Author: tristan

Bitcoin and US Spot ETFs Drive Majority of Weekly Investment Demand

Crypto exchange traded products (ETPs) recorded $1.1 billion in inflows last week, marking the second-largest weekly gain of 2026 and the strongest inflow performance since January. Bitcoin (BTC) led the surge with $871 million in inflows, reinforcing its position as the dominant institutional asset within regulated crypto investment vehicles.

The weekly total followed a larger $2.17 billion inflow recorded in mid-January, highlighting renewed institutional interest amid improving macroeconomic signals. Analysts attributed the recent spike to easing geopolitical tensions linked to ceasefire developments involving Iran, combined with softer-than-expected US inflation and consumer spending data, which boosted investor risk appetite.

US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs accounted for the majority of activity, generating approximately $786.3 million in inflows. Regionally, the United States contributed nearly $1 billion, representing about 95% of total weekly inflows, while Germany recorded $34.6 million, Canada $7.8 million, and Switzerland $6.9 million.

Ether and Altcoin ETP Flows Show Mixed Performance

Ether (ETH) ETPs saw a rebound with $196.5 million in inflows, ending three consecutive weeks of outflows. However, Ether remains in a year-to-date net outflow position of about $130 million, making it one of the few major assets still trailing in cumulative flows.

In contrast, Bitcoin continues to dominate annual investment trends, recording $1.9 billion in year-to-date inflows, representing roughly 83% of the total $2.3 billion invested into crypto ETPs this year. Meanwhile, XRP ETPs posted $19 million in inflows, while Solana (SOL) recorded $2.5 million in outflows, indicating selective investor positioning across alternative digital assets.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.

Crypto markets are entering a new phase where institutional investors are leading accumulation, while retail participation remains unusually weak, according to Exodus CEO JP Richardson. He stated that financial institutions have “accelerated” their involvement this year, marking what could be the first cycle where institutions experience a bull market without significant retail participation.

This might be the first cycle in crypto history where institutions are in a bull market and retail doesn't even know it.

Stablecoins at $319B. Morgan Stanley launched a Bitcoin ETF. Schwab opened a waitlist for spot bitcoin trading.

Franklin Templeton announced a crypto…

— JP Richardson (@jprichardson) April 13, 2026

Richardson pointed to multiple signs of institutional expansion, including a stablecoin market capitalization reaching an all-time high, the launch of Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF, Charles Schwab opening a waitlist for spot Bitcoin trading, Franklin Templeton expanding into digital assets, and Fannie Mae exploring Bitcoin-backed mortgages. He noted that unlike previous cycles in 2018 and 2022, institutions are not exiting alongside retail investors but continuing to accumulate.

Retail Investors Exit Amid Economic Pressure and Low Participation

Crypto analyst and YouTuber Michael van de Poppe said retail interest has sharply declined, citing rising living costs and inflation as key reasons. He described the current environment as an “institutional cycle” rather than a retail-driven one, suggesting it may last longer and progress more gradually.

It's super clear that retail isn't interested in #Crypto.

Almost everyone has a hard time paying their bills on a monthly basis.

And then spending that amount of money in such a volatile asset?

Hell no.

That's why this cycle won't be the retail cycle. It's the institutional…

— Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) April 12, 2026

Data from analyst Darkfost shows retail activity on platforms like Binance has dropped to a nine-year low, with inflows from wallets holding less than 1 BTC reaching record lows. Some retail capital may have rotated into equities and commodities, which have recently performed strongly.

Market Sentiment Remains Macro-Driven and Fragile

Analysts note that short-term crypto sentiment is heavily influenced by macroeconomic factors such as oil prices, inflation expectations, and the US dollar. While near-term volatility remains elevated, some analysts believe structural institutional demand could support longer-term stability despite weak retail participation.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.

StarkWare has begun cutting staff and restructuring operations into two core business units as part of a strategy aimed at accelerating revenue generation and improving product-market fit. During an all-hands meeting, CEO Eli Ben-Sasson told employees the company had grown “simply and sadly too big” for its next phase and needed to return to a startup style operating model that prioritizes speed and flexibility.

While the company did not disclose the exact number of layoffs or timeline, affected employees were informed they would receive individual emails inviting them to one-on-one discussions with managers. StarkWare also stated it would provide severance packages exceeding legal and contractual requirements in several jurisdictions.

Ben-Sasson emphasized the company’s intention to take full ownership of its blockchain proving stack, including Cairo, Sierra, and quantum-secure STARK cryptography, reducing reliance on external Layer 1 networks and third-party application developers.

Starknet chain revenue, near $6 million in a single month in late 2023, stood at roughly $48,000 through the first half of April 2026,  DefiLlama data. 

Two New Business Units Target Product and Network Development

The restructuring introduces a revenue-focused applications unit led by Chief Product Officer Avihu Levy, who will oversee development of revenue generating products built directly on StarkWare technology. A second Starknet development unit, led by Head of Product Tom Brand, will focus on strengthening the network’s infrastructure, with both units operating dedicated engineering, product, and go to market teams.

Leadership Changes Support New Organizational Structure

Additional leadership adjustments include CFO Ran Grinshtein expanding responsibilities to finance, human resources, security, and IT operations. Gideon Kaempfer, previously head of core engineering, will transition to chief architect, reporting directly to Ben Sasson. General Counsel Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos will continue overseeing legal functions, while COO Oren Katz plans to depart but remain with the company through the end of April.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.

The Bank of Korea has urged lawmakers to introduce crypto “circuit breakers” after a major error at Bithumb, where the exchange mistakenly credited users with 620,000 Bitcoin (BTC) instead of 620,000 Korean won in February. The error was valued at around $42 billion, prompting emergency trading disruptions and raising concerns over exchange risk controls.

In a Monday payments report, the central bank recommended mechanisms similar to the Korea Exchange, where trading is halted during extreme price swings. It said such systems are needed because the virtual asset industry lacks strong internal control mechanisms and operates with lower regulatory intensity than traditional financial institutions. The report warned that similar incidents could occur across other exchanges without preventive safeguards.

Bithumb Incident Triggered Panic Selling and Market Disruption

Following the error, Bitcoin prices on Bithumb fell sharply as users rushed to sell, triggering further panic selling. The exchange quickly suspended trading and reversed most transactions, but 1,788 BTC worth about $125 million had already been sold. Bithumb covered the shortfall using company reserves, while price gaps emerged between Bithumb and other exchanges like Upbit.

Proposed Systems for Error Detection and Asset Verification

The Bank of Korea also proposed automated systems to detect erroneous payments caused by human error, along with real-time verification comparing exchange-held assets with on-chain blockchain records to flag discrepancies and improve operational transparency.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.

Large holders of the OFFICIAL TRUMP (TRUMP) memecoin have increased accumulation ahead of an upcoming luncheon at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida residence of US President Donald Trump, where top token holders are expected to gain exclusive access. Lookonchain tracking data shows multiple whale wallets withdrawing large amounts of TRUMP from centralized exchanges including Binance, Bybit, and BitMart.

One whale reportedly withdrew 105,754 TRUMP tokens from Binance, adding to a total holding of about 1.13 million TRUMP, valued near $3.2 million. Another wallet pulled 850,488 TRUMP from Bybit, while additional holders increased positions to over 368,000 tokens and 1 million tokens, reflecting rising speculative positioning ahead of the event.

The top 297 TRUMP holders are invited to a luncheon scheduled for April 25 at Mar-a-Lago, with the top 29 holders receiving access to a private reception. The event has drawn political attention, as critics argue it blends financial incentives with political influence.

TRUMP Token Price Drops Despite Event Hype

Despite whale accumulation, TRUMP has declined more than 33% since the March announcement, falling from a peak of $4.35 to around $2.80. Market analysts attribute the decline to strong retail selling pressure and low liquidity conditions, which amplify price volatility when large holders move positions.

Data indicates heavy concentration within the token supply, with over 91% held by the top 10 wallets and more than 97% controlled by the top 100 wallets, leaving the market highly sensitive to large transactions and whale behavior.

Market Sentiment Remains Event-Driven and Highly Concentrated

Analysts suggest that future price movement may depend on event driven catalysts, including political announcements and community engagement campaigns, though concentration risk remains a major factor limiting sustained upside momentum.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.

The Aave DAO has approved a major funding package for Aave Labs, the core development team behind the Aave protocol. The proposal, known as the “Aave Will Win” framework, passed with nearly 75% support and includes $25 million in stablecoin funding along with an allocation of 75,000 AAVE tokens.

The stablecoin funding will be distributed in installments over 12 months, while the AAVE token allocation will vest linearly over four years, according to governance records. The structure is designed to support long-term protocol development while incentivizing builders working on the ecosystem.

DAO-Funded Model to Accelerate Protocol Growth

Under the new framework, Aave Labs will shift toward a DAO funded operating model, where operational costs are covered by the treasury rather than retained internally. Revenue generated from Aave products such as Aave Pro will flow directly to the DAO treasury.

The proposal also outlines that future growth and development grants tied to specific milestones will be handled through separate governance votes. Additionally, it supports the long-term rollout of Aave V4 and proposes a new foundation to manage the Aave brand and ecosystem expansion.

Aave currently ranks among the largest decentralized finance protocols, with total value locked exceeding $25 billion, according to DeFi data trackers.

Community Debate and Governance Concerns

Aave founder Stani Kulechov called the approved framework the most important proposal in the protocol’s history, stating that it signals a long-term commitment to scaling the ecosystem and capturing institutional demand as traditional finance moves on chain.

Aave Will Win, the most important proposal in Aave's history just passed with a landslide.

Here's the master plan going forward:

General Direction

– Aave becomes fully token-centric: one asset, one model: $AAVE

– To date, protocol revenue per AIP-1 has accumulated to the Aave…

— Stani (@StaniKulechov) April 12, 2026

However, the proposal faced prior debate within the community, particularly around the size of the funding package and the inclusion of governance-weighted AAVE token incentives. Earlier governance tensions included the exit of a major delegate group and previous failed attempts to transfer full control of Aave’s brand assets to the DAO.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.

A security breach in Hyperbridge’s Ethereum gateway contract allowed an attacker to mint 1 billion bridged Polkadot (DOT) tokens on Ethereum, later converting them into roughly $237,000 worth of ether. The exploit did not impact the Polkadot main network or native DOT supply, but targeted the bridge’s flawed cross-chain validation logic.

Security analysis shows the attacker submitted a forged cross-chain message through the dispatchIncoming function, which was incorrectly accepted by the EthereumHost contract. The request passed through to TokenGateway.onAccept, where a missing or bypassed state proof check allowed execution. The system processed an invalid request receipts validation, enabling unauthorized actions.

Admin Privileges Misused to Mint Unlimited Tokens

The malicious message triggered a changeAdmin function, granting the attacker full control of the bridged DOT contract on Ethereum. With admin access, they minted 1 billion tokens in a single transaction and routed funds through Odos Router V3, later swapping them on a Uniswap V4 DOT-ETH pool.

Blockchain security firm CertiK reported the exploit;

Liquidity Constraints Reduced Profit Impact

Despite the massive token mint, profits were limited due to low liquidity in the Ethereum DOT pool, which collapsed token value during dumping. The attacker extracted about 108.2 ETH across multiple trades, equal to roughly $237,000. Security firm analysis confirmed the exploit path and highlighted bridge vulnerabilities as a continued risk in cross-chain systems, where validation failures can enable unlimited token issuance.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.

Efforts to resolve escalating tensions between the United States and Iran have continued after high-stakes talks in Islamabad ended without a formal agreement. According to officials cited in reports, a second round of negotiations could be arranged within days, as regional intermediaries and global actors push to extend a fragile ceasefire and prevent further escalation.

Although both sides have publicly maintained firm positions, diplomatic channels remain active behind the scenes. The Islamabad meeting was described as one of the most significant direct engagements between US and Iranian leadership since 1979, highlighting the importance of ongoing dialogue despite the lack of immediate progress.

Bitcoin and Major Cryptocurrencies Drop After U.S.–Iran Ceasefire Talks Fail

Three Core Disputes Block Agreement

Negotiations centered on three major unresolved issues. The first involves access to the Strait of Hormuz, where the United States is demanding unrestricted maritime passage without transit fees, while Iran has proposed limited control measures and compensation mechanisms. The second major dispute concerns Iran’s nuclear program, particularly restrictions on enrichment levels and the handling of highly enriched uranium stockpiles. Tehran has suggested scaled-back enrichment and reduced stockpiles, but these proposals fall short of US requirements.

The third issue is Iran’s demand for the release of approximately $27 billion in frozen overseas assets, which Washington has resisted without broader geopolitical concessions.

Markets React to Renewed Geopolitical Risk Premium

Currency markets also reflected the shift in sentiment, with the USD strengthening modestly, the euro slightly softer, and energy-linked currencies such as CAD and NOK showing relative resilience due to higher oil prices.

Overall, while diplomacy has not collapsed, the lack of agreement keeps volatility elevated as traders reassess the durability of the ceasefire and the risk of renewed conflict.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.