U.today

Poland’s parliament has failed to override President Karol Nawrocki’s veto of a critical cryptocurrency regulation bill, according to local media reports.

The veto will likely negatively affect the digital asset market of the key European Union member due to prolonged regulatory uncertainty.

The parliamentary deadlock

The Sejm (the lower house of the Polish parliament) failed to secure the three-fifths qualified majority required to overturn a presidential veto during the pivotal vote.

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Only 243 lawmakers voted in favor of overriding the veto. It is worth noting that 276 votes are required to bypass the president's desk.

President Nawrocki previously vetoed a nearly identical version of the bill earlier this year.

The MiCA mandate

The legislation was meant to ensure that the Polish national law is in synch with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.

If passed, the bill would have granted sweeping new powers to the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF).

The regulatory body would have obtained the legal tools to police the digital asset sector. It would have had the ability to halt public offerings of specific crypto assets, suspend trading activities, or even impose an outright ban.

Proponents of the bill argued that there was a desperate need for these measures to improve the market.

The pushback

President Nawrocki defended his veto by arguing that the revised bill presented to him was virtually unchanged from the version he rejected. There was only an insignificant adjustment to the maximum cap for regulatory supervision fees.

"One detail was changed, but the fundamental errors were not removed," the president stated, maintaining his stance that the proposed regulations are excessive, disproportionate, and place an undue burden on the industry.

The cryptocurrency market is experiencing one of the most dynamic moments of the year asBitcoin has surpassed the psychological $78,000 mark for the first time in two months. This breakout is accompanied by a strong inflow of liquidity; on the Solana blockchain alone, 500 million USDC were issued within a short period of time, according toWhale Alert.

The main catalyst for growth was a sharp positive shift in geopolitics. The market reacted to news of a possible deescalation in the Middle East. Statements from the parties about opening the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping triggered a drop in oil prices below $80 for WTI and a sharp rise in risk assets — first of all BTC.

USDC printing press: 500 million “in the moment”

Against this backdrop, the Whale Alert system recorded the creation of two batches of 250,000,000 USDC, worth a total of $500 million in Circle’s treasury. The majority of the newissuance was deployed on the Solana network, bringing the weekly stablecoin issuance volume on this chain to a record $3.25 billion in 2026.

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Historically, such large USDC issuances precede phases of active buying or are used by institutions to collateralize margin positions amid rising volatility.

Despite the euphoria, experts from Glassnode and JPMorgan warn of a “sell wall” and potential profit-taking. Support is now located in the $75,000-$76,000 range. The ceiling forBTC in this rally is marked at $86,796, where the 200-day moving average is currently stretching.

Bitcoin has continued to rally as market sentiment begins to turn extremely bullish, putting its long-term holders, especially treasury companies like MicroStrategy, back in profit.

MicroStrategy, the world's largest Bitcoin treasury firm, is back in profit as the lingering rally has pushed Bitcoin to surge past its one-month high.

MicroStrategy returns to profit zone

On Friday, April 17, Arkham Intelligence firm shared data revealing that MicroStrategy's Bitcoin holdings have officially returned to a break-even point as Bitcoin sees a major price breakout.

While MicroStrategy's average accumulation price for Bitcoin still stands at about $75,577, the firm has finally exited its loss territory after breaking even on Bitcoin amid an ongoing price rally.

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Following a rapid price surge, Bitcoin has reclaimed its previous highs, surging past $76,000 with a price increase of about 3% over the last 24 hours.

With Bitcoin's price rally, MicroStrategy's BTC reserve has crossed into neutral territory while positioning for a profit zone.

This comes after the firm has endured an extended period of unrealized losses during previous market downturns that persisted for several months.

MicroStrategy sets for huge win on Bitcoin bets

Despite the massive unrealized losses faced by the company, Michael Saylor has continued to double down on his Bitcoin purchases, massively expanding the firm's holdings.

While it had accumulated large BTC tokens during the recent volatility phase, the firm has purchased the majority of its holdings for lower prices, positioning it for bigger gains as Bitcoin eyes a major price breakout.

Against the backdrop of a mass transition of public miners toward AI computing — according to forecasts by Charles Edwards of Capriole, the share of “crypto revenue” in the sector will drop from 90% to 30% by 2026 — two polar-opposite expert views on network security have emerged in the industry.

Edwards warns of a security collapse due to an outflow ofBitcoin hash power, and Blockstream CEO Adam Back draws a line under speculation about the threat, proposing viewing this process as natural market arbitrage.

Is AI boom really threat to Bitcoin?

Edwards points out that the market is “voting with its feet” as the capitalization of companies that chose AI has grown by an average of 500%, while pure miners show negative returns. He believes the fundamental security of BTC is deteriorating at the very moment when the development of quantum computing demands maximum protection.

No, this is actually good for miners: if Hashrate falls profit margin increases. it's an arbitrage, with equilibrium when mining margin is the same as ai workloads. Higher profit margin adds to positive reflexivity - miners sell less Bitcoin to cover power, and as price rises.

— Adam Back (@adam3us) April 17, 2026

Back counters that the exit of some players intoAI is a mechanism of optimization. Reduced competition for hash rate increases margins for those who remain, allowing them to sell fewer mined BTC, creating a supply deficit and pushing the price upward.

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According to Edwards, many industry giants have stopped upgrading their ASIC fleets, directing all investments into AI infrastructure. For him, this signals a loss of interest in the network. Back sees a different logic as profits from AI contracts effectively become a subsidy for mining. Financially stable companies can use artificial intelligence as a liquidity source toaccumulate Bitcoin, transforming from forced sellers into net buyers.

Edwards fears that miner outflows will leave the network exposed to external threats. Back argues that 90% of hash rate controlled by financially resilient companies is strategically more valuable than the 100% controlled by players operating on the edge of bankruptcy.

For Edwards, the migration to AI is a warning signal of a weakening computational shield of Bitcoin. For Back, it is not a betrayal but an evolution into highly profitable hybrid structures.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson predicts the potential fate of Satoshi's coins, drawing from his experience in post-quantum cryptography.

On the Rollup podcast, Hoskinson laid out his credentials in quantum cryptography. The Cardano founder worked on NIST standards and participated in over 250 research publications. He was also part of the team that wrote the first paper on Bitcoin vs. the quantum adversary in 2019, building post-quantum systems.

Three Bitcoin quantum options named

Hoskinson highlighted three quantum options; the first is to do nothing, which might result in the entire system being broken, in the case that a quantum computer exists.

The second option is a soft fork with post-quantum signatures added. In this scenario, Hoskinson speculates that about 15-20% of the BTC supply might get stolen from vulnerable legacy keys.

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The third option is BIP 361, which Hoskinson says is the most extreme of the three options. Owing to its partial recovery capability, about 1.7 million BTC might be lost.

Lost wallets and Satoshi's coins

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) April 17, 2026

In response to this, an X user asked the Cardano founder to clarify whether the 1.7 million Bitcoin might be lost. Hoskinson replied, saying, "Lost wallets and Satoshi's coins."

Satoshi's 1.1 million coins vulnerable

Hoskinson indicated that the latest Bitcoin improvement proposal might not be able to save all of the Bitcoin vulnerable to quantum computing.

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The new Bitcoin improvement proposal, dubbed BIP-361, seeks to save as much as 34% of Bitcoin’s supply, or more than seven million coins valued at $536 billion, by freezing coins that do not migrate to quantum-resistant addresses in the future.

But Hoskinson says it will still leave as many as 1.7 million coins vulnerable. At least 1.1 million of those coins belong to pseudonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Legacy wallets might account for the majority of the rest of this figure.

As price action and underlying platform metrics line up for what may turn out to be one of the more important shifts in the current altcoin cycle, Hyperliquid is entering a critical phase.

Surprising strength of Hyperliquid

In addition to speculative momentum, the asset has risen to a 60-day high, thanks to a noticeable increase in protocol-level performance, particularly revenue. HYPE is in a clear uptrend from a technical perspective. Since early March, the asset's price structure has formed higher highs and higher lows, breaking above both its short- and midterm moving averages.

At least for the time being, momentum is still strong, and the current consolidation close to regional highs points to continuation rather than exhaustion.

The underlying support is what sets this move apart from other altcoin rallies. While total value locked is close to $4.8 billion, Hyperliquid's annualized revenue is approaching $700 million. These metrics show consistent use, especially in perpetual futures trading, rather than being inflated by idle capital.

This pattern is further supported by the revenue chart on DeFiLIama, which displays steady spikes and increased baseline activity in recent months. To put it briefly, the platform is successfully monetizing its expansion rather than merely expanding.

Introduction of binary options

The launch of HIP4, which permits binary options trading on HyperliquidX, was recently highlighted by Arthur Hayes. His opinion is clear: this feature could lead to an explosion of volume, and his bold forecasts put HYPE at $150 over time.

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However, binary options drastically alter the platform's risk profile. Because users are essentially placing bets on discrete outcomes within predetermined time frames, these instruments are inherently highly speculative. Positions either resolve profitably or go to zero; there is neither partial hedging nor gradual exposure. This creates a high-turnover environment, which is great for generating fees but puts participants at serious risk.

This has two implications for Hyperliquid. On one hand, binary options have the potential to significantly boost revenue, liquidity and trading volume, supporting the bullish view of HYPE as a protocol token. On the other hand, rapid loss cycles and excessive leverage can increase systemic volatility.

At this point, Hyperliquid is positioning itself as a high-performance trading hub based on aggressive product expansion and capital efficiency, rather than just a derivatives platform. HYPE's current breakout might just be the beginning of a longer repricing cycle if HIP4 produces the anticipated volume growth.

XRP has remained a hot topic in the crypto community and is now becoming a tool to win arguments, as it continues to gain traction across the global space.

Earlier today, Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz reignited an old debate between himself and an X user, reaffirming his XRP reward offer despite the escalating criticism.

XRP gains spotlight in legal debate

The debate, which has resurfaced today, started as a legal and constitutional argument a few weeks ago and has attracted attention from the crypto community.

The debate has further become a viral crypto community discussion after Schwartz reissued his earlier promise to reward the critic with XRP on the condition that he provides the demanded AI-generated prompts.

In his assertions, David Schwartz made statements against claims surrounding legal procedures associated with warrant applications and "oath or affirmation" requirements.

30 XRP for AI prompts?

The argument started again after Schwartz replied to a question about whether signing a warrant application constitutes an oath. In his response, Schwartz clarified that such submissions typically do not attest to firsthand knowledge but instead relay information, separating procedural formality from factual verification.

Schwartz's response to the question triggered a reaction from the old critic, who responded with insults while demanding the previously promised XRP reward.

Despite the backlash, Schwartz did not back down on his claims but rather maintained a composed stance, suggesting that strong personal bias could be clouding the critic's judgment.

Nonetheless, Schwartz has maintained his willingness to follow through on the XRP offer, asking whether the user had shared the requested AI prompts.

TL;DR

Massive DOGE Accumulation: A new address (DCdax...) acquired over three billion DOGE in one day. Community suggests a potential link to X Money liquidity testing, though official confirmation is pending.XRP liquidation alert: A $10.8 million short position on Hyperliquid is at risk. If XRP hits $2.02, a forced liquidation could trigger a massive short squeeze.Binance DeFi delistings: Support for DEGO, DENT and TRU will end April 28, 2026. The exchange cited a shift toward stricter team responsiveness and ethical transparency standards.Crypto Market Outlook:Bitcoin remains stable above $75,000 despite the oil crisis, while Charles Schwab announces entry into direct crypto trading.X Money effect: New giant enters top 10 Dogecoin holders

The Dogecoin community isdiscussing the emergence of a new ultra-large player in the Dogecoin ecosystem. According to analytics platform Arkham, an unknown address accumulated over three billion DOGE in just one day, instantly taking seventh place among the richest wallets of the coin.

Transactions to the wallet "DCdax…" began amid the integration of the X Money payment service into social network X. While there is no official confirmation that the address belongs to Elon Musk’s company, several indirect indicators point in that direction.

The main volume of coins came from Robinhood’s cold storage, which has historically been used by Musk to provide liquidity for his initiatives since 2021.

Non-zero chance it’s me

— Sir Doge of the Coin ⚔️ (@dogeofficialceo) April 16, 2026

The accumulation of such reserves coincides with the start of crypto payment testing within X Money in several U.S. states and preparations forDoge Day. Traditionally, before April 20, large players redistribute assets, but the scale of this purchase, about $300 million, goes beyond typical speculation.

If the wallet is indeed linked to X Money, this is not about a price pump but about creating a liquidity reserve. For the functioning of microtransactions and tipping within the social network, the company needs its own pool of assets to process thousands of small payments off-chain, minimizing fees for users.

At the moment, the connection between the "DCdax.." wallet and X Money remains a highly probable hypothesis based on the timing of the payment system launch and confirmation ofDogecoin usage by the X platform for settlements. However, direct evidence (public wallet tags such as “X Payments”) is not yet present in blockchain explorers.

XRP one step away from liquidating a $10 million short position

Amid XRP’s steady rise toward $1.45, attention is focused on a large short position on decentralized platform Hyperliquid. Wallet tracker byCoinGlass indicates the presence of a whale whose position exceeding $10.8 million will be forcibly closed if the price reaches $2.02. The current loss is estimated at -$888,000 (-164%).

The current market impulse, fueled bynews of XRP's integration into the Solana ecosystem and progress on the CLARITY Act, puts sellers in a vulnerable position. The trader at address "0x469...85a5" holds a 20x leveraged position with a liquidation level of $2.02.

This creates a classic short squeeze setup; if XRP breaks the psychological barrier at $1.50 and moves toward $2, the automatic closure of this position could trigger a sharp upward move due to forced market buying.

Unlike speculative hype, this case demonstrates a fundamental clash between institutional liquidity and technical resistance. For theXRP market, the $2 level becomes not just a price target but a point of no return for large capital that has bet against the asset. The funding rate remains positive, increasing the cost of maintaining short positions.

Binance removes legacy Ethereum projects in favor of new standards

Binance has officiallyconfirmed the delisting of several assets deeply tied to the Ethereum DeFi ecosystem. Starting April 28, 2026, the exchange will discontinue support for Dego Finance (DEGO), DENT and TrueFi (TRU).

A key feature of this delisting round is Binance’s refusal to participate in TrueFi’s rebranding. Despite the project’s plans to transition to a new token, Brila (BRLA), Binance will not conduct an automatic swap. Users have until May 10, 2026, to manually exchange via the project portal, highlighting a trend of shifting responsibility for technical migrations onto teams and communities.

Important dates for holders:

April 28, 03:00 (UTC): All spot pairs halted.After delisting: TRU deposits available only on BNB Smart Chain (BEP20), withdrawals via Ethereum (ERC20).

The decision is driven by an updated asset evaluation framework, where critical factors now include not only trading volume but also:

Team responsiveness: Readiness to quickly respond to exchange requests during periodic audits.Ethical transparency: Absence of negligence or abrupt changes in tokenomics.Regulatory adaptability: Compliance with stricter requirements for DeFi protocols.

This move by Binance appears not as random removal but as a structured cleanup of theEthereum segment. The exchange is removing projects that failed to maintain development pace or communication transparency, freeing liquidity for more modern and compliant solutions.

Crypto Market Outlook: Will Bitcoin hold $75,000?

The crypto market in mid-April 2026 is characterized by cautious optimism amid de-escalation of geopolitical risks and a fundamental shift in U.S. regulation.

Bitcoin (BTC): Prices remain above $75,000. The morning peak reached $76,000, followed by a pullback to $74,851. BTC dominance rose to 57.2%, a six-month high, indicating a defensive stance by large investors.Oil crisis: A 10-day ceasefire agreement pushed oil prices lower (WTI below $91.50) and supports expectations of softer Federal Reserve policy, which is traditionally positive for crypto assets.Regulatory breakthrough in the U.S.: Major broker Charles Schwab announced the launch of direct crypto trading for its clients alongside traditional equities.XRP and Rakuten: Integration of XRP into Rakuten Wallet (44 million users) supported the token’s rise to $1.40.

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Dogecoin extended its recent rebound from an April 13 low of $0.09 as capital rotated into the altcoin sector. According to Ali charts, Dogecoin whales accumulated about 330 million DOGE over the last few days.

Dogecoin rose near the $0.10 level, but bulls were unable to advance the move, with the price only touching $0.0998 on Thursday and $0.996 on Friday.

Whales accumulated roughly 330 million Dogecoin $DOGE over the last few days. pic.twitter.com/9zvTTp6XgI

— Ali Charts (@alicharts) April 16, 2026

It appears that derivatives and leveraged positioning also contributed. Traders building short positions and betting against a breakout created conditions for a potential short squeeze, boosting upward momentum.

This is seen in short liquidations surpassing those of long positions, coming in at $3.99 million, while long liquidations totaled $2.59 million. The move happened over a series of higher lows, which meant that the price was steadily building up rather than having one big jump.

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The price increase is backed by volume, with derivatives volume rising 56% in the last 24 hours to $3.63 billion and spot trading volume increasing 62% in the same time frame to $2.84 billion, which confirms participation and not just thin liquidity.

$0.10 level comes into focus

At the time of writing, DOGE was up 2.51% in the last 24 hours to $0.0979 and up 6.08% weekly. With Dogecoin's recent attempts stalling slightly above $0.099, the $0.10 level now comes into focus.

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Traders are watching $0.104 as key resistance and 0.096 as near-term support, with a drop below the $0.092-$0.090 area likely suggesting a further decline.

However, the broader structure remains that of sideways trading below descending resistance, not a confirmed trend reversal. Open interest has risen in the last 24 hours, up 7.73% to $1.37 billion, according to CoinGlass data.

The larger crypto markets are still mixed right now, with money moving into certain crypto assets instead of causing a full market-wide rally. Dogecoin's main resistance level is $0.10, and a clean break may be needed to confirm that the price will continue to rise.

After a decline, XRP is finally growing and stabilizing, and the most recent on-chain data indicates that underlying network activity may finally be catching up with the price.

The asset is still trading below important long-term resistance levels, but the ledger and chart structure suggest that momentum may change.

XRP's short-term resistance test

In terms of price, XRP has recently tested short-term resistance close to the 50 EMA, pushing toward the $1.45 zone. Even a brief break above this level indicates improving short-term strength because it has served as a reliable rejection point over the previous few months.

Higher lows have been forming since early February, which suggests that buyers are intervening at ever-higher levels as selling pressure gradually wanes. This move is more significant because of the on-chain activity that goes along with it. Over 30,000 new active accounts have been added to the XRP Ledger in a comparatively short amount of time, and the overall number of active users is still high, hovering between 150,000 and 200,000.

This type of increase in participation, whether from retail users, transactional flows or speculative positioning, is indicative of renewed engagement and is not noise. In the past, XRP's upward trends have been largely dependent on spikes in network activity. Even though the price has not fully reacted yet, the current increase indicates that capital and attention are returning.

Moving in right direction

Larger directional changes are frequently preceded by this divergence between on-chain growth and price stagnation, particularly when coupled with a strengthening technical structure. Still, this is not a perfect bullish setup. XRP is still below its 100 and 200 EMA levels, which are still sloping lower and supporting the general downward trend.

Any upward movement runs the risk of being labeled as a relief rally rather than a complete trend reversal if there is not a clear break above those zones. In the future, it will be important to see if this user growth results in the demand required for a longer-term recovery. The likelihood of a breakout rises dramatically if the network keeps growing while the price consolidates above the current support.

The market will probably remain range-bound if activity declines. XRP is currently in a transitional stage; it is neither completely recovered nor in free fall. The first significant argument that this might change is the on-chain expansion.

By the weekend, XRP is demonstrating such a dynamic that it could become the asset’s most successful weekly result since March, gaining 8.85%. At the moment, the price is quoted around $1.4332.

The main surprise of the week was not loud statements from the Ripple camp but a methodical inflow of capital intospot XRP ETFs in the U.S. Against the backdrop of general caution among retail participants, large funds are showing inflows for the fourth consecutive day, totaling $41.64 million over four days.

Total assets have returned to the $1.08 billion mark, which indicates the willingness of institutional players to hold positions above the psychological level of $1 billion.

Could CLARITY Act be catalyst for a breakout at $1.50?

This inflow coincides with preparations for the vote on the CLARITY Act. The law goes beyond simple classification. It establishes rules for stablecoins,Ripple RLUSD in this case, and lending protocols within the XRP Ledger that will allow institutions to legally generate yield on their XRP reserves through regulated DeFi instruments.

Despite the status of the “most successful week,” the path to further growth is complicated by several critical factors. The daily high at $1.4435 confirmed the presence of strong resistance, which almost coincides with the calculated Short Max Pain point at $1.4516, according toCoinGlass.

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Moreover, the current liquidation analysis indicates a Long Max Pain level around $1.4054. This value acts as a "bearish magnet": with any loss of impulse, the price risks quickly pulling back to this level.

If the dollar index or energy prices show a sharp spike, the local success of the week could be offset by a pullback to support at $1.31 or even $1.28.

XRP is indeed on a recovery trajectory, supported by institutional capital and ETF inflows, with AUM back above $1.08 billion. However, the final success of the week now directly depends on whether the current trading volume of $3.94 billion is sufficient to absorb heavy selling within the $1.45 zone and overcome the “gravity” of Max Pain levels before the Sunday close.

In addressing unemployment caused by AI, Elon Musk has ventured into macroeconomic territory by suggesting universal high income via direct government-issued payments.

Healthier market distribution

His argument is simple: even as cash distributions increase, inflationary pressure will be limited because the supply of goods and services will outpace the growth of the money supply, as AI and robotics significantly increase productivity.

The cryptocurrency market is directly impacted by that idea. Liquidity dynamics will be drastically altered if widespread income distribution becomes a reality. Purchasing power becomes more evenly distributed among millions of participants, rather than concentrated among institutions and wealthy individuals.

Universal HIGH INCOME via checks issued by the Federal government is the best way to deal with unemployment caused by AI. AI/robotics will produce goods & services far in excess of the increase in the money supply, so there will not be inflation.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2026

Cryptocurrency is at the top of the hierarchy of risk-on assets, which have historically benefited from such an environment, particularly those driven by retail flows. Behavior is the main mechanism. People's risk tolerance tends to rise when they receive a baseline income without immediate survival pressure. Speculative markets, such as altcoins, DeFi protocols and developing blockchain ecosystems, are more likely to receive excess capital.

Smaller-scale situations, like stimulus periods when retail cryptocurrency participation dramatically increased, have already shown this.

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Musk's claim about inflation is also important. Real purchasing power is maintained if productivity increases outweigh monetary expansion. This means that capital entering cryptocurrency is not being severely damaged by macroeconomic factors, as it would be in conventional inflationary cycles. As a result, long-term capital investments in digital assets have a more secure basis.

Liquidity only part of problem

However, it is an oversimplification to assume that greater liquidity inevitably results in long-term cryptocurrency growth. Instead of structural appreciation, liquidity without conviction frequently results in short-term volatility. The inflow must be aligned with narratives — utility, infrastructure or speculative cycles that can absorb and hold capital for cryptocurrency to actually benefit.

However, the overall direction is evident. For decentralized markets, a system in which millions of people regularly receive disposable income is structurally bullish. Because of its low barriers, high upside potential and continuous accessibility, cryptocurrency is by design one of the easiest ways to access that capital.

Musk's vision would not only change labor markets, but it would also likely change how capital enters speculative ecosystems. And cryptocurrency is expected to be one of the main winners of that change.

According to French authorities, roughly 40 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings and hostage-takings since the start of the year.

Criminal syndicates are increasingly targeting digital asset investors, institutional executives, and their families in calculated plots to extort irreversible crypto ransoms.

Escalating crypto extortion

Cryptocurrency-related abductions were considered to be "marginal" and barely known before 2024. However, the threat landscape shifted drastically over the past two years.

According to Annabelle Vandendriessche, head of the French interior ministry's Service for Information, Intelligence, and Strategic Analysis on Organised Crime (Sirasco), the trend gained significant momentum in 2025.

Market sentiment around major altcoins finally seems to beimproving after several rough weeks.

According to the data provided by SoSoValue, there has been an uptick in institutional capital entering spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The growing institutional interest has also led to some notable bullish momentum within the altcoin sector.

Solana (SOL) has reclaimed the $90 price level while the Ripple-affiliated XRP is trading around $1.46.

However, with Bitcoin remaining on rather shaky ground, altcoins might not be out of the woods just yet.

Much-needed recovery

The XRP ETF market is currently commanding a total market capitalization of $592.92 million.

Fund flows have remained positive for four consecutive trading days.

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The Canary XRP ETF (XRPC) leads the pack in terms of total assets with an impressive $287.20 million market cap. However, the Bitwise XRP ETF (XRP) is capturing the lion's share of daily activity with $11.78 million in trading volume over the last 24 hours alone.

The Franklin XRP ETF (XRPZ) also maintains a strong foothold with a $227.15 million market cap and $4.03 million in daily volume.

The Solana ETF market is currently experiencing similar bullish momentum. The total market capitalization for SOL ETFs currently sits at $375.89 million.

The Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (BSOL) is the absolute heavyweight in the category, holding a commanding $271.49 million market cap.

The Fidelity Solana Fund (FSOL) manages $33.91 million. Smaller offerings include funds from VanEck and 21Shares.

It is not hyperbole to say that Shiba Inu is experiencing one of the most stable periods in its recent history.

SHIB has entered an exceptionally tight consolidation range around the $0.0000060 level, with price action flattening and volatility significantly compressing following months of continuous downtrend and volatility spikes.

Technically speaking, this type of structure is uncommon for an asset that has historically been driven by cycles of speculation and hype. The chart clearly demonstrates the exhaustion of selling pressure: the price is hugging short-term moving averages rather than reacting violently to them, lower lows have stopped printing and candles are getting smaller.

Even the RSI, which indicates equilibrium rather than momentum dominance, is stabilizing close to the midrange. This degree of stability is occurring despite comparatively poor liquidity conditions throughout the larger cryptocurrency market.

This is important because volatility is typically increased in low-depth environments, particularly for meme assets. When SHIB compresses rather than expands, it indicates that buyers are not yet strong enough to start a breakout, and aggressive sellers have mostly retreated.

Issue with meme coins like SHIB

Particularly for meme coins that mainly rely on narrative and quick price growth to draw attention, low volatility tends to decrease visibility and interest. SHIB does not currently have that speculative fuel.

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The market is in balance: there is no clear catalyst, no strong trend and no breakout. The current configuration is noteworthy because the final move may become more explosive the longer SHIB stays steady at these levels.

During consolidation stages, liquidity grows quietly. The lack of overhead resistance in the immediate range allows the move to accelerate rapidly once a directional bias emerges, whether from a wider market recovery or a resurgence of meme coin rotation.

Hyperliquid: King of liquidity

With price action now firmly shifting into a sustained uptrend, Hyperliquid is getting close to a crucial technical and narrative turning point. HYPE, which is currently trading close to the mid-$40 range, has made a strong comeback from its early-year lows and is now pushing into a region that was once a significant distribution area.

With the 200-day serving as dynamic support rather than resistance, and the shorter-term averages curling upward, the price has broken above important moving averages. The ascending trendline is still respected, and higher lows and highs continue to form.

Although they are not yet in extreme territory, momentum indicators such as RSI are elevated, indicating strength without immediate exhaustion.

HYPE has been steadily increasing with comparatively controlled pullbacks, in contrast to many altcoins that spike and fade. This type of behavior usually indicates accumulation, as opposed to speculative spikes.

Center of altcoin rally

Hyperliquid is becoming a central theme in contemporary altcoin narratives, rather than existing in a vacuum. Building or transferring liquidity into its ecosystem is a major component of high-volatility, high-interest projects.

More significantly, Hyperliquid now accounts for a sizable portion of decentralized trading infrastructure, which inevitably draws capital and users into the token's orbit. A feedback loop is produced as a result: increased activity increases liquidity, which draws in more traders and strengthens price stability and growth.

When you combine this with the fact that a number of well-known cryptocurrency personalities are actively promoting stories about Hyperliquid, you have a unique blend of social momentum and technical strength.

A continuation move driven by both breakout traders and narrative-driven inflows would probably occur if HYPE were able to surpass its prior highs.

Pressure on XRP increasing

Following months of persistent bearish pressure, XRP is beginning to exhibit early indications of a structural recovery. The 50-day EMA, which has served as a dynamic ceiling since the start of the broader decline, was recently reclaimed by the asset after it broke through its first significant resistance level. This move indicates a change in short-term momentum rather than merely a random spike.

Prior to the breakout, price action has shifted from a pattern of lower highs into a more neutral structure, with consolidation tightening around the $1.35-$1.40 range. Buyers are starting to challenge overhead resistance rather than being rejected right away, as evidenced by the recent push toward $1.42-$1.43.

In theory, recovering the 50 EMA is frequently the initial stage of a potential trend reversal sequence. It indicates that early-stage accumulation is becoming more popular than persistent selling in the short term. The notion that bullish momentum is developing but has not yet reached an overheated state is supported by the RSI's upward movement into the upper midrange.

Context is important, though. The 100 and 200 EMAs, which continue to slope lower, are still below where XRP is trading. This indicates that the overall trend has not yet reversed. A local breakout is currently taking place within a broader bearish framework. Whether this action has the potential to continue is the crucial question.

The next resistance zone, which is currently where the 100 EMA is located at $1.50-$1.55, can be tested if XRP is able to stay above the recovered EMA and avoid a swift rejection back below $1.38-$1.40.

Veteran trader and classical chartist Peter Brandt has rejected the narrative that Bitcoin's current multi-month consolidation is a "bull flag."

Brandt has cautioned market participants against making up their own charting rules simply to fit a bullish bias.

Meant to be educational here, not insulting, butNewbies to price charting have the tendency to make up rules as they goThe rules have already been writtenEdwards and Magee, 1948Richard W Schabacker, 1934Some call Bitcoin a flagBut not the founders of charting, thus not me pic.twitter.com/KveB5BuhmZ

— The Factor Report (@PeterLBrandt) April 16, 2026

Charting rules

Brandt took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the growing chorus of retail traders and analysts who have been labeling BTC's recent upward-sloping price channel as a classic continuation pattern.

"Meant to be educational here, not insulting, but newbies to price charting have the tendency to make up rules as they go," Brandt posted.

He has stressed that the definitive mechanics of technical analysis were established decades ago by market pioneers like Richard W. Schabacker (1934) and Robert D. Edwards and John Magee, authors of the 1948 definitive guide Technical Analysis of Stock Trends. Modern commentators might look at Bitcoin's current chart and see a flag, Brandt noted: "But not the founders of charting, thus not me."

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According to classical charting principles, a dependable flag or pennant pattern must complete its formation and break out within a strict four-week window.

True flags are characterized by a brief, high-momentum pause (often described as flying at "half-mast") before a prior aggressive trend resumes. Patterns that stretch into eight or ten weeks may assume the visual shape of a flag, but traders should absolutely not expect them to function like one.

The current market structure shows a choppy, upward-sloping parallel channel that began forming in late February. This specific channel has been grinding along for roughly seven weeks.

Prolonged channel structures can completely fail to break out (as evidenced by the asset's prior price action).

After years of speculation and anticipation, financial services behemoth Charles Schwab is finallyon the verge of entering the spot cryptocurrency market in the coming weeks. The bank's clients will gain an opportunity to directly trade Bitcoin and Ethereum within the comfort of their existing brokerage accounts.

However, according to Bloomberg's Eric Balchunas, the new offering will be a rather tough sell. He has predicted that it will struggle to compete with existing ETF offerings.

More cryptocurrencies

After debuting with Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), Schwab eventually plans to extend the list of available cryptocurrencies.

However, it is worth noting that it will charge 75 basis points (0.75%) on the dollar value of each individual crypto trade.

Balchunas acknowledged that Schwab's integrated trading feature is "definitely [a] better deal than most crypto exchanges for newbies." It would still be a better option for newcomers compared to traditional digital asset exchanges of the likes of Coinbase, which are known for their notoriously high fees.

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Still, Balchunas has recalled the rock-bottom costs of buying a spot crypto ETF."IMO it’s a tough sell vs ETFs (which are 2bps to buy vs 75bps for Schwab direct)," Balchunas stated.

Of course, direct ownership of coins is a major long-term advantage, according to Balchunas. Direct crypto purchases do not incur an ongoing yearly management fee. Hence, it will be possible to offset the steep initial trading cost for those who decide to hold BTC for a long period of time.

Balchunas offered investors a straightforward rule of thumb regarding the break-even point between the two investment vehicles. "Bottom line: if you buy BTC one time and one time only and plan to hold 5+ yrs then direct is cheaper," Balchunas concluded. "Otherwise ETFs for the win all day long."

Exodus Movement, the publicly traded company behind the popular Exodus non-custodial software wallet, hasannounced an expansion of its support for the XRP Ledger (XRPL).

Exodus is rolling out deep, native integration for the XRPL ecosystem, bringing advanced tools and new stablecoin support directly to its millions of users.

Better self-custody

The new integration provides users with enhanced in-wallet tools to manage and send XRP directly, vastly improving the user experience for interacting with the public blockchain.

Furthermore, Exodus is adding support for Ripple USD (RLUSD). RLUSD is Ripple's enterprise-grade stablecoin.

Exodus users gain maximum flexibility to store, send, and swap dollar-pegged value on the XRPL without ever sacrificing their private keys or relying on centralized exchanges.

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"Expanding XRPL support means more ways to use XRP without sacrificing self-custody or the simplicity of the Exodus experience," said JP Richardson, CEO and Co-founder of Exodus. "XRP is already a top asset in our wallet, and partnering with Ripple is a natural next step in making it easier to use every day."

A long-time XRP supporter

Exodus has supported basic storage and transactions for XRP for years. The token organically grew into one of the most dominant cryptocurrencies on the platform. According to Exodus, XRP continues to consistently rank among its top overall assets in terms of sheer daily user activity and in-app swap volume.

However, previous iterations of Exodus essentially treated XRP as a standalone coin to be stored and traded.

This new update marks a significant leap from basic asset storage to comprehensive, network-level infrastructure.

Exodus is laying the foundational groundwork to eventually support a much broader range of XRPL-issued assets, tokens, and decentralized finance (DeFi) tools.

While the Dogecoin (DOGE) market remains stuck in a two-month sideways drift, on-chain data from Arkham shows a surge of activity in a newly identified wallet. Over the past few hours, the address "DGdax...GRzKcq" has accumulated more than three billion DOGE, bringing the portfolio balance to $294.86 million.

The key point of interest is not only the volume but also the source of funds. According to transaction history, over the past several hours, a series of large transfers (150 million, 200 million and 350 million DOGE) were sent to this address from hot wallets associated withRobinhood.

How three-billion-DOGE "exit" limits short sellers before Doge Day

The movement of coins from an exchange to a custodial or cold wallet is typically interpreted as a reduction in sell pressure. The holder of these assets is clearly not planning to liquidate them in the coming hours, opting instead for off-exchange storage.

The activity was recorded exactly four days ahead of April 20 (4/20), a date historically associated with speculative rallies inDogecoin. Last year, the asset gained 62% over 41 days following this date, reaching a peak of $0.25 in mid-May.

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Accumulating such a position within the narrow $0.089-$0.097 range suggests that large holders may view the current consolidation as an accumulation zone ahead of a potential impulse. In 2024, from this same range, Dogecoin posted a 333% increase over 50 days.

While the movement ofthree billion DOGE alone does not guarantee price appreciation, the removal of such supply from Robinhood limits the liquidity available to short sellers. If historic patterns repeat and demand increases on April 20, reduced Dogecoin availability on exchange order books could trigger a price move that most market participants did not expect to see in the current market environment.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino brieflycommented on the company’s participation in the $150 million rescue plan for Drift Protocol on Solana. However, behind this sympathy, a clear strategy to push out competitors is visible.

Ardoino is not simply allocating $127.5 million, the core portion of the fund, but is using it as leverage to reshape theDeFi architecture on Solana. A key condition of his support is a full transition of Drift from USDC to USDT as the base asset.

Tether cares https://t.co/R2vTti2N0b

— Paolo Ardoino 🤖 (@paoloardoino) April 16, 2026

Taking advantage of the fact that competitors, namely Circle, failed to freeze the stolen funds in time, Ardoino is effectively “migrating” 128,000 users and dozens of partners to his product.

Art of deal: Ardoino's plan to turn victims into active traders

Tether CEO is not giving away money for free as the plan implies payouts to affected users only through future trading activity. This ties users to the platform: to recover their losses, they must actively trade on Drift, generating liquidity and fees that will fund the compensations.

The Drift relaunch will follow Tether's security standards, including an audit by OtterSec and enhanced multisig controls. Ardoino is building the image ofTether as the only stable backstop willing to spend profits to “put out fires” in exchange for leadership.

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From this perspective, Ardoino is not engaging in charity. For him, the Drift exploit is an operational window to secure a dominant position in theSolana ecosystem for $127.5 million. This is not purely a protocol rescue but a strategic transaction where Tether acquires market share in Solana DeFi at a moment of maximum vulnerability.