Crypto

Brazil’s central bank barred virtual assets from settlement inside regulated eFX payment rails as it tightens oversight of crypto-linked flows. Brazil’s central bank, Banco Central do Brasil (BCB), has barred the use of virtual assets in certain regulated international payment and transfer services, tightening rules for cross-border payment providers operating under the country’s eFX framework. On Thursday, BCB published Resolution BCB No. 561, amending existing rules for eFX, a regulated category covering international payments and transfers. The resolution states that payments or receipts between an eFX provider and its foreign counterparty must be carried out exclusively through a foreign exchange transaction or movement in a non-resident Brazilian real account, with the use of virtual assets prohibited. The restriction also applies under transitional rules for eFX providers that are not yet listed among approved provider categories. Those firms may continue providing eFX only if they apply for authorizati...

This Friday, we examine Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, Binance Coin, and Hyperliquid in greater detail. Ethereum (ETH) Ethereum closed the week in the red, down 3%, after sellers returned at the $2,400 key resistance level. Hopefully, the price will not close this week with a bearish engulfing candle, as that would imply a major reversal awaits. […]

SBI Holdings is in discussions to make Bitbank a subsidiary, adding to its push to acquire crypto exchanges amid improving regulatory clarity in Japan. Tokyo-based SBI Holdings has opened talks to acquire shares in cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank and make it a consolidated subsidiary, extending its push to consolidate regulated crypto trading platforms in Japan as the country moves toward securities-style rules for digital assets. The financial conglomerate said Friday it is considering a share acquisition as part of a potential capital and business alliance with Bitbank. The deal remains subject to due diligence, negotiations and internal approvals, SBI said. The talks come a month after SBI VC Trade absorbed Bitpoint Japan on April 1, with SBI VC Trade becoming the surviving company. A Bitbank acquisition would give SBI a larger position in Japan’s crypto exchange market at a time when policymakers are preparing to bring crypto assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Read more

BTC rises on steady volume and strong technical structure, but surging put interest and muted prediction market odds point to defensive positioning.

While Washington attempts to navigate the stablecoin battle between banks and crypto companies over the Clarity Act, Coinbase has now announced the “Coinbase Stablecoin Credit Strategy” (CUSHY), targeting qualified investors and institutions with exposure to public, private, and opportunistic credit. The firm also said that it offers investors access to the structural alpha from tokenization, […] The post Coinbase’s new credit fund shows why banks are fighting stablecoin yield on the Clarity Act appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Ethereum also ended April in the green, reinforcing the gains from March.

Bitcoin finished April above $76,000 to preserve most of its monthly gains, but the S&P 500 stole the limelight with a trip back to record highs. Bitcoin (BTC) eyed $77,500 on Friday after US stocks posted fresh record highs on strong tech earnings. Key points: Read more

Bithumb gained temporary relief after a court halted sanctions imposed over compliance failures.

Bitcoin Spot CVD exploded 199.1% over the prior week, climbing from $18.3 million to $54.8 million, a signal of aggressive spot-market buying. What does it says? The post Bitcoin Spot CVD Surges 199% as Institutional Inflows Re-Accelerate appeared first on Cryptonews.

Actually, there might be more than one signal suggesting BTC could be heading for another correction soon.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott is pushing the Coinbase backed Clarity Act toward a presidential signature by summer. Bullish? The post Coinbase Backed Clarity Act Advances: Tim Scott Eyeing Summer appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bakkt announced the deal in January, which was originally for 9.3 million shares, along with a corporate name change to Bakkt Inc. Digital asset company Bakkt completed its acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure firm Distributed Technologies Research (DTR) through an equity-based transaction as part of its bid to create a digital settlement layer. Bakkt CEO Akshay Naheta said on Thursday that the deal aims to combine Bakkt’s institutional infrastructure with DTR’s native artificial intelligence payments engine and stablecoin technology to create a 24/7 digital settlement layer. “The architecture of money movement rarely evolves at this level,” he said. “This transaction accelerates the re-platforming of global financial infrastructure. By fully integrating DTR's technology, we are introducing stablecoin functionality as a critical bridge between legacy financial systems and the next generation of digital assets.” Read more

South Korea's financial watchdog imposed a $24.6 million fine on Bithumb and partial suspension that came into effect last month.

Toobit, one of the most popular international centralized cryptocurrency exchanges, is now unveiling a new high-yield XRP subscription within its Earn Series. It offers an industry-leading APR of 30%. Limited-Time 30% APR for XRP Holders This limited-time subscription follows the successful rollout of multiple high-utility Earn products, including recent double-digit yield offers that were available […]

STRC’s volume weighted average price of $99.76 for April kept the dividend steady for a third consecutive month.

The card links self-custodied wallets to Mastercard rails, allowing AI agents to spend stablecoins at checkout without preloading funds or moving assets offchain. MoonPay is launching a virtual debit card that allows users and AI agents to spend stablecoins directly from self-custodied onchain wallets at merchants that accept Mastercard, using real-time crypto-to-fiat conversion at checkout. The card, developed with Monavate and Exodus Movement, Inc., connects onchain wallets to traditional card rails, enabling transactions without preloading funds or transferring assets offchain, with smart contracts authorizing spending at the point of purchase. Available through MoonPay’s CLI and agent workflows to users in the UK and Latin America, the card is designed for programmatic use, allowing users to delegate spending permissions to AI agents, with identity verification required before issuance, the company said. Read more

The top stablecoin issuer’s balance sheet remains heavily concentrated in US Treasuries as stablecoin adoption expands across emerging markets. Stablecoin issuer Tether (USDT) reported $1.04 billion in net profit for the first quarter of 2026, as its excess reserves rose to a record $8.23 billion, according to its latest attestation on Friday. The company said its reserves remain heavily concentrated in US Treasuries, with around $141 billion in direct and indirect exposure, while total assets of about $191.8 billion exceeded liabilities of approximately $183.5 billion as of March 31. Tether said this level of exposure makes it the 17th largest holder of US Treasuries globally. Beyond Treasuries, reserves included about $20 billion in physical gold and $7 billion in Bitcoin (BTC). Read more

Futures drove up Bitcoin's price in April while spot demand declined, which CryptoQuant warned has historically preceded extended price declines. Bitcoin could be setting up for a multimonth price decline, after a rally in April driven mainly by futures traders while spot demand declined, according to the crypto analytics firm CryptoQuant. Bitcoin gained around 20% in April, rising from $66,000 to a peak of $79,000 in a rally “driven entirely by growth in perpetual futures demand,” CryptoQuant said in a report on Thursday.  Meanwhile, spot demand for Bitcoin contracted throughout the rally, “indicating that the market’s marginal buyer was speculative, not fundamental,” it said. Read more

The Bitcoin FUD-stopping tool cites over 22 peer-reviewed research papers to address common misconceptions about Bitcoin. A group of Bitcoiners has launched a new open-source AI tool that generates evidence-based responses to misconceptions about Bitcoin’s environmental impact, energy use and its role in the financial system.  Nordic-based Bitcoin education platform Bitcoin Beyond 66 said it built “The Bitcoin Evidence Base” at a time when there is a “growing body of peer-reviewed research” showing the environmental benefits of Bitcoin mining, but “outdated data, methodologically weak studies, or plain lack of knowledge” continue to negatively shape public perception. The database seeks to offer users quick access to relevant, evidence-based information about Bitcoin mining and related topics so they can share it with social media posters who have knowingly or unknowingly spread incorrect information about Bitcoin.  Read more

Carrot's total value locked has collapsed 93% in a month, from $28 million to $1.99 million, leaving the protocol financially unable to continue. Solana-based decentralized finance yield protocol Carrot said Thursday that it is shutting down permanently, becoming one of the first DeFi protocols to fall due to contagion from the Drift Protocol exploit in early April.  In an X post on Thursday, Carrot said the Drift exploit was “catastrophic” for the protocol and had left it financially unable to continue operating. The platform set a May 14 deadline for users to withdraw remaining funds. It said it will continue to help recovery efforts related to Drift and distribute assets once they become available. “We are setting May 14th as the deadline to withdraw any remaining funds from Boost, Turbo, and CRT before we will then begin to deleverage the system. Your deposited funds are still yours, but all leverage will be reduced to zero, freeing up all liquidity for CRT redemption,” the protocol’s team said. Read more