Bitcoin analyst James Check argued Bitcoin’s quantum risk is chiefly a consensus dilemma — not a tech one — because the network is unlikely to freeze legacy coins. James Check, founder and lead analyst at Bitcoin onchain analysis service Checkonchain, said Monday that the quantum threat is more of a consensus problem than a technology issue. In a Monday X post, Check claimed that “there is no chance we come to consensus to freeze” Bitcoin (BTC) that is not moved to quantum-resistant addresses, with development politics limiting the community’s ability to react. This means that a large amount of lost Bitcoin will flood the market as old addresses are compromised when quantum computer attacks become feasible. BitBo data shows that 32.4% of all Bitcoin has not been moved in the last five years, 16.8% in over 10 years, 8.2% in seven to 10 years and 5.4% in five to seven years. How much of those assets are actually lost or inaccessible, and how many are kept in storage for is subject to debate. Read more
BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes said Hyperliquid’s $314 million unlock brings unavoidable sell pressure, and insider assurances can’t remove uncertainty. A $314 million Hyperliquid token unlock scheduled for Saturday puts the perpetuals decentralized exchange (DEX) under its most significant tokenomics spotlight yet, as one community member calls for clearer communication on how the core contributor unlock will be managed. Tokenomist data shows that on Saturday, Hyperliquid will release 9.92 million HYPE tokens, which is 2.66% of the supply. The tokens are worth about $314 million at the time of writing. The HYPE allocation will be released in a “cliff unlock,” which means they will be released all at once. The unlock ignited public conversations among holders, including an open letter from an X user named Andy, who urged the team to address the community before the tokens are unlocked. At the time of writing, HYPE trades at $31, a 23% decline over the past month. Read more
Blockchain can still serve its purpose while catering to institutional finance needs through privacy technology, says Aztec Labs’ Zac Williamson. Blockchain is being pulled between traditional finance and its decentralized ethos as the industry shifts to serve institutional products. Zac Williamson, CEO of Aztec Labs, said early decentralized governance failures shifted blockchain’s trajectory away from community coordination. “There is a real risk that blockchain just becomes a slightly more efficient settlement layer than Visa or Mastercard,” he told Cointelegraph. “If we lose the social coordination side of this, then the entire point of the technology gets hollowed out.” Read more
Crypto investment products neared $5 billion in outflows in the last four weeks, but late-week inflows show early signs of improving sentiment despite heavy selling, CoinShares said. Cryptocurrency investment products have hit almost $5 billion in outflows over the past four weeks, but inflows during the final days of last week offered a small sign of improving sentiment. Crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) saw $1.94 billion in outflows last week, a small decline from the $2 billion exodus the previous week, according to a Monday research report from CoinShares. The four-week total now stands at $4.9 billion, marking the third-largest outflow run on record. Only the March tariff-driven sell-off and the February 2018 downturn were bigger. Read more
From custody standards to stablecoin oversight, India’s VDA review may help shape an investor-focused framework that brings crypto rules closer to global norms. With more than 100 million crypto users, India still lacks a comprehensive virtual digital asset (VDA) law. Existing rules address taxation and AML obligations, but they do not fully cover consumer protection or broader market conduct. Issues under discussion include the absence of unified investor-protection rules, unregulated trading practices and concerns that India’s 30% tax plus 1% TDS regime is pushing users to offshore platforms. Stakeholders are discussing a risk-based VDA framework, licensing requirements for exchanges and custodians, conduct-of-business standards, RWA-specific regulations and improved data and reporting systems. Read more