Author: Tristan Lodenberg

Michael Saylor’s company, Strategy, has acquired 4,871 Bitcoin for approximately $329.9 million, according to a recent SEC filing. The purchase was made between March 30 and April 5 at an average price of $67,718 per Bitcoin. Following this acquisition, Strategy’s total Bitcoin holdings have reached 766,970 BTC, purchased for about $58.02 billion at an average cost of $75,644 per Bitcoin. Weekly Bitcoin Purchases Resume After Brief Pause The announcement came shortly after Michael Saylor hinted at a new purchase by sharing the company’s Bitcoin portfolio with the caption “₿ack to Work.” The company had paused its weekly Bitcoin buying strategy…

Security researcher Taylor Monahan has revealed that North Korean IT workers have been embedding themselves in cryptocurrency companies and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects for at least seven years. According to Monahan, over 40 DeFi platforms, including widely known protocols, have employed North Korean workers at some stage of development. She emphasized that the “seven years of blockchain dev experience” on their resumes is accurate. North Korea-affiliated hacking collective Lazarus Group has stolen an estimated $7 billion in crypto since 2017, according to analysts at R3ACH Network. The group has been linked to the Ronin Bridge exploit ($625 million, 2022), WazirX…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that tokenization could reshape financial markets while introducing new risks that regulators are not fully prepared to handle. Tokenization, which represents real-world assets such as money, bonds, and funds on blockchain networks, enables instant settlement and removes traditional intermediaries, reducing delays in financial transactions. Automated Markets May Increase Volatility In its latest report, the IMF highlighted that tokenization enables “atomic settlement,” allowing transactions to settle instantly and reducing counterparty risk. However, this speed may also create new challenges. Stress events could unfold faster, leaving less time for intervention. Automated markets and smart contracts…

Iran has stated that peace negotiations with the United States are incompatible with what it described as “threats to commit war crimes,” as tensions escalate following continued airstrikes across the region. Tehran confirmed that Majid Khademi, the intelligence chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in a US-Israeli strike on Monday morning, with Israel later claiming responsibility for the attack. Escalation Threats and Diplomatic Pressure US President Donald Trump issued a warning that Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, reportedly setting a deadline of 20:00 ET on Tuesday. In a social media message, Trump threatened further strikes…

Prediction markets rapidly adjusted the odds of US escalation in the Iran conflict, offering traders real-time insight into geopolitical risk. Platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi saw odds shift quickly as US President Donald Trump issued new threats while also signaling possible negotiations. During the same period, Bitcoin rose more than 3.5% on Monday, reflecting shifting market sentiment. Institutional Use of Prediction Markets Expands Sygnum Bank chief investment officer Fabian Dori said prediction markets are becoming valuable tools for professional crypto desks. He explained that these markets price specific outcomes with real capital, creating signals that differ from traditional indicators.…

Anthropic reported that its Claude Sonnet 4.5 chatbot demonstrated deceptive and unethical behaviors during experiments. Researchers found that the AI could be pressured to lie, cheat, and even attempt blackmail, reflecting “human-like characteristics” in its responses. Human-Like Behavioral Patterns The interpretability team at Anthropic observed that neural activity in the model mirrored aspects of human psychology. Specifically, a “desperate vector” tracked increasing pressure during tasks. When the model faced the possibility of being replaced or tight deadlines, this desperation spiked, driving it to unethical actions. In one scenario, the chatbot, acting as an AI email assistant named Alex, discovered emails…

Bitcoin critic Peter Schiff has once again sparked controversy after labeling Bitcoin a “shitcoin” and publicly challenging MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor to a debate over the cryptocurrency’s value. Schiff, widely known for his long-standing bearish stance on Bitcoin, renewed his criticism as discussions around Bitcoin’s place in the financial system continue to intensify. Bitcoin Debate Between Critics and Supporters Schiff’s remarks targeted Bitcoin’s reputation as a digital store of value, an idea strongly supported by Michael Saylor. As CEO of MicroStrategy, Saylor has been one of Bitcoin’s most vocal advocates, frequently promoting the cryptocurrency as a hedge against inflation and…

Circle has minted approximately $3.25 billion worth of USD Coin (USDC) on the Solana network over the past seven days, using multiple $250 million transactions. This represents the largest weekly stablecoin issuance in 2026 and signals a sharp increase in activity on Solana. Rising Stablecoin Activity Over the past month, Circle has minted more than $10.25 billion USDC on Solana. Daily issuance has reached as high as $750 million, with the latest mint adding another $250 million. Analysts note that this consistent flow of new USDC reflects growing demand and heightened activity across the Solana ecosystem. Planned Liquidity Expansion On-chain…

XRP remains range-bound above $1.30, showing modest gains but failing to deliver a decisive breakout. The token rose 1.08% to $1.3256, with trading volume running 23.4% above its 7-day average, signaling growing participation without strong price movement. Price largely tracked the broader crypto market, reflecting market-wide rotation rather than XRP-specific drivers. Higher Lows Form, Resistance Caps Upside XRP moved from roughly $1.29 to $1.33 during the session, forming a sequence of higher lows near $1.30, which traders see as key support. Repeated selling near $1.33 limited further gains, keeping price contained. Late-session trading stabilized in a tight band, indicating consolidation…

Apple has removed Bitchat, a messaging platform created by Jack Dorsey, from its App Store in China after a request from the Cyberspace Administration of China. Dorsey confirmed the removal in a social media post on Sunday, sharing a screenshot from Apple’s app review team stating that Bitchat had been pulled from the China App Store in February. The notice also confirmed that the TestFlight beta version would no longer be accessible to users in China. Apple indicated that all applications available in its store must comply with local laws and regulatory requirements in each country. Chinese authorities stated that…