Today's Crypto Pulse
Bitcoin slides below $70k as energy‑price worries spark $1.8B in liquidations
Bitcoin fell under $70,000 amid heightened energy‑price uncertainty linked to U.S.–Iran tensions. The dip triggered roughly $1.8 billion in crypto liquidations, while institutional investors pulled more than $4.2 billion from digital‑asset positions.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Strive acquires 2,500 Bitcoin for $185.2M
Bitcoin Stalls Below $80K as Geopolitical Risk Returns Ahead of Fed
Bitcoin failed to breach the $80,000 barrier for the third time this month, slipping to about $76,800 as oil prices surged after President Trump halted U.S.-Iran peace talks. The rally in oil sparked $288 million in crypto liquidations, affecting more than 108,000 traders. Meanwhile, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a fourth straight week of net inflows, pulling in $823.7 million and pushing total ETF assets under management above $102 billion. Institutional buyer Strategy added 3,273 BTC worth $255 million, raising its holdings to 818,334 BTC ahead of the Fed’s upcoming policy meeting.
Earn 25% of Friends' Swap Fees, They Save 10%
Our @baseapp referral program lets you refer friends to earn 25% of their swap fees, and they get a 10% fee discount too. Tap your profile photo in top left, then "Invite Friends". If you don't have the app yet, you...
Ethereum Aims Above $2,290, Targeting $2,719
Ethereum — the plan hasn’t changed. Hold above $2290. Target: $2719. Simple levels. No noise.
Virginia Enacts $2,000 Daily Cap on Crypto Kiosks to Combat $300M Scam Losses
Virginia has passed House Bill 489, limiting crypto‑kiosk transactions to $2,000 per day and $10,000 per month, with a 48‑hour hold on transfers. The measure targets the $300 million in losses reported by the FBI in 2025 and aligns the state...
NFTs Attempt Another Comeback as Blue Chips Surge
The NFT market posted its strongest 30‑day rally in months, driven by Yuga Labs' flagship collections and other Ethereum blue chips. Bored Ape Yacht Club’s floor jumped 79% to about $21,715, while Mutant Ape surged 112% and Otherdeed land tokens...
BTC - The Most Detailed Multi Timeframe Breakdown Yet
Analyst Paul Webborn released the most comprehensive Bitcoin technical analysis to date, spanning five timeframes from the cryptocurrency’s inception to the present. The breakdown includes monthly, weekly, two daily Elliott‑Wave scenarios, and a 4‑hour chart, each illustrating distinct structural phases....
Sky Proposes to Streamline Treasury Management
Sky, the DeFi lending protocol formerly known as MakerDAO, announced a Treasury Management overhaul now that Genesis Capital is fully deployed. The new framework replaces governance‑driven capital outflows with rules‑bound expenses capped at a fixed percentage of net revenue. Treasury...
BTC Teeters Above 21‑week EMA, Retest Risk Looming
#BTC Bitcoin has Weekly Closed just above the 21-week EMA (green) Which means price is technically positioned for a retest of the EMA The problem is that there is very little space for the retest to breathe, making it very easy for...
Money Launderer for Crypto Thieves Given 5-Year Sentence
A California man, 22‑year‑old Evan Tangeman, received a 70‑month prison term for laundering at least $3.5 million of cryptocurrency stolen by the Social Engineering Enterprise, a cyber‑criminal group that stole roughly $260 million from high‑value crypto owners. Tangeman used fake identities to...
DeFi Rescue Hurts Anti-Wall Street Pitch After $10 Billion Run
A security breach at KelpDAO sparked a $10 billion run on Aave, the leading DeFi lending protocol. A coalition of projects, calling itself DeFi United, has pledged roughly $240 million in Ether to back rsETH and reimburse Aave’s users. Interest rates have...
Arbitrum Freezes DPRK Loot, Proving Bitcoin Can Too
Griff Green on the Arbitrum Security Council’s decision to freeze DPRK’s stolen funds on Unchained: "I mean, the fact of the matter is this is possible in Bitcoin.” 👀
Western Union’s Stablecoin Is Almost Ready for the Market
Western Union is in the final stages of launching its own U.S. dollar‑backed stablecoin, USDPT, built on Solana. The rollout includes a USD Stable Card for global spending and a Digital Asset Network that connects crypto wallets to Western Union’s...
TechDev Newsletter - Market Update Issue #93
The TechDev newsletter identifies the final leg of Ethereum's prolonged corrective phase, projecting a price range of $1,400‑$1,600 before a rapid V‑shaped recovery. It introduces a two‑trade roadmap—ETHD for a conservative re‑entry and ETHU for a V‑bottom long—together promising roughly...
Buy XRP Now Before Premium Mirrors Gold
Gold spot is $4,500. Physical gold costs over $5,000. XRP could follow the same pattern post appreciation. Institutional demand absorbs available supply and retail gets locked out or pays a steep premium for the bearer asset. If you want XRP itself...
US Soldier’s $560K Bet Sparks Insider‑Trading Probe of Prediction Markets
A U.S. special‑forces soldier was charged with using classified intelligence to place a $560,000 wager on the capture of Venezuela’s former president on the Polymarket prediction platform. Prosecutors say the trade turned a modest bet into a six‑figure profit, igniting...
Crypto Hacks Drain $606 Million in April, Spotlighting DeFi Security Gaps
Two North Korean‑linked attacks on Solana and Ethereum projects wiped out more than $606 million in the first 24 days of April, accounting for 95% of all crypto thefts that month. The breaches triggered massive capital flight from DeFi protocols, raising...
PAX Gold Token Hits $2.3 B Market Cap as Gold-Backed Stablecoin Draws Investor Interest
PAX Gold (PAXG) reached a $2.3 billion market cap and rose about 10% this year, positioning the gold‑backed stablecoin as a rare bright spot in a weak crypto market. Backed by one troy ounce of gold per token and listed on...
Arc Hackathon Shows Agentic Apps Dominating Layer‑1 Launch
Fascinating to see, but @Arc hackathons continue to be dominated by builders using our agentic infrastructure and tooling. As we march towards mainnet and continue to roll out new agent tools, it will be interesting to see if this...
Cardano to Invest in Bitcoin While Cardano Marketplaces Like JPG Store Are Shut Down
Cardano’s governance is confronting two simultaneous deadlines: the JPG Store NFT marketplace will enter complete shutdown on May 23, compelling users to withdraw listings, offers and assets, and the Pogun treasury proposal is seeking roughly 12.3 million ADA (about $3 million) to build...
MicroBT Announces Strategic Investment Into Blockware
MicroBT, a leading Bitcoin mining hardware maker, announced a strategic investment in Blockware, a vertically integrated AI/HPC and mining infrastructure platform. The deal pairs a sizable capital infusion with a long‑term procurement agreement for MicroBT miners and AI data‑center equipment....
ARB Poised for Continued Rise; Dip Buying Encouraged
$ARB keeps running upwards and there are multiple signs for continuation. Even it has a correction of 10-20%, it's not worrysome, it's actually just a natural mid-trend correction and going to continue running from here. I think that 'buy-the-dip' applies to this...
Bitcoin Looks Ready To PUMP
In this short episode, the host dives into Bitcoin’s daily chart, highlighting a rare bullish signal where the 20‑day EMA crosses above the 100‑day EMA—a crossover that historically precedes strong price rallies. He references past instances from 2023‑2025 where similar...
Axis - Arbitrage Yield Without the Funding Rate Trap
Axis, a quantitative yield protocol on Ethereum, raised $5 million from Galaxy Ventures and OKX Ventures to fund its cross‑exchange arbitrage engine. The platform captures price discrepancies across more than 40 venues, delivering a market‑neutral yield target of 10‑20% APY. In...
Crypto Should Reshape Finance, Not Be Subsumed
2 Scenarios for TradFi's hug of crypto: Scenario 1: Crypto adapts to TradFi. It may still look and feel like crypto, but under the hood it runs on the same centralized Big Brother systems. Scenario 2: Crypto changes TradFi, creating incentives for...
Isolated-Market Design Contained Morpho’s Losses
The $292M KelpDAO bridge exploit is the largest DeFi attack of 2026. Aave is now holding more than $200M in bad debt; Morpho's direct exposure was about $1M. What explains the gap? Paul Frambot, co-founder and CEO of Morpho, joins...
‘Everyone Is Lying To You For Money’ - Actor Ben McKenzie on His New Crypto Documentary and Corporate Dems
In this episode, actor Ben McKenzie discusses his new documentary "Everyone Is Lying To You For Money," which exposes the fraud and political entanglements of the cryptocurrency industry. He shares personal insights from his family's public‑service legacy, critiques crypto’s failure...
Allocate Crypto Based on Cashflow, Not Risk Labels
Risk tolerance in crypto is relative. Clients holding 100% of their net worth in digital assets will call themselves conservative. Conviction changes perception. What does retirement look like? What cashflow do you need? Short term inside one year, medium term around...
Saylor's BTC Purchase Isn’t a Buy Signal—Stay Patient
Saylor bought another $255M of BTC Every time he buys my feed is full of people saying that's the signal to ape in. It's not. He can hold through anything. Just like major banks/institutions. Most of you can't afford to be down 40%...
Perle Labs Listing Delay: The Tokenomics Problem No One Can Verify
Upbit delayed the launch of Perle Labs’ $PRL token after insider‑selling allegations surfaced, citing a need to clarify circulating‑supply issues. Blockchain data showed about 90 million PRL moved to five wallets, with two selling before the public announcement. Perle Labs argued...
Bitcoin‑Gold Ratio Shows Stunning Uptrend This Month
"The one chart to look at right now is bitcoin:native:Gold. If you look at the past month, it's a beautiful chart." 🥇 -- @perkinscr97 https://t.co/V2FDkHgzi2
Virtual Addresses Enable Middleware‑Free On‑Chain Fintech
Virtual addresses mean you can now build fintech programs onchain with stablecoins No middleware needed.
Formal Verification: Math’s Shield Against AI-Driven DeFi Hacks
🤖 "The power has shifted way more toward the attackers ... but we have one tool: formal verification. AI can break a lot of things, but it can't break math." -- @PaulFrambot on all the hacks in DeFi https://t.co/o3h67jD0JH
Mether Pins Kelp Hack Blame on Kelp, LayerZero, Aave
.@0xMether's breakdown of fault in the Kelp hack is worth watching. He doesn't let Kelp, LayerZero, or Aave off easy. @bitsandbips https://t.co/5zLVFRyZo4
Fintechs Rush On‑chain to Protect AUM From Morpho
"Every single fintech is going onchain, because they realize they're going to lose AUM to Morpho, so they realize they have to come onchain to maintain their AUM." 👀 -- @PaulFrambot https://t.co/5TsfovnBdK
DeFi Loans Can Match TradFi Risk with Quality Collateral
"If you take high quality collateral like Treasury bonds or bitcoin and reliable price sources, the risk of those loans can actually be close to the one in TradFi and it doesn't require crazy premiums." -- @PaulFrambot on the risk...
Bailout and Trial Win Promise Broad Relief
rsETH bailout will help a lot of people who are financially exposed to it over the next few months. Roman Storm winning at trial will help every American—and therefore every human on earth—over the next few decades.
Stablecoins Could Slash $60 B Remittance Fees
An estimated $60 billion was spent on remittance fees in 2025. This could be almost zero with stablecoins.
T. Rowe Files Active Crypto ETF, Biggest Manager Yet
T Rowe Active Crypto ETF filing with 3rd amendment. Ticker $TOKN, fee 75bps. Launch likely very soon. The reason this one is notable imo is because it’s by far biggest active manager to apply their active prowess to this space....
Polygon Lets Crypto Feel Like Real Money Everyday
"Your crypto actually feels like money" Thats the whole point right there. Polygon was built so teams like @Tangem can ship products that make this true for everyday users 💜
BTC Break Below 73,786 Signals New Bear Downtrend
$BTC - Since the March 29 low it has made higher highs and higher lows. If it falls below the recent short term low at 73786 we would have the 1st indication that the next down leg of the...
OpenClaw Merges with DeFi, Unlocking the Awaited Synthesis
OpenClaw + DeFi = the synthesis we've been waiting for Once you see it, the path is clear
BTC at Decision Point: Breakout or Drop?
🚨 BTC AT A DECISION POINT 🚨 If $BTC fails to break above the upper trendline of the ascending channel, a move toward the lower boundary could follow If it breaks out and holds above, the bullish trend continues Stay alert...
Crypto's Week: Partnerships, Risks, and AI Payment Surge
Crypto things you might have missed: -KBank + Ripple partner for cross-border transfers -5.6M dormant $BTC could trigger worst crash -Litecoin hit by denial-of-service attack -Strategy holds more $BTC than BlackRock -@jessepollak: AI agents = next big wave for crypto payments
Avalanche Foundation Backs DeFi United, Reinforces Aave Partnership
We appreciate the support from the Avalanche Foundation for DeFi United. Avalanche has been a great long-term partner to Aave, and it’s great to see them stepping in when needed.
Consistent Pattern Confirms Arkham's North Korea Attribution
I asked @MiguelMorel what makes Arkham confident it was North Korea. The answer: a pattern that's too consistent to ignore. @unchained_pod https://t.co/lcc3jKI0oY
Cold Storage Made Easy for Even Luddites
Been testing this baby for a bit. For absolute luddites like myself, this was a great intro to cold storage. Nice work team 🧡
Elegant Solution Switched Griff Green on Arbitrum Freeze
What changed @griffgreen's mind about the Arbitrum freeze? The elegance of the solution. He explains on @unchained_pod, then goes somewhere bigger about immutability. https://t.co/Xy32iwyo8u
May Sell‑off Gains Credibility Amid Stubborn Markets
Quick April recap before May begins: - Bitcoin rejected at 80k - Fed still not cutting - Hormuz still closed - Oil above 107 Sell in May isn't sounding like a meme anymore.
Solana Breaks Key Support, Signaling Potential Correction
🚨 $SOL JUST LOST KEY SUPPORT 🚨 $SOL has broken below its ascending trendline Is this the start of a correction for Solana and its ecosystem? 👀 Stay alert. https://t.co/2VGVEZt3iW
ZEC Leads Privacy; Seeking Post‑Quantum Schelling Point
ZEC is Crypto Schelling point for Privacy. What’s the Schelling point for Post Quantum Crypto?