News linked to this event type.
According to Bloomberg, just days after the Pentagon designated Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, Anthropic PBC has hired Ballard Partners—a lobbying firm linked to U.S. President Trump. This collaboration comes amid an ongoing dispute between Anthropic and the U.S. Department of Defense (i.e., the Pentagon). Public filings indicate that Ballard Partners will represent Anthropic in policy communications and lobbying activities.
According to DL News, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is intensifying its crackdown on cryptocurrency-related tax evasion, with particular focus on new reporting requirements for the 2025 tax year. The IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division has prioritized cryptocurrency tax cases, and investors must proactively report relevant transactions before the April 15 tax-filing deadline. Starting in 2025, Form 1099-DA—introduced for the first time—requires brokers to report investors’ total digital asset transaction proceeds to both investors and the IRS; however, investors themselves must calculate and verify their cost basis. Reports from Coinbase and CoinTracker indicate that approximately 61% of U.S. cryptocurrency investors are unaware of the new rules, and 52% fear penalties resulting from filing errors. Experts advise investors to gather all transaction records and file accurate returns to avoid criminal penalties, including fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for up to five years.
According to The Block, U.S. Republican Senator Thom Tillis stated that a draft bill aimed at resolving the long-standing dispute between banks and crypto firms over stablecoin yield—under the “Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act” (the “Clarity Act”)—will be publicly released this week. Tillis co-drafted the provisions with Democratic Senator Angela Alsobrooks. The draft has already undergone review by both banking and crypto industry stakeholders, though banks remain opposed. Tillis indicated he is open to further revisions of the text. The issue of stablecoin yield represents the central point of contention in the Clarity Act: banks fear that permitting crypto firms to pay interest on idle stablecoins would trigger massive deposit outflows, while crypto enterprises such as Coinbase argue that banning such interest payments would stifle innovation. Additionally, Tillis proposed hosting a “Crypto Summit” to bring all stakeholders to Capitol Hill for negotiations toward a resolution. The Clarity Act has not yet advanced through the Senate Banking Committee and remains far from final enactment.
According to The Block, Korean payment service provider NHN KCP has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ava Labs to jointly build a Layer 1 network for payment use cases on Ava Cloud. The initiative will focus on three key areas: sub-second payment confirmation, on-chain transaction data encryption, and customizable merchant payment infrastructure. The two parties will also explore business opportunities including tokenized deposit models, multi-stablecoin settlement architectures, and cross-border payments. Justin Kim, Head of Asia at Ava Labs, stated that the mainnet launch timeline for this L1 will depend significantly on the progress of South Korea’s cryptocurrency regulatory framework.
According to DL News, several “revenge intermediaries” in South Korea that accept cryptocurrency as payment have recently remained highly active. These organizations receive orders via Telegram and offer services including intimidation, assault, and even murder disguised as accidents. They require clients to pay a 50% deposit in USDT and promise to send footage of the operation—recorded using body-worn cameras—via Telegram. Although the alleged ringleader was arrested on April 3, related online advertisements continued to appear as recently as April 13. This year, South Korean police have launched investigations into more than 50 such cases and arrested approximately 30 individuals; all cases were confirmed to involve cryptocurrency payments.
According to CoinDesk, cryptocurrency exchange Kraken was extorted by a criminal group that threatened to publicly release videos of its internal systems. Kraken stated that it had previously identified and addressed two incidents involving unauthorized access by internal personnel, affecting limited customer data from approximately 2,000 accounts—0.02% of its total user base—but emphasized that its systems were never breached and customer funds remained secure at all times. Nick Percoco, Kraken’s Chief Security Officer, explicitly affirmed the company would not capitulate to criminals. Kraken has notified affected users, enhanced security controls, and is cooperating with law enforcement authorities to advance the investigation; it believes existing evidence is sufficient to identify and apprehend those responsible. Separately, Galaxy Digital recently experienced a similar cybersecurity incident, though it likewise resulted in no loss of customer funds or data.
According to Crypto in America, Chris Giancarlo—former Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and widely known in the industry as “Crypto Dad”—has officially stepped down from his role as Senior Advisor at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP at the end of April. He is now shifting his focus to digital asset strategic consulting, private investments, and public policy research. Giancarlo spent six years at the law firm, where he spearheaded the development of its cryptocurrency legal practice. Additionally, his new book, *CryptoDad’s New Adventure: The Path to Financial Freedom in the 21st Century*, is scheduled for publication this October, chronicling the evolution of the crypto industry from the 2024 U.S. presidential election through the potential second Trump administration.
According to Stocktitan, U.S.-listed Bitcoin treasury company Exodus Movement has filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery, seeking to compel service provider W3C Corp and its CEO Garth Howat to fulfill the share acquisition agreement signed in November 2025 and complete the transaction. Exodus Movement stated that it has already classified its loan to W3C as “immediately payable” and exercised related security rights, expecting the court to issue an order compelling the counterparty to complete the closing as stipulated in the agreement. Previously, on April 8, 2026, Exodus obtained approval from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), removing a key regulatory hurdle for the acquisition. The company said it will accelerate completion of this acquisition by advancing both the litigation and enforcement of its security rights.
According to reporter Eleanor Terrett, the American Bankers Association (ABA) has publicly criticized the recent stablecoin report issued by the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), arguing that the report’s analytical direction is flawed and overlooks more fundamental policy risks. The ABA warns that permitting stablecoins to pay interest could trigger massive outflows of deposits from community banks, raise funding costs, and thereby tighten local credit supply. The ABA stated: “The CEA report focuses on the implications of banning interest payments, thereby creating a false sense of security while sidestepping the far more disruptive scenario—rapid, large-scale expansion of interest-bearing payment stablecoins.”
According to Fortune, Foundry, a leading Bitcoin mining pool, officially launched a new mining pool for the privacy coin Zcash on April 13. Mike Colyer, CEO of Foundry, stated that this move aims to address growing institutional demand for privacy coins. The pool has already attracted several institutional miners, and its output now accounts for nearly one-third of all newly minted Zcash globally. Zcash implements transaction privacy via zero-knowledge proof technology while supporting selective disclosure to meet regulatory compliance requirements—making it more appealing to institutions than its competitor Monero. Fueled by this news, Zcash’s price has surged over 75% in the past 30 days, with its current market capitalization standing at approximately $6.3 billion. Foundry currently controls about 31% of the global Bitcoin hash rate, making it the world’s largest Bitcoin mining pool operator.
According to Cointelegraph, South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) stated that API-based cryptocurrency trading currently accounts for approximately 30% of market buy/sell volume. The FSS noted that some traders are using automated tools to inflate trading volumes and manipulate prices—for example, by repeatedly submitting small orders to create a false impression of market activity or placing high-limit buy orders to artificially boost prices. The regulator announced it would launch a targeted investigation into accounts suspected of abnormal API trading and urged investors to remain vigilant toward assets exhibiting sudden, unexplained spikes in price and trading volume. Previously, South Korea mandated that exchanges reconcile asset balances every five minutes and has been continuously tightening anti-fraud regulations; however, certain regulatory measures remain constrained by an incomplete legal framework.
It is reported that Bybit Earn has entered a strategic partnership with Doppler Finance to officially launch an institutional-grade XRP fixed-income product, offering users a new yield opportunity. Traditionally, XRP does not support native staking, limiting its yield potential. This collaboration introduces Doppler Finance’s institutional-grade yield strategies, making yield-generating capabilities—previously available only to institutions—accessible to retail users. These strategies are selected and executed by Doppler Finance, a native yield platform focused exclusively on the XRP ecosystem, dedicated to delivering secure, transparent, and compliant yield solutions for non-stakable assets. During the campaign, users participating in the 90-day XRPfi fixed-income product will earn an annualized yield of 5%, comprising a base annualized yield of 2.5% plus an additional 2.5% annualized reward drawn from a 30,000 XRP incentive pool. Campaign Period: April 13, 2026, 10:00 – July 12, 2026, 23:59 (UTC)
According to QCP Group, U.S.-Iran negotiations collapsed over the weekend, sending oil prices back above $100 per barrel and triggering a broad market shift toward risk aversion. BTC encountered resistance at $74,000, while ETH pulled back from $2,330 to $2,180. Trump subsequently threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz to cut off Iranian oil exports; Iran countered with threats targeting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, further widening risk exposure. China, as a major importer of Iranian crude oil, sits at the center of this crisis. Should the blockade be implemented, U.S.-China confrontation risks would rise significantly—a scenario not yet fully priced into markets. Nevertheless, the crypto market has demonstrated notable resilience: implied volatility and risk-reversal indicators have both retreated to pre-conflict levels, signaling waning panic. BlackRock’s IBIT recorded net inflows of $612.1 million over the past week, reflecting continued institutional buying momentum. Market focus has now shifted from geopolitical headlines to execution details: Trump announced the blockade will commence at 10 a.m. ET—yet repeated delays have rendered policy credibility itself a tradable variable.
According to News1, Circle, the issuer of the stablecoin USDC, has signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dunamu, the operator of Upbit—the largest virtual asset exchange in South Korea. The two parties will jointly advance digital asset education initiatives—including stablecoins—to enhance market participants’ access to information and bolster the credibility of South Korea’s digital asset ecosystem. Oh Kyung-seok, Dunamu’s representative, stated, “Collaborating with Circle—experienced in compliant operations—is highly significant.” Jeremy Allaire, Circle’s representative, emphasized, “South Korea is an exceptionally important market for digital asset innovation.”
Polkadot’s official response to the security vulnerability discovered in Hyperbridge’s Ethereum gateway contract: Hyperbridge services have been temporarily suspended to investigate the issue. This vulnerability affects only DOT tokens bridged to Ethereum via Hyperbridge and does not impact DOT tokens within the Polkadot ecosystem or DOT transferred via other cross-chain bridges. The Polkadot mainnet, parachains, and native DOT remain secure and unaffected.
According to Tom Dunleavy, Head of Venture Capital at Varys Capital, the fundraising environment for cryptocurrency startups has undergone significant changes over the past six months. Venture capital (VC) firms now only need capital to gain access to deal flow—high-quality projects are actively seeking investment, and funding demand has reached an all-time high. Most VC firms have either exhausted their capital, shifted focus to later-stage rounds, or failed to raise new funds, leaving fewer than 20 firms actually capable of investing at the earliest stages (Pre-Seed/Seed). The fundraising cycle for startups has lengthened from two to three weeks to two to three months, and companies lacking innovation or merely copying market trends struggle to secure lead or follow-on investments. VC firms now enjoy more time to conduct thorough due diligence when evaluating projects. Dunleavy believes that 2025 and 2026 will represent a historic window for VC firms that remain committed and resilient.
The Kansas City Federal Reserve’s latest analysis indicates that stablecoins currently serve primarily as tools for cryptocurrency trading and liquidity provision within the financial ecosystem, rather than as mainstream payment instruments. According to the report, approximately 49% of stablecoin supply supports trading liquidity on centralized exchanges, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, and broader crypto infrastructure; 29% is used for wallet-to-wallet transfers or internal fund operations; and 21% remains idle—with less than 1% actually deployed for real-world payments. The report notes that, as natively crypto-designed instruments, stablecoins face constraints in cross-chain interoperability and integration with traditional financial systems, hindering their large-scale adoption for payments. Although payment processors such as Mastercard and Visa announced support for related technologies in 2026, stablecoin-based payment use cases remain in their infancy. Future development hinges on resolving critical challenges including interoperability, regulatory compliance, and identity verification.
Shin Hyun Song, candidate for Governor of the Bank of Korea, stated on April 13 that central bank digital currency (CBDC) and deposit tokens—digital tokens issued by commercial banks based on CBDC—should serve as the core of the digital currency ecosystem. Shin Hyun Song noted that while he supports the introduction of won-denominated stablecoins, maintaining monetary trust remains the top priority. He believes stablecoins play a positive role in areas such as asset tokenization and programmability, and may complement or compete with deposit tokens in the future. Regarding the issuers of won stablecoins, he recommended initially permitting bank-led consortia, followed by gradual inclusion of non-bank institutions to ensure regulatory compliance. On the view that stablecoins could enhance foreign exchange transaction efficiency, he emphasized the need for careful assessment of whether blockchain technology can effectively meet relevant regulatory requirements.
According to News1, following the erroneous payment incident at Bithumb, the Bank of Korea stated that it is necessary to prudently consider introducing a “circuit breaker” mechanism—similar to those in traditional financial markets—into the cryptocurrency market to address extreme market volatility and systemic risks. The Bank of Korea noted that as the cryptocurrency market expands and associated risks increase, existing regulatory measures are insufficient to fully cover potential issues; therefore, it is essential to study the introduction of an automated trading suspension mechanism to enhance market stability and investor protection. Previously, Bithumb triggered market attention after a system failure led to abnormal payments affecting some users’ assets.
According to Cointelegraph, the European Central Bank (ECB) has endorsed the EU’s proposal to transfer financial market regulation—including oversight of crypto-asset service providers (CASPs)—from national regulatory authorities to a centralized EU-level regulator.