Morning Crypto Wrap — 25 April 2026

Executive brief

The market is currently navigating a complex intersection of pro-growth political rhetoric and geopolitical instability. President Donald Trump has actively defended crypto legislation at a private Mar-a-Lago event, framing digital assets as a mainstream industry and urging banks to support the sector. This political validation coincides with a massive institutional milestone as BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF derivatives saw open interest top Deribit, signalling a rapid shift toward regulated crypto instruments in the US. However, this optimism is tempered by significant macro headwinds. The escalation of rhetoric regarding the Strait of Hormuz has pushed Brent crude above $100 a barrel, raising concerns that the Federal Reserve may maintain a higher for longer interest rate stance to combat energy-driven inflation.

Technically, Bitcoin has demonstrated resilience by holding the $78,000 level despite the cancellation of peace talks between the US and Iran. While liquidity remains a key driver, analysts warn that the upcoming SpaceX IPO could drain $75b from the capital pool that has recently buoyed crypto markets. Security also remains a focal point; the industry is rethinking its defensive posture as researchers demonstrate the largest quantum attack on underlying technology to date, successfully breaking a 15-bit elliptic curve key. Furthermore, the Aave DAO has proposed a 25,000 ETH contribution to recovery efforts following the Kelp DAO exploit, highlighting a maturing coalition response to systemic risks. Traders should watch for directional shifts as the market digests these competing forces of institutional validation and physical supply chain disruptions.

1) Top 20 news headlines

• Trump defends crypto legislation at private event featuring boxer Mike Tyson, Tether CEO; Trump called crypto mainstream at an event for TRUMP memecoin investors.
• BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF just hit a massive milestone that proves crypto is now a mainstream bet; IBIT options open interest topped Deribit on Friday signalling rapid institutional adoption.
• SpaceX’s $75 billion IPO could drain the liquidity that’s helping lift bitcoin and crypto; Major tech firms are set to raise more than $240b from June through year end.
• Tether’s $344 million USDT freeze linked to U.S. ‘Economic Fury’ against Iran regime; The US Treasury is seeking to choke off financial lifelines for the Iranian regime.
• Researcher wins 1 bitcoin bounty for ‘largest quantum attack’ on underlying tech; An independent researcher broke a 15-bit elliptic curve key on publicly accessible quantum hardware.
• Aave DAO Proposes To Contribute 25,000 ETH To Recovery Efforts; The contribution aims to bridge the 75,081 ETH gap remaining after the Kelp DAO exploit.
• Bitcoin ends week resilient around $78,000 as oil price back above $100; BTC held steady even as Brent crude rose to about $107 a barrel.
• Ethereum’s 4 consecutive weeks of price rallies fuel bullish bets of $3,200; ETH gained 11% this month to reach approximately $2,330.
• U.S. CFTC adds New York to string of states its suing to stop prediction market pushback; The federal regulator is suing states that seek to curtail prediction market activities.
• South Africa draft bill would tighten crypto capital controls; New rules could force residents to declare qualifying assets and liquidate them to the state.
• Bitcoin-holder Metaplanet raises $50 million to buy more BTC; The firm issued 8 billion yen in zero-interest bonds for additional treasury accumulation.
• Bitmine to buy 10,000 ether for $23.9 million from the Ethereum Foundation; The OTC transaction brings the firm’s holdings closer to a 5% ETH target.
• Ripple-linked XRP stalls near $1.44 as ‘triangle squeeze’ nears breakout; Compression signals a decisive move as institutional demand quietly builds.
• Coinbase’s Jesse Pollak says AI agents are the next big wave for crypto payments; Pollak sees the open-source protocol x402 as a key part of future payment infrastructure.
• Jane Street asks court to reject Terraform claims tied to UST-LUNA crash; A filing states the lawsuit seeks damages for losses caused by internal misconduct.
• India pushes e-rupee through welfare pilots as BRICS digital currency plan takes shape; New Delhi is running 10 pilots aimed at boosting usage ahead of the 2026 summit.
• How Anthropic’s Mythos model is rethink security; DeFi leaders warn that AI will arm both attackers and defenders in blockchain security.
• Europe’s banks are going all in on crypto; Banks are integrating digital assets into existing brokerage and payments infrastructure under MiCA.
• Bitcoin at $40,000 would be ‘near-unprecedented’ statistical outcome; Models suggest such bearish targets imply a 0.4th percentile event.
• CoinDesk 20 update: Aptos (APT) gains 3.5%, leading index higher; Aave also outperformed with a 3.2% rise from Thursday levels.

2) BTC and ETH ETF flows

3) X trending news

• Crude oil tankers bound for US; Over 60 large tankers are bound for the US as exports rise by 2.5 million barrels per day.
• S&P 500 reaches record high; The index reached an all-time high of 7,160, adding $7.6 trillion in market cap over 19 trading days.
• US Dollar international payments; The dollar’s share of international SWIFT payments rose to a record 51.1% in March.
• Nvidia hits $5 trillion; Nvidia market cap officially reached $5 trillion after adding $250 billion in value in a single day.
• Intel closes above dot com price; Intel stock surged 20% to close above its dot com bubble high following earnings.
• Polymarket insider trading arrest; DOJ arrested a special forces soldier for making over $400,000 betting on the capture of President Maduro.
• Telegram founder data accusations; Pavel Durov accused French tax officials of selling crypto owners’ data, resulting in 41 kidnappings.
• Google $40 billion investment; Alphabet will invest an additional $40 billion in Anthropic and provide 5 GW of computing power.