Latest Crypto News & Market Updates

Ripple CEO on XRP: Lock In

Garlinghouse enthusiastically agreed, declaring, “100%. All roads lead back to Ripples North Star, XRP.”　　During an X Spaces broadcast earlier this year, Garlinghouse stated that XRP is the “heartbeat” of Ripple and that every single product is designed to benefit the tokens liquidity and utility.　　Raising the standard on the Strip　　The “Lock in” tweet and the Sphere tease arrive perfectly timed for XRP Las Vegas 2026, a two-day conference running from April 30 to May 1.　　The event is meant to bring together developers, industry leaders, and blockchain enthusiasts who are focused on promoting and expanding the XRP ecosystem.　　Earlier this week, Ripples social media accounts shared photos of a towering digital billboard promoting the controversial cryptocurrency on the side of a prominent Las Vegas Strip resort.　　Retail frustration boils over　　However, the flashy marketing campaign and executive optimism are clashing with XRPs underperformance.　　The frustration was palpable in the immediate replies to Garlinghouses latest directive.　　Last time you said this I did and now I am at a 50% loss. Locked in means price movement coming. Did not happen! Youre rich you want to reimburse me for misleading statements？　　— Robert Ledferd (@MotowarriorX) April 28, 2026

04-29Industry

Bitcoin (BTC) Holds Firm at $77K While Oil Rockets Past $111 and Altcoins Tumble

Brent crude oil prices surged beyond $111 per barrel after the Wall Street Journal revealed that President Donald Trump instructed advisors to prepare for a prolonged U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. WTI crude simultaneously crossed back above the $100 threshold on Tuesday.　　In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed Iran communicated it was experiencing a “State of Collapse” and sought the reopening of the Strait. Iranian officials have suggested openness to an interim agreement contingent on Washington removing its blockade of Iranian ports.　　[[LINK_START_0]]https://twitter.com/wallstengine/status/2049119139370045712？s=20[[LINK_END_0]]　　The energy market turmoil sent shockwaves through risk-sensitive assets. U.S. equity markets opened in negative territory Tuesday, though Nasdaq 100 futures managed to recover 0.4% during Asian trading sessions.　　BTC/USD experienced a brief drop below $76,000 during Tuesdays Wall Street opening before staging a modest recovery. This marked a seven-day low and reversed much of the earlier weekly gains.　　Alternative Cryptocurrencies Struggle as Bitcoin Dominance Expands　　While Bitcoin demonstrated relative strength, the broader top 10 cryptocurrencies surrendered recent gains. Ethereum declined 2.6% weekly to reach $2,310. XRP tumbled 3.8% to $1.39. Solana decreased 3.2% to $84.57. BNB retreated 2.3% to $625.　　Dogecoin emerged as the notable outlier, climbing 5.5% over the week to $0.1016. It remained the only top-10 non-stablecoin

04-29Industry

100,000 Polymarket Accounts Booked Four-Figure Losses Since 2025, Bloomberg Finds

Separately, researchers from the University of Toronto, HEC Montréal, and ESSEC Business School examined Polymarket data. Their paper covered 2.4 million users and $67 billion in trading volume.　　The study found 68.8% of users lost money since 2022. Meanwhile, the top 1% of traders captured 76.5% of all gains. The top 0.1% alone accounted for more than half of the platforms total profits.　　“Users who lose money trade considerably more often at extreme prices (below 10¢ or above 90¢) than users who gain: the bottom 95% of users place 56% of their trades at these prices, against 28% for the top 0.1% of earners,” the paper read. “We urge caution in interpreting this finding as representing skill (or information) since we lack the tools typically used to assess performance in financial markets.”　　Bloomberg also noted that roughly 5% of bot-like wallets generated 75% of trading volume on Polymarket. Among those high-volume accounts, 823 netted more than $100,000 in profit each.　　“These high-volume accounts collectively turned a profit of $131 million, mostly concentrated among 823 users that netted more than $100,000 each. The less active traders, meanwhile, lost the equivalent amount when all their wins and losses were added up,” the report read.　　However, Joshua Della

04-29Industry

Bitmine buys 45,000 ETH for $95.3M, holding 4.1% of total supply

Ethereum　　Bitmine buys 45,000 ETH for $95.3M, holding 4.1% of total supply　　Bitmine Immersion Technologies purchased 45,000 ETH valued at $95.3 million, while the market for Ethereum reaching $10,000 by the end of 2026 sits at 4% YES.　　Bitmine now holds 4.976 million ETH, roughly 4.12% of total supply. Despite the scale of the purchase, the odds for Ethereum hitting $10,000 by December 31, 2026, have not moved from 4% YES.　　The Ethereum market is thin, with daily actual USDC trading volume at just $100. It takes $1,446 to move the market by 5 percentage points, meaning a single large order could swing the odds substantially. The last notable movement was a 47-point drop from 50% to 2%.　　Bitmine‘s accumulation looks bullish on its own, but the market isn’t responding. For Ethereum to reach $10,000, institutional buying would need to translate into sustained upward price pressure, or a major technical catalyst like the Pectra upgrade boosting Layer 2 throughput would need to materialize. At 4¢ per YES share, the payout is 25x, but that price reflects how unlikely traders consider the outcome.　　Watch for announcements from Vitalik Buterin or major protocol upgrades that could shift sentiment. Any concrete technological change or large-scale institutional commitment beyond Bitmine

04-29Industry

Lummis says developer protections ‘safe’ as CLARITY Act debate continues

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis has said work is underway to strengthen developer safeguards in the CLARITY Act while preserving enforcement against illicit crypto activity.Senator Cynthia Lummis said she is working to keep protections for non money transmitting developers intact while updating the CLARITY Act.Lummis said changes will not limit law enforcement action against bad actors involved in illicit crypto activity.Senator Thom Tillis warned he may oppose the Senate bill unless ethics rules on federal crypto activity are included, according to Politico.　　According to a post shared by Cynthia Lummis on X, the update focuses on protecting non-custodial developers without limiting law enforcement action.　　“This isn‘t a big new hurdle, and is something I’m working on now. I am committed to keeping protections for non-money transmitting developers safe without tying law enforcements hands to hold bad actors accountable,” Lummis wrote.　　Framed as the Cryptoassets Legal Clarity and Regulatory Improvement Act, the legislation sets out to define how digital assets and blockchain participants are treated under U.S. law. Lummis has positioned developer protections at the center of the bill, shielding software creators from liability when third parties misuse open-source code, while drawing a clear line for those directly linked to criminal funds.　　Clarifications under discussion address

04-29Industry

Hyperliquid retests $40 again - Should buyers be cautious of another pullback?

At the time of writing, the 1-day structure appeared to be bullish. The most recent structure break in favor of the buyers came on Monday, 13 April, when HYPE broke the previous swing high at $43.76.　　However, this break did not see an extended uptrend. Instead, the DEX altcoin stopped at $45.77, just 4.58% above the previous high, before retracing to $38.89.　　Therefore, the structure was bullish, but the momentum slowed down near the top. The $40-level was tested as support for the second time in a week.　　Traders call to action – Remain cautious　　The weak momentum past $43.7 earlier in April, combined with the recent rejection from $43, indicated the potential for a deeper pullback. The golden pocket between $36.87-$38.77 remains the ideal buying zone, based on the 1-day price structure.　　Traders can wait for a move to $36.87 before entering the market. This bullish setup would be invalidated by a price drop below $34.45, which would introduce a bearish structure shift.

04-29Industry

Stablecoins transforming payments: Expert session takeaways

Tech　　Stablecoins transforming payments: Expert session takeaways　　A survey conducted by YouGov in 2023 found that nearly half of Americans who registered for an online gambling account were interested in using cryptocurrencies for betting. And this was three years ago! Fast forward to today, and while its difficult to determine exact numbers, ChatGPT tells us we can estimate 27% of online American gamblers use crypto to fund their accounts, and half of this activity involves stablecoins.　　Now, here is where things get interesting—stablecoins for player deposits and withdrawals are not the only opportunities for iGaming operators. The easier entry point is in B2B payments and the even bigger opportunity is in treasury management. These two points, along with compliance and operational challenges that go along with them, were covered during SBCs Payment Expert Digital Summit on April 15.　　The “How Stablecoins Could Transform Operator Payments” panel in particular featured Mark Grech, Co-Founder and CEO at Veris.finance, our blockchain/Web3 expert; Rolands Grancovskis, Group Head of Payments at TheLotter, our payments operations expert;Thees Buschmann, Senior Consultant at Chevron Group (NASDAQ: CVX), our compliance expert; and I, as the moderator.　　All panelists agreed that stablecoins as payments and stablecoin infrastructure drive efficiency, but there are the usual adoption

04-29Industry

Kim Jong UN endorses troops suicide to avoid capture, backs Russia in Ukraine war

Tech　　Kim Jong UN endorses troops suicide to avoid capture, backs Russia in Ukraine war　　Kim Jong Un publicly endorsed North Korean troops‘ decisions to kill themselves rather than be captured in Ukraine, a signal of deepened commitment to Russia’s war effort. The ceasefire-by-April-30 market sits at 0.2% YES, down from 1% a week ago.　　Kim‘s comments suggest North Korea will maintain its military support for Russia. The April 30 market reflects this, with odds effectively at zero. The May 31 market is at 3.6% YES, so traders aren’t expecting peace next month either. The 3-point spread from April to May implies no one sees an immediate resolution.　　Trading volume is modest: $3,737 in USDC over the last 24 hours across these markets. The largest single move was a 50-point spike to 50% on the April 30 contract, which quickly retracted, a sign of a thin market prone to distortion. It takes just $875 to move the April 30 market 5 points.　　Kim‘s praise for these acts of loyalty reinforces North Korea’s commitment to Russia and makes a ceasefire less likely. Buying YES at 0.2¢ would pay $1 if a ceasefire is reached by April 30. The market prices the conflict as entrenched, and any

04-29Industry

Australia inflation amid Iran war oil shock, rate hike likely

Tech　　Australia inflation amid Iran war oil shock, rate hike likely　　Australia‘s inflation has jumped to 4.6%, largely driven by the Iran war’s impact on global oil prices, making a rate hike by the Reserve Bank next Tuesday more likely. The odds of the Fed cutting rates by 50+ bps after its June meeting sit at a paltry 4.2% YES.　　The spike in Australian inflation reflects global inflationary pressure from the Iran conflict. The market for a Fed decision in June shows little confidence in a rate cut, at 4.2% YES for a 25 bps cut. The July market is much higher, at 86.5% YES for no change. Traders appear convinced that inflation concerns will keep the Fed hawkish through at least mid-summer.　　Volume in the June market is modest: $45,593/day face value, translating to $2,646 in actual USDC traded daily. It takes $5,970 to move the odds 5 percentage points, a relatively firm market. The biggest move was a 46-point spike, showing that while large orders can jolt the price, the market quickly corrects.　　Persistent inflation and energy market disruptions make it unlikely the Fed will pivot to cuts soon. At 4.2¢, a YES share on a 25 bps cut in June offers a

04-29Industry

APT Price Prediction: $1.20 Breakout Target as Whale Accumulation Builds Toward May Rally

Market Context: Why APT is Positioning for Movement　　Aptos sits in a compelling technical setup at $0.96, trading 44% below its 200-day moving average of $1.71 after the brutal 2024 correction. While broader altcoin sentiment remains muted, the positioning beneath key moving averages has created an asymmetric opportunity that institutional players appear to be capitalizing on.　　The Layer-1 blockchain space continues consolidating around projects with genuine utility and developer traction. Analysis from Blockchain.news indicates that despite price weakness, Aptos maintains robust on-chain activity and development momentum that could support higher valuations once market conditions improve.　　Technical Indicators Signal Coiled Spring　　The current technical picture shows APT in a state of compressed volatility that typically precedes significant moves. RSI at 53.73 indicates neutral momentum, while the MACD histogram hovering near zero suggests directional momentum is about to emerge. The token trades at 66% of its Bollinger Band range, providing substantial room for expansion toward the $1.03 upper band.　　Derivatives data reveals the underlying tension building in APT markets. Open interest jumped 6.71% over 24 hours while funding rates remain slightly negative at -0.0003%, creating conditions favorable for upward price discovery. The 60.3% long ratio among retail traders contrasts with neutral funding, indicating sophisticated players are accumulating

04-29Industry

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