US Senate Bans Lawmakers From Betting on Prediction Markets – Bitcoin News

By amending Rule XXXVII, the Senate has effectively cordoned off its members from these digital gambling hubs. The new language explicitly prohibits any member from entering into contracts where payments depend on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a specific event.  Moreno, who has been a vocal critic of congressional “side hustles,” framed the resolution as a necessary step to restore public integrity. He argued that treating the U.S. Senate as a vehicle for personal financial gain is a fundamental betrayal of the American people.  The push for the ban was accelerated by two major incidents in late April that shook the industry. On April 22, the regulated exchange Kalshi fined three congressional candidates for betting on their own races, raising alarms about market manipulation.  Just one day later, news broke that a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier was arrested for allegedly using classified intelligence to win over $400,000 on Polymarket. The bet centered on a military operation involving Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.  These incidents provided the political momentum needed for a unanimous voice vote. While the Senate acted internally, Democratic lawmakers are simultaneously pressuring the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to implement broader industry-wide safeguards against insider trading.  The scope of this specific rule change

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Jobless Claims Fall Again as U.S. Labor Market Holds Firm

U.S. jobless claims fall, reinforcing labor market strength as Fed policy outlook remains uncertain.Strong jobs data and sticky inflation keep the Fed cautious, reducing the chances of near-term rate cuts.Rising yields and firm labor conditions tighten financial outlook, weighing on risk assets like Bitcoin.  U.S. initial jobless claims fell last week, indicating continued stability in the labor market despite geopolitical tensions. The Labor Department reported 189,000 new claims for the week ending April 25. Continuing claims declined by 23,000 to 1.785 million, suggesting limited layoffs.  Separate data from the Conference Board showed fewer Americans viewed jobs as hard to get in April, while perceptions of job availability remained largely unchanged. Economists say the data is consistent with an unemployment rate that held steady during the month.  Inflation Pressures Complicate Fed Outlook  The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the PCE price index rose 3.5% year-over-year and 0.7% month-over-month in March. Core PCE increased 3.2% annually and 0.3% on the month, in line with forecasts. Both measures reached their highest levels since late 2023 and remained above the Federal Reserves 2% target.  Oil prices have risen amid tensions in the Middle East, with Brent crude trading above $109 a barrel. Higher energy costs have lifted prices for

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XRP Las Vegas 2026 Opens as Community Gathers With Clarity Act Progress Adding to the Mood

The post XRP Las Vegas 2026 Opens as Community Gathers With Clarity Act Progress Adding to the Mood appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News  XRP Las Vegas 2026 opened its doors Thursday, drawing the XRP community together for what has become one of the most anticipated dedicated gatherings in the digital asset calendar. Running April 30 to May 1, the event follows directly on the heels of the Bitcoin 2026 Conference that wrapped up at the Venetian earlier this week, keeping Las Vegas at the centre of the crypto world for a second consecutive week.  Attendance energy is running high. Social media posts from the venue are generating significant engagement, with community members who could not make the trip expressing visible frustration at missing out.  The sentiment online has ranged from enthusiastic to genuinely wistful, with more than a few attendees noting they are already planning for next year.  A Timely Backdrop  The events timing has added a layer of significance that goes beyond the usual community gathering atmosphere. Senator Thom Tillis confirmed earlier this week that he will push for a Clarity Act markup when the Senate returns from recess on May 11, marking the most concrete legislative commitment the bill has received in

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Spain Leads Europe’s Retail EURC Stablecoin Market in Q1 2026

Spain accounted for about 36% of European retail EURC transactions between 2025 and Q1 2026.Brighty data showed Spain also represented about 25% of the total EURC transaction volume in Europe.The average EURC transaction size stood at 49 euros, pointing to everyday retail payment use.  Spain became Europe‘s leading retail market for Circle’s EURC stablecoin in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from digital banking platform Brighty. The report showed that Spanish users accounted for roughly 36% of all European retail transactions using the euro-backed digital asset between 2025 and Q1 2026.  The growth came as euro-denominated stablecoins gained more attention across Europe. Meanwhile, EURC represented nearly 49% of the total market capitalization of euro-pegged digital assets, which stood at about $887 million, according to CoinGecko data cited in the report.  Spain Leads EURC Retail Use  Brighty data showed that Spain accounted for about 25% of total EURC transaction volume across Europe. The figures placed the country ahead of other regional markets in retail use of Circles euro-denominated stablecoin.  The average transaction size stood at around 49 euros, or about $57. That amount pointed to routine consumer payments rather than large institutional transfers or high-value settlement activity.  Brighty Co-Founder Nick Denisenko said Spanish users increasingly

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Claw Intelligence And Block Sec Arena Join Forces To Unlock Web3 AI Applications With Decentralized Security

As part of efforts to introduce powerful security solutions to its digital network, Claw Intelligence, a decentralized AI platform that allows users to seamlessly interact with Web3 applications, today entered into a strategic partnership with Block Sec Arena, an AI-powered Web3 security network that helps projects protect themselves against on-chain risks. The partnership enabled Claw Intelligence to integrate Block Sec Arenas security infrastructure to ensure that its decentralized AI utility platform adopts best practices for Web3 security.  Claw Intelligence is an AI-driven Web3 intelligence and trading platform built on the BNB Chain, designed to provide users with cutting-edge tools to efficiently navigate the decentralized world. Within the platform, users access market data, on-chain signals, and research/execution tools in a unified interface, using them to turn fragmented blockchain information into structured, actionable insights.  Claw Intelligence Selects Block Sec Arena For Secure AI Applications  Through the partnership, Block Sec Arena‘s security infrastructure has been integrated to support, complement, and strengthen Claw Intelligence’s mission to make Web3 safer, more efficient, and useful. Block Sec Arena, also commonly recognized as Block Security Arena (BSA), is a decentralized security platform that has expertise in helping Web3 projects to safeguard their network operations against cybersecurity threats. The platform offers

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Eric Trump: Bitcoin Is Experiencing Its Brightest Days

Eric Trump, who took the stage at the Bitcoin 2026 event in Las Vegas, declared that bitcoin is experiencing its brightest days. The co-founder and chief strategy officer of American Bitcoin (ABTC) emphasized that the last six months have marked a turning point that has fundamentally changed the asset. With increasing interest from institutional investors, companies shifting their treasuries to bitcoin, and mainstream financial instruments coming into play, the market has leaped into a new phase. Trump said, “What Bitcoin has achieved in the last six months is completely transformative compared to the previous three years.” He exemplified that Wall Street is keeping up with this trend, with major banks now offering bitcoin-backed mortgages and custody services.  Bitcoin Institutional Adoption and Market Transformation  Trump noted that investors prefer to hold bitcoin rather than sell it, making the asset “sticky.” Demand pressure from institutions and governments against limited supply is structurally squeezing the market. The event moderator, Bloomberg‘s senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, described bitcoin ETFs as one of the most successful product launches; these instruments have opened institutional access to retail investors. Trump added that he doesn’t care about volatility, and they will see who remains standing in a ten-year perspective. The

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Senate bans members from prediction markets as insider trading scrutiny grows

The US Senate unanimously passed a rule Thursday barring senators and staff from trading on prediction markets, as lawmakers move to limit conflicts of interest in one of the fastest growing corners of financial speculation.  The ban takes effect immediately and targets platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, where traders can wager on political, geopolitical, sports, and economic outcomes. The measure follows rising concern that officials with access to sensitive information could use event contracts for personal gain.  The rule comes as prediction markets scale rapidly. Kalshi was valued at $22 billion in a recent funding round, while Polymarket has reportedly been in talks to raise $400 million at a valuation of about $15 billion.  Trading activity has also surged. Reuters estimated Kalshi and Polymarket could handle $96 billion and $84 billion in 2026 trading volume, respectively, showing how quickly the sector has moved from niche betting venue to mainstream market infrastructure.  The Senate vote followed several enforcement flashpoints. On April 22, Kalshi said it suspended and fined one Senate candidate and two House candidates for trading on their own races.  A day later, US Army Special Forces soldier Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke was arrested on charges that he used classified information to

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Defillama Confirms April 2026 as Cryptos Most-Hacked Month With 30 Incidents

The remaining 26 or more incidents were mostly below $5 million, and many came in under $1 million. The pattern pointed to a broad attack surface hitting lending pools, vaults, contracts, oracle configurations, and cross-chain bridges simultaneously.  Defillama published a chart on April 30 showing the monthly incident count spiking to its highest level since the platform began tracking. Prior monthly peaks rarely exceeded 12 to 15 incidents. April 2026 averaged close to one attack per day.  Onchain researcher Stacy Muur also shared a running tally on April 29 on X, listing 24 confirmed hacks with losses exceeding $624 million and noting the month still had days remaining. Final figures pushed the incident count higher before the month closed.  April‘s dollar losses rank as the worst since the February 2025 Bybit breach, which totaled approximately $1.4 billion. By incident count, however, April 2026 stands alone. Year-to-date through April, the industry recorded roughly 68 incidents and more than $1 billion stolen, already ahead of 2025’s pace excluding the Bybit event. April alone was 3.7 times larger than all of Q1 2026, which saw approximately $165 million lost across 35 incidents.  Smaller April incidents included Rhea Finance at $18.4 million, Grinex at $15 million, Volo Vault

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Yen Surges After Japan Steps In as Markets Face Pressure

Japans yen intervention lifts the currency, highlighting rising strain across global currency markets.Policy action supports the yen, but strong dollar dynamics limit lasting impact on currency trends.Macro pressure from yields and oil keeps markets cautious despite Japans currency intervention.  Japan intervened in the foreign-exchange market to support the yen, sending the currency up as much as 3% intraday, according to traders and local media. The yen strengthened to 155.57 per dollar, its strongest level since late February, before weakening to around 156.80 in New York trading.  The move followed official warnings against excessive currency volatility. Analyst Crypto Rover wrote on X, “THIS IS VERY BAD FOR MARKETS Japan has intervened to defend the yen.” He added, “Yields are at 27-year highs, oil is at $120, and inflation is rising.”  Yen Intervention Signals Policy Tension  As per Bloomberg, Japans currency chief Atsushi Mimura warned of potential action before the move, saying the timing for “bold steps is nearing.” He also described the warning to traders as the “final advisory if you want to escape.” Authorities remained in contact with U.S. counterparts under Group of Seven guidelines.  Traders linked the yens surge to intervention by the Ministry of Finance. Neil Jones said, “This was an alarm-bell moment,”

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Ethereum Price Prediction Hits $7,500: Standard Chartered Says 2026 Is ETH’s Year, But Pepeto Presale Offers Higher Potential

Ethereum  Ethereum Price Prediction Hits $7,500: Standard Chartered Says 2026 Is ETHs Year, But Pepeto Presale Offers Higher Potential  Ethereum price prediction from Standard Chartered just jumped to $7,500 for year end 2026, a number that caught even the bulls off guard. The banks analyst said this will be the year ETH takes back the market, and the data backs it: Glamsterdam targets a 78% gas fee cut by June, spot ETH ETFs just posted their strongest weekly inflows of 2026, and Citi holds $3,175 near term.  But even with $7,500 on the table, that is still a 3x move from 2,299 over eight months. A presale that keeps gaining attention across the market right now offers a path to returns that ETH at a $277 billion market cap will take years to match, and the numbers explain exactly why.  Standard Chartered Raises Ethereum Price Prediction to $7,500 and Declares 2026 the Year of ETH  Standard Chartered lifted its ethereum price prediction from $4,000 to $7,500, arguing that corporate treasury buyers and rising ETF demand will push ETH higher all year, according to The Block. Over half of all stablecoins run on Ethereum, and stablecoins already make up 40% of total blockchain fees.  ETH at 2,299

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