Crypto

A crypto analyst is eyeing off a sooner timeframe for Bitcoin all-time highs, XRP may retrace up to 40%, and more: Hodler’s Digest Bitcoin will break past its $109,000 all-time high sooner than expected despite recent volatile US macroeconomic conditions, according to a crypto analyst.  The market may be underestimating how quickly Bitcoin could surge potentially hitting new all-time highs before Q2 is out, Real Vision chief crypto analyst Jamie Coutts told Cointelegraph.  He said this forecast stands regardless of whether or not there is more clarity on US President Donald Trumps tariffs and potential recession concerns. Read more

Chinese influencer denies links to honeytrap scam after promising sex to any Bitcoiner, BTS firm’s $350 blockchain revenue: Asia Express. A viral crypto influencers spend the night with BTC holders stunt has taken a dark turn after Chinese media linked her profile to a real-life extortion case. On March 25, Sina Finance reported that in 2024, a software engineer in Chengdu was ambushed and robbed of 6 BTC by a criminal gang posing as a female crypto trader named Bitcoin Conger. The group had allegedly lured the victim through an X profile that promised sexual favors after months of online communications. Once the victim agreed to meet at a high-end hotel in Chengdu, the perpetrators reportedly used fabricated evidence to threaten the victims reputation, ultimately extorting a 6 BTC transfer. Read more

The sad story behind those Studio Ghibli memes, humans require a “modest death event” to understand AGI risk, robots in homes trials: AI Eye. Social media feeds were overrun this week with memes created using OpenAIs buzzy new GPT-4o image generator in the style of Japanese anime house Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Howls Moving Castle). Theres Aussie breakdancer Raygun doing her signature kangaroo move, that image of Ben Affleck looking depressed and sucking on a ciggie, gangster mode Vitalik and thousands more images all captured in the admittedly adorable Studio Ghibli style. But theres a much darker side to the trend. The memes emerged as footage from 2016 resurfaced of studio founder Hayao Miyazaki reacting to an early demo of OpenAIs image generation capability. He said he was utterly disgusted by it and that he would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. Miyazaki added that a machine that draws pictures like people do was “an awful insult to life, and PC Mag reported at the time...

Arbitrum co-founder Steven Goldfeder has ruled out the L2 becoming a based rollup and was circumspect about becoming a native rollup too. Offchain Labs CEO Steven Goldfeders crypto origin story is classic geek gold. As a student at Princeton, he first heard about Bitcoin in 2013 during a visit day at Princeton. Professor Ed Felten the future inventor of rollups on Ethereum, co-founder of Arbitrum and a White House science advisor gave a five-minute lightning talk about the cost of a government destroying Bitcoin.  Goldfeders curiosity was instantly piqued, and that night, other students hosted a poker game with a half-BTC buy-in. As he says: That was back in the days when that was just ten bucks. If only Id held onto it… Read more

Early Solana proponent Armani Ferrante says FTX and Alameda are his guiding light for what not to do with Backpack Exchange. Former Alameda Research employee turned crypto exchange founder Armani Ferrante knows firsthand that Eminems lyrics “you only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow” couldnt be more true in crypto. When you see Elon Musk standing next to his rocket, then it collapses and crashes, he feels bad about it. He loses a lot of money. Its horrible, but he gets to try again when the rocket crashes, Ferrante tells Hall of Flame. If an exchange collapses, you dont get to try again; it is game over, the 32-year-old US-born, Tokyo-based entrepreneur declares. Read more

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse says the SEC lawsuit is “over,” Donald Trump speaks at Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit: Hodler’s Digest The US Securities and Exchange Commissions multi-year enforcement action against Ripple is finally coming to an end, according to the companys CEO. This is it the moment weve been waiting for. The SEC will drop its appeal a resounding victory for Ripple, for crypto, every way you look at it, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse wrote on X on March 19. Im finally able to announce that the case has ended; its over, Garlinghouse said in the video attached to the X post. Read more