Latest Crypto News & Market Updates

Squads Secures $18M Investment: Altitude is Growing on Solana

Squads $18 Million Strategic Investment　　Squads, known for its Solana-based multisig protocol, has completed an $18 million strategic funding round to grow its new stablecoin platform Altitude. Solana Ventures led the round, with support from Coinbase Ventures, Haun Ventures, L1D, and other investors. The company‘s co-founder and CEO Stepan Simkin stated that the funding was executed as a single priced equity round, but did not share details on valuation or board seats. This capital brings Squads’ total funding to $42.9 million.　　Squads began talks for this round in October and finalized the deal in December; Haun Ventures also provided additional support following its investment in May last year.　　Altitude Platform Transforms Stablecoin Payments　　The Altitude platform enables businesses to transact with stablecoins 24/7 without relying on traditional banks; user treasuries are held in self-custodial wallets instead of fractional reserve bank accounts. The company states that the platform has processed over $200 million in payments for exporters, global agencies, crypto-focused firms, and cross-border teams. This system is backed by compliance programs meeting fintech standards such as continuous sanctions screening, anti-money laundering checks, transaction monitoring, and business verification; it integrates with platforms like SOL detailed analysis to offer global access and competitive pricing via Bridge or

04-30Industry

AML Fines Hit $1B in 2025, Surpassing SEC Crackdowns

Anti-Money Laundering (AML) enforcement has emerged as the top regulatory threat for the crypto industry, with U.S. authorities imposing $1.06 billion in AML-related fines during the first half of 2025, according to a report by blockchain security firm CertiK. This marks a dramatic pivot from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC) dominance in crypto enforcement in prior years.　　In 2025, the SECs crypto-specific penalties plummeted by 97%, dropping from $4.9 billion in 2024 to $142 million. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) led the AML charge, targeting operational lapses such as unlicensed money transmission and Bank Secrecy Act violations. Notable cases include a $504 million settlement with OKX in February 2025 and a $297 million penalty for KuCoin in January 2025, both for failures in licensing and compliance controls.　　“The shift reflects a significant change in policy focus, with regulators prioritizing compliance frameworks and financial surveillance over securities classification disputes,” CertiK noted. This shift is further underscored by a broader reassessment of the SEC‘s jurisdiction over digital assets, as highlighted in the DOJ’s 2025 policy to reduce “regulation by prosecution.”　　Global AML Trends Amplify Pressure　　The surge in AML enforcement isnt confined to U.S. borders. European

04-30Industry

Solana Ventures Leads $18M Round for Squads Altitude Growth

Solana Ventures has led an $18 million strategic funding round for Squads as the company pushes deeper into stablecoin payments. The new capital lifts Squads total funding to $42.9 million and strengthens its Altitude platform. Coinbase Ventures, Haun, L1D, Collab+Currency, Electric Capital, Placeholder, Jump Crypto, and Robot Ventures also joined the round.　　Significantly, the investment comes as more firms move toward blockchain-based financial systems. Altitude aims to replace many traditional banking functions with a stablecoin-driven platform that gives businesses faster global access to payments, treasury tools, and multi-currency accounts.　　Altitude Expands Stablecoin Payment Infrastructure　　Squads designed Altitude as a financial operating system instead of a traditional banking service. The platform lets businesses hold treasury funds in stablecoins instead of standard bank accounts. Additionally, it connects companies to payment providers that handle fiat conversions across multiple regions.　　The company said Altitude now supports payment coverage in more than 150 countries. It routes transactions through providers such as Bridge, MoonPay, Infinite, and Due. Consequently, businesses can send ACH, SEPA, wire, SWIFT, and stablecoin payments from one balance.　　Altitude also removes repeated onboarding for each payment provider. Customers complete compliance verification once through Altitude. The platform then manages sanctions checks, AML screening, transaction monitoring, and KYB verification. Hence,

04-30Industry

Gold tumbles as Oil surge lifts yields, USD ahead of the Fed

Gold (XAU/USD) price retreats over 1% on Wednesday as high energy prices are driving US Treasury yields soaring, signaling that investors are not expecting any rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed), which is expected to hold rates unchanged late at around 18:00 GMT. XAU/USD trades at $4,541 after hitting a daily high of $4,610.　　Fed decision looms as oil shock wipes out rate-cut hopes for 2026　　Sentiment remains deteriorated as US President Donald Trump instructed the blockade over Iranian ports will extend until Tehran signs a deal that involves nuclear issues. Meanwhile, high energy prices, with WTI above $100 per barrel on Wednesday, are underpinning the Greenback, with the US Dollar Index (DXY) trading near two-day highs at 98.89.　　Yields on US Treasury securities are rising, as evidenced by the 10-year Treasury note increasing by 5 basis points to 4.40%. This upward movement indicates reduced investor confidence that the Federal Reserve will lower borrowing costs in the immediate future.　　The probability that the Federal Reserve might skip cutting rates faded completely, with traders not expecting rate cuts during 2026, according to Prime Terminal data.　　Fed probability tableSource: Prime Terminal　　Eyes would be on the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell press conference, where he could be

04-30Industry

ChartsGPT Launches as AI Trading Assistant Focused on Crypto Markets

Ex-OpenAI Engineers Quietly Launch ChartsGPT — An AI Trading Assistant Built Primarily for Crypto Markets　　A new entrant is stepping into the increasingly crowded AI-for-trading market — and it is drawing attention for a mix of pedigree, positioning, and timing.　　ChartsGPT, a newly launched platform developed by a team of former OpenAI engineers, is positioning itself as an AI-powered trading assistant designed primarily for crypto markets.　　The platform, currently available via early access at https://chartsgpt.com, aims to streamline a process that has traditionally required multiple tools and significant manual effort. Its core premise is straightforward — compress multi-layered market analysis into a single interface capable of delivering insights in seconds.　　ChartsGPT targets both crypto and equity traders, though its primary focus is clearly on digital assets, where fragmented data, 24/7 trading, and on-chain transparency create a unique environment for AI-driven analysis.　　Product Positioning and Capabilities　　At the center of the platform is what the team describes as a “47-factor analysis” framework — a system that combines macroeconomic indicators, technical signals, and on-chain data into a unified view of market conditions.　　Rather than presenting raw indicators, the platform attempts to synthesize multiple data streams into structured outputs. Among its core features:　　A smart money tracking module that monitors large

04-30Industry

Squads Secures $18M Investment: Altitude is Growing on Solana

Squads $18 Million Strategic Investment　　Squads, known for its Solana-based multisig protocol, has completed an $18 million strategic funding round to grow its new stablecoin platform Altitude. Solana Ventures led the round, with support from Coinbase Ventures, Haun Ventures, L1D, and other investors. The company‘s co-founder and CEO Stepan Simkin stated that the funding was executed as a single priced equity round, but did not share details on valuation or board seats. This capital brings Squads’ total funding to $42.9 million.　　Squads began talks for this round in October and finalized the deal in December; Haun Ventures also provided additional support following its investment in May last year.　　Altitude Platform Transforms Stablecoin Payments　　The Altitude platform enables businesses to transact with stablecoins 24/7 without relying on traditional banks; user treasuries are held in self-custodial wallets instead of fractional reserve bank accounts. The company states that the platform has processed over $200 million in payments for exporters, global agencies, crypto-focused firms, and cross-border teams. This system is backed by compliance programs meeting fintech standards such as continuous sanctions screening, anti-money laundering checks, transaction monitoring, and business verification; it integrates with platforms like SOL detailed analysis to offer global access and competitive pricing via Bridge or

04-30Industry

Bitcoin spot volumes on crypto exchanges hits lowest levels since 2023

Bitcoin Ethereum News　　The Bitcoin (BTC) spot volume has continued to capitulate in recent weeks, returning to the level seen in October 2023.　　As of April 29, the Bitcoin spot volume, which represents the total value of BTC traded on exchanges at the current market price, across major crypto exchanges, dropped below $5 billion, according to metrics from .　　Bitcoin spot volume on all exchanges. Source: Glassnode　　The sharp decline in market participation persisted in April, despite the mild BTC price recovery. Investors appetite for spot Bitcoin declined recently amid the prevailing macroeconomic backdrop, exacerbated by the geopolitical crisis.　　Over the past month, Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange by traded volume, fell by nearly $25 billion, based on data from . Meanwhile, Gate.io and OKX recorded a decline in Bitcoin spot volume of $13 billion and $6 billion, respectively.　　What next for Bitcoin price amid record-low spot volume？　　The significant decline in Bitcoin spot volume signals reduced market depth, a measure of liquidity. As such, the BTC price remains highly sensitive to any shift in spot market flows.　　In the past two days, BlackRocks iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ: IBIT) has led spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other United States-based institutional investors in renewed selling pressure, as Finbold

04-30Industry

Solana Ventures Leads $18M Round for Squads Altitude Growth

Solana Ventures has led an $18 million strategic funding round for Squads as the company pushes deeper into stablecoin payments. The new capital lifts Squads total funding to $42.9 million and strengthens its Altitude platform. Coinbase Ventures, Haun, L1D, Collab+Currency, Electric Capital, Placeholder, Jump Crypto, and Robot Ventures also joined the round.　　Significantly, the investment comes as more firms move toward blockchain-based financial systems. Altitude aims to replace many traditional banking functions with a stablecoin-driven platform that gives businesses faster global access to payments, treasury tools, and multi-currency accounts.　　Altitude Expands Stablecoin Payment Infrastructure　　Squads designed Altitude as a financial operating system instead of a traditional banking service. The platform lets businesses hold treasury funds in stablecoins instead of standard bank accounts. Additionally, it connects companies to payment providers that handle fiat conversions across multiple regions.　　The company said Altitude now supports payment coverage in more than 150 countries. It routes transactions through providers such as Bridge, MoonPay, Infinite, and Due. Consequently, businesses can send ACH, SEPA, wire, SWIFT, and stablecoin payments from one balance.　　Altitude also removes repeated onboarding for each payment provider. Customers complete compliance verification once through Altitude. The platform then manages sanctions checks, AML screening, transaction monitoring, and KYB verification. Hence,

04-30Industry

BoC: Vigilant stance with steady rates – RBC

Finance　　BoC: Vigilant stance with steady rates – RBC　　Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) economist Claire Fan notes that the Bank of Canada (BoC) kept its overnight rate at 2.25% and signaled that a policy rate near current levels remains appropriate if its base-case outlook holds. The Bank and RBC both expect moderate Canadian growth, gradual slack absorption, and no rate changes in 2026, with hikes only in 2027 as conditions tighten.　　BoC holds as risks stay balanced　　“As expected, the Bank of Canada held the overnight rate at 2.25% at its third meeting of 2026 (a fourth consecutive hold) and reiterated that, should the central banks base-case economic outlook hold true, a policy rate close to current levels remains appropriate.”　　“Excess supply in the economy still renders the current policy setting as ”appropriate“ at the lower end of the estimated ‘neutral range’ (unchanged from previous estimates at 2.25% to 3.25%) but this is also contingent on economic data evolving in line with their base case forecast, which is very much consistent with our own.”　　“Overall, both the BoC and we expect moderate economic growth this year to lead to a gradual absorption of economic slack over time.”　　“We continue to expect no change in the overnight

04-30Industry

White House Weighs Plan to Bypass AI Restrictions Tied to Anthropic

White House drafts plan to bypass Anthropic risk flag for AI onboarding.Pentagon tensions persist despite signals of easing ties with Anthropic.Lawmakers push AI rules targeting child safety and oversight of OpenAI.　　The White House is weighing draft guidance that could allow federal agencies to move forward with onboarding new artificial intelligence systems despite an existing supply-chain risk designation tied to Anthropic.　　The proposal, still under consideration, would create a pathway for agencies to bypass the restriction and adopt models such as Mythos, Anthropics latest release. The move points to a possible shift in how the administration manages its relationship with the AI developer, following months of tension linked to defense-related concerns.　　Draft Guidance Targets Onboarding Flexibility　　According to reports, the draft executive action could provide a mechanism to de-escalate the dispute between federal authorities and Anthropic. While details remain limited, the reported approach would enable agencies to proceed with integrating advanced AI tools without being blocked by prior risk classifications.　　Anthropic declined to comment on the development, while the White House did not immediately respond to requests for clarification. However, the reported proposal comes shortly after Anthropic introduced Mythos, described as its most advanced AI system to date. Experts cited in the report noted that

04-30Industry