicion of inorganic amplification is frequently raised by growth patterns that stay flat before suddenly surging.

Although it is possible that a post went viral, or that an outside event attracted attention, these patterns are so common in the industry that the explanation is frequently less compelling.

Why follower count matters

Social metrics are one of the simplest ways to manipulate the cryptocurrency ecosystem, which has always been susceptible. Bots are capable of inflating sentiment indicators, follower counts and engagement rates. As a result, credibility and influence are perceived in a distorted way.

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This is significant because it shows awareness at the highest level of the industry. When a person with his level of exposure questions growth metrics, it implies that the problem is not unique. Additionally, it is consistent with broader concerns about coordinated promotion campaigns, wash trading and fake volume that have been reported on various platforms.

A large number of followers frequently translates into perceived authority, which can affect capital flows. A crucial layer of market signaling is jeopardized if those figures are inaccurate — and in most cases they are.

CZ's skepticism is warranted, but not all large accounts are inflated. Cross-referencing metrics with real activity, engagement consistency and discourse quality is important. There will probably be more pressure to make these signals more transparent as platforms like X develop.

After XRP went live on the Solana blockchain, users are alreadyexecuting trades for the asset without even leaving the WhatsApp messaging app.

X user @sol_nxxn posted a screenshot of a WhatsApp chat successfully swapping 0.1 SOL for ~5.99 wXRP. "I just bought XRP on Solana through WhatsApp. Solana is officially ready for boomers," the user quipped.

How it actually works

Trading cryptocurrency via a simple text message is the result of several cutting-edge technologies operating in tandem.

First of all, this is possible due to the recent bridging of XRP to Solana.

The bridging is facilitated by omnichain interoperability protocol LayerZero and institutional custodian Hex Trust, the asset exists on Solana as an SPL token called wXRP. Asreported by U.Today, the integration finally took place on Apr. 17.

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Given that the wrapped XRP token acts like a Solana token, it is compatible with every decentralized exchange (DEX) and smart contract on the network.

The WhatsApp interface is powered by advanced AI bots. Developers are now deploying trading bots equipped with AI Agent APIs that can process natural language. A user can simply text a command like, "Buy 0.1 SOL worth of wXRP."

These WhatsApp bots are linked to a user's non-custodial wallet. A text command parses the intent, routes the trade through a Solana DEX aggregator.

Of course, XRP can also be used across Solana’s entire DeFi ecosystem, which includes lending and borrowing protocols (Kamino, Marginfi), AMMs (Raydium, Orca) as well as Web3 wallets (Backpack) and other apps.

David Schwartz, Ripple's CTO Emeritus, has arather chilling warning for the decentralized finance (DeFi) bridging sector after a catastrophic $290 million exploit drained the Kelp DAO ecosystem.

The cryptocurrency veteran has assessed cross-chain systems for Ripple's upcoming RLUSD stablecoin, concluding that the industry suffers from a dangerous culture of prioritizing convenience and rapid scaling over robust security features.

I evaluated a lot of DeFi bridging systems for use by RLUSD. I was almost exclusively focused on the security and risk aspect. One thing I noticed is that most schemes were very well designed and had really strong mechanisms available to protect against exactly the type of attack…

— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) April 20, 2026

Ignoring security issues

Schwartz has found that most bridging systems were actually well-designed to prevent the exact type of attack that struck Kelp DAO.

However, as the Ripple vet noted, bridge providers frequently recommended bypassing their own strongest security mechanisms due to the "operational complexity costs" involved.

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"Their sales pitch was that they have the best security features, but they're easy to use and scale, assuming you don't use the security features," Schwartz stated.

The push for simplicity and speed in adding new blockchain networks came with the expectation that operators would simply ignore robust security protocols.

The $290 million wake-up call

Over the weekend, an attacker managed to siphon approximately 116,500 rsETH (roughly $290 million) from the Kelp DAO ecosystem across the Ethereum and Arbitrum networks.

Asreported by U.Today, the hack was due to a bug caused by a severe private key compromise on the source chain. The attacker hijacked a legitimately deployed Kelp DAO peer contract, which made it possible for them to initiate a massive withdrawal in a matter of minutes. The exploiter's initial wallets were funded via the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash.

Schwartz has argued that this multi-million dollar disaster was highly preventable. "I have a funny feeling part of the problem is going to be something like KelpDAO choosing not to use key LayerZero security features out of convenience," he noted.

The bullish wave that began to form in late February appears to have stalled out, and XRP's recent attempt at recovery is losing structure.

The asset was able to create a series of higher lows and momentarily move closer to the $1.50 area, but there isn't any follow-through. The price is returning to hesitancy just below a significant resistance cluster rather than continuing. The rejection close to the short-term resistance trendline and the inability to maintain movement above it are the most telling indicators.

Although XRP broke out of a local ascending structure, it did not develop into a long-term trend. Instead of expansion, what you are currently witnessing is a flattening of momentum. Instead of committing, the market tested upside liquidity.

Technically speaking, XRP is still below its main moving averages, such as the 100 and 200 EMA, both of which are still declining. It defines the larger trend, so it is not just a small detail. Any bullish move is, by definition, a counter-trend as long as the price remains below those levels, and they usually fail unless they are backed by significant volume and persistence.

Another flaw is the volume itself. The recent push higher did not result in any notable expansion, indicating that buyers were not sufficiently aggressive to flip market structure. Without that involvement, rallies are susceptible to swift reversals, which is precisely what appears to be occurring right now.

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The rounding bottom formation, which appeared promising, could now be invalidated. The entire recovery attempt will restart if XRP begins to lose the higher-low structure around $1.35-$1.38, and the market will probably return to consolidation or even continue the downtrend.

Although the likelihood is changing, there is still a small window of opportunity for XRP to stabilize and try another push. The bullish wave exhausted itself before regaining crucial resistance, so it did not enter a breakout phase.

Bitcoin is not yet ready

With the $80,000 mark getting farther and farther out of reach, Bitcoin's most recent price action is beginning to resemble a rejection phase rather than a recovery attempt.

Following a brief surge toward the mid-$70,000s, Bitcoin was unable to maintain its momentum and is currently stagnating just below a declining resistance trendline that has been capping the price for months.

The structure is obvious: Bitcoin is trading inside a tightening formation, but it keeps failing at lower highs rather than creating pressure for a breakout. The notion that sellers continue to control the larger trend is reinforced by the fact that every attempt to recover higher levels is sold into.

The inability of Bitcoin to clearly break and hold above the 100 EMA is a serious warning sign for bulls, as it continues to be a significant barrier overhead.

As far as trends go, nothing has changed. Both the 100 and 200 EMAs, which slope downward, are still locked above the asset. Instead of a reversal, that alignment indicates a continuation bias.

The recent recovery from the $60,000-$65,000 range offered some short-term respite, but it has not resulted in a structural change. Nor does volume lend credence to a breakout story. Although there was some expansion during the initial rebound, there hasn't been consistent follow-through volume, indicating that the move does not have strong institutional support. In the short term, recovering $80,000 becomes increasingly implausible without that.

Expectations of a return to $80,000 should be lowered unless Bitcoin can confidently reclaim the 100 EMA and break above the declining resistance.

For the time being, BTC is essentially saying goodbye to that level. The likelihood that the market will turn its attention to consolidation or another downward leg increases with the length of time it remains below resistance.

Shiba Inu's worrisome signal

At a time when price action is still structurally weak, Shiba Inu is displaying a well-known but unsettling signal: increasing exchange netflows.

More than 10 billion SHIB are reportedly shifting toward centralized exchanges, according to the most recent data. This trend usually corresponds with rising sell-side pressure rather than accumulation.

In terms of price, SHIB remains trapped in a wider downward trend. The 100 and 200 EMAs serve as dynamic resistance overhead as the asset continues to trade below its major moving averages. The market has entered a low-volatility consolidation phase close to local lows after recent attempts to push higher were swiftly capped.

This type of compression frequently precedes a more significant move, but the likelihood of a downward continuation is skewed with increasing exchange inflows.

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Exchange netflows are important because they reveal intent. Tokens that leave exchanges typically indicate long-term holding behavior. Moving on to exchanges, particularly in large quantities, suggests getting ready to sell or reposition. Reaching the 10 billion mark is a significant liquidity event that expands the market's supply, not just noise.

The weak demand absorption is what makes this configuration more vulnerable. During recent bounces, volume has not significantly increased, indicating that buyers are not intervening forcefully enough to offset incoming supply. Even mild selling pressure can drive down the price in the absence of that demand.

This is not a time for investors to believe that the bottom is in. Although the sideways movement may appear stable, distribution rather than accumulation is more likely.

XRP goes live on Solana

The integration, powered by LayerZero and Hex Trust, brings wrapped XRP (wXRP) into Solana's expansive decentralized finance ecosystem.

The Solana network has integrated XRP, according to a Friday announcement. The integration, which has been in the works for several months, bridges the gap between two of the cryptocurrency industry's most prominent ecosystems.

The asset has been launched as a wrapped token, designated as wXRP. The Solana Foundation partnered with LayerZero and Hex Trust, two major infrastructure providers, in order to be able to facilitate this massive cross-chain move.

The announcement has noted that the XRP Ledger is specifically designed for "fast" and "low-cost" transactions. Now, XRP holders will be able to get exposure to Solana's vast DeFi ecosystem.

Bitcoin ETFs back on track with biggest inflows since January

Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw their strongest weekly inflows since January, pulling in nearly $1 billion as institutional demand accelerates.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded their largest weekly inflows since January, signaling a renewed wave of institutional demand, according todata from Farside Investors.

Total net inflows reached $996 million over the past week, marking the strongest performance since early January, when inflows approached $1.4 billion.

The surge was driven by a standout Friday session, which alone brought in $663.9 million, the highest single-day inflow of the week.

Last week, ETFs saw $411.5 million in inflows on Tuesday and $186 million on Wednesday, followed by a modest $26 million on Thursday. The period began with a $291 million outflow on Monday, making the rebound particularly notable as momentum quickly reversed.

The strong inflow activity pushed total net assets across spot Bitcoin ETFs above $101 billion by the end of the week. At the same time, trading volumes surged, with daily activity nearing $4.8 billion, reflecting heightened participation from both institutional and retail investors.

The data suggests that despite recent market uncertainty, capital continues to rotate back into Bitcoin exposure through regulated investment vehicles, reinforcing the role of ETFs as a primary entry point for traditional investors.SHIB crosses one trillion threshold in outflows

SHIB crosses one trillion threshold in outflows

Shiba Inu is seeing massive exchange outflows, hinting at quiet accumulation despite a still-weak price trend.

With exchange outflows exceeding one trillion SHIB in a brief amount of time, Shiba Inu is exhibiting a change in on-chain behavior. That is a significant shift in the positioning of large holders, particularly in light of the months-long downtrend and low demand.

Both exchange inflows and outflows have increased, but outflows are outpacing inflows, according to the data. Net flow is still marginally negative, with total outflows at about 1.24 trillion SHIB and inflows at about 1.13 trillion SHIB.

At the same time, exchange reserves are still slightly decreasing. Instead of aggressive selling, this combination usually indicates a slow removal of supply from exchanges. However, the price is not responding, at least not yet.

As the recent crypto market rally cools, the leading crypto assets are showing mixed price action, and futures traders have also taken a pause, causing a decline in the Shiba Inu derivatives market.

According to data from CoinGlass, Shiba Inu's open interest has dropped by over 7% in the last 24 hours following a sudden shift in investor sentiment that saw the market flip bearish after a major price breakout.

Shiba Inu futures traders commit 9.85 trillion SHIB

Although sentiment is still bullish, the Shiba Inu futures market is severely down, showing a massive decline over the last day.

As such, only 9.85 trillion SHIB are currently sitting in active contracts as of Sunday, April 19, suggesting that traders are suddenly taking caution following the rapid price rally seen in the previous days.

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With this negative trend, activity across the Shiba Inu spot market has also slowed over the last day, seeing the leading meme coin suddenly flip into the red territory.

However, its price has maintained resistance above the $0.000006 mark despite the slowed momentum, retaining decent value despite the weak trading activity.

As such, Shiba Inu has only declined modestly by 0.81% over the last 24 hours, and its price is trading at $0.000006073 as of writing time.

Shiba Inu still 93% down from ATH

Despite the tepid price surge seen in the last few days, Shiba Inu remains far from reaching its all-time high, as data from CoinMarketCap shows that Shiba Inu is still about 93% down from its all-time high.

While the asset is showing signs of a major recovery and the overall sentiment is becoming extremely bullish, market analysts are yet to predict how soon the asset could set a new price milestone.